kingnovel Chapter 552 State Religion and Family
Chapter 552 State Religion and Family
a year ago
Material Universe
Zhu Lanxing
State Church
Even on Juran, a planet filled with colossal factories, the State Church remains the most magnificent building on the entire planet. Its black basalt base pierces the clouds above the hive capital, and a gilded statue of the God-Emperor stands atop the church's dome. The radiant scepter in the statue's hand is inlaid with dozens of minerals revered as "gifts from the God-Emperor." Even the hive capital's eternal gloom cannot obscure the golden light reflected from the scepter.
On either side of the church's main entrance, twelve lectors, dressed in scarlet robes and holding gilded lecterns, stood in neat rows. The collars of their robes were embroidered with the silver emblem of the divine emperor, and they chanted endless prayers in low, unified voices.
Inside the church, the atmosphere was one of piety and solemnity.
The central prayer hall was covered with white velvet carpets brought from Terra. Dozens of rows of carved wooden benches lined both sides of the carpets. In the front row were nobles from all levels of the planet Juran, dressed in magnificent robes, with the insignia of the God-Emperor and family medals on their chests, their expressions respectful.
The back row consisted of carefully selected, grassroots believers. They were dressed in rags, but each of them wore a fanatical expression of devotion. Some even knelt on the ground, their foreheads pressed against the blankets, not daring to make the slightest move.
The prayer altar is located at the front of the hall and is carved from a single block of white marble. In the center stands a pure white marble statue of the God-Emperor. On the platform in front of the statue is a giant "Divine Emperor's Holy Scripture" with gold trim. Next to the scripture, three eternal flames burn, and as the flames flicker, they make the three religious figures on both sides of the prayer stand even more solemn.
The Archbishop of the State Church of Zhu Lanxing stood to the right of the prayer platform. On either side of the Archbishop were two senior priests dressed in dark red robes, who stood with their heads bowed on either side of the sacred texts, holding small sutra books in their hands, ready to echo the Archbishop's prayers at any time.
But the protagonist of this grand prayer today is not the highly respected bishop, but the girl who devoutly prays to the Holy Emperor.
Seven-year-old Agatha, dressed in a white robe, clasped her hands together and devoutly recited a prayer:
"Almighty God-Emperor, Immortal Guardian of Terra, Eternal Light on the Golden Throne, I, Agatha Lyon, on behalf of my father, Governor Connor Lyon of Juran, offer you my sincerest prayers and deepest respect."
Agatha's voice was extremely soft and gentle, but due to the church's unique architectural structure, even this soft prayer could be clearly heard by every listener.
Agatha's prayers continued:
"Since my father took over the planet Juran, he has devoted himself day and night to carrying out your will, guided by the glory of the Divine Emperor, and protecting every believer on this planet. He works tirelessly, day and night, toiling in political and military affairs, exhausting his energy to resist the invasion of heretics, quell the turmoil in the Nest City, and nourish the people of the planet; he is selfless, using all the family's wealth to repair the Divine Emperor's church, support missionaries, and help the poor believers, while he himself is always frugal and self-disciplined, never indulging in pleasure; he is reverent, always keeping the teachings of the Divine Emperor in mind, guiding every citizen of Juran toward holiness, away from the temptations of chaos and the bewitchment of heretics."
The archbishop and two senior priests nodded slightly, their eyes showing approval. The archbishop even slowly raised his hand, making a gesture of blessing, and murmured, "May the God-King protect Lord Connor, protect Miss Agatha, and protect the people of Juran."
The nobles and believers in the hall echoed their sentiments, praying in hushed tones. Some even knelt down again, chanting phrases like "May the glory of the Divine Emperor endure forever, and may Lord Connor be wise."
After Agatha finished her prayer, the Archbishop slowly walked to the altar, raised his hand to silence the chorus of agreement in the hall, and his aged voice carried far through the church dome: "Thank you for the grace of the Emperor, and thank you for the piety of Governor Connor. Miss Agatha's prayer is the most sincere sentiment of Juran to the Emperor! Governor Connor puts the planet first and cares for his people, and humbly carries out the Emperor's will. Such sincerity will surely be remembered by the Emperor, and will surely protect the peace of Juran for ten thousand years! May the glory of the Emperor forever shine on the Lyon family, and forever shine on every inch of Juran's land!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Lyon family butler, who had been waiting nearby, stepped forward, holding a heavy wooden box inlaid with silver patterns. He walked to the altar, bowed, and then handed the box to the archbishop, saying in a steady voice, "This is a small token of my governor's appreciation. He wishes to donate it to the Holy See to repair the temple and support missionaries, in order to show his respect for the Holy Emperor."
The archbishop did not take the wooden box, but merely pushed it open slightly. However, the senior priest beside him immediately reached out and took it, but the archbishop ignored him. Then, he took a copy of the "Holy Scripture of the Divine Emperor" with a gold-embossed cover from another priest and handed it to Agatha, his tone filled with the tenderness of someone treating a child:
“Miss Agatha, this is a copy of the ceremonial text that I have personally transcribed. May it accompany you as you grow, guiding you to always walk in the glory of the Emperor, and may it protect Governor Connor and the Lyon family on behalf of the Emperor.”
Agatha raised her small hand, took the heavy book, nodded slightly, and replied softly, "Thank you, Archbishop."
The steward then bowed to the archbishop to take his leave, gently placing his hand on Agatha's shoulder as they walked out of the prayer hall. Nobles along the way cast approving glances, while the lower-ranking believers dared not raise their heads, only prostrating themselves on the ground and whispering prayers.
Agatha was led by the butler, her small body walking straight, holding the gilded holy book in both hands as if it were a rare treasure, until she walked out of the main entrance of the church, where a black hovercar with its door open was waiting.
There was already someone inside the carriage, her brother, Osarino.
After a brief exchange of glances, Osarino reached out and pulled his sister into the carriage.
However, as the car door closed, Agatha's usual solemn expression finally shattered.
"Snapped!"
The moment the car door closed, Agatha casually tossed aside the copy of the sacred text that the archbishop had personally copied, without even sitting down herself, as if it were not a sacred text but a red-hot coal.
Osarino was not surprised by his sister's actions, but instead took a glass of water and handed it to her.
But Agatha didn't take it. Instead, she covered her mouth tightly, her throat twitching as if she was feeling intensely nauseous.
Osarino remained silent, only gently patting Agatha's back before sighing.
After a moment, once the nausea subsided slightly, Agatha took the glass of water, but didn't drink it. After pondering for a long time, she slowly spoke:
"Brother, what's the point of doing this?"
Osarino raised an eyebrow and subtly pressed a hidden button next to his seat. Soon, darkness descended, separating the guest seats behind him from the seat in front where the butler was.
“I’m so sorry to have put you through this,” Osarino shook his head. “But it’s all for the family.”
Agatha fell silent again. After a long while, she finally drank a little water and whispered:
"To hell with the God Emperor, to hell with the family."
……
现在
Osarino took the box from Christina and slowly opened it, revealing a small statue of a god-emperor lying in soft red silk.
"Ah!" Christina showed a surprised yet matter-of-fact expression: "So this is what Miss Agatha left for you. Well, as a devout follower of the God-Emperor, she must be reminding you of the God-Emperor's grace in this way."
Osarino didn't speak, but tremblingly took out the statue and held it in his hand.
But no one noticed that his hand was unconsciously tightening, and his knuckles were turning slightly white.