While Alex was away from the 40k universe, Rostov II continued its operations.
Perhaps influenced by some imperial will, the planet didn't pause for Alex's absence.
The Ecclesiarchy's funds injected vitality into Rostov II's development. Though ten million throne coins were a pittance on an imperial scale, they enabled significant progress.
Notably, the planet's cities grew from two to four.
One belonged to the Lingguang family, another to the Battle Sisters.
The Lingguang family's city needed no explanation. Their vassals, knight mechs, logistics teams, and infantry required settlement. Alex granted them decent but barren land, forcing them to build from scratch. Fortunately, the family's generational wealth allowed them to construct a knight-aesthetic city without Alex's aid.
Meanwhile, the Battle Sisters' "city" comprised two logistical facilities for their convents. Though their numbers were small, their support systems were complex. Power armor, far more intricate than carapace or flak armor, demanded extensive maintenance, not to mention their weapons and vehicles.
The Ecclesiarchy's substantial armaments had arrived, but a hundred-strong convent couldn't maintain them alone. Without the Ecclesiarchy's foresight in sending a servitor team, the Holy Rose Convent's sisters would be polishing armor instead of tending vineyards.
For the Ecclesiarchy, vineyards took precedence. After verifying the authenticity of the Holy Blessed Wine, ensuring its production became the Mariupol diocese's top priority.
Building a fortified city around the wine estate's valley was merely a necessary measure. If needed, the Ecclesiarchy would fortify the entire planet to safeguard the wine's production.
Still, they worried construction might disrupt the environment and affect the Holy Blessed Grapes. They consulted Ovilia for a professional assessment, ensuring the city wouldn't harm grape yields or wine brewing.
To boost production, the Ecclesiarchy invested heavily. Ovilia cultivated more seedlings for planting, while they selected numerous eligible young women from across the diocese, sending them to Rostov II as novice sisters for the Holy Rose Convent to aid in grape cultivation.
These girls underwent preliminary Battle Sister training—rigorous faith and purity tests to ensure untainted genes and steadfast belief. Despite strict criteria, the first batch alone numbered 800.
The influx of lively young women overwhelmed the modest monastery. The Grand Sister assigned them their first task: build their own living quarters.
For these girls, mostly from devout but modest Mariupol families, this was a novel challenge. None had construction experience, despite their faith and willingness to work.
The Grand Sister didn't intend to overwhelm them, providing skilled artisans to guide them. Building was, after all, a convent duty, with the Stained Glass Convent specializing in ecclesiastical art and architecture.
While Battle Sisters were the most renowned, the convents encompassed roles like scripture translation, servitor training, medical aid, church construction, stained glass artistry, heathen conversion, hymn singing, religious processions, and relic archaeology—each with dedicated orders.
Not all the enthusiastic girls would become Battle Sisters. Many would join the two main combat convents, but others would train in diverse roles. While war was vital to the Imperium, other functions were equally crucial.
These novices, the lowest-ranking sisters, still carried worldly traits. They required training to cultivate fervent faith, resilience, and selflessness. Most were fluent in High and Low Gothic, had basic military training, could maintain basic weapons, and understood the Imperium's organizations and systems.
By overall quality, these novices rivaled the best in imperial institutions, with many hailing from the Loyalist Academy.
Among them was young Figsin, strikingly beautiful and physically exceptional, likely from a high-ranking Astra Militarum family, exuding noble grace. When tasked with building quarters, Figsin swiftly organized a group of novices, leading them to complete their shelter first.
Her standout performance earned the Grand Sister's notice.
Unaware of this, Figsin and her sisters decorated their new quarters. Though novices renounced worldly desires to strengthen their faith in the Emperor, the young women still craved beauty, adorning their spaces as an expression of this.
The overseeing sisters didn't intervene, merely noting those with artistic talent—potential recruits for the Stained Glass Convent.
(End of Chapter)