The outer city of the Tyrian Hive was a mess—charred craters and collapsed buildings were everywhere. People numbly searched the ruins for anything usable, their eyes hollowed out by the losses of the war.
From loudspeakers mounted along the streets, the fanatical voices of priests boomed:
"The glory of the God-Emperor shines upon each of us! He has sent down salvation! Rejoice, suffering people! His messenger walks among you!"
The people looked up in surprise. Servo-skulls and Cherubim holding smoking censers flew through the air, the burning incense trailing behind them in swirling vortices. Immediately afterward, a massive missionary airship appeared.
Its nose was adorned with a huge golden skull, and prayer banners hung down its sides. Several priests chanted hymns of praise to the God-Emperor, their voices amplified through the ship's speakers.
Bishop Hydrak had urged Daniel to visit the outer city area to boost the morale of the suffering populace, and Daniel agreed to the suggestion.
Standing at the front of the airship, Daniel shouted, "May the light of the Emperor protect you!" He then used his psychic abilities: Emperor's Light, Blessing, and Purification.
A golden radiance filled the sky and rained down on the people, visibly restoring their health and vitality.
"Praise the God-Emperor!"
"Praise The Guide!"
Witnessing this miracle, many people burst into tears of excitement and began cheering wildly. The despair and sorrow vanished from their eyes, replaced by pure joy. The Guide's arrival showed them that the one who sits on the Golden Throne still loved them.
Congratulations on gaining experience!
Level LV10 -> LV11
Comprehension Skill: Curse of Knowledge (Master knowledge faster and apply it.)
Comprehension Skill: Holy Aura (The Emperor's power is always reflected in you, dealing continuous damage to hostile Warp creatures.)
Comprehension Skill: Brain Explosion (Can lock onto a target within your field of view and use powerful psychic energy to make the enemy's head explode.)
Daniel was a little taken aback when the system window popped up. He hadn't expected to gain experience without killing enemies. He quickly suppressed his surprise, checked his new skills, and continued to smile and wave at the grateful people.
After concluding the work of comforting the refugees, Daniel returned to the inner hive city to meet with the Warmaster.
"Respected Guide," Warmaster said, giving the Imperial salute, his face beaming with excitement. He found the spy-like experience of gathering intelligence to be a real kick.
"You did a magnificent job. Now, spill the beans on the information you got," Daniel instructed.
"Will do, Sir."
Warmaster reported his experiences in detail. Because of his status as a Saint and the stunning victory in the Outer City battle, his standing in the inner city had gone through the roof. He could go almost anywhere, and people were lining up to provide him with intelligence.
Using this advantage, he quickly confirmed the story of the Valancius family ancestor and verified that the C'tan Shard was, in fact, inside the family tomb. He also managed to pin down the approximate size of the PDF and identify which local defense groups were rotten to the core.
"You have done great work, and the Emperor is proud of you," Daniel said, not holding back his praise.
Hearing this, the War Commander visibly puffed up. "To make humanity great again, for the glory of the Emperor, it is my honor to share your burdens!"
Daniel's pupils dilated slightly. He realized that compared to himself, these players possessed an almost terrifying level of loyalty.
"Well said. For the sake of civilization, for the glory of the Emperor, and for the future," Daniel affirmed, maintaining his dignified composure. "Your reward will be personally distributed by me once this next mission is complete."
Daniel paused, wondering if it was time to forge a few Imperial Medals of Honor. A feat like obtaining C'tan Shard information deserved more than just Contribution Points.
Warmaster became even more excited. A personal reward distribution? Was this a sign of increased favor or a special achievement? He felt compelled to say something else to win some points.
Standing ramrod straight, the Warmaster recited a famous Warhammer quote with a serious face: "My Lord, I need no reward, for loyalty is my reward. To die for the God-Emperor is the greatest honor."
Daniel almost choked. "You're full of so many famous loyalty quotes, are you planning on applying to the Terra Loyalty Academy?" he thought, but managed to keep his face straight.
"Very good. The God-Emperor is pleased with you."
After encouraging Warmaster, Daniel dismissed him to continue his duties.
In the outer city ruins, a Purification Team sprayed disinfectant everywhere to decontaminate the area. Priests of the Ecclesiarchy then performed a ritual to expel any residual blasphemy and Warp pollution.
