Chapter 69: 69th Chapter, The Daughter of The Emperor
Gu Hang patted Lambert on the shoulder and said, “I know you’re anxious, but impatience will only make things worse right now. Calm down; you need to mobilize all your connections and hidden forces in Revival City as much as possible and figure out what exactly happened.”
After a pause, Gu Hang continued, “Besides, I’ll make preparations. When necessary, I will enter the city.”
“You’re going into Revival City?”
“A governor must always return to his post,” Gu Hang said, “Moreover, President of the Council Hodgson is now working for me. If he has been put in jeopardy because of this and is alive, I will do my best to save him; if… I mean if, the worst comes to pass, I will avenge him.”
“Thank you, Governor!”
“Go on, attend to your matters.”
Watching Lambert leave, Gu Hang sat back down in his seat.
Revenge was certainly something Gu Hang took seriously. Hodgson had been sitting pretty for many years without a solid foundation to become President of the Council. He’d survived so many trials and tribulations without incident, but after he had made clear his support for Gu Hang, he suffered this misfortune… It wouldn’t do if Gu Hang, as the governor, did nothing.
And apart from that reason, Gu Hang had another stronger, more pressing reason for making his decision:
Someone had declared war on him.
Although the situation was still unclear, the fact that someone had dared to take action against him in Revival City after Hodgson had made his support clear was undoubtedly a declaration of war.
Whether it was the Heretic Cultists who followed the Primordial Wrath Owl or the conservative factions within the Alliance Government who had declared war on him, Gu Hang must respond.
Actually, his current preparations were insufficient.
In his previous plans, he himself would enter Revival City in about two to three months. By then, the economy and productive capacity of his territory would be able to support an army at least three times larger than the present one for a short period of military action.
By that time, with the orbital cannon of the Quintet as the biggest deterrent and his troops, which had undergone systematic training, as the conventional means, he would return to Revival City and take complete control of the city.
With that, he would gain a population of nearly a million. The production potential provided by the technology panel would be greatly realized; politically, he could genuinely exercise the governor’s powers, use military force as a guarantee, and swiftly sweep all surrounding settlements into his production system.
Now, it seemed his plan had to be accelerated.
Since it was war, there was no such thing as ‘being prepared.’ He couldn’t expect others to wait until he was ready before they fought.
But there was also good news.
Gu Hang’s strength hadn’t fully accumulated, but now he had the support of interstellar warriors, an unexpected boost in his plans.
The help provided by the 7 Phoenix Veterans was probably more valuable than the military power Gu Hang could expand over the next two months.
“If it’s war, then let it be war.”
“Having the plan pushed forward might not be a bad thing after all.”
It’s a real shame about old Hodgson… I hope he’s all right.
…
The troops under Gu Hang’s direct command quickly assembled, leaving the Mech Servant Battalion to hold down the fort while the remaining five battalions formed an infantry regiment, awaiting further orders;
The mission request was sent to the Phoenix Battle Group, which responded positively;
Gu Hang personally communicated with Yelisia for about half an hour. Yelisia stated that from now on, the entire starship would enter a state of combat readiness and that an orbital cannon strike could be launched at any target specified by the governor within twenty minutes if needed; starting tomorrow, the starship would complete its combat readiness tasks, entering a wartime state, which meant that the response time for orbital cannon strikes could be reduced to within ten minutes.
At the same time, given that the combat target was likely to include Heretic Cultists, Gu Hang’s combat mission would receive support from the National Church Team aboard the starship.
A Battle Nun Squad would arrive on the surface six hours later.
That was another delightful surprise!
Only now did Gu Hang learn that there was actually a squad of Battle Nuns on the Quintet? He had no idea about this during the trip to Rage Owl Star!
Battle Nuns are a group steeped in legend.
They are the only overt armed force of the Imperial State Religion. After the Theocratic Wars, the Church was no longer allowed to have any armed men. However, they fostered the Sisterhood by exploiting this rule, establishing the Battle Nun regiments.
These sisters, blessed by the National Church and with unwavering faith, were called ‘The Emperor’s Daughters’. They might not be as formidable as the genetically-modified Interstellar warriors, but with The Emperor’s blessing, they could attain extraordinary power.
They also wore specially made power armors. Unlike the Interstellar warriors, they could not connect directly to modified spinal cords for neural linking with the armor, but they could activate their armor with the power of sacred spells. And their blessed armor, though not as heavy as that of the Interstellar warriors, was still a formidable weapon.
Initially, Gu Hang found it odd that there was a squad of Battle Nuns permanently stationed on the Quintet, but after searching his memory, he had an epiphany.
The Sisterhood had many branches. Apart from the main ones, there were also second-tier, third-tier sub-orders. They naturally needed places to station, usually alongside significant institutions of the National Church. On Korolya III of the Nest Capital planet in the Tianma Star Sector, there stood a great cathedral of the Imperial State Religion, not only the most crucial division in this Star Sector but also a faith hub for several surrounding Star Sectors.
And there, the ‘Sainte-Lys Nun Association’ was stationed.
On a large starship like the Quintet, a chapel was essential. Normally, priests and nuns needed to comfort the crewmembers’ spirits on the battleship; in wartime, they would resist corruption from evil.
In this context, if the Star Sector Government had relatively close military cooperation with the National Church, then aside from the standard shipboard chapels, it was not impossible to additionally equip a Battle Nun Squad.
Like Interstellar warriors, Battle Nuns were not exactly subordinates directly under the command of Yelisia, the captain. But, being on the same ship, it was normal for them to comply if requested.
Moreover, it wasn’t Yelisia who made the request this time. It was when the news of the Cult on Rage Owl Star made its way to these ‘Emperor’s Daughters’ that they volunteered to join the battle.
Zealous Battle Nuns would not tolerate the existence of Heretic Cultists.
And with the help of these sisters, who might be weaker than Interstellar warriors but not by much, Gu Hang’s operation gained an even more powerful boost.
Moreover, compared to the warriors, these Battle Nuns were more specialized anti-cult experts. If the shadow of the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect loomed in this affair, the Emperor’s Daughters would give them a huge surprise.