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

Chapter 180: Lorca's Painful Literature

"Hiss, Lorgar is really something, he can actually manage more than 300 imperial worlds so well."

Epimet, in the office of the Royal Court.

Li Nuo was amazed at the data on the screen.

You wouldn't know until you checked. Only after checking did you understand why the Word Bearers Legion has more people than the Ultramarines.

Before the destruction of the Perfect City, the development trajectory of the Word Bearers was exactly the same as the official history.

The legion has the largest number of people and the most ships, but it ranks last in the number of worlds it has conquered.

After the destruction of the Perfect City, the development trajectory of the Word Bearers became different from the official history.

First, Lorgar's pilgrimage lasted only two months, not several years as stated in official history.

In the official history, Lorgar first went through a two-year period of confusion, and then, under the persuasion of the legion's chief priest Erebus and his adoptive father Colen Farr, he set out to find the true relics of the gods.

Eventually, he led the Word Bearers into the Eye of Terror in the name of expanding the Empire's territory, and secretly reached a cooperation with the Chaos Demons.

But the Warhammer world we live in now is different.

Almost as soon as he left the ruins of the Perfect City, Lorgar headed straight for the Eye of Terror and threw himself into the embrace of the Chaos Demon.

The process developed too fast and too quickly, as if he had already known that there was a chaos demon waiting for him in the Eye of Terror.

After returning from the Eye of Terror, the Word Bearers Legion attacked cities madly like mad dogs.

As of the end of last year, the Word Bearers had conquered 27 worlds by force and purchased 110 worlds from other expeditions.

All the worlds they purchased were severely damaged by rebellions, plagues, and wars, and the cost of reconstruction far exceeded the world's earnings in the next 10 years.

But even so, the Word Bearers bought them with throne coins and materials of equivalent value, and transformed them all into populous hive worlds.

Yes, the tithes paid by these worlds are mainly in the form of population, rather than material goods.

The Imperial worlds controlled by the Word Bearers are very, very, very fertile.

According to statistics from the Imperial Ministry of the Interior, a newlywed couple can give birth to more than 50 offspring from the age of marriage to the age of 20, and they will start a new round of production almost as soon as they complete the previous round.

The production efficiency is comparable to the training facilities of the Mechanicus, and every generation can receive a good education.

The reason why they are so fertile is related to a series of measures implemented by Lorca, which are recorded in a set of books called "Love and Pain".

This set of classics mainly talks about how to achieve high welfare and freedom from disease and disaster.

It is a reference book for guiding governors in governing the imperial world.

Li Nuo did not know the specific content of the classics. Only the governor who was on good terms with Luo Jia could obtain this set of classics.

Based on the publicly available information:

Because they provided a large amount of population tax to the Empire, the worlds controlled by the Word Bearers received a huge amount of daily necessities.

Their sanitary conditions, medical conditions and educational conditions are second to none, the only shortcoming being that food is often insufficient.

Now, the Word Bearers have obtained the formula for a new type of synthetic starch, which has basically solved the food problem.

Li Nuo unknowingly facilitated a new round of population explosion in more than 300 imperial worlds.

After the explosive population growth, more population taxes were paid and more material support was received.

Li Nuo used a calculator to make some deductions and came to a heart-pounding conclusion:

Assuming the Word Bearers still have only about 300 Imperial Worlds before the first year of the next millennium,

Then, the number of Word Bearers will increase from the current 32 to 40.

The number of active members of the Legion has not increased much.

but!

The number of people who can complete the final genetic modification operation at any time and transform from reserve members to Word Bearers recruits is estimated to be 50.

What is this concept?
Li Nuo once heard a UP host do the math. During the Horus Heresy, the Ultramarines Legion, which was best at explosive growth, produced a total of 20 Space Marines.

These 20 were converted from the Ultramarines' reserves. Compared with the 50 reserves of the Word Bearers Legion, the Ultramarines' reserves were less than half.

The Word Bearers' explosive potential is terrifying.

There is no Alpha Legion in this world, but it does not weaken the overall strength of the rebellion at all.

