Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 127 Chen Xi's Request

"What should we do?" The old bishop did not ask Chen Xi why he didn't have time. He knew clearly that there were some things he should not know.

Rather than worrying about how much time is left, think carefully about what you can do.

The old bishop did not dare to say what the State Religion could do. After all, the State Religion itself was a loose organization with many factions. Although the Pope was nominally the supreme leader of the State Religion and the representative of the Council of High Lords, for the State Religion, the Pope could not command everyone.

Therefore, the old bishop could only guarantee how much help he could provide to Chen Xi, but he could not guarantee anything at the level of the entire state religion.

After all, he is ultimately just a planetary bishop.

"My plan is to complete the development of the Rostov sub-sector before 999.M41, at least to be able to resist the invasion of the Chaos enemy." Chen Xi revealed some information to the old bishop, but did not tell him everything.

There are some things that not everyone is qualified to know, and many things will be known to others once they are spoken out, so it is safer to keep the secret to yourself.

"I understand. I will write to the Ecclesiarchy headquarters in the star region to inform them of Saint Celestine's arrival and strive to establish Rostov II as a new holy place. I will also apply for the expansion of the church." The old bishop informed Chen Xi of his upcoming plans. "The Ecclesiarchy is investing a huge amount of materials and money in this planet, and there will also be a large number of pilgrims coming. You can take advantage of all of this."

Although the old bishop did not change his plan much, his attitude had obviously changed.

Previously, he had intended to use this to forcibly transform Rostov II into a shrine world, using a large number of pilgrims to create a fait accompli.

But now, although he will still do these things, the massive amount of funds and manpower and material resources invested by the national religion can all help Chen Xi to develop the sub-star zone.

As for the inquiries from the Star District State Religion Headquarters or the Holy Terra State Religion Headquarters, it was not difficult for the old bishop to deal with them. After all, his mission was to preach, not to build churches.

Cooperating with Chen Xi to develop the sub-star region can also be interpreted as spreading the belief in the Emperor to the entire sub-star region, which is even a merit for the state religion.

Moreover, the old bishop was already very old, and he didn't even think he would have the chance to see Chen Xi complete his plan, so he didn't care about the consequences of doing so.

Even if the state religion wants to hold someone accountable, he has to be alive. As for his posthumous reputation?

For a believer in the state religion, only the great and holy Majesty can judge his merits and demerits, and as long as His Majesty thinks he is loyal, that is enough.

"The church can continue to be built, but the structure needs some adjustments. It will become a fortress." Chen Xi did not hesitate to put forward his request to the old bishop.

This was a reasonable request. After all, the old bishop had previously planned to build a magnificent church that could reach the Karman Line directly. Such a huge building would be very vulnerable without sufficient defense.

Furthermore, unlike churches in the 3K era, cathedrals in the 40K era required ion reactors for power, large-scale water purification equipment, city-level void shields, and battleship-level defensive weaponry. The old bishop had never neglected the church's defenses since he first established it on this planet, and the same was true now.

"City-level void shields, macrocannons, and ion reactors—I think you'll need these." The old bishop nodded, offering a hint of goodwill. "During the church's construction, I'll purchase more equipment. These can be used to expand and reinforce Rostov."

City-level equipment is incredibly expensive. If you are not a wealthy person like the state religion, you really can't say that you can buy this level of equipment in bulk.

But for Chen Xi, these are indeed what he needs.

"That's perfect, but I'd rather the State Church organize several pioneering immigrant groups to cooperate with my plan to develop the sub-sector." Chen Xi also put forward his own request, hoping that the old bishop would cooperate. "I'm pressed for time and don't have the time to slowly develop. The purpose of operating Rostov II is to use it as a springboard and transit point, attracting more pilgrims and pioneers. Then, they can form immigrant groups to travel to the various planets in the sub-sector and develop these planets into new imperial worlds."

"What are your requirements for these pilgrims and pioneers?" The old bishop did not think that Chen Xi simply wanted to open up a new imperial world.

"Unwavering faith and sufficient military power. 999.M41 is a critical juncture. Darkness and catastrophe will engulf the entire empire, making warp travel extremely dangerous. Therefore, these newly discovered worlds must possess the ability to protect themselves." Chen Xi considered this for a moment, then lowered the bar slightly: "At the very least, they must be able to hold out until reinforcements arrive after an attack."

Although Chen Xi will do everything possible to expand the military and prepare for war in the next thirty years, the size of the army that can be mobilized in thirty years is still limited. By then, he may not have the spare capacity to rescue other places, but at least he has to defend his own territory.

"Although the state religion is not allowed to possess armed forces, no one will prevent pilgrims from carrying some self-defense weapons." The old bishop's words were a little obscure, but Chen Xi understood what he meant.

It was still the fault of Gorgon Vandir. After the Age of Apostasy, in order to prevent Gorgon Vandir's misdeeds from happening again, the Council of High Lords deprived the State Church of the power to possess armed forces, retaining only the existence of the Sisters of Battle.

But the Sisters of Battle are more of a supervisor of the State Church than a subordinate of the State Church.

Therefore, the state religion itself cannot have armed forces. Although the state religion has made various efforts and attempts in the following eight thousand years, in the end they can only rely on launching holy wars to arm believers, or deploy a few crusaders around important figures. This is the limit.

However, the combat effectiveness of the jihad army mobilized in this way depends entirely on how the people who control it train and arrange it.

During the siege of Vraks, the fallen cultists were initially just a group of believers who were called upon to fight a jihad.

"At that time, I can arrange some combat nuns to accompany each pioneering group. However, to do so, I need the state religion to provide me with more nuns." Combat nuns are not only high-end combat forces, but can also act as commanders of armed forces when necessary. At such times, they are even more useful than Space Marines.

The old bishop nodded and said affirmatively, "I will report your request to the Sector Ecclesiarchy and Holy Terra Headquarters."

(End of this chapter)