[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-warhammer-starting-as-a-planetary-governor":3,"chapter-warhammer-starting-as-a-planetary-governor-warhammer-starting-as-a-planetary-governor-chapter-8":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Warhammer: Starting as a Planetary Governor",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1680978,2147,"Chapter 8: Bad News, We’ve Lost Contact with the Imperium","warhammer-starting-as-a-planetary-governor-chapter-8",8,"\u003Cp>\"Why? Do we now have the fourth-tier tax exemption?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eden couldn't believe it. Only planets or regimes that had made significant contributions to the Imperium were granted tax exemptions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Urth was just a low-tier hive world—how could it qualify for a tax exemption?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"By the Emperor's grace, it seems you've truly forgotten a lot,\" Bayev said, his expression heavy. \"This all started five years ago.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pointed to the evaluation report on the desk. \"Five years ago, the Administratum of Holy Terra raised Urth's tax classification...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Bayev continued to explain, Eden finally learned what had happened back then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the story of Eden's father, the previous Planetary Governor of Urth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Urth was a typical mining planet, with a highly developed mining industry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Governor Grant's rule, mineral resources were being extracted in an orderly manner. After paying the Imperial Tithe, there was still a surplus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to other planetary governors who were extravagant, violent, or incompetent, Grant was at least somewhat benevolent; he cared about his people's lives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under his leadership, the planet prospered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The citizens of Urth didn't have to work themselves to death in the mines, nor did they worry about starvation. Occasionally, they could even enjoy bread mixed with sawdust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this harsh universe, that was practically a life of luxury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This peace lasted until officials from the Administratum of Holy Terra arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They evaluated Urth and determined the planet had more tax potential than previously realized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They miscalculated Urth's capacity and abruptly raised its tax classification by three levels!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Governor Grant desperately filed appeals, but they vanished into the void without any response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the tax deadline loomed, after repeated warnings, Grant had no choice but to order an all-out effort to extract resources.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the reckless mining caused massive environmental damage, frequent mining accidents, and the deaths of millions of citizens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wasn't there another way?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though Eden knew the outcome, he couldn't help but ask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are you suggesting rebellion?\" Bayev shook his head. \"That would be unwise and pointless.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Rebellion is treason against the Imperium. Urth would become a battleground, and the people would shed their last drop of blood in their homeland.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No one can defy the Emperor's orders.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Imperium has thousands of massive fleets, trillions of soldiers, and the powerful Space Marines. A single fleet or even a small squad of Space Marines could easily destroy Urth.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Failing to pay the tithe carries grave consequences.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The tithe is a sign of loyalty to the Emperor, the greatest obligation of every Imperial citizen. It applies to everyone—no one can refuse it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bayev sighed. \"Your father understood this all too well, but his heart wasn't ruthless enough...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As a result, he failed to gather enough resources, and the tithe was delayed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your father begged the Administratum for more time, but those damned officials only cared about taxes. They paid no heed to Urth's suffering!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They believed Urth was resisting the tithe and sent in a team from the Adeptus Arbites to investigate.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eden felt his heart tighten. The involvement of the Arbites meant things had escalated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What was the result of the investigation?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Arbites team was attacked by Chaos heretics. The Arbiter himself was lightly injured, but one female investigator was killed—it was an accident...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eden sighed. Investigators were attacked the moment they arrived. Who would believe that was an accident?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bayev seemed to understand Eden's thoughts and continued, \"As you suspected, the Arbiter didn't believe it was an accident.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He was furious and reported the matter to the Inquisition, claiming that Chaos had corrupted Urth and that a full-scale purge was needed!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What a fool!