The 101st Regiment.
An Astartes Chapter with a naming convention completely different from the norm.
This minimalist numbering, however, made everyone's eyes light up.
Because for Blackwatch veterans to enter the 101st Regiment not only meant they were about to become Astartes, but also proved that, like the original 101st veterans who followed Sith, each had endured countless hellish Apocalyptic Trials.
Simply being granted this title already signified possessing the top combat power in the entire galaxy!
When the expanded Blackwatch was sent to a battlefield, the local defenders might only worry if the situation had become so dire.
But when the '101' appeared on the battlefield, they would only welcome their fate with a brilliant smile while sincerely pitying the enemies who were about to face the '101'!
Although it wasn't a standard four-character title, everyone chose to accept it. After receiving the name of the Legion he was about to create with his own hands, Bayer turned and left respectfully.
Because the group's next topic was not how Sith had pleaded for three years of time, but explaining why he had not yet departed.
The Warhammer galaxy had no room for excessive complaints or hesitation; one war after another had forged a direct and efficient nature in everyone.
Without even continuing to 'greet' Terra and Guilliman, who were asking about his whereabouts, Sith simply faced the remaining people, tapped the table, and sighed:
"Speak up, everyone. Let's start with 'starch'."
Facing numerous issues, Sith first brought up starch, but almost everyone present instantly looked at Van Roth and Ana.
Van Roth had clearly been thinking for a long while; without food, nothing else mattered. So, he steeled himself and presented every method he could think of:
"First, we must immediately find Rogue Traders to exchange noble goods for starch. For traders, we can look for the Faramor Dynasty, whom we've collaborated with before; they are not only powerful but also seem quite enthusiastic toward Lord Sith."
"Then, following the decrees of the High Lords of Terra and the Lord Regent, we send people to nearby sectors to requisition the supplies on the list."
After Van Roth finished, the former was more practical and would yield quicker results, while the latter was typical Imperial thinking.
After all, when Van Roth heard the reason nearby sectors refused to pay 'taxes' was that they were on the verge of extinction due to war, he almost wanted to laugh!
Whether you go extinct or not is none of my business, but if taxes aren't collected, you won't even have to wait for the xenos to wipe you out—the Department of Internal Affairs's Tithe Fleet will scatter your ashes!
After all, loyalty in the Empire is judged almost entirely by whether you pay your taxes on time!
You're not even paying taxes, and you dare talk about loyalty?!
Only Sith looked at Van Roth's suggestions and gave a speechless glance.
It wasn't that Sith was being considerate of the surrounding sectors, but as the outer buffer for Alert Star, those sectors really couldn't be touched recklessly.
Otherwise, the various enemy forces raging within those sectors would strike Alert Star directly.
"I agree with the first point. Let's discuss the second point later."
Having said that, Sith looked at Ana. Under her instantly expectant gaze, he hesitated for a long time before finally speaking helplessly:
"Ana, that starch of yours that turns people blue after eating it—has the process been upgraded?"
Ana nodded hurriedly; after all, she was the only one who hadn't made a prominent contribution in a long time.
"Rest assured, my Lord. I've been upgrading the technology whenever I have free time. Now my starch production is even higher; I can use carbon dioxide clouds, wasteland, and promethium to mass-produce 'corpse starch'."
"And regarding the blue issue you're concerned about, I guarantee that after eating it this time, your subjects and soldiers will definitely not turn blue!"
Sith's eyes lit up at this, but then he suddenly noticed something was off.
He frowned at Ana. To ensure he hadn't misheard, he looked at the people around him.
Seeing that everyone else was also frowning, Sith hesitated:
"You mean... corpse starch without corpses?"
Ana lifted her head, looking quite proud.
Hearing about starch that didn't even contain a trace of biomass this time, Sith could only comfort himself that in the Empire, it was actually quite normal for corpse starch to have no corpses.
At least this time, his soldiers wouldn't turn into 'Tau Commanders' after eating it.
"At least you've improved the process to prevent the soldiers from changing color."
Hearing the praise, more pride appeared on Ana's face, and she even went out of her way to explain:
"This part was actually the simplest. I added industrial pigments to the starch. Once neutralized with the blue, it can simulate the color of normal skin."
Sith: "???"
Everyone: "???"
Sith's cheek twitched. He opened his mouth several times, staring at the proud Ana for a long while before finally withdrawing his gaze powerlessly.
At least they wouldn't starve to death.
"Let's arrange the starch this way for now."
"Immediately contact the Faramor Dynasty to purchase starch, and simultaneously implement Ana's new technology in all starch factories in the Hyberia Hive Sector."
"If necessary, convert as many non-military factories as possible into starch factories and go all out to produce the 'new-style starch'."
The local officials further back immediately bowed respectfully upon hearing this, then carefully left Sith's office under Ana's lead.
Afterward, Sith flipped past the starch list. Seeing the urging from Terra, he did not ask Van Roth and the others this time.
He tossed the report onto the table and placed his right hand on the surface, tapping his index finger rhythmically.
Amidst the crisp 'tap-tap' sounds, Sith spoke directly after a brief moment of contemplation:
"Except for workers, all men over the age of sixteen must join the military."
Normally, according to Imperial custom, women would also be conscripted, but Alert Star was in a state of reconstruction. If the women were taken away as well, Sith feared the population recovery rate would be severely compromised later.
Moreover, the factories themselves were behemoths that devoured human lives; without leaving behind a sufficient population, production on Alert Star would soon grind to a halt.
"But with current productivity, even feeding an army of nearly ten billion is difficult, let alone providing weapons and equipment..."
Van Roth hesitated, but Sith's hand tapping the table did not stop:
"Weapons and equipment can continue to be produced, but training must begin immediately."
Sith spoke, and Van Roth didn't reply further, while Sith added a line in his heart:
"After all, even if it's just melee, after a hundredfold training, they'll be of some use on the battlefield."
Facing the upcoming reinforcement of Terra, Sith was truly exhausting every means to gather whatever power he could.
Even if equipment was lacking, Sith would still drag people to the battlefield; after all, once they got there, guns would be everywhere.
"Furthermore, the Ecclesiarchy and the Adeptus Mechanicus have already canonized me as a Saint, and Alert Star is a holy site for both faiths."
"Then, issue a call in my name, summoning all followers of both faiths to Alert Star to join my 'Great Pilgrimage to Terra'."
This time, Van Roth expressed immediate approval:
"The faithful are mostly fanatics; they will not only bring high-quality recruits but also the starships they used for their journey."
"There might even be a few warships among them."
Van Roth was as optimistic as possible. Sith continued his tapping without reaction, while Bruno let out a slight cold snort.
"Even if there were warships, how many could there be? Would those with real money and power, aside from the Ecclesiarchy itself, throw their entire net worth away just because of faith?"
It could be said that the followers coming to follow Sith were either so poor that all they had left was themselves, or they were outcasts with nowhere else to go but to 'follow their faith'.
Even if there were true fanatics, compared to conventional combat power, they wouldn't even count as a footnote.
Sith ignored the various reactions of those below. After finishing with the forces the Imperial side could muster, he unexpectedly shifted the topic and continued:
"We've finished with what the Imperial side can gather. Now, let's talk about the Chaos side."
The people below were stunned, though even Van Roth could now look at Sith with a straight face.
Just as Sith was about to bring in some of the small Warbands that had sought him out previously, the door behind him was suddenly pushed open.
A local official stood at the door, his face full of excitement:
"Reinforcements!"
"Lord Guilliman has sent us reinforcements!"
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