The image on the light screen paused, and new text appeared upon it:
[Cocolia has brought you the message from Sampo, along with a fresh Blessed Berry.]
[The berry's color is vibrant, and you can smell its fresh, fruity aroma. It was clearly picked from a branch not long ago, not an old fruit that has been in storage.]
[You take the letter from Cocolia. The paper is covered in dense creases and stained with a bit of moisture, seemingly from Cocolia's sweat.]
Reading the text on the screen, Ron was slightly taken aback.
He had never truly trusted Cocolia. Although in this simulation she had not only abdicated the position of Supreme Guardian to him but had also done her utmost to promote the unification of the two worlds and had not even obstructed the founding of the Second Empire—even going so far as to use her status as the former Guardian to help him deal with several opposition forces behind the scenes.
But because of her performance in previous simulations and the utterly absurd things she did in the original game's plot, Ron still found it difficult to trust this "God of Civil War," even after she had done so much. He had never given her any real power.
He had merely made Cocolia his aide, helping him relay various decrees to the grassroots level and handle some tedious but insignificant political affairs, effectively using her as his right hand—the one that specifically handles useless, troublesome tasks.
But Cocolia's performance this time had somewhat altered Ron's perception of her yet again...
A blessing that can grant longevity and is powerful enough to engulf the Stellaron... The Blessed Berries had no such effect. This was obviously Sampo's one-sided story, meant to corrupt Cocolia and turn her into his accomplice for stirring up trouble.
If this were the "God of Civil War" of the past, Cocolia would have likely been corrupted by Sampo long ago and would be plotting how to backstab the empire.
But now, looking at what the Cocolia on the screen had just said, and at this sweat-soaked, heavily creased letter...
How long had Cocolia stared at this letter? How many times had she read it over and over, hesitating, to have crumpled the paper into such a state?
However, no matter what she was hesitating about, the fact that she ultimately brought both the letter and the berry to him and was willing to ask him about it calmly was enough to change Ron's opinion of her.
Perhaps, a Cocolia on the right path was not someone to be so wary and hostile towards...
Lost in thought, Ron watched as more text scrolled onto the screen:
[You open the letter and see the familiar handwriting, identical to the note left in the secret room of the clinic, which Natasha had shown you:]
["The gun that appeared in the first act has finally reached the moment it is to be fired. Is it a blank, or a live round packed with gunpowder and iron shot? The answer is entirely up to you."]
["Let me see... ah, 'The empire is the extension of my hands, everything is within my grasp.' —What confident words. I suppose that is the answer you have given."]
["But is the empire yours alone? What of the people of this world? Are they all just puppets dancing to your will?"]
["I warned you long ago... the happiness that best reflects human dignity is the highest form of happiness."]
["Regardless of the outcome, you must give everyone a chance to choose... This is the dignity they are owed."]
["Immortality, immunity to the snowstorm... The blessing obtained by praying to the Apothecary is quite nice, even capable of swallowing the threat of the Stellaron. Such a wonderful thing should not be guarded so jealously, locked away in your treasury."]
["It is time to turn the stage's spotlight onto the people—when faced with the Apothecary's blessing, what choice will they make?"]
["I sincerely hope this play can end as a comedy."]
["As a fellow Fool dancing upon this grand stage, old Sampo offers you his most profound respects."]
Reading the text on the screen, Ron nearly rolled his eyes and fainted from sheer anger.
He clenched the soft quilt of his bed in the Goethe Grand Hotel, grinding his teeth in fury.
"Sampo, oh Sampo, what in the world did I ever do to you..."
He had never had any contact with Sampo, so why did the man keep making trouble for him? To the point of getting personally involved to this degree?
If Sampo genuinely disliked him and wanted a fight to the death, that would be one thing. He could just come out and fight him directly. Even if Sampo really was an Emanator of The Elation, Ron wouldn't be afraid in the slightest.
It was just a game, after all. If he really couldn't win, he could just shout, "Apothecary, it hurts, save me!" and immediately transform into an Emanator of The Abundance in his second phase and go all out against Sampo.
Whether he won the game or not, at least he'd have a satisfying fight.
But Sampo refused to show himself, always hiding in the shadows, using all sorts of petty tricks to mess with him...
Ron felt like he was playing a Souls-like game and had run into a super cheap, bullshit monster. It wasn't necessarily strong, but its mechanics were designed to be as annoying as possible—input-reading your healing animation to attack, or having its aggression cranked to max and chasing you down like a mad dog. Its entire purpose was just to be disgusting.
And now, just when this simulation was flourishing, when a simple estimate suggested he could reclaim all of Jarilo-VI in just five years and set Belobog on the path to revival, it all felt much more difficult.
Ron knew exactly what would happen after Sampo distributed these Blessed Berries to the people...
At first, the vast majority would be skeptical about gaining longevity and immunity to the snowstorm just by eating a berry.
But once the first person took the plunge and truly gained immunity to Fragmentum corrosion...
Almost everyone would eat the berries.
No one would refuse a piece of meat served right to their mouths, and the Apothecary's blessing was clearly the most delicious kind.
What a pain...
Ron rubbed his temples, a headache forming. He forced himself to sit up straight and stared intently at the screen, contemplating his next move.
The simulation had reached a critical point, and the impending trouble was clearly not one that could be easily solved.
The Blessed Berries should have been fully distributed several hours ago. While it wasn't too late now, some people had definitely already eaten them.
Completely resolving this matter was now impossible. He could only try to mitigate the impact...
Ron thought deeply, his fingertips tapping lightly on the edge of the bed as the outline of a plan began to form in his mind.
Just then, the text on the screen faded and was replaced by new lines:
[You have read the letter left for you by the Masked Fool, Sampo.]
