Chapter 156: We Are Very Serious! |
The Cathedral of the Holy Word, one of the landmark structures of the Optus System, towered majestically at the heart of the system. It served as the stronghold for the Cult of Saint Exosus.
This cult was dedicated to broadcasting the Emperor's voice into the void, blessing those humans who dedicated themselves to the Emperor and the endless stars, and following their footsteps into savage lands that had never been illuminated by the Emperor's light.
Karna stood tall in the vast plaza outside the Sanctum. This expansive space was originally built for almsgiving and processions, but it had now been transformed into a relief center.
A seemingly endless queue filled almost the entire plaza. Ritualistic cheers echoed without pause, while servo-skulls plastered with sacred seals fluttered about, continuously sprinkling holy water onto the people in the long line.
The line was exceptionally long. Aside from Imperial Nobles, diocese staff, and ordinary citizens of the Imperium, there were countless pilgrims.
These pilgrims might have arrived in the Optus System years ago, yet the procession of the faithful remained absolutely endless.
These devout believers often had to rely on the occasional charity of the Ecclesiarchy and toil in the mining guilds for years just to earn the opportunity to worship inside the cathedral.
Today, however, they were lucky.
Under the layered scrutiny of the church militia, countless believers craned their necks, desperate to catch a glimpse of the saintly visage surrounded by the Sisters and Blood Angels.
One day, the Emperor commanded Sanguinius: "Sanguinius, if you truly heed my words, take your blood kin to the mountains of Baal and offer their deaths to me."
Sanguinius did not understand why the Emperor would do this; he did not want to abandon his own kin.
But Sanguinius was utterly loyal to the Emperor, and he resolved to follow his instructions to the letter.
Just as he brought Karna to the mountain peak as the Emperor had commanded, preparing to slay his own blood kin...
The Emperor spoke: "Sanguinius, I understand your heart. You are willing to sacrifice even your own life for me, and your faith in me runs truly deep. Very well, let your brother go."
Karna was brought down, and as Sanguinius lifted his eyes, he saw a wicked fiend with its horns caught fast in the rock wall, unable to move.
Sanguinius then slew the fiend and offered it upon The Altar in Karna's place.
"Our lives are granted by the Emperor, and we can only show our gratitude by resisting the wicked."
A soldier of the Planetary Defense Force reverently murmured as he stepped back.
"..."
'You missionary types never change your flavor, even after forty thousand years.'
Karna had already heard countless versions of stories about himself.
Most of the time, he felt completely helpless against these illogical and fabricated lies, but there was nothing he could do.
Because this was preaching. The truth of the story did not matter. What truly mattered was whether it resonated with people, whether it could raise a sufficiently glorious Banner, and whether the masses could accept the ideology it imparted.
Furthermore, if it had not been for the fierce objections of Dante, Cepatus, and the others, Sanguinius would have been cast as his father in these tales.
'Speaking of which, wasn't Jesus just another of the Emperor's personas? Betrayed by a disciple too... The sense of deja vu is overwhelming.'
'Sigh...'
'You three get to enjoy the thrill of battle, the satisfaction of work, and the joy of research, leaving me here to deal with all this nonsense.'
Maintaining a flawlessly strained smile on his face, Karna kept an eye on the order in the relief area while sighing silently in his heart.
Taking care of The Angel when there was nothing to do and fighting when trouble arose was one thing, but now that the battles were over, he still had to accompany the Ecclesiarchy Sisters to local Sanctums, rushing from venue to venue like some pop idol on a press tour.
He felt he had sacrificed far too much just to play the role of a pretty vase.
The Progeny, however, were quite delighted to be accompanied by the Archangel.
These Adeptus Astartes, with the blood of Sanguinius flowing through their veins, were a natural honor guard. Just standing there doing nothing was more effective than months of specialized training for the likes of the Ultramarines.
They poured their hearts into crafting the artworks gifted to the church and the Nobles, vividly depicting the tales of Sanguinius and Karna. They worked with an unprecedented passion, as if this was not mere artistic creation, but a vital part of forging a magnificent epic.
