Looking at the light screen before her, Bronya sat on the soft bed of her Herta Space Station staff dormitory, a smile on her face that hadn't been seen for a long time.
The first time... this was the first time.
It was the first time she had so smoothly completed a plan entirely of her own making, and perfectly achieved her goal—
She had successfully taken Lady Herta away, escaped the pursuit of the Herta Space Station's Security Department, and even managed to see Herta come online as she was taking her back to the ship.
What a perfect result, wasn't it? Her plan was just something she had come up with on the spur of the moment, yet she never expected such a brilliant outcome...
A sliver of pride couldn't help but rise in Bronya's heart, but she didn't allow herself to wallow in this small success. Instead, she immediately focused her attention on the simulation screen before her, preparing to latch onto this super-thigh, Herta, and see if she could get enough help from her to head to the Xianzhou [Luofu] and completely rescue Ron.
But before she could even put her thoughts into action, the lines of text on the simulation screen gradually faded, and a new scene emerged—
In the scene, Bronya was holding Herta's shoulders, her expression urgent as she looked at the Herta before her, her eyes already brimming with tears.
This wasn't to say she was so weak that she couldn't handle things when they happened; it was just that Herta had now become her last straw...
If she couldn't find a way to save Ron from Herta, then Ron was likely lost for good.
That's why she was so desperate to get an answer from Herta, her entire being completely consumed by this one goal, tears of desperation already welling up...
After all... she really had no idea what kind of life Ron was living on the Xianzhou [Luofu].
Although she had considered before that there might be another Life Simulation Game player on the Luofu, she couldn't be sure if that person would be as friendly to Ron as she, Seele, and Natasha were...
Looking back at everything she had experienced in the simulations, although the Xianzhou [Luofu] and Belobog had never had much interaction, the one or two times they did cross paths didn't seem to be for anything good—
Let's not even talk about the time the Luofu, because of the Abundance monstrosity from [The Hunt], directly and utterly destroyed Jarilo-VI. Let's just talk about the last simulation, where Ron mysteriously transformed into that cold, world-destroying god-like figure. The Xianzhou [Luofu] was one of the factions that was completely crushed into dust under the iron hooves of the Knights of Salvation, under Ron's cold gaze and scorching holy light.
If there really was a player of unknown identity on the Xianzhou [Luofu], their opinion of Ron, and by extension Belobog, was likely not very good...
Although the Xianzhou [Luofu] had now come to Belobog and generously extended a helping hand, Bronya knew... this was not a true act of kindness.
After all, if it were truly out of goodwill, the Cloud Knights of the Xianzhou [Luofu] wouldn't have taken complete and utter control of everything in Belobog, temporarily placing the entire city under their watch.
...That must be a high-ranking official from the Xianzhou [Luofu] who doesn't trust the decisions made by Belobog. They brought Ron to the Xianzhou [Luofu] and are trying every means possible to control all of Belobog, to prevent everything that happened in the previous simulations from becoming a reality. This was something Bronya could figure out.
So, how exactly would this unknown player treat Ron? That was hard to say...
Who knew if Ron was currently locked up in the Xianzhou [Luofu]'s Shackling Prison? Although Bronya's memories of the Luofu from the simulations weren't deep, from her experience cooperating with the Xianzhou Alliance to eliminate the Abundance monstrosity, she had at least a basic understanding of their organizational structure...
The mere name of the Luofu's Shackling Prison sounded terrifying from hearsay. If Ron was locked inside and being tortured, wouldn't a super genius who hadn't even had a chance to grow up be snuffed out in a jail cell?
Otherwise, why would the Xianzhou [Luofu] in the last simulation have been burned to ashes under the calamitous fire of [The Destruction]? If Ron were still on the Luofu, that situation surely wouldn't have happened...
Just the thought of it terrified Bronya. She subconsciously tightened her grip on Herta's shoulders.
But Bronya could never have imagined that not only was Ron not locked up in the Shackling Prison, but he had become the secret leader of the Xianzhou [Luofu]'s current salvation movement, and had already begun planning against the veil of fate...
And Herta, thoughtfully watching the tense and anxious Bronya before her, watching her grip her own shoulders, fell silent for a moment before suddenly speaking:
"Bronya... right?"
Bronya was startled for a moment. She didn't quite process it at first and just numbly nodded in response.
But just a second later, her thought process, which had stagnated due to her extreme worry for Ron, finally kicked back into gear, allowing her to sense that something was off...
Wait, did I introduce myself? Did I say something earlier in my worry that I've already forgotten?
