I'm in Warhammer, I just want to grow mushrooms

Chapter 132: Thicker than the Hive Wall

The empire's territory was divided according to spatial scale.

On the galactic map, the central region where Terra is located is called the Solar Star Region.

To the north of the Solar Star Region is the Hazy Star Region, to the south is the Storm Star Region, to the west is the Pacific Star Region, and to the east is the Far East Star Region.

Below the star field is the star region.

A sector is a cube with a side length of 200 light years.

Below the star sector is the sub-star sector, but sub-star sectors are generally not adjacent to each other, which is different from the "provinces" in the ancient Terra period.

The border of one province is often the border of another province.

But in the interstellar context, between sub-star regions there are idle areas measured in light years, where there may be one or hundreds of undeveloped star systems.

The Great Crusade incorporated the lost human worlds into its territory, with each human world as the center and a sub-region of 10 to 20 light years around it.

Where there is no human world, either there is no life or it is the territory of aliens.

So, although the human empire looks vast, it is actually full of holes and there are idle areas everywhere that are not fully utilized.

Epimet is located in the SS-01-05 sub-sector, SS-01 sector, Solar star region.

The star region where the plague appeared was the Nidlevin star region, located at the southernmost end of the Misty Star Region and bordering the Solar Star Region.

Why are some star region names letters and numbers, while others are specific words?

This involves the governor's promotion path.

In the future, Li Nuo will become the governor of Epimet, that is, the planet governor.

Above the Planetary Governor are the Sub-Minority Governor and the Minority Governor.

If the total amount of material taxes paid by a sub-region each year exceeds 1000 billion throne coins, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will establish the post of sub-region governor in the sub-region.

If there is only one planet governor in a sub-sector, then this person will automatically be promoted to sub-sector governor.

When there are multiple planetary governors, the one who pays the most taxes will take over.

Similarly, promotion from a sub-sector governor to a sector governor requires that the person bear at least half of the material taxes in the sector.

If someone in a sector is successfully promoted to the governor of the sector, his surname will replace the original code name of the sector.

The sector where Epimet is located has not yet had a governor, so the name of the sector is a code consisting of letters and numbers.

The sector where the plague broke out was ruled by Governor Ned Levin, and was named after him.

The idea of a planetary governor becoming a zone governor is very simple, and it can be summed up in one word: "buy".

On the premise of ensuring the normal payment of tithes, use throne coins to purchase undeveloped planets in the star zone.

Buy, buy, and buy again and again. Eventually, you will acquire more than half of the planets in the star sector that are worth developing, and then you can become the governor of the star sector.

This process is a bit like "land annexation" before crossing.

In fact, in the context of the Warhammer world, it's even more brutal than "land annexation".

The current Governor of the Nedlevin Sector is Nedlevin XV.

From the first to the fifteenth generation, the expansion of the Niederleven family depended entirely on the processing of radioactive waste.

They charge substantial fees to Imperial worlds that produce radioactive waste, allowing them to beam that waste onto their own stars.

As the star devours the radioactive waste, it gradually transforms from a healthy star into a toxic one, and the wallets of the Niederlevin family swell simultaneously.

They learned the true meaning of making quick money in the trade of handling radioactive waste.

The faster the radioactive waste is discharged, the faster you make money and the faster your territory expands.

As for the large number of poisonous stars caused by this, it’s okay, don’t worry, the outer shell of the hive world is enough to block the radiation from the poisonous stars.

After years of brutal expansion, the Nidlevin star zone was taken over by the Nidlevin family. The number of poisonous stars in the zone increased by more than 300, and the galaxies where the poisonous stars were located were filled with hive worlds with extremely harsh ecological environments.

The hive city where Li Nuo is located will also sell radioactive waste to the Nidlevin star district. Every few days, a cargo ship will come to transport the radioactive waste generated by the hive city and transport it to the Nidlevin star district for processing.

The Warhammer world does not follow the theory that "green water and green mountains are gold and silver mountains".

A governor who can guarantee the payment of tithes is a good governor. The Ministry of the Interior does not care where the materials for his tax payment come from.

The Niedlevin family is just a small microcosm of the vast human empire.

Most planetary governors will end up blasting radioactive waste into stars.

When they were driven into desperation by the tithes and were eager to quickly raise throne coins to make up for the tithes, selling out the health of the star became an option.

The reason why the Niedlevin family was able to become the controller of the star zone so quickly was because of their bottom line that was far below the normal level, and their thick-skinnedness that was far above the normal level.

"What? Ned Levin XV actually wants us to give him 1500 million tons of synthetic starch for free?!"

Tido read the astropathic communication record written by Ms. Shatana, and the content left her dumbfounded.

