Seeing the Governor's silence, Arye's heart jumped into his throat, his body trembling slightly.
He was afraid.
Afraid that the Governor would be angry.
Even more afraid that the Governor would reject his plea.
Gulp
Kaes swallowed hard, fearing that Arye's words might have angered the Governor.
From the information Kaes had gathered, he could infer that the situation regarding the royal district's resource reserves was dire.
Perhaps there really weren't enough resources to supply the Defense Forces.
The atmosphere in the banquet hall became stifling.
Just as the two were growing more anxious, Eden snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Arye and Kaes: "An hour ago, I issued an order to the logistics department to increase the Defense Forces' resource allocation.
The new supplies should be in preparation for distribution, double the current amount..."
This was a bold move on his part, essentially advancing the Defense Forces' supplies for the next month.
And it wasn't just the Defense Forces; other units' supplies would also increase, though it was all advanced from next month's resources.
According to Eden's resource distribution plan, by the time the "Emperor's Ascension Festival" arrived, the royal district would be completely depleted of supplies.
There was no other way.
Empty promises weren't enough.
He needed to provide tangible benefits to give everyone a reason to believe in the promises he had made.
That's why Eden decided to advance the royal district's resources, using up everything prepared for next month.
This meant that for this month, they'd have twice the amount of supplies to boost everyone's morale.
Of course, the downside was that after today, there might be no tomorrow.
If, in a month, no new sources of supplies were found, the territory would fall into a state of extreme hardship.
But to gather and harness the power of hope, he had no choice.
Rather than prolonging their slow decline, it was better to gamble everything on a final push.
As he had said before, this was a high-stakes gamble.
If he could gather enough hope power during the "Emperor's Ascension Festival," He would be able to use the portal to bring back the unharvested crops and ancient agricultural technology from the Green Wave Farms aboard the Space Hulk.
That would solve the food shortage, allowing him to focus on other matters—developing the territory and reclaiming the Hive City.
Rather than continuing to weaken, like countless other worlds in the dark corners of the Imperium, waiting to be swallowed whole by darkness!
Eden's eyes were filled with determination:
"With these supplies, the soldiers shouldn't starve anymore...
I can promise you that this hardship is only temporary. The royal district has found a solution to the food problem.
When you return, please tell the soldiers that the royal district will not forget their sacrifices.
Their conditions will improve, and they must improve!"
The Governor had agreed to give the Defense Forces more supplies and promised even more in the future!
Arye and Kaes were both overwhelmed with joy at the news.
Arye shot to his feet, tears streaming down his face: "Governor, I speak for all the soldiers when I thank you!"
Kaes quickly stood up to add: "What Arye means is, we pledge the utmost loyalty on behalf of all the soldiers!"
He performed a gesture of reverence, a symbol of deep respect and awe.
"Yes, yes, exactly!" Arye nodded rapidly.
Eden smiled faintly and motioned for them to sit down.
He raised his glass and made a toast: "Enjoy the food. There will be bread, there will be milk, and everything will get better!"
...
Royal District, Administrative Residence.
The residential district was close to the Sacred Plaza and home to the officials of the royal district. It boasted grand architecture and luxurious decorations.
Compared to the Underhive, the residences here were of high quality, with precious space, free electricity, water, and other resources.
That was the situation before.
After the rebellion, the residential district had fallen into disrepair.
Electricity, water, and other resources were no longer freely provided and had become intermittent.
Yet compared to other parts of the territory, it was still paradise.
There were relatively safe homes and a more stable food supply.
Deville returned home, his face full of exhaustion. He carefully hung his black coat, the symbol of a logistics department officer, on the rack.
It was his only decent piece of clothing left.
The coat had been torn countless times, but under the patient care of his mother, Marti, it looked almost as good as new.
She always showed such patience, keeping the household in perfect order.
The floors and furniture in the house were meticulously cleaned, almost polished enough to reflect one's image.
In the past, this work had been done by servants, but now, Marti did it all herself.
She did her best to maintain the dignity of the Rapp family.
"Deville, you're home!"
Marti happily walked over and kissed Deville on both cheeks.
"You're just in time. You can join us for dinner..."
Marti returned to the kitchen, still in good spirits, preparing dinner.
Before long, she placed the meal on the table—there were three portions.
Each delicate porcelain plate held a third of a portion of wood-chip bread, along with a few small pieces of corpse starch, garnished with a tiny wilted leaf.
Looking at the food, Deville sighed deeply.
The food supply had dwindled again.
Times were getting tougher.
Deville remembered his childhood when his father was alive, and the Rapp family had the dignity of almost being nobles.
They never lacked food, enjoying soft bread, juicy steaks, and the occasional luxurious pastry!
But ever since Urth's taxes were raised to the First Level Prime rating, everything had changed!
The crushing tax burden had brought Urth to its knees,
its surface ravaged by pollution, and billions of people perished.
Deville's father had also died, worn out by the heavy administrative duties at the logistics department.
It was those damned, incompetent officials in the Department of Internal Affairs on Holy Terra who caused all of this.
Their miscalculations had ruined Urth and cost him his father!
After his father's death, Deville took on the burden of the Rapp family.
He passed the examinations and inherited his father's position.
At the time, he believed he could work hard to take care of his mother and sister and restore the Rapp family's dignity.
Then the rebellion happened!
The oppressive taxes had sparked a terrible uprising.
With many of the Defense Forces sent to the Underhive and Lowerhive to deal with mutations, the royal district was left vulnerable.
The heretic rebels seized the opportunity to attack the Upperhive, nearly capturing the royal district.
Although the royal district ultimately repelled the invaders, they lost control of the Underhive, leaving them trapped in the Upperhive!
The rebellion had almost snuffed out Urth's lifeline.
In the years since, things had only gotten worse.
Now, despite being an administrative officer in the royal district, Deville could barely afford wood-chip bread!
"Brother, you're back!"
Deville's younger sister, Lilith, rushed out and hugged him. She hadn't seen him in days.
Lilith was sixteen, with soft golden hair and a youthful vibrancy, her figure just beginning to develop.
"How's your studying going?"
"Hmph, I've finished all my assignments. I'm way smarter than you!"
Despite the difficult times, Deville insisted that Lilith receive a full education, even after the royal district had shut down the schools.
Deville sat down to eat dinner with his mother and sister.
He cut off a piece of the wood-chip bread, chewing it slowly as the slightly moldy taste filled his mouth.
After swallowing, he forced down a small piece of corpse starch.
Looking at the meager portion of corpse starch on his plate, Deville couldn't help but worry.
The Governor had diverted a lot of resources, seemingly for some important plan.
But according to the logistics department's calculations, many units wouldn't even have corpse starch to eat next month.
As he looked up at his mother and sister, who were diligently eating their wood-chip bread and corpse starch, Deville's eyes grew moist, tears blurring his vision.
What was he going to do?
Ding!
The bell at the door's mailbox rang.
It signaled an important notification from the royal district!
(End of Chapter)
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