Upon hearing Alex's plan, Guilliman frowned.
"Do not forget my father's lesson, Saint. He was the one who, in his disregard and all-or-nothing approach, caused the situation to completely collapse."
Alex nodded, indicating that he had taken the Primarch's advice to heart.
"The Webway is only one part of humanity's rise, not the entirety."
"I will not put all my eggs in one basket with the Webway project."
"The Imperium of Man will always be centered on humanity; any technology is merely to ensure humanity can live more happily in this dark universe."
The Webway project was once the Emperor's most valued endeavor.
He believed that with the Webway, humanity could escape the Warp and gain salvation and ascension.
The Great Crusade and the establishment of the Imperium of Man were merely means to an end for the Emperor's Webway project.
The goal was simple: to consolidate all human resources to repair the Webway and prevent anyone from causing destruction.
The Emperor never truly cared for the Imperium of Man, purely treating it as a tool, intending to discard it once used.
Horus's worry that his father hadn't left him a place in the Imperium of Man was completely superfluous.
Because there was no place at all; no one had a place.
This is also why the Imperium of Man has so many flaws and problems.
Because it was never the primary goal, but rather a tool, a process.
The Webway was the result the Emperor desired.
Alex expressed doubt about the Emperor's idea that the Webway would solve all problems.
The Aeldari Empire also once possessed the Webway, yet it still suffered a tragic downfall, even giving birth to Slaanesh.
Pushing back further in time, another race that had the Webway yet still went extinct was the Old Ones.
The Webway was created and built by the Old Ones.
Most life in the galaxy was also seeded by them.
They were as powerful and wise as gods.
Yet, they were still destroyed by the C'tan and out-of-control Warp entities.
This universe will always present various enemies.
Will having the Webway truly allow for complacency?
Even if humanity becomes the most powerful civilization in the galaxy, can it truly continue to exist peacefully forever?
The galaxy is but a remote corner of the universe.
Outside, there are countless other galaxies like the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, and the Andromeda Galaxy.
Even if humanity completely conquers the galaxy,
who knows what terrifying entities exist beyond the galaxy?
If the Tyranids can come to the galaxy, why can't the next hostile race come?
Any approach that seeks to solve all problems once and for all will ultimately backfire.
Always maintaining vigilance and readiness is the key to a civilization's continuation.
Alex's original intention for repairing the Webway was merely to reduce the cost of Imperial commercial trade,
and to give the Imperial army greater mobility,
not some grand project that would allow humanity to rest easy!
Therefore, Alex will not pour all resources into the Webway project, nor will he put the cart before the horse and push the Imperium of Man into an abyss of no return for the sake of the Webway.
Any technology and engineering should serve humanity and the Imperium of Man,
rather than the Imperium of Man serving a particular project or endeavor.
This approach is completely putting the cart before the horse, causing unnecessary suffering for the vast populace of the Imperium.
"I hope you will remember your words today, Saint," Guilliman said. "If we stray again, human civilization may truly face destruction."
"Regent, I have always believed in one saying."
"What saying?"
Alex's words made Guilliman look curious.
"It is 'Give civilization to the ages, not ages to civilization.' The future is uncertain; the only thing we can do is seize the present."
"No one can truly grasp the future; doing what needs to be done now is the most important thing."
As a Primarch, Guilliman also possessed astonishing talent and mastery in the field of literature.
He easily understood Alex's concept of ages and civilization, and even empathized with it.
In the past ten thousand years,
although Chaos and Xenos were contributing factors, the Imperium itself had also taken a wrong path.
When Guilliman awoke and understood the current state of the Imperium, he was greatly despairing.
He would rather the Imperium created by his father had been replaced by others,
than to see the various absurd actions taken by those in the Imperium to perpetuate its existence.
They were purely living to survive, completely abandoning the vitality and dynamism a civilization should possess.
After reaching a consensus, the two discussed the details.
Several hours later, both sides closed their communications, ending the conversation.
...
In the communication room on Macragge,
"Give civilization to the ages, not ages to civilization."
Guilliman looked at the gradually dimming communication interface, his gaze profound, repeating the Saint's words to himself.
