Bronya takes a new step

[You give Bronya final advice, telling her how to proceed and arranging a fallback plan for her.]

[You greedily draw imaginary energy from the path of Preservation, turning it into thick crystals that tightly encase the Stellaron.]

[The creation engine loyally follows your will, using all its strength to throw the crystal-encased Stellaron into the sky.]

[Because you sacrificed your life without hesitation to preserve Belobog, your brilliant will draws the Amber King's momentary gaze.]

[He halts his hammer mid-swing, delaying the next era of the Amber Calendar by 0.00013 seconds because of your presence.]

[You gain a temporary entry: Amber King's Gaze (Gold).]

[You successfully take another solid step on the path of Preservation—]

[You have solidified the principle of Preservation, and the path responds... Now, you can draw more imaginary energy from the path.]

[Perhaps now, you can barely withstand a Calamity Vanguard...]

[But the power of the Stellaron is far beyond that of a mere Calamity Vanguard.]

[Unmatched brilliance bursts from your embrace—]

[Your crystallized body feels extreme heat, terrifying light spills out.]

[You, along with the Stellaron, become the most brilliant firework in the history of Jarilo-VI.]

[Bronya's favorability towards you greatly increases; her favorability is now 100 (maxed out, exchange vow to increase the limit).]

[After your death, Bronya remains in a daze on Everwinter Ridge for a long time before finally pulling out the Preservation Spear and returning to Belobog.]

[The deaths of the two people she loved most before her eyes deeply affect her mindset.]

[She successfully matures.]

[Upon returning to Belobog, Bronya follows your arrangements and becomes the 19th Great Guardian of Belobog.]

[She swears before the Everwinter Monument to ensure that Belobog will no longer waver in the wind and snow, and its people will no longer shiver in the cold...]

[But she does not completely follow your arrangements. She truthfully proclaims everything that happened on Everwinter Ridge, telling the citizens of Belobog that you were the hero who brought the dawn, while she was just an immature girl almost swayed by the Stellaron, mimicking her mother.]

[Bronya's prestige decreases, and discordant voices arise in Belobog.]

[However, following your instructions, Seele silently extinguishes these voices, turning them into butterflies that disperse.]

[With the Stellaron's explosion nullified, the rift begins to recede, giving Belobog more space to develop.]

[Under Bronya's diligent governance and cooperation between the Upper and Lower Zones, Belobog redevelops the commercial area reclaimed from the rift.]

[Belobog enters a period of stability.]

The text on the screen fades, and a new scene appears:

Belobog, noticeably cleaner, stands under a clear sky, with no more wind and snow troubling it. Warm sunlight bathes the city, giving it a golden glow.

Citizens walk the streets, looking much the same as before but with smiles full of hope for the future.

The scene shifts to the majestic Qlipoth Fort.

A more mature-looking Bronya, wearing the Great Guardian's attire, frowns at the large globe in her office, discussing expansion plans with Seele.

The Great Guardian's desk is neatly organized, with only a few simple decorations—

Among them is a badge Bronya once bestowed upon Ron, placed in the center of the desk, shining brightly in the sunlight streaming through the large windows of Qlipoth Fort.

The scene on the screen gradually fades, and new text appears:

[Years of peace pass...]

[Until the echoes of the Stellaron finally fade, the eternal ice melts under the scorching sun—]

[The claws of Destruction break free from the frigid prison, once again baring their fangs at Belobog.]

[War reignites on Jarilo-VI.]

[Under Bronya's command, the Silvermane Guards establish a tight defensive line, but it seems like a futile effort against the invasion of the antimatter legion.]

[Seele temporarily leads the Earthfire organization, developing the Lower Zone before returning to the Upper Zone to mount a final resistance against the antimatter legion.]

[Earthfire's resistance fails.]

[Destruction embraces this cold world.]

[Game Over.]

[Your life simulation score is: 80 points.]

[Amber Calendar 2180, 37th month, the Armed Archaeology faction of the Knowledge Preservation Society excavates the devastated planet Jarilo-VI, ravaged by the antimatter legion.]

[They unearth a broken piece of dark golden crystal, and with the help of a Rememberer from the Flowing Light Sanctuary, the light that once lingered on the crystal shines again after hundreds of years.]

