When people look at the vast void, they always feel a sense of insignificance and awe.
Dahai would sometimes look out through the Bridge's porthole.
It was deep, dark, and endless.
"Is it really just a game?"
Dahai asked himself.
Just then, a deep, powerful voice interrupted Dahai's thoughts, pulling him back to Holy Terra (Earth/Reality).
"Warships have souls; you must learn to communicate with the Machine Spirit, appease it, and let it accept you. Only then can you fight alongside it."
Colonel Semper sat on the Captain's throne, explaining to them while commanding the battleship.
He had been entrusted with guiding them on how to operate a battleship so that they could play a role in the upcoming war.
Dahai collected himself, listened attentively, and took notes.
Void warfare is based on large-tonnage, long-endurance combat platforms.
This type of warfare is very similar to naval combat, not aerial combat.
It just transforms from the two-dimensional nature of naval combat to the three-dimensional nature of space, requiring much greater computational power.
This is also why the Emperor Niuma Battle Group recruits players with maritime experience.
With maritime experience, they can get started with void warships more quickly.
Semper explained in detail what happens during naval battles and the operating procedures for various systems, then had the God Chosen conduct simulated tests.
The Thinker System would connect to the God Chosen's nervous system, simulating a realistic void battlefield.
Semper would score the God Chosen's performance.
After passing, he would, as per the Living Saint's instructions, issue these God Chosen a New Captain Medal and record their scores in the God Chosen System.
The God Chosen System is directly supervised by Cortana, eliminating the possibility of cheating or fraud.
The first trainee quickly connected to the Thinker System and entered the virtual battlefield.
The battlefield was displayed as a projection before everyone, allowing them to observe the test process.
Dahai's eyes widened, "This game can even play games within the game, that's too awesome!"
Dahai was not the only one amazed.
The players next to him were also wide-eyed.
They had thought Warhammer OL would no longer surprise them.
Who would have thought they were still too naive?
Trainees went up to test one after another.
The test items covered all main positions, from weapons, navigation, and divination to Captain.
Dahai was the last one.
"Don't be too nervous; it doesn't matter what your score is. Your learning speed has already been surprising, so don't put too much pressure on yourselves."
Colonel Semper repeated what he said to every God Chosen.
Dahai nodded and put on the virtual helmet.
After a slight pain, neural cables were connected to his spine and the back of his head, and then his consciousness was pulled into the virtual reality.
The entire scene was also very realistic, indistinguishable from Holy Terra (Earth/Reality).
Dahai performed exceptionally well.
He had originally risen from a grassroots officer.
And he had an astonishing talent for commanding battleships.
This was also why he could serve as a capital ship commander at his age.
When serving as the Captain of a void ship, Dahai was just a hair's breadth away from victory.
Unfortunately, he was still not familiar enough with the performance of void warships.
He didn't understand enough about the battleship's ammunition, maneuverability, and other data.
Ultimately, he made one wrong move, and the enemy hit the void ship's ammunition depot, causing it to explode directly.
But such a performance was enough to attract attention.
Several players couldn't even get their ships out, or they were instantly destroyed by the opponent as soon as they did.
Dahai, however, managed to fight back and forth with the opponent and almost won.
Compared to other players, he could be said to be excellent.
Dahai didn't want to perform so well, but in this game, the stronger the ability displayed, the more resources obtained.
His superior therefore asked him not to hide his talent, but to actively display his talent and strength to gain attention.
"Your performance is very good. After completing the Warp navigation training, you will be able to serve as a Captain."
"Given time, I believe there will certainly be a legend about you in the Calixis Sector."
After the test, Colonel Semper showed surprise.
He highly praised Dahai, which made other players show envy and curiosity.
As soon as Colonel Semper left, they all gathered around, subtly asking what Dahai did and if he could share some learning tips.
Dahai claimed to be a cargo ship driver and enjoyed playing battleship strategy games in his spare time.
After sending away the players surrounding him, Dahai looked out the window and unexpectedly saw a strange, streamlined ship flying by.
Its style was completely different from human ships, and it had a huge sail at the back.
"What is that? Why does it have a sail?"
Dahai pointed out the porthole and asked the player next to him.
"That's an Aeldari ship. The sail at the back is a solar sail, which can draw energy from stars and the Warp to propel the battleship forward."
The player with the ID "T督's Decision" explained to Dahai.
"Aren't you a Warhammer fan? You should know that Aeldari ships are very easy to recognize, and you can't even recognize that."
Dahai nodded, "I'm not a fan; I just pre-ordered this game out of curiosity."
"I'm envious. You're not a Warhammer fan, yet you learned the best. After completing the Warp training, you'll definitely be able to serve as a Captain."
T督 was a bit envious, "Unlike me, I'm still a half-baked after several days of learning."
"This kind of thing just gets better with practice," Dahai comforted.
"You're right. While I still have contribution points, I need to seize the opportunity to practice more," T督 nodded. "By the way, do you want to go do a mission later?"
"There are many missions in Syntilla now to clear out gangs and heretical organizations. With NPC assistance, we can just follow along and earn contribution points."
"If you do it, I'll take you with me, how about it?"
Dahai rubbed his chin, "I've been here for a few days, and it's all been about learning to control battleships. It's indeed time to see what the surface is like."
"Then you take me with you to do the mission later."
......
As soon as the Aeldari ship entered the port, it caused a commotion.
Many people were born and told to hate xenos.
