Daniel made upgrading the Imperial Glory his top priority.
He tasked his crew with inventorying the metal reserves of the Rath Forge World for Arale to consume.
The adherents of the Mechanicum, including Magos Morio, were dead set against Daniel's directive.
They viewed Arale as a construct of heretical technology.
As an emissary of the Omnissiah, one should view her with suspicion.
However, when Daniel, speaking on behalf of Arale, shared the Pharos beacon technology and Gauss rifle schematics, and promised more cutting-edge technologies down the line,
They quickly changed their tune, asserting that Arale was a sacred Machine Spirit, blessed by the Omnissiah, and should, by no means, be rejected.
A massive quantity of metal was tallied from the foundries and warehouses spread across the Rath Forge World.
The materials were then transported by immense cargo haulers to the Imperial Glory in low orbit, where they were delivered by the truckload into the roaring furnace core, to be consumed by Arale.
A hazy, ethereal glow pulsed along the cables and steel structure, reshaping and modifying every aspect of the ship as it was upgraded.
Following the previous upgrade, the Imperial Glory was already a formidable 12-kilometer battleship.
This time, fueled by the staggering resources from Rath Forge World,
The Imperial Glory was upgraded into a 24-kilometer behemoth, putting it on par with the venerable Gloriana-class battleships.
To give you a sense of scale: if a professional cyclist were to ride from bow to stern on the Imperial Glory at a steady 25 kilometers per hour, without stopping or slowing down, the trip would take nearly an hour.
As the warship ballooned in size, every system aboard the Imperial Glory received a corresponding overhaul.
The large cannon batteries lining both sides of the ship were increased in both size and number.
The largest cannons were absolutely massive—they could comfortably accommodate a small frigate within their barrels.
The massive ram beneath the bow was dramatically enlarged, capable of splitting an enemy vessel in half with a full-throttle charge.
The cluster of nova cannons and lance batteries at the bow's midsection was enhanced to the point where they could punch straight through the shields of smaller battleships.
Blade-like structures extended downward along the ship's flanks, housing secondary main guns and torpedo tubes.
An integrated spaceport was also added to the underside, designed for the docking and maintenance of escort frigates and fighter squadrons.
Beyond these visible, comprehensive upgrades,
The ship's fire control system and sensor arrays also received a full overhaul, allowing for more precise fire allocation and vastly improved detection range and capability.
The original Lighthouse (Version 1.0) could only communicate one-to-one, pointing its beam at a single planet for communication. Other planets had to wait their turn.
The new Lighthouse (Version 2.0), however, eliminated this bottleneck and could target multiple locations simultaneously.
The Version 2.0 upgrade allowed Arale's influence to blanket the entire Calixis Sector, the Colonus Sector, the Scalus Sector, the Ixaned Sector, and even reach the boundaries of the Halo Cluster—all from a single unit.
This dramatically increased the players' radius of operation.
In the future, Daniel reasoned, installing just a few more beacons across the galaxy would achieve full coverage, allowing players to fast-travel anywhere.
Its connections with other beacons were also significantly tightened, enabling seamless, real-time communication across vast distances, regardless of time, space, or Warp storms.
Magos Morio and the countless priests watched the promotion of the Imperial Glory in stunned silence.
"I always thought that after living for so long, I had seen all sorts of strange and wonderful things," Morio muttered. "Only today do I realize that the vastness of the Temple of Truth is truly beyond imagination. I have never witnessed anything like this before."
Morio felt, for a moment, that his core logic circuits were about to overload and fry.
After a period of intense, nearly brain-breaking deliberation...
He arrived at a conclusion that perfectly aligned with Imperial reality.
"It must be the Omnissiah's power that could create such a miracle."
Representatives from the Titan Legions, Knightly Houses, the Imperial Navy, the Ecclesiarchy, and other Imperial forces witnessed the scene, all equally stunned. They offered prayers to the Emperor, marveling at His supreme power.
Elsewhere, Farseer Casarius and the Aeldari accompanying the expedition watched the Imperial Glory's transformation, so shocked their jaws practically hit the floor.
"The power of the Star God is terrifying; to upgrade a warship in such a short time using only raw materials is incredible."
That mythical era has been gone for far too long. Though the Aeldari lifespan is immense, none alive today were there.
