"Master, the expansion pack for attacking Gomorrah is ready. Would you like to take a look?"
Cortana said to Alex.
Upon learning that the Players were about to retaliate against Gomorrah, Alex immediately called Cortana over and asked her to help him create a new expansion pack to guide the Players.
Incidentally, it was also to assert his presence.
Otherwise, with such a grand operation, if the official didn't speak up, wouldn't it mean that he, the official, was very incompetent?!
Cortana's speed was as fast as ever.
She had finished the relevant content in just over ten minutes, and even calculated the war rewards.
"Bring it over, let me see."
A light screen appeared out of thin air in front of Alex, detailing the content of the new expansion pack.
[Announcement: The 'Revenge' Expansion Pack is Here!]
[Synopsis: What should have been a simple mission to retrieve the remains of fallen soldiers from the Webway War unexpectedly uncovered an ancient evil force—the Drukhari / Dark Aeldari.
The Drukhari / Dark Aeldari are a remnant of the ancient Spirit Race Empire, one of many Spirit Race branches, like the Craftworld Eldar and the Exodite Eldar.
However, unlike other Spirit Races who have accepted Reality, the Drukhari / Dark Aeldari still cling to dreams of past glory, considering themselves the masters of the galaxy.
To escape the erosion of the Chaos God and complete their souls, they have become raiders, plundering populations of various races across the galaxy, treating these unfortunate people as slaves, and torturing them with every wicked means, reveling in the pain and despair of the tormented.
Human civilization, with its largest territory and most populous, has become their primary raiding target.
For those innocent lives lost, it is time to make these fellows pay the price.
]
[Expansion Pack Content: Effective immediately, the Human Empire officially declares war on Gomorrah.
First: The Imperial Military Department will be responsible for commanding this war. Player Warbands wishing to participate can register through the Military Department and be integrated into the command hierarchy.
Second: The Imperial Bank will issue war bonds in the name of Reality to support this large-scale campaign.
Third: Attacking Gomorrah will bring a series of missions. Players without Warbands can also participate and earn war points.
After the expansion pack ends, war points can be used to purchase rare weapons and equipment, industrial raw materials, factories, or planets, and can be converted into merits to advance one's position in the Imperial command hierarchy.
]
[Thought for the Day: +++ Do not always think about what the Emperor does for you, but rather what you do for the Emperor.
]
Alex checked it over, and after confirming there were no issues, he instructed Cortana to set the release time for 6 PM that evening, to be published on the official website.
Besides the matter of attacking Gomorrah, Alex also noticed something else.
That was the Chaos God—Khorne—had blessed the weapon of "Wu Dang Wang also wants to be a pirate king".
"I need to ask Yellow Old Man if there are any risks involved in this matter??"
Alex was very vigilant.
Being blessed by a Chaos God was no small matter.
A slight lapse in vigilance could lead to major trouble.
In Warhammer history, many individuals were corrupted by weapons imbued with Warp power, eventually falling into depravity and pledging themselves to the Chaos Gods.
A typical example was Fulgrim.
The Blade of the Laer, inhabited by a Greater Daemon of Slaanesh, exploited Fulgrim's arrogance and his pursuit of perfection, leading to his downfall.
Considering the threat of the Chaos Gods, Alex did not delay.
He immediately took a gunship to the Throne Room of the Imperial Palace.
As usual, he had the gunship land directly in front of the Throne Room's main entrance.
Seeing Alex disembark, the Custodian Guards on duty today respectfully saluted.
They did not question or reprimand him as they had before, clearly acknowledging his privilege as a Saint.
Alex did not dwell on this issue.
After stepping off the gunship, he headed straight for the Throne Room, to pray to the Emperor and seek his wisdom.
The machines maintaining the Golden Throne hummed, and light enveloped Alex.
Senior General Tura, seeing Alex enter the Throne Room and the Emperor manifest once more, pursed his lips and turned his head away, ignoring the Throne Room.
Well, he was favored, unlike them, the Custodian Guards, who were unloved and left to fend for themselves in the cold Imperial Palace.
...
After Alex was enveloped by the intense light, he subconsciously closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, he had been pulled into the Emperor's domain.
