Chapter 511: Players
"Swish—"
A blinding white light flashed by.
When Mantou opened his eyes again, he was once again in the world of Erezaghe, feeling that familiar, lifelike immersion indistinguishable from reality.
"Amazing!"
He looked around and suddenly realized—he was standing right at the parade site from the trailer!
"Boom—"
Wyverns filled the sky, steam tanks rumbled, artillery roared, and gunfire thundered. The Empire's expeditionary forces, arriving from various planes, stood ready for battle.
Flame drakes flapped their wings, fire salamanders raised their spears, skeletal wyrms slithered across the ground, and terror beasts let out earth-shaking roars.
On both sides of the parade ground, countless Imperial citizens cheered with fanatic enthusiasm, chanting "Long live the Empire" and "Long live Cassius" in waves, like an unending tide.
Alongside Mantou, tens of thousands of players had arrived—not just veterans, but also many newcomers entering the game for the first time.
And this was just minutes after the server launch—more players were continuously flooding in.
Witnessing the grand spectacle, they couldn't help but gasp in awe.
"Holy crap? It looks exactly like the trailer!"
"This is so hype!"
"Long live the Ember Empire!"
"Aaaaahhhh—"
"Long live His Majesty Cassius! For the Empire!"
The triumphant military music surged, and even Mantou was swept up in the feverish atmosphere. He raised both hands and shouted at the top of his lungs, "For the Empire!"
In the distance, the Red Dragon Emperor stood atop a massive stone platform, spreading his vast wings, his pale golden eyes surveying everything below.
He seemed to have noticed the players appearing on the plains, casting a scrutinizing gaze upon them.
Then, his massive, fanged jaws slowly opened, and in a calm, clear voice, he spoke.
"Starborn, welcome back."
Hearing their faction leader personally greet them, the players' emotions were reignited—no, they exploded, reaching an even greater peak of excitement.
"Long live His Majesty Cassius!"
"Emperor Kai is unstoppable!"
"I want to touch His Majesty Cassius'—"
Mantou gazed up at the distant red dragon, placing a fist over his heart and performing the standard "Loyalty Salute."
"This sense of belonging is incredible."
"Awooo~~"
A familiar screech echoed from the sky. Mantou immediately perked up and shouted, "Noodles!"
A wyvern lifted its long neck, letting out a joyful cry. After circling in the air a few times, it gracefully descended.
It dug its claws into the ground and obediently lowered its head, bowing before Mantou.
"Long time no see, Noodles."
As the saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder—even for one's mount.
"You've been eating well, huh? You look a little chubbier."
Mantou affectionately stroked the wyvern's slender neck before grabbing the saddle's handle and leaping onto its back in one swift motion.
"Noodles, take off!"
"Awoo—"
The wyvern sprang up, flapping its wings furiously as it spiraled upward, letting out a resonant roar.
Gazing at the magnificent and towering city of Isthalia in the distance, Mantou felt his heart surge with emotion, as if a thousand waves were crashing in his chest.
Erezaghe, I'm back!
Below, a new player pointed at Mantou's wyvern and shouted in shock, "Damn, how is he able to ride a dragon?!"
Another newcomer responded, "I heard him say something, and the wyvern just let him ride it. Sounded like… Noodles?"
"Huh? No way! Is that some kind of secret command?"
"Noodles—"
"Noodles! Noodles!"
"Noodles! Why isn't it working?!"
In an instant, a chorus of newcomers started shouting at the sky, their eyes filled with hopeful anticipation as they looked at the circling wyverns.
Nearby, a veteran player shot them a glance, giving them a look of utter disbelief. "You idiots, that's the Crimson Scaled Conqueror's personal mount!"
"He was calling his own mount's name! What the hell are you guys shouting for?"
"Awoo?"
One of the wyverns tilted its head midair, looking down at the crowd of players with a confused growl.
"This is so realistic!"
"Wait, there's even pain simulation?"
"Hahaha! You can actually take your pants off in this game!"