The Aeldari active today know of the Star Gods only through ancient texts, which recount the great war the Star Gods once waged against the Old Ones, the creators of the Aeldari.
Both sides suffered catastrophic losses, which the Aeldari then exploited to rise and replace the two warring races.
"We must keep our relationship with this Saint on good footing," remarked a Wraithseer.
"The Lord of Mankind's power is swelling, and this Saint has gained the assistance of a Star God. The ascent of Humanity is inevitable."
"When that happens, the Gods of Chaos certainly won't tolerate such a powerful Humanity. The conflict between the two sides will be irreconcilable, and war will be inevitable."
"When that time comes, with both Humanity and the Ruinous Powers severely weakened, we will be able to rise again and restore our former glory, just as our ancestors did during the War in Heaven."
Farseer Casarius nodded. "Mandela, you've hit the nail on the head."
"I will act on that. He tasked me with finding a means to send the Saints into specialized zones, such as the Garden of Beasts."
"Now that everything is ready, it's time to show him our goodwill and prove our worth."
...
With the Imperial Glory's successful upgrade, players flooded the regional chat channel with rapidly refreshing messages.
"The Imperial Glory just keeps getting bigger. It's 24 kilometers now. Next time it'll be 48, then 96. A few more times and it'll be a veritable colossus."
"A colossus controlled by a Star God—that's chilling just thinking about it. Who in their right mind would dare defy that?"
"I suggest the devs equip it with a Planet-Shattering System and Neutron Annihilation weaponry."
"Don't forget the Starburst Device, either."
"So many weapons of extermination! It's terrifying. We must embrace peace and promote anti-war sentiments. I propose transferring control of the Imperial Glory to me so I can dedicate myself to achieving global peace."
"I can practically hear you crunching numbers from here, pal. You call yourself a peace lover? Take a look at your ID: Aren't starfish cans tasty?"
"Are you discriminating against Paradox Interactive players? I'm livid! Can't we Paradox players love peace? We're just a bunch of kind-hearted big kids, a gaggle of grown-ups who love peace and beauty."
"Is that the kindness of turning starfish into canned food, or the peace of treating neutron extermination as a casual Tuesday?"
"Making starfish cans is a necessary sacrifice for universal peace. Don't you see the big picture? Neutron annihilation is just an efficient means to an end."
"You absolute war criminals, head to Terra and have the High Lords judge these scumbags."
Emperor: Huh? If genocide counts as a war crime, wouldn't I be number one?
Supreme Lord: Why is His Majesty going rogue?
...
As usual, the players' conversations went totally off the rails. They quickly pivoted from discussing the Imperial Glory's upgrade to debating whether the Ecclesiarchy could reach the Eye of Terror within five minutes of the Emperor's full awakening.
Daniel glanced at the regional chat channel while simultaneously checking the Lighthouse's various functions.
The Lighthouse powers the regional player chat feature. After the upgrade, chatting became much smoother and now supports emojis and images.
Just as he was about to marvel at the players' unconventional thinking, Farseer Casarius came seeking an audience.
"My Saint, we haven't dropped the ball. We've completed the task you previously set for us."
...
The Aeldari occupied an area at the rear of the Imperial Glory, using it as their residence and workshop.
The moment Daniel stepped into this section, he felt the surrounding temperature plummet by several degrees. His breath turned to white mist, which quickly condensed into frost. The raw power of the Warp was flowing here.
He was led into a special hall, where intricate runes of origin were carved into the walls. An archway sculpted from Wraithbone stood at the center.
Daniel noted that the archway was covered with complex, ancient, and obscure characters, radiating incredible psychic power.
"This is the subspace portal that leads to the Garden of Beasts."
Casarius pointed to the Wraithbone Arch. "Simply inject psionic energy to activate the archway and enter the mysterious Garden of Beasts."
"This is extremely dangerous. While the Beast Garden is not the personal domain of the Architect of Fate, it was nonetheless created by numerous Greater Daemons."
"Is it operational now?" Daniel asked.
"Of course. Would you care to try it?" Casarius offered. "But there are a few things I must warn you about: once this subspace portal is opened, the Beast Garden will be able to track and lock onto it, and a continuous stream of Daemons will pour through."
Daniel's eyes lit up at this news. A monster spawner! He'd been concerned that there weren't enough targets for players to farm. While Warhammer had plenty of conflict, the galaxy was vast. Once players spread out, they'd spend all their time trekking across the map.
