CHAPTER 508: CHAPTER 478: THE SO-CALLED AMBITION_2

"Yes, indeed, he’s not worth me making things difficult for myself, but likewise, he’s not qualified for me to break my bottom line." Perfikot smiled nonchalantly, and then asked Samantha, "How’s the intelligence I asked you to collect? Is there any result from the investigation?"

Although there was already ample evidence in hand about the Governor of the New Continent betraying the Empire, this would at most cause him to disgracefully lose his governor position, and such evidence alone is not enough to completely nail him down.

Perfikot, unwilling to leave any hidden dangers for herself, attempted to gather more evidence aiming for the complete downfall of the opponent since she couldn’t resort to assassination.

"From the current findings, this Governor has indeed conducted numerous violations. We discovered plenty of evidence of his interactions with Independents and the Revolutionary Army, including evidence of him bribing Independent Party members and Revolutionary Army members." Claudia did not drag on since Perfikot did not intend to use assassination and instead reported the information she found to Perfikot, "Besides that, we found evidence of him maintaining a private army. Although he can legitimately cultivate his own power and confidant to command the military as the Governor of the New Continent, this Governor seems to aim for having an army that absolutely obeys him.

Although this army is labeled under colonial garrison forces, its personnel quality and weaponry equipment have reached the Imperial regular army’s level, and its arms subtly align with the Guard Army.

While this matter can be explained as forming an army to deal with potential rebellions, his behavior itself is undoubtedly an overreach.

Moreover, the military expense and designation of this army he maintains are quite problematic. If you submit the evidence to the Military Department, with the military’s support, you can easily take him down."

"Is that so? If that’s all there is, at this crucial juncture, it’s not possible to take him down." Perfikot shook her head and gestured to Beifa to pour her tea while explaining to Claudia, "Under normal circumstances, I could indeed pressure the Imperial Center and the Noble Council through the Military Department to directly take down this Empire-betraying bastard.

However, now, with the Imperial Center about to relocate from Langton to the Northern Territory, and the Doomsday Winter already showing its power, there are far too many complex issues and work to handle. The Empire cannot possibly replace a colonial governor who is deeply rooted and familiar with the local situation just for this matter."

What Perfikot said was indeed true, but not entirely so.

If necessary, she could still use her influence to have the Imperial Center execute this Governor directly.

Although the Empire generally wouldn’t casually dispose of a governor highly familiar with local affairs, it doesn’t mean the Empire absolutely wouldn’t kill him.

A colonial governor, though a regional prefect with power and prestige, is not irreplaceable to the Empire, especially for the Victor Empire, the world’s foremost power. Even if the apocalypse arrives, they could replace him anytime, and always find a qualified successor.

Yes, the Empire is just that powerful, or rather, ridiculously so.

Though a colonial governor holds a crucial position, and it’s not an exaggeration to say a regional prefect holds great authority and power, this also means each colonial governor’s term is only five years.

In some special cases, a governor might be required by the Empress and the Imperial Center to extend their term, but normally it’s only five years, extended only in very special circumstances.

Such as a war occurring in the colony.

Thus, this Governor’s previous behavior is well understood, as he hopes to affect the Empire’s appointment by starting a war, thereby extending his governorship term in the New Continent.

After all, as the Governor of the New Continent, he can claim great authority and power, but once he resigns and returns to the Empire, he’ll be nothing.

Generally speaking, an outgoing colonial governor might receive an honorary noble title and can seek a decent position within the colossal civil service system of the Imperial Center, but that’s about it.

For someone who can only be a colonial governor, that’s quite alright actually, as they’re just colonial governors, not holding a particularly high position within the Empire’s vast civil service system.

However, in terms of the Imperial Center, that position is only slightly higher than that of mid-level aristocratic bureaucrats within the Empire.

Once stripped of the colonial governor’s coat, they appear quite inconspicuous within the Empire’s vast civil service system and nobility class.

Under normal circumstances, a colonial governor wouldn’t cling to their position, as it’s just a colonial governor role. Who wouldn’t want to return to the Empire for comfort instead of watching animals bare teeth in a colony?

However, these are extraordinary times.

The Doomsday Winter crisis has everyone scrambling to secure a survival path for themselves, and it’s long-confirmed intelligence that the Empire’s homeland would be abandoned, with the Imperial Center and power hub shifting to the Northern Territory.

In such circumstances, the Governor of a New Continent colony adjacent to the Northern Territory would inevitably find their position becoming quite pivotal, or rather, crucial to the Empire as a whole.

Because come Doomsday Winter, the Imperial Center’s connections with other colonies would surely suffer immense impacts.

When sea and land routes are cut off, controlling or communicating with other colonies becomes exceedingly difficult for the Empire.

But the Northern Territory and the New Continent are directly connected by land; not only have railways been newly constructed in recent years, but there were also previously passable roads, even if not official highways.

In other words, when Doomsday Winter arrives, and the Imperial Center relocates to the Northern Territory, the New Continent colony will closely link with the Imperial Center.

Thus, the Governor position of the New Continent colony will become especially significant due to the increased status of the New Continent.

So, in the face of such changes, is this Governor planning to go back and become a regular mid-level civil servant plus honorary noble, or will he endeavor to remain in this role where he can continue wielding significant power?

The logic is simple, and the answer is naturally evident.

Moreover, based on Perfikot’s investigation by Claudia, this Governor is quite ambitious, wanting not just to continue holding power but to establish a fiefdom of his own.

Messing around at such a critical time would greatly impact the Empire.

After all, after the event of apocalypse, even if the Empire does not abandon the homeland, the ocean between the homeland and the Northern Territory makes effective interaction challenging, and if the New Continent colony breaks away...

In summary, this Governor has made quite a grand plan, intending to prolong his term through war and then fully declare independence for the New Continent colony once the Doomsday Winter actually descends.

As long as his plan stays glitch-free, he could potentially become a national leader on par with the Imperial Empress, rather than just a colonial governor who can be replaced at any time by the Empire.

But clearly, Perfikot made sure all his calculations came to naught.

"I hope this fool won’t disappoint me; I’m waiting for him to risk it all in desperation!" Perfikot’s expression bore an amused note, her eyes tinged with anticipation.

Nonetheless, he’s a colonial governor who’s strategized for a long time, and it’s not an exaggeration to say he has deep-rooted influence in the New Continent.

Although Perfikot could already take his life, her aspiration was to uproot this force from the New Continent colony completely.

As mentioned earlier, after the Doomsday Winter, the New Continent will be vitally important to the Imperial Center and the Northern Territory. Perfikot doesn’t desire unnecessary troubles in her backyard when she faces the stress of divine warfare in the future.