Rex felt his back drenched in cold sweat.
He had transmigrated, becoming the Planetary Governor of a fringe world called Planet Alice. It sounded like a high-ranking position, and when he first assimilated the memories of this body, he thought he had hit the jackpot a perfect start set for a life of luxury and power.
But reality immediately delivered a harsh slap to his face.
"Lord Governor."
A woman in uniform, wearing a grave expression, stood before his desk.
She was his assistant, a seasoned veteran who had served an unknown number of Governors on this planet.
"Tomorrow, the Departmento Munitorum's Tithe Collection Team will arrive on Planet Alice to collect the Imperial Tithe for this decade."
Rex froze for a moment, digging out information about this "Tithe" from the corners of his memory.
In the grim darkness of the far future, the Imperium of Man collects taxes the Tithe from its myriad worlds. Theoretically, it is meant to be a portion of a planet's output, but the exact amount and the method of collection are entirely at the mercy of the Administratum.
"Collecting the Tithe?" Rex forced himself to remain calm. "What is the percentage?"
The assistant's face remained expressionless as she placed a ledger, as thick as a brick, onto Rex's desk with a heavy thud.
"Lord Governor, you may have misunderstood. The Imperium's taxation is not based on a percentage; it is based on a quota."
Rex's heart sank.
He reached out and flipped to the first page of the ledger. With just one glance, his pupils constricted violently.
"Refined Promethium and precious metals: thirty thousand tons... Rare isotopes: five hundred kilograms..."
He read down line by line, his heart growing colder with every word. According to this body's memories, even if they hollowed out the entirety of Planet Alice, a hundred years of production would barely scrape together that amount of precious metals. Not to mention the astronomical figures for corpse-starch, grain, and various industrial components listed further down.
Is this a tax? This is sucking the marrow out of the entire planet!
"What if... what if we cannot pay in full? What happens then?" Rex's voice was dry.
"You will be executed." The assistant's words were simple, direct and devoid of emotion. "Following that, the Imperium will appoint a new Governor one who can scrape together the required resources. Your predecessors all disappeared in this manner."
Rex felt the world spinning as he slumped back powerlessly into his cogitator chair.
It's over. It's all over.
Less than twenty-four hours after arriving, he was already heading straight for the guillotine?
If the Imperium said they would take Rex's head, his head would absolutely roll!
"Right now... how much do we have left in the planet's stockpiles?" he asked, clutching at a final shred of hope.
The assistant seemed to have expected this question and answered immediately. "If we empty every warehouse and silo, we can satisfy approximately half of the Tithe quota."
Half... Rex's head buzzed, and he completely gave up on thinking.
What use was half? To the Administratum, being short by half or being short the entire amount made no difference; the result was death.
Seeing Rex's distraught state, a slight ripple finally appeared in the assistant's tone, as if she were merely stating a fact. "Lord Governor, you still have twenty-four hours. If you cannot think of a solution, I suggest you enjoy these final moments. Just like many of your predecessors, live like a true noble on your last day of life."
"Of course, there is one other way," she added. "If you can produce items or... Archeotech of a value far exceeding these resources. But that is essentially impossible; Planet Alice is merely a backwater world."
Having said that, she bowed slightly, turned, and left the office, leaving Rex alone to face the cold reality.
I'm dead meat.
Rex slumped in his throne, his mind blank.
He had imagined countless possibilities after transmigrating being a psyker, a mastermind, or even just a wealthy noble waiting for death—but he never expected to be beheaded right at the start.
Just as he fell into utter despair, beginning to consider how to die with some dignity, a mechanical, electronic voice rang out in his mind.
[Perceiving that the Host is in an extreme crisis situation, the System has been activated.]
[Lord Simulator online. Generating initial panel for the Host.]
System?
Rex suddenly sat bolt upright in his chair!
My cheat code has arrived?!
He was so excited his heart nearly jumped out of his throat; this was the only life-saving straw in this desperate situation!
[This Simulator System provides three simulation opportunities daily. The number of simulations can increase as the System levels up.]
[Before each simulation, the Host can choose three Talents from ten randomly drawn options to add to the current simulation.]
[Talent levels are ranked: Red (Highest), Gold, Purple, Blue, Green (Lowest).]
[After each simulation, a score will be awarded based on the Host's performance. An SSS rating allows the extraction of three items or Talents from the simulation timeline; an SS rating allows two; and an S rating allows one.]
Rex's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
Foreseeing the future! And he could even bring items from that future back to the present!
If he could acquire some Dark Age technology or find some peerless STC fragment in the simulation, let alone paying the Tithe, he could ascend immediately!
"Live... I can live!"
Rex rubbed his hands excitedly and impatiently barked a command to the System: "Start the simulation immediately! Draw Talents!"
He didn't want to think about anything else right now; he just wanted to see if he could draw something that would change his fate.
Soon, ten cards emitting different colored lights appeared in his mind's eye.
Rex looked through them one by one, and his heart gradually sank.
A bunch of colorful junk—either [Fast Walking (Green)] or [Big Stomach (Green)]. The best one was only [Basic Combat Training(Blue)].
What the hell are these? Can I pay taxes with these things? I'll probably just die faster!
Just as he was about to despair, he saw a purple glow near the bottom of the list.
[Gentle Butler (Purple): At the start, you will obtain a top-tier all-around attendant—Tifa Lockhart. She possesses extraordinary wisdom, powerful execution skills, and unparalleled loyalty.]
Tifa?
Rex's breathing hitched for a moment. He was all too familiar with this name.
The goddess of the 3D world!!
It was the only Purple Talent; Rex had absolutely no reason not to choose it!
"I'll choose this one!"
For the remaining two slots, Rex really had nothing good to pick, so he could only choose the best of the worst, selecting two that seemed marginally useful.
[Bountiful Harvest (Green): Your planet's granaries are full; at least you won't have to worry about starvation in the short term.]
[Basic Combat Training (Blue): You possess combat techniques sufficient to fight ordinary enemies; at least you won't be defenseless.]
After choosing, Rex felt a bit pained. This combination didn't look like it could solve the massive Tithe problem at all.
[Talent selection complete. Please set a general directive for this simulation.]
"General directive?" Rex thought for a moment. What was the most important thing right now? Staying alive!
"Survival!" Rex declared.
**************************
For advanced Chapters p@treon[Hoomanking]