[Write the destiny that Belobog's future shall welcome... As the guiding light of Belobog, you alone are qualified to decide its future.]
[A loaded gun will surely fire, and a fully drawn bow will surely sing—with all preparations complete, Belobog is destined to undergo a monumental change.]
[What will this world become? What kind of magnificent jewel in the cosmos will it be?]
[Right now, only you know.]
The text on the light screen faded, and a blank text box materialized in its place:
[Please write your choice.]
Looking at the text box, Ron felt no hesitation.
Although Belobog's future was uncertain, and with so many resources now available, the possibilities were endless, in Ron's mind, the very first step would never change...
That was to sweep away the snow and wind, to break through the fog, and to return all of Jarilo-VI to humanity's control.
This tragic planet had been corroded by the Stellaron for over seven hundred years, its once-lush appearance long gone.
If one didn't search the texts of the city-builders or find the old Interastral Peace Corporation records of Jarilo-VI before the Stellaron's descent, who would know that this snow-white planet, covered in ice, once possessed such abundant vitality?
All the wondrous sights of this planet, all the landscapes carved by nature's divine hand, and all the marvels painstakingly built by humanity were buried under ice and snow by the Stellaron's influence. They were all buried equally under the thick, cold snow, losing their life in the deathly, silent cold...
These frigid days had lasted for a full seven hundred years... but they would continue no longer.
The Stellaron could toy with this planet, shaping it into a form It desired. So why couldn't they?
It was time... to reshape this planet into a form they desired.
Ron thought this to himself and, without hesitation, typed his choice into the text box before him...
---o---
Cocolia was exhausted these days.
The reason was quite simple... Setting aside the rebellions brought by her foolish daughter Bronya and the Underworld's leader Seele, just fulfilling Ron's requests and integrating Belobog's Overworld and Underworld had already drained all her energy.
Although, as Belobog's sharpest mind, Cocolia was certainly capable of handling these troubles, they came one after another. Even she found it difficult to maintain her peak condition...
And even though it was just tapping on a simulation screen and playing a simple game, the complexity of the troubles hadn't diminished much for Cocolia.
After all, the political decrees to be issued and the government affairs to be handled didn't become any less numerous just because it was a simulation game...
The way she approved documents from the elders and officials in reality was simply replaced by approving them on a light screen in the game; the pen and paper had merely been swapped for a screen.
However... after so much toil, after painstakingly completing one political task after another, striving to maintain Belobog's stability so it could peacefully absorb the technologies Ron brought, and arranging all the preparations in the city according to his requests—the time to reap the rewards for these efforts had finally come.
Cocolia thought this as new text appeared on the screen before her:
[Following Ron's request, you ordered all of Belobog's factories to halt production for upgrades. You had all production lines updated with the latest technology and materials provided by Ron, completely revitalizing them.]
[These old factories, once only capable of producing industrial-era products and forging simple steel mechs, have now, under the innovations of Ron's technology and materials, been successfully transformed into foundries that could be considered of a general standard even in the wider sea of stars.]
[Although this only barely reaches the basic level of an interstellar civilization, it is still a massive leap from Belobog's previous state, which had degenerated to the level of the early industrial revolution.]
[The interstellar express has also arrived in Belobog early. The building materials brought by hundreds of ships have piled up to cover almost half the planet—everything is now ready.]
[Ron confirmed the situation within Belobog with you, and then confirmed that the entire city was prepared...]
[He proposed a plan to you, a plan that would mobilize the entire population of Belobog and activate all its industrial capacity, all to transform this world that remained frigid even after the Stellaron was contained...]
[He calls it the "Ideal City" Plan.]
The text on the screen faded away, and a new scene appeared:
Ron, looking travel-worn, walked into Qlipoth Fort holding a bright, silver metal block.
He walked up to Cocolia, who was sitting at her desk reviewing various complicated documents. Meeting her dazed and weary gaze, he placed the silver block on her desk.
The silver block immediately unfolded, forming a large, square base.
A holographic projection materialized above it. The projection was of a planet, but strangely, its original appearance was completely gone. In its place were only dense structures of steel and concrete, as if it were an artificial world...
Ron saw the mixture of confusion and awe in Cocolia's eyes, smiled slightly, and said:
"This is what the world will look like when all the preparations I've had you make are complete..."
His voice was filled with confidence.
"In the name of mortals, we shall build a city as the world, and meld the world into a city..."
"It is time to conquer this harsh, frozen planet."
The image on the screen faded, and a deep red option box appeared:
[In the past, Jarilo-VI fell into a grim and deathly silence due to the Stellaron and The Destruction. Humanity was cast out of a warm Eden into an abyss, forever bidding farewell to the verdant old world, no longer able to build a Babel to the heavens and return to the warmth they once knew...]
[This world's environment is like a frigid hell, completely unsuitable for human survival—the flame of civilization was flash-frozen in this hell, destined to slowly extinguish in the bitter cold.]
[This world has always lorded over humanity. The violent blizzards and freezing temperatures could claim a human life at any moment. Humanity was forced to submit to the authority of nature, barely surviving in the cold wind...]