Allowing cunning cultists to run rampant just to provide fodder was a no-go. Thus, figuring out how players could quickly find "monsters" to level up had been a major headache.
With this portal, new players would get both experience and Faith Points! Thanks, Warp, for the gift.
"Saint, are you absolutely sure you want to activate this?" Casarius inquired again.
"Hold your horses for a second. I need a few Saints to accompany me inside."
Daniel wasn't in a rush. He had Arale post a task:
Limited-Time Mission: Venture into the Abyss
The Guide and the Aeldari Farseer from the Ark of Ulthwé have devised a method to reach the Garden of Beasts, but he needs some Saints to accompany him. Players who want to venture into the dark world and hunt Daemons should hurry up and sign up!
First come, first served; if you're late, you'll miss out.
Limited to 15 players, and players must be Level 14 or higher.
Rewards: 35,000 Contribution Points, 4,000 Honor Points, and 7,500 Faith Points.
...
Before long, Alpaca carrying the greatsword was the first to arrive. A cheerful girl in power armor, wielding a massive greatsword, skipped and hopped over, visibly pumped.
Daniel's lips twitched slightly. He had a hunch that as the game expanded, they'd see more female players like this. He wondered if a squad of Sororitas nuns, armed with pink bolters, would appear in the future. Just picture the aesthetics; it's enough to make a Daemon rethink its life choices.
Close behind were Warmaster, Yuji, and other members of the "Emperor's Hammers Battle Group," along with the "Hammer and Scythe Legion" clad in exoskeleton armor.
Mordecai, sporting numerous mechanical prosthetics, and Rigby also showed up. Neither had seen much combat lately, having been tied up with research and implanting their new prosthetics. Now, fitted out with their new gear, they were comparable to a heavy weapons squad—a real-life walking armory.
The regional chat channel was also buzzing about Daniel's task posting.
"It's definitely a dungeon mode. They're stress-testing it with players now; it should drop officially soon."
"Aren't low-level players even worthy of being used as consumables for testing?"
"Upstairs," the guide said, "Yes, I'm sorry, you're not worthy."
"Aaaaah, I'm so angry, so angry!"
...
Once the fifteen players were assembled, Daniel looked at Casarius. "That'll do, Farseer."
Casarius's lips twitched. These Saints were all considered elite, and they possessed innate resistance to psychic energies. The Emperor's Saint is about to lead his followers to raid a Daemon's crib. Casarius took out several ancient runes, tossed them into the air, and chanted an archaic incantation.
The runes, suspended in mid-air, emitted a silvery glow, trailing wakes as they wove into an intricate pattern. The Wraithbone Gate was activated, and a hazy light shimmered into existence within the archway.
Daniel gripped the heavy Scepter of Divine Retribution tightly and stepped through first. The players and the accompanying Aeldari followed close on his heels.
With a twist of space and time, they found themselves instantly in a cluster of decaying urban buildings shrouded in an eerie, sickly light.
A blood-red moon hung in the sky, wearing a terrifying, grinning smile. All around was endless desolation and a crimson hue. The abandoned buildings hid an indescribable darkness.
In front of them stood a surprisingly magnificent zoo. The players approached and read the crooked sign at the entrance: The Garden of Ten Thousand Beasts.
There was also a friendly notice posted next to it.
Welcome to the Zoo of Animals!
This place contains countless amazing creatures. From the distant creation of the universe to the present day, all kinds of ancient creatures have been found.
The park has excellent safety measures in place, so you don't need to worry about the safety of you and your family. Please feel free to visit.
Disregard the negative reviews you've heard about our park; they're just afraid you'll see the 'truth'.
Lies are sweet, but the truth is cruel.
But only the truth can enable people to continue to progress.
Welcome to the 'Garden of Beasts', where you will witness the truth and have a wonderful time.
"Damn, it really is a zoo," Rigby griped. "Do the little Daemons of the Warp need to be enlightened or something?"
"Hahaha, if it's not totally unexpected, how can you call it Chaos?" Yuji shrugged. "Whatever. We just need to charge in and carve a path."
"Let's roll." Daniel stepped into the Garden of Ten Thousand Beasts.
The next second, a player gasped.
"Holy cow, these creeps are keeping Chaos Spawn as pets!"
