Chapter 50: To Change the World, Start by Steering This Ship Right

"Your will, my Lord."

Captain Aurora grew even more astonished.

The machine spirit of this vessel—the Dawn—had always been notoriously aloof and cold. Never had it responded with such active compliance; it would have been a miracle if it hadn't thrown a tantrum over the renaming, let alone behaved in this manner.

Beset by this lingering perplexity, guided by attendants, Aurora led Romulus and his entourage into the bridge, which was steeped in the distinct aesthetics of the Adeptus Mechanicus.

"My Lord, here are the dossiers of the deputies for each department aboard the ship, along with their service records. Please let me know if any adjustments are needed."

Inviting the Angels of the Emperor to the seats of honor, Captain Aurora handed over a detailed roster, her eyes tinged with a faint trace of apprehension.

Romulus took the documents, his superhuman mind rapidly processing the information as his fingers turned the pages far faster than an ordinary mortal could.

"No need, the positions shall remain as they are. However, I would kindly request a detailed functional overview of the warship, along with matching personal profiles, at a later time," Romulus said.

Having just boarded the vessel, he saw no reason to unnecessarily disrupt positions where people were already performing adequately.

"Understood, my Lord."

Captain Aurora breathed a sigh of relief.

Although it seemed the Angel Lord indeed intended to intervene in the ship's personnel matters, it was all for the better since he was willing to make a specific inquiry first.

"However, I do have a few requirements to put forward."

"Please speak, my Lord."

The captain's response carried less apprehension and a bit more confidence now.

"We will certainly see them fulfilled."

Aurora had mentally prepared herself for the fact that a change in the vessel's ownership would inevitably bring shifts in its institutional rules.

"Very well. First, our Chapter will establish new regulations regarding the dietary standards of the staff within the ship. Here is the list; the Chapter will install new food production modules for the warship, and Tech-Priests are welcome to join in verifying their feasibility."

Romulus handed over a pre-prepared form.

"Secondly, the Chapter will issue a medication capable of curing the vast majority of occupational diseases common to void-faring professions. This can be submitted to the medical department for safety clearance beforehand, and it must be distributed to every single person."

Aurora carefully examined the categories on the form, which noted that the food was reprocessed from high-concentration nutrient solution via conversion modules.

She knew the Imperium possessed food conversion technology capable of transforming corpse-starch or nutrient slurry into various foodstuffs that completely matched real food in texture and flavor.

Yet such technology was prohibitively expensive, and even a single-person module commanded an exorbitant price.

Meanwhile, true nobles enjoyed vast quantities of organic food, purchasing living creatures directly whenever they desired something specific, while the remaining plebeians had no grounds to be picky; thanking the heavens was all they could do if they managed to eat a mouthful of unexpired nutrient paste.

At best, high-ranking naval officers might occasionally manage to acquire some, making it entirely impossible to popularize throughout the Imperium.

As for void-faring occupational diseases, frankly, they were regarded as something unnecessary by the Imperium.

Senior officers were provided with comprehensive medical care by specialized medical departments, whereas the lives of thralls and technicians were worthless—upon reaching any starport, the reserves of such laborers numbered at least in the hundreds of millions.

Instead of worrying about this, one would do better to ensure the defense forces had their weapons ready for the next rebellion.

"Thank you for your mercy, my Lord!"

As Aurora read the requirements on the paper, she could not help but feel genuinely happy for those lowly technicians.

These weren't demands at all; this was an outright blessing being delivered to them.

Naturally, Aurora was delighted. Once the lower-class laborers lived better lives, they would naturally harbor no thoughts of rebellion, sparing administrators like themselves from having to perform extra work.

Every time these people revolted, especially during warp jumps, practically everyone aboard the entire ship was left in a state of terror.

"Very well, please dispatch a dedicated detail. The equipment is inside the cargo freighter; our warriors will accompany the transportation, installation, and specific distribution."

