Players

*Flash—* A blinding white glare surged past. When Mantou opened his eyes again, he was already inside the world of Elezerg, once more enveloped in that familiar sensation completely indistinguishable from reality. "Hell yeah!" He looked around and suddenly realized—he was standing right in the middle of the grand military parade from the trailer! *Rumble—* Wyverns darkened the sky, steam tanks chugged and clanked, artillery roared in unison, and gunshots shook the heavens as imperial expeditionary forces summoned from various planes stood assembled in battle-ready ranks. Flame drakes beat their wings, salamanders raised their spears high, skeletal serpent-drakes slithered in undulating lines, and dreadbeasts reared their heads with deafening roars... Flanking the parade grounds, countless imperial citizens watched in fanatical fervor, thrusting their arms into the air and chanting. Cries of "Long live the Empire!" and "Long live Cassius!" rolled forward like relentless ocean waves. Arriving alongside Mantou were tens of thousands of players, including seasoned veterans as well as hordes of newcomers who had just entered the game for the first time. And this was merely a few minutes after the servers had opened; the number of players flooding into the venue was continuing to skyrocket. Beholding the magnificent sight, they could not help but cry out in sheer disbelief. "Holy crap! It's literally identical to the cinematic trailer!" "I'm hyped!" "Long live the Cinder Empire!" "Aaaaaaah!" "Long live His Majesty Cassius! For the Empire!" The martial music was stirring and impassioned. Even Mantou was swept up in the passionate atmosphere, raising both hands and screaming at the top of his lungs, "For the Empire!" In the distance, atop an elevated stone dais, the Red Dragon Emperor spread his immense wings, his pale gold pupils looking down upon everything. He seemed to take note of the players materializing across the plains and cast a searching, assessing gaze over them. Then, that gaping maw lined with razor-sharp fangs slowly parted, uttering a clear, composed voice. "Starfallen, welcome back." Hearing the greeting from their faction leader, the players' emotions were ignited anew, erupting into an even more deafening frenzy. "Long live His Majesty Cassius!" "Emperor Cas is invincible!" "I want to touch His Majesty Cassius's..." Mantou gazed up at the distant red dragon, placed his fist over his heart, and offered a textbook salute of loyalty. "Man, this sense of belonging is totally maxed out..." *Roar—* A familiar shriek echoed from the sky. Mantou looked up in delightful surprise and shouted, "Noodles!" The wyvern raised its slender neck and let out an exuberant trill. After circling several times in midair, it touched down effortlessly. Gripping the ground with its talons, it submissively lowered its head and crouched before Mantou. "Long time no see, Noodles." As the saying went, absence made the heart grow fonder, and the same held true for a mount. "Looks like you've been eating well. You've even gotten a little chubbier." Mantou affectionately stroked the wyvern's long neck, grabbed the pommel of the dragon saddle, leapt up in a fluid motion, and swung directly onto its back. "Noodles, take off!" *Awoo—* The wyvern sprang up abruptly, flapping its wings as it spiraled into the sky with a ringing roar. Mantou gazed out toward the majestic, breathtaking city of Isdalia in the distance, feeling an overwhelming rush of excitement surge in his chest. *Elezerg, I'm back!* A new player looked up at Mantou in the sky, pointed at the wyvern beneath him, and blurted out in amazement, "Holy shit, how can he ride a dragon?" Another new player chimed in, "I heard him say a word, and then the wyvern let him ride it. I think it was... Noodles?" "Wait, seriously? Badass! There's an activation code like that?" "Noodles—!" "Noodles! Noodles!" "Noodles! Why isn't the command working?!" In an instant, plenty of new players began straining their vocal cords and yelling at the sky, their eyes filled with yearning as they watched the circling wyvern. A veteran player standing nearby glanced sideways at them, looking at them as if they were complete idiots. "That's the Redscale Conqueror's mount, you dumbasses!" "The guy was calling his mount by name! What the hell are you screaming for?" *Awoo?