Warhammer 40k Origins Stellaris Civilization Simulator

The fleet then turned west, and a more unique planet caught our attention. It was difficult for the Imperial Warp lanes to set foot on, but it was easy for us to access.

Detection by scientific research vessels shows that this is a world affected by the strange phenomenon of space-time curvature closure. In other words, its time flow is chaotic.

If we can crack the mystery contained therein, we will definitely be able to make new breakthroughs in the Federation's space-time theory.

The other real tough nut to crack is the fifth galaxy in the west, where there is a highly developed human empire galaxy with three imperial colonies.

It will be the second key target of this strategy.

49. Spiritual Battle

Among these western planets, there is a "state religion" world, a cohesive planet whose main industry is religious belief. This state religion world, along with two other civilized worlds belonging to the Empire, shares the human inhabitants of this galaxy.

This faith-world is dedicated to the worship of their God-Emperor, where the rule of the State Religion is paramount, and countless prayers and hymns echo from the domes of buildings. Millions of pilgrims flock here, their blistered feet walking daily along the gray avenues dedicated to long-dead warriors and saints, and a billion votive candles illuminate the city in the hope of a miracle.

This also slowed down our rapid progress. By obtaining those religious donations, this state religion world had sufficient supplies to strengthen its own defense system. Their multi-layer void shields and orbital defense systems fiercely resisted the Helka Alliance fleet, and also tried to counterattack by letting the battle sisters board.

As a cohesive planet, it focuses on the promotion of its beliefs, which also makes its national consciousness very strong. The residents here are very fanatically hostile to evil aliens, firmly believe in the Empire's state religion, and exclude the Federation.

Therefore, in addition to the normal threat of force, the Federation carefully prepared a propaganda offensive against these troublesome state religion systems. The Helka Alliance's Military Executive Council approved a strategy called "Enlightenment Drive," which aimed to infiltrate the core of the state religion world through influence projection and pry open a crack in its solid faith barriers.

A large number of propaganda machines were launched into this state religion world through the quantum leap system. Even with the multi-layer void shield that orbital bombardment could not break through in a short time, they could not prevent the Schrödinger effect caused by quantum flashes. Part of these propaganda warfare equipment would eventually collapse into the imperial world and be discovered by its residents.

These propaganda machines use big data psychology and consciousness deconstruction theory to spread the Federation's ideological content in a way that is most "in line with human aesthetics and thinking inertia."

They will tell the inhabitants of the Empire all the knowledge that the Empire is not prepared to tell them, from basic living standards to the theory of relativity, and if they can use the external prostheses inside them, they will understand all of this better.

According to the estimates of the special operations department, the implantation rate of these prostheses should be relatively high. After all, it also comes with genetic diagnosis and treatment functions, social terminal systems and universal tool attributes, which are truly must-have products for home and going out.

The first wave of the offensive began silently. Using quantum leap technology, millions of Helka Alliance propaganda devices randomly collapsed onto the state religion world using the Schrödinger effect, bypassing its defense array.

These devices appear simple and unremarkable, appearing on the ground like ordinary mechanical scrap or stone, hidden in alleyways and shadows. When a resident stumbles upon one, they will see it gradually activate, dispensing the Helka Alliance's signature product: an external integrated prosthesis. These devices are designed to be attractive, elegant in appearance, yet incredibly powerful in function, and those brave enough to use them will soon benefit from them.

"This little thing can actually monitor my health?" A resident of the state religion, who was unable to think about lofty and great things due to his high-intensity work, looked at the prosthetic device that had just been installed with surprise on his face.

He discovered that it contained a large number of complex entertainment and consumer applications, as well as knowledge and practical tools that would aid his work. He was even pleasantly surprised to discover that the prosthesis could repair his spine, which had been damaged by years of labor.

Then, when these residents feel the effects of the integrated prostheses, the offensive against them enters the second phase, in which the prostheses project images and audio to highly adapted individuals, that is, residents who have been wearing these devices for a period of time.

These virtual reality technologies will present the ideas of the Helka Alliance through vivid holographic images.

"Have you ever asked yourself why your life is wasted in endless hard labor, piling up gold for those high-ranking church officials, while you can only enjoy the scraps?"

