[Your decision was correct.]
[The empire is back on track.]
Looking at the text on the light screen, Ron let out a small sigh of relief, the tight frown on his brow finally easing.
His choice had not been a mistake... The reform of the Pioneer Group was a success, and the results were excellent.
Not only had there been no internal strife, but the infected had maintained their sanity, entered the Fragmentum with the Pioneers, and successfully uncovered ruins from the old world, bringing back a significant amount of resources. This had alleviated the empire's recent deficit and greatly reduced the pressure on its finances.
However, although Ron was relieved, a great weight still lingered in his heart. He was not completely at ease.
While the results in the simulation were good for now, with the reform proceeding without a hitch and the integrated infected getting along well with the Pioneers, Ron knew this was all temporary.
The risk of using the infected as a labor force was immense. For the moment, perhaps due to the Pioneers' vigilance and the fact that the infected could still suppress their desires after the new policy was implemented, the mixed Imperial Second Pioneer Group had not caused any trouble.
But over time, those infected by the Seed of Calamity would eventually meet their end... Based on Natasha's recent research, Ron now fully understood their situation.
To call them "infected" was, in a way, an overstatement... In essence, they were not infected with anything. And the Seed of Calamity should not have been named "Calamity."
It was a true, pure blessing from Yaoshi of The Abundance.
Ron didn't know what Sampo had done. Perhaps the Emanator of The Elation hadn't used the power of his own Path, but had instead secretly prayed to the Apothecary and received a blessing...
In any case, those who had consumed the Seed of Calamity showed no signs of being influenced by the Path of The Elation. Instead, they had received a pure blessing of The Abundance.
It was just that the power of this blessing was different from that of the original Blessed Berries...
When Natasha had prayed to the Apothecary, she had placed strict limitations on her wish and was not at all greedy. The side effects of consuming her berries were therefore minuscule and completely manageable.
But these infected were different.
The blessing they received after consuming the Seed of Calamity was comparable to the blessings the Xianzhou Alliance had prayed for from The Apothecary back when they were still the "Elixir-Seekers"...
It was perhaps even stronger.
Even after death, the bodily tissues of these infected maintained an exuberant vitality.
The parasitic vines granted them formidable power and endless life, just like the Xianzhou people who had consumed the fruit of the Arbor, becoming immortal.
The Xianzhou people ate the fruit of the Arbor and their lifespans became infinite, free from all constraints.
But by the same token, they also endured the torment of long life, paying the price that immortality demands.
Complex desires accumulated in their minds. They lived forever, witnessing everything in the world, yet as time passed, memories faded into nothingness. Only those memories tied to intense emotions remained etched in the depths of their minds, constantly replaying before their eyes.
And the memories that could leave such a deep impression on a long-life species that had lived for ages... were rarely anything good.
The pain and desire accumulated over many years would eventually break through their limits, dragging the Xianzhou people into the abyss.
Malice would take root and sprout in their hearts, grotesque branches growing from their bodies. Sanity would be burned away in agony, and they would ultimately fall to the Mara, their bodies transforming into abominations.
And these infected who had consumed the Seed of Calamity... were like Xianzhou people, but with a risk dozens of times higher.
They had obtained formidable power and the ability to evolve that should not have belonged to them, and for that, they would pay a greater price than the Xianzhou—
The Xianzhou people had extremely long lives to accumulate these malicious thoughts, eventually falling to the Mara as if it were a natural death. But the infected were shrouded in desire at every moment, constantly at risk of being completely consumed by it.
And if they were consumed by desire, they would transform into even more terrifying monsters. If left unchecked, they could genuinely evolve continuously by devouring others, eventually becoming the Abominations of Abundance that ravaged the sea of stars...
I still can't relax... For now, it's best to leave the infected in the quarantine zone untouched.
Ron stroked his chin thoughtfully. Theoretically, the success of the reform was enough to serve as the beginning of a complete overhaul of the Pioneer Groups, slowly integrating all the remaining infected.
If he could integrate all of them, then the crisis brought on by the Seed of Calamity would perhaps no longer be a crisis at all.
