The flow of illegal goods has been cut off, and the few remaining smugglers who have evaded Imperial justice will now have to devote a great deal of time and effort to finding new routes for their shipments. This meant that Boss and his henchmen would have to rely heavily on improvised ammunition for the coming raid on the steppe barbarians' lands. The Empire had only to watch and wait.
Meanwhile, while the final preparations for the upcoming award ceremony were being completed in the palace square, Her Majesty the Empress listened intently to Counsilor Feurlis' report on the results of the operation. And when the necromancer finally finished, she leisurely approached - and looked into his empty bottomless eyes. Her gaze was as if she were staring through the darkness that filled them, or - gazing deep into them.
- What an entertaining… lie, - the Empress said in a calm tone.
- Your Majesty, it's not exactly...
- Don't bury yourself, сounsilor, - She immediately continued, interrupting the necromancer's attempt to justify herself, - I hope no one was hurt as a result of your «experiment»?
- Just Bilir's self-esteem. Slightly, - Feurlis said in a calm and measured voice, as if nothing had happened a few moments earlier, - And a caravan of tribals that happened to teleport. They were probably carrying spoils of war as a gift to their khan.
- Too suspicious for an accident... - The Empress said, turning to the side and thinking a little.
- I agree, Your Majesty.
- What do you hear from our spies in the Steppes? - The Empress asked again, continuing to look thoughtfully somewhere in the distance.
- It is said that the shamaness kept her promise to us - and got khan drunk with her potion. He managed to say too much before his shamans realised what had happened and managed to neutralise the effect. This undermined his authority among the chiefs of the steppe tribes. And now he is looking for someone to blame in order to punish him ostentatiously and strengthen his power again. In this connection, many chiefs are trying to curry favour with him, but none of them can be sure about the future and the fate of their tribes. Tensions continue to rise.
- Wonderful, - The Empress summed up briefly, and then finally turned her gaze to the necromancer, - When he loses control of the situation, I want to know about it. Immediately and without all your tricks.
- By all means, Your Majesty, - The сounsilor bowed and headed for the exit with an unhurried, confident step. The ceremony was about to begin.
Lords and Ladies! The smugglers have been eliminated, and all of their significant routes have been taken under the special control of the imperial guards. Warlord Grammith thanks all those who contributed to the overall success of the operation. And everyone, who managed to successfully intercept a caravan of difficulty level 7 or higher, is awarded a trophy artifact and the corresponding achievement. The strength of the artifact depends on the maximum defeated difficulty level.
Also, the Empire specifically recognizes the top 75 militairy clans - a reward and loyalty to new followers awaits all deserving ones who bring 15 points or more to the clan:
Clan rank | Reward | Glory | | 1 | | 1,500 | | 2 | | 1,300 | | 3 | | 1,100 | | 4 | | 1,000 | | 5 - 8 | | 900 | | 9 - 13 | | 800 | | 14 - 20 | | 600 | | 21 - 30 | | 500 | 21. | #407 | Asgard | 5,891 | 22. | #2517 | The Dedicated Fighters | 5,802 | 23. | #9426 | Орден Рыцарей - меченосцев | 5,759 | 24. | #5152 | †Огненные рубежи† | 5,617 | 25. | #326 | Герои Уничтоженных Империй | 5,611 | 26. | #5722 | Галерея Теней | 5,467 | 27. | #5169 | Белые волки | 5,439 | 28. | #3695 | Бездельники | 5,339 | 29. | #3305 | Украина. Величие Запада | 5,324 | 30. | #2230 | Агенты Хаоса | 5,282 |
| 31 - 45 | | 400 | 31. | #10721 | Стальной Дозор | 5,201 | 32. | #10557 | Dracarys | 5,177 | 33. | #1488 | Тёмная лига Некромантов | 5,167 | 34. | #1512 | † Nekropolis † | 5,148 | 35. | #11532 | Greshniki | 5,047 | 36. | #7490 | Rising Phoenix | 4,885 | 37. | #8433 | _Чудная Долина_ | 4,858 | 38. | #57 | Тридевятое королевство | 4,836 | 39. | #5063 | Midgard | 4,559 | 40. | #10592 | Холодная Сталь | 4,544 | 41. | #1790 | Орден "Клинок теней". | 4,466 | 42. | #493 | Говорящие с Ветром | 4,355 | 43. | #2303 | III legion of Elfius | 4,330 | 44. | #1317 | Великое Княжество | 4,326 | 45. | #2735 | Ангелы смерти | 4,309 |
| 46 - 60 | | 250 | 46. | #728 | Улей | 4,273 | 47. | #708 | Скифия | 4,183 | 48. | #846 | †Sanctae Inquisitionis† | 3,760 | 49. | #3975 | Степное Братство | 3,625 | 50. | #933 | Warriors | 3,524 | 51. | #1271 | Братство Героев | 3,328 | 52. | #1787 | Scorpion | 3,255 | 53. | #2902 | Амазония | 3,252 | 54. | #346 | Свои | 3,198 | 55. | #387 | GraveStone | 2,946 | 56. | #10877 | Warsong Outriders | 2,882 | 57. | #7705 | † Angels & Demons Ψ | 2,746 | 58. | #6118 | Владыки Мира Империи | 2,404 | 59. | #3303 | Украина. Ярость Севера | 2,292 | 60. | #11093 | Warming hellfire | 2,280 |
| 61 - 75 | | 100 | 61. | #15 | Destiny | 2,241 | 62. | #4260 | Легион Ордена Тамплиеров | 2,180 | 63. | #414 | Утёс Кастерли | 2,175 | 64. | #522 | Властители семи ветров | 2,114 | 65. | #10624 | La Femme Fatale | 2,050 | 66. | #644 | Гвардия Grail Keepers | 2,011 | 67. | #10399 | White Bat | 1,990 | 68. | #11588 | Логово Разбойников | 1,881 | 69. | #3346 | Радуга | 1,811 | 70. | #1254 | Миракулюс | 1,701 | 71. | #8212 | Воины Ктулху | 1,671 | 72. | #5041 | Орион | 1,666 | 73. | #11096 | The Witcher | 1,662 | 74. | #1535 | Russian Forces | 1,658 | 75. | #8008 | Банда Джокера | 1,651 |
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And additionally thanks the best 5,000 Lord and Ladies who managed to defeat the highest level enemy! This feat is sure to attract even more glorious warriors to your ranks.
Lord/Lady rank | Reward | 1 - 50 | | 51 - 100 | | 101 - 200 | | 201 - 400 | | 401 - 650 | | 651 - 1000 | | 1001 - 1500 | | 1501 - 2250 | | 2251 - 3000 | | 3001 - 3750 | | 3751 - 5000 | |
The names of the best smugglers were forever written in the history of the Empire:
Hurrah! |