Ron's Rebellion!

Morning.

Though the lower district is dark and time is hard to tell, Bronya's biological clock woke her precisely at 4:50 AM—sunrise. In the last simulation, Bronya had grown accustomed to watching over Belobog's dawn. She swiftly dressed, initially intending to leave immediately, but after some thought, she sat back at the dressing table to tidy herself up a bit. She wanted to present her best self in front of Ron.

Searching the entire lower district for useful subordinates wasn't an easy task, so Bronya only did a simple grooming and then walked out of her room without wasting time. She had already estimated before coming here that if she couldn't return to the upper district within a week, her mother would start to notice something was amiss. If this were three years ago, that timeframe would have been a day; when she was younger, it would have been an hour.

Back when Cocolia hadn't been influenced by the Stellaron, her attitude towards Bronya was such that if she didn't see her for an hour, she would panic and order the Silvermane Guards to search for her. But now, a week of absence was required for concern to arise...

Thinking of this, Bronya's brows furrowed with a touch of sorrow. ...This will all end eventually. She took a deep breath, gathered her spirit, and walked to Ron's door.

"Knock, knock, knock."

She knocked but received no response for a long time. She raised her hand to knock again but then stopped herself. Listening closely, she could hear faint snoring—Ron was still soundly asleep.

Bronya hesitated. She really hoped Ron could help her, but the memory of his tired face kept resurfacing in her mind. In the previous simulation, Ron had been exhausted from helping her solve all the problems caused by her recklessness... That was in the simulation, but does he have to accompany her in such weariness in reality too? ...Maybe it's best to let him rest.

After a moment of thought, Bronya took a piece of stationery from her room, wrote a note for Ron, and slipped it under his door before quickly leaving the Goethe Grand Hotel. As for whether leaving Ron here alone would cause any problems... He's a grown man, isn't he? How could he get lost? Bronya felt there was no issue.

Time passed quickly, and soon it was noon. Ron stretched lazily; this time he had slept for twelve hours, which was a very productive day for him. But as soon as he groggily got out of bed, he keenly noticed a folded piece of paper at the door.

Someone had slipped a letter under the door? Ron lazily picked up the paper, unfolded it, and skimmed through the dense words, noting the little flower doodle in the bottom right corner and the signature: Bronya Rand. Skipping most of the caring words, the key points were—

"She left early because I was still asleep and gave me the day off?"

Ron looked at the letter in amazement, feeling quite shocked. So Bronya wasn't a demanding boss who dragged her subordinates into overworking, but a perfect superior who tackled issues herself without bothering her subordinates!

Oh my, how fortunate... Getting a day off on the second day of a job with a 1.5 million credit monthly salary. How could I be so lucky? Ron cheerfully put away the letter. Bronya's order for him to rest was just what he wanted—plus, it meant he could avoid Sampo, which was even better. Sampo, a follower of Akivili and a masked jester pursuing perfect drama... If possible, Ron thought it best to have as little contact with such people as possible. Who knows when he might get sold out by that guy and even help count the money?

Now that he had a day off, what should he do... Should he explore the lower district, sample the local cuisine, or see the few scenic spots it had to offer? Faced with so many choices, Ron unhesitatingly chose... to play games.

The lower district's environment was hellish, though Ron found this assessment harsh, it... didn't compare to the life simulation game. He called room service for today's special lunch, then lazily lay back on the bed and opened the life simulation game's screen—

[Life Simulation Game Logged In.]

[Welcome, player Ron.]

He clicked to start the simulation, and new text appeared on the screen:

[In the 700th year of the City Building Era, you became Bronya Rand's guard and followed her to the lower district of Belobog.]

[You spent a lethargic night that only a sloth would enjoy.]

[The next day, Bronya personally granted you a day off. After eating, you decided to stroll around Panyan Town to make the most of your day off.]

[As you walked, you sensed someone might be following you.]

[You encountered Seele, a member of the Underground Fire.]

[She started chatting with you and asked if you could accompany her around the lower district.]

[Please choose—]

[1. Agree to her request.]

[2. Refuse her request.]

Seele said she was very busy, so why does she seem free in the simulation? Maybe I should see what she wants... Ron scratched his head and chose the first option.

The text faded, and new entries began to appear:

[You agreed to Seele's request and toured all of Panyan Town with her.]

[Due to Seele's deliberate influence, you missed Bronya several times as she ran around Panyan Town, the closest being just one street apart.]

[Under Seele's guidance, you saw the dire state of the lower district—]

[You saw wanderers fighting fiercely for a bit of drinking water. The final victor, trembling, lifted the water bottle only to spill it, the precious liquid soaking into the ground;]

[You saw emaciated miners pushing carts full of Geomarrow, coughing uncontrollably as they worked, their weak bodies shaking as if stricken by some illness;]

[You saw poor miners risking their lives in the Panyan Town boxing ring, facing off against gleaming humanoid machines for a few dirty Winter City shields.]

[Seele led you through a blocked passage, and you keenly sensed you were entering the Fragmentum with her.]

[She brought you to a high platform where you saw another large city similar to Panyan Town.]

The text faded, and new scenes appeared on the screen:

"Do you know? This is Rivet Town, once the largest commercial city underground. Most goods flowed through here," Seele said, standing on the platform and looking at the city with a sigh.

"See that building on the mountain? It used to be an orphanage, and I grew up there. But now, everything in my memories has fallen into the Fragmentum, never to be found again..."

Ron listened quietly and suddenly asked, "So, what exactly do you want to say? You didn't bring me here just to chat, right?"

Seele nodded, the sad expression on her face fading into seriousness. "You're the guard that upper district lady brought down... I heard she's the heir to the Great Guardian, destined to become the next Great Guardian. But even so, I think with your potential, you'll be wasted under her."

"Although it's shameless to ask, the lower district is in such a dire state that we can't worry about pride—" Seele said, taking out a red armband and holding it out to Ron. "Will you leave Bronya and join the Underground Fire to save the lower district?"

"The lower district needs you... I believe only with me can you reach your full potential. I will never hold you back!"