Chapter 134: Who to Choose

"Which game designer came up with this idea? They actually incorporated fantasy elements into it..."

However, right below the character introduction, a navigation sprite provided an explanation: the "Great Meteor" spell was merely summoning a ten-meter-diameter meteor from the sky, not a magic-system taboo spell capable of destroying a city.

The "Uranium Light Fluctuating Fist" emitted an energy blast full of destructive power, but its might fell far short of even a thermobaric bomb, letussay a nuclear weapon.

The "Tathagata Palm" was not the world-destroying ultimate skill from Hong Kong manhua either; it merely borrowed the name.

Regardless, every one of these leaders possessed a certain degree of strength; one could say their combat prowess was formidable! This was also to prevent players from going in and stirring up trouble, where a group of people could directly wipe out a tribal chief... That being said, neither the leaders nor any other NPCs here were invincible.

Once dead, they exited the stage of history and would not respawn.

Players were not afraid of death; if they were determined to take someone down and piled on human lives, who could withstand it?

Therefore, the leaders' strengths had also been enhanced.

Overall, the combat capabilities of these historical figures varied in strength. The personal combat power of Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, even with a fantasy upgrade and possessing the skill "Song of the Great Wind," could not rival the "peerless courage through the ages" of Xiang Yu, the Hegemon of Chu.

Of course, this did not mean choosing to compare with Xiang Yu was a good idea—that was a massive trap.

The personal intelligence and behavioral codes of the leaders aligned with their historical personalities, governed by a supercomputer set with advanced AI. Someone as fierce as Xiang Yu would probably not last long on a chaotic continent concentrated with the forces of various civilization leaders...

"The main quest is to help the joined tribe rise into a major power... Major powers are not limited to just one."

"If the tribe I join gets wiped out, wouldn't that mean the main quest fails?"

"It seems I need to choose a reliable leader."

Among those leaders of Chinese civilization, Yan Luo felt some were traps. For instance, there was actually Emperor Sizong of Ming, Zhu Youjian—Chongzhen, the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty. As his gaze lingered, this character immediately produced an interactive response, while a beam of light descended from above, shining upon him like a spotlight.

"After Yanshan, there is no more China; after the fall of Ming, there is no more Huaxia!"

"For seventeen years since I ascended the throne, rebellious thieves have pressed straight to the capital. Although my virtue is meager and I have provoked the wrath of Heaven, causing the rebels to reach the gates, it is all my ministers who have failed me. When I die, I have no face to meet my ancestors beneath the earth. I shall remove my crown and cover my face with my hair. Let the thieves dismember my corpse, but do not harm a single commoner."

These were the final words left behind by Chongzhen when he hanged himself on Meishan.

Following that, this emperor, whose dragon robe still bore a few patches, wept upon his lapels: "Throughout the entire 276 years of our Great Ming, we have never engaged in marriage alliances, never paid indemnities, never ceded territory, and never paid tribute! The Son of Heaven guards the frontiers, and the monarch dies for the state! Now that we are reborn in this chaotic continent, my dear minister, please join me in reshaping the glory of Great Ming!"

Naturally, Yan Luo would not choose Chongzhen. As a leader, this fellow could be said to lack sufficient resolve. Diligent and frugal, but impetuous, irritable, and deeply suspicious, his greatest flaw was his inability to employ capable people, judging candidates not by their merits or talents, but solely by personal likes and dislikes.

Choosing him was far inferior to choosing his ancestor: Zhu Yuanzhu.

One had to bear in mind that the chaotic continent was a gathering of legendary figures from various civilizations throughout human history contending for supremacy. Choosing Chongzhen wasn't that different from picking Hell difficulty mode.

"Whom should I choose?"

Unfortunately, there was no Heavenly Emperor capable of sweeping away all monsters and demons, allowing one to cling to a thigh and coast to victory. The most modern leader was the Old Buddha Cixi. As a modulator, Yan Luo certainly harbored some curious intentions toward the "Tathagata Palm," but he had zero interest in this old dame.

A trap!

Yan Luo was strong, but as a large-scale world-class online game, what use was an individual's strength alone? In the Stone or Iron Age, it was merely equivalent to a martial warrior capable of taking on a thousand foes. If technology advanced to the modern era, a single bomb would be enough to lay him out.

Players were a crucial factor.

They could resurrect upon death!

Few players would likely choose Cixi...

Only those leaders with high personal charm and a positive image could attract the maximum number of players. Only the tribes they established stood a chance of not being eliminated in the contention among civilizations and ultimately rising as a major power.

Yan Luo thought of a saying:

"Since ancient times, no military commander has surpassed Li Shimin, and the next best is merely Zhu Yuanzhu."

Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, and Emperor Taizu of Ming, Zhu Yuanzhu, both left resounding reputations in the long river of history. One was the Heavenly Kaghan to whom all nations paid homage; the other overthrew the Yuan Dynasty—which had oppressed the "fourth-class Han people" and treated Han Chinese as pariahs—and also delighted in executing corrupt officials, which probably endeared him to a good portion of players...

However...

This was not a contest among a few states, but a stew of humanity's most renowned historical leaders. Naturally, one had to choose the most capable and charismatic. Their early-stage combat power needed to be formidable enough not to get easily steamrolled, they had to be able to attract a massive player base, and they needed to keep pace with the era's transformations without falling behind.

"Liu Xiu..."

The Emperor Guangwu who restored the Han Dynasty—the Great Meteor spell was undoubtedly one of the strongest skills in the early game! Even if it was only ten meters in diameter, who could withstand a meteor crashing down during the Stone Age? After pondering, Yan Luo still gave up on him.

After all, his renown was slightly inferior compared to certain other leaders.

Eliminating them one by one, three candidates ultimately remained.

The first was undoubtedly Qin Shi Huang.

The First Emperor through the Ages! Ancestral Dragon! Terracotta Warriors! The Great Wall! The Great Qin Star-Destroying Crossbow! Immortal Qin...

The second was Liu Bang, after all the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty, the man with seventy-two black moles on his left leg! The name of the Han ethnicity itself derived from the Han Dynasty; he was exceptionally skilled at employing people and possessed a thick skin, meaning he would undoubtedly thrive like a fish in water amidst the warring chaos of the continent.

The third was Wu Zetian.

Needless to say, she laid the foundation for the prosperous era of Kaiyuan; regardless of whether in personnel management, politics, economy, culture, or military affairs, she was exceptionally brilliant. Just a single reason alone was sufficient.

She was a woman!

The only female emperor in history.

Wu Zetian appeared here as an incomparably stunning young woman of around twenty years of age, dressed in a bright yellow Han-style court gown embroidered with dragons and phoenixes—the phoenix above, the dragon below. The young maiden's raven-black hair reached her waist, her skin was like snow, her delicate and tender face featured a dainty bridge of the nose and pearlescent pink lips, while her eyes resembled the bright moon.

At the exact center of her brow was a three-petaled crimson floral mark, known as a huadian. Across her exquisite face, there was no youthful awkwardness, but rather a majestic aura of regal poise.

Of course, this was not the true Wu Zetian of history, but a virtual MMORPG character created by Tencent in collaboration with numerous gaming companies. Huaxia's sole female emperor evidently favored the art and styling teams, rendering her breathtakingly gorgeous!

In fact, the female leaders of other civilizations were all crafted similarly.

Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt, sported long black hair, an exposed wheat-toned midriff and thighs, and purple eye shadow on her long eyelashes, making her utterly seductive to the extreme. Himiko, the Queen of Japan, was styled as a witch, a cute little loli. Empress Catherine the Great was designed as a voluptuous blonde Western beauty, with a dazzling allure comparable to Marilyn Monroe.

As Yan Luo gazed at her, the young Wu Zetian made an interactive response, casting her gaze toward him. Although her face bore no expression whatsoever, their eyes meeting inexplicably gave one the feeling that this beautiful empress seemed to be anticipating something...

Withdrawing his gaze, he looked toward Liu Bang. However, before the Emperor Gaozu of Han could strike an interactive pose and recite his lines, Yan Luo shifted his vision away.

Liu Bang's leader skill, "Song of the Great Wind," was somewhat mediocre, and its power fell far short of the Meteor spell. Additionally, every leader's tribe initially started from the Stone Age. When their forces were weak at the very beginning, should they encounter the Hegemon of Chu, they would likely get brutally crushed and instantly meet a GG.

Yan Luo looked over at Qin Shi Huang instead.

Leader Skill: Ancestral Dragon.

Transforms into a gigantic black dragon—the Qin Dynasty revered the water element, and its corresponding color was profound black.

Special Unit: Terracotta Warriors (Unlocked in the Stone Age)

Special Weapon: Qin Crossbow (Unlocked in the Bronze Age)

As Yan Luo inspected him, the First Emperor through the Ages also made an interactive action similar to character selection screens in certain games. He straightened his posture, his expression solemn. Bathed in the beam of light descending from the dome, he recited his lines, his majestic voice echoing through the vast hall:

"I am Qin Shi Huang. Transfer money!"

Yan Luo: "..."

That was dripping with overpowering dominance!

One was Huaxia's sole female emperor, Wu Zetian; the other was the First Emperor through the Ages, Qin Shi Huang. Whom should he choose?