At this time, there were not many Players active in the chat channel.
Everyone was busy grinding monsters and doing quests, with little time for chatting.
After Zigman added his voice-over to the Demon Hunter video and uploaded it, a small surge of activity immediately swept through the quiet chat channel.
Little Alpaca: "The developers are truly conscientious when making this game! I thought they would stick to the human-centric route, stepping on the Warp."
"I didn't expect them to actually elevate the Warp, raising its prestige."
Gray Baby: "Perhaps there will be a setting where the Chaos Gods / The Four Gods know the Players' identities; if so, this game would truly be a masterpiece."
Dragon Lobster: "I feel that the Warp's awareness of the Players' identities should be made into an Easter egg."
Tenjiro: "It really feels like the fourth wall break by the Vortau race in Stellaris."
Zhuge: "Surely, the Emperor and the Chaos Gods / The Four Gods won't leave messages for us Players then, right? Just like that Stellaris mod event."
Twisted person: "If they really leave messages, I'd truly praise this game to the heavens. Just thinking about it makes my blood boil, as if the NPCs in the game have come alive."
Little Fatty: "NPCs breaking the fourth wall and directly talking to Players!"
"Good heavens, will they even link up with Reality for events in the future?"
Little Alpaca: "If so, I hope the official team contacts me. Let me cosplay a Khorne demon and go on a killing spree."
Zigman: "@Little Alpaca, aren't you mistaken? Shouldn't you be cosplaying a succubus?"
Little Alpaca: "o(^｀^)o, I don't want to be a succubus. I just want to use a pink bolter to blow your perverted head off."
Zigman: "..."
"How can you say such cruel words in such a cute tone?!"
Meng Zhu: "@Zigman, we've already ordered pink can openers, specifically to open your baka head."
Zigman: "I am a serious good person, not the baka you speak of. Don't randomly label me, you bastard!"
Stinky Can: "Can I cosplay a Great Unclean One?"
Warmaster: "@Stinky Can, your taste is really heavy."
Brother Pian: "Speaking of cosplay, I remember seeing a Nezuko who went commando at a comic con last time. I have to say, she was really 'moist'."
Desert: "@Brother Pian, enough talk, share the photos immediately after you go offline. I need to strongly condemn such behavior."
"..."
After handling his government affairs and finding some free time, Alex subconsciously opened the Player chat channel.
He had developed a habit of checking the Players' chat content from time to time to find inspiration for his plans.
Seeing the topic of breaking the fourth wall in the chat channel, Alex frowned.
As expected, one cannot underestimate the Warp.
Those demons had, after all, discovered the truth that Players were outsiders.
Alex had always thought that such a revelation would cause panic among the Player community.
Now it seemed he had overthought it.
The young Players didn't think too much into it; they simply believed it was an official game setting designed to enhance the Warp's prestige.
It was good that they were just imagining things; let them continue to deepen that understanding.
That way, they would be more at ease when fighting demons.
Anyway, with the Emperor holding the line, the Four Chaos Gods couldn't do anything to the Players.
The power of the Four Chaos Gods was undeniable, but they were not omniscient or omnipotent.
Leaving aside ancient races like the Star Gods, which had already fallen into decline,
Let's talk about the more recent one, The Great Devourer that was invading the galaxy.
One should know that The Great Devourer provided no food for the Chaos Gods.
Once the Tyranids devoured the entire galaxy, the fate of the Chaos Gods would certainly be more desolate than if the Emperor's Great Crusade had succeeded.
Even so, the Chaos Gods were still helpless against The Great Devourer, only able to watch it invade the galaxy.
Ultimately, humanity feared the Four Chaos Gods undoubtedly because of its own weak strength.
If they possessed the various top-tier technologies of the Stellaris universe, what waves could the Chaos Gods stir up?
At worst, they could drain the Warp, sacrifice the galaxy, and let humanity ascend.
Alex pondered his future plans.
The current stage was to continuously enhance the Empire's military and technological strength,
plunder the technology of ancient races and the knowledge of the Warp, and ultimately achieve ascension, the goal of transcending this universe.
Although this path was fraught with danger, as long as they persevered,
humanity would surely be able to escape the Chaos Gods and achieve the future it desired.
Alex suppressed the many thoughts in his mind and once again focused his gaze on the chat channel, and a series of black lines immediately appeared on his forehead.
At this time, the Players were no longer discussing the previous topic,
but were instead discussing the vacuum-sealed Nezuko and latex cosplay they had seen at the comic con.
I'm impressed!
How did these guys go from discussing demons breaking the fourth wall to cosplay?
The topic jumped too much.
Is it true that all topics eventually turn to lewdness?!
Alex shook his head, sighed softly, then ignored the young Players discussing the comic con and continued to handle government affairs.
