Greylina walked through the temple of Magna Macragge, her robes rustling as ancient trees in the grove swayed gently in the night wind, the marble temple appearing and disappearing within.
At the same time, a plump, blue-painted holy icon was also revealed in the forest.
The icon stood twenty-two meters tall in the grove, its head perfectly spherical, like a sacred geometric manifestation in the mortal world. Its equally round body was carved with the shape of a pocket, and its round hands stretched towards the sky.
What a towering and magnificent figure it was! Compared to it, even the seven towering mountains behind Magna Macragge, which housed the Ultramarines' fortress-monastery, seemed tiny.
Greylina was moved by this sacred moment. Her eyes filled with tears as she devoutly knelt before the holy icon.
"O Holy Doraemon, I offer my humble gratitude to you, for saving me."
"I pray to you, that your deep blue radiance may grant us hope."
She had once been a minor noble on Macragge, living a life of extravagance that now filled her with shame.
But even nobles were powerless against the dark tide. With the Black Legion's invasion, Macragge became a hell. She was captured by cultists and nearly became a sacrifice to the Dark Gods.
Fortunately, the Holy Archangel, leading the Holy doraemon and the Cadia 184th Regiment, descended upon the bloody sacrificial ground.
Their radiance evaporated the blasphemous cultists, slaughtered the enemies of the Emperor and Saint Doraemon, and saved Greylina's life.
Greylina was shaken by this moment. She wept aloud, praising the great Emperor for saving her.
But the Archangel helped her up, telling her in a gentle and peaceful voice that besides the Emperor, she should also devoutly thank another holy, gentle, and kind being, praising original power, the Death God, and the eternal dragon walking among mortals, praising the great Saint Doraemon.
Later, the warriors of the Cadia 184th Regiment, who had once accompanied Saint Doraemon, shared the faith of Saint Doraemon with her.
"He awoke from a hive city, and therefore pities the poor most."
"He says everything has value, and therefore opposes extravagance most."
Greylina remembered these words. After the Macragge war ended, she donated all her property and, with others, established this temple, the First Temple of Doraemon.
There were a total of twenty-two such temples across Macragge, all from the donations of devout believers.
Of course, they encountered many troubles during the temple's construction. The followers of the Adeptus Ministorum always watched them with suspicion, and some even reported them to the Inquisition.
Fortunately, Ms. Greyfax, the Inquisitor who arrived, was reasonable and gentle, and did not make things difficult for them at all.
Then the Archangel also descended amidst his busy schedule, examined their faith, and declared the piety of their Saint Doraemon Sect to the Adeptus Ministorum.
For this, Greylina could only praise the Archangel and Saint Doraemon every grateful day and night.
The only thing Greylina regretted was that she had never witnessed the figure of Saint Doraemon.
It was said that Saint Doraemon, like the Emperor during the Great Crusade, walked among the stars in a material, human form.
People often came from star systems near Macragge, claiming they had seen Saint Doraemon walking among mortals, and that he would use his sacred pocket to devour all corrupted things.
When he descended, thousands of the machine spirit would praise him in unison, and even the blasphemous machines used by the Black Legion would be inspired.
He would bring death to all enemies of humanity, and be immortal in death.
His round hands held tools that could grant all wishes, and all miracles were born from them.
But he seemed not to be active on Macragge very often. Greylina had never seen him with her own eyes.
She only felt regret about this. If her body had not become weak from her past extravagant life, she could at least have tried to become a member of the Ultramar Auxiliary Army and go to the front lines, which might have given her a chance to see Saint Doraemon with her own eyes.
Greylina sighed sadly, finished her prayer in a low voice, and was about to get up to return to her room to rest.
But just then, Greylina saw it.
Beneath the twenty-two-meter-tall holy icon stood a robed figure.
The figure's robe was pushed up, making him appear quite plump, and his head seemed very round.
Greylina gently rose, brushed the dust from her robes, and quietly approached the plump figure.
"Sir," Greylina bowed devoutly, clasping her hands into a circle and raising them diagonally upwards.
This was the recently popular greeting style of the Saint Doraemon Sect, imitating Saint Doraemon's gesture of extending his round hand.
Greylina noticed that the robed, plump figure seemed to flinch.
"Sir, the Cadia 184th Regiment, who once walked with God, taught us that Saint Doraemon cares about both the human spirit and all worldly matters."