This is the opening line of the Helka League, accompanied by the low voice of the virtual characters in the image. It shows a simple family facing hunger and cold; in contrast, there are the luxurious banquets of the church leaders and the magnificent palaces.

The virtual image then continued to guide, his eyes firm, his voice clear and hard yet full of warmth: "Human, are you willing to listen to stories, even if you don't believe them?" His language was precisely modulated to ensure that it would arouse humans' empathy and desire to listen to the greatest extent.

The image paused for a moment, as if waiting for a response, before continuing, "Your galaxy does not need blood and iron to forge shackles, nor does it require piety in exchange for survival. We, the Helka Star Alliance, offer equality and freedom, technology and wisdom, and even the power to fight against demons. This is a future everyone can choose. You fight for the God-Emperor out of a pursuit of metaphysical supremacy, so why can't you fight for yourselves?"

All of these are accompanied by very vivid and clear audio-visual effects, so as to arouse the empathy of the human species to the greatest extent. They imagine heaven under the inspiration of the choir, and also imagine the future technological utopia under the bombardment of saturated information.

These holographic devices are more than just one-way communication tools. They incorporate advanced quantum neural link technology that can read and respond to the audience's emotions and questions.

When someone attempts to refute or object to these statements, the device will extract targeted responses from the database, guiding them to reflect. Whether or not they choose us after this thoughtful reflection is unimportant, but when they have doubts, it is the state religion that should feel uneasy.

.........

Over time, this invisible invasion fostered a fervor no less intense than that of the state religion. Many shallow believers and residents who had not benefited from the state religion's industries began to question the church's legitimacy:

"If humans possess such technology, and it is something we can use normally, why has our church never told us?"

"What kind of faith does the Church still make us use those heavy pieces of iron, just to instill in us, and then refuse to improve our tools?"

"Are these the evil aliens that Faith has been warning us about? I don't think they're evil. They even cured our family's hemophilia."

Word spread like the wind, pervasive. Those whispers gathered into a tide of doubt. The church's authority was shaken as never before. Residents began to gather privately to discuss the ideas promoted by the Helka Alliance. Some even ventured to organize demonstrations, demanding explanations from the church.

However, the State Church did not remain completely passive. They quickly mobilized the Sisters of Battle and members of the Ministry of Justice to raid the Helka equipment, regarding it as a heretical creation that desecrated the artifact.

But every time they destroyed a batch of devices, new ones would immediately appear after a quantum flash, as if they were inexhaustible.

Eventually, the church was forced to take more drastic measures. They broadcast propaganda against the Helka League at public gatherings, depicting it as a corrupt place that corrupted the soul and virtue. They emphasized that the Helka's so-called "equality" was a cloak for rebellion and depravity, a poison designed to destroy the human soul.

But these words rang hollow in the eyes of the growing number of people exposed to the influence projection. Opposition to the church grew stronger, and many residents began to actively use Helka devices to communicate and organize, even planning armed actions.

The Ecclesiarchy was plunged into unprecedented turmoil. The Helka Alliance's propaganda campaign gradually permeated every city and every home from the planet's surface. It awakened not only a desire for freedom but also dissatisfaction and rebellion against the old order of the Church.

While the church leaders were discussing countermeasures in a secret room, the military forces of the Helka Alliance had already begun their next plan: through technology and resources, as well as direct military assistance, they would turn opponents into supporters, replace the imperial faith with federal ideology, and finally defeat the imperial court and gain control of the planet.

But sometimes, turning to meditation and metaphysics can really bring some help.

50, God can help boxing

In a distant star system, the Endira State Religious World in the western star field stands on the edge of the universe with its solid religious beliefs and magnificent temple architecture.

It was once a holy place that the Empire was proud of, but now it is crumbling under the attack of the Federation.

The strong public pressure from the Interstellar Alliance has caused some people who are dissatisfied with the state religion's unfulfilled promises of miracles, or who are disillusioned with the sacred faith due to heavy life pressures, to quickly turn to the Helka people's public opinion front because of the tangible benefits.

