---o---
"Was I too hasty before? Surely there was no need to leave the Underworld in such a rush, was there?"
Walking down the streets of Belobog's Overworld, Ron ambled at a languid pace under the night sky, heading towards his small home, a contemplative thought surfacing in his mind.
"No... that's wrong. This was the right time to leave. I couldn't stay any longer."
He shook his head as he walked, putting a large 'X' over the naive idea he just had.
To be honest, while the attention from Aha, The Elation, and the fourth-wall-breaking message were the primary sources of Ron's fear—the main reasons he had leaped out of a window and rushed back to the Overworld...
Upon careful consideration, the greatest threat at the moment wasn't actually Aha.
As an Aeon, It was indeed special, seemingly capable of seeing through his existence as a false entity within a simulation game—but that was the extent of it.
Although the reward for completing this simulation was replaced by a blessing from Aha, it wasn't a particularly unusual situation. Ron had already more or less figured out the reward system of the Life Simulation Game. He knew that each reward was based on the highest-level and most "special" trait obtained in that single simulation.
The [Preservation's Will] from the first simulation and the [Gaze of the Amber Lord] from the second were undoubtedly the highest-quality traits of their respective runs. The [Salvation] trait from the third, though white, had the unprecedented "Upgradable" suffix and was far more powerful than a typical red trait, perfectly fitting the reward pattern.
Ron had actually anticipated this simulation's reward. Based on the rules, he expected to receive some blessing-related traits from Yaoshi, The Abundance. He never imagined that Aha, who had seen through the game's reality, would hijack and replace the reward...
This meant that the blessing It bestowed was of an even higher quality than the one given by Yaoshi in this simulation.
And one must remember, the Ron in this simulation had been an Emanator of The Abundance...
Although the blessing that made one an Emanator of The Elation remained with Ron after Sampo's death, not reclaimed by Aha, and It even sent another blessing at the end of the simulation—the fact that this blessing could override everything granted by Yaoshi was staggering enough...
But then again—even though Aha had granted Ron such a blessing at the end of the simulation and showed immense interest in him, It didn't suddenly appear before him the moment he returned to reality to say hello as promised. This proved one thing...
It proved that the Aha in the simulation was nothing more than lines of text, an entity of data with no ability to transcend the simulation itself.
It was just like Herta's [Simulated Universe]. The universe designed by Herta and several geniuses from the Genius Society also simulated the various Aeons, and the simulated Aha within it had also become aware of its own falsity...
But what could it do? It was merely complex data processed within the game. As long as the real Aha was not involved, all of Its promises were nothing but illusory bubbles, impossible to act upon. Ron was in no real danger.
However... if Ron had actually remained in the Underworld, he would have inevitably walked a future path that led to being noticed by the real Aha.
The reason was simple—although he didn't know precisely when Sampo had crossed the Astral Express off his script and pulled a nobody like him into the designated protagonist role, it certainly wasn't when he was slacking off while on guard duty at Qlipoth Fort, working only to clock out...
Thinking back, it must have been during the period in the simulation when he drew close to key characters in Sampo's script—Bronya, Seele, Natasha, and Cocolia—and began to make a name for himself.
Only then would Sampo have noticed him and, because of his performance, decided to cast him as the protagonist, leaving the stage open for him, watching his performance while guiding the play's development...
And at that point, as a drama watched by an Emanator of The Elation, it would naturally attract the attention of the Aeon as well.
This simulation proved it... which meant that if Ron stayed in the Underworld, stayed by Bronya's side, he might be noticed by Sampo as early as the next day and be written into that Emanator's exclusive little notebook...
At this thought, Ron couldn't help but shiver, his pace quickening.
To think that just being targeted by Sampo, an Emanator of The Elation, in the simulation had dragged him into a tedious play, nearly caused the empire to collapse, and forced him to transform into a Progeny of Abundance...
And that was just a simulation. What if it happened in reality?
The simulated Ron could slay gods and buddhas alike, daring to pray to Yaoshi on a whim to fight an Emanator. But the real-world him had no such inclinations.
Life was long, and he hadn't had nearly enough of it...
"What a pity about my thirty thousand Winter City Shields a month..."
Ron muttered subconsciously, his eyes filled with heartache. He had genuinely wanted to live the easy life with Bronya and pocket that monthly salary of thirty thousand shields as her personal guard.
That was thirty thousand Winter City Shields. No matter how you looked at it, it was thirty thousand...
But for the sake of his own safety... ah, forget it.
With these thoughts, Ron pushed open the door and returned to his shabby but cozy little apartment.
Only two or three days had passed, and the room was as tidy as when he had left, not a speck of dust in sight.
He closed the door and collapsed lazily onto his familiar, soft bed, staring blankly at the ceiling as countless thoughts flooded his mind.
Having learned in this simulation that the Express Crew would arrive in Belobog on schedule as long as Sampo didn't notice him, an idea Ron couldn't suppress began to bubble up—
To board the Express and leave this declining world of bitter cold.
He didn't actually like Jarilo-VI. As the last ember of humanity, Belobog's corruption was unimaginable.
In each of his simulations, Ron had exhausted every ounce of his strength, racking his brain for a way to save this world.
But the results were never satisfactory. After so many attempts, not once did he receive the understanding of "Belobog" itself.
Ron never gained the understanding of the "people" who represented and sustained Belobog.
Though Ron knew that years of corrupt rule had reduced the people of Belobog into weathervanes, their opinions changing with the slightest whisper, their loyalty abandoned at the first sign of incitement, their actions driven solely by self-interest...
