Warhammer: In the Name of Ashes

"The Tribunal..."

Cardinal Saratan, who is revered as the Supreme Administrator, said worriedly.

Ofelia No. 7 is the location of his diocese, and it is also the reason why he stands out among the powerful archbishops and cardinals.

As the second person in the local faction of the entire state religion, below the pope, there is no doubt about his dignity;

In fact, even the Archbishop of Terra, who is known as the subordinate of the Pope and the servant of all servants, would not speak as loudly as he does in the Storm Star Territory, which is the birthplace of the state religion and the headquarters of the state religion.

He is the leader of all cardinals in this star field, and he is also the only person in the state religion, other than the pope, who can ignore the authority of the "five-person acting bishops' council".

It is different from the respect that other functional departments have for the high lord, and also different from the cardinals’ own thoughts;

As a cardinal archbishop with an exclusive title, Saratan has reached the pinnacle of his personal political career in a sense.

Different from the secular perspective, in the eyes of the cardinals, the papal throne, which represents the end of divine power, is not a position that everyone is flocking to.

After all, that position is too sensitive. As the image spokesperson of the entire state religion, as the disseminator of the "Emperor's Holiness Theory" on the center stage of Terra.

Once you sit in that position, even if you are not a saint, you must still behave like a saint.

The power is already so high, who would embarrass themselves like that?

Perhaps people with fanatical beliefs would be willing to do this, but the irony is that as the head of a diocese, the cardinal is much more political than religious.

So that in the past ten centuries, fewer and fewer fanatics have emerged from the lower dioceses and sub-dioceses and finally reached the cardinal position;

On the contrary, the priests who were trained in various theological seminaries in Terra and other episcopal worlds and were proficient in government affairs gradually became the mainstream successors to the position of cardinal.

This is a sign of class solidification and a dangerous signal that state religion is becoming corrupt;

And this is precisely the reason why the battle nuns who originally broke away from the state religion are now farther and farther away from the organization where they were born;

Most of the various orders of the Battle Sisters now serve as the secret arms of the Inquisition.

Their hatred of heresy and corruption made them rely on their understanding of the state religion to become the helpers of the inquisitors who stared at the bishops.

How ironic this is, but how true it is.

Saratan's fear of Calvin also comes from this.

Already standing at the top of the empire's power, he did not have too much awe of Calvin's aura.

On the contrary, he was worried about Calvin.

A single Inquisition has stalled the great cause of the State Church to spread the light of divine power across the empire for thousands of years;

So what happens when three huge organizations that do their own thing under the name of the Inquisition truly merge into one?

How much power can it bring?

Others don’t know it, but from a non-governmental organization not officially recognized by the empire, it grew into a faith covering two-thirds of the empire’s population in two millennia, and then advanced to the Council of Terra, eventually becoming one of the nine permanent seats at the top of the state church. , how could he not know the power contained in it?

In particular, the jurisdiction and positioning of the Tribunal are so special. When these three religious orders that are not subordinate to each other are walking in the empire, other forces can still tolerate and acquiesce in them.

But when these three organizations with complementary but equally special powers begin to merge, the first person who will be unable to sit still is those in power like Saratan.

Terra's side is probably a mess at this time...

Saratan sneered maliciously in his heart, but worry about the direction of Orpheus still stubbornly occupied his brow.

Even though he was hundreds of millions of light years away, he could still feel the sting of that now illustrious power;

Those people in the direction of Terra must be on pins and needles at this time.

But what can be done?

After thousands of years of operation, the state religion here is no longer what it used to be. With a broad foundation, they not only control the local area, but even some powerful groups among the Astartes have unclear relationships with them.

And even these secret and powerful relationships now maintain an ambiguous silence about Calvin's existence.

They could even ignore the inquisition in Calvin that they hated, and refused to make any credible commitment to the state church.

This is definitely not the attitude these Sons of Dorne should have!

The power of the High Lord is limited to mortals and the weak!

He had never seen the awe of a mortal leader among these black-armored Astartes!

There must be something he doesn't know!

There must be something that these elusive Astartes wandering throughout the empire knew, but were unwilling to tell him.

This strange attitude made Saratan's inner alarm ring, and the black hand he originally wanted to extend to Orpheus finally gave up due to heavy concerns.

Sara was unwilling to admit it, but his reason allowed him to reserve the last leeway for his position.

This is the magic weapon that he relies on to stand out from the priests of countless secondary parishes. It is also the cornerstone of his ability to survive countless conspiracies against him and finally reach his current position.

Look again, look again... Saratan groaned inwardly.

Silence became the attitude shown by this giant who essentially controlled most of the Storm Star Territory in the Supreme Council of the Storm Star Territory.

And it was his delay in speaking that made several cardinals who followed him cautiously stop their long-arm intervention against Orpheus.

This meeting on strategic decisions on recent major events in the Storm Star Territory has been going on for a whole week.

Most of the proposals at the meeting have already been approved or rejected.

The representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Military Command in the Storm Star Territory had no expressions on their faces. They still maintained their reserve and grace, smiling and chatting happily with other participants.

But as time went by, the number of times they walked out of the venue more and more frequently, and the frequent flexing and stretching of their fingers under the table after returning, all showed that they had other plans but the progress was not going well.

The planned opposition has not appeared for a long time. As the promoters of the expected waves hiding in the shadows, they are now trapped in the embarrassment of having everything ready, but the protagonist is reluctant to appear.

What are they thinking?

What are they waiting for?

This was not just a question of confusion on the part of the two representatives;

Or the doubts of the Astra Militarum general and the chief of the Ministry of Internal Affairs on the planet Baka, which is the military capital on the other side of the Storm Star Territory;

It is even more confusing for the two high lords who control this place from far away in Terra.

The undercurrents and waves outside the venue are still stirring in the darkness beyond the sunlight;

But inside the venue, as the meeting came to an end, there were very few documents left on each representative’s seat...

Saratan withdrew his gaze from the bright window and penetrated from the middle level of the hive to the upper structure. The hymn that finally resounded through the sky was still loud and clear.

Even without going to watch it live, Saratan knows:

The huge pilgrim crowd that lasted for more than ten centuries was like a river with no end in sight.

It has been going on since the day Saratan became rector of Ophelia 7;

If nothing unexpected happens, he will continue until his withered body returns to the throne of the emperor.

The sacred praises and chants to the Emperor are the same sounds that have existed since ancient times, and will echo forever in this world that is most devoted to Him.

Life is short, but the emperor lives forever.

His soft chanting voice echoed in the venue. Although it was inappropriate, no one dared to ask.

He stretched out his pale and withered hand with a gem seal ring, gently picked up the documents on the desk and showed them to everyone.

Facing everyone's plain but concerned gazes, he read aloud:

"We will respond here to the recruitment of the Imperial High Lords Council representative, High Lord Inquisitor Calvin, to the Astra Militarum, the Navy, and the Forge World of Ryza in the Storm Sector.

If you agree with the document's deployment of 300 Astral Legion troops from nearby star regions and some ships of the star fleet, please raise your hands.

Please raise your hands if you agree with him issuing an edict to the Forge World of Ryza and activating the Legion of Dawn Agreement. "

After speaking, under the gaze of all the cardinals, he raised his free right hand first.

One update. Asking for votes.