This caused great dissatisfaction within the State Church, but their attempts to suppress it backfired. Following the guidance of the Federation's "Heavenly Equalization" manual, the reactionaries formed an opposition force that called for the abolition of clerical privileges and the equal distribution of church property. They engaged in fierce fighting with the State Church's crusaders, who attempted to confiscate all Federation cybernetic equipment and arrest and execute dissidents.

Originally, the Skitarii should have had an absolute advantage, but the heartfelt assistance of the Helka people greatly enhanced the capabilities and tactical prowess of the opposition forces. The 3D printing technology provided by the integrated prosthetics in the hands of the opposition forces allowed them to quickly acquire various firepower equipment.

Faced with a very unfavorable situation, the top leaders of the church held an emergency meeting to discuss how to deal with the offensive of the Helka people and the "bandits" who responded to them.

Afterward, Archbishop Escoriba stood before the altar of the church, his face filled with the excitement of extreme faith. His voice echoed throughout the temple: "These heretical machines are corroding our faith and weakening our strength. Only faith can completely eliminate them!"

The church launched its final measures. Archbishop Escoriba personally presided over an unprecedented prayer service. The ceremony lasted thirteen days and nights. Thousands of believers knelt in the square, accompanied by prayers, hymns, and sometimes severely incomplete sacramental prayers. The ashes of the offerings piled up into a mountain of ash, and a strange atmosphere began to fill the air of Endira. Finally, at the conclusion of the ceremony, a blazing light shot up from the top of the church.

A wondrous psychic entity descended upon one of the Grand Sisters, and according to known Imperial mythology, she became what the Ecclesiarchy calls a Living Saint, an avatar of the Emperor, a miracle made manifest by humanity's faith.

Her form glowed so brightly that it could almost blind the eyes of ordinary creatures. This "angel" had wings, an iron halo on her head, and held a flaming sword high in the air.

The appearance of the living saint made countless residents feel the power of faith again. Influenced by his psychic power, many imperial people who were originally skeptical immediately converted to faith again.

The opposition forces are in serious trouble. They are excluded and even attacked by the fanatical people and defeated by the troops of the state religion. They are in a desperate situation. Due to the influence of psychic power, some of their members try to convert again every day.

No matter how rare this miracle is, when it occurs, the unstable spiritual world of the human species will be filled with it, and there will be no time to think about other issues related to rationality and common sense.

The planet began to be enveloped by supernatural phenomena emanating from the living saints. Its air shone with a golden light, and its inhabitants, immersed in an extreme spiritualist ideology, became oblivious to the Federation's words. Federation field researchers dubbed this spiritual influence "Divine Judgment-level Psychic Mind Interference."

Even the Interstellar Federation fleet far away in space began to come under various strange attacks.

Even the human soldiers in the Federation, who were shrouded in a state of peace, began to experience strange hallucinations, such as some kind of unreasonable hatred and revengeful emotions, forcing the field medical department to operate at full capacity to provide psychological counseling and sedation medical services.

The orbital defense artillery fire that originally had no effect at all can now accurately hit Federation ships and produce strange flames, resulting in a significant increase in destructive power. Many Federation warships were even destroyed.

Not long ago, the battle nun battleship launched by the State Religion, an inefficient shuttle that theoretically could not have penetrated the Federation point defense system, inexplicably hit the Federation flagship with precision. The battle nuns, glowing with golden light, filed in and launched a surprise attack on Grand Marshal Dagda in the central combat command room.

However, Marshal Dagda had accumulated rich experience in strategic transitions during the incident when he was attacked by the greenskins. He immediately ordered the troops to evacuate in an orderly manner, and then bombarded sections of his own ships in turn, burying those supernatural suicide squads with naval guns.

The Helka Alliance was greatly shocked by this series of phenomena, which was obviously some kind of psychic effect.

Due to the influence of the psychic nerves and the theory of tranquility, the psychic effects produced by the Helka using the psychic nerves are strictly limited, usually only involving the mobilization and emission of energy, the restoration or strengthening of physical strength, and other very obvious and direct effects. Therefore, this kind of supernatural psychic effect is still quite unfamiliar to them.

In order to prevent the situation from escalating, the federal forces dispatched intelligence units to quickly analyze the nature of this psychic entity and its special influence, and immediately launched an armed attack on Endira.