* High in the air, the wyvern tilted its head, peering down at the players below with a low, bewildered growl. "It's so realistic!" "Wait, there's actually pain feedback?" "Hahaha! You can actually take your pants off!" "I've waited a whole year to finally play Elezerg! Don't hold me back, I'm not crazy!" On the ground, the number of players had surpassed one hundred thousand in just a few minutes, and it was still climbing rapidly. They howled like wild savages, and more than a few even stripped off their clothes and ran around completely naked. The venue's originally solemn, awe-inspiring atmosphere instantly took a bizarre turn. Fortunately, the parade had already concluded, and the imperial citizens were long accustomed to the madness of these Starfallen. In the spectator stands, a little tiefling girl curiously watched the Starfallen and tugged at the hem of her mother's dress. "Mama, what are they doing?" The tiefling mother covered the little girl's eyes and said in a gentle, soothing tone, "Nina, don't learn bad habits from those lunatics. "Remember, just stay loyal to His Majesty and the Empire like your father in the Imperial Guard. Don't stray into these crooked ways." ... High on the dais, Cassius looked down at the grounds, watching the players frolicking wildly across the plains, his lips twitching faintly. *There are actually this many players this time...?* In Cassius's memories, even though Elezerg had become a massive hit in Version 2.0, there had only been several million concurrent players when the servers first went live. And very few had chosen the original map, the Great Anzetta Waste, as their starting point, since the players had already thoroughly explored it back then. Under Cassius's influence, however, most veteran players were now firmly tied to the Empire's war chariot. Unwilling to abandon their previously acquired assets and standing, they could only continue choosing the Empire as their spawn point. New players, meanwhile, had been swayed by promotional videos and guides from veterans, developing a tremendous interest in the Cinder Empire—the "protagonist faction" of Version 1.0. Cassius's gaze burned with intensity as he watched the new players, exhaling a plume of white, sulfur-scented smoke. *If this growth trend continues, the number of players joining the Empire could easily hit two million.* *And the total player count might well break the ten-million mark.* One had to consider that Version 2.0, *Clash of Kings*, had unlocked over three hundred respawn points. For one-fifth of all players to pick the Empire was already an extraordinarily formidable figure. This had vastly exceeded Cassius's expectations. In his previous life, most players had followed guides and chosen the three kingdoms of Fadlan, where the fighting was fiercest, splitting into different factions to wage war against one another. Now, the Cinder Empire had indisputably become the faction that absorbed the most players and held the greatest influence over the player base. *Two million players...* *While they can provide abundant momentum for imperial development, it's still quite a headache. It'll probably cause plenty of chaos.* In the third census conducted several months prior by Chief Minister Trump, the total population of the Cinder Empire had reached 12.47 million. Yet this influx alone brought two million players—equivalent to a fifth of the Empire's total population! Such a massive wave of "unemployed vagrants" would undeniably impact imperial society severely, and tensions between the Starfallen and native residents would inevitably intensify day by day. Compromised job markets, resistance from locals, and disruption of social order were almost unavoidable, and the resulting cascade of societal problems would only grow more dire. For the current Empire, expansion had become an urgent necessity. Cassius desperately needed an outlet to vent their excess energy. And demons were his first target. Even so, basic order had to be maintained first to wage war against the demons effectively. At this thought, Cassius called out in a low voice, "Mezrolash." Shortly thereafter, the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Guard, head of imperial intelligence, and leader of the tieflings appeared before the red dragon. He had occupied high office for years, commanding secret service organizations both within and beyond the Empire's borders, quietly purging its enemies in the dark. Now, the tiefling paladin's hands were soaked in blood, and he had grown even more taciturn. He was the most low-profile among the Empire's three dukes, always silently carrying out the tasks entrusted to him by the red dragon. At this moment, Mezrolash sank to one knee and spoke with utmost deference. "Master, what are your orders?" "You should be fairly familiar with this matter: manage these newly arrived Starfallen from the other world and make them understand the Empire's rules. "However, there are quite a lot of Starfallen this time. Roughly... two million." Mezrolash lifted his head, his face—ordinarily as calm as an ancient well—revealing a flicker of astonishment that he could not conceal. He was long accustomed to controlling and masking his emotions, but this number was simply too staggering. How many? Two million? Nearly a fifth of the total population! And every single one of them a reckless lunatic with no regard for life or limb! In an instant, cold sweat dripped from the tiefling leader's forehead, trickling down past his chin. Though thousands of thoughts raced through his mind, Mezrolash replied in a deep, steady voice, "Yes, Master."