As soon as Li Nuo walked in from the door, he saw Tido with her beautiful eyes wide open.

Tido has received etiquette training since she was a child. She has always appeared to be a dignified lady in front of outsiders. Her true nature as a girl is only revealed when she is alone.

She was a professional in facial expression management, and it was the first time that Li Nuo saw her so broken.

"What's wrong? What did Nedlevin XV say?" Li Nuo stroked Tido's back and asked comfortingly.

"I… I don't know how to describe it. Nedlevin XV may have a thicker skin than the outer wall of the hive. See for yourself."

Tido handed the communication records to Li Nuo, took out a small fan from her pocket and fanned herself. Her face was flushed, and she was obviously very angry.

Li Nuo greeted Ms. Satana, sat next to Tido with the communication records, and read the shocking words sent by Nedlevin XV line by line.

...

To the Vice-Governor of Hive Epimet,

I heard about the new synthetic starch preparation technology independently developed by you.

It's hard to imagine how anyone could turn promethium refining residue into edible starch.

But after research and testing in my laboratory, I approve of your new technology and the synthetic starch prepared by this technology.

This is a great invention that benefits all of the Imperial world and should be shared by the entire Empire.

Recently, I am considering proposing to the Minister of the Imperial Ministry of Internal Affairs to shorten the period for which your new technology is protected by the Mechanicus's Holy Database from indefinitely to five years.

Before I make a formal decision, I hope you can provide at least 1500 million tons of synthetic starch to the disaster-stricken Nidlevin sector free of charge within one month.

Your generosity will motivate me to make the right decisions.

Sincerely, Governor General of the Nedlevin Star Region - Nedlevin XV.

...

After reading the call records, Li Nuo felt speechless and almost blurted out "Oh my god" the same words Liu Huaqiang said when buying the melon.

Ned Levin XV actually threatened himself with forced disclosure of the patent?

I have seen shameless, never seen such shameless.

He is indeed a ruthless person who dares to use his own star as a landfill for radioactive waste.

Tido had said before that his skin was as thick as the shell of a hive, and he was absolutely right.

Li Nuo took a deep breath, calmed down, put the communication records on the table, and quickly analyzed them:
"Nedlevin XV has conducted in-depth research on the current status of synthetic starch. He may have spies in our hive. Otherwise, he wouldn't have reported the figure of 1500 million tons."

Titus folded the fan, propped her chin with the fan and nodded slowly:

"Yes, you are right. According to the production plan, after deducting the part used to pay material taxes, we will have 1500 million tons of synthetic starch available for sale this month. Ned Levin XV is using hints to demonstrate his intelligence capabilities. Do you want Delton to find his spies?"

"Yes, let Delton find Nedlevin XV's spy, but don't touch him yet. We may need to use him to counter Nedlevin XV later." Li Nuo leaned on the back of the sofa, and his fingers on his legs moved as he thought:

"The core issue now is that there may be quite a few governors who share the same idea as Nedlevin XV. The Minister of the Imperial Interior holds an important position in the wartime parliament. If the voices of the governors are loud enough, the Minister of the Imperial Interior will certainly consider their opinions. It may be five years later, or it may be ten years later, the formula for preparing new starch will be out of our control to a certain extent."

"What should we do then..." Tido muttered worriedly.

Li Nuo smiled and said comfortingly:
"Don't worry, it's not necessarily a bad thing to make the formula public. Just knowing the formula doesn't necessarily mean they can synthesize the precursor. When the time comes, we can sell the production equipment for synthesizing the precursor. The profit margin from selling equipment is much higher than selling starch."

Tido didn't know much about the technical aspects, but since Li Nuo was so confident, she had nothing to worry about.

In fact, when developing the poison-to-starch catalyst, Li Nuo had already considered the possibility of being forced to disclose the formula.

He deliberately used automatic simulation to transform the molecular structure of the precursor substance into an extremely complex one.

It is no exaggeration to say that without him personally debugging the reactor, more than 90% of the imperial worlds would not be able to synthesize precursor substances.

At that time, the governors who got the formula would either buy equipment produced by Epimet, or spend their own money to ask the Mechanicus to help debug the reactor.

With the oil man's bad temper, he will definitely empty the governor's pocket. The equipment produced by Epimate will have no trouble selling.

If you understand this, you won't have to worry about being forced to disclose the starch formula. While knitting a sweater, Shatana asked gently:

"Li Nuo, how are you going to reply to Ned Leven?"

"I plan to turn passivity into initiative." Li Nuo picked up the communication record, took a look, drew a few horizontal lines on it with a pencil, and wrote a few words:

"Isn't Nedlevin XV eyeing the formula for synthetic starch? I can give it to him, but he has to pay for it. Madam, do you know how much the material tax in the Nedlevin sector was converted into throne coins last year?"

