Looking at the cheering Players, Alex added some supplementary rules:
First: Whether serving as Imperial Guard or participating in the Blood Game, as long as one performs exceptionally, Players will receive more rewards.
Second: Players serving as Imperial Guard are not allowed to go easy on Players participating in the Blood Game.
Once discovered, their credibility score will be immediately lowered, and rewards will be reclaimed.
Conversely, if a Player can kill an opposing faction's Player in the game, generous rewards will be given.
Third: Reaching the Throne Room is considered a successful assassination; malicious destruction of important components in the Throne Room is not allowed.
Fourth: The Blood Game uses health points for calculation. Anyone determined to have zero health points will be directly eliminated.
"Imperial Guard are not allowed to use high-damage, soul-destroying, or conceptual weapons."
Alex elaborated on the supplementary clauses to prevent accidents in the Blood Game that could lead to the destruction of the Throne Room and subsequent deaths.
He knew that these Players had many strange items in their hands.
These were obtained from Trazyn's collection worlds or the treasuries of the Drukhari / Dark Aeldari in Ghomorra.
Even the Imperial Guard, reputed as humanity's strongest troops, would suffer heavy casualties when facing those weapons.
For Players, the Blood Game was merely a test and a reward; there was no need for actual deaths.
After hearing the supplementary clauses, the Players began discussing amongst themselves.
"I didn't expect the game's official side to be so smart, knowing to check for omissions and fill gaps beforehand to avoid problems later."
Warmaster stroked his chin.
As the strongest Player in terms of combat power, N01, he naturally also obtained the qualification to participate in the Blood Game.
He didn't get first place; it was taken by Little Fatty from the Hammer and Sickle Battle Group.
That guy, driving a first-generation Gundam and leading a group of subordinates, furiously fought through demons and managed to push their war score to the highest.
"These supplementary clauses are quite beneficial to us."
Tenjiro showed a thoughtful expression.
"How so?" Twisted person asked.
"The Imperial Guard's combat power and will are beyond doubt, absolutely the limit humanity can reach. If there were no health point determination, as long as they had a single breath left, they would find a way to obstruct us," Tenjiro explained.
"With health point determination, as long as enough damage is dealt, the Imperial Guard will be determined as dead and out of the game."
Sea Turtle, standing nearby, also showed a thoughtful expression.
"This means we just need to clear all the Imperial Guard's health points, and the assassination of the Emperor will be 100% successful."
Sea Turtle's words made Warmaster and the other Players widen their eyes.
"This is an assassination, not asking you to launch the Siege of Terra!"
"The Imperial Guard are not only strong individually; they also have the authority to mobilize most of the troops."
"Not only did you inherit the Luna Wolves' genes, but you also inherited Horus's will, didn't you?"
While the Players were discussing the supplementary clauses,
Alex stepped forward to Senior General Tura.
"Imperial Guard Commander."
"Saint."
Senior General Tura saluted Alex.
Alex stared intently at Senior General Tura, then revealed a smile whose true intention was difficult to discern.
"The God Chosen will participate in the Blood Game. No matter what, I hope you can stop them."
"They absolutely cannot reach the Throne Room," Senior General Tura guaranteed.
Alex smiled slightly, "I hope so. If the God Chosen participating in the Blood Game enter the Throne Room, then go guard the pond, Commander."
Senior General Tura: ":...—."
This guarding the pond business just can't be avoided, can it?!
I haven't done anything to displease the Saint recently, so why is he so intent on sending me to guard a pond?!
Alex looked at the Imperial Guard behind Senior General Tura and added, "The same applies to you. If the God Chosen enter the Throne Room, no one will escape."
Hearing the Saint's words, many Imperial Guard suddenly felt a little uneasy.
Damn it, those God Chosen have so many tricks; a slight carelessness could lead to a disastrous overturn.
If they really run into the Throne Room, won't we really have to pack up and go guard a pond?!
Just imagine the scene when a group of Imperial Guard are assigned to guard a pond, what a sight! What a sight!
"By the way, there are no ponds on Terra!"
One Imperial Guard whispered to his companions.
Another Imperial Guard thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps he'll make us dig one ourselves."
This answer made the hearts of the other Imperial Guard even colder.
So, we have to dig it ourselves, huh?!
"We must work hard," Senior General Tura secretly encouraged his subordinates, "Otherwise, we really will have to go guard a pond."
Over several days,
the Sol System was immersed in the festive atmosphere, and related news spread throughout the entire Empire via the established communication network.
Under the Saint's guidance, the Empire defeated the Drukhari / Dark Aeldari, captured Ghomorra, and also gained control of the Webway.
