[Currently, your progress on the Path of [Destruction] is—(1/100)]
Looking at the text on the light screen, Ron couldn't help but furrow his brow. This was the first time he had ever seen a Path with such demanding requirements.
"One hundred points of Path Progression? The requirement for the Path of [Destruction] is six or seven times more than [The Abundance] and [The Erudition] combined…"
"Am I really that incompatible with the Path of [Destruction]?"
Ron stroked his chin thoughtfully. After careful consideration, he supposed it wasn't really a problem.
Even in the last simulation where he forcibly seized control of the Path of [Destruction], he had never truly followed it in the most fundamental way. He was always trying to utilize the Path through indirect means, constantly teetering on the line between defying the Path and following it.
At the beginning of this simulation, he wanted to forcibly kickstart his progress on the Path of [Destruction]. But even though he understood all the concepts of the Path and tried to replicate them in the simulation—letting his heart fill with anger, his mind with the desire for violence—he ultimately only managed to gain a meager point of progress, barely cracking open the door to this Path.
---o---
But the Path of [Destruction] was truly the easiest Path to walk in this sea of stars.
For Nanook of [The Destruction], even the act of a child unintentionally breaking a vase was considered an embodiment of the Path. Ron knew countless concepts of the Path of [Destruction] and had plenty of ways to follow it, but it was clear that the Path was rejecting him.
The simple methods of grinding progress were obviously no longer working. To walk the Path of [Destruction], he might have to try a more "profound" form of [Destruction].
Ron stroked his chin, a hint of hesitation in his eyes.
Frankly, following the core concept of the Path of [Destruction] was extremely simple. For the Path of [Destruction], senseless violence, the fire of rage, and the desire to destroy were its most fundamental expressions.
If Ron wanted to follow the Path of [Destruction], all he had to do was walk out the door, burn the Yichen Inn to the ground, and then emulate the mara-struck monsters from before by attacking the Exalting Sanctum, killing anyone and everyone he saw. It wouldn't be long before Nanook of [The Destruction] would have to personally come and watch him embark on the Path.
...But Ron's moral bottom line really couldn't let him do something like that.
Even in a simulation, committing such indiscriminate slaughter was too outrageous. He wasn't some lunatic, and knowing that there were clearly other simulation players in the picture, playing like this would only make the players who didn't know the real situation think he was an anti-human criminal, which would create all sorts of real-world obstacles for him.
Therefore, if he wanted to follow the concept of [The Destruction], he would have to do it subtly, just like in the last simulation.
For example, by once again setting a [Destruction] target and then annihilating them without reason.
The Sanctitas Medicus was a good choice.
Although the Sanctitas Medicus weren't all necessarily evil people—many were offworlders and Xianzhou natives who had been deceived into joining—Ron didn't have time to distinguish between the good and the bad. Ron had a moral bottom line, but he wasn't some saint.
He chose terrorist groups like the Sanctitas Medicus, which clearly disrupted social order, as his [Destruction] target for his own peace of mind, and also to make it clear to any potential simulation players on the Xianzhou that he was by no means an evil person. At most, his methods were a bit extreme, making him someone they could still approach in reality.
To fight against a troublesome foe like Terminus of [The Finality], one person was hardly enough. Ron needed allies like Herta... the more, the better.
But then again—the members of the Sanctitas Medicus were deeply rooted on the Luofu. Although they weren't exactly rare, it was very difficult to root them out one by one.
For Ron, trying to embark on the Path of [Destruction] by destroying the Sanctitas Medicus would be quite troublesome. They were a clear example of a low-yield, high-difficulty target.
Moreover, Ron's current combat power was still relatively weak. If he acted recklessly on the Luofu, it wouldn't be long before the Cloud Knights and the Ten-Lords Commission came knocking. Without playing his trump cards, Ron had no way of dealing with them.
Furthermore, the Sanctitas Medicus were now cooperating with Phantylia and could even wield the power of [The Destruction]. It was unclear what kind of deal they had struck with [The Destruction].
If destroying them drew Phantylia's wrath, that would be a huge problem. Ron was absolutely incapable of facing an Emanator head-on at the moment, even if it was a Phantylia who had not yet found a body in the Ambrosial Arbor.
