---o---
The scene on the light screen faded, replaced by a new choice box that shimmered with a faint golden light:
[Natasha's words are firm. She has not stopped chasing her dream because of what you said.]
[She has explained her choice to you and extended her hand, hoping you will become her true partner.]
[You are moved by her words. You choose to—]
[1. Take Natasha's hand.
You will be permanently locked into Natasha's personal faction, becoming her true assistant.
At Natasha's request, you will replace Oleg as the new public-facing leader of Wildfire and take control of the entire organization on her behalf.
The Wildfire organization will become a faction under your control. Its members will trust you more easily, and the organization's loyalty will be greatly increased. Your Favorability and Natasha's Favorability toward each other will both increase significantly. You will obtain a new exclusive Trait: "Symbiosis of Light and Shadow."]
[Symbiosis of Light and Shadow (Gold): The rules of the world operate like perfectly interlocking gears. You and Natasha now define the rules of the Underworld... She seeks the blossoming of new life in the shadows, while you seek the path of civilization's renewal in the light.]
[As long as the characters Ron and Natasha are both alive and walking on non-conflicting paths, the growth rate of their mutual Favorability will be greatly increased.
Both characters will receive a certain degree of all-around attribute bonuses, with the bonus increasing as their Favorability rises.]
[2. Slap Natasha's hand away.
You will leave Natasha's personal faction and cease to be her assistant. Natasha's faction will no longer be open to you.
You and Natasha will part on bad terms. Your mutual Favorability will decrease slightly.]
Looking at the golden choice box that had appeared on the screen, Ron felt his fingers begin to tremble.
How long had it been... how long?
He had run so many simulations, and this was the first time he had ever encountered someone so hardcore they were willing to hand over absolute power, to let him control an entire faction with his own hands, without a single care that he might usurp them!
Previously, regardless of the final outcome with Bronya and Seele, neither of them had ever truly chosen to let Ron take the lead while they became his assistant.
Instead, with Ron's help, they themselves acted as the leader of all Belobog, controlling the city with their own will.
Seele would at least ask Ron for advice, but Bronya, most of the time, wouldn't ask for any suggestions at all, and most of her choices ran contrary to his.
To think that the one willing to delegate power would be Natasha... what more was there to say?
The first option not only granted him control over the entire Wildfire organization but also came with "Symbiosis of Light and Shadow," a powerful trait with growth potential that could boost all his attributes.
The price was being permanently locked into Natasha's faction, but what did that matter?
Ron didn't mind acting as Natasha's assistant, helping her pursue her dream of creating "Snowstorm Immunity."
After all, while "Snowstorm Immunity" sounded a bit unreliable, based on Ron's memories of the game Honkai: Star Rail, the version recorded in Vache's research notes was already a nearly harmless semi-finished product.
Even if it would be difficult to create the complete version Natasha spoke of—one that would make humanity completely immune to the snowstorm and Fragmentum corrosion—it wouldn't cause any negative effects. At worst, it would just be a waste of some medical resources.
Besides, the price for choosing the second option was far heavier.
While not being locked into a faction might seem to allow Ron to jump between various camps and potentially gain support from many people...
His path with Natasha would be almost completely blocked. He was just one step away from treading the Path of The Abundance; it was naturally impossible for him to choose to leave her faction now.
This was a multiple-choice question with only one right answer.
Ron clicked on the first option. The choice box on the light screen slowly faded, and new text appeared:
[You have become Natasha's true assistant.]
[Because of your trust, her Favorability toward you has greatly increased. Natasha's current Favorability toward you is 60.]
[Your Favorability toward Natasha has also greatly increased at this moment. Your current Favorability toward Natasha is 55.]
[Natasha has explained the entire situation of the Underworld to you. All of Wildfire's information is now open to you.]
[She has shown you the research records for "Snowstorm Immunity." Your understanding of "Snowstorm Immunity" has greatly increased.]
[With Natasha's blessing, you are set to become the public-facing leader of Wildfire, controlling the operations of the Underworld with your will.]
The text faded, and a host of quantified attribute values popped up, representing the statistics of the entire Wildfire faction.
Compared to the Jarilo-VI First Empire from the last simulation, the Wildfire organization in this one seemed as laughable as a faction put together by children playing house...