This sentence was like a surgical knife, precisely cutting into the flaws of the Imperium.
The Imperium of Man can no longer continue as before, resorting to any means for its survival, excessively sacrificing the interests of the lower strata, and treating everyone as tools.
In "Imperium of Man," "humanity" comes first, and "Imperium" comes second.
One day, for the benefit of humanity, sacrificing the Imperium of Man would be justifiable.
Never should humanity be sacrificed for the sake of the Imperium's continued existence.
At this moment, Guilliman suddenly thought of another matter.
"Sacrifice the Imperium of Man for humanity!"
"Does the Saint intend to replace my father and establish a Third Imperium of Man?"
"It's a pity Lion isn't here, otherwise, the glory of the past could be recreated."
Guilliman stroked his chin, lamenting Lion's absence.
If the Saint truly decided to abandon the Imperium established by his father and build a Third Imperium, then Guilliman would not only not object but would wholeheartedly approve.
Moreover, his objection might not even be effective.
The Emperor had bestowed so many blessings upon the Saint, even more than upon his own son.
It's highly likely that he also intended for the Saint to shoulder the heavy burden of the Imperium.
Overthrowing everything old and rebuilding a new Imperium of Man might even be the Emperor's idea.
"Now that the Saint has taken Ghomorra, once the Webway repair project is completed, the strength of the Imperium of Man will surely rise again."
"At this rate, expelling the Four Chaos Gods and restoring peace to the galaxy is just around the corner."
"Once the war is over, I'll go farm and then hand-build a ship to travel the universe."
Guilliman couldn't help but fantasize about his beautiful future life.
Whoever likes power, let them fight for it.
Anyway, he didn't like it.
The universe is so vast, yet he had not been able to see it in his lifetime; wasn't that a regret?
As for why it was called the Third Imperium of Man,
it was certainly not because he had once established a Second Imperium of Man,
but because the Imperium of Man created by the Emperor was already the second human interstellar regime.
...
Ghomorra battlefield.
"WAAAGH."
The Old Captain, as the Orks' boss, let out a roar.
The terrifying sound was like thunder, making the city of Ghomorra rumble.
The Old Captain was originally just an ordinary Ork under the raider Gorod.
He went wherever the boss told him to go, looted whatever he saw, bashed the enemies' heads, and WAAAGH'd to his heart's content.
Until one time, they went to war with humans.
Gorod, the boss, had his head chopped off by those boarding "canned shrimps."
The Old Captain seized the opportunity to defeat other competitors and became the new boss, continuing to lead his lads in WAAAGH-ing across the galaxy.
As time passed, his body grew larger and tougher.
Originally, the Old Captain planned to find either "Skullkrumpa" or "Arsonist," two well-known Big Meks, and join them in launching a grander WAAAGH crusade.
However, guided by Gork and Mork, he arrived at the intricate Webway battlefield.
But, it was quite exhilarating here too.
Fighting those shrimps was too much fun.
Those shrimps had produced quite a few good things.
Those "cans" had also become bigger and fiercer.
And there were various flying "Gatlings."
All these made the Old Captain WAAAGH!
He constantly called out to other Orks, telling them to come here and WAAAGH.
"Lads, charge! Loot those shrimps!"
The Old Captain shouted, waving his hand, signaling his lads to jump from the warship and fight the shrimps on the surface.
Then, the Old Captain also jumped down.
As soon as he landed, he wielded an exaggerated choppa and cut down several shrimps.
"Are these shrimps rich now? They're all dressed so well, all look like 'cans,' just different sizes."
The Old Captain had fought shrimps from other places before, but their equipment was far inferior to the shrimps in front of him.
Those poor shrimps only had lasguns and flak armor.
But these shrimps in front of him, each was encased in thick armor, and there were buzzing drones assisting them.
This fighting style was very similar to the blue-skinned ones the Old Captain had encountered before, but their firepower was much stronger than those blue-skinned ones, and their close-combat ability was also more formidable.