"Therefore, our temple closes promptly at twenty-two o'clock Macragge time. It is now past opening hours."
Greylina gently advised:
"If you truly don't want to leave and wish to pray to Saint Doraemon all night, you may do so in the hall after registering."
"It's cold outside, and you might catch a cold."
"..This is good." The plump figure was silent for a moment, then spoke slowly.
He turned his head and looked at Greylina.
Greylina gasped, feeling dizzy, and her knees gave way, making her fall to the ground.
That face beneath the hood... that face beneath the hood...
The plump figure raised his head and slowly removed his hood, revealing his sacred face.
His head was perfectly round, like a manifestation of perfect geometry. His rosy nose was as hot as a star, and his huge mouth seemed poised to devour all blasphemous things. His eyes burned brightly, sparkling with light. All combined, they formed a face like that of an Ancient Terra creature, a racoon dog.
This face was identical to the twenty-two-meter-tall sculpture behind him.
"Lord, my Lord!" Greylina bowed her head to the grass, tears streaming down her face from immense emotion.
"You know that sickness is bad, and this is good."
"I should admonish you, and you should also remember that not only sickness is bad."
"You should also know: love and art are good, but lust and extravagance are bad."
"You should also know: wisdom and knowledge are good, but deceit and secrets are bad."
"You should also know: bravery and decisiveness are good, but anger and slaughter are bad."
"You should also know: health and life are good, but sickness and corruption are bad."
"Therefore, you should remember: do not love those who are arrogant, extravagant, and lustful. Do not trust those who are full of lies. Do not approach those who are angry and bloodthirsty. Do not touch those who are corrupt and cause disease."
"Praise Saint Doraemon!" Greylina cried out hoarsely, "Praise your teachings."
Greylina's voice broke the tranquility near the temple, attracting the attention of many believers.
They held their breath, seeing the sacred figure standing beneath the statue.
Immediately, sounds of kneeling and prayer echoed through the temple.
"No need for praise, I am here to teach you, to make you know the true dharma of this world."
"My name is Doraemon, born in humanity's pure and noble twenty-second century, hence twenty-two is the holy number."
"I am the master of all machines, creating miracles with tools, hence I am original power, one of the three divinities of the Omnissiah."
"I am the devourer of all things, whether daemons or the Tyranids, all are swallowed by my pocket, hence I am the eternal dragon."
"I am the master of death, exercising the Emperor's authority as Death God, immortal through death, hence I am the Chosen of Death."
"You may only praise my name on the three levels of machine, devouring, and death. You must not praise other gods, nor their names."
"Whoever praises desire, is not me, but a snake."
"Whoever praises change, is not me, but a bird."
"Whoever praises killing, is not me, but a dog."
"Whoever praises plague, is not me, but a fly."
Greylina buried her head deep in the grass, listening to this sacred teaching.
"You must also remember, I currently have only three living Saints under me; besides them, there are no other representatives."
"The first is Sanguinius. He is my first Saint, awakening with me in a hive city, originally the Emperor's ninth son, resurrected by me by reversing time on Baal, to act for me in the world."
"The second is Guilliman. He is the Lord of Ultramar and Ultramarines, originally infected by the poison of the Lord of Hunger. Later, Archmagos Belisarius Cawl clad him in the Fate Armor, and I brought him back from death. He, the Emperor's thirteenth son, became my second living Saint."
"The third is Gouda. He is my extension, my avatar, the Lord of Plunder, War, Friendship, and Song. He is me, and I am him, the manifestation of my wrath in the mortal world and the Warp. You may praise his name as you would praise me."
"You may only devoutly worship the three living Saints mentioned above, and no others."
"Look up, true believer." The figure's voice called Greylina.
Greylina trembled, looking up with confusion, unsure if the sacred figure was calling her.
"Sanguinius has examined you, and he has declared to me that there is true piety in your heart, uncorrupted by evil. Therefore, I shall give you Holy Communion."
Greylina only saw a tablecloth flash in mid-air, landing on the grass before her.
Then, a sweet aroma of food filled Greylina's nostrils.
Instantly, a large quantity of a certain pastry, made of two round cakes joined together, appeared on the tablecloth, piling up into a mountain before Greylina.
"This is dorayaki, my favorite food, it is my flesh. I give it to you, so that you may share in my blessing."