Chapter 403: The Year of Great Calamity: Too Much

"My lord, please taste it quickly."

"This dorayaki is made from pure natural flour and red beans sourced from the Heaven World of Aphrodite, crafted according to an ancient recipe passed down among the nobility of Terra's Nippon Hive."

The castle belonging to Kania Danda, representative of the Merchant Adventurers, was the most exquisite and luxurious of all the High Lords' residences.

This palace, nestled in a corner of the Imperial Palace's inner court, was as clean as if sketched by morning mist, its slender towers like ivory carvings, the palace itself resembling a white water lily, with bridges connecting the towers like six fragile strands about to snap—all of it, built from marble and snowstone, seemed not architecture itself but the reflection of architecture.

A mere breath of wind would cause this delicate, beautiful, and ethereal castle to vanish into ripples of water.

Yet no one could accuse Kania Danda of embezzling through her office—this entire castle came from the vast wealth accumulated by her Merchant Adventurer family over ten thousand years.

Compared to that, the salary a High Lord received was negligible, and even the wealth obtainable through the power of a High Lord was laughably small to Kania Danda.

She was undoubtedly the most incorruptible of all the High Lords—not because of noble character, but simply because the wealth a High Lord could steal was not worth her effort or attention.

Even the salary of a High Lord was used by Kania Danda to support the children of officials, Astra Militarum, and guards who had lost their parents, to win their loyalty.

When she heard that Saint Doraa-mu would visit her palace to discuss matters concerning the position of High Lord, Kania Danda prepared a private banquet so lavish it would be considered extravagant even by Merchant Adventurer standards.

According to the teachings promoted by the nuns, Saint Doraa-mu came from the ancient twenty-second century, so Kania Danda gathered numerous artifacts from the Terra of old and had artisans recreate a room in the style of the twenty-second century as faithfully as possible.

Even Saint Doraa-mu's favorite food, the dorayaki, was obtained by Kania Danda paying a fortune to an ancient noble of Nippon Hive for a recipe passed down from the Dark Age of Technology.

The ingredients for the dorayaki were brought back by a group of brave crewmembers sent by Kania Danda, who crossed the chaotic Warp and broke through the Black Legion's blockade to reach the Heaven World of Aphrodite.

Even when the crew arrived, the Heaven World of Aphrodite was in the midst of rebellion—Kania Danda's crew had to quell the uprising first before securing the required materials.

And Zhou Yun, Zhou Yun stood in silence before this room.

The room was profoundly abstract, entirely white, inducing disorientation, like the futuristic sci-fi scenes Zhou Yun had seen in the twenty-first century.

On the walls of this pure-white room hung countless paintings, sculptures, and exquisite ornaments depicting Doraa-mu.

At the center of the room stood a table made of glass, piled high with dorayaki, forming a small mountain.

The candles in the room burned slowly, releasing the scent of spices, yet Zhou Yun stared at the dorayaki mountain in silence—silence and silence.

He had anticipated Kania Danda might host a banquet for him; in truth, he had held a small hope.

Recently, though his workload had not been as heavy as Guilliman's or Sanguinius's, it was far from light—after all, wielding the whip was tiring.

Zhou Yun had hoped to taste the delicacies enjoyed by the Empire's nobility, to experience aristocratic life.

But… but why is it only dorayaki?!

Where is the lavish banquet? Where is the Quartis Katalline white wine? Where are the rare fruits like apple-peaches? Bring them out! I can endure the trial!

"Dorayaki, Dark Age of Technology recipe," Kania Danda said with a bright smile.

Are you testing your officials with dorayaki?

Zhou Yun's face twitched; he took a deep breath and said:

"Lady Kania Danda, in the Year of Great Calamity, this is excessive."

Upon hearing Zhou Yun's words, Kania Danda shuddered violently and stepped back a pace.

She immediately cursed herself for her stupidity—this lord's first miracle upon arriving on Terra had been feeding the entire Hive's commoners, even though it severely undermined the interests of merchant guilds like the Water Guild, the Corpse Guild, and the Slave Guild.

The merchant guilds delighted in seeing the lower hives descend into drought and famine, so they could flood the Hive with water and food, and profit by recycling cheap corpses and slaves.

But Kania Danda saw such trade as petty: water and food prices could be raised endlessly, yet if no one could afford them, higher prices meant nothing; the few nobles who could afford food and water were too few, the market too small.

During the days when the nearby space lanes were severed and bulk goods could not enter, Kania Danda's wealth growth slowed by several percentage points.

Kania Danda's palms were slick with sweat—she knew this lord cared deeply for the lives of commoners, yet she had gone so extravagantly overboard, provoking the displeasure of Saint Doraa-mu.

