The text on the light screen faded, and a new, rainbow-colored option box materialized in its place:
[Standing within the Simulated Universe, you have taken the place of Zandar One Kuwabara, and thus, you have also taken his "destiny."]
[Although this section of the Simulated Universe, hastily put together by Herta, is so crude—so crude that it contains only you, the Aeon creator who has replaced Zandar—it still perfectly simulates the underlying logic of this sea of stars.]
[Perhaps Herta herself is unaware of what her Simulated Universe has truly simulated... She knows it perfectly simulates this sea of stars, but does she know that it has also simulated the predetermined "destiny" within it?]
[But now, standing here, you have realized this fact sooner than she has... The woven web of a predetermined destiny has already completely enveloped you, perfectly pulling you toward Zandar One Kuwabara's fated path, just as you and Herta predicted.]
[You are about to walk the established road of creating an Aeon... However, the concept of a Path is boundless. What kind of Aeon will you create?]
[This, will depend on your own choice.]
[As this choice is a continuation of the previous Destiny Choice, it can still alter the fate of the future. Players, please think carefully and make your choice with caution—]
[1. (Nihility) Feel the trembling of the web of fate.
Never before have you had such a profound sense of destiny... The power of fate is manipulating its own web. You have replaced Zandar's destiny and are now being pulled along by it. Why not simply follow fate's guidance?
Accept the guidance of fate, follow in its footsteps. You will not need to overthink; you will completely empty your mind and rely on the unseen pull of destiny to fulfill this fated task of creating an Aeon.
Selecting this option, the "Creating an Aeon" project will be fixed at 10% completion.
[2. (Erudition) Research the essence of creating a Path.
You care little for the unseen hand of destiny; you only believe in your own wisdom and down-to-earth research. To create a Path from nothing, what meaning can Zandar's identity and destiny possibly hold? You still haven't figured it out.
You don't quite agree with Herta's idea. Your rationality tells you that to create an Aeon, you must build the foundation of the Path brick by brick...
You decide to begin your research and experiments directly within the Simulated Universe to ascertain the true nature of Paths and Aeons.
Selecting this option, due to the traits "Quest for Truth" and "The Existence of 'You'," you will have an extremely small chance to trigger a miracle and successfully complete your research on the nature of Paths and Aeons, completing the "Truth is Hard to Find" event.
Furthermore, the "Creating an Aeon" project completion will be fixed at 100%.]
[3. (Salvation) Forge a Path unique to yourself with your own two hands.
Neither submitting to fate nor researching the essence of Paths holds much appeal to you right now. The moment you entered the Simulated Universe, a flame began to burn fiercely within your heart—
The philosophy of "Salvation" has interpreted several Paths for you, but it has never interpreted itself... Your will aligns perfectly with "Salvation" at all times. As someone who has always journeyed on the road of salvation, why not try to see it through to the end and fully embody this philosophy?
Selecting this option, due to the trait "Salvation," you will attempt to create a Path out of thin air based on the philosophy of "Salvation."
Lacking any technical foundation, you can only rely on ideals. The probability of success is near zero.
However, the philosophy of "Salvation" will inevitably be refined... You have a 1% chance to directly complete the "Creating an Aeon" project, achieving 100% completion. You also have a 70% chance of gaining 10% completion, and a 29% chance of gaining 15% completion.]
---o---
Looking at the miracle option on the screen, Ron was momentarily lost in thought.
In his third simulation, Ron had defeated the Antimatter Legion's Doomsday Beast, interpreting the Path of [Preservation] with the philosophy of "Salvation." From this, he had received the reward of an upgradeable white trait, "Salvation."
This trait had grown stronger as Ron encompassed more Paths, and it was now completely different from the initial white trait—
[Salvation (Purple): The philosophy of salvation illuminates different paths forward.
You can use this philosophy to encompass the Paths you have walked, broadening their concepts and forging new ways for yourself.]
[Currently, the Paths you have successfully encompassed with the Salvation trait are: [Preservation], [Abundance], [Erudition], [Nihility].]
[In the current simulation, the Paths you have simultaneously encompassed are: [Preservation], [Erudition].]
[All of your Path abilities will receive a certain boost, with an increase of 40%.]
This trait, with its ability to encompass and forcibly reinterpret all Paths through the philosophy of salvation, was a nascent Path that had never before appeared in this sea of stars—one that Ron could potentially use to forge a new Path.
Although the current "Salvation" trait had already been upgraded twice from its original white version, it was still too weak to be considered a Path.
To turn it into the雏形 (chúxíng - prototype/embryo) of a Path, it would likely need to be upgraded to a Legendary trait and encompass all Paths that were even slightly related to the concept of "Salvation."
In fact, when he first obtained the "Salvation" trait, Ron had already predicted that if he could walk every Path in the simulation and encompass them all within the trait, it might have a chance to ascend into a Path of its own...
However, if it were to ascend in such a way, based on the circumstances of the Aeons in the Honkai: Star Rail universe, Ron guessed that the "Salvation" trait might directly tear off parts of the concepts of other related Aeons to form the basis of its own authority.