These good tidings greatly uplifted the populace, and many high-ranking officials shed their previous pessimistic views, feeling that humanity's future was not without hope.
The expedition fleets out in the void also received the news, greatly boosting their morale and making them feel that the Empire had a promising future.
During the festivities, many people from other star systems flocked to the Sol System to participate in the grand celebration.
During this period, various consumptions surged, bringing prosperity far exceeding that of the past, greatly promoting the development of agriculture in the Sol System.
Alex explicitly ordered that all official grain procurements within the Sol System should prioritize grain and vegetables produced in the Sol System, granting tax reductions.
The purpose was to secure the Sol System's food security baseline, ensuring self-sufficiency even if the connection between the Sol System and other star systems were severed one day.
The Players also joined the festivities, indulging in all sorts of food and drink, having such a good time that they forgot to return home.
The Emperor Niuma Battle Group's temporary base also held a grand banquet.
Inside the spacious hall, the clinking of cups and conversation filled the air.
The rich aroma of wine and food permeated the air. Warmaster, Tenjiro, and other high-ranking members of the Emperor Niuma Battle Group were heartily chewing roasted meat and drinking fine, smooth wine.
"This game is so enjoyable."
"We can enjoy the praise of the populace, fulfill our heroic dreams, and eat and drink to our heart's content without affecting Reality."
Warmaster savagely tore off a piece of meat, then drank a large cup of wine, showing a look of utter satisfaction.
"For the next ten years, no game will be able to compare to it," Twisted person said.
"Haha, maybe even twenty years won't be enough," Tenjiro laughed, "This game is too advanced."
"By the way, what do you all think about the Blood Game? Any thoughts or suggestions?" Warmaster asked Tenjiro and the other Players after taking a sip of wine.
They were all veteran Warhammer Players.
They were naturally no strangers to the Blood Game.
The world thought Horus was the first Primarch to return,
but that was not the case.
The first to return was the Twentieth Primarch, Alpharius.
Alpharius grew up under Malcador's tutelage and was familiar with many of the Empire's secrets.
Once, he infiltrated the Imperial Palace and seized a gun emplacement, locking onto the Emperor's conveyance.
This incident was a harsh slap to the Imperial Guard, and thus the Blood Game was born.
Periodically, the Imperial Guard would release certain captured traitors, or select a few Imperial Guard, and have them try every means to assassinate the Emperor, in order to identify and rectify any shortcomings.
"The Imperial Guard have been honing their skills for so long, and they received the news in advance, so they will definitely strengthen their defenses," Zhuge said.
"The usual assassination methods definitely won't work. As soon as they see us, they will become vigilant, which for an assassin is simply..."
"When in doubt, ask the Players; maybe they'll have a solution," Tenjiro suggested.
In Reality, the Warhammer L official website forum was bustling.
After the Ghomorra data pack concluded, the official team immediately released numerous videos and images.
Of course, these were all processed, primarily showcasing the Players' bravery and the grandeur of the battlefield.
Ghomorra's dark side was completely removed.
Such things were not something ordinary people could bear.
This was also why Alex never granted permissions for game images or videos to be released without his and Cortana's prior review and approval.
The Players were discussing the game's direction on Warhammer 0L, focusing on Ghomorra.
"Good heavens, Ghomorra has been taken down. Does that mean the big shots won't be able to farm this dungeon anymore?"
"Damn it, which famous hero hasn't farmed Ghomorra?! Now that Ghomorra is gone, what about us who haven't even started playing yet?!"
"It's just Ghomorra that was taken down, the Drukhari / Dark Aeldari haven't been wiped out. On the contrary, the official team might release more Drukhari / Dark Aeldari dungeons suitable for small teams in the future."
"Speaking of which, Erebus actually appeared this time. What's he doing here?!"
"Without Erebus, who would bring the Chaos Gods / The Four Gods into play? He's the Chaos Gods / The Four Gods' number one henchman; do you think that's a joke?"
"Damn it, Erebus actually escaped!"
The forum discussed everything imaginable.
From time to time, some bizarre questions would even trend.
"Can the Emperor sit at the same table as the Chaos Gods / The Four Gods?!"
"Is it more prestigious to be an Emperor's God Chosen or a Chaos God Chosen??"
"How do you view the impact of the Battle of Ghomorra on the Imperium and Chaos??"
...
As time passed, the Warhammer 0L official website's traffic grew higher and higher, while other websites' traffic visibly dwindled.
There was even a popular saying online:
Of all internet traffic, Warhammer 0L alone occupies eight-tenths.
Even these bizarre questions,
once trending, could garner hundreds of thousands of comments within minutes, which shows how insane the Warhammer 0L official website's traffic was.
