The last thing I will say is very trivial, but perhaps you could think that the conversation is automatic, but you need to approach the bot yourself... This was the very last assumption. I hope everything will work out for you!
I feel sad for you... But don't worry, you won't actually lose That much if you start over. At least I replayed it several times(for endings and for fun)... Not the same as the first time, but still great !
