For the Imperium, there are many Living Saints.
There are even multiple Living Saints who originated as Battle Sisters, such as the six Battle Sisters who first met the Emperor, all of whom were Living Saints.
They were not the kind canonized by the Ecclesiarchy, but the kind who could resurrect after death.
Among them, Saint Katherine, the founder of the Order of Our Martyred Lady, one of the six major Battle Sister Orders, even had a miniature released by GW specifically for her: the Saint Katherine's Triumph Procession.
(Also known as the Sisters of Battle Coffin Bearers, with Saint Katherine's body lying in the middle, surrounded by Battle Sisters from the six major orders.)
This Living Saint had experienced multiple resurrections, but ultimately did not resurrect again after falling in battle.
The Triumph Procession's Bolter Babes carry her remains on a tour throughout the Imperium, believing that sufficient faith and piety will cause this Living Saint to resurrect once more and return to lead them.
And besides Saint Katherine, there is another very famous Battle Sister Living Saint, and that is Saint Celestine, the renowned E-Daemon.
She is the most active Living Saint in the Imperium currently, and also the most frequently resurrected and manifested Living Saint.
As long as Saint Celestine appears on the battlefield, the morale of the Imperial army will lock in and they will fight ferociously, even to the last man, to win the war for the Emperor.
This has made her name widely known throughout the Imperium, and her image is also one of the key symbols promoted by the Ecclesiarchy.
Precisely because of this, when Saint Celestine descended from the sky, whether it was the Ecclesiarchy's priests or all the Ecclesiarchy faithful present, the only thought in their hearts was fanatical loyalty to the Emperor.
And when Saint Celestine cast her divine radiance upon Alex and bestowed her blessing upon him, all the faithful cheered, for a new Saint had been born.
No canonization from the Ecclesiarchy was needed, nor was approval from the Ecclesiarchy Headquarters on Terra required; when a Living Saint personally descends, she represents the will of the Emperor Himself, and the person she acknowledges also receives the Emperor's own recognition.
This recognition is also sufficiently effective for the Ecclesiarchy, although the Ecclesiarchy Headquarters might have some reservations about it, and the future Pope who dared to oppose the Regent's rule of the Imperium might also raise questions and objections.
But at this moment on Rostov II, no one dared to doubt that the person blessed by Saint Celestine had received the Emperor's own recognition.
Including the Old Bishop who was currently kneeling before Alex and Saint Celestine.
He had doubted Alex, suspecting it was a play he had orchestrated himself (he was right), but Saint Celestine's arrival could not be faked, especially when he was bathed in the Living Saint's radiance; that warmth and sacredness from the depths of his soul was an undeniable miracle.
So the Old Bishop spoke: "Respected Living Saint, it is an honor for you to descend upon this humble world! Thank Her Majesty the Saint, thank you for gazing upon this world!"
"I did not come for this world." Saint Celestine spoke, her voice kind and gentle, but also full of resolve: "His Majesty chose his spokesman, and I am merely here to bear witness and endorse him."
This reply shocked the Old Bishop; he had not expected the esteemed Living Saint to give such an answer.
At the same time, he was greatly surprised by Alex; he had not expected this Planetary Governor to possess such astonishing divine favor, that the Emperor would even send his Living Saint specifically to endorse Alex.
This made him re-examine his and the Ecclesiarchy's plans, wondering if they had made some mistake.
Or rather, when they knew that the appointment letter came from the Throne Room of the Imperial Palace, they should have realized that this was Her Majesty the Saint's grand plan!
The Old Bishop repented for his profanity, but without cursing, he truly could not express his feelings, even though he hadn't used such foul language in decades.
May Her Majesty the Saint forgive him, he truly needed to curse a few times to calm his emotions.
He now fully realized that what the Ecclesiarchy needed to do was fully cooperate with Alex, rather than suppress him with their influence.
The Old Bishop didn't have many other thoughts; he was just a devout believer, and all he wanted was to spread faith in the Emperor.
For this purpose, he could oppose Alex; for this purpose, he could insist on transforming this planet into an Ecclesiarchy Shrine World, even knowing that Alex wanted to build it into an administrative center and a paradise world.
All of this was for proselytizing, spreading faith in Her Majesty the Saint.
Because in the Old Bishop's view, the reason the Imperium had fallen to its current state was that too many people throughout the Imperium had deviated from Her Majesty the Saint's teachings and lacked devout faith.
As long as devout faith in His Majesty was spread throughout the Imperium and the galaxy, making everyone believe in His Majesty, the Imperium and humanity would surely usher in a new glory.
But when Alex's actions were seen to have the Emperor's personal attention, the Old Bishop's thinking rapidly shifted.
This didn't even require Alex to speak; his attitude had already made a 180-degree turn.
"Greetings to you, His Majesty the Saint's Earthly Apostle." The Old Bishop bowed his head to Alex and used a very subtle title to address Alex.
Earthly Apostle, meaning an envoy sent by Her Majesty the Saint to the world.
"Thank you for your arrival, esteemed Living Saint." Alex bowed to Saint Celestine, but still couldn't help but ask curiously: "I never expected you to descend personally; this truly overwhelms me."
Alex really hadn't expected that throwing a chess piece would summon the main body; Huang Lao Han certainly gave him enough pomp and face this time.
A Living Saint personally descending to bestow a blessing was indeed the optimal solution to the problems Alex was facing at the moment.
However, Alex was still very curious as to why Saint Celestine came personally.
After all, if it was just about solving the problem, Alex's deployment of a Living Saint was already enough to solve it.
Facing Alex's probing words, Saint Celestine merely gazed at Alex, then said: "His Majesty bids me remind you to seize the time."
"Time? I…" Alex paused, but quickly reacted and said: "I understand, I will accelerate the execution of the plan."
"You do not need to explain to me; I am not privy to His Majesty's and your plans, I am merely relaying His Majesty's words." Saint Celestine's attitude was very humble, but she did not engage in lengthy, in-depth conversation with Alex.
After a brief response to him, she turned her gaze to the Old Bishop at her side.
"The future of the Imperium is dark; we must work together and forge ahead." After Saint Celestine uttered a prophetic statement, her entire being soared into the sky once more, then vanished.
But if everyone wasn't hallucinating, Saint Celestine had indeed descended just now.
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