It would become a massive expansion of the Pioneer Groups, pushing the empire towards a great rejuvenation.
But Ron was not greedy.
As long as he could survive for one year while maintaining the empire's stability, the "Raging Undercurrents" trait would disappear, and the crisis would be over. At that point, the empire could still stride towards the future.
The current number of integrated infected was barely acceptable. He could not accept any more...
In the current situation, even if some infected did turn into monsters and cause chaos, the Pioneer Groups could suppress them, albeit at a cost. There wouldn't be too great a risk... except for the Pioneers who had to fight alongside them.
They gave everything for the empire, yet they still had to face such a risk. Ron felt a small pang of guilt for them.
But it couldn't be helped... These risks were the price for the empire's continued existence. As long as the final goal could be achieved, Ron would not hesitate.
The text on the light screen faded, and new lines popped up:
[Time gradually passes. During this period, you have controlled the empire's development and pacified its people, finally stabilizing the situation.]
[The people have grown accustomed to their infected relatives and friends being quarantined in the "Belobog People's Hospital." They have also grown accustomed to the Pioneer Groups periodically entering and leaving Belobog, carving a path through the snow for them and bringing back mountains of supplies.]
[Everything is completely on track. A research team from the Belobog Academy of Sciences reports good news to you: the new wheat seed—"Hope No. 2"—has been successfully developed.]
[The new wheat variety, "Hope No. 2," is a significant improvement on "Hope No. 1." It now has a higher yield and requires more heat, but the requirement is far below what a geomarrow-powered greenhouse can provide.]
[You perform a simple calculation of "Hope No. 2's" yield and find that it is approximately 30% higher than "Hope No. 1's."]
[In about half a month, the wheat currently planted in the greenhouses will fully mature, and it will be harvest season.]
[If, after harvesting, you immediately plant "Hope No. 2," and open up more greenhouses to cover all the Fragmentum territory that has been cleared by the Pioneer Groups, the next harvest's yield will be an astronomical figure.]
[At that time, the empire's food production will be more than enough to feed every single person, even including all the infected.]
[Furthermore, with a little more expansion, building more greenhouses to plant "Hope No. 2," the food production will be sufficient for the entire population of the empire to consume "Snowstorm Immunity," undergoing a massive species-wide evolution, and supplying an entire empire of Pioneers.]
Looking at the text, a smile crept onto Ron's lips.
This was a truly pleasant surprise... He had thought it would take longer to develop a higher-yield wheat seed.
To think it was successfully developed just before the harvest season... Although the seeds from the laboratory were certainly not enough to plant in all the greenhouses, Ron only needed to use the power of the Path of The Abundance to grow enough seeds within half a month to fill them all.
Just as Ron was feeling pleased and was about to tap the screen to begin the next phase of wheat breeding, new text appeared:
[The Imperial Second Pioneer Group has ventured deep into the Fragmentum but has not returned at the scheduled time.]
[A sense of unease creeps into your heart. Although there have been instances before of Pioneer Groups not returning on time, only to come back days later with a large cache of supplies, reporting that a new discovery had delayed them, that was in the past.]
[This is the first time a Pioneer Group has failed to return on schedule after the reform and the integration of the infected.]
The text faded, and a new option box appeared:
[Faced with the current situation, you decide to—]
[1. Dispatch the First Pioneer Group, personally led by its commander, Seele, into the Fragmentum. You believe this incident is highly unusual. The Second Pioneer Group may be in grave danger and cannot be ignored. You decide to send the First Pioneer Group, which is still stationed at the quarantine zone, into the Fragmentum to find the Second and bring your comrades back to Belobog.]
[2. "They're probably just held up by something. Let's wait a little longer..." You know it's not normal for a Pioneer Group to not return on time, but since it has happened before, you suspect they may have run into something again. You decide to wait two days. If the Second Pioneer Group has not returned by then, you will be presented with this choice again.]
