Chapter 404: The Year of Great Calamity — Too Much

"My lord, please try it quickly."

"This is made from all-natural flour and red beans produced on the paradise world of Aphrodite, following an ancient recipe passed down among the nobility of the Nipean hive city."

The castle belonging to the Rogue Trader representative, Kaneia. Kania Danda, was the most exquisite and luxurious of all the High Lords,

This palace, situated in a corner of the inner palace of the Imperial Palace, was clean as if sketched from morning mist, its slender towers like carved ivory, the palace seeming like a pure white water lily, while the bridges connecting the towers were like six about to snap, all this piled from marble and alabaster did not look like the building itself, but rather like its reflection,

It would only take a momentary breeze for this exquisite, beautiful, and ethereal castle to vanish amidst rippling spray.

But no one could accuse Kaneia. Kania Danda of using her position to line her own pockets; this entire castle came from the vast wealth accumulated by her Rogue Trader family over ten thousand years,

Compared to it, the salary a High Lord could obtain was not worth mentioning; even the wealth that could be extracted through the power of a High Lord was laughably small to Kaneia. Kania Danda,

She was absolutely the most incorruptible of all the High Lords, not because of noble character, but simply because the wealth a High Lord could embezzle was not worth her trouble,

Even the High Lord's salary was taken by Kaneia. Kania Danda to sponsor the children of officials, Astra Militarum soldiers, and guards who had lost their parents, used to win hearts and minds.

Upon hearing that Saint Doraemon would visit her palace to discuss matters concerning the position of High Lord, Kaneia. Kania Danda prepared a private banquet that could be called extravagant even by Rogue Trader standards to welcome Saint Doraemon,

According to the doctrine preached by the nuns, Saint Doraemon hailed from the ancient twenty-second century, as did Kaneia. Kania Danda gathered numerous artifacts from the Old Terra era, using them to recreate a room in twenty-second-century style as faithfully as possible; for items that could not be found, she commissioned craftsmen to replicate them to the best of their ability.

Including Saint Doraemon's favorite food, the dorayaki, Kaneia. Kania Danda paid a great price to obtain from an ancient noble of the Nipean hive city a dorayaki recipe passed down from the Dark Age of Technology,

And the materials for making the dorayaki were brought back by a group of brave crewmen Kaneia. Kania Danda dispatched, who crossed the chaotic Warp, broke through the blockade of the Black Legion, and returned from the paradise world of Aphrodite,

Even when the crewmen arrived, the paradise world of Aphrodite happened to be in the midst of a rebellion; Kaneia. Kania Danda's crewmen had to first quell the rebellion on this planet before obtaining the needed materials.

And Zhou Yun, Zhou Yun watched in silence the room before him,

This room was extremely abstract, entirely pure white, robbing one of a sense of direction, like the style often seen in futuristic sci-fi films Zhou Yun had watched in the twenty-first century,

And on the walls of this pure white room hung all manner of paintings, carvings, and exquisite ornaments about Doraemon,

In the center of the room was a table made of glass, piled high with dorayaki, almost like a small mountain.

The candles in the room burned slowly, releasing the scent of spices, while Zhou Yun looked at the mountain of dorayaki before him in silence, silence, and more silence,

Although he had anticipated Kaneia. Kania Danda might entertain him with a banquet, in fact Zhou Yun did have a small bit of expectation,

Recently in workload, although Zhou Yun was not as diligent as Ji Li Man and Saint Guilliman, it was not light either; after all, cracking the whip is also tiring,

Zhou Yun had looked forward to tasting the delicacies normally eaten by the Empire's nobility at this banquet, to experiencing the life of Imperial aristocracy,

But. but why is there only dorayaki!

Where is the extravagant banquet? The Quatis Catalina white wine? The precious fruits like apples and peaches? Bring them out! I can withstand the test!

"Dorayaki, Dark Age of Technology recipe," Kaneia. Kania Danda said, still wearing a bright smile.

You think you can test a cadre member with dorayaki?

Zhou Yun's face twitched, he drew a deep breath and said:

"Lady Kaneia. Kania Danda, in this year of great calamity, this is too much."

Kaneia. Kania Danda, hearing Zhou Yun's words, immediately shuddered all over and took a full step back.

She immediately cursed herself inwardly for being foolish; the first miracle this lord performed upon arriving on Terra was feeding all the commoners of the hive city, even though this severely shook the interests of those merchant guilds including the Water Guild, the Corpse Guild, and the Slave Guild,

The merchant guilds were most happy to see the lower hive fall into drought and famine, so they could dump water and food into the hive city, recoup cheap corpses and slaves, and profit from the turnover,

But in Kaneia. Kania Danda's view, such trade was merely child's play; the price of water and food could be written infinitely high, but if no one could afford it, no price had meaning; the few nobles who could afford food and water were too few in number, the market too small,

In the days when the shipping lanes near Terra were cut off and bulk goods could not come in, Kaneia. Kania Danda's wealth growth rate dropped by several percentage points.

Kaneia. Kania Danda's palms were drenched in sweat; knowing full well this lord cared about the lives of commoners, she had still arranged something so extravagant and excessive, causing this Saint Doraemon lord to take offense.

