"Hope Energy has dwindled even further..."
In the Governor's office atop the spire, Eden let out a long sigh.
He had just attempted to improve the lives of the people to generate more Hope Energy.
But he had failed.
He had chosen the most overworked mining crew as a test case.
The miners had to navigate complex tunnels to reach the underground mining zones, enduring grueling and dangerous work.
Not only did they face frequent cave-ins, but they also had to guard against attacks from mutants.
Death had become part of their daily routine.
Eden didn't dare make any drastic changes to the production system since the entire economy of his territory was stretched to its limit, maintained in a delicate balance.
If he pushed too hard and upset this balance, it would lead to disaster.
Even a small disturbance could result in more deaths.
So, Eden had simply ordered the head of the mining department to give some workers a day of paid leave, announcing that in the future, there would be a rotation system to ease the pressure on the miners.
However, instead of relief, the workers were filled with fear, and the amount of Hope Energy had decreased further!
At that moment, the head of the mining crew, Will, stood before Eden, being questioned.
If not for the governor's summons, a small figure like him would never have set foot in the royal district, let alone entered the Governor's office in the spire.
To meet the governor, Will had splurged on a rare bath and put on his best clothes, though he still looked a bit shabby.
"My lord, the workers are terrified..." Will spoke, head bowed in fear.
"Terrified?"
"Yes, they fear that during their leave, someone will take their place. They're saying the mining crews can't survive and are trying to cut down the workforce."
"Didn't you explain it clearly?"
"We did, but no one believes us."
Will bowed his head lower. "There are even rumors that there's a terrible ghostly curse in the mines, and soon no one will be able to mine anymore!"
"And what about the leave policy? Hasn't there been any benefit from it at all?" Eden pressed.
"Well, the workers who stayed behind are working even harder. Even if they get injured, they don't dare rest, fearing they'll be removed from the mining crew."
Eden immediately corrected him, "It's temporary leave, not removal from the crew!"
Eden now realized how difficult it was to manage people.
The plan was sound, but its implementation had gone astray!
It was also possible that the policy simply didn't fit the current situation and he had rushed things.
Luckily, he had only tried it on a small scale. Otherwise, the outcome could have been disastrous.
"Yes, temporary leave. That's exactly what I told them!" Will said, trembling in fear.
He couldn't understand the governor's actions either.
By the God-Emperor, the governor had given the miners paid leave!
Will had never heard of "paid leave," nor had he ever seen such a thing.
It was such an unprecedented move that it sparked fear, and no one could comprehend why.
All Will knew was that times were tough.
The miners would rather work themselves to death in the mines than leave.
Because leaving meant losing their only source of food, and that meant starvation!
Will, like the miners, was confused and lost.
Could there really be something wrong with the mines?
Or, as the rumors suggested, had the royal district run out of food and could no longer pay the miners their daily wages?
The miners were paid daily because no one could guarantee they'd live to see tomorrow's sun.
Wages had already dropped from three units of corpse starch to two, and many miner families barely survived on those two units.
If even those two units were withheld, who knew how many people would starve to death?
Will couldn't help but think about his own situation. If the mining crew ceased to exist, what would become of him, their supervisor?
Without this job, how could he explain it to the others? Where would he go?
Times were dire, and at his age, with his physical condition, even the factories wouldn't take him!
The thought brought a wave of sorrow, and Will imagined his wife and two young daughters starving to death, their bodies dragged away by the corpse collectors.
Overcome with sadness, he began to sob. "What are we going to do? God-Emperor, please save us!"
The next second, Will realized his outburst and quickly covered his mouth, trying to suppress his emotions.
But he couldn't stop the tears from streaming down his face in front of Eden.
Eden fell silent.
If even Will, the supervisor of the mining crew, didn't trust the royal district or Eden as their governor, how could the common people?
Without trust, anything he did would only fuel suspicion.
The more he did, the worse it would become!
Unless he could truly deliver large amounts of resources and continuously improve the workers' lives, it would be impossible to inspire hope among the desperate miners.
But Eden couldn't do that—not yet.
The truth was, the food reserves in the royal district were almost depleted. He didn't have enough to distribute.
In short, the territory was teetering on the brink of crisis.
Eden had a solution to the food problem.
He just needed to gather enough Hope Energy, then activate the teleportation to the space hulk's farm to retrieve the Golden Age's agricultural technology and seeds.
But his plan was stuck—without Hope Energy, he couldn't go.
The key was figuring out how to use the remaining resources to create a spark that would uplift the people and generate enough Hope Energy.
"My lord, please forgive me for my rudeness!"
After calming down, Will knelt in fear, begging for Eden's forgiveness.
Eden snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head. "Get up. I won't hold it against you."
Seeing that Will still looked uneasy even after standing up, Eden decided to ask further.
"If you have any questions, feel free to ask."
"My lord, will the mining crew continue to operate? The miners need their wages. I swear they won't slack off..." Will spoke hesitantly.
"Yes," Eden reassured him. "I promise you, the crew will continue to operate.
"As for the leave policy, that was my mistake. Go back and tell everyone: everything stays the same."
After some thought, Eden decided to temporarily halt the leave policy to prevent further rumors and unrest from spreading.
Any system changes needed abundant resources and productivity to support them. The time wasn't right yet—no need to complicate things.
If everything fell apart, there would be nowhere for him to cry about it later.
"Understood, my lord!"
Hearing this, Will visibly relaxed, even smiling a little.
Hope Energy +1!
Eden sensed that 1 point of Hope Energy had emerged from Will.
Seeing this, Eden decided to push further.
He patted Will on the shoulder. "Keep up the good work, and I won't let you down."
"I will, my lord!"
Hope Energy +1!
Eden shook Will's hand, adding enthusiastically, "I have great expectations for you. Keep it up, and there'll be promotions and raises in your future..."
Eden continued painting a hopeful picture, but Will didn't generate any more Hope Energy—he even seemed a bit fearful.
It appeared that words alone had limited impact.
With a hint of regret, Eden ended the conversation and dismissed Will.
"Wait!"
Just as Will was about to leave, Eden called him back.
"You have two children, right?"
"Yes, they're five years old." Will couldn't help but smile when talking about his daughters.
"Since you're here, take some gifts back for them."
Eden pointed to a plate of Frosted Poro cookies and colorful candies on the table.
Linda had just brought them in, and their sweet scent filled the air.
During their conversation, Eden had noticed Will's gaze repeatedly drifting toward the plate of treats.
He figured it wouldn't hurt to give Will a small gift—after all, it felt wrong to send him away empty-handed after coming all this way.
Coming from a world of abundant material wealth in his previous life, Eden didn't see these items as anything particularly valuable.
The spire's storeroom was stocked with precious foodstuffs, the kind of luxury that only the elite could enjoy, even before the hive world had fallen into ruin.
Someone of Will's status would never have had the chance to taste or even smell such things unless summoned by the governor himself.
"My lord," Will stammered, swallowing hard, his voice barely controlled, "you mean these things are for me?"
(End of Chapter)