Warhammer 40: Starting as a Rogue Trader

Chapter 276 Hello, Lord Gao, Gao Yi

With a heavy heart, Gao Yi also entered the throne room.

Those who witnessed the emperor's condition firsthand would find it hard to imagine how an individual could endure such torment for ten thousand years.

The "instruments of torture" that even the most skilled musicians found awe-inspiring were tormenting the emperor's body and will every moment.

Given the Emperor's dedication, Gao Yi even felt that the emergence of a state religion was almost inevitable, and that even if the Primarchs did not all fall into slumber, the state religion would still appear in another form.

To Gao Yi's relief, the worst-case scenario he had anticipated did not occur; the emperor did not intend to place him on the golden throne.

When facing Gao Yi, the Emperor did not reveal his warp side as he did when facing Guilliman and Felus.

The two had already seen each other's true nature in the subspace, and it could even be said that they understood each other's unique forms of existence better than anyone else.

Gao Yi could feel an imperial power descending upon him.

This force seemed to be trying to see his body clearly from the inside out.

The Emperor's psychic energy was sweeping through every cell of Gao Yi's body.

For the Emperor, the two had never met in the real universe. Regardless of whether Gao Yi had other purposes, he first needed to ascertain one thing: whether Gao Yi was human or not.

As this power left Gao Yi's body, the Emperor, whose understanding of the essence of humanity was more thorough than anyone else's, confirmed Gao Yi's human identity.

The subsequent conversation between the two did not turn out as Gao Yi had imagined, with the emperor trying to inquire about his secrets. Instead, the emperor asked Gao Yi what his world was like.

Their conversation was more like a casual chat, with the emperor filled with curiosity about Gao Yi, this outsider.

Gao Yi even took out several nano-therapy guns in an attempt to repair the Emperor's body.

However, the healing gun, enhanced by the system, did not provide any help to the Emperor's body.

The continuous draining and the supernatural damage from the subspace are not physically repairable.

"I will have Guilliman and Feralas help you. I hope you can really help humanity in this world get rid of suffering. This world is more dangerous than you think, and those who fear death are becoming more and more active in the galaxy."

The Empire's enemies have never been limited to Chaos; in addition to contending with dangers from within the Milky Way, it also needs to guard against threats from beyond the galaxy.

"A threat from beyond the galaxy? The Tyranids?"

"It's not just them. The rebellion of the Golden Man, Iron Man, Stone Man, and Iron Man, which the Empire is talking about now, did not destroy them all. Some people escaped. No one knows how far the people who left the galaxy have developed in the past few years, nor does anyone know when they will return, or what their attitude is towards humanity now."

Have even all those ancient sages died?

Your arrival will bring unexpected changes to this world, and may even draw the attention of all beings to the galaxy. Would you allow an entity or civilization to grow to a point where it could threaten you?

"I see."

The Emperor's warning did indeed weigh heavily on Gao Yi's mind. The current Empire was still confined to the Milky Way galaxy. The Tyranids and the Silent King, who had exiled himself for 60 million years, meant that the world was not just this big.

When the doors of the throne room opened again, all eyes were on Gao Yi, who emerged less than an hour later.

No one asked Gao Yi about the content of his conversation with the emperor.

"Lord Highlord, Felus and I are going to summon the high lords. The unrest outside is getting worse... I must quell this disturbance as soon as possible. After the meeting, the council will grant you greater power."

"I hope everything goes well for you. Kaul and Pavian's research should be progressing as well. I will hand over the government affairs platform to you as soon as possible. I believe these things will be of great help in your next reforms."

Gao Yi didn't know how Guilliman and Felus would resolve the High Lord's problem, but as the meeting began...

A power shift quickly occurred within the High Lords.

Most high lords choose to unconditionally support the Primarch's leadership.

The Assassins' Court and the Inquisition have reached unprecedented levels of activity in Terra.

The chaos originating from Chaos had eased considerably after Guilliman took command, but the evil god was clearly determined to cause trouble for the Empire.

