The executives of the Votann League had long heard about the various practices of the Imperium.
Giving away so much money to those guys for free, it's practically a sin.
Even debt transfer would be better than this.
"Are we really going to waive all debts?" an executive said, trembling, "Doing that could easily lead to chaos."
"Report back to the Imperium again, those people will turn everything upside down if they don't have debts."
"How can we control them without debts!!"
"That's right, sir, you must be cautious. Those people fear power, not virtue. There's no need to reduce or waive their debts."
"This matter is not up to you," Wesker swept his gaze over the executives standing before him, saying each word distinctly, "Do not try to cause trouble in secret. If you do well, you will live. If you mess up, you will all be executed, and the order of this world will be reset."
Due to manpower constraints, the Imperium's reforms were often rather crude, left to the local people who were willing to surrender. These people lacked the courage to resist the Imperium, but their courage to profit from the Imperium's reforms was astonishing.
On the eve of the reforms, they desperately borrowed money, emptying the local financial funds, and then, taking advantage of the Imperium's arrival, they simply wrote off all the loans with a wave of the hand. They took all the assets of the original enterprises into their own names.
Human nature is always complex.
Waiving the debts between the major enterprises and the common people was, firstly, to win over hearts, and secondly, to allow the local people to escape such a oppressive life.
However, when implemented, it completely changed its flavor.
As long as they gained a little power, they would do everything they could to transfer those assets to their own names, hoping to become rich after the Imperium arrived.
Wesker had seen too many such people.
With just a little carelessness, those consumed by desire would kill each other for money.
Speaking out was just a warning to these people; the Imperium would conduct a further review later.
Anyone who dared to engage in deception would pay the price for their foolishness.
"We are all dedicated to our duties," a female executive said, "We will never let down the Holy Emperor and the Imperium."
The female executive spoke with genuine emotion.
Wesker, however, wore a mocking expression.
He didn't believe a single word of such talk.
Not long ago, they were still proclaiming that they would resist the Imperium to the end.
Defend the League, defend their homeland. They would fight to the last moment against these terrifying Imperial invaders, giving their all.
And now, their Aquila salute was more standard than Wesker's.
If he didn't know their background, Wesker would have suspected that the Imperium had sent them here as undercover agents before. This is reality, this is human nature.
"You gentlemen must be tired from your journey. How about I show you to your rest first? Tonight is a welcome banquet, and tomorrow we can discuss in detail how to implement the Imperium's decrees. Please come this way."
Led by the executives, Wesker entered the cluster of buildings he had once envied.
In the Votann League, company and non-company were two completely different worlds.
Whether it was the Dwarves or humans living within them, the division between company and non-company was not as clear as it was here. The upper echelons of the Votann League gave up a portion of their profits.
The people who received these benefits, seeing the contrast between their lives and the lives of the non-company groups, would subconsciously support the rule of the companies and enterprises.
They thought of themselves as superior, not on the same level as the non-company lower class who worked hard to earn money. They constantly considered the upper echelons and painstakingly supported the Votann League in order to gain more benefits.
The cluster of buildings where company employees and executives lived covered a vast and clean area, full of technological sophistication. The central building had a domed structure, made of silver-white metal and reinforced glass.
It was clearly a branch of a certain company established here.
Unlike the harsh living environment of ordinary people. The buildings where company executives and employees lived and worked were all exquisite. There was ample space between them.
There was no concept of setting up streets on the ground, instead, there were flower beds, lawns, and forests. Taking a deep breath, the air was fresh.
It made one feel as if they were on a prairie. The company employees wore neat clothes, moving through the area like ants.
Everywhere was filled with humanized comfort and ease.
Wesker remembered his past, working under a scorching forty-degree sun, driving a broken down harvester, facing the yellow earth with his back to the sky.
Being able to have a cold glass of ale after work was considered a blessing.
But after a day's work, getting even twenty percent of the fruits of his labor was considered great luck.
Every day was basically spent paying off loan interest.
It was unbearable.
Look at this place, comfortable work, beautiful environment, enjoying life at ease. The gap in life between people was even greater than the gap in life between people and dogs.
When the workers saw Wesker and the others walking by, their eyes showed fear.
Everyone knew what the arrival of the Imperium meant. Their good days were about to end. The Imperium had waived debts. The enterprises were also gone.
What could sustain and continue their peaceful life like this?
Wesker observed that these people clearly did not welcome the arrival of the Imperium.
He even saw a few students, their faces filled with anger, their fists clenched, full of hatred.