[But now, factories throughout Belobog operate day and night, countless building materials are piled over half the planet, and technology that is nearly at the interstellar frontier lights our way forward—]
[Our civilization already possesses the power to surpass this planet. Perhaps, we should set our sights on what is beneath our feet... on the land we have lived on for generations.]
[The ideal ecumenopolis currently exists only on blueprints. Should it be put into action?]
[Please Choose—]
[1. This planet should submit to civilization.
Thanks to Ron's efforts, Belobog's construction technology is sufficiently advanced, and its engineering heights are enough to look down on any structure.
Engineering marvels that were once unimaginable are now just a small step in the plan... The technology and materials brought by Ron are enough to give this planet a new face, to build the Ideal City.
Belobog once struggled to survive in a frigid hell. Now, all of that will become history. Nature will submit before humanity.
Now, we no longer need to accommodate nature's stubbornness or the planet's whims... All dangers will be eradicated by us.
Now, we ourselves will define what a perfect world is.
Let's do it.]
[2. Humanity should be filled with awe for nature.
Everything Ron has brought represents a new height for civilization, but as stunning as it all is, it should not be used to challenge the wrath of nature...
Humans have lived on this planet for generations. No one is ignorant of the dangers and disasters the planet's wrath can bring—
Does Belobog truly have the ability to control this planet right now? You have your doubts.
Belobog has drifted in the snow for too long. The threat of the Stellaron has only just been removed. There is no need to rush into such a revolutionary movement so hastily.
This matter can be discussed later.]
Looking at the options, Cocolia did not hesitate. She directly chose the first one.
She was filled with trust for Ron and had not the slightest doubt in his judgment...
If he said Belobog could conquer nature, then it could. Even if Cocolia had her own doubts, she would not choose to obstruct Ron's plan at this moment.
The options on the screen faded, and new text appeared...
---o---
[Cocolia has agreed to your plan.]
[As the Supreme Guardian of Belobog, Cocolia convened an enormous internal meeting of the city-builders, making the Ideal City Plan the central topic and discussing it in detail within Belobog's highest seat of power.]
[Even though seven hundred years have passed, and Belobog's officials have long since become greedy and corrupt, with not a speck of knowledge in their bellies, and they strongly opposed such a time-consuming and costly plan, they could not overcome Cocolia's insistence.]
[Under Cocolia's authority, the Ideal City Plan successfully began implementation.]
Reading the text, Ron couldn't help but let a small smile touch his lips.
The Ideal City Plan was labor-intensive and expensive, and would inevitably involve the entire city of Belobog.
These officials, who were like leeches sucking the blood of Belobog, feared moments of mass mobilization the most.
Because Belobog was so poor, if the entire populace were truly mobilized, their profits would be the first to be affected.
If they lost the common folk they exploited, how could they possess such wealth?
Ron had already been prepared for the Ideal City Plan to fail on its first attempt. He was ready to personally step in and clean out Belobog's center of power, dealing with these fat rats he hadn't had time for while he was busy with research...
But to his surprise, Cocolia was able to suppress their opposition and successfully launch the plan.
As a leader, Cocolia's abilities are still far superior to Bronya's and the others...
Ron thought this to himself as he continued to watch the screen:
[Belobog's factories operate at full capacity. Endless materials are fed into smelting furnaces, then shaped, polished, cut, and constructed, finally becoming large structural components that are rushed to mechanical assembly plants and quickly assembled into one giant Creation Engine after another...]
[Under your command, the Creation Engines set out from Belobog, advancing into the surroundings. Everything in their path is destroyed by the steel arms of the giant machines, crushed into dust and mud, and rolled over by the engines' massive treads, becoming solid and flat land.]
[All the "ice sculptures" encountered along the way are stored in the Creation Engines' storage modules via their screening function. After completing their daily pioneering tasks, these ice sculptures are returned to Belobog. Then, under your arrangement, they are sent to the Herta Space Station as "research materials," in exchange for a large sum of credits from Station Master Asta.]
[Several months passed. The Creation Engines finally traversed all of Jarilo-VI, shaping this uneven planet into a flat surface, like a clean sheet of white paper waiting for someone to draw upon it...]
[The resources you obtained through the supply agreement with Herta finally came into play. The multi-functional Creation Engines transformed into highly intelligent construction machines, strictly following the blueprints you provided to add bricks and tiles to this newly conquered planet—]
[Skyscrapers rise from the ground, a new metropolis is under construction, and it does not take long...]
[Several more months passed. Exactly one year has gone by since the start of the Ideal City Plan.]
[With the help of anti-gravity modules, the layered city has finally covered the surface of Jarilo-VI.]
[Only a year has passed since this grand project began, but it is already difficult to recall Jarilo-VI's former appearance. Frigid ice? Rugged, snowy mountains? Now, looking in any direction, all one can see is an endless expanse of steel.]
[This planet was once shaped at will by the laws of nature, but now it has become a design forged by our entire civilization for a steadfast goal...]
[This is our Ideal City.]