[3. Nothing is better than going yourself. You have a bad feeling about the Second Pioneer Group's situation. You know the integrated infected were bound to cause trouble. Although things have been stable so far, perhaps their time to be consumed by desire is now... You believe the crisis the Second Pioneer Group is facing cannot be solved by ordinary people. Only your personal intervention offers a sliver of hope. You decide to immediately enter the Fragmentum, find the Second Pioneer Group, and bring them back to Belobog. Selecting this option will consume 30 Energy. Your current daily Energy is: 60/100.]
Looking at the options, the smile that had just appeared on Ron's face stiffened, then slowly vanished.
"The Second Pioneer Group hasn't returned..."
Ron stared grimly at the options, lost in thought.
This shouldn't be happening... Even if the infected had been consumed by desire and had rioted, they should have been suppressed by the Pioneers. Ron was confident in his arrangements.
The number of infected in the group was not nearly enough. Even if they all rioted, the Pioneers had more than enough strength to put them down.
But now they hadn't returned. They were trapped in the Fragmentum...
I can't send the First Pioneer Group.
Ron made his decision instantly. If they had truly run into some unimaginable trouble, then even with Seele leading them, the First Pioneer Group would just be throwing their lives away, getting trapped in the Fragmentum alongside the Second.
Moreover, the First Pioneer Group was responsible for guarding the quarantine zone. If he moved them, the zone would be left undefended.
If the infected there were to riot at that moment, it would be utterly uncontrollable...
But to not send anyone to rescue them, to completely ignore them, was also impossible. Ron was not that heartless.
After a moment of simple deliberation, Ron sighed.
30 Energy was a lot, but it was being spent for a good reason...
Choosing this option meant he would have no energy left for wheat breeding today, but that wasn't urgent. It could wait until tomorrow...
With that thought, Ron clicked the third option on the screen.
The options faded, and new text appeared:
[You believe this crisis cannot wait. With the First Pioneer Group needed to guard the quarantine zone, you decide to go yourself and solve this little problem once and for all.]
[You leave Qlipoth Fort, leave Belobog, and venture deep into the snow-shrouded Fragmentum.]
[Faced with a vast expanse of white desolation, walking among the ruins of the old world, you follow the Second Pioneer Group's previous route, trying your best to find the direction they were headed.]
[Neither the Fragmentum nor the snowstorm can stop you. You quickly traverse their route and successfully discover a clue—]
The text faded, and a new scene emerged:
Snowflakes like goose feathers drifted through the Fragmentum, enough to bury all traces.
But Ron only had to frown slightly to see the faint marks left on the smooth, snowy ground ahead...
"Is that... the remains of a Fragmentum monster?"
He frowned and waved his hand, blowing away the snow nearby.
A fragment of狰狞, Fragmentum-assimilated armor was buried in the snow. It was clearly a piece of standard-issue Imperial military armor, barely qualifying as a useful material.
But Ron's attention was drawn to it for another reason—on the fragment was a patch of dark, black blood.
And strangely, in this frigid wasteland, a thin layer of moss had grown on the bloodstain, as if it were clinging to the armor itself...
"So an infected was consumed by desire, turned into a monster, and fought with the Pioneers..."
Ron frowned slightly and continued along this path without hesitation.
The rebellion of the infected was expected, but it should not have been enough to stop the Pioneer Group... They must have run into something else.
The image faded, and new text appeared:
[You have discovered a fragment of a Pioneer's armor, stained with the blood of an infected, indicating that one of them has gone mad and turned into a monster.]
[But you suspect that the infected were not the only reason the group was delayed. Another crisis is keeping them in the Fragmentum.]
[You sweep away the snow, bit by bit, following the traces left behind by the group, heading towards their current location.]
[As you press on, you see more armor and weapon fragments stained with infected blood. The trail gradually shifts, leading from the depths of the Fragmentum back towards the vicinity of Belobog.]
[You suspect the riot occurred while the group was on its way back.]
[Following the trail without stopping, you are shocked to find yourself at Everwinter Hill.]
Looking at the text, Ron was slightly taken aback.
Everwinter Hill? What's going on?
Being trapped anywhere else in the Fragmentum wouldn't have changed the nature of the situation much. But Everwinter Hill was different.
