I am in Warhammer's Heartsteel

Chapter 010: Venerable One, I Want to Join!

The human empire possesses millions of worlds.

These planets have different levels of cultural, environmental, religious, and civilizational development.

Some planets are already capable of building sub-light-speed spaceships for interstellar colonization, while others may still be in a feudal era, fighting for territory with spears and swords.

How does an empire govern these millions of planets scattered across the vast galaxy?

It's very simple, just two things.

Tithe, faith!

As the saying goes, if you train your body to resemble a crane, you can't avoid paying the imperial tithe.

The scope of tithes is too broad.

It could be weapons and equipment, food and medicine, precious resources, or even people.

As for faith, that was even more hasty.

Just believe in the state religion and the emperor.

The state religion fully exerted its initiative, creatively combining state religious beliefs with indigenous sects, and carried out Adventist religious reforms all over the world.

What? You believe in the Grim Reaper?

It's alright, Death is the embodiment of the Emperor.

To believe in death is to believe in the emperor.

Just acknowledge that.

However, this provided fertile ground for the proliferation of cunning sects.

Cunning, gene stealer.

Terran Zerg Vanguard.

Buffet location beacon.

The cunning creature broke away from the hive's will, infiltrated the human world alone, infected and corrupted humans, undermined the planet's defenses, and paved the way for the Terran fleet's invasion.

Cunning people will use religion as a disguise, incorporating the image of an emperor into their so-called image of a celestial master to deceive people.

The cunning believers are essentially worshipping the will of the hive.

It was just distorted into a faith-based emperor.

Slogans included: "The Emperor has four arms" and "The shadows in the sky are messengers sent by the God-Emperor, who will bring the spark of hope."

Deyan never imagined that the Buto mine had been infiltrated by cunning individuals.

Wearing a helmet and a headscarf, I couldn't spot him at first glance.

Wouldn't this place be even more dangerous?

Could there be a cunning clan chief hiding deep within the mine?

Dejan's gaze followed the slide rail, and he realized the seriousness of the situation.

There are brutal guards in front and dangerous cunning thieves behind.

He didn't have any weapons.

This is tricky.

However, danger is often accompanied by opportunity.

Being a thief isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Deyang calmed down and pretended to be curious as he moved closer to the birdman.

"A four-armed god-emperor, but isn't the emperor statue supposed to have two arms?"

The birdman suddenly got excited, stopped mining, put down his pickaxe, and sat on a rock, chatting away.

"No, no, no, the God Emperor has many forms."

In reality, the four arms are the true form.

Brother, as long as you heed the teachings of the Four-Armed God Emperor, he will eventually save you from your suffering!

Deyang, seeing through the scheme, opened his eyes wide, filled with anticipation.

"Really?"

"Of course I won't lie to you. Do you want to mine until you die?" The birdman stood up and paced, raising his arm and speaking with great enthusiasm, "We are the true subjects of the God Emperor, the masters of the Star Sea."

Our lives should not be wasted in mines, subjected to inhumane treatment, or used to feed nobles with blood and tears.

Brother, wake up!

Join us, and together we'll build a perfect world without exploitation!

"Venerable One, I want to join!"

Dejan, disregarding the dirt, grabbed the birdman's hand.

"No problem, there's a rally tonight."

Before they could even feel happy, several guards emerged from the darkness.

The man in the lead had a Lahore cigarette dangling from his lips, his face fierce, his muscles bulging and straining against his uniform.

Upon seeing this person, Deyang's face darkened, and he turned to continue mining, only to be kicked to the ground.

"Dare to slack off? I'll make you mine. You'll either be shitting or peeing. You'll get lost and end up at the high wall. Hmph!" The guard called Old Jack grabbed Deyan by the collar, lifted him up, blew a smoke ring in his face, and mocked, "Trying to run away? Where are you going?"

"I'll keep an eye on you. If you manage to escape from me, I'll shove a grenade through the swallow's shell."

"Cough cough cough..."

Dejan coughed from the smoke and instinctively tried to resist.

The Heart Steel mark glowing on the other person was too tempting.

But noticing the shotguns in the hands of the guards behind Old Jack, he had no choice but to give up and silently make a mental note of Old Jack's actions.

After being beaten up by the super-strong guards, Deyang stopped chuckling and, watching Old Jack's departing figure, spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva.