He lifted his foot, then stomped it down hard, directly crushing a shrimp's head, and then
A winged shrimp, accompanied by several large shrimp cans, landed in front of the old captain, stopping him from continuing his slaughter.
"WAAAGH!!"
"Boys, let's go together and chop these big cans to death!!"
The old captain became excited upon seeing these shrimp, shouting as he ran towards them.
The boys behind him also cheered and rushed forward en masse.
Alex watched these Orks, his gaze filled with cold killing intent.
After the communication with Guilliman ended,
He and Eldrad Ulthran, along with other Aeldari Empire high-ranking officials, held a round of meetings and negotiations, reaching a new treaty.
The Ark Eldar and the Imperium of Man would openly ally, establishing a mutual defense and assistance agreement.
Should either party suffer invasion from Four Chaos Gods or Xenos, the other party must unconditionally send troops to assist.
Both sides would share a portion of their technology.
The repaired Webway would also be accessible to the Ark Eldar, and the Imperium of Man must treat them equally.
Both sides would establish a joint court to judge each other's transgressions, aiming to resort to law rather than war.
In addition, there were many other clauses.
They were committed to ensuring the alliance and diplomatic relations between the two parties were based on equality.
Utilizing these clauses, which were clearly beneficial to the Ark Eldar, Alex successfully exchanged for the cultivation technology of Webway materials.
With this technology, repairing the Webway was no longer a pipe dream.
After the negotiations, Alex planned to completely take Ghomorra and drive out the Orks.
So when the Ork chieftain, the old captain, launched another offensive, he brought the Warmaster, Tenjiro, and other Players into the battlefield, preparing to execute a decapitation strike.
"Still foolishly happy, you idiots, you're here to be collected."
Tenjiro raised his staff and began to gather psychic power.
The Warmaster activated the war sword in his hand, staring intently at the Ork boys charging with the Ork boss,
He adjusted his breathing, preparing for the impending great battle.
"For the God-Emperor!" Twisted person raised his arc-covered Warhammer and charged first.
His actions were like blowing the horn of attack.
The Players shouted various slogans and fought fiercely with the Orks.
Meanwhile, Alex confronted the Ork Warboss, the old captain.
The old captain's physique was much larger than that of a normal Ork, standing as tall as two stories.
His muscles were bulging, his face was ferocious, and he wore a set of exaggerated heavy armor with a primitive totem inserted into the frame on his back.
His left hand was a super-large claw, with large amounts of blood and shredded meat remaining on its tips, indicating how many people had tragically died at the hands of this Ork Warboss.
When he roared, he would reveal a mouth full of steel fangs.
When he ran, the ground shook, showing how heavy his body was.
Alex, holding a war spear in one hand and a long sword in the other, met the old captain.
Clang~
The weapons of both sides collided, emitting a clanging sound.
A wave of air spread with the shockwave.
"A winged shrimp, how rare."
The old captain grinned, "Let's see how I'm going to break your wings off later and barbecue them."
Alex said nothing, blocking the opponent's great sword with his sword, and then parrying the opponent's claw with his spear.
The sound of steel colliding rang out continuously, and sparks flew with each impact.
The old captain became more and more excited as he fought.
It had been a long time since he had such a hearty battle.
The cheers of the Gork and Mork echoed in his ears, encouraging him to tear apart the winged shrimp in front of him.
Alex's expression was calm, and he steadily fought against the old captain, who was even larger than him.
The opponent's strength was astonishing, and with the protection of the WAAAGH field, many of his methods were ineffective against him.
But as time went on, his advantage gradually expanded.
The spear and sword in his hands continuously created wounds on the old captain's body, making him even more berserk.
"Die, shrimp!"
The old captain's eyes were bloodshot, and he swung his giant claw, intending to tear Alex to shreds.
Alex dodged, then seized the Ork Warboss's opening, thrusting his spear forward.
The arc-covered spear easily pierced through the Ork Warboss's armor, tearing open his flesh.
The old captain's eyes widened, looking at the spear completely embedded in his body, unable to believe he had lost.
Alex said no more, delivering a swing of his sword that severed his head.
Blood gushed out, and the headless body fell to its knees with a dull thud.
