I Am Honkai

Clap, clap…

"Well, I have given this matter due thought… We'll set aside the meeting for now. The fine food and wine are all here, and we can't waste them, so please, everyone, help yourselves."

With a light clap on the table, Selene drew the attention of those deep in thought. She lifted a glass and spoke.

After speaking, Selene tilted her glass slightly, signaling the start of the banquet, then downed the champagne that filled about a quarter of her glass.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the feast!" x7

Seeing the rare occasion of Selene making a toast, the seated Budo, Leiva, Hak Foo, Azem, Chagatai, Leman Russ, and Dorn all straightened their backs, slightly taken aback, then rose and raised their glasses in respectful response.

Some of Selene's preferences were already hardly secrets among the Empire's upper echelons.

She enjoyed fine cuisine and trying new dishes, but rarely drank.

It wasn't that Selene couldn't hold her liquor—she simply didn't like alcohol and was not fond of being persuaded to drink. Apart from certain important occasions, her main drinks in daily life and during government affairs were tea, coffee, and fruit-flavored sodas.

Those under her followed suit. While it wasn't a big deal for the general population and lower-ranking officials, the Empire's middle and upper-ranking officials paid close attention; knowing the Empress's preferences was essential for their careers.

As a result, in the homes of some Empire officials, alcohol gradually became stored away, seen only at banquets. After all, no one wanted to be remembered by their superior as someone who couldn't hold their liquor.

What the superior desires, the subordinate will pursue even more zealously.

This is a dynamic present in any society.

Whether in a slave society, a feudal empire, or a modern state; whether in a family, a company, or a country, as long as someone holds the power to control others' advancement or the distribution of resources, these dynamics will inevitably appear.

Flattery, imitation, and catering to the boss's tastes are standard tactics.

People may say that "true talent will shine wherever it goes," and indeed, people with ability will always find a way to showcase it.

But if the person competing against you has the same level of skill as you do and is more in tune with the boss's preferences, how big do you think your advantage will be?

Of course, there are exceptions, but this rule applies to most people caught in a competitive environment.

…

The banquet soon came to an end, dishes and cups cleared away. Seeing Selene had already left, the Astartes chapter leaders and acting leaders who attended began to leave one after another, chatting and joking as they exited the palace.

"The formation of the Sisters of Battle, the new Imperial Guard unit, the creation of the Inquisition… and the restructuring of the Empire's land and sea forces… Her Majesty's sweeping changes are bound to cause significant upheaval."

Walking behind Budo, Leiva, second in line, absent-mindedly stroked his small mustache as he spoke.

"Upheaval? Hmph, let them dare!" scoffed a burly blond man with blue eyes.

"Her Majesty's will is the Empire! There are plenty of officials—if any don't obey, just replace them."

Leiva's companion, a towering figure dressed in gray-blue power armor embossed with gold and blue wolf's teeth patterns, and wearing a gray-and-white wolf-fur cape over his pauldrons, had a VI symbol on his collar, indicating his status as the interim commander of the Sixth Astartes Chapter, Leman Russ.

"Her Majesty is the Empire! The officials who disobey her… well, they can just be swapped out."

Under everyone's gaze, Leman Russ expressed his absolute loyalty to Her Majesty Selene with the fervor of a faithful hound.

"Of course, Russ, I agree with you," replied another man with long black hair and dark eyes, with an aura distinct from central Empire residents. He stepped forward and patted Leman Russ on the shoulder.

The man was clad in polished white and gold armor with red edging; his chest bore a prominent double-headed eagle with a red lightning bolt, and each pauldron bore a lightning-struck bar insignia.

The olive wreath encircling a Ⅴ on his collar marked him as Chagatai, the acting commander of the Fifth Astartes Chapter.

"Enough, enough! We're acting like a bunch of bored busybodies here,"

Azem, the acting commander of the Fourth Astartes Chapter, with his arms crossed in his cream-white and gold-edged power armor, casually added.

"I think we should hurry back to our posts instead. The title of acting commander isn't exactly flattering. Getting our chapters in shape and conquering a world is what we should focus on."

Silently trailing at the back, a figure in full golden armor embedded with large red gems suddenly spoke in a low tone. It was Dorn.

"True enough."

"Let's go…"

…

"Only seven chapters… still far from enough."

Watching Budo, Leiva, Hak Foo, Azem, Chagatai, Leman Russ, and Dorn's figures walking out of the Schönbrunn Palace, Selene murmured.

Both Leiva and Hak Foo belonged to the Third Chapter. Selene had considered training Hak Foo as an Astartes Chapter Master, but found that his temperament didn't quite fit the role. Hak Foo was a straightforward man—a battle maniac, even, if there ever was one.

After seeing that he wasn't suitable for the role, Selene assigned him to Leiva's command.

"Your Majesty, the generals have all left."

Once Budo, Leiva, and the others had gone a fair distance, the Imperial Guard Commander, Gensa, quietly approached Selene from behind and spoke.

"Mmm…" Selene nodded lazily, "Gensa, relay the relevant announcements to the officials of each department tomorrow morning. Ah, morning court…"

"As you command!"

…

The next morning, news that Empress Selene was implementing sweeping military reforms spread rapidly through the Empire's governmental departments.

The restructuring of the Empire's army, the accelerated expansion of the Astartes Chapters, the formation of three new departments, the reorganization of the Imperial Science Bureau, the consolidation of the navy's fleets… these were just a few of the changes.

In short, if everything went according to Selene's plans, the Empire's centuries-old military system would be completely transformed.

Under Selene's plan, the Empire's regional defense forces and the border fortress garrisons would be disbanded, as their roles were no longer necessary.

They were in the Honkai Dimension—who was there left to defend against?

