The monsoon had ended, and crops swayed golden across the plains. Arun stood upon a sandstone terrace overlooking his growing settlement — Prithvigarh, as the villagers now called it. What had started as a collection of huts around his "temple" had transformed into an organized town, with streets aligned to the rising sun and irrigation canals etched with creative precision.Using his creative powers, Arun designed reservoirs that never ran dry and granaries that resisted mold. Water channels from the nearby river flowed seamlessly into fields through stone aqueducts. For the first time, the farmers spoke of abundance rather than hardship.But prosperity demands structure.He gathered the elders beneath the banyan tree. "We must govern this land as one," he told them. "If we wish peace and growth, there must be order."Thus began the formation of a new order — a kingdom founded not by conquest, but by creation.The GovernanceRemembering fragments of his historical knowledge, Arun established a hierarchy modeled after what he recalled of the Gupta Empire. Villages were grouped into regions, each led by a Gramapati — a headman responsible for collecting grain tax and maintaining law and order �. Above them, councils of learned scribes and guild masters — Adhikaranas — advised on trade, irrigation, and justice.Instead of divine decrees, edicts were carved upon stone slabs in simple Sanskrit commands: Prosper through work; Protect through wisdom; Govern through fairness.Merchants and artisans formed guilds. Each guild named representatives — Prathama Kulika for craftsmen, Nagarasresthi for traders — who met under the shade of Arun's great Temple of Light to debate policy �.The Economy of CreationThe economic base flourished like in the Gupta golden age. Agriculture provided grain and sugarcane; trade caravans brought cotton and spices to barter for metals and horses �. Using his ability, Arun paved safe stone roads linking nearby villages, ensuring caravans faced no bandits.He minted local coinage — copper disks engraved with symbols of wheat and sun — not of real copper, but conjured from his creative power. Yet he imposed limitations: one coin for ten grains of rice, to prevent greed.Soon, neighboring rajahs heard of Prithvigarh, the city where gold flowed from air and famine was forgotten. Some called it a holy land; others whispered it was unnatural.The Faith of the BuildersA new belief took root among the people. They spoke of the Sthapati-Dharma — the Way of Creation. Temples depicted Arun not as a god, but as the messenger who brought the divine gift of shaping reality.Villages began adopting his codes, carving them into pillars. Builders prayed before laying foundations, invoking his name beside Vishwakarma. Religions did not vanish — they evolved. And through this faith, his kingdom expanded peacefully, with other rulers sending emissaries seeking alliances.Arun had created more than a town. He had forged a civilization where divine reverence met rational order. Yet in distant courts, priests debated whether such power was divine will — or heresy.And in the east, an old kingdom began preparing its armies to test the "Messenger King" and his god-forged empire.
