[Ron has given you a command.]
[He requires you to immediately find a death row inmate and feed them a large dose of the Seed of Calamity. You are to use the power of the Path of The Abundance to stimulate the growth of the parasitic vines, provide them with no food, and let the vines grow by drawing sustenance from their flesh and blood.]
[He requires you to torture the inmate's mind until they completely collapse under their desires, becoming a madman driven only by appetite and the lust for destruction, a horrific monster parasitized by vines.]
The text on the light screen faded, and a new option box appeared:
[Faced with Ron's command, you are momentarily torn.]
[Please choose—]
[1. "This is simply too inhumane, Ron." You cannot comprehend Ron's actions, nor why he would suddenly ask you to do something so cruel. You decide to refuse his command. Your conscience will not allow you to commit such an act. Upon selecting this option, your Favorability with Ron will decrease slightly. Your progress on the Path of The Abundance will increase slightly.]
[2. "This is a crisis that calls for decisive action. I am at your command, Ron." You trust Ron's leadership and are willing to set aside your own principles for it. You decide to agree to Ron's command and carry out his plan without question. Upon selecting this option, your Favorability with Ron will increase slightly. You will go against the philosophy of the Path of The Abundance and will be once again repulsed by the Path. You will gain the trait: "Cold-Blooded Savior (Gray)".]
[Cold-Blooded Savior: It is a doctor's duty to keep the warm blood of life flowing steadily, but your own blood has gradually cooled, and you have completely abandoned your respect for life. For the sake of salvation... these are necessary sacrifices. You will gain a Special Attack bonus against living creatures. The bonus multiplier will be based on your Medicine skill level; the higher the level, the stronger the bonus. You will completely violate the philosophy of the Path of The Abundance, and the Path will strongly reject you. Until this trait is removed, you will be unable to advance on this Path and may even be completely expelled from it, no longer a Pathstrider.]
[3. "Ron, what you're saying... I don't understand." You are completely baffled by Ron's words. You are repulsed by his request and cannot comprehend his actions. You decide to question him, to have him properly explain what he is talking about. Upon selecting this option, you will receive an explanation from Ron and will be presented with this choice again.]
Looking at the options on the screen, Natasha tilted her head in confusion. Feeling somewhat bewildered, she unhesitatingly clicked the third option.
She didn't understand why Ron had suddenly made such a request.
She believed in his ability and was willing to cross her own lines for his decisions—but she at least had to understand them first.
Right now, she couldn't make sense of his words at all. Only by first understanding his thoughts could she make a proper choice.
[You feel this request is inhumane. You have no idea why Ron has commanded you to do this.]
[You therefore raise your questions, interrupting his words.]
The text on the screen faded, and a new scene materialized upon it:
"Natasha, this is something only you can do... Right now, you're the only one who has conducted any research on the Seed of Calamity. This is squarely within your expertise."
Ron stroked his chin, lost in thought, his mind racing with countless considerations.
"There isn't much time... It's a pity we still don't know if the desires that humans face after consuming the Seed will instantly shatter their rationality. More research is needed..."
As he pondered, Ron didn't forget to continue giving instructions to Natasha.
"Here's the plan, Natasha. While you're creating this... infected subject, don't forget to record all the data. I need some experimental data for reference to determine the current state of most people who have consumed the Seed of Calamity."
"The faster this is done, the better. By this time tomorrow, at the latest, we must hold a city-wide address. The infected subject you create will be the best evidence of their crimes."
"But this is just the beginning. To solve the crisis the empire is facing, we must completely digest these unstable elements..."
"We'll temporarily requisition the mining teams from the Underworld. They'll join the Pioneer Group and enter the old commercial district. While they're clearing it out, they can also quickly convert that area into a quarantine zone..."
"No, that's not right, it can't be called a quarantine zone. For the sake of public morale, it should be called the 'Belobog People's Hospital,' exclusively treating those infected by the Seed of Calamity. We'll control all sources of danger for the time being..."
As Ron spoke, his words came faster and faster, gradually shifting from instructions for Natasha to simple muttering, a rehearsal of the plan forming in his mind.
At first, Natasha could follow, but as his speech quickened and his topics jumped, she finally reached out in exasperation and turned his head to face her, pulling him back from his wandering thoughts and forcing him to meet her gaze.
"Ron, what you're saying... I don't understand."
Natasha admitted her confusion bluntly, making it clear she didn't comprehend his words.
"Why torture a death row inmate and turn him into such a miserable creature? I have no idea what you're talking about. Shouldn't we be quickly confiscating these Seeds of Calamity and locking up anyone who has eaten one?"
"You've seen how dangerous the Seed is. The Rock-Dweller Crab became aggressive and insatiably predatory after consuming just a drop of its juice. It's unlikely to be any different for humans..."
"If we don't use force to deal with the infected, Belobog will soon fall into internal chaos. They will attack ordinary people like madmen... We don't have enough food to support them."
Interrupted, Ron's unfocused pupils contracted. He had clearly returned to the present, meeting the confused gaze of Natasha before him.
He rubbed his temples to clear his head, sorted through his thoughts, and looked at Natasha with a somewhat helpless smile.
