Greylina almost felt a sense of suffocation, staring in disbelief at the figure sleeping on the bed.
His round face was serene, his expression gentle, with no wounds on his body and a long, steady breath, as if he were truly just in a deep sleep, as if he would awaken at any moment.
It was so sudden, so unexpected; Greylina had not prepared herself mentally at all when she suddenly came face to face with the sacred body of Saint Doraemon.
There was no solemn ceremony, no complex scrutiny.
There weren't even any guards around him!
The Emperor's Throne Room had the Ten Thousand Custodes Legions!
Saint Doraemon's resting place was this simple?!
This caused Greylina's brain to crash; for a moment, she couldn't react, unsure of what response to make.
But just seeing Saint Doraemon's body intact, unlike the Emperor's which was incomplete and damaged, not appearing to have fallen into slumber due to incurable wounds, a spark of hope still instantly ignited in Greylina's heart.
For a moment, Greylina even began to explain to herself why there were no guards nearby.
Perhaps it was because Saint Doraemon truly just fell into slumber on his own and could awaken at any time, and under Saint Doraemon's great power, whether there were guards or not made no difference.
This thought made Greylina feel a surge of excitement.
The young woman, covered in faint burn marks, slowly raised her head, revealing her face to Greylina.
It was a pretty but not exceptionally beautiful face, with regular features, but still some imperfections on her skin, not quite flawless. Overall, she possessed a simple, ordinary beauty that made one feel comfortable at a glance. Looking at this face wouldn't burden anyone; it would only instinctively evoke a sense of closeness.
Her body showed signs of training, but this did not detract from the woman's overall sense of harmony; instead, it made her appear very healthy.
She looked to be in her twenties, but in this galaxy, it was actually very difficult to judge age by appearance.
Residents of the hive city's Lower Hive generally aged faster, while nobles often underwent life-extension technologies, body adjustments, and even a certain degree of biological modification.
For example, Greylina was actually over eighty years old but looked to be only forty or fifty.
Battle Sisters generally aged slower; it was said to be the effect of their fervent faith, or perhaps the effect of the Battle Sisters' special training methods.
More than age and appearance, what truly captivated Greylina were the woman's eyes.
The woman's eyes were much brighter than an ordinary person's, as if the light of a star had once ignited in her pupils, and a wisp of that flame still lingered within them.
Under that gaze, Greylina felt a searing pain, as if her past and even her future were being seen through.
"Greylina Guilliman."
The woman, covered in burn marks, softly spoke Greylina's name, which she had almost forgotten:
"Your ancestor was the cousin of King Konor, Primarch Roboute Guilliman's adoptive father, and likewise inherited this surname, which is now borne by the Primarch."
"For the past ten thousand years, your family has consistently been the most prominent noble family on Macragge, and you are the sole heir of one of its branches."
"But you chose to abandon and donate your wealth, joining the Saint Doraemon Church, building the first Saint Doraemon Temple, and becoming one of the earliest believers to receive Saint Doraemon's enlightenment."
In just a few words, this woman recounted Greylina's past.
Greylina's ancestor was King Konor's cousin, and King Konor was Roboute Guilliman's adoptive father; therefore, Greylina shared the same surname as Primarch Roboute Guilliman.
Precisely because of this, Greylina's family was one of the strongest families on all of Macragge, and Greylina was the heir to one of its branches.
But since joining the Saint Doraemon Church, Greylina had barely mentioned her prominent family background in decades, nor that she shared the same surname as a Primarch. Yet this woman with burn marks, upon meeting Greylina for the first time, accurately recounted her past.
Greylina's mind and body were once again shaken; she almost immediately, involuntarily, knelt before the woman and the sacred body of Saint Doraemon.
"Madam, I am but a humble believer, who, like many others, was saved by Sanguinius and learned of Saint Doraemon's teachings from Sanguinius' lips."
Greylina said humbly, unable to resist asking about the identity of the young woman before her.
"Who exactly are you...?" Greylina looked up at the young woman with burn marks and asked.
"I am but an ordinary Battle Sister, trained under High Sister Magda, and now, entrusted by the Emperor and Saint Doraemon, I merely guard Saint Doraemon's slumbering sacred body here."
Greylina swallowed a little saliva as she listened to the young woman's words.
Of course, she wouldn't believe that the young woman was truly just an ordinary Battle Sister; she thought of the contents of "Doraemon's Scripture: Reyna's book."