Li Nuo stood up with his hands behind his back, paced back and forth in the office, his mind racing.

Now that we have confirmed that the absence of the Alpha Legion has not reduced the number of loyalist legions, let's start helping the loyalists to increase their troops and strive to catch up with the Word Bearers as soon as possible.

"Well, in the end, I have to do what the Alpha Legion failed to do. This is the case with the Bone Drinkers, the Randan Alliance, and the lack of numbers for the Dark Angels. Where the hell did Alpharius and Omega go? I didn't enjoy the blessings of the Primarch, so why should I suffer for them?"

Li Nuo secretly complained and felt a little aggrieved, but he had to help the Dark Angels Legion, which was currently the smallest in number, to increase its troops for the sake of his own life.

When trading the formula with the Dark Angel before, the trading representative sent by the other party had a brief private exchange with Li Nuo.

To be honest, the communication process was pretty good.

Influenced by the Primarch, the Dark Angels are relatively rational and like to speak their mind directly, often offending others due to their lack of social skills.

They are all very smart and can easily perceive the true thoughts of the person they are talking to and point them out directly.

This move would embarrass slick people, but Li Nuo likes it very much.

The Dark Angel representative with whom he had conferred was a mortal Adept.

The two of them only spoke seven sentences in total in the reception room.

"Hello, I'm from Caliban, the home planet of the Dark Angels. I'm a monk at a local monastery. You can call me Keen."

"Welcome, Keen. I am Li Nuo Wilsi. As I introduced before, I will temporarily serve as the acting governor while Lord Fuges, the governor of the hive, is away. How can I help you?"

"Dark Angel needs technical guidance to complete the production line of synthetic starch as soon as possible."

"No problem. You can send technicians to visit our preparation workshop to learn until you complete the construction of the production line. By the way, this is free."

"Thank you for your support and understanding. It's a pleasure for the Dark Angels to have a friend like you."

After saying these seven sentences, Li Nuo and the monk with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a square face exchanged astrologer codes and code books, and the secret conversation ended.

The astropathic code is used to send and receive astropathic information between each other, and the code book is used to translate the other party's encrypted information.

Li Nuo originally thought that providing free technical guidance to the Dark Angels would be enough to make up for the Dark Angels' numerical disadvantage.

Now, looking at the Word Bearers' explosive potential, he realized that it was far from enough.

"Let me see, what is Keen's astrologer code..."

A string of words on the document came into view. Li Nuo nodded slightly and recognized that it was the code of a private astropath.

It seems that Keane is not just a monk.

Li Nuo was writing an encrypted astronomical message in his office.

"Golden wheat whispers, lightning patterns are engraved on silver frost blades. Starlight shines, floating clouds never return to the blue sky..."

This encrypted message refers to the sonnets of the ancient Terra period, the conversion of astronomical parameters in the ephemeris table and dynamic syllables. The encryption coefficient is extremely high, and it is impossible for people without the code book to decipher the content.

The most important thing is that Li Nuo provided different code books to different trading representatives.

The translated sentences of these representatives are not exactly the same, and only the translation of Dark Angel is correct.

This avoids the embarrassment of having the secret star language you send out be deciphered by someone who is not the person you are communicating with but has the code book.

Translating this secret language into Low Gothic, it only takes three sentences to summarize everything:
"I have discovered a synthetic formula that is more efficient than the first generation of synthetic starch preparation technology. I can upgrade it for you. I hope to discuss my requirements in person!"

……

On the other side, the Word Bearers priest Xiafen left with the formula for synthetic starch.

The ship they were on was a Moon-class heavy cruiser assault ship.

The ship possesses maneuverability and cruising capabilities comparable to that of a Moon-class cruiser.

Its strong defensive performance allows it to withstand enemy firepower while forcibly jumping into the subspace during battle.

Heavy cruiser assault ships are very suitable for transporting precious cultural relics, sacred objects and scientific and technological data, but their cost is twice that of ordinary cruisers, so only some wealthy legions have extra ships for armed escort.

