Regarding Sister Eileen's accusations, Alex immediately ordered the Black Templars to dispatch an elite squad to investigate.
However, before investigating the heresy, he insisted on first subjecting the Blood Oath Society nun to the most rigorous loyalty review and faith test.
After all, feigned loyalty was simply too common in the Warhammer World, and no one knew if this was another scheme by a certain Tzeentch, or some other plot by the Four Chaos Gods and demons.
In this insane world, sometimes the most devout appearance was actually the most dangerous trap.
Those corrupted by Chaos often appeared more fanatical than true believers, like vibrant flowers blooming on a corpse; the more beautiful they were, the more deadly the toxins beneath them.
In the dark and desperate universe of Warhammer 40K, the Inquisition's extreme methods were by no means groundless paranoia.
Behind every seemingly excessive purification action, there were often bloody lessons hidden.
The cases recorded in the Inquisition's confidential files all proved that in this Chaos-infested galaxy, any mercy could lead to utter disaster.
Every moment of soft-heartedness, every moment of hesitation, could become a breach for Chaos corruption to spread.
Perhaps it was just a seemingly innocent vagrant who was let go, a crying child who was pitied, or even a devout believer who was pardoned due to "insufficient evidence"—but ultimately, these small acts of mercy often led to irreversible catastrophes.
The Black Templars' creed of "No Pity" was not because they were born cold and heartless, but because they knew better than anyone that in this Chaos-infested universe, pity was the most dangerous luxury.
The existence of the Four Chaos Gods was enough to crush any hope.
Nurgle's plague could spread during a benevolent rescue, Slaanesh's depravity might begin with a trivial indulgence, Tzeentch's schemes were often hidden behind seemingly reasonable tolerance, and Khorne's slaughter could erupt due to a moment of hesitation.
In such a world, kindness was not only a weakness but could also be the beginning of destruction.
The Inquisition's radical approach was shaped by such reality.
They were not inherently bloodthirsty, but because every hesitation could cost billions of lives.
Those marked as "heretics" might appear harmless, even deserving of sympathy, but Inquisitors knew deep down—Chaos corruption did not show on one's face.
Inquisitors had to assume the worst in every action, because history proved that nine out of ten misjudgments caused far less harm than one act of soft-heartedness.
Although there were indeed scoundrels in the Inquisition who abused their Inquisitor status, there were also dutiful individuals who, with loyalty in their hearts, committed necessary evils.
It was precisely because of their existence that the Imperium of Man was able to resist the erosion of Chaos throughout the long years.
Despite the Inquisition having no shortage of corrupt individuals who abused their power, committing private executions in the name of judgment to satisfy their ambitions or twisted desires.
However, there were also countless truly loyal individuals who bore heavy sins, performing the most cruel and necessary evils, just to allow the Imperium of Man to linger for one more moment under the erosion of Chaos.
As an aged Inquisitor once said after executing an entire corrupted family: "We are not executioners; we are humanity's last line of defense.
If we do not pull the trigger, then Chaos will devour everything."
In this universe, mercy was a luxury even the Emperor could hardly afford.
Therefore, upon receiving Sister Eileen's report, Alex immediately initiated a dual review process.
On one hand, a special commissioner from the Inquisition conducted the most stringent faith assessment of Eileen herself, while on the other, a covert squad from the Black Templars secretly investigated the activities of the Blood Oath Society.
The Blood Oath Society was, after all, a legitimate branch sect recognized by the Ecclesiarchy, rooted in the Mariupol Sector for hundreds of years, with believers spread across more than a dozen star systems within the Star District, numbering in the hundreds of millions, and its influence among the Star District's lower populace was immeasurable.
Alex knew very well that rashly taking large-scale cleansing actions would only trigger a catastrophic chain reaction, at best leading to the collapse of the local faith system, and at worst potentially causing the Ecclesiarchy forces of the entire Star District to oppose the Expeditionary Force.
Even with three million Astra Militarum and three thousand Astartes Warriors at his command, he could not easily unleash this force for a rash military suppression.
He needed crucial evidence, definitive proof that the Blood Oath Society had indeed fallen and engaged in heretical acts.
Although Sister Eileen provided him with one piece of evidence, a single piece of evidence was not enough.
Only one piece of evidence could indicate the Blood Oath Society was suspected, but not prove they were necessarily fallen.
Alex was not the kind of Inquisitor who saw everyone as guilty and proceeded to investigate and collect evidence based on a presumption of guilt.
He would not directly assume someone was a heretic and then desperately search for evidence that they were a heretic.
In this world, simply having the most honest and reliable person write three lines of text could condemn someone to a crime punishable by death and the extermination of their family.
Under the premise of preconceived notions, the evidence collected would be biased.
Therefore, until the Black Templars completed their investigation, Alex would not directly declare the Blood Oath Society as heretical.
But at the same time, Alex would also prepare for prevention, assuming the Blood Oath Society was heretical, to avoid being caught off guard if the investigation caused them to lash out.
This also led Alex to directly order the suspension of work for the Blood Oath Society personnel attached to the army, commanding them to temporarily undergo isolation and review.
Due to the large-scale deployment of troops for the expedition, the Blood Oath Society had gathered a considerable number of medical personnel to join the Expeditionary Force, providing medical services.
After all, in the Mariupol Sector, besides the Blood Oath Society, it was indeed difficult to find a large number of medical personnel who could meet the medical needs of the Expeditionary Force.
Under such circumstances, when the Blood Oath Society proactively approached Alex, offering a large number of doctors, nurses, and various medicines, even if Alex had always been somewhat resistant to them, he could not refuse these.
But now, due to Sister Eileen's report, the entire sect was directly ordered into isolation by Alex, which undoubtedly caused the Expeditionary Force's newly established complete medical system to suddenly become disorganized, and medical resources immediately became strained.
After all, if the Blood Oath Society members might have problems, then the medicines they brought were also very likely implicated.
So, while isolating the Blood Oath Society members, their medicines and other medical supplies also had to be temporarily sealed, awaiting further processing by the Inquisition.
This, to a large extent, caused dissatisfaction among many, and the atmosphere within the Expeditionary Force suddenly became tense.
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