Cold, and shaking.
Lucia opened her eyes.
She looked around slowly, dazed. The signs before her suggested she was no longer in her cabin aboard the Endurance-class light cruiser.
Who am I?
A thought naturally surfaced in Lucia's mind.
I am the Emperor's Living Saint, exercising the power of judgment on behalf of Him who sits upon the Golden Throne. I follow His Contractor to bring restoration to this decaying Imperium of Man.
Where am I?
The second thought followed immediately.
Lucia froze, carefully scanning her surroundings. Then, she gasped in extreme shock, her pupils shrinking violently.
Corpses.
A sea of blood and a mountain of bodies stretched as far as the eye could see. Blood dripped, gathering into crimson lakes. The remains were piled haphazardly, but they all shared the exact same face. Their fatal wounds varied, yet their eyes all stared blankly at the sky.
Having hailed from the Order of Our Martyred Lady, Lucia recognized that face instantly.
It was the pride of the Battle Sisters, the most famous Living Saint—Saint Celestine herself!
What is happening?
"Welcome here, my sister."
An ethereal voice drifted down from atop the mountain of bodies.
Lucia looked up. A Living Saint, possessing wings just like hers, clad in gilded armor and robes radiating infinite holy light, slowly drifted down to land before her.
"Greetings, Saint Celestine—"
At this moment, Lucia, who was brave and fearless when facing heretics on the battlefield, appeared somewhat constrained, even at a loss. Even though she had also become a Living Saint, facing Saint Celestine—whom she had worshipped since before becoming a Battle Sister—made her feel like a bewildered little girl again.
Have I truly done well enough?Am I worthy of this honor?What will Saint Celestine think of me, a newcomer?
A warm embrace interrupted Lucia's chaotic thoughts. Saint Celestine spread her wings, enveloping her. Their cheeks pressed together as they held each other tight.
——Lucia's conviction is being tested——
Fearless!
This unexpected gesture dispelled the confusion and vacancy in Lucia's heart, turning her back into the crisp, decisive warrior she was on the battlefield.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"You are welcome. May the Emperor's light shine upon us both," Saint Celestine smiled. "Next, you cannot rest yet. There are many tasks left to complete."
Lucia asked, "I understand. What is the next mission?"
"Battle. Endless battle. I will move with you. We shall head to the various dangerous warzones across the galaxy. You will slay heretics there, and the subjects of the Emperor shall sing your holy name."
Without any concealment, Saint Celestine took Lucia's hand. A path of brilliant light appeared in the middle of the sea of blood. The corpses touched by the light closed their eyes with a smile.
"You need to use practical action and sacrifice to make others believe in your purity, rather than having them hold doubts or even turn their blades against you."
Celestine shook her head, seemingly recalling some unpleasant memories.
"The Emperor's Contractor whom you serve... his future actions might also gain significant convenience due to the holy prestige you possess."
Meanwhile, on the other end.
Inside the corridors of the light cruiser.
Adam led Sybilla and Leonardo in a swift walk toward their destination—the laboratory. Suddenly, he paused slightly, tilting his head as if listening to something.
Oh, so that's how it is.
Adam soon understood the reason.
Is the Emperor being 'humanized' again? Trying to provide me with some endorsement?
A good thing!
With such subjective initiative, it seemed His state was indeed recovering well, improving day by day. However, if it were a matter of increasing his credibility within the Imperium and reducing unnecessary internal friction, Adam had his own methods.
In the rear, Sybilla walked up to Leonardo and asked in a low voice, "What kind of new idea do you think Lord Adam has this time?"
"To be honest, I can't imagine it," Leonardo admitted frankly. "But no matter what, I will execute his mission."
Ever since learning of Adam's New Webway Project, as an Adeptus Custodes, he naturally couldn't remain indifferent. One must know that during the Great Crusade, the Emperor had such expectations for the Custodes—these near-perfect humans: as His messengers, they would transmit His orders through the Webway, efficiently connecting all human worlds into a single whole.
However, everyone knew what happened later. Because of Magnus' betrayal, the Emperor's dream was shattered, and He was forced onto the Golden Throne to maintain this already decaying Empire. Now, discovering that there might be a chance to redeem all this, how could Leonardo not be excited?
"Me too," Sybilla nodded.
She believed that no human could remain unresponsive after hearing such a grand plan, especially those with some understanding of this thoroughly corrupt Empire. This matter even caused the two to develop an unrealistic expectation of Adam.
See? Lord Adam's shocking wisdom is still very effective, isn't it?
Sybilla and Leonardo even felt that no matter what jaw-dropping idea Adam came up with next, they would not oppose it, but only accept it entirely.
However, what happened next would tell them that such a thought was far too naive.
Inside the laboratory.
"What is this—"
Leonardo stared fixedly at the scene before him, his hand instinctively reaching for the weapon at his waist. The sight was far too sacrilegious.
It was an Adeptus Custodes—specifically the Blade Champion Leonardo had rescued from Trazyn's hyper-dimensional labyrinth, who had been controlled by Mindshackle Scarabs. However, at this moment, this comrade's eyes were tightly shut; he was naked and lay unconscious inside a snow-white medical pod.
On the large Cogitator nearby, rows of dense data flashed across the screen. Anyone could see that it was monitoring various physical stats.
"Don't panic, this is quite normal."
Adam raised his hand, barely holding back the agitated Custodian, while also comforting Magos Chufe, who was shivering in the corner due to the tense atmosphere. "I asked Magos Chufe to do this. His knowledge in the biological field is quite solid; he can complete my task."
"What is the purpose of this? Why not ask Cawl?" Leonardo asked. He forced himself to calm down, suggesting to himself: Perhaps there is a misunderstanding? Maybe it's just data collection?
As the Emperor's Contractor, Adam should have the authority for this; perhaps he shouldn't react so strongly.
But the words that followed nearly made Leonardo jump, his eyes widening.
"Nothing big—I intend to clone a batch of Custodes."
Adam raised his hand and pointed, speaking as if it were the most natural thing in the world.