The text on the light screen faded, and a new scene emerged:
Bronya opened the door to the clinic, her expression somewhat gloomy.
Her eyes were slightly red as she walked hastily towards Ron.
"Didn't we agree to find the mining team today? Why did you come here?"
Her voice sounded calm, but one could faintly sense a tremor... Bronya was not in a good mood.
Ron watched the scene on the screen, scratching his head with a sense of helplessness.
Duckie, you slept in yourself. Did you really expect me to wait for you all day?
And why does this feel like an interrogation... I just came to Natasha's clinic to grind some skill experience. I didn't do anything wrong, did I?
Although his faction had switched to Natasha's personal one... couldn't you just jump factions whenever you wanted?
Besides, he could work two jobs at once, be a two-timer... no, be a servant to two houses.
Surely Bronya wouldn't refuse this, sternly tell him to leave Natasha's faction, and forbid him from grinding skill experience here, right?
The thought gave Ron a bit of a headache. While he never planned to stay in Bronya's faction from the start of this run, waiting for that super liability to drag him down, he didn't want to ruin his relationship with her either. To unify the Overworld and Underworld as quickly as possible, Bronya's identity was essential—he couldn't just go to Cocolia, could he?
Ron winced as he watched the scene on the screen continue:
"Oh, it's Bronya... Ron said he wasn't feeling well today, so he came to the clinic for a check-up."
Natasha put down the potion bottle in her hand and smiled at the gloomy-faced Bronya, explaining gently:
"I've prescribed him medicine, but this illness won't get better so quickly... He'll need to come here every day for a while to prevent a relapse."
As she spoke, she gave Ron an imperceptible wink.
"Isn't that right, Ron?"
The image on the screen dimmed, and an option box popped up:
[Faced with Natasha's lie and an interrogating Bronya, you choose—]
[1. Oh, Boss Bronya, I'm truly gravely ill! I'll die without Natasha to save me!
You decide to go along with Natasha's lie. You will once again become Bronya's personal guard, but due to a time conflict, you will stay at Natasha's clinic to learn medical skills under the pretext of recuperating. Your true allegiance remains with Natasha's personal faction.]
[2. I'm sorry, Bronya, but I see no future by your side... I belong to Natasha now.
You decide to tell Bronya the truth. Your faction will be permanently fixed to Natasha's personal faction.]
[3. I was wrong, Bronya! I'm still your most loyal guard!
You decide to admit your mistake to Bronya, leave Natasha's personal faction, and once again become Bronya's personal guard.]
Do you just make up lies without even a rough draft? How are you so skilled at it?
Ron looked at the text on the screen, finding it hard to keep a straight face.
And why did this whole situation have a strange sense of déjà vu, as if he were a cheating husband caught by his wife... His relationship with Bronya wasn't that close, was it?
Though, during the second simulation, their relationship had been built up so high that such a situation might have been normal, but this simulation was a far cry from that...
However, although Ron felt it was strange to deceive Bronya, he still wasn't prepared to tell her the truth.
After all, Bronya's identity was simply too important, and Ron couldn't possibly give up the pleasure of power-leveling his skills with Natasha, nor abandon the chance to become a Pathstrider of [The Abundance]... Naturally, his only choice was to deceive Bronya.
Oh, Duckie, Duckie, who asked you to be such a feeder... If you were strong enough, I wouldn't have to resort to these unorthodox methods. I would have long been shouting 'Loyalty!' and cleared this dungeon as your personal guard...
Ron grumbled internally and chose the first option.
The option box on the screen faded, and new text appeared on it:
[You chose to deceive Bronya.]
[Although very confused about the matter, Bronya still believed you.]
[She was very worried about your health, suspecting that the medical resources in the Underworld were insufficient, and offered to take you back to the Overworld for treatment in the best hospital.]
[Since you were not sick at all and were only deceiving Bronya, you refused her proposal.]
[Your proposal has been rejected by Ron.]
[He stated that his health was not a major issue and that he could not delay your work in the Underworld for personal reasons.]
[Your superior, Bronya Rand, has requested your help in persuading Svarog to bring the robot settlement under her command.]
[You declined her request on the grounds of feeling unwell, turned around, and went to Natasha's clinic to begin today's studies.]
[You have completed a day of medical studies. You have gained one point of Path progress.]
[Currently, your progress on the [The Abundance] Path is—(2/10)]
[Your superior...]
[You refused...]
[...]
The notes on the screen jumped continuously. During this period, Bronya would ask Ron to help her with something every day, but Ron never agreed.
Each time, he used excuses like "feeling unwell" or "not yet recovered from a serious illness" to refuse Bronya, then sneak off to Natasha's clinic to begin his day of medical studies...
Ron found the whole affair strangely absurd, but seeing his "Medicine" experience and Path progress skyrocketing, he didn't care much about it for the time being.
"My progress on the [The Abundance] Path is already at seven points, and my Medicine level has risen to forty-seven... Although the skill leveling has slowed down, this level of medicine should be sufficient."
"Once I've maxed out the skill and set foot on the Path of [The Abundance], I'll have to figure out how to get back on the old path from the last simulation... I need to think carefully about the best way to unify Belobog..."
As Ron was pondering, new text appeared on the screen:
[You have once again arrived at Natasha's clinic.]