The Word Bearers are a typical example of a wealthy and powerful army.

Before the destruction of the City of Perfection by the Ultramarines, the Word Bearers were already firmly in second place in terms of numbers.

After the destruction of the Perfect City, Lorgar found his future direction in the "Pilgrimage".

In recent years, he has conquered the world with a hundred times more enthusiasm than before, and recovered lost worlds for the empire at a speed far greater than in the past.

At the same time, he did another thing.

It was to embrace the pain of the Empire, to hold in my arms the world in rebellion, the world on the brink of destruction, with my love and care.

A rebellious world needs to be quelled, and a world on the verge of destruction needs to be rebuilt, both of which require a lot of money and energy.

Lorgar bought them from their original owners and had his governors rebuild these miserable worlds.

The governors had no regrets and did not even need Lorgar to provide them with funding.

Because Lorgar promised his governors that when their worlds were in turmoil due to natural disasters such as food shortages and rampant diseases, they would receive equal assistance and would never be sold, abandoned, or shelved.

God does not love the Word Bearers, but Lorgar, as the Primarch of the Word Bearers, loves every one of his people.

This is his golden signboard, sung by all the imperial worlds he conquered.

All worlds that submitted to Lorgar were freed from the plague after he completed his pilgrimage, and their populations grew explosively.

With the new technology for preparing synthetic starch, these worlds will completely bid farewell to hunger and usher in a second transformation.

The home planet of the Word Bearers, Kochis, is the most typical example.

The spires and courtyards are built with white stone bricks, and the ubiquitous praise and eulogy make the city full of a holy atmosphere.

The hustle and bustle of the street is isolated by three layers of vacuum glass, and the atmosphere in the scriptorium at the top of the capital tower is quiet and peaceful.

Luo Jia was writing at his desk, copying a classic that he had unearthed from ancient ruins.

There were whispers coming from the corridor outside the scriptorium.

"Xia Fen, is the mission completed?"

"Lord Erebus, the mission is half accomplished."

Facing the question from the Legion's Chief Priest, Erebus, Xiafen sounded both remorseful and fearful:

"We brought the complete formula, but due to some issues, we were unable to sign a further cooperation contract with Lino Wilsey."

Erebus asked in a reproachful tone:
"What prevented you from carrying out Aurelion's orders?"

"My Lord, this is what happened..."

The whispers in the corridor disturbed Lorgar's thoughts.

As the Primarch, his hearing was far superior to that of ordinary people. Even if the person outside the door lowered his voice, he could still hear it clearly.

"Erebus, please come in and tell me. I also want to know why Xiafen failed to sign a contract with Wilsi."

"Yes." Erebas answered from outside the door, gently pushed the door open, and walked in with a poker face with nasolabial folds, followed by Xia Fen, who looked a little indignant.

Lorgar put down his pen, stood up from the writing table, and walked to the window with his hands behind his back, looking out at the bustling scene outside. The white scholar's robe on his body was as dazzling as pure wings:
"Go ahead, Xia Fen, speak slowly. I can see that there is a flame of anger flowing in your heart. I will listen to your words, and I hope you can calm the ripples in your heart."

Xia Fen knelt on one knee and looked up at the figure in front of the window. The light on the other person's white robe was reflected in her eyes:

"Father, Lino Wiltshire arranged art works that matched the cultural traditions of each visiting trading team. The Blood Angels saw the legion emblem made of dahlias and irises, the Imperial Fists saw metal sculptures made of gold, and the Salamanders were greeted by black iron felt and blazing furnaces.

"Near the main building of the manor, our team saw a vine corridor with parchment scrolls hanging. Those parchments contained some words that blasphemed our doctrines. This made me angry and I decided not to sign a contract for in-depth cooperation with Wilsey."

"Go on, what is written on the parchment?"

Luo Jia stood with his hands behind his back, his white clothes fluttering, blending into the clouds in the sky.

Xia Fen said cautiously:
"Chains of praise are stronger than fetters of punishment, for he who is bound by them kisses each ring and calls it a sacred thread.