That little fox body of hers could probably turn him into meat paste with her tiny fists. One should never underestimate a true Emanator.
Ron pondered this carefully for a long time and couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
He couldn't find a perfect option? The progress requirement for this Path was just too damn high.
However, just as Ron was feeling the headache and wondering what trade-off to make—
The simulation on the screen didn't wait for his thoughts. The text on it faded, and new words appeared:
[Inside your room, flames of rage surge as you try to walk the Path of [Destruction]. Your emotions knock on the Path's door, rising and falling.]
[As time trickles by, you try to casually shatter a teacup and mess up the blankets on the bed. Though these acts born from a pure desire for destruction are minor, they are indeed in line with the Path of [Destruction]—]
[But you helplessly discover that you have not made a single shred of progress on the Path of [Destruction]... Actions like these are far from enough to advance your Path Progression.]
[You can't help but feel a little discouraged. Just as you are thinking about what to do next, there is a knock on your door.]
The text on the light screen gradually faded, and a new scene appeared:
"Knock, knock, knock."
A crisp knocking sound came from outside the door, immediately followed by a lazy voice:
"Ron? Ron, Ron, Ron, Rooooooon—"
Qingque drew out the last syllable, calling his name.
But after waiting for a moment with no response, Qingque couldn't help but scratch her cheek in confusion and mutter:
"He went to bed so early yesterday and he's still not awake? This is the first time I've met a slacker lazier than me…"
But before she could figure out what to do while Ron was sleeping in, the door in front of her opened—
A weary-looking Ron, his chest heaving as if with lingering anger, opened the door. Through the gap between Ron and the door, Qingque happened to see the messy bed and a shattered teacup on the floor…
Qingque's face stiffened. The little hand she had raised to wave hello froze in mid-air. She said nervously:
"Is… is your morning temper this bad?"
An awkward smile appeared on her face. She fidgeted with her hands, pointing into Ron's room.
"Uh… if you're really tired, why don't you go back to sleep? It's nothing important, really. I just thought, since it's noon, maybe we could go out for a bite to eat or something. If you don't want to go, that's totally fine!"
"It's not morning temper... I'm just not used to the Luofu yet."
The corner of Ron's mouth twitched as he forced a stiff smile, which made Qingque feel a little creeped out.
But thinking about it, what bad intentions could Ron, who had just come from a primitive civilization like Belobog, possibly have?
The drastic change in his living situation was bound to cause all sorts of adjustment issues.
Qingque's gaze towards Ron softened with a hint of pity. She thought to herself, Look at how this kid is suffering. I have to find a way to help him integrate into the Luofu.
"You're not used to it because you haven't played around enough on the Luofu. Once you're completely settled in, you won't feel that way anymore… How about this, want to go grab a bite first?"
She thought for a moment, then gave a thumbs-up and pointed towards a street corner in the bustling Exalting Sanctum outside the Yichen Inn.
"Aurum Alley… Us old Luofu folks love this place!"
"Wood-fired roasted Shatean Gryphon wing roots, a savory specialty. You have to try it!"
Looking at the scene on the light screen, Ron was suddenly stunned.
"Aurum Alley… wait, Aurum Alley?"
Why didn't I think of that before?
Ron stroked his chin thoughtfully, a new idea faintly forming in his mind.
For the Path of [Destruction], simple destruction, while following the Path, was merely its most superficial form.
Everyone knew that the most loyal followers of [The Destruction] were the Antimatter Legion, forged in the crucible of war. These weapons of war, constructed from myriad eons of misery, constantly marched across the universe for the sole purpose of clearing all obstacles, burning civilizations in the embers of calamity until they turned to ash.
The destruction of "civilization"… that is what [The Destruction] loves most.
And Aurum Alley was a precarious "civilization" on the verge of being destroyed.
This old alley on the Xianzhou [Luofu] had existed for hundreds of years, long enough to represent the childhood tastes of some Xianzhou people.
For the long-lived Xianzhou natives, an old porcelain bowl might just be a broken piece of trash, but Aurum Alley was a "memory" they could never forget.