[But before you could enter, you heard angry shouts from a group of people:]
["A month? Dr. Natasha, there's no reason this medicine should be taken for a whole month!"]
["We're all just ordinary miners! We barely earn a few Winter Solstice Shields a day! Just one day of this medicine is painful enough, how can we afford it for a month?!"]
["I wanted to buy new clothes for my kid, but this medicine is more expensive than clothes..."]
["Forget it, we're not getting treated, we're not getting treated..."]
[A bustling crowd surged out of Natasha's clinic. Having recently learned a great deal of medical knowledge, you could immediately tell that these people were all seriously ill.]
[Mine poisoning, Fragmentum corrosion... these incredibly severe illnesses clung to them like maggots on a bone. To treat these diseases, it would be absolutely impossible to recover without medication and long-term rest.]
[You watched these people leave, cursing and swearing, and then you heard someone mutter in a low voice:]
["This never happened when Dr. Vache was around..."]
["Dr. Vache's medicine was never this expensive, and it cured you right away! You never had to take it for a month...!"]
["Hey, hey, I heard someone's been secretly selling medicine lately. They say it's just as good as Dr. Vache's, and while it's a bit more expensive than what he used to sell, it's a lot cheaper than what they have at Natasha's clinic..."]
The text on the screen faded, and a new image emerged:
Ron was thoughtfully watching the backs of a group of departing patients, while Natasha walked out of the clinic, looking at them with a complex expression.
She was silent for a moment, then suddenly sighed.
"You're here... I was hoping to let you try your hand at treating a few patients today, but it seems that's not possible now."
As she spoke, she forced a smile at Ron.
"But it's nothing, we always have something to do... Come on, let's develop a new medicine together today."
The image on the screen paused, and a new option box appeared:
[You have noticed that Natasha's mood is not quite normal. She seems unhappy... Perhaps the patients' lack of understanding has caused her to doubt her goals.]
[Special Choice has been triggered—Please note, the following choice may affect the action logic of the character "Natasha" in this simulation.
Depending on your choice, Natasha will walk a different path.]
[1. "People can never truly understand each other. You've done nothing wrong; it's just that they don't value their own lives enough... Since they don't value them, you don't need to worry about them either, Nata."]
[2. "They are merely ignorant, but even the ignorant have a right to live... We can't watch them die in vain like this, Nata."]
[Because this is a Special Choice, you will automatically receive a free option:]
[3. You will personally enter the simulation and act freely.]
Ron looked at the option box on the screen, momentarily speechless.
Why were Special Choices always so bizarre... The options for other choices were all quite normal, but the ones for Special Choices reeked of pure, unadulterated foolishness.
Option one seemed to have some merit, but the miners in the Underworld could barely afford to eat. Forcing them to take medicine that would wipe out a month's earnings was tantamount to sentencing them to death.
It was precisely because they valued their lives that they chose to give up treatment.
Option two was even more absurd... Forcibly treat everyone, is that it? Where would the resources come from? Would they just fall from the sky?
Based on Ron's own understanding of Belobog, during the last simulation when he was the second-in-command of the Jarilo-VI First Empire, he had struggled to squeeze out any medical resources even after bleeding the entire Empire dry.
This city, which had stood firm in the harsh winter, had long passed its era of abundant resources. The current Belobog was lacking in everything.
The people of the Overworld could live relatively comfortable lives by leeching off the Underworld, but the people of the Underworld were living in hell.
And you expect adequate medical resources in hell? Natasha had to scavenge in the Fragmentum just to find alcohol and bandages, let alone actual medicine...
Ron grumbled internally and shook his head.
Looks like I have to step in myself after all...
Thinking this, he clicked on the third option.
A slight sense of dizziness washed over him, and Ron once again entered the simulation.
He looked at Natasha, who was forcing a smile at him, her pair of magenta eyes overflowing with complex emotions. He suddenly shook his head and said:
"Nata... are you blaming yourself?"
"Blaming myself?" Natasha was slightly taken aback, then she pursed her lips helplessly.
"I wouldn't call it blaming myself, it's just..."
Her gaze shifted to the streets of Boulder Town, to the miners walking among them, a hint of pity in her eyes.
"I just don't want to see their tragic future."
"As a doctor, I have a responsibility to my patients to give them the best treatment advice... but it's clear these suggestions can't bring them health."
As Natasha spoke, her eyes looked weary.
"Alright, I have to admit, I am blaming myself..."
"I hate that I can't save them. It makes me feel... well, a little bit of a doctor's unique anxiety."
Hearing this, Ron suddenly smiled.
"Ha... then Nata, do you know what disease they really have?"
"Why the sudden question?"
Natasha was slightly startled, but she still answered seriously:
"Everyone's illness is different, but the vast majority are suffering from mine poisoning due to mining Geo-Marrow, and some have been severely corroded by the Fragmentum after accidentally wandering into it..."
But before Natasha could finish, Ron interrupted her:
"No, they actually only have one disease."
"What disease?"
The smile on Ron's face faded, and a serious expression crept onto his cheeks.
"When a miner who has nothing appears, even if he is healthy, it is as if he is terminally ill... When he truly falls sick, the end of his life will rush towards him even faster."
"The symptoms are many and varied, but in the end, it is all just one disease... and that is the disease of poverty."
"Studying medicine alone cannot save the Underworld, Nata."