After all, the Stellaron was still there, within its destroyed containment unit.
However, the idea that the Stellaron had corrupted the infected and set a trap for the Pioneer Group was something Ron found hard to believe...
He and Cocolia had been to Everwinter Hill before to retrieve the Creation Engine. He had seen the Stellaron up close then.
And he had to say, his earlier tactic of reverse-proselytizing had been extremely effective. When he visited Everwinter Hill that time, the Stellaron had been so cowed it didn't dare say a word, exerting no influence on him or Cocolia.
And because of the "Panacea" trait, the Stellaron no longer had the ability to corrupt anyone. It was completely useless.
The idea that it was responsible for trapping the Pioneer Group was something Ron simply did not believe...
Just as Ron was puzzling over this, the text on the screen faded, and a new scene appeared:
Ron strode past row after row of Anti-Matter Legion soldiers frozen in solid ice, climbing the ancient steps that had existed for hundreds of years, and reached the summit of Everwinter Hill.
There, he found his target—
The entire Imperial Second Pioneer Group was on the summit, but most of the soldiers were in extremely poor condition.
Their armor was in tatters, torn away and scattered who knows where.
Many of them had suffered severe, irreversible injuries—severed limbs, crippling wounds. Blood flowed from their cuts, only to be frozen into hard ice by the cold wind.
If not for the "Snowstorm Immunity" they had all consumed, the blessing of The Apothecary, they would have already perished, becoming silent ice sculptures in the Fragmentum.
But even with the blessing, they were now almost at their limit...
And the enemy that had caused this was occupying only a small corner of the summit.
Several infected, wearing standard-issue Imperial uniforms but with vines coiling around their bodies and moss staining their faceplates, were in a standoff with a small group of Pioneers who were still in good condition. Between them, lying on the snow, was the Stellaron, emitting a gentle glow.
The image faded, and new text appeared:
[You see the Imperial Second Pioneer Group in a standoff with the infected.]
[These few infected are clearly the last remnants, likely the survivors after a battle that cost countless lives.]
[You are confused as to how these infected could have inflicted such heavy losses on the Pioneer Group. Theoretically, they should not have had that capability.]
[However, that can wait. You decide to put aside such troublesome thoughts for now and act directly, eliminating these infected who have been consumed by desire and have lost all reason...]
[But before you can act, you witness an incomprehensible scene.]
[These infected monsters, who should have been completely consumed by desire and lost all sanity...]
[Began to speak.]
The image of Everwinter Hill resumed playing:
"Commander... let us go, Commander..."
The infected, covered in vines and moss, spoke to the commander of the Second Pioneer Group in a hoarse, hollow voice. It seemed to be completely rational, and was pleading with him.
"This was never our intention. We just want to live..."
"Live... You call that living?!"
The commander's face was stained with blood. His voice grew quiet, filled with a deep sorrow.
"All this time, we've ventured into the snow together, reclaimed the Fragmentum together, fought in dozens of battles, large and small..."
"At first, everyone was wary of you infected, but later, we came to see you as our good comrades, as our brothers..."
"You told me you ate the Seed of Calamity by accident, that you had no idea of the danger, that it was a terrible misfortune..."
"You told me you had a wife who worked at the meatpacking plant, and two children who had just started primary school. Life was already hard, and now that you were infected and sent to the Belobog People's Hospital, you were so worried about your family..."
"I was even planning to bend the rules a little, to secretly let you go back to the Administrative District after this mission, to give you a three-day leave to see your family..."
"The brothers even prepared a fund for infected like you, to help your families out..."
The commander's eyes widened, turning bloodshot with fury.
"But how did you repay us?!"
"Just because we ran into some weirdo in a mask who said that if you ate this Stellaron on Everwinter Hill, you could evolve to the absolute limit, gain the power to reshape the world, and never have to worry about losing your sanity to the Seed again, to live forever..."
"You all believed him? And to make sure no one stood in your way, you were willing to launch a sneak attack on your comrades in the middle of the night, without any regard for their lives?!"