As for the promotional activities they were currently conducting, they could be simply understood as church almsgiving—a common method used by the Ecclesiarchy to expand the Faith.
The Ecclesiarchy would hold similar events on the Planets they helped govern, providing free food and baptisms to pilgrims and underclass laborers. A few lucky individuals would even earn the chance to enter those glittering cathedrals to live and serve as volunteers.
It was simply that due to higher productivity and the Adeptus Astartes' involvement in organizing the population, the Expeditionary Fleet was able to benefit a much larger number of people.
Karna's gaze lingered on the miners.
The knees of their overalls were worn through, leaving two stark, white holes that exposed the bruised, calloused skin beneath.
The straps of their headlamps dug deep brown grooves into their necks, looking like stiff, dead snakes.
Karna's eyes narrowed slightly. Many of them had a gray film over their eyes—a result of the airborne dust from a specific mineral mined on Optus, which crusted over their eyeballs like snow that would never melt.
The Expeditionary Fleet had cataloged many types of medicines along its journey and could distribute them to these lower-class groups. Yet, even if they were cured right now, they would revert to this exact same state in less than five years.
The Transmigrators knew full well that until the underlying logic of this world was corrected, nothing they did would last.
After they left, once the people of the diocese realized the Transmigrators were no longer watching over this place, everything might return to the way it was, or perhaps even become worse than before.
But it was still better than doing nothing.
Karna sighed softly and tilted his head slightly. His gaze swept over the crowd and landed on the Bishops. Their robes fluttered gently in the breeze, the golden embroidery sparkling under the sunlight.
Beside them stood two Invincible Iron Guards, diligently recording various statistics.
Data from large-scale population gatherings like this was also crucial. Romulus was working on a similar Model, so the information needed to be forwarded to him.
Karna's fingertips lightly tapped the table. He glanced briefly at the data terminal before sweeping his eyes over the densely packed crowd in the plaza, silently evaluating the scale and efficiency of this gathering.
Setting aside Necromunda, the Imperium's mobilization capabilities on a planetary scale were still quite reliable. The officials of the Administratum and the clerics of the Ecclesiarchy were highly competent, providing immense reference value.
However, constrained by communication issues, whenever governance involved multiple Planets, everything quickly fell apart into a complete mess.
Never mind the fact that a Sector Governor might suddenly lose their mind and decide to 'put in some effort,' analyzing messages from the past, present, and future to issue contradictory orders that would completely pollute the Sector's political climate.
Just the Adeptus Arbites' unpredictable Tithe collections—demanding arbitrary amounts at random times and random places—were enough to torment every Planet into absolute misery.
Many thriving Planets had plunged into an inescapable abyss simply because an Arbites tax-collection ship paid them a single visit.
As for why everyone cared so much about governance—weren't the Adeptus Astartes' recruiting Planets completely exempt from Tithes?
Karna cast his gaze back to the Bishops. Their faces still bore that pious and solemn expression, completely oblivious to these harsh realities.
But could that exemption cover an entire Sector, or even several Sectors?
No matter how much of a Vermin the High Lords were, they would not simply turn a blind eye to such blatant territorial division that challenged their bottom line.
The Transmigrators had no desire to clash with the Imperium at the moment. The next two hundred and fifty years would see a relentless chain of major events, during which even the vast Imperium would find itself stretched to the breaking point. Starting a civil war now would only entertain their many enemies.
Thus, they had to conduct field investigations on these Planets, collect data, build a Model, and research contingency plans.
When the time came to govern the Sector, they would have a solid foundation of reference to rely on, preventing them from making a fool of themselves or completely butchering the job.
They were not the type of group to just slap their foreheads and charge in recklessly with an "Oh, I have an idea!"
Karna maintained his composure, carefully recalling Arabella's training, striving to ensure that every single person could bear witness to his radiance.
When it came to establishing a new Imperium of Man—
They were all very serious!