Airship

"Planetary Governor Chen Xi, greetings!" A priest clad in white robes gave Chen Xi the Aquila Salute before introducing himself, "I am Pavel Osipovich, Archdeacon of the Adeptus Ministorum's Mariupol Sector branch. I've come at the behest of the Sector's Cardinal Archbishop to verify the matter of the Blessed Wine. You may call me Pavel, Planetary Governor."

"Greetings, Archdeacon Pavel. On behalf of all the Imperial citizens of Rostov II and the Emperor's devout followers, I welcome you." Chen Xi politely returned the Aquila Salute, offering a formal welcome.

His position as both an Inquisitorial priest and Planetary Governor required him to show piety to the Adeptus Ministorum, but not excessive zeal.

And in Chen Xi's opinion, there was no real need to be overly enthusiastic with the man before him; even as an Archdeacon, normal hospitality would suffice.

The other man didn't seem to show any emotion at Chen Xi's attitude, only nodding politely in return before following Rachel and Chen Xi onto the orbital elevator.

The elevator descended quickly, and Chen Xi instructed Rachel to inform Archdeacon Pavel that a welcoming banquet had been prepared and to invite him to attend.

However, Pavel replied, "No, no, Planetary Governor! I have come to this world for only one thing: to verify the authenticity of the Blessed Wine. Nothing else matters!

We are merely servants of the God-Emperor. Feasting and revelry only lead to the breeding of corrupt thoughts!

While I understand that ordinary people need some entertainment to fill the emptiness in their spirits, as servants of the God-Emperor, we should serve Him wholeheartedly, not focus on personal enjoyment."

Hearing Pavel's words, Chen Xi remained noncommittal and didn't think anything of it, simply nodding to Rachel to modify the itinerary.

Since the Archdeacon felt that seeing the grapes first was important, Chen Xi naturally wouldn't stop him.

Rachel had already made various preparations for the reception before the Archdeacon's arrival, and the contingency plans had been prepared long ago, so there wouldn't be any problems.

Since they were receiving a high-ranking Adeptus Ministorum cleric, it was of course impossible to prepare a Chimera APC or similar vehicle as transport. Although the Imperium was full of martial spirit and doing so wouldn't be a big deal, Rachel had still carefully prepared a hovercraft that could be used as transportation or even a parade float.

To be honest, Chen Xi was a little surprised when Rachel pulled this thing out.

It was somewhat unbelievable that a colony world with less than a hundred years of development would have this thing.

After all, this kind of thing wouldn't normally appear on ordinary Imperial Worlds. It didn't have any armaments, although it could indeed carry a Void Shield or even a large-caliber cannon of the Basilisk class, but usually these things were unarmed and only used as parade floats or similar vehicles.

Of course, it had basic self-defense armaments; wiping out a Hive City gang or two was as easy as playing a game.

After all, a length of over two hundred meters was nothing compared to a voidship, but this thing still had a lot of deterrent power if placed on the planetary surface.

Even the well-traveled Archdeacon revealed a look of surprise at such a hovercraft, after all, he had learned about Rostov II and Chen Xi's situation before coming.

Originally, he thought that everything on a colony world like Rostov II, which had been developed for less than a hundred years, would be very simple, but now it seemed that the planet was developing quite well.

This undoubtedly made the Archdeacon's mood much better. After boarding the hovercraft, he not only took the initiative to chat with Chen Xi, but the atmosphere of their conversation also became a little more intimate.

"Planetary Governor Chen Xi, please don't think I'm a difficult person to get along with." In the lounge inside the hovercraft, Archdeacon Pavel leaned back on the soft sofa and said to Chen Xi in a slightly more intimate tone, "As the supervisor in charge of the operation of the Creed Temporal (that is, the financial logistics organization of the church) for the Cardinal Archbishop, I often have to show an attitude that keeps people at a distance in order to avoid unnecessary trouble.

But this does not mean that I am a difficult person to approach. As long as they are familiar with me, my friends all say that I am a very easy person to deal with."

Speaking of this, Archdeacon Pavel seemed to want to improve their relationship and even made a small joke: "Of course, provided the other party is not a Heretic."

To this, Chen Xi replied, "And also not an Aeldari."

"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 Aeldari can be friends, can't they?" Archdeacon Pavel was indeed not a difficult person to deal with, as he said, and could even make small jokes with a hint of heresy.

But what he said was also true. After all, standard Aeldari such as Felids and Mantis Warriors can become legitimate abhumans certified by the Imperium. Making friends with Aeldari is not a particularly serious problem.

(Ratlings with not-so-clean hands)

(Ogryns with not-so-good brains)

(Beastmen, who are now illegal; they believe in the Emperor)

(Felids, a furry's delight)

(Crocodiles in the sewers)

For example, Guilliman's Aeldari consort .jpg

"Archdeacon, I am an Inquisitor of the Inquisition." Chen Xi did not comment on Pavel's remarks, but reminded him that he was at least an Inquisitor of the Inquisition.

"Yes, yes! Let's skip this somewhat dangerous topic and talk about the Blessed Wine!" Pavel seemed to realize that it was somewhat inappropriate to talk about this in front of an Inquisitor, even if the other party was now a Planetary Governor.

So he quickly changed the subject and asked Chen Xi, "Planetary Governor Chen Xi, how did you brew the Blessed Wine? I heard that you provided everything from the seedlings to the brewing method. Magos Ovilia only provided related services for you, and the sisters of the Order of the Sacred Rose only acted on your orders.

The Adeptus Ministorum has investigated in detail, and there is nothing special about it. How did you do it? Is it really the Emperor's favor?"

"I'm afraid even I would find it difficult to explain this. I can only say that I obtained the grape seedlings and brewing method during an adventure. They were originally placed in a Stasis Field, and I don't know how many years they have been there or who placed them in the Stasis Field." Chen Xi decided to obscure the source of the grapes and the brewing method. Anyway, with Big E's endorsement, he wasn't worried about being suspected of heresy.

(Illegal Imperial mutants, these are the ones that will be shot on sight)