The system pulsed just after dusk.
Toren was on the southern ridge, checking the perimeter beacon placement with Chirrissk curled nearby like a massive, scaly dog. He'd just finished marking out new plots for food expansion when the message blinked into his field of vision:
CIVIC CORE MODULE UNLOCKED
Classification: Administrative Center
Function: Process laws, coordinate logistics, issue daily task cycles, monitor morale thresholds
Requirements: Central position, stable power, minimum population trust: 50%
Status: Eligible for construction
A schematic unfolded—hexagonal base, flared spire, integrated interface terminals. Elegant in its utility. Ugly in its cost.
It wasn't a throne.
It was a nervous system.
System prompt: Begin construction?
Reward on completion: Governance Tree Expansion / System Automation (Partial) / Loyalty Metrics Unlocked
Toren exhaled.
He knew what this was. A signal. A commitment.
He could keep making decisions one fire at a time… or begin building a world where they didn't need him to do it alone.
He tapped "Yes."
The foundation was laid at dawn.
He didn't make a speech.
He just picked a spot in the center ring, drew lines in the dirt, and began clearing space. Mira joined without asking. Wess brought tools. Grum grunted approval and threw the first anchor stone.
By noon, half the village was working.
Not because of orders.
Because of belief.
Toren stood back and watched as the future took shape.
He didn't feel triumphant.
He felt responsible.