"Governor, welcome!" the mayor exclaimed loudly, his voice filled with appropriate reverence.
Although Alex had only brought two personal attendants and a squad of Battle Sisterss as guards for this trip, the sense of awe his superior brought remained undiminished in the mayor's eyes.
This was not only because Alex was the undisputed supreme ruler of the Rostov Sub-Sector, but also because of the vast military power and intricate political network he represented.
Of course, what was most chilling was the Inquisitor's Rosette gently swaying at Alex's waist as he walked; that emblem shimmered with awe-inspiring light under Murmansk's pale sky, silently reminding everyone present of the absolute authority it symbolized.
"You've worked hard. I've seen your efforts in developing the city to this extent in such a short time," Alex nodded slightly, speaking in a calm tone.
He did not act aggressively upon meeting, unlike some Inquisitors, but instead first gave the diligent mayor due affirmation.
Then he turned to the main topic: "Regarding the rebels and cults, you will report to me separately later. For now, please give me a basic overview of the city's situation."
"Yes, esteemed Governor," the mayor responded with trepidation, immediately signaling his attendant behind him to present the already prepared report documents.
When he saw the enormous parchment scroll that required two reinforced Servitor to carry together, Alex's eyes twitched involuntarily a few times.
In the Imperium's complex administrative system, to ensure the absolute accuracy of important data, all official documents must be written on specially blessed parchment by the Ecclesiarchy.
This writing material was not only complex to produce, but its writing format and process also adhered to almost stringent standards.
Because of this, Scribe Servitor equipped with precision writing devices became indispensable office equipment for every Imperial administrative department, and standard scribing kits supplied to clerks became one of the most consumed office supplies within the Imperial bureaucracy.
This seemingly cumbersome tradition was not merely a result of bureaucracy.
If important data were simply recorded on data-slates or cogitator systems, corrupted code and digital daemons (digital daemons are not rumors, GW has brought them back out) from Adeptus Mechanicus heretics or Dark Mechanicus could easily tamper with the contents.
Not to mention the schemes of Tzeentch Daemons, or the clandestine manipulations of conspirators within the Imperium.
Even fragments of STC databases left from the Dark Age of Technology have shown cases of Chaos corruption due to their age.
In the Warhammer universe, any form of record can become a vessel for Chaos corruption.
Data-slates can be tampered with by digital daemons, cogitator systems are susceptible to corrupted code, and even ancient STC database fragments cannot escape the corruption of Chaos.
Only parchment specially blessed by the Ecclesiarchy, steeped in sacred oil and consecrated with prayers, can resist this erosion to the greatest extent.
Therefore, even though he watched the two Servitor laboriously carrying the half-person-tall parchment scroll, listening to the groaning hum of their servo-joints under the strain, Alex could only helplessly nod, signaling them to continue.
This ancient and reliable method of record-keeping was a tradition the Imperium had to uphold under the threat of Chaos, even if it meant extreme inefficiency—after all, in the Emperor's domain, security was always more important than convenience.
Alex gently rubbed his temples, feeling a wave of helplessness.
Looking at the thick parchment scroll bound with purity seals, he already began to calculate how much precious time he would have to spend on it.
He had more important matters to attend to at the moment and truly had no time to immediately review this lengthy report.
Fortunately, the experienced mayor had already anticipated this situation.
He respectfully handed over an encrypted data-slate: "Sir, please allow me to give you a brief report."
The mayor began to give Alex an oral briefing in concise language. Although official documents had to be written on blessed parchment, the Imperium did not stipulate that oral reports could not use data-slates.
While Alex was attentively listening to the mayor's report, Siddhga, standing behind him, was boredly serving as a backdrop.
The Sisters of Silence, clad in Vartine Armor, had her hands clasped in front of her abdomen, her gaze seemingly focused as she scanned every corner of the room, but in reality, her mind had already wandered far away, her thoughts drifting back to her training days at the Silent Sisterhood monastery.
As special warriors trained specifically to combat Psykers, the Sisters of Silences' training curriculum did not include any content related to politics or administrative management.
They learned how to identify psychic fluctuations, how to suppress witchcraft with anti-psychic fields, and how to precisely sever the heads of mutants with greatswords.
Perhaps in the distant Golden Age of the Imperium of Man, the Sisters of Silences and the Hunter Demon Order did receive a more comprehensive education; at that time, they were both warriors and scholars.
But ten thousand years of long history were enough to erase too many traditions.
For the Hunter Demon Order, struggling to survive in the shadows of the Imperium, merely enduring to this day was a miracle under the Emperor's Blessing, let alone maintaining those non-combat related knowledge traditions.
Today's Sisters of Silences only needed to perfectly fulfill their tasks of Psyker hunting and anti-psychic warfare to meet the most basic qualification standards.
As for the complex Imperial laws and bureaucratic procedures, they were entirely outside their consideration.
Alex was well aware of this; he never expected these silent warriors to undertake administrative functions or other non-combat tasks.
In his opinion, as long as the Sisters of Silences performed their duties excellently, they had already justified the resources he had invested in rebuilding this special unit.
Therefore, when Siddhga stood behind Alex, her mind wandering, no one raised any objections.
Aside from Alex vaguely sensing the Sister's inattentiveness, the other officials present failed to notice that this seemingly focused guard's thoughts had actually drifted far away.
After all, as natural Untouchables, even if the Sisters of Silences deliberately restrained their null energy, they would still trigger an instinctive repulsion from surrounding living beings.
This was not subjective aversion, but a defensive mechanism generated deep within the soul of all normal life forms when facing an Untouchable—just as skin instinctively avoids fire, and eyes automatically avoid strong light.
The officials standing behind the mayor would not even realize that they were deliberately ignoring Siddhga's presence.
They would only feel a vague discomfort, their gaze unconsciously sliding past where she stood, as if there was something unsettling there, yet they couldn't pinpoint what it was.
This characteristic made an Untouchable who could precisely control their null fluctuations almost a perfect infiltrator—people would subconsciously ignore their existence, just as they ignore a wall in the background.
The famous Political Commissar Cain had on many occasions escaped danger thanks to his Untouchable aide.
At this moment, although Siddhga had not reached the point of complete invisibility, it was enough for those around her to overlook her specific features.
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