All the attribute values were unimaginably low. Even the stability of the Underworld, which Wildfire had a tenuous hold on, was steadily decreasing. It felt like if the people's livelihood issues weren't solved within a few years, the stability would drop to zero and the entire faction would collapse.
However, as Ron looked at this screen, a smile involuntarily touched his lips.
Although all of Wildfire's attributes were low, one value was sky-high—Loyalty.
Thanks to Natasha's efforts, the members of Wildfire were all striving for the future of the Underworld. Though poverty and danger plagued everyone, not a single member had backed down in the face of threats.
They all held expectations for the future, contributing their strength to the stability of the Underworld. As the leader of Wildfire, Ron had absolutely no need to worry about dissent among the ranks.
"Weak? So what if it's weak?"
Ron clicked the screen with satisfaction. "As long as they're obedient and I have enough time to develop, I can kill even the Three Great Calamities for you to see..."
New text appeared on the screen:
[You have become the new leader of the Wildfire organization. A new page in history has turned.]
[As the First Consul of Wildfire, please choose a development path for your faction...]
The text faded, and a new interface popped up.
It was filled with complex operational options. The top bar quantified Wildfire's various resources like Winter-City Shields, food, building materials, and steel. The dense columns of red deficits were extremely jarring.
The more Ron looked at the interface, the more familiar it seemed, and his expression grew a little strange.
Stellaris, a space strategy game with a 7+ age rating, where players could control their own empires, develop in space, and gradually become the strongest empire in the universe.
The players of this game were all about promoting truth, goodness, and beauty, realizing the value of every species by putting each one in a place where they could truly shine and give off heat (physically)... Ron was a loyal player of this game.
And now, the interface that had popped up on the Life Simulation Game's screen was just a reskinned version of the Stellaris operational interface...
So after becoming the First Consul of a faction, the text-based simulation game just switched to an SLG?
Ron didn't know what to complain about first. He briefly studied the complex interface and discovered some differences from Stellaris itself.
First, in the research interface, a level-4 scientist, Natasha, was permanently occupying a biology research slot, working on [Project: Snowstorm Immunity]. The time required was approaching infinity, and the completion was a mere 1%.
Second, controlling the faction to perform various actions would consume a special value: Ron's own Energy. This was shared with the Energy he used when playing the text-based portion of the simulation. Once depleted, he would be forced to rest, advancing to the next day.
Ron could choose to exit this interface at any time and continue the normal simulation, but his control over Wildfire would then be put on hold. The organization would act autonomously based on the arrangements he had previously made using his Energy.
"This is a bit troublesome..."
Ron scratched his head, a little vexed. He had originally thought he could just start grinding the game, running the simulation while also micromanaging Wildfire's development, perfectly controlling every aspect of the future.
But it seemed he was still limited by his Energy...
Ron didn't plan to spend all his Energy on developing Wildfire.
Because he knew that the threat of the Stellaron was imminent...
Judging by the nearly infinite time required for the Snowstorm Immunity project, it was almost impossible for Natasha to complete it. He couldn't expect everyone to be able to ignore the snowstorm and the Fragmentum to survive in this desperate situation.
Therefore, dealing with the Stellaron was a task that had to be done, and the sooner, the better.
But if the Stellaron was dealt with, the Anti-Matter Legion would surely make a resurgence in the coming years...
There wouldn't be enough time to develop Belobog to a point where it could fight back against the Legion.
He needed to divert a large amount of Energy to increasing his Path Progress and combat experience. Only then could he defeat that Doomsday Beast and save Jarilo-VI from its fate of destruction...
He really needed to think carefully about how to allocate his Energy...
With that in mind, Ron pondered for a moment before tapping on the screen.
---o---
[Oleg has summoned the members of Wildfire for an important meeting.]
[At the meeting, he announces that he will be stepping down from his position as the head of Wildfire. Ron will take his place as the new leader.]
[You knew long ago that Natasha was the true leader of Wildfire. This matter was clearly pushed by her.]
Seele frowned at the light screen in front of her and clicked on Ron's character card:
[Leader of Wildfire - Ron (Gold)]
[Talents: Peerless Genius, Symbiosis of Light and Shadow]
[Description: The leader of the Underworld organization "Wildfire." Formerly a personal guard to the Supreme Guardian's heir, Bronya, he later chose to join Wildfire and became its new leader.]