However, this time it was a bit special; it wasn't the City of Dust, nor was he in Yellow Old Man's main account, but rather he appeared on an unknown grassland.
As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but a dazzling blue sky.
In the distance, the mountains were lush and green, their mid-slopes shrouded in misty vapor.
Looking in another direction, he could see a huge lake.
And by the edge of the lake, there was a wooden house.
As he approached, he heard voices talking inside.
Walking to the door of the wooden house, he looked inside and once again saw the young Malcador.
However, this time, there was a woman beside Malcador.
The two of them were playing Regicide inside the house.
At that moment, a gentle breeze blew by, carrying a natural scent that instantly dispelled all fatigue, making him feel incredibly comfortable and at ease.
Alex felt as if his soul had been cleansed, feeling an unprecedented lightness and freedom.
This place was simply paradise.
Thinking of this, Alex looked at Malcador inside the wooden house, his gaze somewhat resentful.
Damn it!! I'm working like a dog outside, while you're enjoying a peaceful life here and even dating a girl!!
When I get back, I'll find a way to resurrect you, old man.
You can deal with Reality's messes yourself!!
"Malcador."
Alex stepped towards the wooden house and called out to Malcador.
"My child, you've finally arrived."
Malcador heard the voice, turned his head, saw Alex, and smiled.
"I always thought you were a bachelor, I didn't expect you to have a wife?"
Alex scrutinized the woman opposite Malcador.
She had long black hair and a pleasant face, not stunning, but still very good, perhaps a 7 or 8 out of 10.
As a wife, she was perfectly adequate.
Malcador was stunned for a moment, and the Regicide piece in his hand dropped to the ground.
The woman sitting on the other side of the chessboard covered her mouth and laughed.
Malcador bent down to pick up the fallen Regicide piece and introduced the woman to Alex.
"She is not my wife; she is Alivia Sureka, who was once an Perpetual."
"She is Alivia? An Perpetual?" Alex was somewhat surprised.
As a Warhammer fan, he naturally knew who Alivia Sureka was.
Like Malcador, Alivia was also a servant of the Emperor.
She was born on ancient Terra and witnessed humanity's transition from the feudal age to the industrial age, then venturing into space and dominating the galaxy.
After witnessing its glory, she then personally saw human civilization in the Age of Strife shattered by the Men of Iron rebellion and Warp Storms.
During the Age of Strife, she and the Emperor, who at the time did not call himself 'the Emperor', went to Moro.
The Emperor used the portal on Moro to enter the Warp, gaining power to fight against the Gods.
Upon leaving, Alivia was left by the Emperor on Moro, instructed to guard that gate to prevent anyone from using its power.
Later came the Horus Heresy.
Horus also went to Moro to gain the power of the Gods.
Alivia tried to stop Horus but was killed by him.
However, because she was an Perpetual, she quickly resurrected and fled with other refugees to the Sol System.
During the Siege of Terra, she and Malcador tried to stop Magnus.
As a result, Malcador was killed on the spot by Magnus's subordinates.
To resurrect Malcador, Alivia ultimately sacrificed herself, transferring her immortal life essence to Malcador's body.
"Then I'm truly sorry, I thought this was your home and she was your wife?" Alex felt a bit embarrassed.
"I am already dead, my child," Malcador said. "I will have no home, nor a wife."
"Alright, I didn't come here to talk about life and death, nor about your family," Alex said.
"I know why you are here. The Warp entity representing war and blood has blessed your subordinate."
Malcador clearly knew why Alex had entered this place.
"You want to know if this will lead to your subordinate being subtly corrupted by the Chaos Gods."
Alex nodded, "Yes."
"Do you know the story of Prometheus stealing fire?" Malcador did not answer directly, but instead asked about an ancient Reality myth.
"Of course I know," Alex looked puzzled. "The question is, are these two things related?"
"Actually, there's another version of that story: Prometheus didn't steal fire; he merely returned it," Malcador said calmly.
"Humans always have an inexplicable filter when it comes to gods, believing that certain special things belong to the gods. In reality, the gods merely monopolized those things."
"For example, Apollo's sun, Poseidon's ocean, the fire in Zeus's hand—these are things that existed since the birth of the universe."
