[You awaken with a start in the dead of night.]
[A sense of foreboding washes over you. Disregarding the exhaustion from the past two days of coordinating with the Underworld, you leave your room.]
[You find that Bronya is gone. Only a note is left on the table, with two lines of elegant, neat handwriting—]
["Ron, I have to make a trip to the Fragmentum. Mother said she will tell me the truth about everything... I will convince her after I know the reasons for her policies. Then, we can work together to preserve Belobog."]
["Mother is actually a very gentle person; it will be easy to convince her. The Fragmentum isn't dangerous for the two of us. I'll be back soon, don't worry."]
[In the corner of the note, a very old-fashioned little flower is drawn, as if Bronya had tried to add a simple decoration to make it look less plain.]
Reading the text on the screen, Ron rolled his eyes and nearly fainted from anger.
Stop feeding! Can you please stop feeding?!
Ron had just turned the tide, using a clever trick to solve the rumor problem and even sideline Cocolia's military authority, and the next thing he knows, Bronya is jumping right back into the fire.
Damn it, I should have seen this coming...
Ron slapped his forehead in annoyance. He remembered that in the original Honkai: Star Rail plot, Bronya confronts Cocolia after learning of the Underworld's suffering and is then taken directly to Everwinter Hill to listen to some Stellaron ASMR.
Now that he had opened the passage between the districts and Seele had talked with Bronya for so long, it was perfectly normal for Bronya to get worked up.
But it's so hard to deal with such a rookie teammate dragging him down. Bronya, when are you going to grow up? Can you stop following Cocolia around calling her "Mother" all the time?
Now I have to clean up this mess again...
Ron sighed, rubbing his temples to calm himself down.
A new set of options appeared on the screen—
[This is an Epic Choice. Please choose—]
[1. Return to your slumber. The recent troubles have left you exhausted. You believe Bronya will be able to return safely under Cocolia's protection. You decide to go back to sleep and stop worrying about these troublesome matters. Your current Stress is 80. Choosing this option will significantly reduce your Stress and trigger a Stress Relief Event.]
[2. Rush to the Fragmentum. You know Cocolia has ill intentions. Allowing Bronya to go deep into the Fragmentum means she and Cocolia will have their minds annihilated by the Stellaron's whispers and become its puppets. By choosing this option, you will enter the Fragmentum to find Bronya. Your Stress will greatly increase, and you will trigger a Pressure Collapse Event.]
[3. Seek help. Choose a faction between the Silvermane Guards and Wildfire to help you rescue Bronya. The result will vary depending on your choice. The higher your reputation with the chosen faction, the higher the success rate of the rescue. Your Stress will increase slightly.]
[As this is an Epic Choice, a special option will be available—]
A shimmering golden option box appeared at the end:
[4. Autonomous Choice. Abandon all pre-selected paths and enter your course of action in the text box.]
Seeing the four options before him, Ron was momentarily stunned.
An Epic Choice? What's this?
Ron opened the pop-up interface on the screen and saw the description for Epic Choice:
[Epic Choice: In the simulation game, whenever the probability of triggering an Epic Event exceeds 30%, the option that determines whether the Epic Event can be triggered will appear. After successfully triggering an Epic Event, you will be guaranteed to receive a Golden Epic Trait, sublimated from the Epic Event, at the end of the simulation. This can be obtained multiple times.]
Ron's lazy, trouble-averse demeanor was instantly swept away. He sat up straight, his gaze fixed intently on the screen.
A Golden Epic Trait?
The fire of a completionist's desire began to burn in Ron's heart.
He would not let such a good opportunity pass... This was a golden trait, clearly from a rare event. Missing this would be cause for regret for a long time!
He had to choose his next move carefully.
After a moment of thought, Ron chose option four without hesitation.
The game had finally given him a chance to act freely. He had long wanted to avoid those single-path options... So many things could be done simultaneously for a much higher payoff.
A golden input box appeared on the screen. Ron thought for a moment and then typed out a simple countermeasure based on the current situation.
New text appeared on the screen:
[Pushing through your exhaustion, you force yourself into action.]
[You find the armory key in Bronya's drawer, give it to Captain Gepard, and order him to have the Silvermane Guards fully armed and on high alert, defending the peripheral passages.]
[You find Seele and request that Wildfire maintain order in Belobog.]
[You inform her of Bronya's situation and ask her to spread the narrative that "Cocolia has been corrupted by the Fragmentum, and Bronya has ventured deep into its territory to righteously stop her kin for the sake of Belobog."]
[You entrust her with clearing any obstacles to Bronya's rule, even if it means unleashing a storm of blood upon Belobog.]
[Your Stress has increased drastically. A Pressure Collapse Event has been triggered—]
[You have gained the temporary trait: Self-Destructive Tendency (Grey)]
[Self-Destructive Tendency: The accumulation of multiple stressors has pushed you into a self-destructive state. Until this trait is removed, all of your choices will include a fixed "sacrifice" option.]
The text on the screen faded, and a new scene appeared:
"I hate that old witch, but I feel like a lot of people in the Overworld still respect her... Suddenly pushing Bronya into power without any warning seems like it'll throw the entire Overworld into chaos."
Seele's hair was a mess. It was clear Ron had dragged her out of bed. A trace of doubt showed in her tired eyes.
In response to her question, Ron explained simply:
"Cocolia isn't coming back. Without a Supreme Guardian, Belobog will be like a traveler who has lost their guiding light, buried silently in the snow."
"The Supreme Guardian is the faith that allows most people to live on... But Belobog only needs a Supreme Guardian. It doesn't matter who the Supreme Guardian is."
As he spoke, his tone turned cold.
"Bronya needs to step on Cocolia to rise to power. If there are any dissonant voices, eliminate them early."
"This city is already on the brink... Belobog cannot withstand any more instability."
"So, can you handle Cocolia and that... Stellaron thing by yourself?"
Seele asked, straightening her clothes and unhesitatingly picking up the giant scythe beside her.
"Do you want me to go with you?"
"No need... When it comes to dealing with a Stellaron-assimilated Cocolia, it makes no difference whether you're there or not."
"Stay in Belobog. You have a lot to do."
With that, Ron turned and stepped into the darkness, walking briskly towards the Fragmentum in the dead of night.
This was the final darkness before the dawn.