For example, the appearance of [Propagation] tore away a part of the concept of [Immortality]. If [Salvation] were to truly emerge, the Paths of [Abundance] and [Preservation] would inevitably have parts of them torn away, their related authorities seized.
Honestly, given the speed at which Ron walked various Paths—he could basically master a new one within a week—if he wanted to max out the "Salvation" trait to Legendary, he just needed to decide to do so in the simulation, and with a bit of time, he could perfectly achieve his goal.
But the reason he hadn't done it was because he knew it was the epitome of courting death.
First, due to the trait's effect, every Path he walked would be forcibly reinterpreted through the philosophy of salvation. This act of broadening a Path's concept could easily attract the attention of its Aeon. The attitudes of Aeons toward mortals were always ambiguous, and Ron had no way of knowing if some Aeon would take a disliking to him and simply crush him on a whim.
Second, let's say he did max out the "Salvation" trait and the Path of [Salvation] truly emerged. The Aeons whose Path concepts he had torn apart would never just leave him be...
At that point, it was uncertain whether Ron could even ascend to Aeonhood with a newly formed nascent Path, but he would certainly draw the combined siege of several Aeons.
Just [Preservation] Qlipoth alone was an existence Ron had absolutely no hope of defeating. Even if Ron did become an Aeon, a newborn one would stand no chance against a T1 powerhouse among Aeons like Qlipoth.
And then, Ron's "Salvation" trait would be rendered useless... equipping it would inevitably tear the corresponding concepts from other Paths, which would then lead to him getting ganged up on and beaten senseless by a group of Aeons.
To gain so much Path experience only to end up with a useless, albeit awesome, trait and a beating from the Aeons—Ron wasn't an idiot. Why would he make such a choice?
However, that was all in the real universe... things were different in the Simulated Universe.
No matter what, Herta had complete control over the Simulated Universe. So what if he tore apart the Path concepts of other Aeons?
They had no power in the Simulated Universe. Come and get me if you can!
With this thought, Ron chose the third option without a shred of hesitation.
The pros and cons of the three options were quite clear. Option two was a pure gambler's choice; if he was lucky, he could create an Aeon today and complete the project. If he was unlucky, he'd never get the chance and would have wasted all his energy.
Option one was a pure safe bet, guaranteeing 10% completion each day, allowing him to finish the project in a week. It was all about stability.
If it had just been those two options, Ron might have hesitated. But option three was simply too tempting.
Not only did it offer a chance to complete the project in a single go, but it also had a guaranteed minimum of 10% completion, with a chance for a 15% return. It was superior in every way to the other two options. Ron had no reason not to choose it.
Moreover... beyond these surface-level benefits, a deeper choice of Paths influenced Ron's decision.
If he chose option one, who knew what kind of Aeon destiny would guide him to create?
With option three, at least the result of a successful creation would be controllable. The foundation of a [Salvation] Aeon would be clean, and its philosophy was strict. No matter what went wrong, it would be impossible to create a lunatic like [Destruction] Nanook. At worst, it might be a bit unscrupulous, but that would be the extent of it.
Ron thought silently, watching as the rainbow-colored option box on the screen faded away and a new line of text appeared:
[You have chosen to use the philosophy of the "Salvation" trait to attempt to forge the Path of [Salvation] and thereby create an Aeon.]
[You have no idea how to forge the Path of [Salvation], let alone how to create an Aeon... But the moment the thought "I will create an Aeon" formed in your mind, an unseen power completely enveloped your body.]
[Herta's 'setting' for you in the Simulated Universe has taken great effect. Zandar's destiny has fixed your path forward, forcibly guiding you in a set direction, leading you down the road of forging a Path and creating an Aeon.]
[The philosophy of salvation permeates your mind, but this philosophy is rendered useless, forcibly obstructed by this unseen power, preventing you from imbuing it into the Path you are about to forge...]
"Is the binding force of destiny really this strong?"
Reading the text on the screen, Ron scratched his head. He now understood why option three had a 70% chance of yielding the same 10% completion as option one. It seemed there was a high probability that no matter what he chose, he would be bent to destiny's will...
My luck isn't great, huh...
Ron felt a bit helpless. He watched as the text on the screen continued to scroll, and then his eyes widened abruptly:
[You do not want your destiny to be so constrained, nor do you wish to forge a Path that was not personally carved by your own hands to embody the philosophy of "Salvation."]
[Just as you were about to terminate this attempt at creating an Aeon, due to your trait "The Existence of 'You'," you triggered the Miracle Event: "Breaking the Shackles of Fate."]
[Breaking the Shackles of Fate: The web of fate ensnares you, yet your existence shines resplendently.
The miracle in your hands becomes a sharp blade, slicing through the tedious shackles that bind you. Before the layered shadows can close in once more, you take a single step toward freedom.]
[Because of the Miracle Event: "Breaking the Shackles of Fate," you have momentarily escaped the rigid constraints of destiny, breaking free from these cold, firm shackles...]
[You have successfully imbued the philosophy of "Salvation" into the Path about to be forged. Aided by the destiny of Zandar One Kuwabara, you have successfully forged the Path of "Salvation" within the Simulated Universe.]