"If the chain is forged and kissed by your own hands, should it be called a sacred pattern or a prison without visible shackles?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Luo Jia's body trembled noticeably, and the air around him turned from warm to cold. Even the bright sunshine outside the window could not dispel the chill.

The wrinkles on Erebas's face deepened several points, his eyes became more gloomy, his hands were clenched into fists, and his knuckles cracked.

As the Legion's chief chaplain, Erebus serves as Lorgar's mentor and prophet on his journey of faith.

His speculations on human nature are often incisive, and he is good at launching fatal attacks on the enemy's weakest part of the mind.

He immediately understood Wilsey's worldview and the other party's intention in setting up the vine corridor.

Erebus said coldly:
"Lino Wilse is following the false emperor's imperial truth. He doesn't understand the weight of faith. Such a person is not worthy of being our partner. We misjudged him. He invented the new synthetic starch purely to earn throne coins, not out of love and kindness like Aurelion."

Luo Jia turned around and slowly walked towards Xia Fen. He helped her up from the ground and asked gently:
"Have you destroyed these heretical words?"

"Father, we will never tolerate such remarks in the world. We tore up all the parchments on the spot."

Luo Jia nodded calmly, with approval in his eyes:
"You were wise not to sign a contract of in-depth cooperation with Wilsi. I have no reason to punish you. In fact, Erebus and I have witnessed your firm belief. Go and rest now, a new expedition is waiting for us."

"Yes." Xia Fen bowed and backed out of the scriptorium, closing the door behind her.

"Show me the formula." Lorgar took the paper document from Erebus, walked to the table and sat down, saying as he read:

"Erebus, I just wanted to talk to you about our plans. Is there any important news recently?"

"Yes." Erebas responded thoughtfully:

"Construction of the Corridor of Pain is going smoothly, as is the Suicide Hook.

"The rebellious Imperial worlds have delayed one-tenth of the Imperial Army, and the battle in Ullanor has delayed nearly half of the Imperial Army. It is expected that in a few months, when the orcs' scourge is rampant throughout the Empire, more Imperial Army and Legions will be drawn into the quagmire of fierce fighting. By then, the fleet of the Randan Alliance will bring real pain to the 'Corridor of Pain'. That series of star regions will become the scars of the Empire, and only you can heal them.

"In addition, the 'suicide hook' for that person is still evolving. When the time is right, it will bring unforgettable pain to that being."

Lorgar asked, "How long will it take for the Randan Alliance to return to the northern part of the galaxy?"

Eribas said:
"According to Morka, it will take at least five months for the Randan fleet to enter the Milky Way. The reason for this delay is due to the Ony people. The quality of the subspace beacons they built is really not good, and the calibration of the channel has not been smooth."

Luo Jia was not surprised by this.

For a bunch of pigs obsessed with mating, it's pretty good that they could build a subspace beacon.

Lorgar returned the formula to Erebus, picked up the quill he had put down not long ago, and prepared to continue copying the classics:

"Let's give Mocha some more time. There's no need to rush it. During this time, we need to build an industry to produce new synthetic starches, use food to build good relations with the governors who are rebuilding the Corridor of Pain, and try to pull them to our side."

"I don't know what bad idea Eribas came up with, and a sinister light flashed in his eyes like a venomous snake:
"I heard that the current governor of Epimet is rebuilding the planet Granite 5 in the Corridor of Pain. His name is Vladrick Vorges, and he and Lino Wilsey are the prospective father-in-law and son-in-law. Perhaps we can do this when we implement the 'Corridor of Pain' plan..."

Erebus's voice became lower and mixed with the sound of the wind outside the window, like the sound of a sneaky mouse running in the corner.

"Okay, go ahead and prepare. I hope that the imperial truth that Lino Wilsey upholds can save his father-in-law."

Lorgar and Erebus smiled at each other, and the latter stood up and left, leaving Lorgar alone in the scriptorium.

The house was filled with sunlight, but strangely there was no warmth at all.

(End of this chapter)