"It's simply that those gods used their immense power to claim those things as their own, and over time, people forgot to resist, instead tacitly accepting them as the gods' private property."
"It sounds like the gods you're talking about are a bit like landlords!!" Alex scoffed at Malcador's analogy.
"Essentially, gods are landlords with greater power," Malcador said seriously.
"The authority of the Warp is not exclusive to the Chaos Gods; they merely seized and monopolized it, then declared it their own."
"Is war and slaughter an innate instinct of all living beings? Even without gods, people would still wage war and kill."
"The existence or non-existence of gods has no impact on the operation of the universe."
"The current situation of the Warp is very complex. Before it was corrupted, all events happening in Reality would resonate in the Warp."
"These echoes would, to some extent, feedback into the Reality, allowing many races and worlds to prosper even more."
"After being corrupted, the Chaos Gods were born, and the two worlds began to lose balance. The reason is that the Chaos Gods took what did not originally belong to them."
"What did they take?" Alex asked.
"You will know in the future; it is not yet time." Malcador did not elaborate.
"You just need to know that everything the Chaos Gods are doing now is merely packaging what should have been given freely as a gift that requires a price."
"..."
Alex inquired carefully.
Malcador's answer made him momentarily feel that the Chaos Gods were not gods at all,
but rather the ultimate form of capitalists in the Warp, the final inheritors of a modified Men of Iron rebellion created by the Old Ones.
The authority of the Warp would originally automatically bestow blessings based on the actions of mortal beings.
Because of the Paradise War, the Chaos Gods were born, and they monopolized the authority of the Warp,
demanding that believers pay a price to obtain it.
Over time, these things were tacitly assumed by mortals to belong to the Chaos Gods.
After understanding this, Alex did not press further.
His current strength did not support him in uncovering the full truth of the Warp.
Before leaving, he also asked Malcador if there was a way to bypass the Chaos Gods and receive blessings.
While Alex was diligently learning,
on a certain planet in the Imperial dark side.
The Dark Apostles, Hand of Destiny, and spokesman of the Chaos Gods, Ahriman, was walking on a blood-soaked altar, chanting ancient and evil incantations.
After the Thirteenth Black Crusade ended and the Great Rift opened,
Ahriman immediately offered billions of innocent civilians to the Chaos Gods.
But he disdained Abaddon, the Warmaster, and therefore chose to stay away from the main battlefield, operating instead in the Imperial dark side.
During this time, he conquered many worlds in the Imperial dark side, constantly sacrificing to the Four Chaos Gods.
This sacrifice had been ongoing for several days.
Initially, he received no attention from any deity.
Ahriman had originally given up hope.
Who would have thought that as the sacrifice was nearing its end, the silent Four Chaos Gods suddenly issued divine oracles.
When he received the will of the Chaos Gods, he was ecstatic.
Tzeentch: "Go and dig up the outsider and his retainers. If you succeed, there will be no shortage of benefits for you."
Slaanesh: "As long as you can dig up the outsider and his retainers, I will give you a temple with 666 beautiful maidens. Once the task is completed, you can enjoy them immediately."
Khorne: "..."
Nurgle: "..."
Seeing the divine oracles bestowed by the Chaos Gods, Ahriman's lips curved upwards.
He had thought that after the Great Rebellion, he had lost his greatest value,
and that the Chaos Gods would no longer bestow blessings and attention upon him as before.
Who would have thought that all of this had returned?
"Abaddon, Abaddon, what good is all your effort?"
"The one the Chaos Gods value is still me."
"Next, it will be my era to stir up trouble."
Ahriman wasted no time. He immediately ordered his subordinate sorcerers to find information for him.
He wanted to show the Chaos Gods through his actions that
Ahriman was the one they could trust the most.
The sorcerers quickly brought back information.
Learning that the outsider's retainers, whom the Chaos Gods / The Four Gods had been yearning for, were all heading into the Webway, intending to launch an attack on Gomorrah,
Ahriman, after weighing the situation, decided to go there himself to investigate.
Putting everything else aside, he would first capture a God Chosen for study.
He wanted to see what was so special about these guys that the Chaos Gods / The Four Gods coveted them so much.