[Cocolia places the berry in your hand and, with a serious gaze, asks you again, repeating her question:]
["Is this berry truly a blessing from Yaoshi of The Abundance... Does it really have those effects?"]
[Faced with Cocolia's question, and with a headache from the trouble Sampo has caused, you are momentarily at a loss.]
[Can Cocolia truly be trusted? And does she have enough ability to be of help to you? You need to make a decision.]
[Please choose—]
[1. An appropriate lie is like lubricant, perfect for a gear of the empire like Cocolia. You decide to deceive Cocolia, completely denying the effects of the Blessed Berry, and formulate a plan to handle this incident properly. Selecting this option, Cocolia will make a choice based on her Favorability and Trust Value towards you, deciding whether or not to believe your words. Depending on her choice, the branch events "The Uninformed Assistant" or "The Empire's Collapse" will be triggered.]
[2. If you're going to use someone, you must trust them... It's time to tell Cocolia about the Apothecary's blessing. You decide to trust Cocolia. You will tell her the true effects of the blessing and formulate a plan to handle this incident properly. Selecting this option, Cocolia will make a choice based on her Favorability and Loyalty towards you, deciding whether or not to remain loyal. Depending on her choice, the branch events "The Wholehearted Assistant" or "The Empire's Collapse" will be triggered.]
Looking at the text, Ron was slightly stunned.
Both options were incredibly risky... No matter which he chose, failure would lead to the "Empire's Collapse" event, a bad end that Ron absolutely wanted to avoid.
But the success rates for both options seemed similar. It was easy to guess that Cocolia's Favorability, Trust, and Loyalty towards him wouldn't be too high. They were likely all hovering around a stable baseline.
After all, he had only known her in the simulation for a little over a year and had always been wary of her, never seriously trying to raise her Favorability. There was no reason for those values to have increased.
But he hadn't expected to need them now...
Ron felt a sense of helplessness. After a moment's thought, he still chose the second option.
The reason was simple. Since the outcomes were similar, with both having a high probability of leading to the empire's collapse, Ron decided he might as well just choose the one that sat better with him.
Cocolia's performance in this simulation had been good. She had managed to convince Ron that she might be salvageable, that she might be someone he could trust.
If that was the case, he might as well choose the second option and be direct with her about the Blessed Berries. He could also explain their harmful side effects and why he hadn't dared to distribute them en masse to the empire's citizens to trigger a large-scale biological evolution of the human race.
After explaining everything, if Cocolia chose not to betray him, then there would be no hidden dangers in using her. He wouldn't have to worry about a future betrayal if his lies were exposed, and he could trust her more in any potential future crises, saving himself some unnecessary trouble.
With that decision made, Ron watched the option box on the screen fade and new text appear:
[You have confessed everything about the Blessed Berries to Cocolia without reservation.]
[Now, the secret that once belonged only to you and Natasha has been shared. Cocolia has also become privy to the information.]
[After listening to your explanation, Cocolia's brow furrows, and she asks you with a grave expression:]
["The empire's current food reserves... are they sufficient?"]
[She has already recognized the problem of the famine that would likely follow a large-scale evolution and has already begun to think about how to solve it.]
Seeing the text, Ron couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Cocolia had not chosen betrayal... Now it was time to get serious and do his best to resolve the huge mess Sampo had created.
Ron began to refine the plan in his mind:
First, he needed to test the Blessed Berries Sampo had provided to see if there were any special changes. As an Emanator of The Elation, Sampo definitely had the ability to influence them.
Whether the berries he distributed were still the same ones that only granted immunity to Fragmentum corrosion was a matter that required investigation...
If Sampo's berries were different and had other special abilities, he would have to scrap his plan and start over.
If they were the normal Blessed Berries, then the next steps were simple.
He would first issue a government announcement to confiscate all Blessed Berries. While this move might seem heavy-handed and many people would likely be unwilling to hand them over, Ron wasn't expecting to solve the problem completely.
This was just a damage control measure... There would always be people who trusted the government and would turn in the berries, and that would likely be the majority.
After they handed them over, even if the remaining minority all consumed the berries, the pressure on the granaries would be much less severe.
As long as he continued to accelerate research into high-yield crops and expand the amount of arable land by opening up more geomarrow greenhouses in the Fragmentum, then after a period of time, perhaps one harvest season, the food produced could support this small portion of evolved citizens, so they wouldn't have to worry about survival.
After that, as food production continued to increase, even if more evolved individuals appeared, the empire would have the surplus to support them without any negative impact.
He just had to survive one harvest season. But if they couldn't even last that long...
Ron thought about what would happen, and his expression grew solemn.
Famine... A famine targeting only the evolved would undoubtedly occur.
And when these people who had eaten the berries and evolved became hungry, the enhanced strength they gained from the blessing would instantly become a tool to fill their stomachs...
Normal people, unable to resist them, would naturally become their prime targets.
When that happened, the confrontation between normal humans and the evolved that Ron had long predicted would erupt. A war to the death between the two populations would begin... and this simulation would end, terminated by the hands of the empire's own people.
Thinking of this, Ron sighed helplessly.
He could only hope this attempt to mend the fences would succeed.
If it ultimately failed...
He glanced hesitantly at his list of traits, where the deep red "The Apothecary's Mark" stood out so prominently.
Although Ron had never wanted to pray to The Apothecary, always feeling that its blessings were too perverse and would likely bring significant trouble...
If this operation failed, he would have to pray to Yaoshi of The Abundance.
After all, at that point, he would have nothing left to lose, would he?
Having mentally prepared himself to go all-in as a last resort, Ron tapped the screen, letting the simulation continue.