A trace of confusion flickered in the depths of Bronya's heart, but the Herta before her was too lazy to play games—being active on two bodies at once was tiring, especially when the work on Ron's side required so much mental energy. She didn't want to multitask and risk something going wrong.
Controlling a Path of an Aeon to create a miracle object that could break the veil of fate was no easy task. She and Ron were already at their wits' end. How could she have any time to waste on Bronya here?
So, after noticing the doubt rising in Bronya's heart, she immediately explained in a flat tone:
"Don't hesitate. Your guess is right... We're all players."
As Herta spoke, she glanced at the in-ship chronometer beside her and saw that nearly five minutes had already been wasted. She instantly lost the desire to continue wasting time.
"The situation is urgent. Every bit of strength counts... Just come directly to the Xianzhou [Luofu]. We're in the Artisanship Commission right now. There are a lot of troublesome matters that need to be dealt with."
After saying that, Herta glanced at the chronometer again and saw that the time was exactly five minutes, hitting the limit of what she could accept.
She nodded in satisfaction. "Logging off. See you on the Luofu."
With those words, the Herta puppet, whose eyes had just been shining with the light of wisdom and who seemed so vividly alive, once again lost all its color. Its eyes dimmed and became lifeless. It slumped softly into the ship's seat, leaving Bronya to dazedly hold its shoulders, the tears that had been welling up in her eyes now awkwardly unsure if they should fall, a look of confusion shining within them.
"Huh?"
Her scattered vision gradually came into focus, resting on the Herta puppet before her.
Didn't Herta just say something... not quite right?!
The image on the light screen dimmed, and new text gradually appeared on it:
[You have successfully brought the Herta puppet out of the Herta Space Station and onto your starship, warping towards the Jarilo-VI system at maximum speed.]
[On your ship, you see the Herta puppet successfully activate, and from her mouth, you learn a piece of news that shocks you to your core—]
[She tells you that they, like you, are players, and are currently on the Xianzhou [Luofu], working themselves to the bone to save the giant ecological ship...]
[And now, she has extended an invitation to you... inviting you to fly your ship to the Xianzhou [Luofu] and lend a hand in solving these current troubles.]
The simulated text on the light screen faded away, and suddenly, a seven-colored light outlined a new text box. An extremely special miracle option appeared before Bronya for the very first time.
[Because of Herta's invitation, you have successfully been invited to join a miracle choice.]
[By completing this choice, you may have the opportunity to complete a miracle event with others, or you may walk towards failure under a cold fate, falling into endless mediocrity...]
Next to the option box, a detailed little tip popped up:
[Miracle Event: Looking upon this sea of stars, the orbits of the celestial bodies are fixed by the effects of gravity. Stars are entangled with one another, each deciding the future of the other.]
[Countless living beings travel the sea of stars, driven by their own desires into this cold hunting ground where all life is entangled and devours one another.]
[Everything is woven by the threads of fate. Everything follows these threads to its end. The predetermined end will come, and all will be swallowed by the cold void.]
[In this destined fate, everything is but a ripple in the vast ocean. Perhaps it will occasionally stir up a wave, but in the end, it will always return to calm, back to the vast, deep sea...]
[Only a miracle can transcend all, escaping the trappings of fate.]
[To turn the impossible into the possible, to transform the expected mediocrity into the unexpected extraordinary—an ancient wonder that transcends common sense, an extraordinary feat of extreme difficulty, all the gifts and achievements that transcend fate, are what the world calls "miracles".]
[In the simulation, you will have a probability of triggering a miracle event. The base trigger probability for a miracle event is -100%, which is to say, "impossible".]
[However, some traits, items, and environmental conditions will increase the trigger probability of a miracle event. A special miracle choice, upon perfect completion, may also trigger a miracle event.]
[When you successfully trigger a miracle event, you will permanently obtain one "Miracle".]
[Miracles have no grade divisions, because even the smallest miracle is an impossible event that breaks common sense. Every "Miracle" is something you could never possibly obtain in a simulation.]
[By rationally utilizing the power of a "Miracle," you will go further in the simulation and push the simulation towards a better outcome.]
[You do not know where this so-called miracle lies. You only know that before you is a boundless, cold sea of stars, and now, you have only a few dull choices before you...]
[1. Join the resistance against this miracle.
Although you took a detour at the beginning of this simulation and wasted quite a bit of time, you have thankfully found a way to join the main force...