Romulus raised a hand in a gesture, and two Space Marines stepped forward from the ranks behind him.

"Understood."

Aurora immediately assigned related personnel to accompany them.

Fortunately, the Tech-Priests of the Mechanicus consistently prioritized efficiency, and they adapted swiftly to such a pace.

"Next are the construction requirements."

Romulus produced another meticulously detailed document.

"I expect you to organize a crew of laborers to demarcate zones for the construction of a chapel to spread the faith of the Ecclesiarchy. Design blueprints are included; you may modify them according to actual conditions, but you must ensure that each zone can perform its proper function."

Romulus had pondered this plan for a long time, having previously reviewed numerous imperial documents and formulated several different proposals.

However, after inspecting the fleets of the Carcharodons and the Adeptus Mechanicus consecutively, Romulus ultimately opted for a conservative scheme, confirming the prototype of a church school. With Battle Sisters supervising, it should be able to run stably.

After all, the Imperium was unquestionably unreliable; the Age of Apostasy alone demonstrated that Terra's capacity to mobilize the lower classes fell short of the Ecclesiarchy by a wide margin.

As for the matter of faith—in the words of Rameses—had one dared to mention the Ecclesiarchy a ten thousand years ago, the outcome would have been certain death, because the Emperor could literally pilot a fleet offline to make those false gods and demons face cold reality.

Yet this was 40k now, and the Emperor was permanently welded to the Golden Throne, unable to come down. The faith of the Ecclesiarchy was the only means left for the Emperor to protect humanity; anyone who still believed in the Imperial Truth was simply out of their mind.

Aurora accepted the blueprints, marveling at the design aesthetic of the chapel before her eyes drifted to the provisions concerning worker welfare inscribed within, prompting an involuntary gasp.

"Furthermore, the supply of servitor materials will henceforth be entrusted to us, and no servitorization shall be permitted without our explicit consent."

It appeared these lords cared deeply for mortals.

"I understand, my Lord."

Aurora deemed it necessary to convey this signal outward, lest some idiots incapable of reading the current situation managed to ruin the Angels' demands.

"The Arch-Abbess will accompany you."

Romulus then addressed Arabella.

"Sister Arabella, I hope the sisters of the Adepta Sororitas can compile statistics on the children under twelve years of age aboard the ship, establish parish mess halls, ensure these children are fed at regular intervals, and propagate the faith of the Ecclesiarchy."

The Imperial standard and efficiency of infrastructure development were remarkably high, particularly aboard the vessels of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Given sufficient raw materials, spending a single day to thoroughly overhaul a sector was more than enough.

This bizarre realm perpetually existed in a superposition of advanced and backward states.

"Yes, my Lord."

Arabella understood that the direct combat assistance they could offer was limited, so they needed to handle these minute details flawlessly for the sake of the Saints.

"I shall make the preparations personally. Please follow me, Reverend Arch-Abbess."

Aurora excused herself immediately, inviting Arch-Abbess Arabella to depart alongside her.

Following this, Romulus dismissed the officials of various ranks and proceeded with Rameses to the forward observation gallery of the bridge.

From this vantage point, one could survey the entire star system through the viewing ports, and looking downward, one could still catch glimpses of the weary yet ceaselessly swarming crowds captured on the monitoring screens.

Romulus certainly harbored the desire to improve the living conditions aboard this warship; after all, the Imperium's average working hours would make even a Victorian-era industrialist in the colonial age gasp in awe.

Yet, lacking a concrete understanding of the details, he would not rashly disrupt the ship's overall ecological structure, and could only attempt to elevate the overall standard of living step by step.

Naturally, even if various difficulties were to surface after investigation, Romulus would not give up.

For he deeply understood the principle that one who cannot sweep a single room is incapable of sweeping the world.

If they could not manage even a Tyrant-class cruiser and a crew of some ten thousand souls, they had better stop dreaming of ever setting a planet or an empire to rights.