Once he figured it out, he would formulate a comprehensive plan to capture them all.
With his intelligence and schemes, tricking the outsider's retainers would be as easy as pie.
...
Above the arena of Gomorrah, the observation pyramid of Supreme Overlord Vect floated.
In the grand hall of the pyramid,
Vect was hosting a lavish banquet with many Kabal masters and the great families of Gomorrah.
Such banquets always featured spectacular displays of slaughter.
Today's arena performance was exceptionally thrilling.
Succubi, Astartes, T'au Fire Warriors, and many other races, including Tyranids / Tyranid and Orks, performed a chaotic free-for-all.
There were no rules; whoever survived to the end was the victor.
Every participant gave their all, just to survive.
Just as everyone at the banquet was enjoying the spectacular gladiatorial combat,
one of Vect's personal guards entered, his face panicked.
"Supreme Overlord, Archon Curez's Dark Death has returned to port."
This statement caught the attention of others at the banquet, who stopped their actions and looked at Vect on his throne.
"The war ended so quickly?" Vect sounded a bit disappointed. "I originally thought those humans were worth a fight."
"Let Curez come see me. This banquet needs more conversation topics."
The personal guard's face was filled with terror, and he stammered as he spoke.
"He might not be able to come, because, because he's dead."
"The Dark Death only has a few unlucky souls with half their bodies left. Those humans welded them to the battleship and made them pilot the ship back to Gomorrah."
"The ship is full of our kin's corpses and heads, every cargo hold is packed."
The guard's words made Vect's black eyes instantly sharpen, his gaze like a pair of keen blades, ready to dissect his body.
"That's not a funny joke."
Vect's tone became grim, scaring the personal guard into immediately kneeling, fearing that the other party would send him to be a Haemonculi's material.
"Supreme Overlord, I would never dare to deceive you. Although the Gomorrah port has already sealed off the news, if you inquire, you will know about this matter."
"Those humans also sent you a letter."
"Bring it up."
The personal guard handed the letter left by the humans on the Dark Death to Vect with both hands.
After confirming there were no issues, the Supreme Overlord opened the letter.
Inside, there was only a very short sentence.
"Asdrubael Vect, clean your neck. We are coming to kill you."
...
Warhammer OL Official Website.
6:00 PM, very punctually, the new expansion was updated on the official website.
No preview, no warning, it just appeared, fresh and new.
Netizens browsing the official website were stunned for a moment, then burst into cheers.
Wu Dang Wang also wants to be a pirate king: "Oh my god, oh my god, it's updated! And it's an expansion about attacking Gomorrah."
Little Fish: "Damn it, they're attacking Gomorrah now! By the time I get my internal test qualification and log in, the Drukhari / Dark Aeldari will probably be gone!!"
98K Headshot Horus: "We should collectively write to the officials, demanding that they not open those important storylines until I get in."
Three Sticks Break Brotherhood: "Waaah! Waaah! Waaah! Children who can't get internal test qualifications are so pitiful, they can only watch one expansion after another fly by."
Hellfire Adeptus Reporting: "Aren't cloud Players human? Just find some random planet for those guys to test on. Such an important storyline is being wasted on them."
"At least wait until I get my internal test slot and log in before opening it."
Cthulhu vs. Pretty Girls: "Hahaha, I got it, I got it."
Big Fat Caterpillar: "Alright, another one gone mad. @Dr. Wang from the Mental Hospital, hurry up and get some business."
"+1, poor kid."
"+1."
"+10086."
"+1."
"..."
Cthulhu vs. Pretty Girls: "Screenshot.jpg"
98K Headshot Horus: "Ah, no way, brother, you really got it? Ah! Ah! Ah! Why, tell me why??"
Big Fat Caterpillar: "It's unfair, this game is unfair, there's definitely a hidden agenda."
"..."
As soon as the new expansion was released, it quickly sparked heated discussion.
Zorion, who had logged out of the game to eat and wash up before re-entering, also saw the release of the new expansion.
"Anyway, they're still preparing for battle inside, so there's not much for me to do if I go in. Might as well write an analysis post first."
Zorion sat down at his computer desk, opened a document, and typed out the title.
"New Expansion Analysis"