Forty thousand years later, he became a god in the warp

Chapter 499: Political Confrontation over Taxes

“Once again, we are taking up your valuable time. Our quarterly meetings are one of the foundations of our fight against our enemies.

I hope that after this meeting, everyone can reach some kind of consensus and at least move the Sharnasqua region in a positive direction.

Minister." Gerald finished his opening remarks, and everyone seated was ready to convey the message.

Everyone had lost interest in discussing the goal that had initially called them here.

No one likes to spend time with a being that knows nothing, even though all the psychic think tanks say this guy is dangerous.

Since it is dangerous, why not stay away from it, the noble representatives thought.

The Minister of the Interior stood up and saluted Gerald, who was in the lead, then looked at the noble representatives and told them the key point of this meeting.

"Now is a critical period in the fight against the alien army. This time the tax needs to be paid in full within two years." The words of the Minister of the Interior did not cause an uproar. The representatives seemed to have long been aware of the goal to be discussed today.

They didn't even look at each other, as if they had already discussed some unknown countermeasures before arriving.

“I am here on behalf of the governors of various star systems and planets, and naturally I want to make a contribution to the Sharnasquad region.

Ten years ago, the number of habitable planets in the star zone was 208, but now it has shrunk to 188.

And these are only a part of the various types of planets, not to mention the number of planets with slightly lower value.

I know that all the imperial officers are great, and they are all warriors who are on the front line to save the people of the empire...

However, quite a few planetary governors have complained to me that they paid their tithes with great effort, but the result was a scorched earth."

Carl Ulysses was the first to stand up. As the governor of the Sharnask region, his authority was directly granted by the Terra Supreme Council.

In terms of status, he was above most officials. In fact, most judges would consider him as their equal.

After all, no one wants to be at odds with a Moff with limitless wealth, not even a transcendent Inquisitor.

“Yes, Minister, I am here on behalf of 789 imperial nobles from the western Balor galaxy. Orc pirates are invading our planet.

A large number of assets were lost in the war, and the local planetary defense forces are unable to resist the powerful enemy. We need the navy and the Astra Militarum."

A group of noble representatives immediately echoed this, saying that their own industrial areas were also burned down, and that the personnel, equipment, and funds were all gone.

"Especially the shipping route issue. The transportation industry has entered a cold winter period, and there is no safe shipping route in the entire Sharnasqua region.

One thousand merchant ships may be destroyed in one day, one hundred, the navigators are getting more and more confused, and the number of ships lost in the warp is increasing day by day. "

One stone stirs up a thousand ripples. Even the previously frightened president of the Traveling Merchants Guild began to worry and kept expressing his dissatisfaction.

"But you can still pay your tithes on time, right?"

The Minister of the Interior's words did not sound like a question. Instead, they were like a magic needle that stabilized the sea amid the noisy voices, and the wind and waves subsided, leaving no sound.

"Of course, this is our sacred duty and a responsibility that must be undertaken."

Governor Ulysses spoke before other noble representatives, trying not to meet their glaring gazes.

The noble representatives are all smart people and know that sometimes grievances need to be presented step by step in order to achieve subsequent goals.

After all, the Minister of the Interior, the Minister of Military Affairs, the Marshal of the Ministry of Justice, the mentor of the Assassin's Court, the generals of the two armies, and the Inquisitor were all watching them.

These organizations need their tax money, and there are many ways to obtain it. Acting too hastily can easily cause trouble.

Gerald hated this kind of political confrontation and didn't like wasting his time on verbal sparring.

If he could find the damn mysterious man at all, he would definitely put on the force feedback Terminator armor, take his own weapons, rush into the subspace, and turn everything in it upside down.

But now the Ministry of the Interior needs the Inquisition to be in charge. After all, without the tithe, his army cannot carry out dangerous expeditions.

He is not a politician, he is a warrior fighting against the Warp, and he wants to find an existence that can suppress or even end this farce.

It was not the stranger he knew nothing about, but a more exemplary individual - the Primarch Lion El'Jonson.

