Warhammer: Empire Reboot

"The Imperial Battle Sisters will obey your command; wherever your sword points, that will be our battle direction."

"Anyone who obstructs the Emperor's will, whether dressed in the cloak of nobility, the robes of a bureaucrat, or the garments of a priest, should not hide behind faith."

"The Battle Sisters will carry out your orders."

"In the name of the Emperor!!!"

The faces of the archbishops who had just stepped forward from the seat of the state church changed instantly.

They can accuse administrative officials of not understanding faith.

It can be said that the seal-holder's office interferes with the church.

They could even incite lower-ranking clergy to create pressure.

But after Morven Waal stepped forward, it became difficult to continue this line of reasoning.

She is the Supreme Commander of the Battle Sisters and one of the most symbolic figures in the state religion's armed forces.

She was also the most steadfast warrior of the Emperor's faith!

If even she believes that Lawson's reforms align with the Emperor's will, then those archbishops continuing to lean towards heresy would be tantamount to putting themselves in the line of fire of the Battle Sisters.

The Battle Sisters' support didn't surprise Lawson.

He had already read about Morven Waal and knew something about her.

This is a very pure fighting nun leader.

She was always on the front lines, leading by example and fighting valiantly.

While many state religious leaders have turned faith into power and an industry, Morven Wahl still treats faith as a sword and fire.

Lawson looked at Morven Vale kneeling in front of him.

For a pure warrior like Morven Val, the Emperor's approval is the highest decree.

Moven Val did not receive instructions from Lawson.

But she took the initiative to stand up, and this loyalty deserves a reward.

"Moven Ware".

Lawson spoke up: "You have fought for the Empire for many years, and your loyalty is commendable. If the Empire still needs you to continue fighting, are you willing?"

Moven Waal did not hesitate at all.

"I am willing, as long as the emperor still needs me to wield his sword, as long as humanity still has enemies."

Lawson walked up to her and gently placed the Emperor's Sword on her shoulder armor.

"Then, this is the glory the Emperor bestows upon you."

The next moment, intense golden light surged from the sword's edge into Morven Val's body.

Her body jolted violently.

One by one, the holy symbols on the armor lit up.

Her old wounds began to heal.

The hidden wounds left by the long war, the burn marks of psionic energy, the nerve fatigue, and the organ deterioration were all repaired in the golden light.

Moven Waal closed his eyes.

She could feel a certain power igniting within her.

That was the golden flame she had believed in all her life.

Pure! Intense!

A golden outline gradually appeared in the air behind her, slowly solidifying.

Then, a pair of wings formed from light slowly unfolded.

The holographic system above the main council hall flickered briefly due to the influence of psionic fluctuations.

All eyes were on Morven Val.

miracle!

They witnessed the birth of a living saint!

The Supreme Commander of the Battle Sisters was elevated to a living saint by Lawson with the Emperor's Sword before the entire council!

Even Guilliman and Lane had a hint of approval in their eyes. It had to be Lawson; this move was simply a stroke of genius.

This move was a crushing defeat for the entire national religion.

At that moment, many people in the state church seats knelt down.

They were truly breached.

Living saints are the most unavoidable and highest-level miracles of the state religion.

When Morven Vale unfurled his golden wings, all accusations of heresy became the most ridiculous ramblings.

The archbishop, who had almost uttered "heretic," trembled slightly before forcefully closing his lips.

Then, he knelt down hard on his knees.

That almost caused a huge disaster!

If anyone dares to accuse the one who bestows the seal of a living saint upon the two Primarchs and the entire Imperial High Command of the Empire of being a heretic.

If you really told me, the person in charge of the seal probably wouldn't even need to lift a finger.

Those fanatical fighting nuns could just rush over, drag him out, and tie him to the stake.

Looking at the Archbishop of the State Church and the other clergy, who were bowing their heads like quails.

Lawson smiled slightly: "Now, who still opposes reform?"

Utter silence!

P.S.: Sorry guys, I went on a business trip to the next city today and only managed to update 6,000 words. I'll have to do another day tomorrow, probably another 6,000 words. Just letting you know in advance.

Chapter 295 The Choice of Mechanicus

On the first day after the decree on the reform of the national religion was issued, all dioceses in the five star regions received the same order.

Declare assets, declare industries, and declare armed forces.

All churches, monasteries, relief centers, Sisters of the Battle's residences, and regular religious institutions will continue to operate as before.

Ordinary clergy and lower-ranking priests will continue to work normally and will be fine.

Those truly affected are the high-ranking parishes that, while cloaked in clerical robes, have long since become commercial aristocrats.

Pope Eos Ritterilla personally signed the order to cooperate and required all dioceses to open their archives within a specified time.

This order caused many cardinals to feel their hearts bleed.

They can secretly curse the Pope as a coward, so why don't they dare to fight against Rosen?

But they themselves dare not openly say that Lawson interfered with the imperial faith.

As a result, the auditors from the Seal Keeper's Office entered the state religion's businesses.

The first batch of assets identified were only a portion of those in Terra and the core parishes of the Sun Sector.

Gold, silver, jewelry, reliquary containers, and ancient artworks filled several underground vaults.

These are just the most easily visible things.

Even more astonishing are the land deeds, Star Harbor revenue rights, pilgrimage hostel equity, transportation company shares, financial instruments, mining profit sharing, agricultural world support agreements, and a large number of properties under the State Church held by affiliated families.

Some parishes have ledgers so thick they resemble a small archive tower.

As you turn the pages, all you see is money.

The administrative hierarchy of the Seal Keeper's Office quickly produced its first estimate.

The illegally operated assets that have been confirmed to be confiscable are enough to build thousands of large capital ships and tens of thousands of escort vessels.

If not used for shipbuilding, but instead deployed to the Astronautical Army, it could sustain hundreds of thousands of standard legions in combat for a century.

If used for the initial preparations for an expedition, it could even be sufficient to support the initial mobilization for three star-scale wars.

Looking at the data, Guilliman was filled with emotion: "The state religion is truly as rich as a country."

A significant amount of money also came from imperial allocations that were intended for relief, church maintenance, and support for the front lines.

After passing through multiple layers of ownership, it became the private palaces, private fleets, private estates, and private armies of certain archbishops.

One of the parish palaces in the upper district of Terra was found to have twenty-seven separate banquet halls, twelve private chapels, and three sky gardens reserved for the cardinals alone.

The Lower Nest Relief Station, under the same parish, has been unable to receive sufficient medicine for thirty consecutive years.

The official reason given was a shortage of funds.

The money had already been transferred to the "Relic Maintenance Fund" halfway through.

The so-called Relics Preservation Fund eventually purchased a batch of alien hides from remote star sectors to pave the floor of the bishop's private prayer room.

After reviewing the case file, Andrei wrote: "Embezzlement of relief funds, handed over to the judiciary, assets confiscated."

That same day, the bishop was taken away, his accounts were frozen, and his properties were confiscated.

These archbishops were naturally heartbroken.

But by this point, feeling sorry for someone is no longer the top priority.

They have even more troublesome things to deal with.

In the past, when people committed crimes, the state religion could protect them. As long as they claimed it was a matter of faith, the Executive Yuan, the Ministry of Justice, and local governments would back down.

Terra has changed.

Matters that were previously overlooked within the state religion are now entering the imperial judicial system.

As a result, many cardinals began to protect themselves.

Someone wrote to the Pope overnight, claiming that they had never been involved in the management of the pilgrimage industry and had been misled by the local diocese.

Some people even openly support the reforms, including adding colleagues they drank with the day before to their whistleblower lists.