It was engraved in the deepest memories of countless Xianzhou people. Perhaps they rarely visited Aurum Alley anymore, but none of them would mind occasionally stepping into its lanes, listening to the familiar calls of the night market vendors, drinking a cup of warm qingfeng milk at Auntie Gao's food stall, and reminiscing about the past in its sweet, mellow flavor.
The heavy memories formed a civilization, and the humanistic atmosphere sketched a picture that belonged solely to the Xianzhou [Luofu]—
If he could "destroy" this place, it would be almost equivalent to destroying a small corner of the great civilization that was the "Luofu".
A clear idea gradually formed in Ron's mind. At the same time, the image on the light screen paused, and new choices appeared:
[Your expression makes Qingque a little worried. She suspects you might be agitated because you are far from home and not used to this world.]
[She hopes to use the entertainment of the Luofu to soothe your agitated emotions... The Xianzhou [Luofu] is all-encompassing; naturally, it can accommodate someone from Belobog.]
[There's still a lot of money left in Master Diviner Fu's expense account… Qingque has already thought about how to show you a good time on the Luofu.]
[But you hesitate slightly... There is so much to do. Do you really have time for leisure and enjoyment?]
[Please choose—]
[1. (Nihility) "What, Aurum Alley? Let's go! We won't go home 'til we're drunk today!"]
[You don't want to think about anything right now. Your lazy heart is urging you to have some fun—Aurum Alley is indeed a great place to go. The local dishes there are praised by all the old Luofu folks!]
[You decide to immediately accept Qingque's request. You will spend a lazy and happy day in Aurum Alley under her guidance and company. You will have the chance to continue advancing on the Path of [Nihility]... a tiny, tiny step.]
[Your Favorability with Qingque will increase slightly, and Qingque's Favorability with you will also increase slightly.]
[2. "Let me work. I want to work right now."
[The soul of an overachiever is urging you to start creating value... Master Diviner Fu trusts you so much. How could you really waste the Divination Commission's precious funds on having fun on the Xianzhou [Luofu]?]
[Right here, right now, this very second! The Xianzhou Divination Commission is your best destination. You must find your workstation in the Divination Commission and start sorting through the first file you will handle as a diviner...]
[You decide to reject Qingque's request and will head to the Luofu's Divination Commission to report for duty.]
[3. (Destruction) "I don't eat wing roots."
[You don't care what Qingque is thinking. You sneer at her goodwill.]
[Everything will come to an end. [Destruction] is what you seek—]
[Everything will burn in the flames.]
[You decide to start killing immediately, to obtain more progress on the Path of [Destruction].]
[4. (Path of Hope) Blank Choice.]
Looking at the options on the screen, Ron, who had just been forming a plan in his head, was almost thrown off. The plan in his mind was nearly shattered.
What the hell is "I don't eat wing roots"?
There are no warlords in Star Rail! And even if there were, I'd slaughter them all! How could such a morally bankrupt option even appear?
This was truly a signature choice for the Path of [Destruction]... It was a bit too abstract.
Ron was rather speechless looking at the options on the screen. Putting aside the third option that challenged his moral bottom line, the first and second options were essentially no different from the previous choices; they were just continuations of actions.
He still had to make a choice that was uniquely his own.
Ron thought for a moment and clicked on the fourth option.
Fortunately, he already had an idea of how to complete a destruction that would definitely advance his progress on the Path of [Destruction].
---o---
Sometimes, one person facing a god who seeks to destroy the entire universe is a rather desperate situation.
To prevent this despair from affecting the grand plan of saving the Luofu, and indeed the world, Fu Xuan made the best choice she could make while in a state of extreme terror—
Hand Ron over to someone who had no idea how terrifying he was. As long as they hadn't experienced the horror of being turned to ash by Ron's holy light, then even though Ron seemed as cold as a stone and sharp enough to see through anything, he was, to some extent, manageable.
Therefore, she temporarily entrusted Ron to Qingque and quickly made her escape.
Although Ron had always thought of Qingque as the laziest slacker in the Divination Commission, a little parasite who always ate the commission's money but rarely did any work, as a diviner who received Fu Xuan's close attention, Qingque was no useless freeloader.