This person is awful.

Back in the day, everyone was shining their flashlights on Ultraman Tiga, but you shone yours on Gatanothor.

Don't sleep too soundly at night!

The laughter gradually faded away.

Only the whooshing sound of the ventilation ducts and Deyang's heavy breathing remained in the mine tunnel.

He sat on the slag heap and it took him a long time to recover.

face, back, shoulders...

Every part of my body aches.

In this state, you definitely can't mine much ore.

Today's targets will not be met.

Not only did they not get any food, they also got beaten up.

Deyan glanced at his protruding knuckles from hunger and immediately felt a headache coming on.

In their current state, it's unlikely they can escape.

"Hey, brother, are you alright?" The birdman returned, his face full of indignation, expressing sympathy for Deyan's plight. "Look at you, they don't treat you like a human being at all. They've driven you to this point. If you don't fight back, you'll die. Only the Four-Armed God Emperor can grant you salvation."

Dejan nodded in agreement, saying, "Yes, yes, the Four-Armed Emperor will drown him in the chitinous tidal wave, turning him into nutrients for the Tyranids to fuel the Hive's conquest of the galaxy."

Looking at the birdman-like muscular man in front of him, he realized something, coughed weakly twice, and tentatively said, "Brother, I want to join the happy family of the Four-Armed God Emperor, but I am seriously injured now and can't mine. If I don't reach today's quota, they will kill me."

"It's okay, I'll dig it for you."

Birdman waved his hand, picked up a pickaxe, and started working hard.

The swing of the pickaxe was powerful, and the slogans were heartfelt.

There was no sign of exhaustion from hard work, only enthusiasm for recruiting others.

Deyang was deeply moved by what he saw.

Look at how cunning they are!

The High Lords should take note.

With the help of a cunning follower, the ore quota was delivered in full that day.

Deyang was able to eat his meal without any problems.

Even though it was a bowl of low-quality starch paste that smelled of engine oil.

And that's not even all of it yet.

"Pooh!"

A single spittle landed precisely in Deyang's bowl.

Looking up, Jack stood before him with a sullen face, his nostrils pointing to the sky, exuding arrogance. Anyone who didn't know him would have mistaken him for Astartes.

As a mercenary who had followed the wandering merchants for many years, he could tell at a glance that Deyan had not accepted his fate and would not be content to stay in the mines and dig for minerals.

Such troublemakers must be strictly disciplined.

It will destroy him, both mentally and physically.

To obliterate dignity and trample on will.

They formatted a person, turning them into a machine that only obeyed orders to mine cryptocurrency.

Like other miners and slaves in the mine.

"Eat up! If you think it's too bland, I'll add some salt for you." Old Jack laughed heartily, flicked some cigarette ash into Deyang's bowl, and then rinsed his nose with his finger.

Food guarders are going crazy!

Deyang remained expressionless, his murderous intent swelling to its peak.

You bastard, you just wait!

After old Jack left, Dejan frowned and disgustedly sifted out the remaining half bowl of starch paste.

Oglin, standing nearby, was overjoyed and pounced on the bowl, licking it greedily.

These demi-humans, originating from a high-gravity planet, are muscular, have thick skin, tough bones, and a physique comparable to that of Space Marines.

Awesome, right?

It was bought with my intelligence.

Eugene was the Emperor's dumbest child.

With intellectual disability, he's unlikely to be able to count to 4.

They cannot understand complex instructions.

Sometimes I can't even speak properly.

They are often used by the Empire as assault units and living shields.

Thick-skinned and easy to raise, and also stupid, it's practically a born miner's holy body.

There are many Oglin mines in Buto.

Dejan almost vomited watching Oglin lick the goo.

While feeling disgusted, he keenly noticed something unusual about the Oglin.

It is several sizes larger than its kind.

Its muscles bulged like rocks, but strangely, while other Oglins were drooling and fighting tooth and nail for a scrap of food, this Oglin quietly squatted in a corner, drawing the Imperial Eagle emblem in the dust with its thick fingers.

After making eye contact with Deyang, he immediately wiped off the Eagle Emblem and put on a Tang-style expression with a gap-mouthed, drooling look.

Deyang's eyes widened in disbelief.

He was certain he hadn't misread it.

This Oglin in front of me is definitely faking it!!!

Perhaps they were blessed by Tzeentch!