When they looked at the people from the Imperium, they wished they could bare their fangs and claws and devour them. They didn't speak, but they expressed their thoughts with their eyes.
A group of traitors, shameful traitors. These beasts who surrendered to the Imperium should all be sent to the gallows.
Wesker frowned slightly, sensing that this reform would not be so easy. There would definitely be strong resistance.
He finally understood why those students hated them so much!!
In their eyes, the Votann League was their home. This home provided them with food and clothing, made them feel superior, and allowed them to enjoy the privileges that came with their status.
They would grow up, inherit their parents' property and jobs, and continue to enjoy the good life here. The arrival of the Imperium, however, destroyed all of this. This explained their anger.
Hindering someone from getting rich is like killing their parents. This ancient saying holds true in any era.
Feeling the malice of those people, Wesker secretly swore.
He would ensure the normal reform of the planet Velos no matter what, and absolutely prevent it from developing to the point where the Imperium was involved.
Wesker returned to the planet Velos with over ten thousand men.
It was just the size of a regiment.
Including himself, there were over a dozen officers. Two-thirds of them were from the planet Velos. The rest were soldiers previously conscripted from nearby star systems.
Like Wesker, they all came from the lower class.
In other words, the so-called non-company group.
After surrendering to the Imperium at the border, Kord, who led the soldiers in an uprising, had already become a general, responsible for commanding the many soldiers who had revolted at that time.
To solve the issue of the League army's loyalty to the Imperium. The Imperium would generally purge or demote and reorganize the officer ranks. They would select a portion of capable and sharp individuals from the ranks of the original low-level soldiers to replenish the ranks.
Wesker and the others were also promoted.
Wesker had voluntarily applied to return to the planet Velos this time. The Imperium rarely parachuted in commanders.
Because the customs and habits of each planet were different.
In addition, legally, the Imperial military was not supported in parachuting regimental-level commanders into armies composed of citizens of a specific planet. They could only assign the military forces of a planet under the command of that general, to be at his disposal and under his jurisdiction.
According to the Imperial Autocratic Democracy, the core of the Imperium was a human autocratic regime formed by planets joining Terra.
Planets had a certain degree of autonomy after complying with the rules set by the Imperial Constitution, the state religion, the Inquisition, and so on. The governor who managed the entire planet was elected by the people of that planet themselves.
They represented the interests of that planet. Then that governor would represent all citizens and swear allegiance to the Imperium.
The Interstellar Merchant Guild, controlled by the Imperium, would integrate the planet into the Imperium's economic system based on its minerals, assets, and population, ensuring that it could enjoy power and fulfill its obligations, forming a win-win situation where 1+1 > 2.
Planets were required to pay taxes to the Imperium, provide soldiers, maintain the faith of the state religion, and be one hundred percent loyal to the Holy Emperor.
After fulfilling these obligations, they could receive the protection of the Imperial army, obtain technological support from the Mechanicus and Imperial research institutions to improve productivity, and secure a position in interstellar trade, improving their living standards through the interstellar economy.
Most of the work of the Terra Council was to ensure that this system was not destroyed by the selfishness and greed of human nature, and to effectively uphold the dignity of every Imperial citizen. The Interstellar Merchant Guild, through gentle and indirect means, used commercial trade to accumulate wealth, which was then redistributed to support the various expenses of the Imperium, keeping the various planets of the Imperium at a similar level, preventing excessive wealth disparities.
Simply put, the current wealth gap in the Imperium was. The rich could hire people to wash their hovercars, while the poor had to wash their own hovercars.
Everyone had a big yellow ox.
At most, your ox was a little fatter, and my ox was a little thinner. There would never be a situation where the rich had a herd of water buffaloes and the poor had only a small snail.
However, the situation in the Votann League was very complex.
It was even more exaggerated than the Imperium in the past. The Imperium at that time was in the midst of various crises caused by Chaos and xenos. The wealth gap was large, but not as severe as in the Votann League. The wealth of the Votann League had become excessively concentrated in the hands of that 0.0000001% of the people. The poor, let alone a snail, even owed others two large water buffaloes. This situation also led to the complex problems in the Votann League.
Reforms on many planets were not smooth.
Some people secretly divided up benefits and engaged in infighting.
When they could not satisfy their own desires, they would incite ignorant people to resist.
Ultimately, the entire planet would be militarily suppressed.
Such news was endless.
Many people in the Votann League stubbornly believed that the Imperium was an invader, coming to take away their homeland and destroy their lives.
