Warhammer: Hail to the Void Lords!.

Chapter 1070, page 09.1069: 'Land of No Faith'

On the weathered outer walls of the Polaberian settlement, a few cloth family banners, which were once the best preserved possible and belonged to the Wadsław royal family, hang sparsely. They are red and white banners with a slender white double-headed eagle wearing a crown in the center.

This is clearly a silent, spontaneous, and faded nostalgia among the free people of Polaberia.

However, once you look beyond this low outer wall and at the much taller, more imposing inner wall, the scene is completely different.

Larger and more magnificent blue and white banners were lowered from above, with a golden, outstretched eagle wearing an imperial crown at the center of the banner. Its overwhelming power and bright color contrast completely crushed the last remaining feelings of nostalgia of the people of Polaberia.

These flags, with an extremely aggressive display, proudly proclaim to all who enter the inner city that this is now a colony of Sintira, and only the flag of Sintira's capital is qualified to fly high above this land.

Beneath these two banners, old and new, the long pilgrimage procession of the Order of St. Drusus, like a turbulent river, slowly made its way through the two walls that symbolized conquest and subjugation, toward the heart of Volshar.

The procession was exceptionally large. The Cardinal Archbishop of the Calicius Sector dispatched his most trusted representative—Bishop Jan Hus.

This man is no ordinary person. He is the younger brother of Rick Huss, the famous inquisitor of the Calesis Sector.

Unlike his brother, who was known as the "witch hunter" for his extreme methods of hunting psionicists and bloody purges, Bishop Jan Hus preferred to influence people's faith through words and doctrine.

When the French Revolution broke out, he was just a priest in a small parish.

But like Hieronymus Doloroso, he quickly gained a large number of loyal supporters through his simple love for people, his rescue of the wounded during the turmoil, his eloquent rhetoric, and his preaching based on the theology of the Holy Grail. He eventually replaced a bishop who had been driven to the guillotine by the common people.

As a bishop, his rank is slightly lower than that of a Monsignor in the papal hierarchy, but within the vast bureaucratic system of the human empire, he is still an invaluable figure, a devout believer chosen from among thousands.

Of course, within the human empire, this boils down to two situations—either being sufficiently devout to the human lord on the golden throne, or being sufficiently devout to the evil god as a lurking cultist.

Horatio recalled that at the recent military conference, the representative of the Ministry of the Interior had indeed thoroughly angered Cardinal Hieronymus Doloros, the voice of the Archbishop.

The Monsignor also made it clear that he would return to the Cardinal Archbishop and convey the Interior Ministry’s “kind advice” “exactly”.

It now appears that the State Church is acting much faster than Horatio had imagined.

Perhaps this is also related to their previous high-profile mention in the news of forming a "jihadist army".

Horatio simply did not believe that the high command of the State Church would go to such lengths to form a holy army just because a non-saint was assassinated.

Unless, of course, they have deeper, more specific goals or considerations for action.

This is likely a smokescreen, the perfect illusion created by the times, to conceal the true considerations of the Drususian Order.

This consideration may be aimed at planets like Polaberia, which are close to the cardinals of the sector but lack sufficient control over them.

“Madam, we will not allow a mass famine to occur in Polaberia.”

Horatio stood up from his seat, his tall figure casting a reassuring shadow over the small fenced courtyard.

He first made a promise to Mrs. Bocaci, then turned to Jadwiga and said, “Jadwiga, let’s go see the state church’s missionary pilgrimage group.”

“Please take care, Mrs. Pocaccia.” Jadvig’s eyes also rekindled with fighting spirit. “We will not allow anyone to run rampant on this precious land.” She immediately left money on the table that far exceeded the cost of the meal, exchanged a few more pleasantries with the tearful woman, and then signaled the guards to follow Horatio.

The inner city of Walshar is the most bustling area of ​​the entire capital. It not only boasts the heavily guarded Governor's residence, but also many other magnificent and breathtaking buildings, including the cathedral before us.

According to Yadwiga, what they are standing on right now is not mud.

Instead, it was the steel skeleton structure of the first Terran colony ship to arrive on this planet, which was cut and recast after its crash.

The entire city is like a towering tree that has grown vigorously from the bones and blood of an ancient giant, magnificent and grand.

It is said that from the ruins of the Knights' Court at the very top of this city, one can see the most magnificent scenery in Polaberia—a view that stretches for tens of thousands of kilometers, all the way to the southern coastline.

The procession's final destination was the "Dragon-Slaying Paladin" Cathedral in Volshar.

This church once hosted the coronation and investiture ceremonies of the Wadsław royal family. It has received ambassadors from the Ministry of the Interior from the Holy Terra, forging generals from the Mechanic Order of Mars, and even the legendary "Sun Lord" Makarius himself.

This great and powerful warlord once assembled his troops here and sought the support of many imperial knightly families for that great expedition. Afterward, he set off for Minerva, an important warehouse world on the Whirlwind Line.

Legend has it that the Wadsław royal family's ancestral tombs lie beneath this church.

The tomb contains countless riches and the most precious legacy of the royal family.

But to this day, no one can guarantee the truth of this rumor. Even Yadwiga, the last heir, doesn't know what lies in that forbidden underground place.

Because of this legend, after colonization, this place was firmly controlled by the colonial nobles of Sintira.

Even so, in the past thirty-five years, there has never been a rumor of any nobleman becoming rich overnight by discovering the legacy of the Wadsław royal family.

This undoubtedly adds another layer of mystery to the secrets within that tomb.

Over time, the nobles who contracted this historical building, in order to make up for their "loss" of not finding the treasure, came up with new ways to make money.

Despite being a sacred religious site, it has been taken over by nobles through commercial contracts, and anyone who comes here to perform sacred rites must pay exorbitant fees.

This place has been completely transformed into a pathetic "tourist attraction" that requires payment to enter, devoid of any religious beliefs. It even uses the gimmick of being the place where the knights of Polaberia swore their oaths to trick pilgrims and Polaberians who want to remember history into handing over their gold coins.

It's no wonder that Bishop Hironimus Doloroso would so rudely criticize the nobles and priests of Polaberia as 'utterly devoid of faith' at a military conference of that caliber.

Horatio, with his guards and Jadviga, and protected by Valina and others, squeezed through the outer crowd of fanatical and devout people.

A fierce argument and protest were erupting in front of the church's massive doors.

A group of private soldiers, dressed in magnificent uniforms even more dazzling than Bishop Jan Hus's bishop's robes and bearing the insignia of a contracted nobleman, stood indifferently at the church entrance, holding laser rifles with bayonets, demanding that Bishop Jan Hus of St. Drusus pay an exorbitant "site contracting fee" for the sacrament of Holy Orders that he was about to hold in the church.

The pilgrims were outraged by this offensive act, with zealots condemning the Sintira nobles for being blinded by money and utterly devoid of conscience.

Bishop Jan Huss stood before his private soldiers and the nobles who tried to stop him. Though thin and frail, he stared into their eyes without emotion, his sharp gaze seemingly able to pierce the fire of their souls.

Horatio watched the young but high-ranking bishop, wondering how he planned to handle such a difficult situation.

(End of this chapter)