Ever since the Cathedral of Tex was built, its massive dome had never been graced by sunlight.
Yuki had heard that the cathedral's first bishop was a great saint who attained enlightenment after a pilgrimage to Terra, thereafter spreading the Emperor's will across the galaxy. Eventually, he arrived at the planet Statt. Witnessing the plight of the Underhive people, he poured all his resources into building this cathedral, hoping to save the souls of these wretched souls.
Yuki found the notion absurd. How could those suffering unnecessary physical torment ever find spiritual peace?
However, he was in no position to complain. He was currently a guest of the cathedral, with his food and lodging provided by them, and they had even successfully treated the wound on his arm.
Only now did Yuki have the chance to soberly reflect on everything that had happened.
Transmigrating into Warhammer, discovering his girlfriend was the Hive Mind, getting tangled with Genestealers and being hunted, and now hiding in an Ecclesiarchy cathedral... So much had occurred in just a few short hours.
"Brother Yuki, I've brought your meal."
"Thank you very much."
The nun delivering the food was dressed simply. She wore a smile, though her face possessed only a single nostril. She asked, "How is your injury faring?"
Yuki replied politely, "The Emperor protects; it's nearly healed."
"Praise the Emperor's might."
The nun continued, "In that case, please go to see our Mother Superior this afternoon. She is quite curious about the appearance of a 'pure human' in the Underhive."
Soon, led by the nun, Yuki arrived at a small prayer court. The Mother Superior was a tall, middle-aged woman. The guide took her leave, and the Mother Superior turned, her sharp gaze fixing on Yuki.
Damn, this woman looks at me like I'm prey.
The Mother Superior flipped through a stack of papers, remained silent for a moment, and then asked directly:
"Brother Yuki, you aren't originally from the Underhive, are you? Your genes show almost no signs of contamination, and your skull structure is remarkably standard. I hope the great Tuka family will forgive my boldness, but your skull is even more 'standard' than theirs."
Humans in the Warhammer universe had rewritten their genes over tens of thousands of years to meet the demands of interstellar travel, and many others were warped by the influence of the Warp. Consequently, identifying what exactly constituted a "human" was no simple task for the Imperium of Man.
Someone like Yuki, who lived in the twenty-first century, could be considered a textbook "Standard Citizen" of the Imperium—he could practically serve as a baseline for the entire species.
"No, uh... I really am from the Underhive."
"We checked your genes; they aren't contaminated. Why were you injured?"
"Gang conflict. I got caught in the crossfire."
"Gang conflict?" The Mother Superior furrowed her brow. It was a plausible reason, and she had no grounds to doubt the test results—unless she wanted to claim the cathedral's holy water was incapable of purging evil.
"I see. Have you been here before?"
"No."
"I thought as much. An appearance like yours would not go unnoticed. 'My divine might shall walk among you, granting blessings to the devout,' as the Emperor once said."
One of the Mother Superior's mechanical eyes whirred.
"Would you be willing to commit yourself to our cause, using the gift the Emperor gave you—to grow so perfectly standard amidst the squalor of the Underhive? As you can surely see, while we are all devout, our genes are not pure due to our sins."
Only then did Yuki notice a ring of fine scales around the Mother Superior's eyelids. Furthermore, she had six fingers on each hand.
"Lately, the God-Emperor's mortal soldiers are battling xenos enemies, and we are short-handed. You look like someone capable of manual labor."
"Isn't that... against the rules?"
"True, technically we shouldn't let you in so easily, but that's merely a matter of procedure," the Mother Superior explained. "From your physical fitness and communication skills, it's clear you've received a good education. These two points alone are enough for you to serve the God-Emperor. While you likely have secrets, your genetic purity is enough to set everything else aside for now."
Yuki sensed that this woman definitely had her own agenda. "And then? Why are you doing this?"
"We haven't seen a miracle in many years. The brothers and sisters we recruit from the Underhive almost all possess non-human traits. For a cathedral of the God-Emperor, it is quite embarrassing. Furthermore, if the citizens of the Underhive knew that one could possess noble blood despite an Underhive birth, perhaps they would be more devout—and more willing to procreate."
"Fine, I understand. Praise the Emperor for giving me a place of refuge."
Simple, concise, no wasted words. The Mother Superior finally offered a expression that could barely be called a smile.
Yuki was given a cramped little room and a copy of the Lectitio Divinitatus in Low Gothic. For some reason, he realized he could understand both High and Low Gothic. He knew he couldn't let it slip that he knew High Gothic—how could an Underhive brat master such a language?
He flipped through a few pages and lost interest. The Emperor is God, the Emperor is the hero who saved humanity, the Emperor will punish every traitor... If that were true, the horrors he just witnessed wouldn't exist. The "Emperor" was just a moneymaking tool for GW.
Yuki took a deep breath and changed into his monk's robes. He didn't plan on staying long. No matter what Haifu was—Tyranid or Slaaneshi daemon—he couldn't just abandon her now.
His first task from the Cathedral of Tex arrived quickly. A nun named Hopper led him to the cathedral's underground warehouse.
"I'll have to trouble you to supervise them in moving these supplies upstairs. The number of refugees is likely to surge soon, and we must be prepared."
Yuki's eyes adjusted to the dim light. He saw dozens of paupers in tattered clothes. Compared to the emaciated beggars outside, these men were slightly more robust.
"This is Brother Yuki. As you have surely noticed, he is a 'Pure Human' as described in the scriptures."
The men gasped and crowded around, wanting to touch Yuki but not daring to. These people all had non-human traits: pointed ears, single nostrils, or vertical pupils. Yuki even noticed one human whose upper body was covered in thick fur. The genetic diversity of Warhammer humans was certainly colorful.
"Alright, your job today is to move these three hundred tons of corpse starch out. I expect a bit of 'loss' during transport is only natural."
Yuki would try his best to adapt to life here.