She was the future of the Divination Commission... under ideal circumstances, of course.
As a diviner, although Qingque slacked off far more than any other, she had one quality that was enough to earn trust.
That is, no matter the situation, as long as it was a task assigned by a superior, Qingque would always guarantee its completion to the minimum standard by the deadline.
No matter how much she loved to slack off, she could always calculate the time needed for her work and complete her objective at the very last second. Whether it was simple paperwork or temporarily taking Fu Xuan's place to host a divination with the Matrix of Divination, Qingque could always get it done on time.
This meant she was actually a genius.
She had more than enough ability... she just couldn't be bothered to use it.
That's why Fu Xuan, upon realizing her own powerlessness, temporarily entrusted Ron to Qingque. If it were any of the other diviners there at the time, Fu Xuan would have had to force herself to stay and interact with Ron, even though it would likely ruin her relationship with him—
Which would still be better than another diviner inevitably ruining it.
Fu Xuan boarded a skiff and quickly returned to the Divination Commission.
On the way, she gradually suppressed the surging emotions in her heart. Away from Ron, as long as she wasn't looking at that face, identical to the one she saw in the simulation of the Aeon of [Salvation], the calmness befitting the Master Diviner would gradually return to her mind, completely suppressing the almost overflowing terror in her heart.
Once her thoughts became clear again, with her mind free from the influence of emotions, Fu Xuan was finally able to think and make decisions again.
She opened the Life Simulation Game without hesitation, right then and there.
She didn't waste time trying to use the Matrix of Divination, nor did she waste time activating the Omniscia on her forehead. These divination tools, once extremely important to Fu Xuan, had all paled in comparison to the Life Simulation Game.
If she wanted to know the future, she just needed to run a simulation.
And right now was when she needed to run a simulation the most.
She needed to see what path the future would take after she left Ron in Qingque's care.
She realized that her fear of Ron in reality would greatly affect her goals, but trying it out in the simulation wouldn't affect reality.
First, make a plan through the simulation, and then, even if she was terrified when facing Ron, she just needed to hand the plan to Qingque, to someone else, and the goal could still be accomplished.
With this thought, Fu Xuan watched the game begin, and new text appeared on the screen before her:
[Star Calendar 8100, Month 1.]
[To prevent a possible future calamity, to resolve the matter of Ron, the [Salvation] who destroyed the entire sea of stars with holy light, you have forged a Reignbow's Decree, guiding the target to Jarilo-VI. The entire Xianzhou [Luofu] fleet makes the jump and arrives at Jarilo-VI a month later.]
[Star Calendar 8100, Month 2, Day 3. After consulting with the various strategists of the Seat of Divine Foresight, the aid plan for Belobog is passed and implemented. The Xianzhou [Luofu] does its utmost to provide Belobog with all possible assistance.]
[At the same time, you arrive at an old apartment in Belobog's Overworld and find Ron living there in seclusion.]
[You bring him aboard the Xianzhou [Luofu] and invite him to join the Luofu's Divination Commission.]
[After he reluctantly agrees, you dispatch the diviner Qingque to be Ron's guide on the Luofu, intending for him to simply integrate into the Luofu and develop a certain fondness for it, laying the first small brick for the goal of having him join.]
[But the first day passes quickly. You learn that the weary Ron did not tour the Luofu with Qingque. He simply wandered the Exalting Sanctum's night market before retiring to the inn, sleeping until noon the next day—]
[When faced with Qingque's invitation to go out and have fun, Ron sternly refuses her, saying righteously:]
["Master Diviner Fu Xuan has treated me well. How can I be so brazen as to waste the Divination Commission's funds on lazy days?"]
[He drags Qingque, with Qingque as his unwilling human navigator, to the Luofu's Divination Commission and arrives before you—]
The text on the screen faded, and a new image appeared:
On the screen, a solemn-faced Ron was dragging a dazed-looking Qingque, who seemed to have lost two of her three hun and six of her seven po, muttering "My vacation, my vacation..." The pitiful girl was brought before Fu Xuan as Ron declared righteously:
"Let me work, I want to work right now!"
"Master Diviner, I am ready. Quickly, let me become a diviner of the Luofu's Divination Commission!"