Warhammer: Starting with Industrial Revolution

Luo Ning practically tumbled and crawled out of the room.

Although there are still five hours to prepare, for a remote and desolate planet, every minute and every second is a matter of life and death in the face of the arrival of the national religion's fleet. Time is already so tight that it is suffocating.

Without taking a breath, he rushed straight to the airport tarmac, boarded a transport boat, and headed straight for the Dome Base to pick up Victor and Father Moraes.

On the other side, Governor Karl was already in a panic, trembling like a leaf, his mind almost blank due to excessive tension.

Driven by the instinct for survival, he roared and summoned all the management of the Nest City.

For a marginal planet like Vatos VII, forgotten by the Empire, the arrival of the State Religion fleet in person is far more terrifying than the presence of an Inquisitor.

Just like the Mechanical Church's reward to Victor, when Victor was promoted to Forging Sage, he didn't even make a fuss, but simply quietly accepted the priests and friars sent by the Forging World.

But the national religion is different.

It is the largest and most fanatical core of faith in the human empire.

The upper echelons are filled with extreme believers. Even the slightest negligence during reception could lead to accusations of blaspheming the Emperor's heretical sanctuary and turning the entire planet into scorched earth.

The sirens blared at the Governor's Palace as everyone frantically prepared for the welcoming ceremony.

Red carpets covered Star Harbor Square, holy flags were planted on every watchtower, and the entire hive was shrouded in an atmosphere of extreme tension and piety.

After the chaotic and hurried preparations, time was running out.

Thankfully, everything is finally in place.

At the Central Star Harbor Plaza in Chaohu, everyone was lined up in neat rows.

Governor Karl, Ronin, Victor, and Father Moraes stood at the front of the procession, followed by fifty assistant monks who had graduated from the Faithful Academy, the children's choir of the Dome Base, and the elite guard of honor of the defense forces that Garan had urgently mobilized.

Everyone looked up.

The skyline was obscured by colossal ships that blotted out the sky. The armored hulls of the state religion's sanctified fleet were plated with pale gold holy symbols, and their engines spewed pale gold flames that symbolized purification. The imperial statues on the bows gleamed with a cold and holy light against the gray sky.

The massive sanctified transport ship slowly descended, the air currents swirling the edges of the red carpet. The entire square was silent, save for the melody of the imperial chant, which flowed slowly from the mouths of the monks, solemn and dignified.

Victor stood on the far left, his long robe embroidered with the holy symbol of the gear hanging down, the red light from his optical prosthetic eye calm and still.

The Mechanical Church and the State Church each performed their duties, and he remained unmoved, merely bowing in ceremonial greetings, showing no interest in this grand celebration of faith.

Father Moraes stood on the right, his aged body trembling slightly, his cloudy eyes blazing with fervent piety, his hands gripping the holy emblem on his chest tightly, almost choked with emotion.

Behind him stood fifty loyal academy assistant monks, led by Olga, dressed in neat monk robes, heads bowed as they recited hymns.

To the side were children from the dome base, their little hands holding hymn books, their voices clear and pure, like holy light descending to earth.

On both sides of the square, elite guards of honor stood at attention with rifles in hand, their armor gleaming, not daring to slacken in the slightest.

Finally, the hatch of the sanctified transport ship slowly descended.

The first to step forward were twenty battle nuns clad in finely crafted black armor.

His armor was covered with exorcising holy runes. He held a holy explosive gun and a power sword. His posture was as straight as a spear. The cold armor exuded a holy killing intent. When he stood on either side, he built an inviolable holy light barrier.

Following closely behind were eight papal guards.

They held high the gilded holy banner and carried the exorcising holy staff, their steps steady and solemn, each step in time with the rhythm of the hymns, the imperial image on the banner shining brightly under the lights.

That sacred and majestic aura swept across the entire area, as if the glory of an emperor had truly descended to the mortal world, illuminating the dark nest of this desolate borderland star.

Finally, surrounded by twelve white-robed chanting monks, the Sector Bishop's Plenipotentiary Envoy, High Priestess Serafina, carrying the Imperial Icon, slowly stepped out.

She wore a white robe adorned with holy silver patterns, a silver bishop's crown, and her face was as holy as an angel's, as if she were enveloped in a faint halo.

Without any deliberate display of authority, he caused everyone present to instinctively lower their heads, unable to even entertain the slightest thought of disrespect.

Even the most heinous sinner will have their soul cleansed by her pure holy light.

Governor Karl and Ronin stepped forward quickly and gave a standard imperial military salute;

Victor slowly bowed, performing the mechanical church ritual;

Father Moraes knelt down, prostrating himself in the most devout posture, and whispered the Imperial Prayer.

Serafina nodded slightly, handed the imperial statue to the monk beside her, and then took the gilded holy letter sealed with the seal of the Holy See, slowly unfolding it.

She cleared her throat and, in a solemn, resounding voice that echoed throughout the square, loudly proclaimed the imperial edict:

"Hereinafter granted the Diocese of Vatos VII, Brother Moras:"

You established a holy shrine in the midst of filth, founded a school of loyalty, spread the faith of the Emperor, brought the Holy Light into the abyss of despair, and redeemed the lost souls.

You have desecrated the legacy of the Iron Man, exorcised demons and sanctified it, sealed away all evil spirits, defended the foundation of human faith, and purged the remnants of heresy.

With dual merits, he brought glory to the emperor, his achievements to the frontier, and his reputation throughout the diocese!

You are hereby exceptionally promoted to diocesan bishop, overseeing all religious affairs within the diocese, and granted the episcopal title.

Twenty combat nuns, two exorcists, six assistant priests, and twelve novice monks were dispatched to assist in church affairs and guard the holy land.

This edict shall take effect immediately. May you uphold piety and let the divine radiance of the Emperor forever illuminate the borders of the Empire!

The words were powerful and resonant, like the booming of a sacred bell, echoing throughout the entire Starport.

Serafina put away the holy letter and personally helped Father Moraes, who was kneeling on the ground, to his feet.

Now, he should be respectfully addressed as Bishop Moraes.

She gently placed the bishop's crown, inlaid with holy silver, on his head and draped him in a bishop's robe embroidered with the holy cross.

In an instant, the onlookers, including the residents of Nest City, the guards, the monks, and the children, erupted in deafening cheers!

The cheers soared into the sky, as if they were about to overturn the steel dome of the city.

Bishop Moraes's appointment means that Vatos VII is no longer the wild and forgotten frontier of the Empire.

From this day forward, the Emperor's holy light will truly shine upon this land. Moraes and his church will be the embodiment of this holy light on this planet, and all evil and heresy will be completely purified.

Ronin and Governor Karl were already aware of all this.

A month earlier, the Sector Headquarters had already issued a promotion notice, but a warp storm disrupted interstellar communications. This crucial report was finally delivered to Ronin an hour before the Papacy's team arrived.

That's why we had that chaotic and rushed preparation just now.

Rhonin stood amidst the cheering crowd, looking at Morath in his bishop's robes, at the majestic and holy Serafina, and at the devout believers whose entire hive was boiling with excitement, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

A crisis that could have overturned a planet ultimately transformed into unparalleled glory.