Shatana pushed the reading glasses on her nose:
"Well... if I remember correctly, the total value of the material tax should be around 960 billion throne coins, of which 64% comes from the Empire World controlled by Nedlevin XV, and the corresponding total value of the material tax is about 615 billion throne coins."

Shatana said everything at once, telling Li Nuo all the information he wanted to know. Such a private astropath was like a treasure.

"Thank you, ma'am." Li Nuo listed the formula in the communication record and calculated it, and came to a conclusion:
"I am willing to sell the formula of the new synthetic starch to anyone who is interested in purchasing the formula for 5 million Throne Coins. I can accept down payments and installments. The down payment ratio must not be less than 15%. Each installment must be transferred through Terra's bank and cannot be deducted with physical goods or financial products."

Tido thought deeply about Li Nuo's intention.

Shatana reacted very quickly. As soon as Li Nuo finished speaking, her eyes lit up slightly. She understood Li Nuo's intention, and a light of affirmation and approval appeared in her eyes:

"Li Nuo, you have made great progress recently. I just explained to you a few days ago how to reject someone else's proposal with a proposal, and you used this method today."

"Yes, ma'am, thank you for your teaching." Li Nuo smiled and said:
"Instead of fighting on a battlefield opened by others, it is better to open up a battlefield of your own and lure the enemy to fight on your battlefield. I have now released the selling price of the formula, and those who want to buy will naturally come to buy. Those who buy the formula, even if they have only paid the first installment of the payment, will stand by me without hesitation and oppose the forced disclosure of the formula."

After Li Nuo's explanation, Tiduo suddenly understood and immediately discovered a problem:
"What if you tell someone the formula and they refuse to pay you? Apart from filing a complaint with the Imperial Law Department, you have almost no way to retaliate against their refusal to pay you?"

Li Nuo laughed and raised his index finger:

"That's the essence, Titus. I didn't think about asking for their installment payments. I only wanted their down payment. The total price is 5 million, and the down payment ratio is 15%, which is equivalent to 7500 million throne coins. Such a sum of money is nothing to the star governor. Nedlevin XV can afford it, and other star governors can also afford it. There are more than a thousand star governors in the empire. Each of them pays us 7500 million throne coins. Can you calculate how much money this is?"

"I understand what you mean! You are using a low price in exchange for volume. Not every governor has 5 million, but 0.75 million is different. Every governor can afford it."

Tiduo clapped her hands excitedly. Her clever brain soon discovered another potential problem:

"What if the Moff is selling the formula privately at a low price?"

Li Nuo said:
"The formula is protected by the Holy Database of the Mechanicus. Selling it privately will lead to investigation by the Mechanicus. But you and I both know that most Mechanicus members in a sector have a close relationship with the governor of the sector. It is unlikely to counter the governor of the sector through the Mechanicus."

"Yeah." Tido nodded, "And then?"

Li Nuo continued:
"So, the formula transaction method I envision is to pay first and then give the formula. Whoever pays the down payment before the end of this year will receive the formula next year."

Praise the developers before the time travel.

Inspired by them, Li Nuo was able to develop a trading plan that would trap others deeply.

After hearing this, Tido was full of praise and couldn't think of any loopholes for a while.

After careful consideration, Shatana also agreed with Li Nuo's plan.

However, based on her understanding of the star governor, Shatana suggested that Li Nuo increase the price of the formula to 10 billion, while keeping the down payment ratio unchanged at 15%.

Moreover, the trading partners are not limited to star governors.

Shatana thinks that wealthy traders such as Rogue Traders, Space Marine Legions, and Expedition Fleets can also be included.

The three of them discussed from the afternoon till the evening of that day and finally decided on the plan.

One recipe costs 10 billion, and the down payment is 15%. Any party can participate in the transaction as long as they are members of the empire and can prove that the source of funds is legal.

Those who pay the down payment before the end of this year can receive the formula on the first day of the following year.

From now on, anyone who purchases the formula will receive it on the same day they pay the down payment.

The job of publishing transaction information is done by Shatana.

Because the transaction amount was too huge, this profitable project that should have been undertaken by Isabel was instead handled by Tido and Fugas. Isabel did not participate in the formula transaction.

Before leaving Shatana's residence, Li Nuo did not forget to inquire about the situation of the plague.

It's ridiculous to say that.

The plague appeared in a stellar radiation waste area, and the pathogenic strain of the plague has not yet been determined.

Stellar radiation waste zones are built near stars and are specifically used to pack and launch radioactive waste. The main facilities are waste packaging space stations and waste-launching cannons.

Another use of it is to collect fees.

Foreign cargo ships transport radioactive waste to the waste area, and only after paying money can the waste be unloaded.

