Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 437 The Long Work

"Your Excellency, welcome!" the mayor greeted loudly, his voice carrying just the right amount of respect.

Although Chen Xi only brought two personal attendants and a team of combat nuns as guards, the mayor felt no less pressure from his superior.

This is not only because Chen Xi is the undisputed supreme ruler of the Rostov sub-sector, but also because of the enormous military power and intricate political network he represents.

Of course, what was most chilling was the courtroom rose knot at Chen Xi's waist, which swayed gently with his steps. The emblem shone with an awe-inspiring light under the pale Murmansk sky, silently reminding everyone present of the absolute authority it symbolized.

"You've worked hard. I've seen your efforts in developing the city to this extent in such a short time," Chen Xi said with a slight nod and a calm tone.

Unlike some judges who are aggressive from the outset, he first gave the diligent mayor the recognition he deserved.

Then he got down to business: "You can report to me separately about the rebels and cults later. Now, let me give you a brief overview of the city."

"Yes, Your Excellency the Governor," the mayor replied respectfully, immediately gesturing to his attendant to present the prepared report.

When Chen Xi saw the enormous parchment scroll that required two enhanced mech servants to lift together, his eyes twitched involuntarily a few times.

Within the empire's complex administrative system, to ensure the absolute accuracy of vital data, all official documents had to be written on specially made parchment blessed by the state religion.

This writing material is not only complex to produce, but its writing format and process also have almost stringent standards and norms.

For this reason, copying machines equipped with sophisticated writing devices became an indispensable office equipment for every imperial administrative department, and the standard copying kits supplied to clerks became one of the most consumed office supplies within the imperial bureaucracy.

This seemingly cumbersome tradition is not simply a result of bureaucracy.

If important data is simply recorded on a data board or in the Thinker system, the junk code and digital demons (the digital demons are not a rumor; GW has brought them up again) from the Mechanicus heretics or the Black Mechanicus can easily tamper with the contents.

Not to mention the treacherous schemes of Tzeentch or the machinations of conspirators within the Empire.

Even fragments of the STC database, left over from the dark age of technology, have been corrupted by chaos due to their age.

In the Warhammer universe, any form of record can become a carrier of chaos contamination.

Databoards may be tampered with by digital demons, the Thinker system is susceptible to corrupted code, and even ancient fragments of the STC database cannot escape the corruption of chaos.

Only parchment blessed with special protection by the state religion, soaked in holy oil and blessed with prayers, can resist this erosion to the greatest extent.

Therefore, despite watching the two servants struggling to carry the sheepskin scrolls that were half a person tall and hearing the strained hum of their servo joints, Chen Xi could only nod helplessly to signal them to continue.

This ancient and reliable method of recording was a tradition that the empire had to adhere to under the threat of chaos, even if it meant extreme inefficiency—after all, in the emperor's domain, security was always more important than convenience.

Chen Xi gently rubbed her temples, feeling a sense of helplessness.

Looking at the heavy parchment scroll bound with the seal of purity, I began to calculate how much precious time I would have to spend on it.

He has more important matters to attend to at the moment and simply doesn't have time to review this lengthy report immediately.

Fortunately, the experienced mayor had anticipated this situation. He respectfully handed over an encrypted data panel: "Sir, please allow me to give you a brief report."

The mayor began to give Chen Xi an oral briefing in concise and clear language. Although official documents must be written on parchment, the Empire did not stipulate that oral reports could not use data boards.

While Chen Xi listened attentively to the mayor's report, Xi Dejia, standing behind him, was idly serving as a background figure.

The Silent Sister, clad in Vatin armor, placed her hands folded in front of her abdomen, her gaze seemingly focused as she scanned every corner of the room, but in reality, her mind was already wandering, her thoughts drifting back to the days she received training at the Silent Sisters' Convent.

As special warriors trained specifically to fight against psionicists, the Silent Sisters' training curriculum did not include any political or administrative aspects.

They learned how to identify psionic fluctuations, how to suppress witchcraft with anti-psionic fields, and how to precisely decapitate mutants with a greatsword.

Perhaps in the distant golden age of the human empire, the Silent Sisters and the Order of the Witchers did receive a more comprehensive education; back then, they were both warriors and scholars.

But ten thousand years is enough to erase too much of our heritage.

For the Demon Hunter Order, which struggles to survive in the shadows of the Empire, it is a miracle that they have survived to this day under the Emperor's protection, let alone maintaining those knowledge traditions that are unrelated to combat.

Nowadays, the Silent Sisters have already met the most basic qualification standard as long as they can perfectly perform the tasks of hunting psionicists and fighting against psionicists.

As for those complicated imperial laws and bureaucratic procedures, they were completely outside their consideration.

Chen Xi was well aware of this; he never expected these silent soldiers to take on administrative functions or other non-combat tasks.

In his view, the Silent Sisters would have already done justice to the resources he had invested in rebuilding this special force if they could perform their duties well.

Therefore, when Xi Dejia stood behind Chen Xi, lost in thought, no one raised any objections.

Apart from Chen Xi, who vaguely sensed the nun's absent-mindedness, none of the other officials present noticed that the seemingly focused guard was actually lost in thought.

After all, as a naturally untouchable being, even if the Silent Sister deliberately conceals her void energy, she will still trigger an instinctive rejection reaction from the surrounding creatures.

This is not a subjective aversion, but a defense mechanism that arises deep within the soul of all normal living beings when faced with something untouchable—just as the skin instinctively avoids flames and the eyes automatically avoid strong light.

The officials standing behind the mayor were not even aware that they were deliberately ignoring Xi Dejia's presence.

They would feel a strange unease, their gazes unconsciously drifting over where she stood, as if there was something unsettling there, but they couldn't quite put their finger on what it was.

This characteristic makes an untouchable being who can precisely control their own void fluctuations almost a perfect infiltrator—people will subconsciously ignore their existence, just like ignoring a wall in the background.

The famous Commissar Kane has repeatedly escaped danger by relying on his untouchable adjutant.

At this moment, although Xi Dejia had not yet achieved complete invisibility, it was enough for those around her to overlook her specific features.

(End of this chapter)