"At this speed... they'll probably arrive in about half a month."
Looking at the image on the screen, Ron couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. Doesn't the Antimatter Legion need time to organize its forces? How could they just show up like this, popping out of some unknown nook or cranny of the cosmos without a sound?
Moreover, the Legion was targeting him, not him and Jarilo-VI. They were targeting him alone. Otherwise, at least half of their forces would have turned toward Jarilo-VI instead of rushing headlong toward him, toward the Herta Space Station...
The image on the screen gradually faded, and a new option box appeared:
[You see the tide of [Destruction] sweeping in from thousands of light-years away. Endless war machines march in perfect unison, propelled by Imaginary energy at incredible speeds toward the Herta Space Station.]
[At the forefront of these war machines, you cannot see clearly who is leading the charge. Antimatter collapses there, distorting the surrounding space—]
[But you can tell that at the head of this massive Antimatter Legion army, there is at least one "Emanator" leading the way... If it weren't for one or more true "Lord Ravagers," it would certainly not cause Herta to frown so deeply and fall into such great hesitation.]
[Faced with this situation, you must make a choice... Will you leave the Herta Space Station immediately, or will you remain here and let the tide of [Destruction] submerge this place?]
[Sometimes... being a little cold-blooded might yield a better result.]
[1. Remain at the Herta Space Station, but prepare to leave.
You know the combat power of an Antimatter Legion led by at least one Lord Ravager... These villains who wreak havoc across the stars are undoubtedly a formidable enemy for the current New Belobog. You absolutely cannot let the danger reach them before everything is fully prepared.
A hastily deployed New Belobog would surely struggle against such a powerful foe. You decide to give them enough time to prepare, at least until all the Silvermane Guards have been injected with the "Savior" serum and the planet's fortress conversion is complete before facing the Antimatter Legion.
You decide to stay at the Herta Space Station until the Antimatter Legion is less than a few dozen light-years away, then use the permission you obtained from the Astral Express to teleport to Jarilo-VI via a Domain Anchor.]
[2. Leave the Herta Space Station immediately and cut off all contact.
You know the Herta Space Station lacks the combat power to stand against the Antimatter Legion... The members of the Defense Section can, at best, handle a small legion force. They might be helpful against minor skirmishes with the Voidrangers, but against such a massive tide of [Destruction], they would be swallowed in an instant.
Even Herta would be powerless to achieve victory against such a vast army... As Emanators of [Destruction] Nanook, the Lord Ravagers are among the most powerful warriors in the cosmos when it comes to combat. Their infamy for burning entire galaxies is widespread, their fearsome reputation eclipsing that of most other Aeons' Emanators.
You know the Herta Space Station should not be dragged into the struggle between you and "Fate," forced to bear a calamity that only you should endure.
You decide to leave the Herta Space Station immediately and return to New Belobog alone to begin intensive war preparations.]
[3. Try to persuade Herta to leave the Herta Space Station with you and head to Jarilo-VI.
The Herta Space Station cannot resist the Antimatter Legion, and you are unwilling to bring the calamity of [Destruction] upon these innocent scholars... However, this does not mean you cannot seek help here.
Herta has already helped you a great deal, but this calamity was ultimately triggered by your joint research. She does bear a certain amount of responsibility for the coming tide of [Destruction].
You decide to ask Herta for support, hoping she can help you face the near-endless Antimatter Legion and accompany you to New Belobog to prepare for battle.]
---o---
He couldn't stay at the space station.
Looking at the options, Ron immediately came to a conclusion. The space station was full of scholars, not powerful combatants. Facing the tide of [Destruction] with their abilities was nothing short of a fantasy.
Besides, this was his calamity... Jarilo-VI, the world he had poured his heart and soul into, might have an obligation to fight alongside him. The Herta Space Station was just offering temporary assistance; they certainly didn't need to risk their lives for him.
The first option was a betrayal and an act of irresponsibility toward the space station... While it was just a delaying tactic and didn't actually involve them fighting the Legion, Ron knew that the Antimatter Legion was not an enemy you could reason with.
If Ron dared to wait until the Legion was only a few dozen light-years away before leaving, it would mean they had already reached the neighboring star systems. At that point, the Legion would have no qualms about crushing the Herta Space Station and the Azure Star, turning them to ash before leaving, just to vent their anger at being played by him.
Although Herta, as an Emanator, could certainly make the station a tough nut to crack—perhaps the Legion might even give up due to the difficulty and proceed directly to the Jarilo system—it would still result in significant casualties. The scholars of the space station would be easily swallowed by that dark tide...