Over tens of thousands of years, the four gods have amassed far more followers in Terra than imagined, and no amount of effort in their suppression can eradicate them all. However, the already rotten Ministry of the Interior has prompted Guilliman to unhesitatingly raise his sword.

Tzeentch has practically turned the Ministry of the Interior into a hornet's nest. I was initially worried that it might affect the operation of the Empire.

Since conventional methods are no longer effective in regulating the situation, the solution is to kill.

Guilliman borrowed the artificial untouchables and Night Watchers from Gao Yi. They all possessed the ability to sense the power of chaos and were used to screen people affected by chaos.

Iltu was also removed from his position as High Lord and imprisoned by Guilliman due to the chaos in the Ministry of the Interior.

The fate of these high lords afterward was no longer Gao Yi's concern.

The second high lord to be dethroned was Kania, the spokesperson for the traveling merchant ronin.

Kania never expected to be the second... but the truth is, she shouldn't have been the second one to be sanctioned. Her quick resignation was purely Guilliman's way of putting Gao Yiteng in his place.

In the name of the Emperor, Guilliman directly placed Gao Yi in this position.

Only now did the others in the empire truly understand Gao Yi's importance.

However, Gao Yi was somewhat resistant to this. Handling government affairs was neither something he was good at nor wanted to do, and he didn't want to experience the miserable life of the high lords.

Guilliman, however, had made arrangements for him in advance, knowing that Gao Yi had more important things to do.

He was seeking protection and support for Gao Yi's power. While Gao Yi enjoyed the protection and benefits of this power, he would also arrange for people to solve political problems.

He needs Gao Yi to have more time to provide the empire with a continuous stream of powerful technology.

It has to be said that this made Gao Yi very satisfied, as this was exactly what he was doing.

In addition to his position as a peripheral high lord, Gao Yi also acquired a new identity, which is the first time this has happened in the history of high lords.

The Kronus expansion was formally incorporated into the empire from a region that was previously outside of it.

The Kronus Sector was officially established, with Gao Yi appointed as its governor. Gao Yi now has the official authority to mobilize all imperial forces within the expanded sector.

The Kronus expansion zone was also directly marked as a top-tier duty-free zone in the Ministry of the Interior's database.

While enjoying the privileges of a formal star sector, Gao Yi didn't need to worry about taxes affecting the development of the planets under his command, as the tithe was simply too much of a burden for a planet.

Not only was the region expanded, but the Malfi Sector within the Calissis Sector was also incorporated into Gao Yi's command.

The combined number and size of planets of both are unmatched by any other Imperial sector.
However, even after acquiring the identity of a high lord, Gao Yi still needed to shoulder some responsibilities.

This high lord position also oversees trade within the empire. Regardless of how much Gao Yi sells combat uniforms to other factions within the empire, what he needs Gao Yi to do is provide Guilliman with a large quantity of combat uniforms at a low price to arm the empire's soldiers.

The Empire will provide Gao Yi with a large quantity of the alloys needed for manufacturing.

How could Gao Yi refuse such a good opportunity? Guilliman provided the materials, which left Gao Yi with only time as his cost.

Although the profit per unit is lower, the total price has actually increased significantly.

When Guilliman saw the quote Gao Yi offered him, he regretted it a bit. He should have lowered the price even further. The quote even included a "buy 5 get 1 free" clause.
However, Guilliman also had his own requirements, namely that he wanted to send some people to participate in the administrative affairs of the expanded area.

Gao Yi understood Guilliman's meaning; the Emperor had clearly told Guilliman some secrets.

This is surveillance.

Gao Yi did not refuse. Overt surveillance was always better than covert investigation, and Gao Yi had nothing to hide anyway.

The truly confidential secrets and technologies are also impossible for the other party to access.

The news that Gao Yi had become a High Lord was also sent back to the expansion area. Upon hearing this news, the alliance members knew that they had completely gambled correctly! Everyone was about to make a fortune.

(End of this chapter)