Without complete access to information channels, it was easy to be fooled by rulers who controlled public opinion and had ulterior motives. They used various slanders and information gaps to incite ignorant people to resist the Imperium, ultimately leading to large-scale bloodshed.
After several suppression incidents, Wesker found that the behavior of many people could truly be described as ignorant and foolish. They seemed smart, but they lacked the ability to distinguish right from wrong and verify facts. They stubbornly believed that right was right, and wrong was wrong.
Such people were easily incited by those with ill intentions with just a few words, placing themselves on the edge of a dangerous abyss. They were completely unaware that they were just a tool in someone else's hands, being driven by others.
When the other party got what they wanted, they would simply let go, leaving them confused and helpless, becoming the recipients of the Imperium's wrath.
Such things constantly repeated, constantly replayed. Those people would also be used again and again, until they were worthless and completely abandoned.
Wesker did not want such a thing to happen in his hometown. That was why he came back. The Imperium's suppression is no joke.
Once the Imperial regular army is mobilized, those who dare to join the ranks of resistance against the Imperium, regardless of the reason, will be executed or sent to penal camps.
Some will even be transformed into penitent servitors, forced to atone for their sins for the rest of their lives.
Imagine a system that was originally extremely beneficial to you, but because you didn't understand it, were ignorant of it, and were incited by a few words from someone, you irrationally and madly resisted the Imperium.
Ultimately, you were strongly suppressed by the Imperium and transformed into a penitent servitor.
Meanwhile, the person who incited you pretends to be innocent, takes the benefits, retreats behind the scenes, and lives a good life.
No matter how shrewd and capable the Imperial officials are, there is no way to screen hundreds of planets and tens of billions of rebels to find the innocent ones.
Even with the assistance of the Divine Brain, it is difficult to ensure that there are no miscarriages of justice.
Wesker would never allow such a thing to happen in his hometown. This is why he came back. To ensure that planet Velos undergoes a smooth reform and integrates into the Imperium, avoiding the step of bloody riots and strong Imperial suppression.
He was not very interested in the lavish banquet. The banquet was very lively.
Numerous slender attendants weaved through the crowd, serving fine wine and delicacies one after another.
Each time a new dish was served, a butler in uniform would loudly announce the name of the dish.
How to describe it!!
Wesker felt that this must be the so-called sense of ritual of the nobility!!
Any dish here was worth a farmer's income for a year.
However, Wesker felt no joy or excitement.
He was not suited for such occasions. The executives and guests who came and went were very respectful to Wesker and the others, even though they had no understanding of dining etiquette.
However, Wesker knew that behind the revealing, sexy female guests and the exquisite, delicious dishes, there were the soft knives of those executives. They hoped to gain more benefits from the reform.
Whether it was the Votann League's council or accepting the rule of the Holy Emperor, they didn't really care. They cared more about whether their own interests would be harmed.
And how to use the current situation to gain greater influence and benefits.
After attending the banquet for a while, he politely declined the invitation to stay longer.
He returned directly to his hometown. To avoid causing fear, he did not take a military gunship, but borrowed a hoverbike to go back. The hoverbike could fly up to fifteen meters high. This height was enough to avoid most obstacles.
Most areas of planet Velos are plains and deserts, and hoverbikes can reach many areas without obstruction. The maximum speed of a hoverbike can reach 1000 km/h.
Wesker drove the hoverbike back to his hometown town.
Velos, this colony planet, is mostly agricultural.
Along the way, one could see large areas of cultivated land.
Vineyards fixed with white supports covered the undulating mountains, lush and verdant, stretching as far as the eye could see.
Automatic sprinkler systems stood at intervals, ensuring coverage of the grape crops.
Wheat was generally planted on the plains, which was convenient for mechanical work.
At intervals, there were also specialized hydroponic vegetable bases.
Flying along the way, it was basically either farmland or various economic crops, fruit trees.
Planet Velos is highly developed, and traces of development are visible everywhere.
Except for the wilderness areas that are impossible to develop or too costly, they have basically been developed. The farmers carefully nurtured their crops, ensuring a good harvest and bringing them wealth.
Wesker was excited by this familiar scene.
He was home. This is where he was born.
His soul was connected to Velos.
Going home was not a time-consuming matter. Two hours later, the sign of the dilapidated small town appeared before his eyes. The town was as desolate as ever.
It seemed to have almost no vitality.
After paying off their debts, people didn't have much money to spend.
Because of this, the town's economy had not improved much.