Now, a xenos battleship brazenly sailed into the port, which immediately caused many people to feel anger.
"Xenos trash, get out of our port."
"How can these things enter our port? This is a betrayal of the omnissiah."
"Oh, God Emperor, such blasphemy has invaded your sacred territory."
"......"
The anti-xenos sentiment rapidly erupted and formed a tide.
Many people rushed to the port, wanting to smash the xenos ships.
The armed guards stopped them,
declaring that this was the will of the Living Saint, and that the Aeldari were allies invited by the Saint to discuss opposing Chaos.
The actions of the Adeptus Arbites were swift, arresting several individuals with malicious intent who were inciting the populace, preventing the outbreak of large-scale riots.
However, the populace still gathered outside the cordon established by the Arbites, watching the xenos ships with hatred.
Alex arrived with a group of high-ranking officials to welcome the Aeldari.
"How can the Living Saint collude with xenos?"
"This is too terrifying."
"Alas, what is truly real? Those priests once told me to hate xenos, but now the Living Saint wants to receive them?"
"......"
The populace discussed animatedly, filled with incomprehension and confusion.
If not for Alex's sufficiently high prestige and the numerous miracles he had displayed,
he would likely have been branded a Heretic, tied to a stake, and slow-roasted for three days and three nights.
Some players who had never seen the Aeldari before also mingled in the crowd, wanting to see what kind of plot it was.
Facing the public's questions, Alex did not rush to explain, but patiently waited at the port platform.
Soon after, the hatch of the Aeldari ship opened,
and the Aeldari envoys walked out of the ship and onto the human port.
Their appearance immediately caused a stir in the crowd.
The populace stared intently at the Aeldari, their gazes filled with hatred or anger.
Dahai was also in the crowd; he had originally planned to go on a mission with T督,
but seeing the Guide appear, the two stopped to watch the plot and see what the new race in the game looked like.
The Aeldari looked similar to humans,
also having two legs, two arms, and one head.
Their body proportions were similar to humans, but their bodies were more slender.
The movements of the Aeldari were elegant and serene,
even with dozens of angular runic gems or spirit bone decorations hanging on them, not a single sound was emitted.
Even court nobles who had trained since childhood appeared as crude farmers in front of the elegantly poised Aeldari.
Dahai found the Aeldari's equipment very strange.
They all wore towering helmets that curved forward at the top, with a pair of large dark green eyepieces that easily reminded one of insects or deep-sea fish.
The helmet of the person leading them had a dull gem, larger than an ordinary person's fist, embedded in its center.
In his hand, he held a slender spirit bone staff.
The end of the staff had a geometric symbol hanging from it, with a gem embedded inside.
The gem shimmered with a strange light, possessing a special magic, as if it could draw one's mind into it.
A strange gun with a protruding barrel and a grooved muzzle hung from his waist, and he also wore a Power Sword.
"Xenos!" Inquisitor Kaidin looked at the approaching Aeldari, his tone very unfriendly.
He was not the only one to utter that word; whispers filled the crowd.
People looked at the Aeldari with gazes of either hatred or suspicion.
"Silence!" Alex spoke, "They are our guests; do not act disrespectfully."
As the Living Saint, Alex's words immediately quelled the discussions of the crowd.
The Aeldari envoys walked up to Alex.
The leading Aeldari performed a complex gesture, then removed his helmet, revealing translucent ears and soft, black long hair.
The Aeldari's face was extremely beautiful, possessing both male and female characteristics, presenting a neutral beauty that transcended gender.
Aside from his completely black eyes, his facial features were not significantly different from humans.
"I am Kasareth, from the Usvej Ark World, noble Emperor Saint." The Aeldari introduced himself.
"Welcome, Prophet." Alex smiled, then looked at the others, "The Aeldari once helped us save the Emperor's son. They are now our allies against Chaos. Treat them with respect."
Then, Alex looked at the populace and explained to them, his tone sincere.
"The Despoiler destroyed Cadia Fortress, and both humanity and the Aeldari are on the verge of extinction. We have no choice."
"The Aeldari need humanity as allies, otherwise they will not escape their fate of destruction, and we also need all possible assistance. To save the God Emperor's realm, and for our suffering compatriots."
"…"
After Alex appeased the angry populace, he led the Aeldari to the reception hall that had been prepared in advance.
The Guide and the Aeldari departed, and the populace also left in twos and threes, their emotions no longer as agitated as before.
"What the Living Saint says must be reasonable; we need allies now."
A man said to the person next to him, "We just need to believe in the Living Saint."
"That's right, if the Living Saint says to cooperate with xenos, then we cooperate. If one day we fall out with the xenos, then we will hate them again."
The person next to him echoed the man's words.
......
Inside the strategic meeting hall.
Numerous high-ranking officials and Aeldari envoys took their seats separately.
Alex spoke about Ahriman's invasion of Syntilla.
"Ahriman?" Kasareth showed a look of apprehension.
It was clear that Ahriman had indeed gained considerable notoriety over the years; even the Aeldari were well aware of his name and deeds.
"They have infiltrated my side, so I would like to ask you to teach humanity the corresponding psychic arts to strengthen our counter-infiltration against Chaos."
"To be honest, you are the first human ruler to say they want to learn from the Aeldari." Kasareth's tone was surprised.
Alex said, "Being stuck in old ways is never a good thing. Learning from trailblazers is the best way to progress."
"And what is our benefit?" Kasareth asked.