“By the way, are there any problems that can’t be solved now?”
Odinson thought for a moment and took out a spreadsheet: “There aren’t any major problems at the moment, but the manpower shortage remains unresolved.”
As Huron reviewed the data, Odinson continued to explain: “Although we now have over ten million grassroots administrative personnel, we’re doing too many things simultaneously.
The expansion of the construction team to a scale of 5 billion is already showing signs of getting out of control, and project efficiency is far lower than before.”
Huron understood Odinson’s problem.
There were now 5 billion construction workers, but only 14 million newly recruited auxiliary personnel.
Even if everyone were crammed in, each person would have to manage three or four hundred people.
Plus, the number of civilian factories he invested in was far less than when he had the starch factory, naturally leading to a significant drop in overall efficiency.
Even having 200 million skilled workers who had been working for over half a year couldn’t help.
More importantly, a large number of people needed to be diverted to conduct the first census, making the already insufficient manpower even more strained.
Huron, however, was helpless to help with this problem: “Then we can only wait.
The Emperor’s blessing is gradually increasing.
In a little over a month, the new batch of 16 million auxiliary troops will be in place, and the situation will gradually improve.”
Odinson nodded, then raised another question: “Chapter Master, there’s one more thing.
The nobles have started obstructing our construction projects and census work.
It seems they’re gradually realizing something’s wrong and are planning to use some underhanded tactics.”
Huron clicked his tongue.
First the Ecclesiarchy, now the nobles.
Damn it, how can the Imperium be run well with these insects!
“Let’s appease them for now, don’t delay the projects.
In another six months, we can start turning against them.”
He glanced at the ten 10,000-strong special forces divisions that were being trained in his system interface.
In another six months, once he finished these projects, trained hundreds of millions of auxiliary troops and millions of special forces divisions, and completed the new homeland focus, he planned to deal with the nobles one by one.
The thought of the high-tech equipment possessed by the nobles there, especially their fully controlled AI and numerous automated machines, filled him with rage.
They had so much advanced technology but weren’t using it for construction or production, and now they were causing trouble — they deserved to die!
Meanwhile, the nobles Huron was referring to were gathered at the fortified tower of former planetary governor Valen Watt.
They had just received intelligence that the Astral Claws and the Ecclesiarchy had clashed several times in the Lower Hive, resulting in numerous deaths.
They were now discussing how to use this incident to sow discord between the two sides.
Marcus Salom, patriarch of the Salom family, was somewhat agitated: “If you ask me, we should lobby the higher-ups of the Ecclesiarchy, claiming that the Astral Claws have blasphemed the Emperor’s faith and are suspected of plotting a rebellion against the Imperium.
We should get them to contact other forces to investigate the Astral Claws, and ideally, involve the Inquisition as well.”
Valen Watt glanced at him contemptuously: “And then wait for the Astral Claws to become desperate and kill us all?
Or wait for the Inquisitors to arrive and kill us all?
I know your family’s Starch Guild has suffered heavy losses, but don’t let anger cloud your judgment, or you won’t even save your own life.”
The Salom family’s core business was its starch factories, which they practically monopolized.
However, the Astral Claws built a massive starch factory and are now dumping starch at incredibly low prices, even distributing it for free, causing the Salom family heavy losses.
Klaus Vera, the patriarch of the Vera family, seized the opportunity to suggest, “Why not take this chance to curry favor with the Chapter Master of the Astral Claws?
Valen, your family has cultivated quite a few devout and pure monks and nuns, haven’t you?
Bring a few to prepare a feast for Huron Blackheart, to appease his anger at the humiliation from the Ecclesiarchy.”
As a long-established noble of Badab, Klaus knew quite a bit about the Astral Claws, or rather, the Astartes.
These guys were all extreme and stubborn, valuing honour more than life itself.
Since the Ecclesiarchy dared to openly disrespect them, Chapter Master Huron Blackheart would definitely not let it go and would certainly retaliate.
“In that case, why not cook some pure and devout followers of the Badab Ecclesiarchy into a feast for Huron, and then thoroughly humiliate the local Ecclesiarchy at the banquet?
Wouldn’t that ease tensions?”
“Let’s make money together, why fight to the death?”
“Indeed, I think Klaus makes a lot of sense,” Silas Mercer chimed in in support.
Valen glanced at the two men.
The Vera family’s business was armed security, and their security personnel were even more skilled than PDF members; the Mercer family’s business was transportation and logistics, controlling a large number of vehicles and personnel.
To ensure the project’s progress, Astral Claws had signed numerous contracts with these two families, granting them substantial benefits.
Naturally, these two families were inclined towards appeasement and compromise.
But Valen showed them no mercy: “Idiots, do you really think you two can rest easy?
They can produce so many administrators and registrars out of nowhere, do you think they can’t produce an army?
Besides, they’re discussing with the Mechanicus about building factories for various types of vehicles and rebuilding the roads to the hive capital.
You don’t really think you can cooperate with them then, do you?”
Klaus clicked his tongue: “You think you’re so great?
Then figure it out yourself.
I can’t be bothered with this crap.”
With that, he left without giving Valen any face, leading the members of the Vera family.
Silas followed closely behind with the members of the Mercer family, disappearing through the fortress gates.
After the high nobles finished speaking, the remaining middle and lower nobles began to discuss amongst themselves.
Each of them controlled a small industry, such as machining, energy equipment, or loan sharking, and their demands naturally varied.
The meeting hall quickly became noisy.
If it weren’t for the Watt family’s formidable influence, many would have actually wanted to leave with Klaus and Silas.
Going against the Astartes Chapter?
Are they courting death?
Only half a year had passed since the Astral Claws suppressed the rebellious nobles; they remembered it vividly and knew that the Astral Claws could kill them as easily as crushing chicks.
“Doing business like this now is quite lucrative, isn’t it?
And they’re even plotting against the Astral Claws.
Don’t let the blood splatter on me later.”
After a day of commotion, the meeting ended without a conclusion.
After adjourning the meeting, Valen immediately arranged for his family to select a beautiful, pure, and devout young female believer to be prepared as food for a banquet.
Did they really think he was courting death?
He was just trying to intimidate the other nobles so he could sell them for a good price.
Once Huron was invited as a guest, he’d first use the Ecclesiarchy to gain favour, then use the other nobles to do the same.
Wouldn’t that solidify his family’s position?
Huron couldn’t possibly be planning to exterminate the nobles, could he?
Impossible.
The Imperium hadn’t done anything like that in thousands of years.
Dealing with the believers would take two or three months.
In the meantime, they could just hold meetings every day, intimidating the other nobles and preventing them from selling them out first.
Just imagining the Watt family dominating for hundreds or even thousands of years made Valen’s lips curl into a smile.
While being a planetary governor was a relatively easy position, building a family business wasn’t out of the question either.