"Holy moly, you see the literal meaning of 'truth,' right? It's literally laid bare all the monsters and Daemons of the Warp."
"If any mortal can walk out of here alive, I'll scream, 'Epic Win! 666!' They are seriously powerful."
"Hey, looks like there are some employees over there."
"Quick, hustle! Don't let him get away."
"Wait, what's that rabbit doing here? Whatever, I'm going with the winning strategy and giving it a good shiv."
...
The middle layer of a certain Hive City,
Ellie, a clerk at the Administratum, hummed a little tune, her previous pessimism and despair having evaporated.
With the sudden appearance of the Emperor's Saints, the arrogant rebel armies had been repeatedly and brutally crushed.
Anyone could see that the rebels were just insignificant chumps compared to the Saint, destined to be no more than a nuisance.
The Imperium could easily win simply by waiting for the Saints to launch repeated offensives.
After completing her 999th piece of paperwork, the end-of-shift bell rang. Ellie quickly packed up, and as soon as her replacement showed up, she walked out of the Administratum building with a spring in her step.
Should she go grab some barbecue, or hit up the One-Eyed Bar for a drink? Ellie pondered her options.
His salary wasn't huge, but it was enough for his single status, allowing him to splurge every now and then.
"Time to check out some interesting critters."
A flyer was handed to Ellie. The text and accompanying pictures advertised a newly arrived zoo in the Hive City. Many merchants collected rare plants and animals from various planets, then toured them through different locations, charging citizens to view them.
Many citizens lived their entire lives in the oppressive urban environment without ever having seen a green plant, fueling their curiosity about off-world flora and fauna.
This kind of business was thus quite lucrative. "Just to kill some time. Hope I see something worthwhile."
Ellie headed to the address on the flyer, walking through a dimly lit alley until he arrived at the 'Garden of Various Beasts' mentioned on the advertisement.
The place was packed and buzzing with activity. A girl wearing a double-headed eagle badge on her chest greeted Ellie. After paying, he was handed an identification tag marked '999' and ushered inside.
All sorts of exotic animals thrilled Ellie, making him feel the admission price was well worth it. There were so many exhibits he wandered around for an incredibly long time.
As time wore on, Ellie couldn't remember how to leave. The animals on display grew progressively more bizarre. The environment became eerier, and strange whispers echoed in his ears.
Some had faces covered in eyes, tentacled lower bodies, and human torsos. Others were a grotesque mix of octopus, human, and random body parts. They looked increasingly distorted and let out strange, unsettling laughter.
Ellie began crying without even realizing it, feeling an indescribable, strange sensation in his heart, as if his soul was silently fracturing. Many people were around him, but no one seemed to notice his distress, as if they occupied separate realities.
"Don't cry. This is reality. You've just seen reality. Accept it, and you'll feel much better." A voice spoke.
Ellie looked up. A man in work clothes walked toward him, smiling, his blue eyes sparkling. The man also wore a double-headed eagle badge on his chest. But this time, Ellie saw it wasn't the Imperial Aquila at all, but a monster with two bird heads.
The man extended his hand in a friendly gesture. Ellie, weeping, reached out his own hand; he desperately wanted the experience to end.
The next second, the man in work clothes was blindsided, kicked to the ground from behind. A Sororitas nun in power armor, wielding a massive greatsword, appeared before Ellie.
"Wait, a human? What gives? Where's the boss? Where is the boss?!"
Ellie's eyes went wide. The sheer shock overrode his curiosity. Realizing belatedly what was happening, he frantically grabbed the pocket Emperor statue he carried and prayed.
When he looked up again, the world had snapped back into focus. The animals, the staff, the nuns—all were gone.
He was in a dimly lit alley, and not far away, a strange eye and numerous blasphemous symbols were spray-painted on the wall.
"By the Emperor, no! This is terrifying!" Realizing what had nearly happened, Ellie bolted in a panic.
Minutes later, the Planetary Defense Force cordoned off the alley.
...
Inside the zoo,
Alpaca stared blankly for three seconds at the spot where the human had vanished before continuing her shouts: "Where is the boss? Where is the boss?!"
...
As the Saints charged the Chaos Spawn and Tzeentch Daemons, looting and vandalizing everything in sight, Farseer Casarius's lips twitched. He felt a strange pang of sympathy for the Greater Daemon running the 'Garden of Ten Thousand Beasts' soul-harvesting operation. Getting tangled up with these Saints was just a streak of bad luck.
