After some discussion, Alex and the others decided to first invite their group members to see who had free time.
Although long-term AFK was not entirely out of the question, after comprehensive consideration, everyone still felt it was best to frequently participate in discussions and act together.
After all, the 40K world was truly hellish, and anything could happen. If a sudden event occurred, at least with everyone present, they could discuss countermeasures instead of letting the AFK pieces fend for themselves.
Of course, they wouldn't immediately ask their group members if they were interested in going to 40K to work for Huang Lao Han. Instead, they planned to test the waters first, and after confirming that the group members had time and interest, they would select reliable candidates from among them.
"Speaking of which, Alex, isn't your place a bit small? It's fine for just a few of us, but if more people cross over in the future, it might not be able to accommodate everyone!" After discussing recruitment, Twilight suddenly brought this up.
Alex lived alone. His two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment was not small, but ultimately, it was still a small apartment. Four or five people might be able to move around, but it would get crowded with more people.
"Why not move the military chest to my place? My place is at least big, and the lounge can be used freely," Gutierrez quickly suggested. The upper floor of his shop was originally the group's activity room, and it would be perfect for this purpose now.
But Alex shook his head and said, "You don't need to worry about this. I've already bought a house, and it's currently being renovated. I can move in after a while. That place is big enough for us to mess around.
At that time, even if you want to PK in Power Armor, there will be a place for you to perform the Lhakhsian ritual, as long as you don't blast each other with Bolters."
Alex recalled the express delivery he had received earlier and was quite satisfied with the efficiency of certain people.
"Whoa! Brother is rich now! He can afford a house!" Mai Mai and Twilight exclaimed in surprise, congratulating him repeatedly.
However, Gutierrez, who was beside them, had a slightly strange look in his eyes. After a flicker, he said nothing, only asking Alex where he bought the house.
"It's the newly opened Lakeside Community, the large flat-floor building. I'm the only one on that floor, with a usable area of about 300 square meters. I plan to set up a special area for the military chest," Alex explained simply, seemingly unwilling to elaborate.
Gutierrez's expression grew even stranger. He knew about that community. Even with his considerable wealth, he couldn't afford the smallest unit. When did Alex become so wealthy that he could buy a large flat on that floor?
However, he did not expose the matter. Some things were fine to guess on one's own, but laying them bare would be meaningless and would spoil the current harmonious atmosphere.
— —
A few days later, after a round of screening and probing, Alex's small group finally welcomed new members.
"I'm just saying, why have you guys been gathering so much lately, and with so many rare collectibles? Turns out you've been working for the Emperor!" A short young woman, holding an orange cat, sat on the sofa and complained to Alex and the others.
"Who would have thought that Huang Lao Han would actually open a portal to the 3k era to recruit people! The Emperor is really taking out a small loan," Gutierrez said, shrugging his hands in helplessness.
Alex didn't pay much attention to these complaints. He just looked at the woman in front of him and asked her, "32, what piece do you plan to use?"
"Can I use Angron? The ascended one from 40K!" The woman named 32 looked at Alex, asking him with anticipation in her eyes.
"Not really. We can only use Imperial-aligned pieces. If you were a loyal Angron, we could discuss it, but a daemon prince with Butcher's Nails is out of the question. We really can't use that," Alex also felt a bit helpless. Not all group members were Imperial-aligned; there were quite a few Chaos and Xeno players.
As for 32, she was the great warlord of Tartarus, a Khorne-chosen, a fierce character who dared to jump on the Brass Throne and hack at Khorne's knees, and eat hot dry noodles in Slaanesh's garden.
"Then forget it, loyal Angron is too weak," 32 shook her head, clearly uninterested. "By the way, are there any pieces that can bring cats? I remember the Thirteenth Princess's strong-brained cat, it's a relatively common pet in 40K, right?"
"Strong-brained cats aren't common, but if you want one, I can get you one. This doesn't need to be part of the character consideration." Alex knew that 32 liked cats; otherwise, she wouldn't have brought one with her.
Hearing Alex say this, 32 fell into thought. After thinking carefully, she said, "Then I'll be a Rogue Trader! I'm the Lisbon Bean Dealer! Can a Merchant Dynasty have two Rogue Traders?"
Although one Warrant of Trade could create a Merchant Dynasty, within a Merchant Dynasty, only one person could be called a Rogue Trader.
However, there was also no rule that a Merchant Dynasty could only have one Warrant of Trade.
"It's possible, but what we lack right now is a Tech-Priest from the Adeptus Mechanicus. We need a Forge Master who can build Titans to get things done," Alex explained to 32 the situation they were currently facing and the fact that he possessed a Titan STC.
However, 32 shook her head and said, "If it were me, I definitely wouldn't consider building any Dog Titans. I'd make Ball Titans! Titans are too attention-grabbing; your current faction can't protect such things.
(Knight-class Knight, jokingly called Ball Titan or Bread Knight)
You might be able to secretly build one or two, but building a Titan requires a whole Forge World to supply the necessary parts. Can you build a Volcano Cannon or a Void Shield? Even the armor plates on a Titan require special alloys!
Let's not even talk about your planet; can your Sub-Sector gather enough raw materials to build one Titan?
Listen to my advice, don't bother with Titans. Building Knights is much simpler. What a Dog Titan can solve, a Knight can also fight. And if a Knight can't solve it, then a Dog Titan won't make much difference either."
32's words made Alex fall silent.
Indeed, from a practical standpoint, even the lowest-grade Titan was a Machine God. Its movements and daily maintenance required the escort of a Titan Guard and the service of dedicated Tech-Priests.
Even every Titan had its own name, and once battle damage occurred, its affiliated Forge World would even hold a grand funeral for it.
The ownership of a Titan could lead to many complications.
Although secretly building one or two and hiding them wasn't a big problem—once the Great Rift opened, no one would care if you had hidden Titans—the work that one or two Dog Titans could do was also limited, completely incomparable to Knights that could be built freely.
Perhaps in the time it takes to build two Dog Titans, dozens of Gallant Knights and Knight Paladins could have been built, forming an army.
"Then what piece do you plan to use?" Alex decided to temporarily skip this question, as he didn't have the conditions to build Titans right now, regardless of whether he wanted to or not.
32's gaze swept around, then she suddenly pointed to a piece Alex had on a shelf and asked, "How about that one?"
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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