The fleet and the super beasts gathered in Endira's orbit, launching a saturation bombardment on the void shield with full-power disintegration weapons and crimson breath. The void shield, which had been bombarded for a long time before, was finally destroyed.

Helka's ground forces then began to descend and fight. Their goal was not only to seize control of the planet, but also to confront the Living Saint head-on in order to obtain more information.

A tide of landing ships roared through the atmosphere and descended on the outskirts of the church city-state with blazing ion tails.

The intelligent human troops were the first to rush out of the hatch. They were the pinnacle of the Helka Alliance's technology. Their flexible bodies had modular systems that allowed them to quickly assemble different weapons to adapt to the battlefield. Their universal weapon was the fission cannon, and the electronic sensor system connected to the intelligent processor flashed with the light of tactical calculations.

Dragons and other races followed closely behind, their main job being to control the intelligent human forces, provide them with tactical planning, and personally engage in combat when the intelligent humans were unable to handle the situation.

The Imperial Church, on the other hand, encouraged the Sisters of Battle, assisted by the Skitarii and devout armed militias who had received some training (or perhaps not) to resist the Federation's offensive.

These church forces are well-equipped with land, sea, and air force equipment, and with the spiritual power of living saints, their weapons can cause damage far beyond their normal effectiveness.

Although some of these weapons are less harmonious, such as the strange bipedal walker with an exposed pilot called the "Atonement Mech", the power of these warriors should not be underestimated.

The conflict between the two is imminent. The state religion is ready to defend its faith, while the Federation is determined to use force to break the feudal superstition caused by the mysterious psychic entity.

After all, the models of the battle nuns in higher dimensions look too bad, so let them go back.

51. Armed Pilgrimage

"What's going on? Why is my computer so hot? I have an external radiator."

The Fourth Scourge was punished for his disrespect for the Lord of Mankind, but this only made him more angry and irritated, and his apostles worked even harder to bring him victory.

"Look at me, I'm going to prepare mechanical relics and spiritual rituals to send all of you demons and monsters to heaven." Therefore, the soul interface will be turbulent.

.........

Fighting broke out in every corner of the Ecclesiarchy world. The Star Alliance forces might try to minimize their losses, but their fanatical military and civilians would have none of it.

They used all possible means to delay and kill federal soldiers, even though many times they injured 800 enemies and lost more than 1,000 of their own.

On their march, the steel skeletons of the intelligent beings reflected a silver luster. Powered by nanostructures and advanced alloys, they crushed the defenses of ordinary soldiers with astonishing strength and speed. The ground trembled at the movement of these war machines.

But the Ecclesiarchy refused to give in. A group of combat nuns, holding flamethrowers high, rushed out from the solid defensive barrier and collided head-on with the advancing federal commandos.

The flamethrower blessed with "faith" burned fiercely, instantly igniting the body of the intelligent man. These war drones fell down one by one and dissolved into liquid.

The nuns did not celebrate their victory, because from their perspective, more enemies landed from the Federation's all-terrain combat aerospace carriers, and more intelligent humans and intelligent biological soldiers who came in person ruthlessly filled the front lines, causing the battlefield to continue to expand.

A group of dryad warriors rushed into the bombed-out church. Their branches, reinforced by incredibly strong, integrated prosthetics, acted like spears, shattering the invincible stance of the state priests and sweeping across to knock the preachers away. Then, a nun's prayers echoed through the moving forest as she wielded a weapon capable of generating a disintegration field, severing the spreading branches.

On the other side, the poison ivy demons transformed into the gods of death on the battlefield. Each shot from their poison stinger sniper rifles could accurately eliminate a heavily armored and immobile enemy warrior. The poison ivy demons also tried to snipe the redemption mechs, but found it was completely ineffective. Even if the "pilot" strapped to them died, the mechs could still move!

Analysis by battlefield scientific researchers shows that this mecha is actually equipped with a very complex and highly autonomous artificial intelligence system. It scans the driver's thought data and then imitates it to ensure that the mecha can still fight after the other party dies.

In other words, the driver doesn't even need to sit on it, let alone be tied up like a victim. The Empire always uses high technology in such inexplicable aspects and is ingenious in tools specifically for torturing people.