Gerald thought so.

The Star Governor Carl Ulysses silently looked at the Grand Inquisitor who was in the lead. The other's expression showed that he did not like this kind of occasion.

In fact, the same is true of Ulysses himself. His driving belief is not the authority of the Holy Empire, but the absolute necessity of maintaining order and obedience for human survival.

In his eyes, what happened on a planet or a galaxy was not worth worrying about, even his own home planet could be ignored.

He cannot be affected by the life and death of billions of citizens. After all, death is inevitable. What he really cares about is the overall situation of the star zone.

The purpose of completing the correct taxation is to win a larger star region. The purpose of monitoring the movements of traitors is to eliminate the internal danger.

All this is to maintain the dignity of the empire. He is the governor of the star region, and he has his own pride.

He believed that as long as the tithes were provided on time, all branches of the empire's military would obey the arrangements of the Ministry of the Interior. As long as he had a good relationship with the Grand Inquisitor, all problems would be solved.

However, there is an obstacle here, an extremely huge nail. The price he has to pay to shake the other party is not something he can afford.

Carl Ulysses needs an ally, a powerful ally.

“Dong..Dong..Dong…”

The Mechanicus' quartz clock signaled a halftime break, and after Gerald nodded, everyone left their seats to look for the people they wanted to communicate with.

"Your Excellency the Grand Inquisitor, Ms. Mei."

"Your Majesty the Governor."

"Take a step to talk?"

"Go to my office."

The two people, each with their own thoughts, came to the office, and the Star District Governor Ulysses went straight to the point:

“I hate this situation, this waste of time and resources. Your Excellency is not a fool, please forgive my language.

You certainly don't like this kind of political confrontation, so I want to be honest with you, and we can help each other, at least we can stabilize our friendship and achieve a gratifying cooperation. "

Gerald fumbled with the Tarot cards, pondering the deeper meaning of the other party's words.

Although he was not an Inquisitor, he had heard of some famous figures in this star region.

Carl Ulysses, the fair and just Lord of Sharnask Domain, is a cold and simple leader who wins respect through practical actions.

"I'm not good at competition between factions, but considering everyone's praise for you, it seems that you don't need a nominal alliance, right?"

Ulysses nodded slightly, thanking the other party for the kindness, but then a look of worry appeared on his face.

"Of course, although everyone is working for the Empire and sharing the Emperor's worries, in reality, resistance often comes from within."

The Grand Inquisitor's eyes lit up. Although he had the right to rule the parliament, the other Inquisitors in the Court had different ideas.

They have independent souls, shoulder their own missions and careers, and have unique insights into the operation of the tribunal.

No two Inquisitors think alike, and they have very strong and different ideas about the limits of what they can do to protect the Imperium.

Gerald thought about the other ten or so inquisitors from various factions, some of whom he even considered enemies.

If everyone could work together, he believed that no matter whether it was the damn Tau, the Orcs, or the Eldar plus Chaos, they were all no match for the Imperial Army.

The Inquisitors who could unite alone could form the most powerful power group in the star zone. Even the resources they could gather surpassed those of many large nobles.

But before that, the Inquisitors within the Inquisition are their own worst enemies.

Conspire against each other in secret, or secretly pursue their own goals, using their agents as pawns in the game of advantage.

Some Inquisitors of Sharnathqua are noble and pious, paragons of Imperial values.

Others think more freely, or as the Purists say, corruptly.

Any one of them could be the Calixis Sector's greatest savior, or its most notorious villain.

The Conclave does its best to keep its scattered Inquisitors acting with a unified purpose, but sometimes they have to arbitrate disputes themselves.

But now, this farce will continue for days, months, years and even countless years after his death.

"continue."

There were a few more wrinkles at the corners of Ulysses' eyes, which were proof that a smile was lingering on his face.

"Ecclesiarchy has been present in every corner of this sector since before I became Moff and before you became Inquisitor.

On either world, the Ecclesiarchy thrives in the shadow of the towering statue of the God-Emperor, and their hand reaches out into the bowels of the Imperial fabric.