"You cursed minions have gone too far in bullying the Daemons."
A colossal blue, bird-headed Daemon appeared. This was none other than Marabas, the Zoo's manager. He was one of the Seven Great Daemons of the Calithis legend and the most capable assistant to Kairos, the Weaver of Fate.
Marabas loved using the Garden of Beasts to corrupt his targets. Mortals would be intrigued by the alien exhibits, driving them to explore the zoo, where they would ultimately witness the reality of the Warp's infinite permutations. They would break down, cry, and scream. Eventually, they would inevitably become slaves and followers of the Ever-Changing Lord.
Today, the cursed minions had ruined everything, which was why Marabas had appeared in a fury.
The sight of the Greater Daemon of Tzeentch excited the players; their eyes weren't filled with fear, but a singular thirst for the boss fight.
"Whoa, this is a dungeon, and it even has a boss!"
"Go, go, go! Time to clear the map, boys!"
"Kill! them all!"
...
The players swarmed forward and immediately launched a full-scale assault on Marabas.
Marabas: "..." This is just too much! They're ganging up on a Daemon!
Though he wasn't ranked highly in the labyrinth of ever-changing things, the fact that a group of mortals dared to cause trouble in his own territory showed they absolutely weren't taking him seriously.
The zoo manager unleashed a torrent of profanities while raising his staff. The players couldn't understand what he was saying, but they definitely felt the vulgarity of the insults. Still, they didn't care; their eyes were fixed only on exploring the new area.
Marabas had initially intended to teach these humans a harsh lesson, capture them, and torment and play with them to his heart's content. But he soon realized he was over his head.
Daniel, blessed by the Emperor, alongside Arale, the nascent Star God who controls both reality and the Warp simultaneously, and the Aeldari, who possess extensive knowledge of the Warp.
He was no match for them and was quickly pinned to the ground and subjected to a brutal group beating—punches, kicks, stabs, and hammers. The assault left Marabas's once somewhat attractive face disfigured. Many of his feathers were even plucked.
If he hadn't made a break for it, he would have been dead right there! Since the Garden of Beasts was a subspace realm that quickly regenerated even if destroyed, Daniel led the players away after beating Marabas up, promising to return next time.
Upon learning of this, Kairos was so furious his head nearly exploded. Not only had these cursed minions ruined his perfect scheme, but they were brazen about it too.
If he weren't busy scheming against Guilliman with Magnus, he would have personally led Tzeentch's armies to wipe out the minions of the Cursed Ones.
To let those yokels know that the title of the Four Chaos Gods wasn't something they picked up by chance.
Daniel was blissfully unaware of Kairos's thoughts, and even if he had known, he would have shrugged them off.
After returning from the Beast Garden and distributing the rewards, he and Arale went to work preparing the Version 3.0 update.
Version 3.0 Update Announcement
Clang! Clang! Clang!
With a deafening roar high in the sky, Arale makes a dazzling entrance! It's great to see you all again! Did you miss Arale?
Thanks to our hard work, Warhammer Online has ushered in another massive upgrade! Below are the updated contents:
1: The Financial System has been refreshed, optimizing the exchange of Contribution Points and Sky Eagle Coins while adding more local currency exchange options. To boost your credit score, we need to integrate your personal data and verify your eligibility for loans! Make sure to complete as many tasks as possible!
2: The War Score calculation model has been tweaked to ensure maximum fairness and impartiality.
3: A brand new gameplay mode: Limited-Time Dungeons. The game will now open limited-time dungeons at irregular intervals; players can participate by following in-game prompts.
Current Available Instance: Garden of Beasts (This is a Warp zone created by the Chaos God Tzeentch, designed to lure and corrupt the innocent. Players can form teams to challenge it. Warning: The boss is incredibly cunning and will bail if he takes too much damage, so tread lightly!)
4: Lighthouse Functionality Update. Lighthouses built from now on will have a certain chance to provide healing and dispel negative status effects.
+++Daily Reflection: Devout Faith is Our Most Powerful Weapon+++
Daniel checked it and, after confirming there were no problems, updated it.
In addition to updating the rules and introducing new gameplay, he also uploaded some recent videos and footage as usual.