Still, Ron felt the injustice of his treatment—a deep-seated resentment that his efforts had not received the reward they deserved.
He had done what he was supposed to do.
To put it bluntly, he wasn't a true citizen of Belobog. He was just a transmigrator. He felt no sense of belonging to this world; it wasn't his motherland, nor was it the hometown that raised him...
He was merely a passerby from another world, nothing more.
And this passerby had exhausted his mind and means, practically giving his all to save this world, only for others to sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labor while occasionally obstructing his very efforts to save them...
Where in the world was there such twisted logic?!
Gazing at the empty ceiling, Ron tossed and turned in bed with irritation. His eyes shifted and landed on a badge resting on his nightstand—
It was the standard-issue badge of the Silvermane Guards, a symbol of the wearer's status.
It also served as a reminder to the wearer: You are a Silvermane Guard, a steadfast defender of the Eternal Winter City, the very cornerstone of Belobog's existence...
Picking up the guard's badge, Ron stared at it blankly, at the gleaming Geomarrow in its center, and began to spin it in his hand unconsciously.
Although he had joined just to make a living, when he swore the Guards' Oath at the Everwinter Monument, the thought of eternally protecting Belobog had indeed risen in his heart...
No, that's not right. In fact, if he hadn't harbored the conviction to protect Belobog, he wouldn't have clawed his way up from being an ordinary man in the Guards to eventually becoming a Silvermane Lieutenant, nor would he have struggled in the simulations, trying to save this world...
He actually... really wanted to save this world.
It was just that everything he encountered had doused the flames in his heart like ice water, leaving him drenched like a drowned rat, forced to awaken in the freezing cold.
Should he just wait for the Express Crew to arrive, then ask to board the train, leave Jarilo-VI, and find a planet with a better life?
The thought crossed Ron's mind. He was very interested, but he couldn't bring himself to make a final decision.
He looked down at the guard's badge, which he had unknowingly clenched tightly in his palm, and couldn't help but sigh.
Forget it.
He casually tossed the badge back onto the nightstand and flopped back onto the bed, staring calmly at the clean ceiling.
Since I haven't given up yet, then let's do it one last time.
One final life simulation to try and save this planet...
Let me fail properly one last time, to sever this lingering attachment. Then, I'll let the Express Crew deal with the Stellaron and leave all the remaining conflicts, hidden dangers, and all the troubles that could lead to the collapse of this civilization to future generations...
But for now, it's time to sleep.
Ron thought to himself and, without hesitation, fell asleep.
He had done far too much in this simulation...
He was too tired.
It was time to rest.
---o---
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
The night had just passed in the Underworld. The miners had barely awoken when they saw members of Wildfire going door-to-door, asking questions and searching for a Silvermane Guard named "Ron."
Vagrants, pockets filled with freshly earned Winter City Shields, scurried all over Rivet Town, rummaging through every trash can in every nook and cranny, and combing through every twisted alleyway, all to complete their client's task: find a Silvermane Guard named "Ron"...
But even with such a massive mobilization, they found nothing.
"Still no sign of him... Thank you. Here is your payment."
Bronya offered a somewhat helpless smile, handing a few shiny Winter City Shields to the tattered vagrant before her. Her voice tinged with disappointment, she turned to Seele.
"Still nothing... We've practically turned Rivet Town upside down. Where on earth could Ron be?"
Seele bit her nails anxiously, her brow slightly furrowed in thought.
"Ron shouldn't have left so quickly. Where else could he be besides Rivet Town... a robot settlement? Or the Fragmentum?"
Seele muttered to herself, then immediately shook her head, dismissing her own idea.
"No, that's not right... If he were in the robot settlement, those vagrants who work there would have known about him. And given Ron's cautious nature, he wouldn't just rush into the Fragmentum for no reason..."
"Could someone be hiding him?"
"Hiding him?"
Hearing Seele's muttering, Bronya paused, a sudden realization dawning on her.
"Could it be... Natasha?"
"While none of us were paying attention, she used some trick to lure Ron away to have him all to herself, just like in the simulation..."
Listening to Bronya's analysis, Seele hesitated for a moment but still nodded.
"Nat... That does sound like something she would do..."
She hesitated a little longer before finally clenching her teeth and making up her mind.
"We're going to find Nat... right now."
Bronya nodded, and together with Seele, she turned and walked towards Natasha's clinic...
At the same time, inside the clinic.
Natasha was staring at a light screen before her, her gaze lost in the dense lines of text.
The incredibly heavy memories of the simulation flooded her mind, creating a tempest in her thoughts. The memories crashed over her like a tidal wave, washing against the shores of her sanity. Everything she had experienced flashed before her eyes like a series of silhouettes, bringing with it a sorrowful reminiscence.
The memories in her mind were chaotic and complex, but one scene was etched deeply into her vision—
She saw Ron standing before her that day, apologizing, saying he would never again have the chance to protect the empire alongside her...
And then he left this world, transforming into an irrational azure dragon beyond its borders, becoming a Progeny of Abundance hunted by the Xianzhou...
She subconsciously clutched her chest as a sharp, constricting pain pulsed from within. A mist began to gather in her magenta eyes, tears welling up, threatening to fall at any moment...
But she blinked, forcefully suppressing the tears. She tilted her head back, staring blankly at the ceiling, trying to empty her mind and sever the influence of the memories...
Knock, knock, knock.
Just then, someone knocked on the clinic door.