People were certainly diligent, but unfortunately, this was not an era where diligence alone could lead to wealth. The Votann League took away all the wealth through "reasonable and legal" means.
Wesker's return was still met with a warm welcome. The people of the town did not speak ill of Wesker because he surrendered to the Imperium.
Wesker was a part of their town, and his character was evident to all.
Courageous and honest.
Dare to strive for a better life.
Compared to the concept of the League, they loved Wesker, the real person, more.
Wesker and those who welcomed him went to the town's only bar. The news of his return quickly spread.
People came from all directions.
In no time, the bar was packed.
"The Imperium has promised that our debts will end here, and from now on we are all debt-free," Wesker said to his neighbors and friends. "At the same time, we can elect a governor to represent the interests of planet Velos, thereby pledging allegiance to the Imperium."
Hearing about the debt cancellation, everyone cheered.
But when they heard the latter part, they showed bewildered expressions.
"Is a governor useful?" an old man with a face full of wrinkles said. "We have elected many officials, but in the end, they are just puppets of those business owners."
"That kind of game is meaningless, they elect a few people for us to choose from," a young man said indignantly. "That's just a waste of time."
"The governor is chosen by us, everyone can run for election, as long as you believe you can strive for more benefits for planet Velos and represent our interests in negotiations and struggles," Wesker said.
"You are too young, Wesker, this is just a game," someone in the crowd said.
"At least we can have a little sense of participation," Wesker joked. "Anyway, the debt cancellation is certain."
After a pause, Wesker continued, "The choice of governor requires careful consideration, we need someone who can truly represent us. Each planet has a certain degree of autonomy to adapt to our culture, life, and society. The governor is also the person who interfaces with the Interstellar Chamber of Commerce to determine our position in the Imperial economic system."
"To put it another way, the governor is also the person who rules us according to Imperial law. If we don't want to hand over our destiny to someone who doesn't consider us, then we must take action, elect the person we need, and cooperate with the Imperium's reform."
Wesker did his best to explain the Imperium's reform.
Ensuring that his hometown would not be foolish enough to be incited by others.
Of course, he would also do this work in other places.
But before that, he had to get the support of his hometown.
Planet Velos has developed agriculture, and most settlements are the size of small towns, with only a handful of large cities.
"We can all have a better life," Wesker promised his hometown people. "We will no longer be reduced to undignified beasts, but before that, we must learn how to defend our rights.
Don't care whether the institution that rules us is the Imperium or the Votann League, what we need to defend are our rights, the rights of being born human. Whoever can make us live like human beings, that's who we will support."
"Do you want your future to be decided the moment you are born? Do you want your children to be born with debts that need to be repaid for a lifetime? Everyone should decide their own future, the meaning of life lies here, one day, we will all return to death. Whether it is pain or happiness will be the only thing we can get."
"When you walk towards death, you look back on your life, never having had a day of happiness. Living to repay debts from birth, dedicating your life for a nothingness concept, is that truly meaningful!!"
Wesker raised his hand and shouted.
"We must live for ourselves, whether tomorrow is sad or painful, we choose it ourselves."
The most prestigious Como Academy on planet Velos. This academy was established by the Mark I of colonists who colonized planet Velos.
So far, it has been passed down for thousands of years. Those who can enter this academy are basically elites, dragons among men.
In addition to their own qualifications, they also need a letter of recommendation personally written by an executive-level figure. Those who do not meet the conditions basically cannot get in here.
If you can get in here, your life will be greatly different.
More than eighty percent of the executives on planet Velos are from this academy, which shows how much power it holds.
"This is betrayal," at the port, the student who angrily confronted Wesker and the others stood before a group of students from Como Academy and said sadly, "This is a betrayal of a civilization that has been passed down for ten thousand years. Those damned invaders are trampling on our excellent civilization and fooling our compatriots. The Votann League is already in jeopardy, it is on the verge of destruction."
"We must all awaken, we must all stand up and make sacrifices to defend it. Stop that damned empire from continuing to harm us, send those traitors to the gallows, and let them know the consequences of betraying the League and betraying their homeland!!"
"So are we going to fight with weapons?" someone said.
"Yes, we have to fight, the happiness taken away by violence can only be taken back by violence. Some of us will sacrifice, but the sacrifice is worth it, because we are fighting for Velos, fighting to defend our civilization, fighting to defend our dignity," the student said.
"When do we act?" someone asked.
"At the celebration in a few days, we will act," the student said. "We will make those damned traitors pay the price and let them understand that all citizens of planet Velos will never submit to the tyrannical rule of the evil empire."