The captain walked out of the hall and turned towards the bow of the ship, followed closely by the archbishop.
They passed through the choir, entered a narrow passage, and then walked several hundred meters to an intersection.
Then the captain descended the stairs, and the Archbishop followed him down several flights of stairs, until at the end there was a huge iron door.
Then Bealak nodded, and the two guards opened the door for them.
Inside the storage facility, crates and boxes are stacked high on steel racks. The vault was so plain that Pamphili frowned when he saw it.
"I disappoint you."
"Where are those sacred prayers I just saw?"
"I believe that's enough."
The captain pointed to the container.
"Many of the items stored here are replicas and they are treated with respect, but not the most solemn respect, and I guarantee that nothing ungodly will be done here."
Pamphili lowered his head, admitting this.
"As for those unidentified objects."
The captain continued:
"The same principle applies. They can only be deposited here before we can ascertain their identity and therefore their sanctity. Although this depository is undecorated, my lord, it is nevertheless sacred."
"I'm satisfied, Captain, please continue."
The captain led the Archbishop to a box at the end of the first row of shelves, sitting on a large workbench next to datapads, scrolls, and leather-bound tomes.
"I know you've been working hard."
"Yes, the work is very complex and there are a lot of inconsistencies in the records, and we haven't made much progress yet."
With that said, the captain began to open the box.
It was unlocked, but a dozen bronze clamps held it shut.
"Where did you find it?"
Pangfili asked curiously:
"Wouldn't this provide some clues?"
Belak shook his head.
"We found it from the remains of an underground ruin. In that ruin we also saw the remains of some Astartes power armor, but we couldn't identify which order's power armor it was. They were all silver and There were no shoulder emblems...the remains were reburied, which we believe is the best courtesy to the angels."
"What are the Astartes doing there?"
Pamphili was even more curious, because Plantium had been fighting alone before its destruction, and there was no record that any Adeptus Astartes came to support it until it was completely devoured by the Tyranids.
Even so, he saw a greater meaning in the growing number of coincidences.
"I have no idea."
The captain shook his head.
"I can't guess why they were there, but anyway, this is what we found."
After saying that, he took out a shelf and placed it on the table, then stepped back and let Pamphilly step aside to let him inspect the holy object.
This is a thick ancient book? The cover is made of gorgeous precious metal, and there is a cold face on the front.
That mask looked neither male nor female? He stared at Pangfili with blank eyes.
He received a cold gaze. His limbs began to tremble, and the blood in his body flowed toward his heart, leaving only numbness on his skin.
That face is golden and held on the cover by a sturdy frame? It looks both sturdy and beautiful.
Jewels are inlaid around its eyes and mouth. The contours of its cheekbones are also inlaid with dazzling gems. They extract the light from the roof lights and refract it into a dazzling spectrum, allowing Pangfili to see brilliant gold and colorful colors. The brilliance is intertwined.
That face was both serene and serious? There were tiny runes engraved on the forehead. Lines of runes streaked across the surface of the mask like wrinkles of time and experience, highlighting the beauty of that face even more.
Around the face, cryptic messages, complex patterns and chants are written in twisted handwriting.
This ancient book focused the archbishop's attention, and his eyes jumped from one detail to another? Every detail is perfect, and together they create an existence beyond perfection.
Pangphili felt as if he was shocked. The beauty in front of him was even painful, but his eyes were still wide open. His eyes seemed to be watching a kaleidoscope, from one person's face to another person's face and then to another. .
He felt that he could spend his whole life viewing every face represented by the mask? Even so, he couldn't see them all.
"this……"
Pamphilly cleared his throat, unable to look away.
"This is amazing!"
"Indeed, this is a great masterpiece that can be exhibited with confidence once we have established its origins."
The archbishop was fascinated by the beauty of the ancient book, and this was the only thing in his mind.
"To gaze upon this miracle is to feel the gaze of the Emperor, which could only have been copied from the face of an angel or a saint."
He said this not because of the sanctity of the holy object, but because of the idea that the ancient book itself made the archbishop have.
The runes on that face held so much magic, and the light shone so brightly on the gems, that no mortal face could match it.
It is meant to be admired, as if a pair of living eyes looked out from behind the mask, calling believers to the ecstasy of faith.
The Archbishop felt a twinge of nervousness as the ability to see the mask with a rational eye was slipping from him, but then awe flooded his mind.
"I also think that the person who made this face for the saint must be special, but until we know which saint it is, I have to leave it here. This is the responsibility I have to fulfill."
"Indeed."
Pamphilly replied reluctantly, he really didn't want Bilak to put away the ancient books in front of him.
He stared at the relic until the lid was closed, and removing that perfect face from his sight made him feel the pain of something important being stolen.
No, it's worse than that, it's a form of bereavement.
When the captain led him out of the vault, the Archbishop looked normal, but his mind was in turmoil.
He found what he had been looking for, a holy book worth far more than all the other relics on the ship put together, and such a holy relic must be displayed in the grandest cathedral.
When he thought about the inflammatory influence that the Holy Scriptures would have on citizens' faith, the heaviness in his body disappeared, and now he even wanted to dance with excitement. This was a news that would surely bring as much intensity to Valedo as fire. The gift of faith.
He had to find a way to make this happen, it must be the Emperor's will.
Otherwise, why would fate allow me to see such a relic?
The reflection of gold and the light of gems filled Pamphili's mind, and until he returned to his bedroom, the memory of the perfect face still tormented him, calling to him, and he vowed to answer its call.