The punitive fleet sent to the mining planet last time had a great harvest;
not only did it teach two-thirds of the families on that planet how to play 'match-three',
but it also followed the clues to uncover a group of corrupt individuals who had formed factions and colluded with each other.
Now, the Inquisition was arresting people according to the list, causing a bloody storm.
Guilliman had even made several public speeches to appease the aristocratic class.
However, Alex's approval rating did not decrease but increased, because the middle and lower classes were rallying around him, cheering him on.
One should know that the number of middle and lower classes far exceeded that of the aristocratic class.
Gaining their support was equivalent to gaining the support of the entire human race.
"Now I can't even tell which one of us is the good guy and which one is the bad guy!"
"By the way, Guilliman shouldn't have dug a pit for me, right?"
Alex silently complained in his heart.
Before he came to Terra, he and Guilliman had already decided on the reform route.
The two of them played good cop, bad cop, to minimize rebellions.
The current situation was that conservatives and vested interests supported Guilliman,
while the new aristocracy and the lower classes supported Alex,
forming two distinct camps.
If this continued, Alex was afraid that one day when he went out,
someone nearby would pull out a yellow robe and drape it over him, shouting,
"The Saint should be the new Human Lord."
Then a group of people would surge out, embrace him, and escort him into the Imperial Palace, insisting that he sit on the Golden Throne.
That scene, just thinking about it, felt explosive.
...
As the uploader of the video, Zigman, who had sparked the chat channel's enthusiasm,
stopped chatting when the topic shifted to lewdness and continued with his mission.
At this moment, the battle had ended.
Inside the warehouse, Cultists' bodies were everywhere.
The other Players of the Demon Hunter Warband were finishing off the Cultists who weren't dead yet.
"Boss, I found something." White Wolf waved and shouted.
Zigman stepped over,
and found that White Wolf was holding a small, exquisite bronze ancient mirror in his hand.
The heavy bronze frame had complex, strange runes,
and there were shocking fangs decorating the edges, making it look like a roaring maw.
Zigman took it, finding the bronze mirror's frame quite heavy.
Upon touching it, a chilling energy flowed from the ancient mirror,
making him instantly realize that this ancient mirror should be a Warp artifact.
"This mirror looks like an old artifact."
Zigman played with the ancient mirror.
Suddenly, he felt playful and grinned.
His voice instantly deepened, imbued with the vicissitudes of time.
"In my life as a Void, I have never been inferior to anyone. Rising in chaotic times, I have quelled many dark turmoils. Even if I die, I will devise a plan to drag my enemies down with me."
White Wolf and Don't Eat Beef, standing nearby, rolled their eyes in unison.
"You can even make a meme out of a broken mirror, I'm impressed."
"It's a pity you're not a psyker, otherwise you could cosplay it more realistically."
Hearing their complaints, Zigman pondered for a moment and operated on his helmet panel.
Immediately after, an invisible force field emerged, causing the ancient mirror to slowly float, gently rising and falling above his palm,
as if it truly were an immortal artifact containing profound power.
"If I don't have psychic powers, can't I use technology to make up for it?" Zigman grinned.
White Wolf stroked his chin and offered his suggestion.
"Add a glowing effect, then catch nine Aether Dragons, pull a Gloriana-class battleship, and max out the prestige."
Don't Eat Beef grinned and also laughed,
"Put a domineering Golden Throne on the Gloriana-class; it would look even cooler and probably make the nearby Orks cry with envy."
"And Aether Dragons aren't impressive enough; go straight for Void Dragons. They're the ceiling of the Warhammer Universe, the physical NO.1."
"Then, by the way, let the official team change the name. What's 'Warhammer OL'? It's too petty. Change it to 'Covering the Heavens: The Yellow Weasel Alone Suppresses the Ages OL'."
White Wolf nodded, agreeing with Don't Eat Beef's idea,
"Don't say it, it actually sounds quite like it."
"But 'Yellow Weasel' doesn't sound good. Let's change it to 'Corpse Heavenly Emperor'; it has more prestige."
Don't Eat Beef nodded.
"When we return to Terra, let's put up a sign in front of the Throne Room's door."
"The sign will read:'Since you have seen the Heavenly Emperor, why do you not kneel?'"
Zigman saw the two getting more and more outlandish, and quickly pulled the topic back.
"Alright, don't stray so far. Let's talk about this thing first!"
White Wolf said, "What else is there to say? This ancient mirror was found in the hands of those Cultists, so it's probably a Warp artifact."
"But we still need to know what it's used for?" Zigman tried to find some clues from the mirror, but unfortunately, he wasn't an expert in this area.
Don't Eat Beef clapped his hands, having an idea.
"Didn't a new feature come out recently, allowing online appraisal? Why don't we use that feature to see what this thing is!"