With the old captain's demise, the Ork army briefly collapsed.
The Human forces, who had been waiting for a long time, swarmed out, seizing the opportunity to strike while the enemy was down.
They slaughtered many Orks, causing heavy casualties and forcing them to flee into the intricate Webway.
Gork and Mork showed disappointment, shifting their gaze to other battlefields, searching for new cultivation targets.
They had originally planned to cultivate the old captain.
Unexpectedly, he was so weak, getting his head chopped off in just a few moves.
The Orks were defeated, and the Ghomorra campaign was declared over.
After arranging the subsequent reconstruction work for Ghomorra and stationing the little Fulgrim in the Webway,
Alex then led his troops back to Terra.
News of the war's victory quickly spread online, causing the Imperial populace to erupt in excitement.
"Little black fans, come out and speak! Who said the Imperium of Man shouldn't provoke the Drukhari / Dark Aeldari?"
"Tactical lean back.jpg, this is 'Those who offend the Imperium, no matter how far, shall be punished.' Hahaha, Drukhari / Dark Aeldari, what a small fry dares to provoke us."
"......"
Upon learning of the returning expeditionary force, the eagerly awaiting Imperial citizens flocked to the port.
As soon as the battleship entered the harbor, there was a deafening cheer that echoed through the void.
Priests, accompanied by choirs, sang praises to the deeds of Alex and numerous Imperial heroes.
A wide avenue was laid out with a red carpet on the port platform.
Guards in power armor, led by enforcers, maintained order at the scene, preventing the frenzied populace from rushing forward.
Custodes, holding war halberds, stood in formation on both sides of the road.
When Alex, the Players, and the Imperial heroes emerged from the battleship, the cheers reached their peak.
Excited citizens waved their hands, and countless flowers rained down.
"Saint, you are the savior of humanity!"
"Praise the Saint! Praise the heroes of the Imperium!"
"So handsome! I love you!"
"Saint, have my children!"
"......"
The Warmaster and other Players also waved to the crowd, grinning from ear to ear.
The emotional value of this game was truly incomparable to other games.
After every battle, this was the most enjoyable part.
When the cheering subsided slightly,
Alex stood on the hovering metal platform and addressed the people.
"We have once again achieved victory, defeating an enemy once thought invincible. We have captured Ghomorra and rescued its trapped citizens."
"And the glory of this victory is not mine alone, but belongs to everyone."
"Whether it is the brave soldiers fighting in battle or the workers toiling in factories, you have all contributed to this war."
"This is a victory won by the Imperium, by the efforts of everyone. Unity makes us invincible, unity allows us to despise our enemies, and unity will surely lead us to glory once more."
"Citizens of the Imperium, my compatriots, my brothers and sisters, let us cheer for victory!"
"Tomorrow will be even better, and the Imperium of Man will defeat all its enemies."
Cheers surged like a tidal wave, and the people applauded frantically, their excitement evident on their faces.
After the celebration ended,
Alex began to settle the rewards for the Players.
Due to a series of unforeseen events, the original task of merely recovering the hero's corpse turned into the battle for Ghomorra.
The related rewards also needed to be settled together.
Alex decided to increase the mission rewards.
The top two hundred Players on the war leaderboard could enter the Throne Room to behold the Emperor.
The top hundred could role-play as Custodes.
The top ten could initiate the Blood Game.
The first-place player could serve as a tribune, personally commanding a squad of Custodes to suppress the Blood Game.
This decision delighted the Players, who cheered that the operation was conscientious and that they would curse him less in the future.
"Haha, assassinating the Emperor, here I come!"
"Nothing is true, everything is permitted. I am Assassin 007, just a killer without emotions."
"If the Emperor doesn't die, how can the Imperium be saved? I will put a thousand percent of my energy into completing this great task."
"Brothers, let's stab the Emperor to death with one blow!"
Senior General Tura looked at these God Chosen, who were excited about being able to assassinate the Emperor, his eyes wide.
Were these guys truly loyal?
Why did they act more excited than Four Chaos Gods traitors when they heard they could assassinate the Emperor?