[Symbiosis of Light and Shadow (Gold): As long as the characters Ron and Natasha are both alive and walking on non-conflicting paths, the growth rate of their mutual Favorability will be greatly increased. Both characters will receive a certain degree of all-around attribute bonuses, with the bonus increasing as their Favorability rises.]
Below that was a line of conspicuous, large red text:
[This character has joined Natasha's personal faction. This faction is locked and cannot be changed.]
Seele stared at the text, feeling a little lost for a moment.
What... what on earth had happened?
Everything had been a mess since the very first day of this simulation.
She had originally thought her biggest rival was Bronya, so she launched a night raid, tied Bronya to the bed, and prevented her from interfering with her meeting with Ron.
But then she was knocked out by a mysterious person, only barely waking up in the evening. She was then thoroughly humiliated by the returned Bronya and had only managed to escape after much difficulty.
During this time, she had been trying every means to thwart Bronya's various actions, and the two of them had nearly bashed each other's brains out.
And now, during a short break, she sees that Ron has joined Natasha's personal faction? How could something like this happen?!
Seele felt her vision blur. She quickly closed her eyes, pressed her fingertips to her brow, and shook her head, forcing herself to cast the chaotic emotions from her mind and calm down.
No... it's not over yet.
Ron... although Ron was locked into Natasha's personal faction, that didn't mean there was no room for her to maneuver.
After all... Ron was now the leader of Wildfire.
No matter what, Ron would definitely contribute to the organization. With a little guidance from her, it wasn't impossible to achieve the future she wanted under these circumstances.
When that time comes, the wager between her and Bronya will definitely be her victory!
Besides, so what if Ron was locked into Natasha's faction? The Natasha in the simulation was just an NPC; she wasn't going to jump out into the real world and fight them for Ron!
With these thoughts, Seele comforted herself and continued to click on the light screen, focusing intently on her operations.
Meanwhile, on the other side...
---o---
[You have heard that the mining teams have recently implemented new policies, and the miners are encouraged.]
[The artisans of the mining teams have developed new technology, leading to a significant reduction in miner casualties and a great increase in mining efficiency.]
[You have heard that the city's market has been secretly regulated. After a period of fluctuation, commodity prices have gradually fallen and stabilized at a lower range.]
[Many wealthy merchants have been secretly affected, some even going bankrupt as a result.]
[You have heard...]
New text notifications constantly popped up on the light screen. The entire Underworld was thriving.
Natasha looked at the screen before her, a faint smile on her face.
Her choice was correct after all.
Under Ron's control, the entire Wildfire organization was flourishing, and everything was developing steadily at a rapid pace.
And... Ron had done more than just that.
A new line of text appeared on the screen:
[Ron came to your clinic and asked to be taught "Medical Essentials."]
[However, you no longer have the capacity to teach Ron. You can only let him handle the clinic's affairs and treat patients for practical experience.]
[Ron accepted your request. He not only completed the clinic's daily tasks but also tidied up the somewhat messy clinic, which had been neglected due to you being too busy.]
[Due to the "Symbiosis of Light and Shadow" Trait, your mutual Favorability has slightly increased.]
[Current Favorability of Ron toward you: 90.]
[Your current Favorability toward Ron: 100 (Max level reached. Exchange Vows of Matrimony to raise the cap.)]
Natasha looked at the text, feeling a little shy for a moment.
She gently patted her slightly warm cheeks, forcing herself to calm down.
Alright, she admitted that Ron was simply too capable. Not only could he help her advance the development of the entire Underworld, but he could also handle all sorts of daily affairs for her, freeing up her hands to research "Snowstorm Immunity."
But... but her Favorability toward Ron had risen way too fast!
Ron's own Favorability hadn't even maxed out yet, so how had hers already hit the limit?
Was she really that easy to win over?
Natasha couldn't help but start doubting herself, until new text suddenly appeared on the screen:
[Time passes, and evening gradually arrives.]
[Ron has seen off the last patient in the clinic. Only the two of you remain.]
[You continue your research on "Snowstorm Immunity," but make no progress.]
[You attempt to integrate Imaginary energy into the potion, but you can only manage to adhere the energy to its surface, simply blessing it with the power of your Path.]