"Just how greedy can you be?! The empire has already given you so much, yet for the sake of power, you can still do something like this..."
But the commander's words were cut off by the infected.
The infected's hoarse voice trembled, filled with hatred.
"What the hell do you know?!"
"We who have eaten the Seed of Calamity have been cast out by the empire! We are the abandoned!"
"We're not pursuing power! We're just pursuing the life we deserve... and power is the only way to get it!"
"You're not one of us! Don't you dare talk down to us, you high-and-mighty normal people... Have you ever actually stayed in the Belobog People's Hospital?"
"They call it a hospital, but it's more like a quarantine zone for us outcasts... The empire has no intention of curing us! They just threw us all into a garbage dump, to be piled up like trash!"
The infected's words grew more and more urgent, his voice louder and louder. The vines on his body began to writhe, growing unnaturally.
"Even when they let us out, they didn't let us return to our old lives! They sent us to this godforsaken place, to die at any moment, to be buried forever by the snow!"
"We've done nothing wrong, yet we're treated like this... The empire was unjust to us first! How could we possibly trust it?!"
As he spoke, the vines on his body writhed and danced, eventually covering him completely, turning him into a man of vines, his armor no longer visible.
"How... how can you say such a thing..."
The commander's breathing grew ragged. He pointed at the infected, clearly furious.
"How has the empire wronged you? If it weren't for the trouble you caused, how could the empire..."
But before he could finish, the infected, now completely encased in vines, let out a piercing shriek that stunned everyone present.
Seizing the opportunity, it lunged without hesitation toward the Stellaron lying on the snow nearby.
The other infected at its side also charged, like hyenas fighting over a carcass, rushing madly for the Stellaron—
And in the next second, they were all completely sealed in dark golden amber.
Ron emerged silently from the side, walked before the crowd, and picked up the faintly glowing Stellaron from the ground.
In his hand, the Stellaron obediently emitted a warm light, a fawning glow that drove away the cold around him, allowing him to feel a warmth he shouldn't have been able to feel on Everwinter Hill.
He paid it no mind, casually stuffing it into his pocket, and looked at the devastated commander of the Second Pioneer Group.
"How are you? Are you alright?"
The commander stared blankly at the infected sealed in the amber, silent for a long time.
Beside him, the other Pioneers were also silent, their thoughts unreadable.
After a long while, the commander seemed to come to his senses. He looked at his men, at the devastated expressions on their faces, and a self-deprecating smile twisted his lips.
"Ah, haha, it's His Majesty Ron..."
"I... we're alright... I guess?"
His words were disjointed, his mind clearly elsewhere.
He fell silent again. This grown man suddenly choked up. The atmosphere among the Pioneers grew heavy, a mournful aura spreading across the summit.
"We thought they were really our comrades..."
"But they did this... Are all the infected really completely mad? Have they completely lost control of their desires and turned into monsters who care nothing for others?"
"I... I never wanted to believe it, but now it seems it's the truth..."
As he spoke, a hint of self-blame crept into his voice.
"I shouldn't have trusted them. I should have seen what they really were... If I had been on my guard from the beginning, this wouldn't have happened."
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty. We have failed in our duty..."
But Ron immediately cut him off, not letting him wallow in self-pity.
"No. You have done nothing wrong."
He shook his head, looking at the Second Pioneer Group, his tone uncharacteristically gentle.
"You have done everything you were supposed to do... You have done very well."
"Kindness is not a mistake... You were just too kind. You didn't see them for what they were."
"Even the noblest hero cannot stand against the depravity of human nature. These villains, their hearts consumed by greed, were simply too insane. None of this is your fault..."
As he spoke, his tone suddenly shifted. The gentleness became as cold as the wind now blowing across Everwinter Hill, sharp and biting.
"So this is my fault... It's my mistake."
His eyes turned towards Belobog, a fierce light glinting within them, as if one could see a raging fire burning there.
"Perhaps... my methods have been too lenient."
His voice was cold.
"I should have been more extreme from the start."
Upon the crucial scales in his mind, a heavy weight had just been placed.
Perhaps all of this... should end.