The image on the light screen paused, and new options appeared on it:
[Faced with Ron's request, you can't help but feel a hint of conflict in your heart.]
[The establishment of an empire will take Belobog in a new direction... You know that an extremist system and its policies will wring the blood and sweat from the people, all for the sake of civilization's revival.]
[As the only person Ron completely trusts, you must make a choice—]
[1. Agree to Ron's request. You believe that to cure this planet's chronic illness, a strong dose of medicine is sometimes necessary... To reclaim this world, these are but necessary sacrifices. You decide to agree to Ron's request, leading a portion of the Pioneers who follow military orders without question to secretly purge all potential opposition forces, clearing the way for Ron to declare the establishment of an empire tomorrow. Upon selecting this option, you will be rejected by the Path of The Abundance, and your Path Progress will regress. You will trigger the events: "Founding of the Empire" and "???". Due to the trait "Symbiosis of Light and Shadow," your Favorability with Ron will increase drastically.]
[2. Refuse Ron's request. You know how much bloodshed is hidden behind Ron's casual words. If you were to agree, the blood of those who would die by your hand could wash every street in Belobog... A compassionate heart prevents you from walking to the end of this path of no return. You decide to refuse Ron's request and will attempt to persuade him to assume the role of Belobog's nineteenth Supreme Guardian at tomorrow's ceremony. Upon selecting this option, your progress on the Path of The Abundance will advance significantly, and you will continue to walk this Path. You may trigger the events: "Founding of the Empire (30%)," "Council of Architects' Reform (70%)," or "The Lost and Found Blessing." Your Favorability with Ron will decrease slightly, and his attitude towards you will change to "Distrust." ]
Looking at the two options on the screen, Natasha couldn't help but fall into deep thought—
No matter which she chose, the cost was far, far too great.
If she chose the first option, not only would she have to betray her own principles, but she would also have to personally participate in the purging of dissenters... The number of people in Belobog who would agree to establish an empire would definitely not be a majority. For seven hundred years, no one had any concept of an "empire."
She only needed to look at Seele from the last simulation for reference. To establish the Jarilo-VI First Empire, Seele had ordered Ron to clear away all obstacles for her.
How many people did Ron kill back then to suppress all opposition with such bloody methods?
And this time, Natasha would have to stand in Ron's shoes from that simulation and solve these problems for the current Ron...
She found it truly difficult to accept... She was, after all, just a doctor who healed the sick and saved the dying.
Saving lives was her job. For her to become the leader of a massacre was simply too much.
However, if she were to choose the second option, she couldn't bring herself to do it either.
Although the second option was consistent with her principles from start to finish, never betraying the Path of The Abundance and even advancing her further along it, and would most likely not trigger such a bloody suppression...
It completely contradicted Ron's choice.
Natasha knew one thing for certain—Ron's decisions always had their reasons. In the last simulation, Seele had also used brutal methods to create an empire, and the benefits were obvious: it brought the entirety of Belobog under complete control.
This time, with Ron as the emperor, he would clearly do a better job than Seele... She was afraid her choice would affect Ron, causing events to spin out of control and lead to a bad ending.
...Besides, choosing the second option would lower his Favorability.
Even though it was just a game, Natasha didn't want Ron's attitude towards her to change to distrust.
After a long and hesitant deliberation, Natasha finally sighed.
It is... just a game, after all.
None of this would actually happen in reality. The bloody slaughter would ultimately be nothing more than a line of text on a screen.
At most, it would become a simulated memory flooding her mind, a heavy weight on her soul, a guilt welling up from the bottom of her heart that she alone would have to bear.
...But Natasha didn't care.
To achieve her dream, to bring warmth and light to this world, to see if Belobog would truly greet the dawn under Ron's control—this was a price she was perfectly willing to pay.
After all, no one would actually get hurt, right?
With this thought, she chose the first option.