"Our goal is indeed to confiscate these Seeds and lock up all the infected so they can't affect the stable rule of the empire..."
He paused, his tone shifting as he gently took the hand Natasha had placed on his face.
"But Natasha, have you ever considered... that the empire's elite soldiers are not invincible?"
"The Pioneer Group breaks through the snowstorms and reclaims the Fragmentum, crushing countless monsters underfoot. A few infected individuals are certainly no threat."
"One infected person will be turned to dust under the iron heel of the Pioneers. So will two. Three, four, five, six... But what about thousands? Tens of thousands?"
Ron spoke calmly, his eyes filled with gravity.
"One-third, Natasha. According to Belobog's census records, a full one-third of the citizens did not hand over their Seeds... A full one-third."
"And that's not even counting the inaccuracies in the census due to a century of bureaucratic corruption, or the possibility of an unrecorded population... Even by the most optimistic estimate, one-third of Belobog's people are potential infected."
"Let's not even talk about how strong they'll become after consuming the Seed, or whether the Pioneer Group can even suppress them... Let's just talk about what happens if we win. If we lose one-third of our people, the empire will cease to exist."
Ron released Natasha's hand and lightly tapped the throne beside him—a simple chair with three simply carved legs, nothing special about it.
"This is a chair. With three legs, it can stand stably. But if one of them breaks and is lost, the entire chair can no longer stand. It will collapse completely."
"The empire is the same... If we recklessly start a civil war and fight to the death to kill one-third of our own people, the empire will inevitably fall apart, to be buried in the snows of Jarilo-VI, with no hope of ever seeing the light of day again."
"What's more... we don't even have the ability to win this war."
As he spoke, a bitter smile touched Ron's lips.
"One-third... a full one-third of the people. Who is someone's parent, who is someone's child, who is someone's lover?"
"One-third of the population is connected to almost everyone in the entire empire. The Pioneers are also children, also parents, they also have loved ones..."
"They cannot bring themselves to strike down their own kin. Because they still have feelings. Emotion will slow the weapons in their hands, until they feel as light as cotton, their blades losing all edge."
"Natasha... you must understand, this world is not black and white. Although they are undoubtedly unstable elements after consuming the Seed, potential criminals, we can't just act against them."
"We can only do our best to maintain the empire's stability, to turn them into our allies, to gradually de-escalate this crisis and completely digest it..."
With that, Ron let out a long sigh.
"Just do as I say, Natasha... Because this is all we can do. We don't have the power to do more."
The image on the light screen faded, and new text appeared upon it:
[Ron has explained his reasons to you. He hopes you will be his helper.]
[Please choose—]
[1. "But I still don't understand..." You decide to refuse Ron's command.]
[2. "Alright. I'll listen to you, Ron." You decide to agree to Ron's command.]
Recalling the scene on the screen, Natasha fell into deep thought.
So, that was why Ron made such a choice...
Although she had once been the leader of Wildfire, controlling almost the entire Underworld, she had never encountered a crisis of this nature.
To Natasha, she was more of a doctor than a leader...
Under her past leadership, Wildfire was more of a public service organization. While she did control life in the Underworld and was a capable leader in her own right, she still found it difficult to grasp all the intricate twists and turns of this situation.
The empire was too vast for her; she couldn't control it all... That's why Ron was needed.
The choice before her was now clear.
Natasha did not hesitate. She chose the second option.
Even if this choice, like the last time, would violate the philosophy of the Path of The Abundance, even if it would take a long time to overcome the Path's rejection, even if she might lose her status as a Pathstrider... Natasha was willing.
The option box on the screen faded, and the scene continued to play:
"Of course I'll help you... But do we really have to go this far?"
Natasha agreed to Ron's request but still couldn't bear it, trying to dissuade him tentatively.
"Perhaps I don't need to be so cruel as to torture a death row inmate... I could just feed him the Seed and record what happens."
"The appearance of someone parasitized by the Seed is already terrifying enough. That should be sufficient as evidence..."
But upon hearing her tentative dissuasion, Ron just shook his head and said earnestly:
"You still don't understand, Natasha..."
"The Masked Fool wants most people to choose to eat the Seed of Calamity. Therefore, the Seeds he released would never turn someone into a miserable monster immediately after consumption. Otherwise, no one would desire such a thing; they wouldn't flock to eat it."
"In the beginning, we will have no way of finding such a monster. But we can create one... by any means necessary. As long as it is miserable enough, terrifying enough, enough to make people shrink back in fear, that will be sufficient."
"Our warnings and admonitions alone will not make those citizens who kept the Seed give it up, Natasha..."
"The fact that they didn't give it up immediately proves their greed. They want eternal life and power. Only a fear that is the complete opposite of that desire can shatter their ethereal fantasies and make them obediently pick up their rationality again."
"Only when their own well-being is directly threatened will people's motivation to act skyrocket. Only then will they give up on eating the Seed and toss it to us to handle like garbage."
Ron sighed, his tone hollow.
"If you treat them with sincerity, they won't reciprocate. They will only suspect you of trying to seize their benefits and strip them of their freedom..."
"The depravity and greed of humanity are far more terrifying than any disaster, Natasha."