Unfortunately, Warhammer 0L does not allow advertising, nor does it allow traffic diversion or live streaming.
Moreover, Cortana would use powerful algorithms to suppress questions suspected of being advertorials.
This led to the traffic being unable to be monetized.
Otherwise, the story of achieving financial freedom by asking a bizarre question and leveraging this traffic would be playing out in Reality.
The Players also liked this atmosphere.
No ads, no trolls, just pure, unadulterated expression from everyone's own perspective.
Suddenly, a question topped the hot topics.
"Brothers, I want to ask how to break through the Imperial Guard and assassinate the Emperor??"
"Our Emperor Niuma Battle Group has obtained the qualification for the Blood Game. As long as we successfully reach the Throne Room, it counts as a successful assassination."
"Currently, our troop types cover eighteen legions. I want to ask what kind of plan and strategy would allow us to reach the Throne Room."
"1"
The post was signed by the Second Empire Warmaster, leader of the Emperor Niuma Battle Group.
The curious nature of the question and the identity of the poster quickly made the post's popularity soar.
Wu Dang Wang also wants to be a pirate king: "Seeing the first sentence, I suspected I woke up too fast. Assassinate the Emperor? This game is getting crazier, but then I saw 'Blood Game' and understood."
"How did the operations team even think of making the Blood Game a reward??"
Cthulhu vs. Pretty Girl: "There's a subtle sense of madness. The direction of this game is getting more and more interesting."
Big Fat Caterpillar: "@Psychiatric Hospital Dr. Wang, come quickly, we have a patient."
98K Headshot Horus: "Killing a Lictor with the Imperial Guard is a one-move affair; killing a Hive Tyrant just takes a bit more effort. The Imperial Guard's strength is evident, and they know the palace better than you. No matter what method you use, it's impossible to succeed."
Hellfire Adeptus Reporting: "I feel like you're all being misled. Why must you break into the palace? Just grab a ship from the orbital station and orbital bombard it."
Happy Runner: "@Hellfire Adeptus Reporting, have you ever considered why Horus didn't directly orbital bombard but chose close-quarters combat instead?"
"Terra's Aegis system allows the palace to remain safe under the rebels' furious bombardment. You can only land and fight a siege."
"Even if you blast Terra into fragments, the palace will still stand tall, just like the Caliban fortress. Even when the Lion King blew up Caliban, the fortress remained standing."
Praise the Lord of Myriad Machines: "I feel like you're all constrained by traditional Warhammer thinking. They are the Fourth Catastrophe; they have various black technologies at their disposal."
"You can use dimensional space travel, jumps, to bypass the Imperial Guard and go straight to the Golden Throne."
Dora is the Lord of Myriad Machines took the opportunity to advertise.
"Our group introduces various brand-new black tech creations, short-range space jumps, time-stopping, shapeshifting devices, and other technological creations,
to ensure your journey to assassinate the Emperor is worry-free."
As soon as this advertisement appeared, the lively forum fell silent for a few seconds.
Little Alpaca: "Dora, you're truly incredible."
The Warmaster, who had been silent, also spoke.
"Dora, you know I rarely admire anyone, but now, I truly admire you. The Emperor has your..."
While the Players were enthusiastically discussing how to complete the assassination,
Alex was in the cathedral, examining the mission rewards he had just received.
The analysis of the STC of Panacea had been completed.
The Emperor had distributed the rewards as promised.
A fragment glowing with green light floated in Alex's palm,
slowly rising and falling, emitting a surging vitality.
This was a Life Authority Fragment.
"Yellow Old Man certainly has a lot of good stuff in his hands."
Alex mumbled.
He strongly suspected that Yellow Old Man also had War Authority Fragments, Wisdom Authority Fragments, and Art Authority Fragments!
A light screen appeared, displaying the detailed information of the fragment.
Life Authority Fragment (a part of the universe's life authority. This fragment can grant eternal life. If enough Life Authority Fragments are collected, one can gain a certain degree of control over life authority.)
(Note: Fragments of different authorities may exhibit phenomena such as repulsion. Do not absorb fragments with opposing characteristics simultaneously to avoid causing chaos and corruption.)
(Players can perfectly adapt to the fragments and unleash their power. After collecting fragments, unsuitable ones can be given to Players to allow them to upgrade again.)
Alex's eyes widened: "..."
This Yellow Old Man's ambition feels really grand!
It's almost explicitly saying, go snatch the gods' Authority Fragments, then distribute them to the Players to let them continue upgrading.
"It seems that after Primaris upgrade, they become Imperial Guard, and after Imperial Guard upgrade, they'll need Authority Fragments."
"Just the galaxy alone probably won't satisfy Yellow Old Man anymore."