Herta has already extended an olive branch to you. As long as you accept her invitation to go to the Xianzhou [Luofu], you will have the chance to join their grand plan that can now affect the entire sea of stars, to forge the one and only miracle that will affect this entire sea of stars—
Although you have already wasted a lot of time, it is not too late to join midway—this miracle absolutely cannot happen without your participation. Right now, immediately, head to the Xianzhou [Luofu] and contribute your own unique power to forge this miracle!
Choosing this option, you will proceed to the Xianzhou [Luofu] at the fastest possible speed and join the miracle plan of Herta and the other players...]
[2. Fall into a lost and confused end.
All your previous preparations and actions are meaningless. You look at your own wretched appearance and sorrowfully discover that everything you've done seems to have had no effect at all.
A miracle... what does a miracle that can affect the sea of stars have to do with you? Do you really have the ability to contribute to this miracle?
Do they, Herta and the others, really need your help? You think it over and over, but you can't imagine such a possibility.
Perhaps, returning to your old home in Belobog is what you should be doing right now... The Xianzhou [Luofu] doesn't need you. You just need to go home and wait for good news.
Choosing this option, you will return to Belobog with the calmest possible state of mind. Your Path inclination will shift.
After a certain period of time, you may have the opportunity to leave the Path of [Preservation] and step onto the Path of [Nihility].]
[3. "What the Belobog expletive does this game have to do with me?!"
Why won't this group of people play the Life Simulation Game with you? You've had enough! There's no place for you in this game anymore!
Forget it!
You decide to quit this game and hand over control of your game character to the AI.
Your simulation character will receive a 20% bonus to all attributes after being taken over by the AI.]
Looking at the scene and text options on the light screen, Bronya fell silent.
She was silent for a long time.
A very, very long time.
Looking at the simulation screen before her, she suddenly felt as if her mind had gone blank. Her whole body felt light, and in a daze, she had already collapsed onto the bed.
A thought identical to the last option in the simulation popped into her head—
What the Belobog expletive does this game have to do with her?
So everyone's a player? Everything she's doing right now is completely meaningless. These big shots had already figured out a way to solve it. They just left this little fool in the dark, completely unaware of what everyone was actually doing...
They won't even let her play in their simulation!
Life! Simulation! Game! There's no place for her!
They had already gathered together to complete such a grand plan that could affect the entire sea of stars, to forge a miracle that could affect this entire sea of stars, while she, Bronya, was still at the Herta Space Station, thinking about how to steal a Herta puppet!
Forget it. I'm tired. Let it all be destroyed.
For the first time, such a weary feeling rose from the bottom of Bronya's heart. For a moment, she truly felt as if she had lost all meaning...
But as she lay paralyzed on the bed, her beautiful silver-white curls scattered, they still stubbornly formed beautiful coils, just like Bronya herself.
More than once, she wanted to just reach out, click the third option on the screen, and hand the simulation over to the AI, but she knew she absolutely shouldn't do that.
Because she knew... she was by no means useless.
Why wasn't she useless? In the last simulation, the Xianzhou [Luofu] was burned to complete ashes. Even with Herta and that player from the Luofu, and even with Ron as a player, weren't they still unable to save the Luofu from the disaster of its collapse?
Even if she was useless again, she could at least serve tea and pour water, right? To add even a little bit of strength to that plan that could affect the entire sea of stars, perhaps she could become the last straw that tips the scales of heaven?
Confusion might appear in her moments of repeated setbacks and failures, but it was absolutely not a reason for her to give up and stop trying.
She would not choose options two and three... To not even try, to directly run away and be a coward.
Ron and the others were already on the Xianzhou [Luofu], attempting that miracle plan that could affect the sea of stars. Although Bronya didn't know what it was exactly, she felt that she should go and see it for herself. Even if it was just to participate, she had to join in!
Even if it was just to contribute a little bit of strength!
With this thought, Bronya clenched her small fists, gave herself a little pep talk, and then unhesitatingly clicked on the screen before her, choosing the first option on the screen...
The seven-colored option box on the light screen gradually faded, and new simulation text appeared on the screen.
And at the same time, on the other side—
[You have led the Cloud Knights with hurried steps, having traversed nearly all the main grotto-heavens of the Xianzhou [Luofu], but you have still been unable to find the trail of [Lord Ravager Phantylia].]
[Just as you are preparing to follow Ron's instructions and head to the Artisanship Commission, the Heliobi from the Artisanship Commission find you. And just as you are sternly preparing to bring them to justice, they directly prostrate themselves and express their loyalty to Ron and the Xianzhou [Luofu]...]
[With the full assistance of the Heliobus [Fuyan], you have successfully found the trail of [Lord Ravager Phantylia] in a small corner of the Cloudford's cargo transit area.]