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

Ji Li Man actually did not care about Kaneia. Kania Danda either; what Ji Li Man cared about was only the position of Rogue Trader representative,

In the High Lords Council, the nine great institutions—the Departmento Munitorum, the Ecclesiarchy, Mars, the Adeptus Arbites, the Navigator Houses, the Adeptus Astra Telephatica, the Officio Assassinorum, the Astra Telephatica, and the Adeptus Astra Telephatica—each held one permanent seat,

And the remaining three rotating seats were decided among the Commander of the Custodes, the Solar Lord, the Lord Commander of the Astra Militarum, the Lord High Admiral of the Navy, the Canoness Commander of the Adepta Sororitas, the Imperial Archivist, the Terran Archbishop of the Ecclesiarchy, and the Rogue Trader representative.

According to Ji Li Man's plan, the Rogue Trader representative would no longer be a High Lord; this position would be replaced by the Canoness Commander of the Adepta Sororitas, Mo Wen. Val,

Kaneia. Kania Danda could retain her identity as Rogue Trader representative, but would no longer serve as High Lord and must leave Terra,

This was because Ji Li Man believed the Empire now needed a strong military figure more than a commercial one.

Even the dismissal order, Ji Li Man had already drafted in advance.

Zhou Yun, pondering how to broach the subject, reached out and grabbed a dorayaki and stuffed it into his mouth.

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

One more.

Just as Zhou Yun was frantically devouring dorayaki, Kaneia. Kania Danda was already anxious as an ant on a hot pan,

Why has this lord remained silent all this time?! Could he already be angry?

Kaneia. Kania Danda clenched her teeth, waved her hand to signal her attendant to hurry to her treasure vault,

She had heard a bit of news before; this Saint Doraemon lord seemed to like collecting precious holy relics,

Kaneia. Kania Danda happened to have such a holy relic in hand, perhaps it could win Saint Doraemon's delight.

Is ice mixed into this dorayaki? Why does it taste more intoxicating than Kelling apples? One more.

Zhou Yun was completely unaware of Kaneia. Kania Danda's thoughts, simply devouring dorayaki single-mindedly.

Until Kaneia. Kania Danda, somewhat tremblingly, walked to his side, still holding a box in her hands.

Zhou Yun glanced at her, then took another one.

He picked up another piece of dorayaki and stuffed it into his mouth.

Kaneia. Kania Danda mustered her courage and opened the box in her hands; inside was a piece of scale armor, glinting with specks of light.

"My lord, this is a holy relic I obtained from the Terra hive city."

"It is said to have been gifted to a primarch during the Emperor's Great Crusade; judging by the time of manufacture, it should be from when Russ had just returned."

"After all, the only primarch on Terra at that time was Russ"

After Zhou Yun devoured another piece of dorayaki, his gaze finally shifted slightly to the box in Kaneia. Kania Danda's hands,

If it were Russ's relic, would the Space Wolves have left it alone? Doubt rose in Zhou Yun's heart.

At that time on Terra, the primarchs present were not only Russ. The first primarch to return was Horus, and only the second was Russ,

this scale armor might actually be Horus's. Was Kanya. Dantta unaware of this possibility on purpose, or did she simply not dare speak it?

But it doesn't matter now. Horus himself is in Hua Di Huang's hands, and scale armor from the first thirty years after Horus's return should be fine too,

Zhou Yun took the wooden box holding the scale armor and stuffed it straight into his fourth-dimensional pocket.

【Item: Alpharius's Scale Armor.】

Alpharius.

One more dorayaki,

Zhou Yun picked up another dorayaki and stuffed it into his mouth, calming his mood a little.

It's not even as good as Horus,

Although Horus was ostensibly the first primarch to return, the vast majority of people did not know that the primarch of the Alpha Legion, Alpharius, had fallen right inside the Terran palace, never once leaving Hua Di Huang's sight,

At the beginning of Russ's return, the primarchs present on Terra were simultaneously Horus, Russ, and Alpharius—three of them.

Especially considering Ji Li Man's worry: the Alpha Legion had infiltrated the Terran bureaucracy, had infiltrated the High Lords' side.

The moment Zhou Yun looked at Kanya. Dantta, his gaze turned strange,

If there really were Alpharius agents lurking by her side, or if she herself were Alpharius, why would she expose such a glaring flaw?

Zhou Yun deliberated for a moment, then said tentatively, "Stop trying to test my iron will with tricks like this—will as unyielding as Rogal Dorn's."

"I won't be swayed by your petty favors——————"

*Slap!!! *

What Zhou Yun did not expect was that Kanya. Dantta actually dropped straight to her knees before him,

her knees slamming hard against the floor, her face deathly pale as snow.

Zhou Yun couldn't help but be stunned—were his words really that terrifying just now? Or was Kanya. Dantta really that unwilling to give up her seat among the High Lords?

"Have mercy, be magnanimous, spare me."

Kanya. Dantta prostrated on the ground, screaming at the top of her lungs:

"Kill me on the spot if you want—just don't make me a High Lord anymore!"

"I beg you, I beg you, dismiss me from my post!"

(End of chapter)