N-A-A Chapter 58 The Power of Faith
Chapter 58 The Power of Faith
One week later, at noon.
The central square of the perfect city.
More than 100,000 Word Bearer warriors, clad in gray power armor, stood solemnly like a forest. The golden sunlight shone unhindered on these devout warriors, as if they were gilded with a sacred golden edge.
They stared intently at their original form, Luojia, beneath the majestic and imposing imperial statue in the center of the square.
At this moment, Luo Jia was dressed in a plain white priest's robe. He slowly raised his right hand and held the scepter, forged from the spine of Eribas and wrapped with golden flames of faith, above his head.
"In the name of the Emperor, Lord of Mankind".
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to the ears of everyone in the square, exuding an undeniable authority.
"Today, we liquidate the hypocrisy."
As soon as he finished speaking, the golden flames at the top of the scepter suddenly surged, and then a visible golden wave, centered on Luo Jia, swept across the entire square like a tsunami.
The devout and pure-hearted warrior felt as if a warm current had flowed into his body, instantly invigorating him.
But the next second, a series of piercing screams rang out in the square.
Li Wei stood on the edge of a high platform in the square, watching the screaming Word Bearers warriors in the square, thick black smoke billowing from the gaps in their power armor.
In his psychic vision, the bodies of those Chaos believers, tainted by the filth of Chaos, were being scorched by the Emperor's flames of faith, turning them, along with their armor, into a pile of charred, twisted metal and ashes.
"Luojia's use of the power of faith is truly masterful; he can accurately identify every Chaos believer," Li Wei thought to himself.
He had already sensed that Luo Jia was using his all-pervasive power of faith to screen each Chaos believer when Luo Jia swept across the entire area with his immense power of faith.
An hour later, Li Wei, who was studying the wisp of pure faith power that Luo Jia had inadvertently leaked, heard Luo Jia's voice behind him.
"Chief Li Wei, let's go inspect the Perfect... no, it should be called the Pantheon."
Luo Jia, carrying the staff still glowing with the flames of faith, led the way.
"Yes, Your Excellency Luojia," Li Wei nodded in response.
The two walked down the platform side by side; they had to cross the square in front of them to reach the center of the city.
Li Wei walked across the square that had just been filled with over 100,000 Word Bearers warriors. Now, after the warriors dispersed, only thousands of charred ashes remained, along with an ever-growing surge of faith power.
Luo Jia remained remarkably calm in the face of death and ashes, as if he had merely done something insignificant.
The two walked out of the square and onto the main road paved with white marble. Li Wei gazed at the densely packed stone statues lining both sides of the street and asked in bewilderment:
"Your Excellency Luojia, why was the Perfect City renamed the Pantheon?"
"The Perfect City was a gift for the Emperor alone, but now, humanity needs more guardians." Luo Jia's voice was calm, with an undeniable certainty. "The Emperor has to fight against four Chaos Gods all by himself; it's too much for him. His sons should share the burden with him."
As they spoke, the two walked to a brand-new temple.
Li Wei was taken aback, staring at the plain white marble plaque above the temple entrance, which read "Magnus, God of Knowledge," and his pupils contracted slightly.
He really didn't know when, in the Perfect City, no, it should be the Pantheon, a temple about his Primarch Magnus had appeared.
He had been in seclusion for some time, especially after receiving some insights on faith from the great master of faith, Luojia, he had been in seclusion to meditate and comprehend.
If Luojia hadn't personally invited me today, I might still be in the secret room, trying to comprehend the power of faith.
"Let's go in and take a look," Luo Jia said softly, taking the first step.
"Hmm." Coming to his senses, Li Wei followed him inside.
He saw a marble statue standing quietly in the center of the hall, exactly the same height and expression as Magnus, holding a book in his arms.
Beneath the statue, dozens of ordinary believers knelt before it, praying in hushed tones.
"This..." Li Wei, who had already explored the power of faith, noticed that the believers who were praying devoutly were emanating a continuous stream of faith power, which was converging on the idol they were kneeling before.
The power of faith emanating from the statue flowed into the distant horizon through a golden passage that Li Wei could only see but could not yet comprehend.
Based on that location, Li Wei judged that it should be where Magnus was located.
"How is it? Since you went into seclusion, I have been building a statue for my brother to gather the power of faith. Unfortunately, becoming a god of faith for mankind is not that simple."
Luo Jia observed his reaction and said calmly.
He paused, then, under Li Wei's focused gaze, continued:
"The Emperor's faith cannot be directly transferred to my brother; it can only be passed on by sacrificing more than 90% of it."
"Then... Your Excellency Luojia, when will it be possible to cultivate a deity?"
Li Wei frowned. He knew it wasn't that simple. If it were, humanity wouldn't have only had one emperor who hadn't yet ascended to godhood.
Moreover, after a week of intense study, he gained a preliminary understanding of the workings of the power of faith and realized that what Luo Jia said was true.
"Alas, this has nothing to do with time, Chief Li Wei. I'm truly sorry, becoming a god through faith is not that simple. My brothers should have already felt the power of faith that I'm drawing upon, but their reactions are all very resistant."
Luo Jia sighed helplessly and said with a wry smile.
He had actually tried to distribute the faith evenly among his brothers, but they all refused to accept it.
"Alright then." Li Wei shrugged. He knew that the emperor's proud and arrogant sons would never easily accept some inexplicable power.
Moreover, judging from Luo Jia's expression, he probably didn't inform the various Primarchs beforehand, nor did he mention it afterwards. Otherwise, there should be several massive expeditionary fleets in outer space around Kur Star by now.
Based on Li Wei's understanding of those hot-tempered Primarchs, it is absolutely possible.
"Let's go, Chief Li Wei, let's go see the other temples." Luo Jia sensed his disappointment and took the initiative to change the subject, then led Li Wei to visit the other temples.
Next, Li Wei saw the statue of Horus, the war god with a longsword and a resolute face; the statue of Perturabo, the blacksmith god clad in heavy armor and wielding a battering ram; and the statue of Forgrim, the art god with a longsword and an elegant posture...
In the days that followed, Li Wei followed Luo Jia to learn how to manipulate the power of faith. Unfortunately, the effect of manipulating the power of faith with psychic energy was extremely poor, but he still gained a lot.
As for the establishment of the Think Tank of the Word Bearers, he delegated that task to his adjutant, Kayan.
Kayan didn't complain; he simply saw it as a test of the Chief's trust in him.
Six months later, while Li Wei was meditating on the power of faith in a secluded room, he suddenly received an urgent communication from Qianzi.
On the World Eater Legion's side, the Thousand Sons mentor in charge of training the think tank was severely wounded by Angron, who suddenly went out of control.