37: Chapter 37 The Church

At this moment, the Diocesan Priest in the church was sitting in the prayer pew, praying. His hands were tucked into his wide sleeves, never exposed, and his gaze rested on the Emperor in the mural.

Just as the Diocesan Priest was engrossed in prayer, the Confessor Priest suddenly walked up to him and whispered in his ear:

"The enemies of the God-Emperor have arrived. We must eliminate them; only then can we receive the God-Emperor's revelation."

Upon hearing this, the Diocesan Priest was filled with doubt, not understanding why the Confessor Priest would say such a thing.

But when his eyes met the Confessor Priest's blue ones, his doubts instantly vanished.

"If the newcomers are truly enemies of the God-Emperor, I will deliver a devastating blow."

The Confessor Priest nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this, a meaningful smile appearing on his face.

"Don't forget the rewards the God-Emperor promised us. With that power, we will surely be able to execute all enemies."

Just as the Diocesan Bishop and the Confessor Priest were secretly plotting, there was a sudden knock at the door.

A Missionary pushed the door open a crack, poked his head in, and respectfully said with a bowed head:

"Your Grace, someone has arrived."

The Diocesan Bishop glanced at the Confessor Priest. Clearly, the Confessor Priest had spoken the truth; the enemies of the God-Emperor had indeed arrived.

"Are they from the Cult of Burning?"

The Missionary shook his head, then recounted everything he had witnessed:

"A group of people in Iron Birds have landed in our square. The situation is urgent; please go and see for yourself."

Upon hearing this, the Diocesan Bishop immediately stood up and changed into a magnificent Ecclesiarchy robe.

Then, accompanied by the Confessor Priest, he walked towards the door.

The two missionaries inside the room immediately pulled the heavy doors fully open.

The Missionary and Templar Knights outside the door immediately gathered around the Bishop, following closely by his side, protecting the Diocesan Bishop's life.

Xia Xingchen had already landed in the Templar Square, and looking at the surrounding religious buildings, he couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.

Rather than calling this a medieval world,

It would be more accurate to say it was a world entirely built on faith.

After all, in this holy city, religious buildings occupied more than half of the area.

"I feel that the people around us are not right; their gazes seem to carry hostility."

Nuwa silently transmitted the message to Xia Xingchen's Communication Channel via the internal communicator.

Xia Xingchen also noticed that the people here didn't seem to welcome them much.

The missionaries and Templar Knights were all vigilantly staring at them.

"Perhaps they've never seen outsiders with such peculiar attire before."

Xia Xingchen quietly replied to Nuwa through the communicator.

There was truth to this; in a world where most people wore coarse linen and only a few could afford robes, the sudden appearance of a group of outsiders dressed in unfamiliar fabrics and carrying strange equipment would naturally make the locals wary.

Xia Xingchen didn't wait long; soon, the Diocesan Bishop led his people to stand before him.

"Welcome, friends from afar."

"Your Grace, I have something I'd like to discuss with you privately."

After Xia Xingchen finished speaking, he looked at the Diocesan Bishop before him, feeling a strange sensation.

Why were his hands always tucked inside those wide sleeves?

Even though the Diocesan Bishop had been exchanging pleasantries with him, he never extended his hands from his sleeves.

Xia Xingchen instantly became suspicious, then actively extended his hand, wanting to shake hands with the Diocesan Bishop.

Unexpectedly, the Diocesan Bishop merely glanced at Xia Xingchen and made no further movement.

Saint Sabbat and Nuwa also sensed something was wrong. Something out of the ordinary must be sinister; the Diocesan Bishop seemed extremely unwilling to extend his hand.

Seeing this, the Confessor Priest quickly stepped forward, blocking the space between the Diocesan Bishop and Xia Xingchen, and said:

"His Grace has an old ailment in his hands, so he cannot shake hands with you all. We hope you will be understanding."

Upon hearing this, Xia Xingchen exchanged glances with Nuwa and Saint Sabbat. Distrust showed in all three of their eyes, but Xia Xingchen still decided to play along with these people.

The Diocesan Priest led Xia Xingchen towards the main hall.

"Everyone, please allow me to show you everything we have built for the God-Emperor."

Xia Xingchen, Saint Sabbat, and Nuwa followed behind the Diocesan Priest, while Xia Xingchen's escort team remained in the square.

The moment Xia Xingchen separated from his escort team, a subtle smile appeared on the faces of both the Confessor Priest and the Diocesan Priest.

They merely thought Xia Xingchen was too foolish, lacking even the slightest bit of vigilance.

Without the protection of his army, in their eyes, Xia Xingchen was like a tiger stripped of its claws and teeth, utterly insignificant.

Xia Xingchen was currently looking with great interest at the relief mural at the entrance of the main temple.

The figure in the mural had two wings, was clad in armor, held a sharp sword, and with the other hand, pointed towards the distant stars.

Xia Xingchen could guarantee one hundred percent that the Emperor had been here.

The reason was that in this mural, the figures of Astartes appeared behind the Emperor, and in the distant background, there were even more rectangular warships covered in cannon barrels.

But what was that pile at the very bottom of the mural?

Xia Xingchen focused his gaze on the content at the bottom of the mural: a group of creatures with insect-like bodies but human-like limbs, with two additional pseudopods on their abdomens compared to humans.

Are they Xenos?

They must be the Xenos that originally occupied this planet, eventually annihilated by the Emperor.

Under the sculptor's depiction, the Emperor's body occupied almost two-thirds of the entire painting. Anyone who came here would be awestruck by this magnificent scale.

Seeing this scene, Saint Sabbat immediately made an Aquila Salute gesture across her chest, silently reciting a prayer.

Nuwa, on the other hand, stared at the figures in the relief, continuously analyzing them with her Data Optical Implants.

As a staunch atheist, Nuwa was more concerned with the composition and logical consistency of the mural.

The missionaries on both sides, seeing the Diocesan Priest, the Confessor Priest, and their guests approaching, immediately pushed open the church doors.

The sunlight from behind poured into the entire church as the doors opened, illuminating the uppermost mural.

The Emperor in the mural held the Emperor's Sword, clad in Golden Armor, and beneath the sword were countless hellish demons, suffering endless torment in flames.

At the very top of the mural were white clouds, and above the clouds were humans living in peace and prosperity.

Xia Xingchen looked at this scene, and sadness involuntarily flickered in his eyes.

Easterners always possess a special kind of emotion; seeing the foundation of countless years ruined, that deep sense of powerlessness, as if history is forever etched as a regret in their hearts.

Ten thousand years of foundation, gone to waste.