"Oh right, we can appraise it online." Zigman operated his power armor, opened the data interface,
connected to the Lighthouse network, found the option to appraise unknown items,
scanned the bronze ancient mirror, and uploaded the relevant data. The appraisal returned a fee of 10024 Faith Points (including fifty percent for the Emperor's mental damage).
Zigman: "..."
It costs over ten thousand Faith Points to appraise; how is this any different from robbery?
It wasn't this expensive when I appraised items at the shrine before!
And what the hell was a 50% Emperor's spiritual damage fee anyway?
This was simply an unreasonable charge.
"That's too shady."
"They directly doubled the price."
White Wolf and Don't Eat Beef, the two Players, were also dumbfounded.
When they went to the Emperor's Shrine for appraisal before, it wasn't this expensive!
"Complain," White Wolf said, "Boss, we must complain about the arbitrary charges."
"I agree, we must complain," Don't Eat Beef supported White Wolf's statement.
Zigman opened the communication interface and contacted Cortana, asking why the appraisal price was so expensive.
Cortana's reply came quickly.
"The Lighthouse Network is connected to the Great God-Emperor. Given that the three of you have been disrespectful to Him, your discounts have been revoked, and an additional 50% faith value has been specially levied."
Seeing Cortana's explanation,
Zigman and the other Soulless Players were instantly on the verge of tears.
This was too petty! Just a few complaints, and they revoked discounts and charged a spiritual damage fee?
NPCs being too intelligent wasn't necessarily a good thing!
They even held grudges??
Zigman, White Wolf, and Don't Eat Beef, the three Players, exchanged glances, and in the end, could only grit their teeth and accept it.
Consider it a lesson.
Don't always privately complain about the Emperor, or you'll be made to suffer.
After deducting the faith value,
a light screen appeared out of thin air, displaying information about the ancient mirror.
[Item Name: Mor's Ancient Mirror (Minor Hazard Level)
This mirror is made from the skull of an ancient prophet fused with special metal, then polished.
An ancient demon named 'Mor' resides within it.
Simply by softly chanting the ancient incantation 'Mor, oh Mor, please answer my confusion,' the demon—Mor—can be summoned.
As long as you are willing to pay the price, you can obtain answers to your questions from 'Mor'.
Evaluation: A soul-deceiving old demon.
Suggestion: Do not offer sacrifices; beating it up will achieve the same effect.
]
Seeing the introduction on the light screen, Zigman and the other Players' eyes immediately widened.
Good heavens, was this suggestion serious?
The official side was a bit mischievous, huh?
"This mirror can actually ask questions?"
Zigman became a little interested.
If this thing were placed in a low-magic, low-martial world that hadn't entered the universe, it would at least be a golden finger.
"Why don't we try it?" White Wolf asked tentatively.
"Who's asking?" Zigman asked.
"Of course, it's you! You're the leader of the gang."
Hearing Don't Eat Beef's words, Zigman immediately frowned.
The term 'gang leader' sounded too much like a title for a bandit organization!
Seeing the hopeful gazes of the two, Zigman still stepped forward.
"Mor, oh Mor, please answer my confusion."
A swirling mist appeared within the ancient mirror, followed by a bull-headed skeletal demon burning with black flames.
"What do you wish to know, mortal?"
Zigman stroked his chin, "Tell me how to make the Blood God wear fishnet stockings to the Labyrinth of Pleasure and pole dance for the Prince of Pleasure?"
Mor: "......"
Is this guy here to mess with me?!
If I knew, would I still be stuck here?
I'd be lording it over the Warp already.
"This question cannot be answered. Please ask another question."
"Then tell me how to give Nurgle a bath? To make him clean?"
"This question cannot be answered. Please ask another question."
"Can you tell me how to repair the Webway?"
"This question cannot be answered. Please ask another question."
"How can I instantly reach other parts of the galaxy without using the Warp?"
"This question cannot be answered. Please ask another question."
After asking several questions, Mor's Ancient Mirror couldn't provide any answers.
Zigman looked disappointed and shook his head.
"Useless!"
Mor's Ancient Mirror: "......"
Who would ask such questions when they get this mirror??
Everyone seeks power and dark technology.
If you want to research science, go to a laboratory, why come here to make wishes??
"You shouldn't ask that way." White Wolf took the ancient mirror. "You should say, 'Mor's Ancient Mirror, tell me how to gain the power to conquer the world?'"
This time, Mor's Ancient Mirror emitted a new sound.
"Offer 50 fresh souls, and you will gain great power."
White Wolf grinned, revealing his pearly white teeth.
"See? That's how you use the mirror."
"Its purpose is to trick ignorant people. You come up asking for Webway technology and Warp-less jump technology. Isn't that just making things difficult for it?"
"......"
Zigman, White Wolf, Don't Eat Beef, and the other Soulless Players tested the mirror for a while.
They found that this ancient mirror wasn't really special. It couldn't even answer slightly difficult math problems.
