By the final stage, Gu Hang had completely lost the ability to understand, and even Wu Jiarong spoke very little, turning instead to listening and thinking. Mainly, it was Hu Ke speaking, and even Wu Jiarong appeared to benefit greatly from his lectures.
By then, even without asking for Wu Jiarong’s opinion, Gu Hang knew that the man before him was indeed an Engine Prophet.
In the end, he was the one who ended the conversation.
Having no choice, as he could not understand, he decided to leave the technical issues to those qualified to handle them. His Excellency, the Governor, had no need to continue wasting time there.
With a light cough, he said, “Mr. Hu, let’s talk about your past. I am quite curious, how did a Mechanical Cult Guild’s Engine Prophet end up on Rage Owl Star?”
Speaking of which, Hu Ke sighed and shared his past experiences.
After listening, Gu Hang also felt quite moved.
“War has destroyed the beautiful lives of countless people,” said Gu Hang, “but it is also the only means by which humanity has managed to survive in this ever-turbulent Star Sea.”
Hu Ke agreed, “You’re right, but the cost is high, especially when the cost falls on individuals.”
“But I promise you,” Gu Hang stated, “in the future, I will do everything in my power to prevent those calamities from befalling you and your family. I cannot guarantee that such things will never happen again, but at least as long as I can ensure overall stability, you will have a peaceful life. What I need from you is merely your knowledge and your loyalty.”
“I will always remain loyal to The Emperor.”
The middle-aged man seemed to say more than he meant, but Gu Hang did not mind.
“That’s enough,” he said.
“Since we have got this far…” Hu Ke knew that he had passed this two-hour interview, and now it was time to discuss his compensation, “I am quite interested in the rank hierarchy you have established on Rage Owl Star. May I know what rank and treatment I can expect under your command?”
“C9,” Gu Hang answered directly, without beating around the bush, revealing the decision he had made earlier, “the highest level of the C tier. You will have a large standalone villa with a yard in Revival City.
If you prefer a lively neighbourhood, we can arrange a residence in the residential area, where your neighbours will be government officials or researchers—I guarantee your house will be the best in the community; if you prefer quiet, your house can also be located in a standalone villa in the suburbs.”
“Naturally, I will not need to mention that you will have no worries about food and clothing. You will have three E-level employees as nannies and housekeepers to provide services. Your wife can freely choose a job, and I heard she enjoys reading?
The museums, archives, and libraries in Revival City are all in their formative stages; we are dedicated to collecting pre-war relics and striving to restore the once-glorious culture of Rage Owl Star. Perhaps your wife would also like to become a C-level employee and contribute to the cultural renaissance of Rage Owl Star.”
“Of course, if she prefers to stay at home peacefully, that’s possible too. However, without a specific job, her rank can’t be rated too high. Please understand this, as it is the policy of the Alliance and it cannot be broken for any individual,” he continued.
“Your child will receive the most comprehensive education from the Alliance. Perhaps you do not care about these things, as the quality of the education you could give to your child at home during your spare time is probably higher than the Alliance’s current educational level. But I believe you would still want your child to have a proper childhood and socialize with peers,” Gu Hang said.
Hearing this, Hu Ke nodded in satisfaction.
Solely from the standpoint of living conditions, he had nothing else to ask for.
C9, under the current Alliance system, was already very high. It was said that Lady Osenia, who in practice took on the work of the Prime Minister of the Alliance Government, was only at B3. Clearly, the Governor was intentionally reserving higher levels for future promotions.
From this level, he was only four sub-tiers away from the current highest rank of the Alliance.
With his child and wife properly taken care of, all he needed to do was his job.
“May I ask then, what exactly will my job entail?”
Gu Hang provided an immediate answer: “Under the Alliance Production Department, a Science and Technology Development Bureau will be planned. Ms. Wu Jiarong will be the director, and you will be the honorary director. You will have an independent research institute in Revival City and I will try to provide enough assistants to help with your work.”
“The tasks you need to undertake are mainly threefold,” she began, “the first is to take on various scientific research projects either from the Alliance Production Department or directly from my office, that is, the Office of the Governor.”
“The second is to serve as an educator at the Alliance Technical College.”
“Thirdly, you will act as a direct technical consultant to the Office of the Governor, answering some of my questions when necessary.”
After listening carefully to these tasks, Hu Ke indicated that there was no problem.
Moreover, he immediately demonstrated initiative in his work and, in accordance with the third point raised by Her Excellency, reported a situation.
It concerned the incidents at the southern edge of the Green Valley, the Nature Salvation Society, and his student Ge Wajia.
Upon hearing this, Gu Hang immediately furrowed his brows deeply.
“Are you saying… the aberrant beasts that are ravaging the Rage Owl Star, which are almost omnipresent, are the products of this Nature Salvation Society? And it’s not just simple genetic mutations, biological variants, but also involves supernatural phenomena related to demons from the Abyss?”
“That’s the general idea, although some details may vary,” Hu Ke clarified, “The aberrant beasts of Rage Owl Star might not be entirely the work of the Nature Salvation Society. But they have exploited these creatures, employing their filthy, degenerate demonology.
They are conducting inhumane experiments in the Southern Green Valley, attempting to manufacture and control these aberrant beasts on a large scale.”
Gu Hang stroked his chin, deep in thought.
If it was just the aberrant beasts, that would be one thing.
He had not not dealt with such monsters before; in the nearly deforested woods surrounding Weixing City, now the site of the Phoenix Monastery, he had once led a fledgling army, besieged by a group of aberrant beasts activated by dark sorcery from the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect.
Those creatures were a terrifying threat to the average wasteland survivor force.
They did not fear death, grew cyclically, were immensely powerful, and with things like the Pus Spewer, they could almost be considered short-range bio-cannons.
The aberrant beasts of the Green Valley region are generally such creatures. Even if there are occasionally some strange species, on the whole, their numbers are not large.
And yet, it was these very creatures that had wrought great destruction upon the local plantations of the Green Valley, one by one laying them to waste.
At present, the entire central and southern parts of Green Valley were in dire straits.
According to the latest intelligence Gu Hang had seen, the aberrant beasts were the source of the disaster. Aside from the direct destruction of settlements, casualties and reduced food production they caused, the most terrifying thing was the secondary disasters that followed.
People wouldn’t just die out; those who had lost their plantations, their food, and their wealth wouldn’t just sit and wait to starve.
They would spontaneously band together, compete with each other, consume each other, eventually forming larger, stronger, more cohesive groups.
And so one Marauder Tribe after another was born.
They would raid, kill, and loot in order to survive.
A significant number of plantations were also destroyed by these marauders.
The wave of aberrant beasts led to the emergence of refugees — these refugees formed Marauder Tribes — which in turn destroyed more settlements, creating even more refugees — leading to even bigger and more Marauder Tribes…
The vicious cycle, like a rolling snowball, had begun.