Warhammer: Starting as a Planetary Governor

"I hope there will not be a conflict. Otherwise, this will become troublesome…"

Vulkan looked at the Chaos domain stretching to the edge of his vision, as well as the abominable projection, and his heart sank despite himself.

That Chaos Lord was powerful. This place was also his domain, an area roughly equivalent to an entire star system, and it contained an enormous number of daemons.

Such a force would be enough to unleash a storm of blood in any Imperial sector.

Once a conflict broke out, it would most likely trigger a major war and affect the mission to install the Blackstone Fortresses.

As the Flame-Forged battle barge drew closer, the bloody aura of the Chaos domain grew increasingly intense, and countless waves of roaring voices rolled toward them.

It was so evil.

That made Vulkan and the other Salamanders warriors grow solemn. They assumed alert stances.

They knew exactly how much malice these daemons held toward humanity, and how difficult they were to deal with.

"The Chaos Daemons seem to be shouting someone's name?"

Yet in the next moment, Vulkan and the others froze.

Something was not right. The sounds coming from the Chaos domain were not true roars, but some kind of cheering.

Gradually, they heard the rhythmic noise of Hell bone instruments. It was strangely familiar.

"That is… the Savior's sacred music?" Sa'kan tilted his head and listened, somewhat unable to believe it.

The melody was far too familiar. There was no way they could forget it.

"It sounds like… the third movement from the Sacred Music Suite, 'To Our Great Gene-Father'?" one Salamanders Terminator said.

He rather liked the Savior's sacred music created by the Ogryns and had even specially collected the black-gold collector's edition sacred-music recorder. Naturally, he would not mishear it.

Vulkan nodded slightly, agreeing with his gene-son's judgment.

He had heard those pieces of the Savior's music in the asteroid base of the Korvax disaster zone.

The melody of those Hell instruments made the Salamanders feel increasingly strange. No one could have imagined that the Savior's sacred music would appear in a Chaos domain.

It was too bizarre.

While Vulkan and the others were still baffled, the Flame-Forged battle barge passed through the last layer of mist and appeared at the edge of the Chaos domain.

Their field of vision opened wide.

???!

When the Lord of the Salamanders saw the scene within the Chaos domain, his eyes immediately widened, and his entire mind went numb.

The edge of the Chaos domain had already become a sea of celebration.

Daemons large and small had gathered under the leadership of the Chaos Lord. They held up banners and honor standards, conducting some kind of festive ceremony.

No, it would be more accurate to say they were welcoming the arrival of the Imperial fleet.

"Follow the faith! Obey the command!"

"Listen to the Savior! Unite as one against the black tide!"

"For the Savior!"

New Imperium-style slogans were written across blood-red banners made from fur, bones, and torn cloth.

Those fat, towering daemons raised the banners with all their strength, terrified that others might not see them. Their emotions were running high.

Aside from that, there were also many honor standards made from various bones, cloth pieces, and even skin. On them, one could vaguely make out the Savior's mighty figure and achievements.

For example, slaying some Chosen of the Gods, destroying some Chaos Lord, making the Imperium prosperous and great, and so on.

Even harder to endure was the center of the area, where a holy statue of the Savior had been cast from bones and all kinds of filthy creations.

The daemons seemed afraid that this would not look good enough, so they had very thoughtfully painted the surface of the statue gold and inlaid it with gemstones.

Although it still looked neither one thing nor another, for daemons, this was already more than careful and sincere enough.

Dun, dun, dun, dun, dun!

The frenzied music of the Hell band grew even more impassioned. They were working hard to perform and sing, expressing the loyalty contained within the sacred music.

"Ah—

"Great Savior, you are a man, not a god, not a dream.

"You were the one who raised your hand amid the flames.

"You were the one who built a bridge with flesh and blood and led us across the dark flood. You are our father…"

At the center of the altar, a pale-skinned, six-legged, four-armed arachnoid daemon sang with total abandon. Its voice was choked with sobs, and even blood-red tears slid down its face.

That was a sound of loyalty brewed from evil itself.

Many daemons joined in the chorus. The noisy, impassioned sacred music drifted across the entire region.

At this moment, one could say the place was full of fluttering banners, cheers, and celebration.

A scene of perfect loyalty.

If one ignored the utterly abominable daemons and the surrounding environment, someone who did not know better might think this was a loyal civilized world of the Imperium welcoming the descent of the great Savior.

Awooo!

As for the very front of the welcoming procession, there stood an enormous Chaos Lord, his whole body pitch-black and covered in fine scales. He was the most enthusiastic of all, holding the largest honor standard high.

This traditional daemonic being, with ferocious horns and flaming goat hooves, looked almost obedient and proper. He did not seem like an evil lord of the Warp at all.

"Have they gone mad?"

Vulkan stared at those Chaos Daemons and nearly coughed up a mouthful of old blood.

He had originally thought that after experiencing all kinds of miraculous operations from the New Imperium, he would no longer be shocked by anything he saw.