Zhou Yun did not notice Kania Danda's reaction, nor did he intend to.

Guilliman also did not care about Kania Danda—Guilliman cared only for the position of Merchant Adventurer Representative.

The High Lord Council had nine permanent seats held by the Neiwu Force, the Ecclesiarchy, Mars, the Fawu Force, the Navigator Guild, the Astronomican Court, the Assassinorum, the Astropathic Choir, and the Inquisition.

The remaining three rotating seats were chosen from among the Imperial Guard Commander, the Solar Lords, the Astra Militarum Supreme Commander, the Navy's High Admiral, the Supreme Mother of the Adepta Sororitas, the Imperial Archivist, the Ecclesiarchy's Terra Church Patriarch, and the Merchant Adventurer Representative.

According to Guilliman's plan, the Merchant Adventurer Representative would no longer be a High Lord—this seat would be replaced by the Supreme Mother of the Adepta Sororitas, Mo Wen.

Kania Danda could retain her title as Merchant Adventurer Representative, but she must relinquish the position of High Lord and leave Terra.

This was because Guilliman believed the Empire now needed military strongmen, not traders.

Even the dismissal order had already been drafted in advance.

Zhou Yun pondered how to speak, while reaching out to take a dorayaki and stuffing it into his mouth.

Hey, don't say it—you really shouldn't say it—this dorayaki is actually quite delicious.

Have another.

While Zhou Yun devoured dorayaki furiously, Kania Danda grew frantic, like ants on a hot pan.

Why hasn't this lord said a word?! Has he already become angry?

Kania Danda clenched her teeth, waved her hand, and signaled her attendants to hurry to her treasure chamber.

She had heard rumors that Saint Doraa-mu enjoyed collecting sacred relics.

She herself possessed such a relic—perhaps it could win Saint Doraa-mu's favor.

Is there ice in this dorayaki? Why is it more intoxicating than a Keiling apple? Have another.

Zhou Yun had no idea what Kania Danda was thinking—he simply kept devouring dorayaki.

Until Kania Danda, trembling slightly, approached his side, holding a box in her hands.

Zhou Yun glanced at her, then took another dorayaki.

He picked up another dorayaki and shoved it into his mouth.

Kania Danda gathered her courage and opened the box—inside was a scale, shimmering with faint light.

"My lord, this is a sacred relic I obtained from the Terra Hive."

"It is said to have been gifted by the Emperor during the Great Crusade, and based on its crafting date, it likely dates to when Lorgar first returned."

"At that time, Lorgar was the only Primarch on Terra."

Only after devouring another dorayaki did Zhou Yun's gaze shift slightly to the box in Kania Danda's hands.

If this were Lorgar's relic, would the Space Wolves leave it unclaimed? Zhou Yun felt doubt stir within him.

The Primarchs on Terra at that time were not only Lorgar—the first to return was Horus, the second was Lorgar.

This scale might instead be Horus's—did Kania Danda not know, or was she deliberately pretending ignorance, or afraid to voice such a possibility?

But it didn't matter—Horus was now in the Emperor's own hands; Horus's scales from the first thirty years of his return should pose no issue.

Zhou Yun took the wooden box containing the scale and shoved it into his fourth-dimensional pocket.

【Item: Alpharius's Scale.】

Alpharius.

Have another dorayaki.

Zhou Yun picked up another dorayaki and stuffed it into his mouth, calming his nerves.

It's even worse than Horus.

Although Horus was publicly the first Primarch to return, most people did not know that Alpharius, Primarch of the Alpha Legion, had fallen within the Imperial Palace and had never left the Emperor's sight.

When Lorgar first returned, the Primarchs on Terra were simultaneously Horus, Lorgar, and Alpharius.

Especially considering Guilliman's concern: the Alpha Legion had infiltrated Terra's bureaucracy, nesting among the High Lords.

Zhou Yun's gaze toward Kania Danda turned strange.

If an Alpha agent truly lurked beside her—or if she herself were Alpha—how could she expose such a flaw?

Zhou Yun paused, then probed cautiously: "Stop trying to test my resolve, as steadfast as Rogal Dorn's."

"I will not be swayed by your petty favors—"

BAM!!

To Zhou Yun's surprise, Kania Danda suddenly dropped to her knees before him.

Her knees slammed against the floor, her face as pale as snow.

Zhou Yun froze—had his words been so terrifying? Or was Kania Danda so unwilling to give up her position as High Lord?

"You are merciful, you are forgiving, please spare me."

Kania Danda knelt on the ground, screaming desperately:

"Kill me outright if you must—but don't make me a High Lord!"

"Please, please remove me from office!"

(End of Chapter)