In fact, on many worlds, the Church's power and influence far exceeds that of the Ministry of the Interior, or my direct control.

More subtly, their political fundraising has given the Ecclesiarchy numerous allies in many powerful organizations, even the Inquisition itself."

The governor stopped talking, giving the Grand Inquisitor on the other side time to think for a moment.

Gerald looked at the skull mark on his windbreaker and looked back at Ulysses with a somewhat grim expression.

"Don't make innuendos or hints, just be direct and say what you want to say."

The Governor nodded and leaned forward slightly.

“We should take this opportunity to suppress the power of the state religion.”

...

"What is the current status of the recovery of relics on the Cardinal World?"

"We have completed the recovery of 75% of the relics. The remaining relics are low-value relics in 44 small churches, and there is still nothing in the Holy Light Cathedral that has not been returned."

The cardinal stroked the holy cross hanging around his neck, which was the only holy relic that escaped the disaster. Fortunately, he wore it as a talisman every day, otherwise this holy relic engraved with the prayer of the Emperor would have remained in the Cathedral of Holy Light.

The tightly grasped amulet conveyed a warmth, which was the relic releasing its power.

Dardani felt the influence of the warm current, and he was determined to take back all the holy relics, otherwise, his identity would no longer exist.

"We can't hold out for three years in the Suburban Council, even though we have selected a Hive World in the Cassandra system as the next point for rebuilding the Cardinal World.

But the cardinals of other sects have already reported to the Star Domain Church and started to hunt us down. We don't have enough time.

The situation on the planet will always be exposed. Losing the relics or the planet is not terrible. What is terrible is that under the watchful eyes of the Emperor, we did not realize that the enemy is growing inside!"

Although he is nominally the Cardinal of Sharnasqua, there are actually five other people of the same rank as him.

He or she has achieved his or her exalted position through years of sacrifice, devotion to the God-Emperor, and, most importantly, cunning and tireless politicking.

They each preside over a cardinal world in the sector and possess countless powerful relics that can provide spiritual protection.

The damned aliens plundered the precious assets of the state religion, plundered the faith in the hearts of the people, and plundered the spiritual source of the pilgrimage route.

Ever since Astorgius was occupied by the aliens, the cardinals immediately shifted their focus to fighting for the planet at the end of the pilgrimage route.

Although the Ministry of the Interior is directly responsible for the tithes that maintain the operation of various organizations in the Empire, the State Church also receives a large amount of donations from believers and believers in various regions, especially the pilgrimage routes across the star regions, which are the most profitable.

As the end point of the Holy Road, Astorgius alone receives enough "donations" from welcoming pilgrims every year, selling handicrafts, visiting relic churches, organizing Ascension Festivals and other activities to even reach 30% of the sector's tithe.

The most important thing is that these "donations" do not need to be handed over to the Ministry of the Interior, and everything can be arranged freely by the church.

Therefore, Dadani certainly cannot give up the ownership of the end world. He must recover as many holy relics as possible and create a new cardinal world.

"Dong dong dong."

"Bishop, the head sister of the Holy Rosary Convent is here."

"Let the nun grow up."

Sister Heter Dorothy, wearing silver-white armor and a five-petal rose logo, walked into the lounge. Seeing the deacons looking worried, she immediately realized that things were not going to go smoothly. "Sister Dorothy, you've come at the right time. The establishment of the end of the pilgrimage is particularly important. The relic must be obtained as soon as possible.

But if we fail to recover all the holy relics in a short period of time, we won’t be able to rebuild the Cardinal World.

Even retaining our positions will be impossible. We will then become sinners of the state religion and the people, and go to the most dangerous places to sing praises to the glory of the God-Emperor.

Of course, as deacons, you will definitely do your duty for the sake of your faith, and you may even be the creator of holy relics during this period."

Dardani's words made the deacons dare not look up. They looked at their noses and their hearts, and acquiesced in the continuation of the matter.

"The allies that need to be used can be used now. It's time for the taxes we pay to play their due role."