The text on the light screen faded away, and a new image materialized in its place:
Ron stood inside the research vessel, gazing through its cold porthole at the planet outside—
The frozen world, once encased in layers of frigid ice and snow, now revealed its new face. The perfectly planned districts of the Ideal City had transformed the entire planet into an orderly sphere. There were no longer any bumps or craters; not even hundreds of years of climate restoration or millions of years of geological change could have shaped the planet into its current form.
This planet had once nurtured the beings that evolved upon it. Now, humanity had finally reached out its hands to the land where it had lived for generations, kneading it wantonly into a shape of its own choosing.
The cold white snow of the past was gone. The entire planet now radiated a steely luster and the flashing colors of neon lights. The once bitter-cold land of eternal winter had become an ecumenopolis, a sight rarely seen even in the vast sea of stars.
Layers upon layers of steel, supported by anti-gravity modules, covered the entire planet. All harsh natural environments were now sealed beneath new types of construction materials.
Orderly buildings shimmering with a cold, metallic sheen covered all of Jarilo-VI. Radiating outwards from the center of Old Belobog, the entire planet had become a cluster of cosmic metropolises. The pressure from the once-insufficient resources and living space was now completely gone, swept away entirely.
Old Belobog, once barely able to contain its population and unable to provide a foothold for everyone, forcing people into the Underworld, was now a turned page in the history books.
No one lived in Old Belobog anymore.
The former city was now surrounded by a tight defensive line. At Ron's request, Supreme Guardian Cocolia had ordered the preservation of the entire old city, turning the once-impregnable fortress into a historical museum. A whole megacity now served to engrave the memory of the suffering endured during the seven hundred years of the Eternal Freeze, a stark reminder of the sorrow brought by The Destruction.
Within that year, through Ron's ingenious design, the lowest level of the ecumenopolis covering Jarilo-VI was a fully connected network of superconducting power conduits. They all led back to Alexandra Square in Old Belobog, connecting to the Stellaron charging device buried deep beneath it.
In New Belobog, whether one walked in the twelfth-ring districts at the north and south poles or the first-ring suburbs of Old Belobog, there was an abundant supply of energy everywhere. The entire planet greedily extracted the infinite energy from the Stellaron, powering the progress of all of Belobog.
The image on the light screen froze, and a new option box appeared:
[You have successfully completed a Miracle of the Stars, building a city as the world and melding the world into a city...]
[Faction: "Belobog" has been updated. You have created the faction: "New Belobog".]
[This ecumenopolis is a marvel rarely seen in this sea of stars. As a mortal, without the blessing of an Aeon's power, you have led the doom-ravaged people of a frozen planet to light the torch of civilization. The roaring flames have spread like a wildfire, burning and reforging the entire planet into the shape you desired.]
[Although this achievement was completed with some clever tricks, and you did indeed receive boons from the high and mighty Aeons... it is true that you were the main driving force in this plan. You can be said to have conquered a planet with mortal hands, building a "Miracle" of engineering.]
[Now, all of New Belobog is in awe of this miracle. Inspired by this achievement, everyone is united as one, filled with incomparable confidence in their civilization and great expectations for the future.]
[This Miracle of the Stars will grant you a Miracle Option. After choosing, it will continue this miracle as a follow-up.]
[New Belobog is ready and eager, prepared to announce its return to the entire universe—]
[As the de facto leader of New Belobog, at this moment when it has completed a Miracle of the Stars and climbed to the peak, where should you lead it next?]
[Please make your choice and select a development path for New Belobog—]
[1. Civilian-focused (Miracle).
New Belobog is the most dazzling star among the brilliant constellations! The lingering poison of the Stellaron and the embers of the Antimatter Legion have been completely cleansed. We shall inherit the former name of Jarilo-VI and prove our return to the entire sea of stars.
We will revive our reputation as a tourist planet and turn all of Belobog into the most wonderful money pit in the cosmos...
This ecumenopolis will become the dream destination for all travelers in the sea of stars, the most magnificent Ideal City!
By selecting this option, New Belobog's productivity will erupt into a miracle, transforming this as-yet-unspecialized ecumenopolis into a city of joy. It will extensively develop various policies for the people's welfare, distribute unconditional subsidies, and modify the sapient AI of synthetics to greatly develop the service industry, once again making New Belobog a renowned tourist city in the sea of stars.
The social ethos of the "New Belobog" faction will shift significantly towards pacifism and xenophilia.]
[2. Military-focused (Miracle).
We have emerged from a frozen wasteland. The frosty winds and snow have tempered our will. And now, though we have escaped the frigid apocalypse, we have never escaped the threat that lurks in the shadows.
The sorrows of the past still linger in our hearts... The embers of The Destruction have been extinguished, but that is far from enough.
Why did we fall into doomsday? The lessons of the past are carved into our bones. No one will forget the hatred that flows in our blood. Every brick of Old Belobog is stained with the blood of the Silvermane Guards—that is the price of weakness.
In this cold and merciless sea of stars, weak civilizations have no right to survive.
In the dark forest of the cosmos, the hunter's rifle is always aimed at the weak lamb.
It is time to tear off the sheep's clothing we wear and bare our fangs at The Destruction, which left us with countless scars.
By selecting this option, New Belobog's productivity will erupt into a miracle, transforming this as-yet-unspecialized ecumenopolis into a fortress city. It will extensively develop various military policies, vigorously promote military education, and mass-produce starship fleets and their corresponding sapient AI operating systems. The interstellar fleets will be crewed by synthetics, and New Belobog will be reforged into an incredibly sturdy fortress of steel.
