Chapter 22: Rejection

Linda's eyes, glistening with tears, became even more enchanting, and she was completely lost in her emotions.

She was willing to do anything if the governor gave the nod.

Eden looked at Linda's expression, swallowing hard, struggling to contain himself.

In broad daylight, she was truly a temptation!

Linda gazed at him with deep concern, "Are you feeling unwell, my lord? Let me accompany you to your room."

Eden frowned, knowing full well what she meant.

If he truly went to the room with her, things would quickly spiral out of control.

He glanced at her again.

This situation was indeed... difficult to control.

Seeing no immediate response from Eden, Linda hesitated for a moment.

Blushing, she bit her lip and said, "If you don't want to go to the room... then here would be fine too."

What?

Eden glanced toward a group of maids standing not far away, carefully peeking in their direction, faces flushed.

Doing something like this out in the open?

Eden felt the impulse rising but knew he couldn't act on it.

If he gave in now, what if it led him straight to the Palace of Sin?

He had to control his desires, at least until his "Little Sun" power had recovered enough to provide protection.

Seeing his hesitation, Linda began to make a move.

This was too much!

Eden quickly stopped her, reassuring, "Next time, I promise!"

"Really, my lord? You promise?" Linda asked, still kneeling, her face full of anticipation.

What a strange angle...

Eden couldn't hold back any longer and made a brief move before getting up, satisfied.

"I have business to attend to, we'll go deeper into this later!"

Indeed, he did have business.

Leaving the spire residence, Eden, escorted by Carter's guards, arrived at the state church.

He had something important to discuss with Bishop Doni.

A few days ago, when Bishop Doni learned that Eden was using gold and jewels to adorn the saint statue of the God-Emperor, he was very pleased, and his attitude toward Eden had improved significantly.

This time, Doni had even come to the church entrance to greet him personally.

"Bishop, you're being too courteous," Eden said as he got out of the car. "I'm just making a small, insignificant contribution to the God-Emperor."

"The great God-Emperor never forgets anyone's contributions!" Bishop Doni replied with a broad smile. "Governor, allow me to lead you in prayer."

He turned and led the way inside.

Eden followed, though prayer wasn't the reason he had come.

But since he was here, he might as well pray.

He followed Bishop Doni to the shrine, where, under Doni's guidance, he began the prayers.

Cherubims circled above, chanting hymns, and one even showered him with holy water as though it were free.

The entire church seemed to be serving Eden alone.

Clearly, they had little business these days.

Which made sense, as this church was originally built for the nobles and officials of the upper hive.

But during the heretic uprising, most of the upper hive's nobility and officials had been slaughtered.

Those lucky enough to survive were later purged by Bayev.

Now, those remaining probably had little interest in prayer.

While many of the citizens in the territory were devout believers, they were either in the mines or factories at this time. Getting enough sleep was already a luxury.

Who had time to visit the church?

Even those willing to use their precious rest time to seek the God-Emperor's blessing didn't have the strength to make the long journey to the church due to prolonged hunger.

And even if they did, the Sacred Square was under strict lockdown.

They would be stopped by the law enforcement, turned away.

If they were stubborn and tried to force their way in, a beating was the least they could expect. The unlucky ones might even face immediate execution.

But that was only temporary.

In the future, things would change.

Every citizen of Urth would have the right—no, the obligation—to come and seek the God-Emperor's protection.

After the prayer ended, Eden approached Bishop Doni and handed him a data slate containing documents about the upcoming ceremony.

The "Emperor's Ascension Festival" had been canceled for many years, ever since the heavy taxes placed on Urth and the warp rift opened.

Now, Eden was planning to restart the festival, organizing a grand ceremony on the day of the celebration.

Eden promised that, in the future, he would help the church regain its former glory. In return, he hoped Bishop Doni would cooperate with him during the ceremony.

Based on his recent interactions, Eden felt the old bishop was unlikely to refuse.

Bishop Doni carefully reviewed the text and images on the data slate.

Essentially, it was an Imperial version of a presentation, detailing the ceremony's process, the attire of participants, and prepared speeches.

Of course, the most important part concerned Bishop Doni himself. He would need to collaborate with Eden during the event.

On the day of the "Emperor's Ascension Festival," the fully restored saint statue would reveal a great miracle.

Accompanied by the grand ceremony, Bishop Doni, guided by divine inspiration, would announce Eden as the savior of the people.

Then, in the most perfect manner, the benevolent Imperial Governor Eden Grant would appear before his subjects.

He would make a promise to deliver the people from their suffering.

That was the entire plan.

The plan would use up most of the Court District's remaining resources—this was a high-stakes gamble.

As Bishop Doni continued reading, his expression grew more serious.

Eden's heart began to race. "If there are any issues, feel free to raise them. We can adjust and cooperate as needed."

"All I see here is deception!" Bishop Doni gripped the data slate tightly, struggling to contain his anger. "You are deceiving the faithful, using the God-Emperor's name to achieve political gain...

What blasphemy this is!"

"This is only temporary, I will—"

"I won't agree!" Bishop Doni interrupted Eden's explanation. "Leave, Governor. The church will not tolerate such sacrilege!"

He shoved the data slate back into Eden's hands and turned away, leaning on his staff as he walked off.

Following their master's lead, the seraphim also distanced themselves from Eden, flying far away.

"At least listen to my explanation," Eden sighed. "What's wrong with a well-meaning lie? I'm doing this for the people of the territory."

"Lies invite heresy, and the God-Emperor does not accept deception of any kind!" Bishop Doni's stern voice echoed, leaving no room for negotiation.

Eden watched the old bishop walk away, letting out a deep sigh.

It seemed he couldn't win the church's support.

But the plan was already in motion. He had already sent out word that the benevolent Eden Grant had received the blessing of the God-Emperor and would save the people from their hardships.

When paired with the miracle of the saint statue's overnight restoration, the morale boost would be immense.

But now, without the church's support, he might even face opposition.

That would be a serious problem...

If, during the ceremony, the church publicly opposed him, the situation would spiral out of control.

Eden watched Bishop Doni's retreating figure, feeling helpless.

He couldn't bring himself to take drastic measures against the old man.

Back when the upper hive forces were resisting the heretic army, it was Bishop Doni who led the charge, swinging his mighty power axe and cutting his way through enemy lines.

He even beheaded the heretic high priest who had defiled the God-Emperor, dealing a massive blow to the heretics' morale, which had allowed the Court District to turn the tide of battle.

For this loyal, devout, and perhaps overly zealous servant of the God-Emperor, Eden had no desire to harm him.

With a heavy heart, Eden turned and left the church.

The Court District had already expended so much manpower and resources—the "Emperor's Ascension Festival" had to proceed.

There was no turning back now.

Eden got into his hovercar and set off for the spire residence.

Having failed to convince Doni face-to-face, he would have to activate Plan B.

"If I can't convince you... then I'll let the God-Emperor do it!"

(End of Chapter)

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