Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 800

Chapter 794: The End of the Empire

The Imperial Central Government knew nothing of what had happened on Cartier, who had captured it, and who had destroyed one of the most heavily guarded planets in the entire Empire. Nor did the

Imperial Central Government know why Cartier’s destruction had been followed by a violent Warp explosion, or why the force of this explosion was so formidable.

The greatest calamity it brought was the Warp surge from the Hell Gate, forming a torrent. This

torrent was surging outward at a rate of engulfing a star region per day.

Wherever this Warp surge passed, a scar was carved across the starry sky. From many worlds within the Empire, this scar could be seen stretching across the night sky.

All worlds within this scar would instantly lose all contact with the outside world.

Interstellar communication was impossible. All astral tunnels were rendered inoperable by the violent surge.

According to calculations, this Warp torrent would sweep northeastward from the Hell Gate in the southern western empire. Star maps indicated that if this torrent could not be stopped, it would split the entire empire in two within a month or so.

And it proved impossible to stop it.

A month later, the empire was truly divided.

Not only did the countless worlds within the scar lose contact with the center of the empire, but on the other side of the scar, nearly the entire eastern, southern, southern, and eastern northern empires… all of these areas lost contact with the empire.

And the loss of contact wasn’t limited to the scar itself.

This Warp torrent affected more than just the areas within it, the scar itself. As it swept through, the entire known universe shook. Not only was the scar itself, or even the worlds on the other side of it, cut off from communication, but even the other worlds were experiencing disturbances. Interstellar communications were often interrupted, or met with sudden, shrill screams or unbridled laughter.

Long-distance communications had become exceedingly unreliable. Even if an uninterrupted connection was established, the most dire possibility existed: crucial information could be tampered with during transmission. After experiencing these setbacks, the importance of multiple verification and scrutiny of information became even greater.

Besides the increased difficulty of interstellar communication, even greater was the challenge of interstellar travel across star systems.

Astral tunnels were still operational—they were practically the only means of faster-than-light travel available to the Imperium.

While many locations still employed warp drives, almost all existing engines were astral. Building new ships or replacing them with warp drives in existing warships would be prohibitively difficult. The sheer cost and time involved were unacceptable.

Furthermore, were warp drives truly reliable? When the Imperium employed warp drives on a large scale, direct warp travel was inherently unsafe. Astral tunnels replaced this with far greater safety than subspace travel. The Warp’s currents are so turbulent that even the full complement of ancient technology might not guarantee safety.

While modern astral tunnel navigation carries greater dangers and significantly increases the chances of getting lost or missing, it remains the only option when no other options are available.

With communications and navigation severely restricted, each Imperial world has become an isolated island.

If the planet itself hasn’t suffered any major damage, this might be fine. However, for those facing pre-existing disasters, such as xenos attacks or rebellions, worlds that could once rely on external assistance are now left to fend for themselves. External assistance, while not entirely cut off, will at least arrive much more slowly.

And the dangers aren’t limited to this isolation.

Amidst this Warp surge, the veil of reality between the known universe and the Warp has become even thinner than before. This means that Warp incursions will become even more likely.

Many worlds near the Scarlet Scar could even face direct Daemon attacks.

These terrifying Warp monsters appeared directly in the physical world.

Even in places far from the Crimson Scar, as people looked up, their emotions fluctuated, from frustration to anger to grief to ecstasy… In short, when there were violent fluctuations, it was easy to hear sounds that shouldn’t be heard.

The faint crimson scar, visible even during the day, possessed a special magical power. This power intensified further at night, when the scar became more conspicuous.

The most direct impact was the increase in the number of people gifted with psychic abilities—but this was not simply a good thing.

Psychics became more prone to losing control.

Furthermore, cult activity became more active, and Chaos beliefs began to spread more widely than before.

Furthermore, Chaos rebels, like Hell’s Gate, emerged from the Crimson Scar, attacking cities everywhere…

After the Great Rift appeared, the entire Imperium was plunged into chaos.

Even Holy Terra was gripped by panic,

although Holy Terra did not suffer any direct disaster in the immediate future. However, officials at the Imperial Center found themselves completely unable to handle the chaotic situation unfolding within the Empire. They could

n’t communicate anywhere, and when they did, they were met with cries for help. Once reinforcements were dispatched, they might never return…

All resources flowing in from the outside world had to be continuously flowing in, or they would be in short supply. Many imperial taxes already in transit couldn’t be delivered, or at least had to be delayed. As for the next payment… with no way to communicate, how could they collect it?

The already rigid, chaotic, and inefficient Imperial system was on the verge of collapse under this global catastrophe.

The bureaucrats at the Imperial Center were also struggling.

Qi Bodu sounded the highest alarm within the Imperial Palace, and Imperial officials toiled through the night. Ship after ship, departing from the solar system, headed for various locations.

They were also striving to salvage the situation.

However, the officials on Holy Terra knew they could only do their best and leave the rest to fate.

They had no confidence in what the future held.

Qi Bodu sat on his throne all day, always absent-minded when handling work.

He thought of his last communication with Gu Hang.

“The end is coming… The end has come… Is this the end of the empire? Will the empire end in my hands?”

“No… No… Impossible. I absolutely cannot allow this to happen!”

(End of this chapter)