However, after excluding the station's defenseless personnel, Ron had no intention of giving up Herta's help.
Right now, Herta was the most likely source of Emanator-level combat support he could get. He didn't know how many Emanators were leading this Legion army. Ron himself lacked Emanator-level power, so the more external help he could find, the better...
With this thought in mind, Ron clicked the third option. The option box on the screen faded, and a new scene appeared:
"They're this close already... Looks like I have to leave."
Looking at the terminal screen, Ron's brow furrowed. He then turned to Herta, who was standing beside him, and made a sincere request.
"But the situation has become urgent... Herta, I want to ask you for a favor."
Faced with Ron's plea, Herta seemed a bit hesitant.
"'The Silent Lord' is still searching the entire universe for me and Ruan Mei. I really want to help you, but the Azure Star cannot be compromised. I can't show up in my real body. Otherwise, 'The Silent Lord' would surely appear alongside the Legion, and the situation would naturally worsen..."
But as she spoke, seeing the sincerity in Ron's eyes, her words of refusal slowed to a crawl, and she finally sighed in resignation.
"Fine, fine... Who told me to be the one who started this research in the first place?"
Her expression was one of slight helplessness. "I'll leave with you... but in the form of my puppets."
"Against the Antimatter Legion, I might not be able to provide much help... but at the very least, I can hold off one Lord Ravager for you on the battlefield."
"Those minions of [Destruction] are always vicious fighters. That's the most I can do..."
The scene on the screen faded, and new lines of text appeared:
[Herta agreed to your request, but she is unable to use her full strength. She has decided to simultaneously control the vast majority of her existing puppets on the space station and accompany you to New Belobog.]
[You hold no dissatisfaction with Herta's choice, as you know she is truly unable to provide assistance in her real body right now. Being able to help you with her puppets is already her doing her utmost.]
[After receiving Herta's promise, you wasted no time. You immediately took all your research materials and data samples from the Herta Space Station to the Domain Anchor, placing your hand on its floating, deep-blue Memoria cluster.]
[Relying on the authority granted to you by the Express crew, you successfully triggered the power of [Trailblaze] that still lingers in the world after its Aeon's passing. You felt a surging passion—the will that Akivili, The Trailblaze, left behind in his Path, a desire to explore the uncertain front and the future.]
[Under the influence of [Trailblaze], your body broke down into fundamental particles, melting into pure Memoria carrying your memories.]
[Then, in an instant, you left the Herta Space Station, traveling through the vast and boundless universe.]
[The Memoria carrying your memories traversed a pathway constructed from a non-existent, imaginary medium. In a flash, you crossed the infinite sea of stars and arrived at the distant Jarilo-VI, appearing before the Domain Anchor in Alexandra Square.]
[Upon leaving the pathway, Ron's body was reassembled in an instant. The Memoria reconstituted into his form, and he appeared, tangible once more, on New Belobog.]
[Beside Ron, several of Herta's puppets also took form in an instant, only to be moved away and vanish in the next, leaving just one to open her eyes, the power of the Path of [Erudition] still swirling around her.]
[Herta has hidden her puppets and will deploy them at the appropriate time.]
[In Alexandra Square, a tight network of security machinery monitors everything. The designs you previously made to protect the Stellaron beneath the square detected you in an instant. Countless infrared sights immediately locked onto your body, and an unknown number of light-energy weapons, surging with endless Imaginary energy, prepared to fire from the shadows.]
[Simultaneously, a report on your presence was transmitted via the square's defense array to the Supreme Guardian's office in the New Qlipoth Fort. Cocolia learned of your return and immediately halted the defense array's hostile actions, quickly leading her personal guard to greet you.]
[Having returned to New Belobog, you have many things to do, but your energy is limited, and the threat of the Antimatter Legion is imminent...]
[In the less than half a month you have, you can only complete one objective. What should you do?]
[Please choose—]
[1. Reorganize and train the Silvermane Guards, completing their mass evolution and innovation.
Time is short. You decide to start from the basics, beginning with the reorganization and training of the Silvermane Guards and completing their mass evolution and innovation.
The current Silvermane Guards are not yet ready to face the Antimatter Legion, not even after being injected with the "Savior" serum and applying the "Savior" trait...
They must receive proper training and reorganization to unleash their full power against the Antimatter Legion and hold back these dark locusts beyond the planet's atmosphere.
Selecting this option, you will begin training and reorganizing the Silvermane Guards. This will continue until the Antimatter Legion arrives.