[The light is preserved in a light cone and swiftly transported to the Interstellar Peace Corporation—]

[Half a month later, a headline on the front page of the Interstellar Peace Report features sensational news.]

[The news sensationalizes the mysterious figure who once astonished the galaxy and delayed the Amber King's hammer swing by 0.00013 seconds.]

[An exquisitely made promotional film is distributed across the universe with the Interstellar Peace Corporation's vast resources.]

[Almost everyone sees the giant ice city and the brilliant fireworks that once bloomed in the dark sky.]

["Preservation Light: Ron" becomes the most talked-about star in the galaxy, stirring discussions for three full Amber epochs.]

[You successfully completed an epic event in this simulation, earning a guaranteed golden entry.]

[You receive the entry: Amber King's Gaze (Gold).]

[Amber King's Gaze: Under the gaze of the Amber King, the golden light of all realms will be bestowed upon you when needed.

The initial favorability of creations and pathfinders of Preservation towards you will be fixed as friendly.

When you manipulate imaginary energy following the principles of Preservation, your enemies will suffer "recoil" damage after attacking you.]

Looking at his reward, although he successfully obtained an epic entry, Ron is still somewhat unhappy.

He doesn't like the outcome of this simulation.

It seems he couldn't hold on...

Ron feels a bit helpless, truly exhausted from this simulation.

He couldn't understand why Bronya was so prone to sending things downhill, repeatedly ruining the huge advantages he worked hard to build.

If Bronya hadn't made those mistakes and had given Ron enough time to develop, even just one more year, the vanguards of the antimatter legion wouldn't have easily burned Jarilo-VI, dragging the world into destruction.

The ending of this simulation would have been completely rewritten.

Although Bronya is really cute, she is just too inexperienced...

Ron rubs his temples in frustration, grabs something to eat, and leaves his old apartment.

This simulation made him feel a bit nauseous. Bronya's poor AI operation made him not want to open the game for a while.

He took several days off for this simulation, only to end up like this... The AI Bronya in the simulation messed things up so badly he now wants to go to work to calm down.

But he does need to go back to work—if he continues slacking off, even as a Silvermane officer, he might get fired for taking too many leaves.

And this is because he's a guard at Qlipoth Fort.

If he held any other important position, the inspectors would have visited his home on the first day of his leave to see what he was up to.

Although in the simulation he was almost a ruler of Belobog, the true hero who brought the dawn, in reality, he's just a guard living in an old apartment in Belobog...

If he doesn't work, he will starve, and Ron doesn't want to lose his cushy, well-paid guard job at Qlipoth Fort.

Ron leisurely walks through the streets of Belobog, timing his arrival at Qlipoth Fort's guard hall perfectly. He dresses in his armor and stands at the gate, lazily basking in the sun.

Slacking off is like a war, a blood battle for workers to reclaim their rightful pay from capitalists...

New workers timidly slack off, only occasionally sneaking some rest;

But experienced slackers like Ron boldly and openly slack off, entering slack mode even before starting work, never allowing the capitalists to exploit him!

This is Ron's way of slacking off!

"Tap, tap, tap."

As Ron lazily enjoys the warmth from a nearby heater, he suddenly hears urgent footsteps approaching—

He sees Bronya walking towards Qlipoth Fort, eyes slightly red, clutching a badge so tightly her fingertips are white.

Who pissed off Bronya? Why is she storming over here?

Can't I slack off in peace?!

Ron hurriedly stops slacking, but before he can straighten his armor, Bronya is already in front of him.

Her voice carries a barely noticeable tremor: "You are Silvermane Officer Ron... right?"

As a salary thief, Ron has never faced such a situation before. Despite the deep bond he shared with Bronya in the simulation, the real Bronya doesn't even know who he is.

Usually, she only greets him out of courtesy, sometimes not even glancing at him as a guard. Why is she suddenly like this?

Moreover, it feels oddly familiar...

Ron hesitates slightly, suddenly recalling—this is one of the essential events at the start of each simulation, isn't it?

But why haven't I received Cocolia's military order, only seeing Bronya?

Where's the army mobilization?

Ron is confused, but facing his superior's question, he nods seriously:

"You are correct, Lady Bronya. I am indeed the captain of Qlipoth Fort's guard unit, Silvermane Officer Ron."

After confirming, Bronya suddenly steps closer and pins a badge to Ron's chest.

With a slightly