And yet the scene before him still left his skull buzzing.

"Savior above…" Sa'kan and the other Salamanders warriors could not help exclaiming, utterly shaken.

For such a scene to appear in a Chaos domain nearly burned out their processors.

While Vulkan and the others were silent, Voladi sent a transmission.

"Lord Vulkan, we may need you to inspect this domain on behalf of His Savior Majesty. That will allow us to better organize the daemons and complete the Blackstone Fortress installation work."

Under normal circumstances, that work would have fallen to him, the fleet commander. But the Primarch was now the highest-ranking existence here.

Naturally, this task had to be carried out by him.

Vulkan hesitated for a moment, then led his honor guard off the ship and landed in the Chaos domain.

As long as it could help the Imperium, he was willing to do it.

When Vulkan led the Imperial personnel over, the surrounding Chaos Daemons carefully retreated, opening a path for them.

They even lowered their heads in salute, afraid of angering the humans of the Imperium.

"Oh, by the Savior, honored lords of the Imperium, we have long awaited the fleet's arrival, long… long awaited the light of His Savior Majesty.

"We are beyond… grateful to the great Savior!"

The local Chaos Lord, Zenos, saw this and trotted over to welcome them.

His heavy daemon body made the ground tremble slightly.

This fellow's Low Gothic was not very good, but it was understandable.

For a Chaos Lord who had lived for tens of thousands of years, imitating and expressing himself in a human language was not especially difficult.

After walking over, this high-ranking being who had once unleashed storms of blood bowed and scraped before Vulkan and the others.

He continuously praised the Savior and these Imperial humans, as if afraid they would leave.

Zenos kept his back bent, trying hard not to stand taller than Vulkan, all to display his obedient posture.

Under normal circumstances, this Chaos Lord would never have taken such an attitude, much less tried so hard to curry favor with humans.

But now was the time of the Dark King's rampage. Countless daemons and even Chaos Lords were having their souls devoured in extreme agony.

It was a disaster that even the Chaos Gods found difficult to withstand, let alone Chaos Lords like them.

High-ranking Chaos beings possessed near-endless lifespans and could even be resurrected. What they feared most was eternal death and torment.

The Dark King's terrifying power was spreading everywhere through the Warp, destroying one Chaos domain after another, along with every life inside.

Zenos had even personally seen a Chaos Lord stronger than himself be devoured completely amid unspeakable torment.

That being's screams had been so miserable that he would never forget them.

Even more terrifyingly, the dreadful rift created by the Dark King was already coming toward this Chaos domain.

Next, it would be their turn to suffer that despairing fate.

As for abandoning the Chaos domain and fleeing, that would only lead to an even more miserable death. The Warp was now full of black monsters and deranged entities.

They had nowhere to run.

Fortunately, that Savior, that Daemon-Eater, had a way to resolve the dark rifts and protect Chaos domains.

No matter what, they would not give up this opportunity.

The reason Zenos was acting so humbly was because he had received certain news.

A nearby Chaos Lord had acted with a vile attitude, causing the Savior's envoy to leave in anger.

In the end, that Chaos domain did not receive protection and was destroyed by the Dark King's tentacles. That Chaos Lord had also been devoured completely.

There was also news that the Savior's protection was not endless and could only shield a portion of the Chaos domains.

That meant some Chaos domains were destined to perish beneath the Dark King's claws.

How could that not terrify daemons?

In the Warp, nothing was more frightening than the Dark King. Even the gods trembled before Him.

Zenos was almost scared witless.

After receiving the news, he immediately organized a welcoming ceremony to display his domain's attitude, lest he be abandoned by the Savior's envoy.

In short, as long as it could satisfy the Savior's envoy and stop the Dark King, Zenos was willing to do anything.

He could negotiate. He could also offer loyalty.

More importantly, offering loyalty to the Savior, the Daemon-Eater, was not shameful in the Warp.

Many beings wanted the chance to be loyal but could not even get it.

"Did I make the honored envoy unhappy?"

When Zenos noticed Vulkan and the others' cold attitude, his heart jolted with fear. He began desperately searching through the knowledge he had just crammed into his head about humanity and the New Imperium.

He was thinking about what he should do to avoid being disliked by the envoy of the Savior, the Daemon-Eater.

"Lord Vulkan, I… I offer you my respect."

Under everyone's gaze, Zenos half-knelt in front of Vulkan, then gently took his hand and was about to kiss it.

In his memory, this was a human ceremony for showing obedience.

Although this Chaos Lord was trying very hard, it still looked neither one thing nor another. In fact, it looked extremely strange.

Vulkan looked at the Chaos Lord kneeling before him, taking his hand and preparing to kiss it, and nearly swung his hammer down.

But then he remembered that he was inspecting this place on behalf of Brother Eden in order to maintain the stability of the Chaos domain.

So he restrained himself.

"Abomination, I need to understand this domain and inspect the payment you have prepared."

