This was Alex's first time arriving at the Mariupol Sector Capital, and his first time truly leaving Rostov to reach another Imperial World.
Although he had previously inspected Zaporozhye and another colony world, both of those could only be considered newly established colonies, with a vast difference from true Imperial Worlds.
Especially the immense disparity compared to a Star Sector Capital, enough to make one marvel that they belonged to the same nation in the same era.
If one had to make an analogy, it would be as vast as the difference between Shanghai in the 3k era and some rural town.
The former was a modern international metropolis, while the latter was merely a dusty old land stuck thirty or forty years in the past, and incredibly small besides.
Mariupol Sector is a newly established Star District, likely opened as an expansion in the early M38, and officially designated an Imperial Star District approximately five hundred years later.
The Mariupol Sector Capital is also a newly opened planet, with a history of less than three thousand years.
For an Imperial World, this is indeed very new, unbelievably new.
The planet's geological structure had not yet collapsed due to over-extraction, the atmosphere had not been completely eroded by industrial waste, and even the magma activity deep within the crust remained relatively stable.
The environment of this planet had not suffered severe damage, and there were not many Hive Cities on the planet; the few that existed were concentrated in the temperate zone near the equator.
When Alex's Black Ship docked at the Starport of this planet, he could even overlook the yellowish-brown wasteland on the planetary surface from space.
Those primitive landforms not covered by concrete shimmered with a rugged light under the sun, like an uncarved jade.
Even more astonishing was that the clouds shrouding the Hive Cities were white, not lead-gray or any other heavily polluted color.
These clouds floated lightly among the spires of the Hive Cities, adding a touch of vitality to the cold metal structures.
This was extremely rare for an Imperial World with Hive Cities.
It is important to know that most Imperial Worlds, after establishing their first Hive City, would transform their homeworld into a desolate metal planet due to uncontrolled industrial expansion, with little of the planet's original landscape remaining.
Because, generally speaking, establishing a Hive City on an Imperial World would inevitably destroy the planet's environment.
Mining operations would tear apart the crust, factory emissions would poison the atmosphere, and the domestic waste of billions of residents would completely alter the planet's topography.
But in the Mariupol Sector Capital, all of this seemed to remain within controllable limits.
At least the oceans on the planet had not been dyed purple, nor had the land taken on other colors.
There were no volcanoes spewing toxic smoke, no jungles glowing from radiation, and none of the thousands of kilometers of garbage mountains common on over-developed worlds; everything here still retained some of the purity of a new world.
It was a pity, however, that Alex was not in the mood to appreciate this scenery.
His thoughts were occupied by the war situation of the expedition and the heavy responsibilities on his shoulders; what he saw in his eyes was not the vitality of a new world, but the complex and profound political struggles and power struggles on the planet.
He merely glanced out the window briefly while taking the shuttle to the Inquisition headquarters.
In that fleeting glimpse, sunlight pierced through the clouds, reflecting dazzling light off the metal surfaces of the Hive City, as if the entire city was bathed in golden sunlight.
The spires and domes piercing through the clouds looked like mountains abruptly rising from the earth, arrogant and unshakeable.
They were forged from adamantium and plasteel, their surfaces etched with the Imperial double-headed eagle and sacred scriptures, shimmering with a cold luster in the thin high-altitude atmosphere.
And countless spires gathered together to form a city in the clouds—the Upperhive, the domain of the powerful and high-ranking clergy, suspended above the mortal world, looking down upon all beings.
And beneath the ten-thousand-foot abyss of this city in the clouds lay the Lower Hive, which in every sense formed the cornerstone of the Imperium.
There was no sunlight there, only the ceaseless roar of machinery and murky artificial light; no clean air, only stale exhaust fumes circulated thousands of times; no order or glory, only survival and struggle.
The light of the Upperhive would never reach there, just as the prosperity of the Imperium was always built upon countless unseen darkness and sacrifices.
The shuttle quickly landed on the helipad in front of the Inquisition headquarters, and Alex disembarked with his guard.
Inquisitor Paul, who had previously dealt with Alex, was standing in front of the helipad to greet him, and Alex noticed a tall Astartes in blood-red Power Armor among the retinue behind him.
This was one of Sanguinius's sons, only the color of his Power Armor was deeper than that of the Blood Angels, and the emblem on his shoulder pad was a black dragon's head, not the winged blood drop common to the Blood Angels.
This was a Chapter with a rather poor reputation—the Blood Dragons; they focused solely on their mission and tasks, never caring about civilians, making them one of the less well-regarded of Sanguinius's sons.
"Welcome to the Mariupol Sector Capital, Your Excellency Alex," Paul said, welcoming Alex.
"It seems you've done well since we last met, even having an Astartes accompany you," Alex praised him with a touch of jest.
"Thanks to the wine you had me deliver last time," Paul explained somewhat sheepishly to Alex, "Last time I went to Baal, I was granted an audience with Chapter Master Dante and representatives from various other Blood Angels Chapters, and successfully signed a contract with the Blood Dragons."
Paul, of course, also wanted to sign a contract with the Blood Angels and hire an Astartes from the Blood Angels Chapter.
However, due to various reasons, he was unable to sign a contract with the Blood Angels, but by a strange twist of fate, he signed a contract with the Blood Dragons, acquiring an Astartes from the Blood Dragons to join his retinue.
Although he did not achieve his original expectation, in a sense, the Blood Dragons, who were relatively less concerned about civilian casualties, were more compatible with the Inquisition.
After all, sometimes when doing dirty work, Astartes who are too focused on honor and unwilling to harm civilians can cause significant problems for a mission.
For example, the Heavenly Lion Battle Group is a typical case; they, who originally worked with an Inquisitor, ended up clashing with the Inquisition over an Exterminatus order.
"Your Excellency Alex, the Inquisitor Grand Master and the various Inquisitor Grand Masters are already waiting for you." Paul made a gesture for Alex to follow, then led him towards the Inquisition headquarters.
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