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Arbiter must have lost his mind to involve the Inquisition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Inquisition, formed during the Horus Heresy, was the most powerful secret agency of the Imperium, tasked with identifying and eliminating all threats to the Imperium and humanity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Inquisition had vast authority, with no formal hierarchy or centralized leadership, answering only to the Emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This meant Inquisitors were free to act as they saw fit to safeguard the Imperium's survival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unrestrained by oversight, Inquisitors often became fanatical and ruthless, sometimes even turning on their own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Eden expected, the Arbiter's luck ran out when he encountered an Inquisitor with a short temper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Inquisitor's important ritual had been interrupted, and he came to Urth in a rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon arrival, his first order of business was to investigate the Arbiter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When incriminating evidence was found, he executed the Arbiter on the spot for accepting bribes and abusing his power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterward, the Inquisitor conducted an investigation on Urth and found no issues—it truly was just an accident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Governor Grant thought the matter would end there, but the Inquisitor believed that paying the tithe was a sacred duty and the foundation of the Imperium.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No planet, regardless of the reason, could evade its taxes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If every planet followed Urth's example, the Imperium's foundation would crumble, risking collapse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Urth had to fulfill its obligation, not only paying the overdue taxes but also a hefty fine!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Governor Grant begged the Inquisitor to consider the people of Urth, as they couldn't bear such a heavy burden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Life is the Emperor's currency; sacrifice is the foundation of the Imperium!\" the nearly fanatical Inquisitor declared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, under the supervision of the Inquisitor, Urth endured a brutal tax collection process. Anyone who resisted was executed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Billions of people worked day and night; tens of billions died in the mines, and countless others were conscripted into the Astra Militarum to fight on the front lines against xenos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the end of the process, Urth had lost half its population, and the planet's surface was ravaged, littered with deadly pollution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"After such sacrifices, the people of Urth finally gathered the taxes demanded by the Inquisitor.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bayev's eyes filled with tears as he spoke. \"Those taxes were paid with Urth's blood and tears!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When the Inquisitor left, Governor Grant begged him to appeal to the Administratum. He explained that Urth couldn't bear such heavy taxes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He hoped the Inquisitor would report Urth's true situation to Holy Terra, so they could reassess the tax classification and lower it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Did he agree?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bayev's eyes turned red as he spoke. \"He...he chopped off Governor Grant's head, splattering us all with blood...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He declared that Governor Grant was a heretic, claiming he smelled the stench of Chaos!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But Governor Grant was so kind—how could he have been a heretic?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eden clenched his fists. \"What was that Inquisitor's name?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It doesn't matter—he's dead.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eden was stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inquisitors were powerful enough to battle Chaos, xenos, and any potential threat, even capable of taking on Chaos Daemons. How could one have died so easily?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bayev answered Eden's unspoken question. \"It wasn't us who killed him—it was a Warp storm...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Inquisitor's ship had suffered an accident after entering the Warp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A massive Warp storm tore apart the ship, scattering debris and dismembered bodies, which were ejected from the Warp and landed on Urth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Half of the Inquisitor's body was gone, but he was still alive. He ordered us to save him!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bayev's voice turned cold. \"We could have saved him, but no one moved. We just stood there.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We watched as he lowered his head, begging us for help. We watched as he slowly despaired and started cursing our heresy...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Everyone stood there and watched him struggle on the ground until he died.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eden sighed deeply and patted Bayev on the shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Maybe Old Mike wasn't wrong...\" Bayev wiped his tears. \"We desecrated the Emperor. We've been forsaken!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why?\" Eden asked, confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That mysterious Warp storm destroyed the route, and the planet's only Astropath died. We've been cut off from Holy Terra ever since...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Astropaths were vital intermediaries for Imperial worlds to communicate with Holy Terra, and normally, Warp storms didn't affect them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Warp storm strong enough to kill an Astropath?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eden jumped up. \"Could it be the Great Rift?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1326,"2026-06-06T13:29:01.687Z",1,"novelbin.me","3b15facaa958cd60616dafd835cf29a58820db3a77da6d86fb94f261c8642f33","warhammer-starting-as-a-planetary-governor-chapter-9","warhammer-starting-as-a-planetary-governor-chapter-7",771,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwarhammer-starting-as-a-planetary-governor-cover.jpg"]