After that, Paster publicly declared that the Sigmarian bishop was a follower of a dark god, had fallen into Chaos, and attempted to deceive everyone with honeyed words, then had him executed on the spot. At the same time, he announced that the mission would continue, and there would be a thorough purge of Chaos cultists within the army — which, to most soldiers, was more than enough assurance.
Following this, under the leadership of Duanmu Huai and the Witch Hunter's warbands, everyone pushed forward and successfully took both the city hall and the market square, barely securing a stronghold for the base camp. Perhaps due to how brutally they'd bombarded the area earlier, this time the operation went rather smoothly. Aside from a few brainless Skaven looking to cause trouble, all the other factions remained eerily quiet.
However, for Duanmu Huai, the real trouble was only just beginning.
"Can't believe this actually triggered…"
In his room, Duanmu Huai stared at the system interface before him and let out a helpless sigh.
[Divine Mission: "Sigmar's Radiance"]
[Objective: Reclaim Mordheim]
[Return this city to the glory of Sigmar and reveal His protection to the world!]
To this, Duanmu Huai had only one thing to say…
Ugh… what a pain.
For the people of this world, being chosen by a god was considered an immense honor. But for players like Duanmu Huai, who played as Inquisitors, divine missions were an absolute pain — mostly because they were long-winded, bloated, and the so-called gods always overstepped their bounds. Maybe the locals held these gods in reverence, but no player ever treated them as real deities worth worshipping.
Even in the most generous case, an Inquisitor pledged loyalty only to order — not any god. And if it were someone from the Ordo Hereticus, they wouldn't just refuse to serve — they'd bash these false gods' heads in for being heretical fakes.
Of course, divine missions weren't without rewards. Almost every divine mission came with unique feats and abilities, exclusive weapons or gear, and sometimes even follower NPCs.
That might be useful for other Inquisitor classes, but for a Soulwalker like Duanmu Huai, these kinds of rewards were borderline useless. He could dive into soul fragments and grab similar or better rewards in bulk. Just like the ones he'd received after finishing a quest in the Holy City — those weren't any worse than what divine missions offered.
So compared to these "long-winded old lady foot-washing cloth" kind of missions, Duanmu Huai much preferred the ones where it was just "I don't know who I am, I don't know where I am, all I know is I want to kill something."
Cut the nonsense. Just give me enemies to smash.
Still, the mission had been accepted. What else could he do?
There was one part that did catch his attention.
This mission didn't trigger the moment he arrived in Mordheim — it only activated after Sigmar's divine light had shone on him and blessed him.
Right now, both the Crown Prince and Sigmar seemed to share the same goal. Yet, the system had only recognized Sigmar's mission, completely ignoring the Crown Prince's...
Interesting…
But this worked just fine. Since you're giving me a quest, then it's only fair I help myself to a few of your holy relics as payment, right?
Don't mind if I do.
Duanmu Huai closed the system and left his room, heading toward the plaza.
After retaking the market square, the Empire Army had turned it into a temporary base. The square was surrounded by a ring of shops, with a statue standing tall in the center — likely commemorating some noble who'd founded the city. Right now, the soldiers were jogging laps around the square.
That wasn't unusual. What was unusual was the small figure in white robes leading the pack.
It was none other than Lorena.
She was jogging with her fists clenched, speed steady as she ran around the plaza. The soldiers trailing behind her were red-faced, sweating buckets... Honestly, seeing them reminded Duanmu Huai of those poor kids trailing in last during school marathon runs.
"Ah, Sir Knight!"
After running another lap, Lorena finally noticed Duanmu Huai, smiled brightly, and waved before jogging over. As she left, the soldiers collapsed like heaps of sludge, unable to move.
"A-a monster…"
"She's run a hundred laps already… is she even human?"
"I'm dying…"
Grumbles rose from the ranks behind her, but just then, a man who looked like a squad leader stepped forward.
"Pathetic! A bunch of grown men, outrun by a little girl! If you've got the energy to whine, you've got the energy to train more! Get up and keep running!"
