Ron finally understood the timeline. It was the end of the 41st Millennium of the Imperium!
The Great Rift had emerged, becoming the greatest crisis the Imperium had faced since the Heresy of the Warmaster Horus. A raging Warp storm tore a chasm through reality. The vast, chaotic energies extinguished the Astronomican torches maintained by the God-Emperor, leaving them unable to offer any protection.
The moment the Astronomican torches died, catastrophe struck! Countless ships were torn apart by the void, leaving worlds exposed, isolated, and engulfed by darkness. Chaos raged, and planets fell! The cries of the victims, desperate cries, and final messages for help instantly flooded the minds of the astropaths, overwhelming them. The sheer volume and terror of the messages drove them mad, even to death.
The Imperium of Man was incapacitated, and doom spread! Enemies in the darkness launched an attack on the Imperium. From the remote outskirts of the Pacific Sector to the storm-ravaged Charadon Sector, planets were destroyed, and tens of billions of the Imperium's citizens perished in despair!
When the Astronomican shone once more, a vast rift, like a veil of darkness, had fully formed, splitting the Imperium in two. Half the Empire was shrouded in darkness!
Those worlds trapped in darkness were known as the Dark Side of the Imperium. Unable to contact Holy Terra or request Imperial aid, they could only struggle on their own or perish in the darkness. However, there was hope for these worlds. If they could only survive the arrival of the Indomitus Crusade, led by the Imperial Regent, Roboute Guilliman, they might have a chance of returning to the light.
If Ron was right, Erth was in the Dark Side of the Imperium. Without the protection of the God-Emperor and the Imperial Army, Erth was practically naked, in extreme danger.
The planetary defense forces within the planet were ineffective. They might be adequate for suppressing internal rebellions, but fighting against the xenos and Chaos would be mere cannon fodder, cannon fodder among cannon fodder! A single xenos or Chaos invasion would annihilate Erth!
However, the loss of contact with the Imperium brought Ron a sense of relief. This meant that Erth would no longer have to bear the extremely harsh tithe, and instead, it would extend its lifespan.
As supreme ruler, he could act arbitrarily, unconstrained by the Empire. Ron possessed the Little Sun. With enough time and the right strategy, he was confident he could protect the planet!
Of course, that presumed he didn't get unlucky enough to attract a large alien or Chaos force. That would be a disaster.
"What big rift?" Bayev asked, puzzled.
"Nothing," Ron shook his head.
He didn't want to tell anyone about this, mainly because it was difficult to explain and too terrifying, which would only increase people's fear.
Ron's mood brightened considerably, and he casually tossed the document aside. "I'm not going to read it anymore. I'm not even paying taxes, so why bother looking at it! Make arrangements. I need to inspect the Lower Hive."
Ron prepared to place the Little Sun's psychic core in the Lower Hive of the Hive City, connecting it to the real world and absorbing the power of hope.
Speaking of the structure of the Hive City, it was a vast metal complex covering a continent, home to tens, if not hundreds, of billions of people. A Hive City is generally divided into four levels: the Underhive, the Lower Hive, the Upper Hive, and the Spire.
The Underhive, located at the lowest level, is rife with pollution, reactors, and rubble, infested with mutants, making it nearly uninhabitable. It's home to the poor and destitute, and a refuge for scum, criminals, the Lost, and mutants alike.
No sane person would venture into the Underhive, so it's isolated from the planetary regime. There are no rules, only bloodshed and death.
The Lower Hive, located above the Underhive, is an industrial zone. Various industries are established here, home to billions of workers, who make up the vast majority of the hive's population. The workers of the Lower Hive toil day and night, providing the hive with food, electricity, and daily necessities, barely making ends meet.
The Upper Hive houses the nobility and officials, who enjoy free electricity and the various resources provided by the Lower Hive. As for the Spire, it belongs to the planetary governor, who owns everything on the planet.
Overall, placing the psychic core in the Lower Hive offers the best value! This is because workers are most likely to generate the power of hope. A slight improvement in their living standards can absorb vast quantities of hope power.
Ron was brimming with confidence, a perfect start! He planned to conquer Erth with the Little Sun! Unfortunately, reality was harsh.
Bayev shook his head: "You can't go. The Lower Hive has fallen..."
Ron: ???
After Bayev's explanation, Ron learned that much had transpired since Grant Senior's death. He inherited the position of Governor, but the negative effects of the Warp Storm persisted, causing a continuous influx of Chaos mutants from the Lower Hive.
Massive planetary defense forces were dispatched to the Lower Hive to eradicate the mutants, leaving the Royal Court in a state of extreme weakness. Nobles soon joined forces with the heretics of the Lower Hive in a rebellion, seizing control of the Lower Hive. They then launched an attack on the Upper Hive, nearly capturing the Royal Court.
Countless casualties were inflicted on the Upper Hive, including the deaths of many nobles and officials. After a horrific price, Ron Grant finally drove the rebels out of the Upper Hive and completely sealed the Upper Hive's gates and elevator shafts, isolating it from the Lower Hive and Underhive.
The Royal Court suffered heavy losses, unable to recover its lost territory. Ron Grant lost his will and indulged in alcohol and sex. He was dragged into Slaanesh's palace and died, only to be replaced by his transmigrated spirit, Ron.
Now, as Governor, Ron was confined to the Upper Hive, unable to fully control even that area. It was a mess.
The perfect start is over!
How can this be played? Ron can provide warmth to the workers in the Lower Hive, improving their lives and thereby accumulating a wealth of positive emotions and absorbing the power of hope. He can also earn their loyalty!
The only places he can absorb hope from are the Upper Hive and the Royal Court at the top of the tower. These are filled with nobles and officials. How can he offer them warmth? They already enjoy a comfortable life, making it extremely difficult for Ron to win them over.
No matter how much he offers, he won't be able to gain their gratitude or loyalty. It's a good thing they don't lead their own forces to capture the Royal Court and replace Ron. It's a tradition for the nobles of the Upper Hive to engage in intrigue and even murder.
This stems from a rule that the Empire does not interfere in internal regime changes. Anyone can become a planetary governor; paying the tithe is the ultimate form of loyalty. This means that anyone who defeats Ron and establishes a foothold will gain supreme power on the planet!
Now that Ron is so weak, the noble families must be constantly plotting how to kill him and replace him. He had just escaped death, and now fate was starting to intensify his efforts again? Ron felt a little tired and slumped back in his chair.
"What's wrong with you?" Ron asked weakly, "How many areas do we still control now? How many troops and people do we have?"
(End of Chapter)