Airship

"Greetings, Governor Chen Xi!" A priest in white vestments gave Chen Xi the Aquila Salute before introducing himself. "I am Deacon Pavel Osipovich of the Mariupol Sector Ecclesiarchy branch. By order of the Sector Archbishop, I have come to verify the matter of the Blessed Wine. Governor, you may simply call me Pavel."

"Greetings, Deacon Pavel. On behalf of all Imperial citizens and devout followers of the Emperor on Rostov II, I welcome your arrival." Chen Xi politely returned the Aquila Salute before offering the customary welcome.

As both an Inquisition priest and a Planetary Governor, he needed to demonstrate piety toward the Ecclesiarchy, but there was no need to be excessively enthusiastic.

Besides, Chen Xi saw no reason to be overly welcoming toward the man before him. Even if he was a deacon, ordinary hospitality would suffice.

Pavel seemed to show no reaction to Chen Xi's attitude. He merely nodded politely once more, then followed Rachel and Chen Xi aboard the orbital elevator.

The elevator swiftly descended. Chen Xi gestured for Rachel to inform Deacon Pavel that a welcoming banquet had been prepared and invited him to attend.

However, Pavel said, "No, no, no, Governor! I have come to this planet for only one reason: to verify the authenticity of the Blessed Wine. Nothing else matters!

"We are merely servants of the God-Emperor. Feasting and pleasure only breed thoughts of corruption!

"While I understand that ordinary people require some entertainment to fill the emptiness in their hearts, as servants of the God-Emperor, we should serve him wholeheartedly rather than focus on personal enjoyment."

Hearing this, Chen Xi neither agreed nor disagreed. He did not think much of it, merely nodding and having Rachel alter the upcoming itinerary.

Since the deacon felt that inspecting the grapes came first, Chen Xi naturally would not stop him.

Rachel had already prepared every aspect of the reception before the deacon's arrival. Contingency plans had long been made, so there would be no problems.

Since they were receiving a high-ranking Ecclesiarchy cleric, they obviously could not prepare something like a Chimera APC as transportation. Although the Imperium was martial enough that doing so would not have been much of an issue, Rachel had still earnestly prepared an airship that could serve as transport and even as a parade float.

To be honest, Chen Xi had been rather surprised when Rachel brought the thing out.

It was truly incredible that a colonial world with less than a century of development possessed something like this.

After all, such a thing would not normally appear on an ordinary Imperial World. It had no armament to speak of. Though it could indeed mount Void Shields and even large-caliber artillery on the level of a Basilisk, it was generally unarmed and used only as a parade float or similar vehicle.

Of course, it still had basic defensive armaments. Wiping out one or two Hive City gangs would be as easy as playing around.

After all, while its length of over two hundred meters was nothing compared to a voidship, it was still highly intimidating when placed on a planetary surface.

Even the well-traveled deacon revealed a look of surprise at such an airship, for he had learned about Rostov II and Chen Xi before coming here.

He had originally assumed that everything on a colonial planet like Rostov II, settled for less than a century, would be crude and simple. Now, however, it seemed that this planet had developed rather well.

This undoubtedly improved the deacon's mood considerably. After boarding the airship, he not only took the initiative to converse with Chen Xi, but the atmosphere between them also grew somewhat friendlier.

"Lord Chen Xi, please do not think me difficult to approach." In the airship's lounge, Deacon Pavel reclined against a soft sofa and spoke to Chen Xi in a somewhat more familiar tone. "As the overseer responsible for managing the operations of the Creed Temporal—the Church's financial and logistical organization—on behalf of the Cardinal Archbishop, I often have no choice but to appear distant in order to avoid unnecessary trouble.

"But that absolutely does not mean I am hard to approach. Once people get to know me, my friends all say that I am very easy to get along with."

At this point, Deacon Pavel seemed to want to draw closer to him, so he deliberately made a small joke. "Of course, provided the other party is not a heretic."

Chen Xi replied, "You should add one more condition: not an alien."

"No, no, Inquisitor. You and I both know that as long as they are willing to believe in the Emperor and pay Tithes to the Imperium, even aliens can be friends, can they not?" Deacon Pavel truly was not as difficult to get along with as he claimed. He could even make jokes with heretical implications.

What he said was true, though. Standard aliens such as Felids and Mantis Warriors could become legally recognized abhumans of the Imperium. Making friends with aliens was not actually an especially serious problem.

(Illegal mutant ratmen. Shoot them on sight.)

(Ape-men with rather poor brains.)

(Beastmen, now illegal. They believe in the Emperor.)

(Felids, to the delight of furry enthusiasts.)

(Crocodile-men in the sewers.)

For example, Guilliman's Aeldari wife.jpg

"Deacon, I am an Inquisitor of The Inquisition." Chen Xi did not comment on Pavel's words, merely reminding him that he was, at the very least, an Inquisitor of The Inquisition.

"Yes, yes! Let us skip this somewhat dangerous topic and discuss the Blessed Wine instead!" Pavel also seemed to realize that discussing such matters before an Inquisitor was somewhat inappropriate, even if that Inquisitor was currently a Planetary Governor.

So he swiftly changed the subject and asked Chen Xi, "Lord Chen Xi, how did you brew the Blessed Wine? I heard that both the grape seedlings and the brewing method were provided by you. During the process, Magos Ovilia merely provided related services, while the sisters of the Order of the Sacred Rose simply acted according to your orders.

"The Ecclesiarchy conducted a detailed investigation. There was nothing particularly unusual involved, so how exactly did you accomplish it? Was it truly the Emperor's favor?"

"I fear even I find that difficult to explain. I can only say that I obtained the grape seedlings and brewing method during an adventure. They had both been placed within a Stasis Field at the time. I do not know how many years they had existed, nor who had placed them in the Stasis Field." Chen Xi decided to obscure the origins of the grapes and the brewing method. With Big E backing him, he was not worried about being suspected of heresy.

(Illegal Imperial mutants. They should all be executed on sight.)