"What should we do?" The Old Bishop did not ask Alex why he had no time; he clearly knew that some things were not for him to know.
Instead of knowing how much time was left, it was better to seriously consider what he could do.
The Old Bishop dared not say what the Ecclesiarchy could do, as the Ecclesiarchy itself was a loosely organized body with many factions. Although the Pope was nominally the highest leader of the Ecclesiarchy and a representative of the High Lords of Terra, for the Ecclesiarchy, the Pope could not command everyone.
Therefore, the Old Bishop could only guarantee how much help he could provide to Alex, but could not guarantee anything at the level of the entire Ecclesiarchy.
After all, he was, in the end, merely a Planetary Bishop.
"My plan is to complete the development of the Rostov Sub-Sector before 999.M41, at least to the point where it can resist the invasion of the great enemy, Chaos." Alex revealed some information to the Old Bishop, but did not disclose everything.
Some things were not for everyone to know, and many things, once spoken, would be known by others, so it was safer to keep secrets to himself.
"I understand. I will write to the God Emperor Star Region Headquarters to report the arrival of Saint Celestine, striving to establish Rostov II as a new Shrine World, and simultaneously apply for the expansion of the church." The Old Bishop informed Alex of his next arrangements: "The Ecclesiarchy will invest massive amounts of resources and money into this Imperial World, and a large number of Pilgrims will also come. You can utilize all of these."
Although the Old Bishop did not significantly change his plan, his attitude had clearly shifted.
Previously, he had intended to forcibly transform Rostov II into a Shrine World by using a large number of Pilgrims to create a fait accompli.
But now, while he would still do these things, the massive funds, manpower, and material resources invested by the Ecclesiarchy could all become an aid for Alex in developing the Sub-Sector.
As for inquiries from the God Emperor Star Region Headquarters or the Ecclesiarchy Headquarters on Holy Terra, they would not be difficult for the Old Bishop to handle. After all, his mission was to preach, not to build churches.
Cooperating with Alex to develop the Sub-Sector could also be explained as spreading faith in the Emperor throughout the entire Sub-Sector, which would even be considered a meritorious deed for the Ecclesiarchy.
Moreover, the Old Bishop was already very old; he did not even expect to live to see Alex complete his plan, so he did not care about the consequences of his actions.
Even if the Ecclesiarchy were to pursue accountability, he would have to be alive for that to happen. As for his posthumous reputation?
For a follower of the Ecclesiarchy, only the great Her Majesty the Saint could judge his merits and demerits. As long as Her Majesty believed he was loyal, that was enough.
"Continue building the church, but its structure needs some adjustments. It will become a fortress." Alex did not stand on ceremony and presented his demands to the Old Bishop.
This was a reasonable request, as the Old Bishop had previously planned to build a magnificent church that could reach the Kármán line. Such a massive structure would be very vulnerable without adequate defenses.
Moreover, unlike churches of the 3k era, cathedrals of the 40k era required power from plasma reactors, large-scale water purification systems, city-level Void Shields, and battleship-grade defensive weapons.
Since the Old Bishop first established a church on this Imperial World, he had never neglected the church's defenses, and the same was true now.
"City-level Void Shields, Macro cannons, and plasma reactors, I think you will need these things." The Old Bishop nodded, also extending a gesture of goodwill: "During the construction of the church, I will procure some extra equipment. These can be used for the expansion and reinforcement of Rostov City."
City-level equipment was astonishingly expensive; only an organization as wealthy as the Ecclesiarchy would dare to speak of purchasing such items in bulk.
But these were indeed what Alex needed.
"That would be excellent, but more than these, I hope the Ecclesiarchy can organize several pioneering immigrant groups to cooperate with my plan to develop the Sub-Sector." Alex also put forward his request, hoping the Old Bishop would cooperate: "My time is pressing, and I truly don't have time for slow development. Managing Rostov II is to use it as a springboard and transit point, concentrating more Pilgrims and pioneers here, and then organizing them into immigrant groups to various Imperial Worlds in the Sub-Sector, developing these Imperial Worlds into new Imperial Worlds."
"What are your requirements for these Pilgrims and pioneers?" The Old Bishop did not believe that Alex simply wanted to develop new Imperial Worlds.
"Unwavering faith and sufficient combat power. 999.M41 is a very critical juncture; darkness and calamity will sweep across the entire Imperium. At that time, Warp travel will become very dangerous, so these new pioneering Imperial Worlds must have the ability to defend themselves." Alex deliberated for a moment, then slightly lowered his standards: "At least they must be able to hold out until reinforcements arrive after an attack."
Although Alex would do everything possible to expand his army and prepare for war during these thirty years, even so, the scale of the army that could be raised in thirty years was limited. At that time, he might not have the spare capacity to rescue other places, but he must at least defend his own territory.
"Although the Ecclesiarchy is not allowed to possess armed forces, no one will prevent Pilgrims from carrying some self-defense weapons." The Old Bishop spoke a bit cryptically, but Alex understood his meaning.
It was Goge Vandire's doing; after the Age of Apostasy, to prevent a repeat of Goge Vandire's mess, the High Lords of Terra stripped the Ecclesiarchy of the right to possess armed forces, retaining only the Battle Sister.
But the Battle Sister were more supervisors of the Ecclesiarchy than subordinates of the Ecclesiarchy.
Therefore, the Ecclesiarchy itself could not possess armed forces. Although in the eight millennia that followed, the Ecclesiarchy made various efforts and attempts, ultimately they could only arm believers by launching Holy Wars, or at most, station a few Crusaders around important personnel.
However, the combat effectiveness of such a Holy War Army, when called upon, depended entirely on how the person controlling it trained and arranged them.
In the Siege of Vraks, the Fallen Heretics were initially just a group of Holy War believers called upon.
"At that time, I can arrange for some Battle Sister to accompany each pioneering group, but if I do that, the Ecclesiarchy will need to provide me with more Battle Sister." Battle Sister were both high-end combatants and, when necessary, could serve as Commanders of armed forces. In such situations, they were even more useful than Space Marines.
The Old Bishop nodded, affirming: "I will relay your requests to the God Emperor Star Region Headquarters and the Ecclesiarchy Headquarters on Holy Terra."
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