Starting from the Planetary Governor

The place was constructed to look the part: the circular dome was adorned with many complex reliefs, which seemed to hold religious significance, with the image of The Emperor present everywhere; it also seemed to vaguely recount the grand story of the ancestors forging paths out of the rubble to establish the Alliance.

At the top, there was a small opening covered by a glass dome, allowing daylight to pour through. On sunny days, there was no need for lights to brighten the room.

Below the dome was a long table where the Alliance Councilmen presumably held their meetings.

Above the long table and up five steps, there was a throne-like chair placed on a platform.

According to the original design, this should be the seat reserved for the Governor.

Back when the Alliance was revived, the first Governor must have sat in that elevated position, watching the councilmen discuss and solve various problems arising during the reconstruction of Rage Owl Star. Proposals were brought forth, problems were solved, and plans were implemented one after another…

It must have been a glorious era.

Even now, many people on Rage Owl Star fondly remembered those times—especially after the tenure of the second Governor.

Gu Hang didn’t know much about the achievements of the first Governor, nor did he consider himself a successor to the legacy. But that didn’t stop him from doing similar things in the same place.

As he sat down, Gu Hang’s system pinged with new messages.

[You have occupied the city: Revival City.]

[Revival City’s fixed monthly income: 68 points of Grace]

Seeing the city occupied and Revival City included in the system’s tally, Gu Hang was initially pleased.

When he first arrived to serve as Governor a few months back, he had been eagerly awaiting this message, but it never came. Today, his wish was finally fulfilled.

However, upon seeing the number 68, Gu Hang’s eyebrows furrowed deeply.

That was way too low!

Absurdly low!

The Governor’s Camp, which he had built from scratch, combined with the ramshackle Abandoned Cave Society he had taken over, could together provide him with 61 points of Grace.

To reach that figure, the two camps combined barely surpassed a population of ten thousand; so how could Revival City, with its population of nearly a million, contribute so little?

Then, he saw a string of negative effects listed under Revival City in the integrated domestic affairs interface.

[City Standstill: Greatly reduces city income.]

[Anarchic State: Significantly reduces city income.]

Apart from [Anarchic State], there were several statuses with the entry ‘significantly reduces city income’, including: [Restless Population], [Extremely Low Standard of Living], [Hungry City], [Poor Management Level], [Terrible Infrastructure], [Low Population Quality], [Low Public Order], [Insurgents],…

There were also several entries for ‘moderately reduces income’, such as: [Disorderly Market], [Trade Disruption], [Extensive Development], [Post-War Turmoil], [Military Control], [Administrative Disarray], [Grassroots Loss of Control], [Heretic Cultists],…

He didn’t even mention those with ‘minor reduction in income’, as there were plenty of those as well.

Gu Hang was left speechless and choked up.

With so many negative effects weighing down on it, it seemed not so surprising that the Grace income had plummeted to rock bottom…

However, Gu Hang quickly adjusted his mindset.

He hadn’t entirely failed to anticipate this situation.

His previous thought was that even if the city were taken by military means, governance would still be necessary for the system to recognize the city as belonging to him.

The current situation, with a plethora of negative effects stacked on top of each other, which greatly reduced the benefits, probably meant the same thing.

Similarly, this matter could also be viewed in a positive light.

The clear-cut negative effects pointed out to Gu Hang the problems that needed to be addressed.

Tackling them one by one, things would likely improve.

In his view, the debuffs of Revival City could broadly be divided into two categories: development and management issues.

The former wasn’t something that could be resolved instantly. It required an increase in productivity and the restoration of trade routes so that people could be well-fed and clothed, have the energy to rebuild the city, and achieve a better quality of life.

As for management issues, some deep-rooted ones likewise needed time to be gradually dealt with. However, at least a few problems could be solved immediately.

For instance, the biggest debuff: “City Standstill”.

Factories were shut, shops were closed, and the citizens of the city were too frightened and unsettled to even venture onto the streets, whether due to martial law or due to fear and unease.

Unable to work, with insufficient food reserves… This was precisely what Gu Hang needed to tackle right away.

He needed to immediately establish an administrative system, however rudimentary, that could at least function to begin addressing the issue of the city’s standstill.

It would be a brand-new administrative team.

He had once hesitated over whether to proceed in this way, but the death of Hodgson extinguished that thought completely.

If there had been a fully supportive elder with a good reputation in the Alliance to assist him, he might have taken over the existing administrative system of Revival City and slowly implemented reforms.

But now?

Forget it.

Using the old administrative system would only bring constraints.

He had won the battle, so why should he entangle himself with the old system of Revival City and the Alliance Government?

Moreover, was there anything good about the old system of the Alliance Government? The previous governors, lacking control, had to coordinate with all parties, various factions, making mutual compromises.

However, Gu Hang didn’t have to.

At least, not for the time being.

He saw no need to establish a parliamentary system, where representatives of every faction, industry, and all those with power and influence had to be gathered in one place to get things done.

He decided to abandon the existing system and overturn it, completely rebuilding a highly centralized authority and system to efficiently implement his will.

He would retain the name “Alliance,” as it was a necessary political designation to subjugate and rule the settlements beyond Revival City. But apart from that, he did not intend to keep much else.

He would abolish the council entirely, and in its place would be the Alliance Government. The government would consist of multiple departments led by officials who, in the future, would make decisions and guide the city’s development.

The old system would be swept away; those who once held power and profited from it would be purged; the entire class of industrialists would be wiped out in one stroke, to be replaced by collectively owned factories under government ownership…

With the old interest groups eliminated, their vacated positions and benefits would become opportunities for newcomers.

The newly-formed interest groups would grow from the new system and would emerge thanks to the Governor. In return, they would also be the Governor’s most steadfast supporters.

This process would seem a fierce revolution to some.

Footsteps were heard at the door, and Gu Hang snapped out of his reverie, looking up to see a slightly frail girl in a grey-blue blouse walking in.

Osenia had arrived.