[New Belobog has been built.]
[You never thought your living environment would undergo such a massive transformation... In just one year, you have been by the Supreme Guardian Cocolia's side, watching how this planet was completely remade into its current form.]
[The Creation Engines roared, leveling every bump on the surface of this land... Layers upon layers of anti-gravity modules laid a solid foundation for New Belobog.]
[You watched with your own eyes as this world completely submitted, being wantonly kneaded in Ron's hands into the shape everyone desired... This Ideal City is the beginning of all good things. Everyone stands at the pinnacle of this newborn city, eagerly looking forward to a beautiful future.]
[Even though you are still under Cocolia's strict supervision, confined to the New Qlipoth Fort along with Seele, who was captured in the rebellion a year ago, and forced to attend arduous lessons every day, your mood is exceptionally bright. Every day, you feel yourself becoming more and more free.]
["Belobog has already welcomed a bright future... In that case, hasn't my wish already been granted?"]
[You are completely content with this.]
Bronya was, indeed, completely content.
Looking at the scene on her light screen, Bronya for a moment had no desire to even tap it. She was already sprawled lazily on her bed, letting her long, silver-white hair spread out like waves across the sheets, her face overflowing with a relaxed expression.
It was a success.
She couldn't help but think this to herself.
In this simulation, although she hadn't managed to do much—and might have even had a counterproductive effect—the result was unexpectedly far better than in any of the previous simulations.
While she had no idea what Cocolia had done to push the simulation in this direction, she had to admit that under Cocolia, Ron had indeed displayed far more of his abilities than he ever did under their leadership in the past...
In this simulation, Ron's name was not famous, but every single thing he did in the background provided the driving force for Belobog's great leaps forward.
In the end, Ron successfully pushed the entire planet of Jarilo-VI to launch such a massive revolution, allowing it to be enveloped in the Preservation construction materials from the Corporation, transforming it into a giant ecumenopolis and completely conquering this cold, apocalyptic planet.
The Stellaron and the Antimatter Legion that once threatened Belobog were all eliminated by Ron, vanishing completely into the long river of Belobog's history, existing only as records in history books, no longer a threat to New Belobog.
Furthermore, New Belobog had developed at an extreme rate, directly joining the ranks of interstellar civilizations and returning to the prosperous state it was in seven hundred years ago as a tourist planet under the Corporation... perhaps even surpassing its former glory.
This... was more than enough.
Bronya had always been an easy person to satisfy. Her own wish was simply to revitalize Belobog, eliminate the threats of the Stellaron and the Antimatter Legion, and bring about a future for her home.
This simulation had completely fulfilled her wish, and even exceeded it, pushing Belobog into a beautiful era she could have scarcely imagined...
If things can just continue like this, even without fighting for anything, just following the path of this simulation and pushing reality in the same direction... that should be good, right?
Bronya thought this to herself, feeling the happiness welling up from the bottom of her heart due to the simulation's success. She watched as the text on the light screen faded and a new line appeared—
[As you were obediently following Cocolia's arrangements, taking remedial classes in the New Qlipoth Fort and trying to persuade Seele, who was confined with you, to read some books, you heard the Silvermane Guards and attendants within the fort engaged in a heated discussion...]
[Out of curiosity, you sidled up to them and pricked up your ears—]
["Did you see them? Those super huge starships with the Amber Lord's emblem painted on them. I hear they're a task force from the Interastral Peace Corporation, here to help our planet..."]
["A task force? But I heard they're starships from the IPC's Market Development Department, probably here to open up a market in Belobog..."]
["Sigh, you guys who don't visit the museum often just don't get it... Although they're nominally here to provide aid and develop a market, do you really think that's their only purpose?"]
["Aid, development... why now? Why not sooner, why not later? Why did they have to show up right after we finished building New Belobog and got rid of all that old trouble? Do we really need their help?"]
["Don't forget, our planet used to be a tourist planet under the Interastral Peace Corporation. Now that they're back, they're probably thinking of taking us back under the Corporation's control..."]
[Although this was hard to believe, the idle chatter of the guards and attendants in the New Qlipoth Fort was never without reason...]
[You walked out of the Guardian's residence and onto the artificial lawn outside. Lifting your head, you could see several massive starships parked beyond the sky dome. They must have arrived at some point while you were diligently studying inside, without once glancing out the window...]
[You looked closely at the hulls of these ships. You could vaguely see the very clear insignia of the Interastral Peace Corporation, as well as a giant emblem of The Preservation, completely confirming their identity.]
[The chatter of the guards and attendants was correct... A task force from the Interastral Peace Corporation's Market Development Department had arrived at Jarilo-VI and was now docked beyond the sky, watching this world covetously from the planet's orbit.]
Reading the text on the screen, the relaxed expression on Bronya's face instantly froze.
The happiness that had been nearly overflowing from her heart vanished without a trace.
The current scene triggered her memories, reminding her of the high-and-mighty Corporation executive from the second simulation...
Because of the severe crisis in the last simulation, Bronya had almost forgotten the ending of the second one.
But now, she remembered it all once more. She remembered the universal mega-corporation that had completely disregarded the thoughts of Belobog's people, directly destroyed all of its past, and utterly "annihilated" Belobog culturally and spiritually.
The Interastral Peace Corporation. The former partner of Jarilo-VI, the largest commercial entity in this sea of stars, whose monetary system had conquered almost the entire cosmos, a commercial giant that used power and money to sway the will of native civilizations, had always been greatly concerned with the potential economic benefits Jarilo-VI could bring.