The stellar radiation waste area is crowded with people, all of whom are hard laborers who risk their lives for money and criminals serving their sentences there.

The plague turned the gang into madmen, severely interfering with the radioactive waste area to make money for the Niedlevin family.

Nedlevin XV has Space Guards.

The ships of the guard must be cruisers or below, and can only be second-hand goods eliminated from the Imperial Army.

The ship's navigator is assigned by the Military Affairs Department and is limited to sailing within the star zone and cannot go anywhere else.

All expenses of the guard are borne by the Niederleven family.

Nedlevin XV did not want his wings to be damaged, so he could not mobilize the Space Guard to deal with the plague.

In order to get the Imperial Army's garrison in the star zone for free, Nedlevin XV used his authority to send an astropathic broadcast, making the situation look very serious...

Ah... Is it really okay to use this method of using authority to force the imperial army to work for you?
Li Nuo and Tido were at a loss whether to laugh or cry, and their perception of the thickness of Nedlevin XV's face was once again refreshed.

After leaving Shatana's residence, Li Nuo sent Tido to her residential area and then returned to his own residence.

He turned off the do not disturb mode on the servoskull, and Brandi's voice came out of it.

"Master, as of now, you have three things to do. Miss Leia sent you a gift, and I received it on your behalf. The gift has been placed in your study, please check it in time. Delton proposed to focus on strengthening the Governor's Guard's ability to quickly respond to the plague. The detailed proposal is already in your data board."

Li Nuo clicked on Delton's proposal and felt sincere admiration for this elite of Zhongsi College.

Every proposal submitted by the other party is extremely precise and detailed. The amount of expenditure can be accurate to the single digit, the time planning can be accurate to the day, and the measures in the proposal are indeed necessary to implement.

It is very appropriate to describe Delton's proposal as pleasing to the eye.

Delta proposed to strengthen the scanning accuracy and depth of routine inspections to include many aliens that have not appeared in Epimet but have a negative impact on the empire.

For example, Dark Eldar, Ark Eldar, Orcs, etc.

This includes the Bone Drinkers.

This suggestion is very good. Li Nuo had thought about it before, and this time he and Delton had the same idea.

He closed the proposal and planned to look at it again tomorrow morning and sign it if he confirmed there were no problems.

After arriving at the main entrance of the laboratory and greeting the Governor's agent guarding the gate, Li Nuo returned to his residence and saw the small gift from Leia in the study.

Just as he expected, there was a rat-skin man's front tooth inside. Judging from its shape and color, it should have been pulled out from Da Zhuang's mouth.

Li Nuo locked the front teeth and the packaging box into the safe and asked:
"Brandi, what's the third to-do item?"

"Six months ago, you set an alarm on your datapad to go off only once every 180 days. You did not add a memo to this alarm. Therefore, I am not sure what it is used for. I will need you to recall it yourself."

Brandi opened the alarm interface of the data board, and the alarm set 180 days ago came into Li Nuo's eyes.

Li Nuo took out the data tablet and swiped up and down on the alarm clock interface. The memo was blank, which made him feel a little confused.

Why did I set this alarm 180 days ago?

Why didn’t you write down the purpose of the alarm in the memo?

Li Nuo sat in the chair in the study and pondered over the alarm clock interface.

What were you doing 180 days ago?
…Hiss, I remembered it!
Li Nuo shuddered and recalled the scene at that time.

After the cleanup operation against the Reconciliation Cult was completed, a banquet to auction ghost mushrooms was held in the first district of Shangchao.

He met three illegal businessmen at the banquet. They were from the Cold Trade Group in the Misty Star Region.

During their secret talks with Osgus, they revealed that their force had discovered a weak human civilization with a population of around 300 million.

This human civilization has not yet been discovered by the expeditionary fleet of the Human Empire and is in a lost state with no connection with Terra.

The forces of unscrupulous businessmen intend to slaughter these people and seize the mineral resources of this planet.

At that time, Li Nuo had a sudden idea and placed a growth-stunted orc reproductive spore on these three people, hoping to use it to spy on the secrets of the Cold Trade Group.

The surface of this spore has a dense chitin membrane that isolates it from air and moisture, preventing the spore from developing.

Calculated in terms of Terra time, the diaphragm is valid for exactly 180 days!
Now, the spores that have escaped the control of the diaphragm may have begun to grow into Squiggles, Farts, and Orc Boys.

"Brandi, I know what this alarm is for. I'll take care of it."

"Yes, Master."

Li Nuo handed the data tablet to the servo skull, quickly washed up, lay down on the bed, and tried to search for the orcs that grew from the reproductive spores of the growth-stunted orcs.

(End of this chapter)