The option box on the screen faded, and the scene continued to play:
"I..."
The Natasha on the screen hesitated for a long time, her gaze darting away, unable to meet Ron's expectant eyes. Her inner turmoil was plain to see.
But after a long silence, she finally sighed, her eyes returning to Ron's face as she spoke with conviction:
"...Alright, I agree."
"It is your choice, after all... For a world of warmth and light, for the future of Belobog, I will help you."
A gentle smile bloomed on Ron's face. The way he looked at Natasha was incredibly tender, for the first time revealing an emotion entirely different from before...
He smiled happily and made a solemn promise:
"That's right. For a world of warmth and light, for the future of Belobog..."
"We will light the beacon for this world with Belobog, Natasha."
The image on the screen faded, and new text appeared:
[Natasha has agreed to your request. She has decided to help you by leading Wildfire's First Pioneer Group to carry out assassinations and eliminate all hidden obstacles.]
[Due to the trait "Symbiosis of Light and Shadow," the Favorability between you has increased drastically.]
[As your Favorability is already at its maximum, it cannot be increased further.]
[The excess Favorability has been converted into Bonding Progress. Your current Bonding Progress is: 20/20]
[You have triggered the Vow of Matrimony—"Embracing Under the Blue Sky"]
[Embracing Under the Blue Sky: You have promised Natasha a world of peace and warmth. The snowstorms and the Fragmentum will no longer be a threat to Belobog. People will be able to travel freely under the blue sky, reaching every corner of the world. When you raise your Favorability to 200 and fulfill this vow, your feelings for each other will bear fruit. The four winds will come to sing, and the winter snows will begin a hymn... Everything will offer a song of praise for your love.]
[You have obtained a new Duo-Trait: "Panacea (Red)".]
[Panacea: You are the cure-all for this planet's chronic illness. When the characters Ron and Natasha are both alive and walking the path to save Jarilo-VI, the planet's chronic illnesses (Fragmentum, Stellaron, Anti-Matter Legion) will receive massive debuffs. The Fragmentum will be unable to expand, the Stellaron will be unable to influence people's minds, and the Anti-Matter Legion will have all stats reduced by 60%.]
Seeing the text on the screen, Ron instantly felt all his efforts had paid off.
"That's Natasha for you. Always so reliable when I need her..."
Ron muttered to himself, his confidence surging as he looked at the crimson trait on the screen.
A Red trait... This was a Red trait!
What was the last Red trait? It was "The Apothecary's Mark," a heaven-defying trait that drew the direct attention of The Abundance and could even be used to pray to it!
Although his mistrust of the Apothecary's blessings had kept him from truly using that trait, its passive effects alone, even without the main prayer function, were far stronger than a normal Golden trait...
His progress on the Path of The Abundance was all thanks to that trait.
And while this new duo-trait with Natasha was clearly a bit weaker than the prayer-enabling "Apothecary's Mark," since Ron could utilize all of "Panacea's" effects, it was actually far, far stronger for him right now.
This trait almost completely neutralized all threats... If Ron had this trait in the last simulation, he wouldn't have had a life-or-death battle with the Doomsday Beast. He could have single-handedly pushed back the Fragmentum, charged in, and beat down the entire Anti-Matter Legion without breaking a sweat.
This trait was the perfect support... Although his plan for this simulation was to develop steadily and he wouldn't be fighting the main threat, the Anti-Matter Legion, in the early stages, the inability of the Fragmentum to expand and the Stellaron to corrupt minds were already invincible support effects.
With this trait, the game had just been switched to easy mode. As long as he developed methodically, he would inevitably be able to push back the Fragmentum and successfully reclaim all of Jarilo-VI. The possibility of failure was almost zero...
Ron was so excited he wanted to pop open a bottle of champagne to celebrate.
Unfortunately, even though the Goethe Grand Hotel was the largest hotel in the Underworld, it didn't have something as luxurious as champagne... If he wanted to celebrate, he'd have to do it in the simulation.