Or rather, the Corporation was greatly concerned with any activity that could make money... The only reason they hadn't come to Jarilo-VI before was the presence of the Antimatter Legion. The IPC's Business Department had judged Jarilo-VI to be a "losing venture."
But now, with the greatest threat completely eradicated by New Belobog, Jarilo-VI was no longer a losing venture...
They swarmed in like sharks that had smelled blood, and the outcome was obvious.
A knot of anxiety began to form in Bronya's heart. Although she knew that New Belobog had been continuously developing its military-industrial complex, with countless starships being produced and assembled on production lines before flying into Jarilo-VI's clear sky to dock in orbit, she didn't believe that the current New Belobog had the ability to confront the Interastral Peace Corporation.
After all... that was the Interastral Peace Corporation.
It was a powerful force that could be considered unique in this sea of stars, a mega-corporation that truly had the power to decide the future direction of the cosmos...
Even if Belobog had completed a Miracle of the Stars, New Belobog was still a nascent interstellar civilization that had just stepped onto the cosmic stage.
Their strength was not something New Belobog could dare to challenge... Was this simulation doomed to repeat the ending of that one?
The Corporation would forcibly occupy this world, carelessly "destroying" all of Belobog's history and letting it be utterly extinguished among the stars... Bronya did not want to see that happen.
But just as an endless sense of tension was rising in her heart, as she worried for the future of New Belobog in this simulation...
The text on the light screen faded, and a new image appeared:
The Bronya on the screen stood in the New Qlipoth Fort, on the lawn of the Guardian's residence, looking up at Jarilo-VI's clear sky. She gazed at the several massive starships, which made her seem as small as an ant.
And she was indeed an ant... What was Belobog in the face of the Interastral Peace Corporation? Just like her compared to the starships, a tiny insect that could be ignored...
But, at that moment...
Bronya saw brilliant fireworks suddenly bloom from the massive starships beyond the sky.
---o---
[The ships from the Interastral Peace Corporation's Market Development Department entered the Jarilo system and docked in the orbit of Jarilo-VI.]
[Their arrival came without any warning. As the de facto ruler of New Belobog, you immediately ordered your research vessel to approach their ships and secretly commanded the vessel's databank to take control of the starfleet's sapient AI, preparing for battle at a moment's notice.]
[As your research vessel drew near the IPC ships, they also noticed your presence and quickly established contact.]
[With the support of quantum communication technology, you quickly established a stable data link. You saw a photonic phantom, projected by the quantum communication, appear in the meeting room. An employee dressed in a meticulous uniform, with an IPC ID card hanging from his chest, appeared before you...]
["Jarilo-VI is the inherent property of the Corporation. As employees of the Market Development Department, we have both the right and the reason to develop this planet's market and, while we're at it, bring it back under the Corporation's control..."]
["Of course, due to the Corporation's strategic planning issues, this planet now requires large-scale redevelopment. The buildings on the surface will need to be torn down and rebuilt... Your destruction of the natural environment was simply too crude. The Corporation doesn't need a lump of iron; it wants an eco-friendly, beautiful planet, a natural tourist paradise!"]
["But not to worry, my friend... Although the Corporation will tear down your cities, we will also generously provide you natives with sufficient compensation to ensure your livelihood—what do you think of fifty thousand credits?"]
["A resettlement fee of fifty thousand credits per person. However, to help you resume your lives more quickly, you will need to handle the disposal of the construction debris yourselves. The Corporation will not pay for such volunteer labor, but we will reward the best performers."]
["The Corporation's branch on this planet will hold a 'Striving Citizen' competition every month. The most diligent resident each month will receive a special medal from the Corporation. This is an honor that even regular employees cannot obtain..."]
[The Synesthesia Beacon at the back of your head buzzed. Looking at this branch manager who was prattling on, you felt for the first time that a photonic projection could bring you a physical sense of nausea and a heartfelt disgust—]
[You pressed your temples, suppressing the throbbing blood, and temporarily shielded the Synesthesia Beacon, allowing your ears to hear only the uninteresting static of an alien tongue.]
[Because you chose to make New Belobog's development military-focused, its social ethos is currently inclined towards militarism and authoritarianism.]
[As the leader of New Belobog, you, who shaped it into this form, are even more extreme in your thinking.]
[Faced with the Interastral Peace Corporation's high-and-mighty notice, you have only one choice...]
The text on the screen faded, and a new image appeared:
"The Corporation can bring you things you cannot even imagine, but to receive these blessings, you must first prove your worth to us..."
Ron stood in the meeting room, silently watching the Corporation's branch manager ramble on about Jarilo-VI's brand-new future, his expression shifting from impatience to calmness, and finally to a beaming smile.
He suddenly clapped his hands, interrupting the manager's condescending diatribe.
The manager looked at Ron with some annoyance, at this native who dared to interrupt him. He was already thinking about how he would make this fellow pay for it, already planning to send Ron to the polar regions to grow vegetables after he took control of Jarilo-VI...
But then he saw Ron casually point a finger toward the nearby porthole. He clenched his five fingers into a fist and then suddenly opened them, softly saying... "Pop."
The manager instinctively followed the direction of Ron's finger. Through the meeting room's porthole, he saw the few starships he had led...
And a dense, countless fleet of deep black warships.
The bows of the fleet's ships were surging with the distorted energy of antimatter. An amber light burned with the will of the God of Ruin, the twisted power of The Destruction now gathered into a mass...
BOOM!