The social ethos of the "New Belobog" faction will shift significantly towards militarism and authoritarianism.]
[3. A Balance of Both (Miracle).
After seven hundred years of devastation, New Belobog's population is sparse. Although spirits are high now, we ultimately lack the strength for major development.
The people need to rest and recuperate, but we must also be wary of the enemies hidden in this dark sea of stars... We should be prepared for everything, but we must avoid showing our fangs just yet.
Development... development. We still need a period of dormancy. We must not step into the center of this sea of stars and fall into that perilous hunting ground.
Tranquility is the beautiful melody that belongs uniquely to our Ideal City.
By selecting this option, New Belobog's productivity will erupt into a miracle, allowing the ecumenopolis to maintain its current state while simultaneously developing its military and civilian sectors. It will lie dormant to recuperate, waiting for its population to grow, and over the next few hundred years, it will prepare to face the entire sea of stars and announce its existence.
The social ethos of the "New Belobog" faction will shift significantly towards isolationism.]
Looking at the options, Ron scratched his head.
This Miracle of the Stars was no joke; it was truly worthy of the name...
It was a fitting result for a plan that took him almost an entire simulation to orchestrate, a method to push Belobog into the interstellar age and complete its transformation.
The effects of this Miracle Option were all extremely powerful. No matter which one he chose, the practical benefits would be immense. Few civilizations in the entire sea of stars could likely match this speed and capacity for development.
If he had enough time... Ron would have really liked to choose option three, to let New Belobog observe from the sidelines for a while, avoid attracting too much attention, and only announce its return to the grand cosmic chessboard when its national strength was sufficient.
But unfortunately, Ron was not an Emanator of Abundance in this simulation; he did not have a near-infinite lifespan...
For some reason, Nous, The Erudition, was unwilling to grant him an Emanator-level blessing, providing only the knowledge needed to complete Its calculations and obtain the answer It desired.
This meant Ron's current combat power wasn't particularly high, and more importantly, he was mortal...
After a few hundred years, his simulated self would have long turned to dust, his portrait enshrined on the memorial wall in Old Belobog's history museum. He would be completely unable to control New Belobog's future.
And between options one and two, although option one would clearly lead to a better life for the people, Ron could not possibly choose it.
The crisis hinted at by the History Fictionologist had not yet arrived, but Ron felt that if it was something that could make two Emanators and an Aeon so vigilant, it couldn't possibly be baseless...
He had to prepare.
Belobog had overcome so many obstacles in this simulation—the Stellaron, the Antimatter Legion, and its social problems—to achieve such a wonderful new beginning. It absolutely could not fall halfway...
Furthermore, the Antimatter Legion was surely watching from the shadows. Although the Legion that came to Jarilo-VI under Nanook's will had not sent troops for a long time, that didn't mean Jarilo-VI was safe.
They simply knew that the Stellaron-corroded Jarilo-VI was already one step from destruction. The remnant forces sleeping on the planet were more than enough to burn it to ashes; there was no need for the Legion to dispatch more troops.
But New Belobog had overcome all of that, once again displaying its infinite vitality. The Legion would never allow this planet to escape The Destruction. It would still bare its fangs at Jarilo-VI...
They had to have the ability to fight back.
Ron thought this to himself and ultimately chose the second option.
The option box on the light screen faded, and the scene continued to play. It simply showed the current state of New Belobog.
Walking through the steel jungle and looking into the distance, one could see endless factories operating day and night, producing armaments to protect the ecumenopolis.
Although Belobog's population was sparse due to the calamities of the past seven hundred years—like a grain of sand in the ocean within this planet-wide city, unable to fill the stellar marvel or fully utilize New Belobog's entire productive capacity—Ron had already accounted for all of this.
Aside from the first and second rings of New Belobog, which were planned as residential and leisure Ideal Cities, all remaining districts were built as industrial Ideal Cities. Synthetics, designed by Ron's own hand and controlled by the research ship's databank terminal, methodically smelted and forged the materials sent from the space station. They were then transformed into new ship components according to Ron's designs, and under the assembly line's construction, became starships capable of traversing the sea of stars.
These starships, propelled by the infinite energy of the Stellaron, would be sent into space and docked in Jarilo-VI's orbit, forming a dense interstellar fleet belonging to New Belobog, steadfastly guarding this planet that had just emerged from doomsday.
Watching the scene on the screen, Ron stroked his chin, finding it somewhat difficult to judge New Belobog's current strength.
Although, based on New Belobog's current automated assembly lines, these small frigates could be produced at will, and they were equipped with Antimatter Field Fission Cannons reverse-engineered from Legion remnants, Ron had no real sense of their actual combat effectiveness.
After all, he was just the designer. While he had certain expectations after creating the blueprints, he had never conducted a real combat drill and couldn't confirm the starships' power...
The descriptions of starship combat strength in the world of Honkai: Star Rail were also very vague. It was hard for Ron to determine what level of civilization Jarilo-VI, now possessing these ships, had become.
But soon, he would no longer need to wonder.
The image on the screen flickered. The simulated Ron was still standing before the research vessel's porthole, looking out at the endless galaxy—
At the edge of the Jarilo system, several starships emerged from the path forged by Akivili, The Trailblaze...
Their hulls were all marked with the great "Corporation" logo, and they were all heading with a single purpose toward Jarilo-VI.