It was evident that in the Empire's value system, human life had a price: merely the production value of five years.
Korolya III had over four hundred billion people, and the tax they had to pay each year reached 4.2 billion Tax Currency. More than half of that tax was satisfied through the exchange of population.
They would hand over five hundred million people each year to cover 2.5 billion Tax Currency; then, they would pay several billion more in industrial goods and processed foods. That was the structure of their tax payments.
Korolya III was poor and suffering, its people living in dire straits. But in reality, looking at the big picture, it was a powerful and wealthy planet.
The largest source of wealth was its four hundred billion population.
Within the entire Tianma Star Sector, it was only Korolya III and Capital Wing Star that could reach the tax payment of 4 billion a year. Capital Wing Star achieved this through development, while Korolya III did so due to its large population.
And at the moment, on Gu Hang's planet, there indeed was a group of guests from Korolya III—the battle nuns of the Saint Lily of Mercy.
This interstellar call was looking for them.
The caller was a bishop of the Imperial State Religion on Korolya III, named Zhao Qinghong, who was the head of the church in the Korolya diocese. He inquired Gu Hang about the whereabouts of Superior Georgette. Upon learning that she couldn't be contacted for the time being, he left a message:
"Please have Superior Georgette reply to my message as soon as possible. I have urgent matters to inform her of."
"No problem," Gu Hang agreed first, but then couldn't help asking, "However... may I ask what the matter is specifically?"
Bishop Zhao Qinghong hesitated for a moment but ultimately gave an answer, "On Korolya, there are several Nest Capital Worlds where uncontrollable cult incidents have erupted. We need the strength of Superior Georgette; she must return as soon as possible."
This statement surprised Gu Hang.
What kind of emergency situation required a superior from another planet to come back for assistance?
It seemed quite serious by the looks of it.
But if it was really serious, what significant help could Superior Georgette provide by returning with just twenty to thirty battle nuns?
No matter how he thought about it, it seemed rather strange.
It seemed that Bishop Zhao sensed Gu Hang's confusion, as he provided an answer, "We need a superior capable of controlling the 'Valkyrie' armor to solve some problems that cannot be resolved under normal circumstances."
That was indeed the first time Gu Hang had heard of it.
But it wasn't appropriate for him to inquire further; the bishop clearly had other matters to attend to.
After the communication ended, Gu Hang sent a message to Superior Georgette.
Speaking of this group of battle nuns, they had once given great assistance to Gu Hang.
During the recovery of Revival City, the nuns of Saint Lily of Mercy, along with the interstellar warriors of the Phoenix, had supported the situation with their high-end combat capabilities.
Afterward, these restless nuns, mourning the death of a sister, directly clashed with the cult members of the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect.
Even more so, Superior Georgette had summoned another group from her hometown. Now, the number of battle nuns active on Rage Owl Star had surpassed thirty.
They were diligently investigating the conditions of the cult members, following leads all the way to the North, and it had already been a year's time.
Of course, they were not always in the North. They would often return for periods of time to rest, resupply ammunition, heal, and gather intelligence.
Meanwhile, the Alliance maintained a military force in the Central-North Province.
The 9th Garrison Division of the Alliance had been there all along. In addition to suppressing the local area, they also had an important mission, which was to coordinate with the battle nuns' operations.
Further north from the Central-North Province lay the so-called Northern Territories. According to the leads obtained by the battle nuns, the stronghold of the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect, and the place where they exerted the greatest influence, was in that region.
The 9th Garrison Division had been supporting their activities in the North all along.
The Alliance was not without its benefits.
The most direct manifestation was that the area of the Northern Province had significantly expanded in that year, despite the 9th Division not having any major military operations.
This was thanks to the efforts of these battle nuns.
In this year, they conquered quite a few settlements—not always by force, sometimes through preaching.
Whenever they found clues or traces of the Cult, they would rush over, root out the local cultists' influence, and then hastily depart for the next target.
And the coalition forces would happily take over these settlements in their wake.
Of course, the 9th Division wasn't just idling and profiting from the situation.
In reality, the Battle Nuns sometimes encountered troubles they found difficult to deal with.
In minor skirmishes, the Battle Nuns, equipped with nun-powered mechs and blessed by the Imperial State Religion, didn't fear the indigenous cultists. However, the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect was deeply entrenched in many places up north. Sometimes, they would mobilize the masses, harnessing the power of settlements to gather large numbers of people and armed forces to encircle them.
And it was often at those times that the 9th Division would take action.
Though a garrison division and a second-line force of the coalition, it was still a regular army. Over six thousand soldiers, sixty cannons, and more than three hundred trucks at their disposal. Whenever the Battle Nuns operated, soldiers from the 9th Division were always on standby outside.
When they encountered big troubles, a call would bring 155mm howitzer shells raining from the sky, blasting in front of their enemies to carve a bloody path for them.
And when necessary, transport trucks would bring at least a battalion of soldiers and if the situation called for it, several battalions would rush over.
So far, this combination has proved to be invincible.
In the Northern Territories, the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect's several encirclement efforts so far have failed to significantly hamper the Battle Nuns.
Like the initial situation in Revival City, they were able to stage such a grand spectacle because they had been preparing for several years in advance, established windmill formations, and invoked the Evil God.
Otherwise, under normal circumstances, who could rival the Battle Nuns?
To tell the truth, Gu Hang was quite reluctant to see the Battle Nuns go.
Who wouldn't like free labor?
The Primordial Wrath Owl Sect hadn't caused any trouble in the south in over a year. That's because the Battle Nuns in the north were putting a lot of pressure on them, leaving them no room to breathe, let alone stir trouble in the south.
But now, with their departure, the pressure in the north would have to be borne by themselves.
However, Gu Hang couldn't just sit on the news and say nothing.
That would be utterly shameless.
More importantly, it could easily turn a good relationship sour in the future.
There's no need for that.
If it had been earlier, he might have worried about the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect causing significant negative impact.
But now, the coalition had long since outgrown its early vulnerabilities. The coalition, with a population of twenty-two million, had become a behemoth that the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect could only look up to. Even if they wanted to cause trouble, they could only hide in the shadows like rats.
Furthermore, he now had other options to deal with these guys.
He planned to recruit another batch of Heretic Demon Hunters, train them, and then send them to the north to take over the unfinished business of the Battle Nuns.
Three days later, Gu Hang met with Georgette in Revival City.
Through the sustained and open communication with Georgette through the Central-North Province, Gu Hang had already informed her about the letter from her hometown.
Over the past year, they had met more than once in fact.
When others were offering free labor and came back for a rest, Gu Hang, as the boss, had to make a point of expressing his gratitude.
This time was no different, Georgette appeared travel-weary as ever.
"Bishop Zhao is calling me back now, but it really isn't the right time," Superior Georgette appeared very frustrated, "We've obtained crucial intelligence, my sisters have located a core stronghold of the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect and have even grasped their next desperate move... but it has to be at this very moment!"
She was very unreconciled.