After accepting the hand-kiss, Vulkan said this.

The Savior never did business at a loss. While installing the Blackstone Fortresses, the Chaos Daemons also needed to pay the relevant construction costs.

That required the Chaos Daemons to pay with rare materials, minerals, or relics.

The Warp was an enormous treasure vault. Almost anything humanity could imagine could be found here. Even living people could be fished out of it.

In other words, the Savior was using money paid by Chaos Daemons to install Blackstone Fortresses that belonged to the New Imperium.

Pure freeloading. Two profits from one fish.

Of course, this was also a case of each side getting what it needed. The Chaos Daemons received protection and could survive this terrifying disaster.

"By the Savior, we prepared the payment requested by the honored envoy long ago!"

Zenos was delighted when he heard this, and thick smoke billowed from his mouth and nose.

That meant the humans were willing to place blackstone creations here and protect this Chaos domain. Nothing was more important than survival.

After that, the Chaos Lord eagerly led the way, allowing Vulkan, the Imperial envoy, to inspect important areas of the territory and provide guidance.

The Chaos Daemons were more obedient than the last. Any who showed even the slightest improper attitude would be punched and kicked half to death.

"You rebellious daemon! How dare you affect the honored envoy's mood?"

The Chaos Daemons were filled with righteous indignation as they taught the traitors among them who had disrespected the envoy a lesson.

Daemons were chaotic and disorderly beings to begin with. In order to survive, they would stop at nothing.

Vulkan inspected the Chaos domain, looking at the bowing and scraping Chaos Lord beside him and the daemons trying desperately to please him.

A strange sense of satisfaction rose in his heart.

The feeling of making Chaos Daemons submit like this was even more pleasant than killing them directly. It was a higher form of conquest.

"Even the Emperor, that father of ours, could not make Chaos Daemons submit like this, could he?"

Vulkan thought this despite himself, unable to stop making the comparison.

Before ascending the Golden Throne, the Emperor had never possessed such control over the Warp. Brother Eden, meanwhile, controlled several daemon armies and had used various methods to make Chaos Daemons submit.

In Vulkan's heart, the image of the Savior became even greater.

According to the data Vulkan obtained in the Chaos domain, the payment the New Imperium collected from the daemons was even higher than the cost of building the Blackstone Fortresses. They called the difference a technical service fee.

By supporting the Warp on a large scale, the New Imperium would not only obtain a large number of anchor bases, but also bring even more resources back to humanity.

In other words, the Savior had used this terrible disaster to achieve the goal of expansion and further enrich the Imperium.

The more it fought, the stronger it became.

"From this point of view, Brother Eden is far stronger than Father."

Vulkan was deeply moved.

It was common knowledge that the Emperor did not understand economics. As for that terrible Imperial Tithe, Vulkan did not even want to talk about it.

Their father's true ability lay in extracting resources and making use of all of them in a short period of time.

Just like during the Great Crusade, the Emperor had used the Sol System to forge a mighty army, but the price was that the entire system was completely exhausted. Even Terra had been stripped bare.

The Savior, however, was different. The territories under his rule and those civilized worlds were all recovering prosperity, while he had also built a powerful army.

Under his rule, not only humans, but even xenos and heretics lived and worked in peace and gratitude.

The difference was obvious.

Of course, the Lord of the Salamanders still had some reservations about the Savior's kindness toward xenos and heretics.

In reality, the Primarchs were like the Emperor, all possessing serious racial prejudice. Guilliman and Vulkan were merely somewhat better than the rest.

But that was a minor issue.

While Vulkan was quietly criticizing his old father in his heart, he issued another order to the Chaos Lord Zenos.

He instructed him to dispatch large numbers of elite daemons to assist the disaster-relief engineering teams so the Blackstone Fortresses could be installed more quickly.

"Praise the Savior!"

Naturally, Zenos was overjoyed.

During this period, he had been as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. He had long hoped the Blackstone Fortresses could be installed as soon as possible so they could resist the approaching dark rift.

As the order was issued, this Chaos domain once again became jubilant. The Chaos Daemons were extremely excited, as though they had endless strength.

At last, they could survive.

After that, this Chaos domain became a gigantic construction site. Humans and daemons threw themselves enthusiastically into basic construction.

Even the Chaos Lord personally took the lead in pouring concrete, displaying his enthusiasm and respect for the Savior.

Of course, his main goal was to get it done quickly and escape the fear in his heart.

By the time Vulkan left aboard the Flame-Forged, several Blackstone Fortresses had already been installed.

The spreading nullification fields weakened the dark rift. Resolving it completely was only a matter of time.

On the way to Terra, Vulkan saw more and more dark rifts being blocked and eliminated.

He knew humanity was now only a hair's breadth from victory.

…

Screech!

The Flame-Forged battle barge came to a sudden stop, metal groaning under the inertia.

It hovered in low orbit above a black planet, looking so very small.

This was Terra.

(End of Chapter)

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