"Reyna's book," personally written by Reyna the Pure, is the thinnest and most simply worded book in "Doraemon's Scripture," essentially a collection of stories, and thus deeply loved by children.
But Greylina did not, for that reason, slight "Reyna's book." She believed that great wisdom was hidden within the book's simple words, and this book recorded a series of Saint Doraemon's experiences when he descended upon Ashford.
Greylina vaguely perceived that this woman before her seemed to be the one recorded in "Reyna's book."
Greylina's heart pounded, and she knelt before the woman with even greater reverence.
"But Greylina, your heart is full of hesitation and wavering," the woman said softly.
Greylina's heart almost stopped for a moment; sweat streamed down her forehead, and she stammered:
"Madam, I trust all of Saint Doraemon's words. Our Lord has proven with undeniable facts that he is humanity's new savior after the Emperor."
"But, Madam, Saint Doraemon has not spoken for a long time, and I imagine even Archmagos Belisarius Dora Cawl's heart is filled with fear."
"I understand that fear. The history passed down in my family from ten thousand years ago is so similar... the Emperor and Saint Doraemon."
"And Madam, what frightens me more is not Saint Doraemon's slumber."
"I have visited many planets, and during my pilgrimage, I have also landed on many. I have witnessed firsthand how the Adeptus Ministorum organizations on many planets have degenerated into institutions of corruption, indulgence, and oppression of the common people, becoming swollen tumors pressing down on humanity."
"I fear, if Saint Doraemon, like the Emperor, remains silent for ten thousand years, will our Saint Doraemon Church also degenerate into that state?"
"No." The woman's answer was even more resolute and certain than Greylina had imagined.
She gently set down her needlework, then stood up and gently helped Greylina to her feet, leading Greylina with her to Saint Doraemon's bedside.
Saint Doraemon's face was clearly presented before Greylina.
His face was serene, yet inexplicably made one feel the presence of hope.
"He is different," the woman with burn marks said softly. "He is completely unlike the Emperor."
"He is our last savior, because when he awakens, everything will surely be saved by him. Then we will no longer need to pray to anyone, no longer need to beg anyone, for the bright and rational 22nd century will be born at that time."
"Until that moment arrives, Saint Doraemon will never leave us. He will awaken, he must awaken, he is about to awaken."
The woman's tone carried an unwavering conviction; her faith and will were so firm that Greylina felt shaken, involuntarily infected by such tenacity.
"About to awaken... Is that your prophecy?" Greylina couldn't help but ask.
"It is a fact that will surely come to pass." The woman lowered her gaze, speaking in an almost unquestionable tone.
Greylina almost felt her soul tremble; the woman's words transformed into burning sparks that drilled into Greylina's mind, almost instantly incinerating the confusion and gloom she had accumulated during her long pilgrimage.
Intense hope burned in her heart, and she yearned to share this hope with other believers.
The woman with burn marks watched Greylina leave, and gently sighed.
She gently rubbed her brow.
The woman with burn marks possessed a certain degree of Psyker ability, but she was not skilled in Psyker operations of the mind-control type. She was particularly adept at prophecy, followed by sacred words and fire manipulation, while mind-control and telekinesis were less practiced.
Although not to the extent of Reyna's Seducer's Whisper causing heads to explode, whenever she used mind-control Psyker abilities, she would always accidentally leave some burns on people's minds, easily causing them to develop some fanatical tendencies.
Greylina's situation was exactly like this... though it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
In the woman with burn marks' prophecy, Greylina's preaching would greatly eliminate the hesitation and wavering in the hearts of Saint Doraemon's followers, making them anticipate Saint Doraemon's return with greater hope.
Such a tide gathering in the Warp would also be more beneficial to Saint Doraemon's mind.
"Another ordinary believer!"
A sharp, cunning voice echoed in the hermitage, with a strong sense of boredom and disdain:
"We haven't caught any fish for so long this year! Even the red-skins aren't falling for our tricks anymore!"
"We're going to be mocked by those damned Harlequins again!"
The woman with burn marks listened to the cunning voice without speaking, merely turning her head to look at the bed behind her.
The round, blue metal body on the bed stirred slightly, and a cunning smile crossed its round face.
Then, with a whoosh, the Doraemon-like figure sprang up from the bed.