It could only fool Cultists who weren't good at studying.
Of course, during the communication, the demon also tried to demand its reward, but after being severely beaten, it became obedient.
After completing the space station's task, Zigman and the other Players set off to return to the High Discipline.
As soon as their transport shuttle arrived at the landing pad, they received unexpected news.
The Saint Astre Battlefleet, which had evacuated from Fomor III, had arrived at the Fortress World of Hydraphur.
In addition to bringing hundreds of ships, the Saint Astre Battlefleet also brought a heavyweight figure—Inquisitor Rostov.
The main reason why the Third Crusade Fleet remained at the Fortress World of Hydraphur was this Inquisitor.
He had submitted a report to Reality regarding Blackstone.
The report explicitly stated that Chaos forces were using Blackstone to perform bloody sorcery, intending to further expand the Great Rift and cause more worlds to be devoured by the Warp.
It was precisely because of Inquisitor Rostov's report that Guilliman abandoned his original plan, paused the preparation of the Fifth Fleet, and sent The Third Fleet first to thwart Chaos's malicious plan.
Zigman quickly received a meeting notification.
The commander of the Third Crusade Fleet—Commander Cassandra—invited him to discuss the upcoming military arrangements.
For Zigman, such a meeting was optional.
However, considering the plot of the Third Crusade Fleet, he still chose to attend.
The meeting was held in a large hall within a void fortress.
Representatives from numerous human military units, including the Astra Militarum Corps, Space Marine Warbands, Battle Sisters Orders, Adeptus Mechanicus, Titan Orders, and Knightly Houses, all participated in the meeting.
In addition, there were many officials responsible for logistics, recruitment, local coordination, and Ecclesiarchy priests.
The meeting hall was circular, very spacious, and hundreds of meters high.
The ceiling was a massive black dome, adorned with murals depicting the stories of the Emperor and the Primarchs.
Dozens of Imperial organization emblems hung on chains between tall blue-textured pillars.
The meeting hall was packed with people.
As Zigman and the other Soulless Players walked in, the officers and officials along the way quickly made a path for them.
This was not only due to their status but also because of the Soulless's null-field.
No one liked being around a Soulless.
"God Chosen, thank you for taking the time to attend this meeting amidst your busy schedule."
As Zigman and the other Players walked through the crowd and reached the high platform, Cassandra extended a sincere greeting to them.
"Who is he?" Rostov looked at Zigman, who was a Soulless, with a confused expression.
"He is a God Chosen, a representative of the Saints and Primarchs, and the earthly embodiment of the Emperor's will."
Cassandra introduced Zigman's identity with a humble tone.
This surprised Asagaai and Rostov.
One should know that Cassandra was the commander of the Third Crusade Fleet, holding a high and powerful position, yet she held a Soulless in such high regard.
Looking at Captain Messinius of the White Scars Chapter next to them, he also showed the same respectful attitude towards these Soullesss.
Asagaai and Rostov also put aside their doubts and adopted a devout expression.
Although they didn't know what had happened on Reality, anyone with a sound mind could tell that the other party's identity was not simple.
"I am merely here to observe; the relevant decisions are still for you to make." Zigman nodded. "May we begin now?"
Asagaai and Rostov looked at Cassandra.
"Everyone is here; we can begin now." Cassandra, as the fleet commander, nodded.
"In that case, let us begin." Rostov said, activating the shielding field.
Ensuring their conversation would not be intercepted,
with a soft hum of the equipment, a faint glow appeared, enveloping Zigman, Messinius, Cassandra, Rostov, and Asagaai.
Instantly, the air became blurred.
Their figures seemed to be frozen by some mysterious force.
Their outlines also became indistinct, like highly pixelated images.
At the same time, their voices disappeared, as if completely isolated by some power.
The electronic devices of those around them were interfered with, emitting sharp noises, forcing them to turn off their communication equipment.
Don't Eat Beef and White Wolf also turned off the communication function on their power armor, then looked around, wanting to see the military strength of the Third Crusade Fleet.
Those representatives were also observing them, whispering and discussing their identity as God Chosen.
"White Wolf, look, there's an Xenos eating on the left." Don't Eat Beef nudged White Wolf's waist with his elbow.
White Wolf looked in the direction indicated by the other party.
He saw a short, stout, barrel-shaped creature with a flat head.
It was covered in mottled brown skin and had a fish-like head.
A flat nose and a pair of wide-set, watery eyes were arranged on its fish-like face.
It wore black metal armor and had four thick arms.
"This is a K'tarr, right?"
White Wolf found the racial information of this Xenos in his mind.
Rumor had it that this race, like the Aeldari, was created by the Old Ones.
The Xenos seemed to have noticed the God Chosen's gaze.
She raised her head and grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth.
"Staring at others like that is impolite."