hotmtlnovel Chapter 53 The Perfect City
Chapter 53 The Perfect City
926.M30.
The Limitless Starfield, Kur Star.
Li Wei had just stepped off the grey storm eagle of the Word Bearer and stood on the steep cliff platform when he was stunned by the view before him.
Looking out, nestled amidst reddish-brown volcanic rock deserts and rugged mountains, a magnificent and sacred city under construction is rising from the ground.
The main body of the city is made of off-white marble and pure gold. The countless gilded spires and gold-covered domes that stand tall give Li Wei a special sense of eeriness and holiness.
Li Wei was more concerned about the city before him than the tireless mortals who worked like worker ants.
They are working tirelessly, day and night, carrying stones and building the supreme city of faith in their hearts, the perfect city that was burned to ashes by the Ultramarines.
He was not impressed by the resilience of these mortals, but rather shocked by the thick, almost tangible power of their faith.
In Li Wei's psychic perception, its purity and concentration were in no way inferior to those of the senior priests in the Legion of Word Bearers.
"Looks like I made the right choice coming here." Li Wei murmured to himself as he gazed at the surging golden sea of faith clouds overhead, invisible to ordinary people.
He had a specific goal this time. He wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to assist the Legion of Word Bearers in building a think tank to study how to sever the faith link of the four Chaos Gods at its root, or to try to create gods artificially.
Yes, humans created gods. Apart from the emperor, who has never officially ascended to the divine throne, there are no other gods among humankind. He intends to fill this vacant divine position.
Moreover, it wasn't that Li Wei was arrogant; he was confident that after gathering a vast amount of faith power, he could create a god in the warp.
Because the power of faith is the most mysterious and powerful primal force in the Warhammer universe.
The four Chaos Gods, in their quest to plunder faith, have unleashed one cataclysmic event after another across the galaxy, demonstrating their irreplaceable and terrifying power.
Human faith can absolutely give birth to gods no weaker than those in the Eldar pantheon, and may even be more powerful than the two gods worshipped by the orcs.
Although the gods of the Eldar and the Greenskins are merely racial deities and cannot compare to the cosmic authority of the four Chaos Gods, they are still a solid barrier protecting the entire race.
Li Wei's idea was quite simple: to use the pure faith born from the endless humanity in the galaxy to create a guardian deity belonging to humanity itself, in order to resist the erosion and seduction of the four chaotic gods.
Just as Li Wei was lost in thought, his adjutant Kayan strode over.
"My Lord, what are we doing here? What's so interesting about a city built by a bunch of lunatics? It's only a bit bigger than our Thousand Sons' Tizka. They have absolutely no sense of aesthetics."
Kayan walked up to Levi, pointed at the magnificent golden buildings in the distance, shook his head, and looked disdainful.
Li Wei nodded silently in agreement.
The capital city of Prospero, Tizica, is rather small, but its architectural layout and sculptural craftsmanship are far superior to those of this place, thanks to the personal instruction of the learned and aesthetically brilliant Magnus.
"It's a pity that the Archmage didn't come."
Li Wei sighed with some regret; he had been with Magnus for over ten years.
This was the first time I'd been away from the Qianzi team for an extended period on a mission, and I found myself feeling somewhat out of sorts.
"Chief, you want to go back now, right? Then let's hurry up and finish building the Think Tank of the Word Bearers so we can go home as soon as possible."
Upon hearing Li Wei's words about missing home, Kayan immediately perked up and excitedly rubbed his hands together.
Li Wei shook his head helplessly, knowing that his adjutant Kayan wasn't thinking of him.
They arrived on Kul Star aboard the flagship of the Word Bearers, the Glory Queen-class battleship "Law of Loyalty," during this long journey.
Kayan had witnessed the almost pathological religious fanaticism of the Word Bearers, which frightened him as a purely rational scholar.
In fact, Li Wei felt the same way. He hadn't expected that those who cherished words would be so fanatical, to be utterly hopeless.
All the Word Bearers, except for eating and all other necessary activities, spend the rest of their time reciting the Emperor's hymns. They have no personal time at all, like tireless prayer machines.
"Let's go." Li Wei withdrew his gaze and walked towards the magnificent city in the distance. "Let's visit the Luojia Primarch first, and take a look at the internal structure of the Perfect City."
"Okay." Kayan quickly responded and followed behind Li Wei.
Along the way, Li Wei saw the fervent faith of those ragged believers, who worked tirelessly under the scorching sun, never complaining of being tired or suffering, only knowing how to bury themselves in their work until they collapsed from exhaustion.
He and his adjutant Kayan walked up the wide, smooth marble steps without encountering any obstacles, and finally arrived at the unfinished central cathedral, where the spirit of Luojia was palpable.
Li Wei recalled that he had encountered the Primarchs of the Word Bearers several times on his journey to this planet, but most of the encounters were brief and unremarkable.
Li Wei didn't know how to get along with this almost fanatical Primarch, but once he arrived in the City of Perfection, he had a new topic to discuss.
He gazed at the hundred-meter-tall imperial statue atop the church, and stepped inside, his gaze lingering in the enormous shadow of the statue.
Before long, Li Wei saw Luo Jia, dressed in a pure white priest's robe, directing his descendants to move stones and build the interior structure of the cathedral.
Luo Jia noticed that one of his careless descendants had placed a marble block in the wrong position, so he frowned and personally stepped forward to place the block in the precise location.
He made a few more minor adjustments, still not entirely satisfied, until he was completely pleased.
Only then did Luo Jia, like the most devout believer, raise his head to look at Li Wei, then point to the cathedral filled with sacred aura, and say with immense pride:
"Li Wei, what do you think of the gift I prepared for the Emperor? Father will surely be satisfied."
"Oh?" Li Wei feigned confusion, looking puzzled.
"Hmm?" Luo Jia raised an eyebrow and said with a smile, "Li Wei, just say what you have to say. Don't be afraid. You spoke so eloquently at the think tank promotion meeting that all the Primarchs were intimidated! Why are you so hesitant to speak frankly to me?"
"Your Excellency Luojia, do you really want me to speak frankly?" Li Wei bowed slightly.
"Speak," Luo Jia said casually, straightening up as she wiped the stone chips from her hands.
"Imperial Truth." Li Wei uttered only these four words, sparing his tongue.
"This...no...Father was just..."
Luo Jia, who had been wearing a gentle smile, turned deathly pale in an instant. He had always refused to face the imperial truth promoted by the emperor, and even compiled the "Sacred Words" as a response.