After completing their training, the Silvermane Guards will receive the temporary trait: "Sharpened and Ready (Purple)".]
[Sharpened and Ready: They are now prepared to face the coming tide of [Destruction].
With this trait, the Silvermane Guards will receive a 30% boost to all stats and will be less likely to trigger negative events in combat.]
[2. Reorganize the New Belobog Fleet and compile a combat AI for the synthetics.
Although New Belobog has been continuously producing starships and expanding its fleet, it is still using the sapient combat AI you compiled before.
The AI you made back then was not powerful. It could only drive the starships to perform simple combat maneuvers and execute commands from the databank AI... and nothing more.
You decide to compile a new set of combat AIs for the synthetics, equipping both the ground forces and the New Belobog fleet with it.
Selecting this option, you will begin reorganizing the fleet, preparing them to coordinate with the Star Destroyers you purchased, and begin developing an innovative sapient combat AI.
After completing the reorganization and AI innovation, the Synthetic Legion and the New Belobog Fleet will receive the temporary trait: "AI Innovation (Purple)".]
[AI Innovation: The new AI has equipped your forces with various new combat methods, becoming the new standard for synthetic and starship combat.
With this trait, the intelligence of all "New Belobog" synthetic AIs will be improved, and the combat effectiveness of the Synthetic Legion and the fleet will increase by 30%.]
[3. (The Existence of 'You') Find the [Elation] Emanator Sampo and, through him, contact the Aeon [The Elation].
You know that no matter what you do now, it is a meaningless effort. Until the threat of the very likely presence of [Destruction] Nanook is completely eliminated, New Belobog is just a piece of firewood that can be casually burned to ashes in the sea of stars, with no ability to resist.
Only after removing the Aeon-level threat will all of New Belobog's efforts have any meaning.
You decide to find the [Elation] Emanator Sampo and, using his connection to Aha, contact this moody and unpredictable "Fool"...
You do not know what will happen after making this choice.]
---o---
Looking at the options, Ron felt a bit of a headache.
It wasn't that he didn't know which to choose. In fact, the choice was so simple it required no deliberation at all. Only the third option held any meaning right now...
But seeing the vague description of the third option, Ron felt unsure about his choice.
Or rather, facing [The Elation] Aha and His Emanator made him feel uncertain by default. The capricious nature of these tricksters made them truly difficult for Ron to predict...
But what could he do? It had come to this. This was the only way.
Ron sighed and clicked on the third option.
The option box on the screen faded, and a new scene appeared:
In a corner of New Belobog's steel forest, several Silvermane Guards were surrounding a blue-haired scoundrel with a heavy sack on his back and a sycophantic grin on his face.
Sampo rubbed his hands together, pleading with the guards.
"Hey, hey, hey, esteemed guard-sirs, haven't the upper and lower districts settled their differences long ago? I just came up from the Underworld to have a look around New Belobog. You can't still be arresting me for that like in the old days, can you?"
"Residents of the Belobog Underworld were indeed free to travel between the districts before the complete evacuation, but that doesn't mean Qlipoth Fort won't hold a smuggler accountable for his crimes—"
Ron strolled out from behind the guards. "Do I even need to say what's in that sack of yours?"
"I was just digging up some old relics from the previous generation because I couldn't afford a meal... Hey, hey, don't hit me, don't hit me! I was wrong, I was wrong! How about I give you thirty percent? Let me off the hook. Our paths may cross again, who knows, I might even be able to help you out someday..."
"No need to wait for 'someday'... You can help me right now, Sampo."
Sampo froze. The sleazy expression he had been putting on gradually vanished. He raised an eyebrow, looking at Ron and then at Herta, who had suddenly appeared beside him, and muttered:
"An Emanator of [Erudition], and someone who shouldn't know me... What the hell, this planet is getting weirder and weirder. Where did all these people come from?"
He looked at Ron and casually tossed aside the sack he had been treasuring just moments ago. He shrugged.
"Fine... Tell me, what do you need old Sampo to help you with?"
"Let me be clear upfront. If what you're talking about has anything to do with that Antimatter Legion army rushing toward New Belobog, then you'd better have your credits ready... Old Sampo's price is very high."
Ron nodded with a bright smile. "Money is not a problem... But for now, let's put that aside. I have another important deal, one I think you'll be very interested in."
"More important than that army of Antimatter Legion?"
Sampo was taken aback for a moment, an expression of interest immediately spreading across his face.
"Now that's a bit interesting... What are you planning?"
Ron smiled and pointed up at the sky.
"I want to talk to your Aeon... Got a way in, Sampo?"