Once the decontamination was complete, giant engineering vehicles rumbled onto the site. The crushing engineering vehicle, as large as a small building, was equipped with a massive scoop and an internal fusion power core. Its heavy tracks rolled through the ruins, grinding the battlefield debris into raw materials and funneling them to the construction vehicles following behind.
Buildings were then erected right in front of the players' eyes, as if they were being 3D printed.
One player, curious about the strength, shot a newly built wall with a laser gun, only to find it left faint scorch marks. These quick-built structures were strong enough to withstand heavy artillery fire.
"Is Imperial construction technology this advanced?"
"I thought they built everything by hand?"
"I'm baffled. They get clowned on for their tech by the Eldar and Necrons, but their actual capability is nothing to sneeze at."
Yuji, Mordecai, and other players watched in amazement as the construction teams rapidly rebuilt the outer city area. This was the true meaning of an infrastructure maniac.
"This Imperium is probably on god mode, right? The construction speed is like playing Warcraft," Mordecai complained.
"This has to be STC technology, which humans used during the Golden Age to colonize space. It lets them spin up colonies in no time," Yuji analyzed.
"No wonder they say they could rival the Eldar and Necrons back then. The current Imperium is still super powerful just sitting on the legacy of old tech," Rigby said, also looking amazed. "I finally get why a single STC is worth the Imperium trading away several Chapters for. Who knows what other goodies they might yield."
WrongHammer rubbed his chin. "If we could just find a few STCs, The Guide would definitely give us a boatload of Contribution Points."
Mordecai grinned. "If we found a really good STC—like for time travel or a panacea—Contribution Points would be chump change. We'd get anything we wanted. They might even let us skip the third test!"
WrongHammer chuckled. "Just thinking about it makes my day. I wonder when they'll have story activities like interstellar exploration."
Amidst the players' excited discussions, the outer city was being rebuilt at an alarming pace. At Daniel's insistence, more water purification plants and greenhouse farms were added to the outer city to ensure a stable food supply.
Environmental protection equipment was also installed in heavy industrial plants resuming operations to reduce harmful emissions. The focus was on industrial production, but not at the expense of green mountains and clear waters.
The resettlement of refugees was proceeding smoothly. Young, strong men and women were inducted into the army to prepare for the next war. Others were assigned to work producing food and military supplies. Children were sent to newly established schools to reinforce their loyalty to the Emperor.
Meanwhile, anyone attempting to use unauthorized psychic power to cause chaos was immediately executed. Loyal, self-controlled Psykers were baptized by the God-Emperor and sent into the army.
Those who couldn't control themselves were fitted with suppressors and put under strict supervision, reserved for maintaining the Geller Field in the future.
Daniel also aggressively boosted grassroots welfare and subsidies, using the army to crack down hard on gangs attempting to expand and seize power, which dramatically improved public safety.
The factories roared back to life, business boomed, and the Tyrian Hive was reborn. Order and prosperity gradually returned. The shell-shocked people were released from the pain of war, their hearts swelling with hope and expectation for the future.
With the Tyrian Hive back on track, Daniel began preparing to retake the other hives.
"The 65th, 88th, and 75th Atomal Regiments—the Empire's elite, the Emperor's sharp swords—will serve as the vanguard for the attack on the Stone Hive alongside the Saints."
With Daniel's current reputation, he had the final say in the entire military meeting. He made the battle plan, and the others could only follow orders.
"Colonel Griffin, how about you take command of the vanguard?" Daniel asked, looking at an Imperial soldier seated on his right.
Based on the intelligence provided by the Warmaster and the information Daniel had gathered using Telepathy, he knew that Colonel Griffin had been corrupted by chaos a long time ago. The regiments Daniel mentioned were also corrupted. Daniel's plan was to expend them in one massive wave, then find their leader and eliminate him, thereby completely neutralizing the hidden threats on the planet.
Colonel Griffin shot to his feet, back straight, and saluted Daniel. "Respected Sir, please leave the most dangerous post to me. I will never let you down."
It looks like Daniel is setting up a classic Warhammer scenario: using the expendable (and disloyal) troops to take the heat for the loyal forces.
What would you like to focus on next: the actual assault on the Stone Hive, or the players' preparation and reaction to the new War Group system?