"Aaaaaaagh!!!"
While the soldiers wailed and groaned, Lorena stopped before Duanmu Huai.
"You really don't look fazed at all."
Looking at Lorena, only slightly flushed and panting, then at the soldiers stumbling like zombies in the back, Duanmu Huai couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
"You sure this kind of training is okay?"
"Of course!" Lorena nodded firmly. "If we get hurt, it'll make the gods sad. That's why we need to train hard and keep our bodies healthy! And our effort — the gods will definitely see it!"
"Ah… yeah. Keep it up, then."
Duanmu Huai was briefly speechless at that logic. Still, he could more or less understand her reasoning. And compared to those who spent all day on their knees begging for divine grace, this mentality was honestly a lot healthier.
Assuming you could survive five hundred push-ups and punching drills every day.
"Oh, right! Sir Knight, Miss Melody was looking for you earlier. She said the Archbishop wants to speak with you about something important."
"Something important?"
Duanmu Huai blinked, then nodded.
"Alright. I'll go see."
After chatting briefly with Lorena, he returned to his room, told Augis — who was reading — not to let anyone disturb him, and then opened the gate back to the Holy City.
"Hah…"
He had to admit, it felt great being back here. Blue skies, white clouds, green grass, bustling streets, a clean and orderly city… It made him want to stay forever. As far as living conditions went, the Holy City beat the cursed, filthy, dark and oppressive Mordheim hands down.
"Ah, Sir Knight!"
"Good to see you again, Sir Knight!"
As Duanmu Huai walked through the streets, people no longer looked at him with fear. Instead, they greeted him warmly. After all, he had saved their city — and everyone here knew it. Even in his intimidating power armor, people were happy to wave and call out to him.
He nodded to the passersby and headed for the cathedral, where he met the Archbishop.
"I heard you wanted to see me?"
Duanmu Huai looked at the woman before him with curiosity.
"Yes, Sir Knight. There's something very important I'd like to discuss with you."
The woman before him had platinum blonde hair that cascaded like waves past her waist, dressed in a white, ceremonial dress. She was Archbishop Lelia of the Cathedral Church. Duanmu Huai wasn't too familiar with her — they'd only exchanged a few words after the last battle. She had struck him as stern, earnest, and devoted. But they had no deep ties, so he had no idea why she was seeking him out now.
"What's it about?"
"It's regarding the followers of the Mechanist Church."
Her expression darkened slightly… and Duanmu Huai could more or less understand why.
Having your own believers tricked by a demon wasn't exactly something you'd want on a PR brochure.
"We've completed a full investigation of the Mechanist believers. Most were merely misled by Evil, with only a handful having followed him onto the path of destruction. We've already thoroughly purified those few… may their souls find peace."
Duanmu Huai wanted to say my condolences, but considering the context, he held his tongue.
Then Lelia's next words took him completely by surprise.
"As for the remaining Mechanist believers… if possible, could I entrust them to you, Sir Knight?"
"...?"
Duanmu Huai was genuinely stunned.
"Why?"
"After Evil's scheme was exposed, these believers have fallen into complete confusion. If the path they devoted themselves to was nothing more than a devil's deception, they don't know how to go on. They sacrificed a great deal for that path, after all."
"Hmm… I get that."
Duanmu Huai nodded, recalling the mechanized followers he'd seen in the church — many had replaced their arms and legs with machine parts to follow their doctrine. That was quite the sacrifice. He'd even joked at the time that they might as well convert to the Omnissiah and become servitors.
Still…
"Why me?"
He really didn't get it. He wasn't close with the Mechanist Church.
"Because in their confusion… they saw you. And so they believe they've found a new path. That's why I'd like you to speak with their representative."
As she spoke, Lelia glanced at the power armor on Duanmu Huai's body.
Her meaning was obvious.
"Uhh… alright, I'll give it a shot."
Duanmu Huai could only sigh. At this point, he was basically the administrator of this world shard — of course he had to deal with internal issues like this.
Worst case… he'd just hand them over to become servitors.
(End of Chapter)