The Emperor’s Angel of Death

As the suspended intercity carriage passed through the city on an arched viaduct, Roachim and the others had another chance to gaze at the vast space in the distance.

It contained countless commercial districts, residential areas, manufacturing complexes, administrative regions, church cathedrals, squares, and so on. As the carriage flew through the smog shrouding the city, the buildings disappeared from his sight—from high above, the entire urban area of Terra was almost a flat plain. Legend had it that back when the Great Crusade had just begun, almost all the mountains had been flattened, except for the Himalayas, which served as the foundation of the Imperial Palace and remained almost entirely unchanged.

The oceans of Earth had long since dried up, and from one side of the horizon to the other, the entire continent was pieced together into an indescribable super-metropolis.

So for most residents of Terra, even though they lived in the safest, most glorious, and greatest place in the Imperium of Man, very few would ever see the city's borders in their lifetime, except for those conscripted into the military. For the vast majority, their life might only consist of their own neighborhood and the throne behind the Eternity Gate that they could never gaze upon. In the luckiest of circumstances, on the rare clear nights, they might see the stars of the universe and the lights of the near-Earth orbit stations rotating in the sky.

"Make way, make way."

"Please show your tickets."

This kind of intercity suspended train was not something anyone could ride casually. One had to be a local resident with proof of residence to buy a ticket. Even then, conductors and transit police would occasionally conduct random checks of passengers' tickets and subtly remind passengers of the penalties for illegally crossing city boundaries—Terra's household registration system was extremely strict, and different districts could not be traveled between arbitrarily.

The entire carriage blended the design styles of the Imperium and the Adeptus Mechanicus. One half of the carriage was occupied by seats, with small crystal-decorated lamps on the tables that tinkled whenever the carriage turned or slowed down.

However, Roachim and the others only had standing tickets, so they could only stand on the other side.

The Eternal City, as one of the urban areas closest to the Imperial Palace, would feel very grand and tidy if only viewed from a distance. But this did not mean that it was always as glamorous as it appeared. For example, when leaving the Assam District, one could see a lawless zone. Although the boundaries of each administrative district were strictly defined, under the influence of illegal buildings and overlapping jurisdictions, these overlapping urban areas could easily lose management and be occupied by large areas of decaying steel waste, polluted giant drainage ditches, and pitiful slums.

But such places did not exist on the map. It was a blank space on the map. The holy capital of humanity could not allow slums to exist, as that would be a desecration of the glory of the Throne.

Therefore, such places were also called ghost districts—invisible to the "human" eye.

After passing through the ghost district, the train reached the border of the City of Petitioners, a huge complex of buildings located in the suburbs near the Imperial Palace. In fact, it was originally part of the Eternal City, but with the continuous expansion of the Imperial bureaucratic system, the number of public officials serving the Imperial era also increased. Initially, this place was designated as a residential area for middle and high-ranking public officials because it was close to the Imperial Palace, but it gradually developed and eventually became an independent city.

Nowadays, the City of Petitioners is home to more than 30 billion residents, most of whom are civil servants from Imperial institutions such as the Department of Internal Affairs and the Department of Military Affairs. Some people have lived here for dozens of generations, which means they have lived in the Imperial bureaucracy for dozens of generations.

For the vast majority of Terra residents, being able to live in the City of Petitioners is enough to represent a kind of glory and status.

When Roachim turned his gaze to the window, he saw the most beautiful and advanced city on Terra.

The towering buildings overlapped, blocking the view of the distant horizon outside the city. The huge display screens and three-dimensional projection devices installed on the buildings showed many figures and slogans that he did not recognize.

The train they were on was level with the middle floors of the buildings, so his vision was quickly immersed in various lights. They also seeped into the carriage, and everything inside the carriage—the passengers, Roachim's eyes, hands, and clothes—were soaked in these bright lights, causing him to involuntarily look away with some aching eyes and look down.

Through the gaps in the network of tracks, roads, and elevated viaducts, Roachim saw all kinds of tiny people walking on the streets, doing their own things.

Some were luxuriously dressed, some were dignified, some were ragged, some were glamorous or rogue-like, and of course, the rest were ordinary.

The most numerous were people in various uniforms. Their clothes were monotonous, but they were dyed with colorful colors by neon lights, street lights, and car lights.

The buildings were radiant, and the people were colorful, giving the city a kind of magic that seemed to lure people to stay here forever.

Then Roachim took two steps, wanting to have a better view of the city of the Throne from the air.

In a sense, it really looked like a vast museum composed of a complex giant spider web, with giant statues with gorgeous decorations, huge buttresses supporting super-large buildings, and dirty and gloomy giant electrical equipment.

"That is the Emperor Savior Cathedral."

When a magnificent and exaggerated building appeared in sight, Sissina came to Roachim and whispered, introducing the history of this cathedral, which was known as the most magnificent in the Imperium.

Without a doubt, Roachim was also shocked by this giant building. It was probably the largest cathedral he could imagine. The arched roof, as huge as the bow of a spaceship, stood above all the buildings and was even obscured by condensed water vapor—according to the law, no building in the City of Petitioners was allowed to exceed the height of the Emperor Savior Cathedral.

This cathedral was like a colorful mountain standing in the midst of buildings, with groups of robed priests and attendants moving back and forth in the various side halls and aisles, like busy ants in an anthill.

Roachim realized for the first time that the word hive city was so appropriate to describe these vast human settlements.

At this time, all the exits of the cathedral were hung with hundred-meter-high flags—some of them were tattered, but they still exuded an ancient color, and the multi-toned light filtered through, shining on the murals depicting battle after battle. Now this huge building was full of an atmosphere of fanatical activity, with no trace of the peace of prayer and contemplation.

This also made Roachim suddenly realize one thing: it was still night, although it was approaching dawn.

With a slight jolt, the train stopped.

When the train doors opened and Roachim stepped onto the platform, a wave of sensation assaulted him.

The smell of hot oil and grease emanating from the tracks, as well as the damp smell of garbage and chemically rich rainwater, were so real, yet so intense. More importantly, there was the smell of human bodies, as thousands upon thousands of people walked around in enthusiastic silence.