Ron tapped the screen, letting the simulation continue.
The text faded, and new lines appeared:
[There is only one night before the inauguration ceremony. Time is of the essence.]
[You have already spent considerable effort to stabilize the Silvermane Guards. While some people in the Underworld may object to the establishment of an empire, the vast majority will not oppose you.]
[You know who your enemies are—]
[The old nobles of the Overworld, the commercial oligarchs who monopolize the market, the conservative Council of Architects, and the corrupt bureaucrats infesting Belobog's bloated political system...]
[The backlash from these enemies will be anything but small. If you fail to deal with these problems before announcing the empire's founding, Belobog will certainly fall into a stalemate.]
[Fortunately, your preparations are more than sufficient. Natasha only needs to use your token of authority to command the Pioneer Group, following the intelligence you provided, to secretly eliminate these enemies. When you announce the founding of the empire tomorrow, there will be absolutely no one to oppose you in that first, critical moment.]
[Then, you will have the power to stabilize the empire... You believe in your abilities.]
[For tomorrow's ceremony, you bid farewell to Natasha and return to your room, falling into a deep sleep to face the next day with maximum energy.]
[The night passes. You awaken, full of vigor.]
[A somewhat haggard Natasha finds you. She informs you that she has taken care of the troubles for you. You can proceed with the ceremony with peace of mind and do what you must.]
[You look into her crimson eyes and can see the exhaustion within them.]
[Your heart aches for her, and you pull her into an embrace, offering simple words of comfort.]
[Due to the trait [Symbiosis of Light and Shadow], the Favorability between you has increased slightly. Your current Favorability is—110.]
[Time is short, and you do not linger in the tender moment for long.]
[You quickly leave the hotel and head for the plaza in front of the Everwinter Monument.]
---o---
[Ron arrives on time at the venue for the inauguration ceremony, before the Everwinter Monument.]
[Please choose—]
[1. "You betrayed me, Ron!" You cannot accept Ron taking the position of Supreme Guardian. Your previous suspicions finally erupt at this moment. You believe Ron has been consciously guiding everything. Selecting this option, your Favorability with Ron will decrease immensely. You will become bitter enemies, completely hostile towards him.]
[2. Remain neutral. Say nothing. Selecting this option, nothing will change.]
[3. "I will support you as I always have, Ron... I believe you can become the best Supreme Guardian in history!" You believe your mother's choice was not wrong. Since Ron is more than capable, making him the Supreme Guardian is the best choice for Belobog. Selecting this option, your Favorability with Ron will increase slightly. You will become a supporter of Ron, working to carry out his decrees.]
Looking at the options on the screen, Bronya didn't hesitate.
Although everything in this simulation seemed chaotic and there was much she didn't understand... there was one thing she had always been clear about.
Ron's ability was beyond question.
Since even her mother had acknowledged Ron this time, then even though she had no idea what had happened, supporting Ron was definitely the right move...
With Ron as the Supreme Guardian this time, the events of the last simulation surely wouldn't repeat... As long as there was no bloody slaughter and suppression, Bronya had no strong opinions on how Belobog was ruled. A good outcome was all that mattered.
The text on the screen faded, and a new scene began to play:
Bronya, dressed in formal attire, saw Ron approaching at a steady pace. She affectionately moved to his side and said softly:
"Although I don't know why mother suddenly decided to abdicate to you... just like in the Underworld, I believe in your abilities, Ron."
"You will surely become the best Supreme Guardian in history... I will support you as I always have!"
But upon hearing Bronya's words, Ron's steps faltered for a moment, though he did not stop.
His words, tinged with a hint of apology, drifted on the wind to Bronya's ears:
"Thank you for your support, Bronya."
"But I'm sorry... I don't think I can be the best Supreme Guardian in history."
"Because... there will be no more Supreme Guardians, Bronya."