[The resulting potion can only barely ward off Fragmentum corrosion, and its effect is not significant.]
[Because you have spent another full day researching without results, your Stress Value has greatly increased.]
[You have triggered a Stress Relief event—]
[Due to your trust in Ron, you decide to confide in him about your failure and attempt to get his help to reduce your stress.]
The text on the screen faded, and a new scene appeared:
"Ron... I failed again."
The Natasha in the scene looked somewhat dejected. Faint dark circles were visible under her eyes; it seemed she had been staying up late for the past few days and hadn't been resting well.
A strange, low pressure emanated from her. She was clearly in a very bad mood.
"Failed? Still can't fully integrate the Imaginary energy into the potion?"
Ron put on a white lab coat and strode over to Natasha's side, looking at the potion flask being distilled on the table.
The juices extracted from cheap medicinal herbs were mixed together, then blessed with the power of a Path to become Natasha's improved Cold-Dispelling Medicine.
"Yes... pure Imaginary energy is too ethereal. I can manipulate it to repair physical injuries, but it's difficult to make it remain within a potion in a stable state to affect the human body."
Natasha sighed helplessly.
"I suspect I might be going in the wrong direction, but I can't seem to find a new solution..."
"Is that so..."
Ron frowned at the flask, thinking carefully for a moment before suddenly placing his palm over the mouth of the bottle.
The scene on the light screen dimmed, and new text appeared:
[You see a dark-gold crystal condense in the palm of Ron's hand.]
[For some unknown reason, upon seeing this dark-gold crystal, you seem to hallucinate the sound of a great hammer striking, and you see a small tributary branching off from a vast Path...]
[The tributary flows into the potion flask. The dark-gold crystal bobs in the potion, and under high heat, it is manipulated by Ron and melts.]
[The power of the Path of [The Preservation] has been integrated into this bottle of "Snowstorm Immunity."]
[Now, after drinking it, one can gain immunity to the snowstorm while also receiving a certain degree of protection from the Path of [The Preservation]. Defensive capabilities will be slightly increased. The protective power comes from the construct of [The Preservation] that Ron integrated into it.]
[Ron's method has brought you great inspiration. Since Imaginary energy is too ethereal to remain stable in a potion, why not first shape it into a corresponding Path construct and then utilize the inherent properties of the construct itself?]
[Although you do not know what kind of Path construct can block Fragmentum corrosion, this is now a clear direction for development.]
[The research progress of "Snowstorm Immunity" has greatly increased.]
The text faded, and a golden progress bar appeared, crowned with the four large words "Project: Snowstorm Immunity."
The progress, which had been stuck at the very beginning, suddenly shot up by fifty percent, reaching the exact middle of the bar.
So it could be solved this way?
Ron, you really are my lucky star!
Natasha couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement, completely forgetting the shyness she had felt just moments ago.
However, before she could be happy for long, new text appeared on the screen:
[Because Ron's actions have greatly advanced the "Snowstorm Immunity" potion research project.]
[His "Medicine" skill experience has greatly increased.]
[His "Medicine" skill level has increased. His [The Abundance] Path Progress has increased.]
[He has successfully stepped onto the Path of [The Abundance].]
As the text on the screen faded, a scene shimmering with a faint golden light reappeared:
Ron picked up the potion flask, which had become somewhat cloudy due to the dark-gold crystal, preparing to take it away and test its efficacy.
But before he could move, a flash of emerald-green light, tinged with brilliant gold, flickered in his pupils.
Thorn-like thickets grew at his feet, twining around him, holding him in place as if crowning their king.
A dense green light flowed over Ron's body like water, gradually unfurling like growing branches and leaves, eventually shrouding the entire clinic and bathing the room in its verdant glow.
Natasha looked into Ron's eyes and was stunned to see a very special figure reflected within them—
This figure was spreading its six arms amidst the sea of stars reflected in Ron's pupils. It wantonly stretched its lithe, powerful form, its joints extending as if performing a cosmic dance.
Its hair, like the plumage of a magpie, bloomed amidst the cosmos of a thousand stars.
The myriad eyes on its body were fixed upon Ron. Only one stirred, casting a compassionate gaze towards Natasha.