Such defensive units would be disbanded and restructured into offensive auxiliary forces, supporting the Astartes Chapters in hastening the Empire's expansion.

After all, Selene had no intention of squandering Astartes resources on policing conquered worlds.

Similarly, the disbandment and restructuring of the Eastern and Southern naval fleets followed this logic.

At this moment, Selene had just concluded her weekly court session, and the relevant policies were now officially issued.

Back in the Schönbrunn Palace, Selene, as usual, sat in her office, reviewing the various significant matters submitted by the Ministry of State for her decision.

The overhaul of the Empire's military structure amounted to a complete restart, requiring everything to be redeployed from scratch.

This included reassigning the commanders of the disbanded defense forces, planning for new departments, determining sites for building installations, and other major decisions that required Selene's oversight, signature, and approval before they could be carried out.

Although most of the workload had been spread among her cabinet ministers, easing her burden considerably, the task remained anything but light.

"With something to do, Alyssa seems quite excited; she left for the South Lake Barracks at the crack of dawn."

Unfolding today's file stack, Selene set her eyes on the topmost document. When she saw its contents, her previously calm expression shifted.

"A report from Dr. Fashion? The development and deployment of the Honkai particle energy weapons are basically complete, and the first batch has already gone into production, ready for inspection?" Selene remarked with surprise.

It seemed clear—there would be no chance for Selene to slack off anytime soon.

…

Meanwhile, in the Imperial South Lake Barracks, the heavily guarded prison camp.

"Hey, hey, Little Ann, do you want to go out and see the world outside?"

In a corner of the camp, several girls in standard black-and-white striped outfits, each bearing a numbered tag on their chest, were chattering away. Apart from their identical eye color, their hair came in a variety of bright colors.

They were all young, by Earth's standards, most around the age of primary school students.

"Why would I want to go out? Isn't this good enough? No one beats or scolds us without reason, and at least we can eat our fill and keep warm."

Perched on a wooden stool, a girl named Ann flipped through an Empire-issued book in her hands as she spoke.

These girls were the "Cursed Children" captured by Alex's First Astartes Chapter from the Black Bullet world.

No one knew how the first children survived. They had no names and had been abandoned by their parents at birth. They were picked up and raised by older sisters with similar experiences, named only by their hair color, where they were found, or by numbers.

Here, although the Empire still imposed strict confinement, and their clothes were plain and old-fashioned, at least they weren't ragged, and they could eat and keep warm.

"Will those black-armored giants come see us again?" asked one girl with a hopeful tone.

When they had been attacked by Gastrea in the Outer District and were about to be devoured, those black-armored giants had descended from the skies, saved them, given them food and clothes, and fought off the hideous Gastrea.

Although those black-armored giants hadn't spoken a word to them, all the children saved by them were filled with gratitude.

"Yes, I'm sure of it, Fuu!" said another girl excitedly.

"Quiet! Silence! This is a military zone; no loud talking allowed!"

On the other side of the barbed wire fence, a gray-armored Astartes with a metallic, gravelly voice barked at them.

Frightened, the girls huddled together.

"I'll let this slide as it's your first offense. But if it happens again, you'll be severely punished," he added, with not a trace of pity.

Without waiting for a response, the patrolling Astartes warrior gave the girls a glance, turned away, and resumed his patrol.

Seeing him pass, some other girls who had come outside to stroll also squatted down in fear, trembling as the massive gray-armored Astartes marched past.

"…"

When the Astartes warrior had gone, the girls finally dared to stand.

To most Imperial soldiers, including the Astartes, there was no "fairness" as the girls might have hoped for.

A prisoner was equivalent to a slave—a currency to be expended.

"Fuu, I'm scared… Do you think they'll kill us?" one of the girls, her eyes brimming with tears, asked fearfully.

Even though the "Cursed Children" held great potential, they hadn't yet shown their worth. It was normal for them to cry out of fear in the face of such imposing Astartes.

Ordinarily, such a camp wouldn't be guarded by Astartes at all, but this camp's location was at the South Lake Barracks, right within the capital!

"If you keep talking, you'll be marked as 'non-compliant' and will be eliminated. You know what that means," came a voice from behind.

The girls turned and saw a middle-aged guard in Imperial uniform. "Sorry, Guard Sir, we didn't mean to make trouble for you."

"Sir? I don't deserve to be called that. There's news—the selection for the Sisters of Battle is about to begin, and it's starting here among you."

"If we're chosen, Guard Sir, can we see those black-armored giants again? These gray-armored giants here are so frightening."

The guard was taken aback, realizing that the black-armored giants they were referring to must be the First Astartes Chapter. Commander Alex was known for his kindness and lack of arrogance toward common folk.

Meanwhile, the Second Astartes Chapter—led by Great General Budo—operated under strict discipline, and he knew this well as a former member of the Imperial Guard.

Due to their commander's influence, the Second Chapter's atmosphere was markedly sterner, enforcing tasks with rigorous, unswerving discipline, carrying out the Empress's will without the slightest personal sentiment.

"If you pass the selection, everything is possible… who knows, maybe one day I'll have to call you 'Miss.'"

The guard saw the girls' happy expressions but kept his tone flat, waving for them to follow him.

"Stay behind me and follow my lead. Don't ask where we're going, don't comment on what you see, and remember all the etiquette you've been learning."

The guard didn't acknowledge the girls' excitement. He simply gestured for them to line up and continued walking forward.

Passing through the courtyard, they walked past the watchful eyes of other guards, following the middle-aged guard as he led them out of the high-walled fortress, giving them their first view of the world beyond.

As they came to a majestic castle wall, their gaze was instantly drawn to the many grand arching stained-glass windows, especially the largest and most central one.

"Guard Sir, what is that?"

"That is Her Majesty the Empress."

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