The conflicts that broke out on these worlds caused much bloodshed, but they only delayed the Federation's actions. This delay would have been ineffective if the Federation's selective bombing strategy did not allow it to indiscriminately destroy planetary divisions.

Despite the Ecclesiarchy's strenuous resistance, the battle line kept approaching the center of the Ecclesiarchy's world, the magnificent cathedral dedicated to the "Holy Emperor" of the Human Empire, where countless so-called holy relics were buried.

The so-called power of faith it brought should have been illusory, but when they tried to step into the heart of the state religion world, a force that could not be ignored did stand in the way of the Federation.

This magnificent church was shrouded in a pale golden psychic barrier, which shone with holy light and emanated an invisible pressure that frightened any federal soldier who tried to approach.

"Our conventional weapons are failing!" anxious cries echoed across the battlefield communication channel. The Federation's weapons, whether railguns, plasma launchers, or disruptor beams, vanished without a trace before the barrier like drops of water splashing into the sea. Even the bombs dropped by the all-terrain combat aerospace carriers hovering high in the sky were swallowed by the barrier, leaving no trace.

The medium's intuition indicated that this was some kind of psychic effect, and the readings were far beyond the reach of a shield produced by normal physical technology. The army briefly paused before the barrier, seemingly forced into an unsolvable dilemma.

But the enemy had no intention of retreating into a defensive position. Beneath the church's Gothic spire, a figure gradually emerged: a living saint. Bathed in light, she resembled a small star, though without any warmth.

Every federal soldier who looked at her felt that his heart was being eroded by some invisible force, with fear, reverence and even madness surging in his heart.

Those fanatical imperial priests and nuns became even more excited when they saw the appearance of the messenger of God they believed in. Relying on the faith and courage provided by the living saint, they dared to take the initiative and use their last strength to fight a decisive battle with the Federation.

The federal soldiers found that their attacks, which had been invincible before, were now difficult to work on the soldiers of the state religion. These humans also possessed the psychic grace that reduced damage, and their magical powers really made them invulnerable to swords and guns.

"That entity is the root of everything. Abolish her ability to move." Lashak, the army commander in charge of commanding the ground battle, ordered the federal forces to shift the focus of the attack to the living saint.

The Legion's artillery array fired a volley, trying to completely destroy the enemy, but an invisible force suddenly spread out, and the surrounding reality was distorted like a shattered mirror.

Light beams, artillery fire, even matter itself, vanished into nothingness the moment they struck the Living Saint. The sight was horrifying: the attack had clearly been launched, yet it was erased as if it had never existed.

"This is a highly dangerous type of psionic influence, a reality reconstruction, as proposed in psionic theory. She can actively produce this effect." A Zelvan scientist, after understanding the situation through psionic potential perception and instrument detection, exclaimed in shock. "Perhaps she truly is a god."

"Only angels can fly in the sky." Her voice sounded extremely strange, like a mixture of countless human voices. Her psychic effect changed into golden light and flames, shooting down many flying space dragons.

"If only the great Tessin were here, he would surely come up with clever and witty remarks to refute the opponent's boasting." Dagda looked at the scorching battlefield and once again missed the guidance of Tessin and Ruoken.

Regardless, the Federation's fighters would not be intimidated by such things. They raised their weapons, or called upon Yaling's organs, and with their own cold rationality and unyielding will, issued a sincere pilgrimage request to the mysterious living saint and the "God's Chosen Army" she protected.

52. The dragon flaps its wings and the world follows

"I've always wanted to mention the Spirit Ritual Ascension Technique, but the effect of this technique on cohesion is too great, seriously affecting the progress of ascension. But now I have to choose it."

Cohesion can be used to unlock new traditions, hire leaders, and issue decrees. We gain it through the work of officials, the prayers of priests, and the faith of the people, thus opening the Age of Ascension.

What this thing quantifies is the flow of the consciousness activities of the entire civilization. If it were in our hands, even the so-called sacred would have to beg for mercy for a sip of the stream.

.........

The situation seemed hopeless. Although the Federation soldiers were brave and fearless, the odds were against them.