"I've waited a whole year to play Erezaghe! Don't stop me, I'm not crazy!"
On the ground, the number of players had already surpassed a hundred thousand in mere minutes, and it was still rising rapidly.
Wild howls filled the air, and some players even stripped off their clothes, running around naked.
The once solemn and grand atmosphere of the parade grounds suddenly took a bizarre turn. Fortunately, the ceremony had already concluded, and the Empire's citizens were long accustomed to the madness of the Starborn.
In the audience stands, a young tiefling girl tugged at her mother's sleeve, curiously watching the Starborn's antics.
"Mama, what are they doing?"
The tiefling mother gently covered her child's eyes and whispered, "Nina, don't learn from those lunatics.
Remember, just be loyal to His Majesty and the Empire, like your father who serves in the Imperial Guard. Don't follow their deviant ways."
On the high platform, Cassius observed the scene below—the players running wild across the wasteland—and his mouth twitched slightly.
"There are this many players already?"
In his memory, even though Erezaghe 2.0 had become a global sensation, the initial server launch had only seen a few million players online at once.
Even fewer had chosen [Anzeta Wasteland] as their starting point, since it had already been fully explored by veteran players.
However, due to Cassius' influence, most old players had become deeply tied to the Empire.
Unwilling to abandon their previous assets and status, they had no choice but to continue selecting the Empire as their starting faction.
Meanwhile, new players, swayed by the trailer and veteran guides, had also developed a strong interest in the Ember Empire—the "protagonist faction" of Version 1.0.
Cassius' eyes gleamed as he studied the newcomers, exhaling a puff of sulfur-scented white smoke.
"If this growth continues, the number of players joining the Empire will easily reach two million."
"And the total player count… could very well surpass ten million."
Considering [Clash of Kings] had over three hundred respawn points, having one-fifth of all players choosing the Empire was a significant achievement.
This far exceeded Cassius' expectations.
In his past life, most players had followed strategy guides and joined the warring Fadran Kingdoms, splitting into factions and battling each other.
But now, the Ember Empire had indisputably become the faction with the largest player base and the greatest influence.
"Two million players…
While this provides immense momentum for the Empire's growth, it's also going to cause a lot of chaos."
According to the third Imperial census initiated by Prime Minister Langpu months ago, the Empire's total population was 8.47 million.
Now, with two million players flooding in, they accounted for nearly a quarter of the population!
Such a large number of "unemployed wanderers" would undoubtedly have a tremendous impact on the Empire's society, and tensions between the Starborn and native residents would only continue to escalate.
Job competition, native resistance, and social disorder were almost inevitable, and the series of social issues triggered by this would only grow worse.
For the Empire at this moment, expansion was imperative. Cassius urgently needed to find an outlet for the players' excess energy.
And demons—were his first target.
However, before that, maintaining basic order was crucial to better prepare for the fight against the demons.
With that thought, Cassius called out in a low voice, "Medrolash."
Soon, the commander of the Imperial Guard, head of the Imperial Intelligence Agency, and leader of the tiefling race appeared before the red dragon.
For years, he had held a high position, overseeing the Empire's covert operations, silently eliminating threats in the shadows.
Now, the hands of this tiefling Holy Paladin were long stained with blood, and he had become even more taciturn. Among the three dukes of the Empire, he was the most discreet, always carrying out Cassius' orders without a word.
At this moment, Medrolash knelt on one knee and respectfully said, "Master, what are your orders?"
"This is something you should be quite familiar with—manage these newly arrived Starborn and ensure they understand the Empire's rules.
However, this time, there are quite a lot of them—approximately two million."
Medrolash raised his head, and for the first time, an unmistakable trace of shock appeared on his otherwise emotionless face.
He had long been trained to suppress and conceal his emotions, but this number was simply too staggering.
How many?
Two million?
That's a full quarter of the total population! And they're all reckless madmen!
Instantly, cold sweat trickled down the tiefling leader's forehead, dripping from his chin.
Though a thousand thoughts surged through Medrolash's mind, he still responded in a deep voice, "Yes, Master."