The city air carried a faint chill that morning as Ashburn locked the office door behind him. Aisha waited by the car, holding a tablet and a folded map of Ashrock City. Her expression was sharp, already prepared for a long day. The seventh evaluation had begun a few days ago, and Ashburn had decided not to waste even a single one of those seven months.
He had reviewed the system's report the previous night — the new capital allocation, the factory payment scheduled two months ahead — and all of it had circled back to one conclusion: this time, the expansion couldn't just be wide; it had to be deep, structured, lasting.
The car rolled through the narrow lanes of the southern district first. The roads were rough, the signboards faded. Aisha updated the tablet as Ashburn slowed the car to look around. "This zone could use a supply point," he said, half to himself. "The small grocery clusters here depend on shipments from the central bazaar — long transport, high cost."
"Wouldn't that make it perfect for our distribution line?" Aisha replied, scrolling through data.
He nodded. "If we add a small storage here — nothing big, just a mid-stop warehouse — we can cover at least twenty percent of this region's supply."
She marked it quickly, color-coding the map.
They moved on. The day stretched into a sequence of turns, stops, and conversations. Ashburn met local shopkeepers — one owned a small spice store, another ran a snacks counter in front of a school. They were hesitant at first, but when he spoke of direct delivery, fair pricing, and steady supply, curiosity replaced caution.
He watched their faces closely, letting his Truth evaluation ability surface. Each tone, hesitation, and half-smile told him whether they would be future partners or problems.
By afternoon, his notepad was full. Aisha had filled her tablet with coordinates, names, and pricing samples. The pattern forming in his mind was clear — the fourth shop would have to be near the western crossroad, where the city's main ring road met the industrial route. It was a natural hub for both local customers and distribution trucks.
They parked near an open lot, weeds rising between patches of gravel. Ashburn stepped out, surveying the area in silence. The sunlight was harsh, glinting off parked delivery bikes nearby.
"This is it," he murmured. "The next shop. Big enough for a retail front and a small storage behind."
Aisha nodded slowly, already visualizing it. "If we take this plot, we'll need to redo the flooring and add insulation. But it connects directly to the north road — delivery trucks can load and leave in minutes."
Ashburn smiled faintly. "Exactly."
He crouched, picking up a handful of dry soil, letting it fall through his fingers. His mind traced invisible lines — risk zones, delivery frequency charts, supply balance projections. His Risk Mapping skill drew subtle highlights around the area in his vision — faint markers only he could perceive — showing supply bottlenecks and customer density.
It wasn't just about opening another shop. It was about threading the city together.
As the day faded into dusk, they drove past the eastern highway toward the older parts of Ashrock City. The roads narrowed again, lined with tiny vendors and old warehouses. Aisha leaned against the seat, her voice soft with fatigue. "You've been driving since morning. We could take a break."
Ashburn gave a small laugh. "If I stop now, I'll lose the rhythm. Let's finish mapping the northern side first."
But the faint ache in his temples disagreed. It had started hours ago — a dull throb behind the eyes. He brushed it off, focusing instead on the sound of people outside, the noise of the city that seemed to breathe with him.
By the time they returned to the office, the sky was deep blue. The lights of the three operating shops were visible through the city haze — tiny golden dots marking everything he had built so far. Aisha powered on her tablet again, compiling the day's data.
"Tomorrow, we'll start surveying the nearby villages," she said. "We'll need at least four delivery trucks if we want to extend supply there. Each can cover two routes a day, depending on distance."
Ashburn nodded distractedly. He was checking supplier notes and pricing calculations on his phone. "We'll contact the transport company by morning. Also, get me the quotes for refrigerated storage — I want to keep the perishable stock longer once we expand deliveries."
She hesitated. "You're planning to handle both city consolidation and rural supply at the same time?"
He looked up, the corner of his lips curving. "If I don't set the structure now, it'll collapse later."
The conviction in his voice left little room for argument.
That night, after Aisha left, Ashburn sat alone in the office. The room was dim except for the computer screen casting a soft glow across his desk. His pen tapped against the wooden surface as he went through expense projections. The city map lay spread out beside him, lines drawn across districts, circles marking future nodes.
A faint breeze slipped in through the window, carrying the distant hum of traffic. For a brief moment, his head dipped — exhaustion catching up with him. He pressed his eyes with his fingers and exhaled.
It was only the first month of the evaluation, but he could already feel the familiar pressure building. The silent race between time, capital, and execution.
He leaned back, letting his thoughts drift toward the system's promise — the two-million factory expansion fund due after two months. That investment could push A&K Snacks to a higher scale, increase output, automate more processes. He'd already decided to add 10 lakh from his profit share as well, doubling the effect.
The plan was firm: consolidate all four shops, expand deliveries into nearby towns, and elevate the factory to industrial-level packaging by the end of this cycle.
Still, the exhaustion lingered like a weight behind his calm focus. He closed his notebook, stood, and walked to the window. Outside, the city shimmered faintly under streetlights — his city, his growing network.
He whispered quietly to himself, "One month down… six more to go."
The system interface flickered at the edge of his vision.
[Evaluation 7 — Progress: 14%]
[Observation: Active field assessment detected. Risk Mapping skill integration effective.]
[Health Condition: Minor fatigue detected. Recommendation — reduce continuous workload duration.]
He smiled faintly. "Noted."
The glow faded, leaving him with the soft hum of silence. For a long moment, he simply stood there — watching the faint reflection of the Khan Enterprises board in the glass.
Aisha's words from earlier replayed in his mind: Wouldn't that make it perfect for our distribution line?
Yes, it would. And by the end of this evaluation, Ashrock City wouldn't just know the name Khan Enterprises. It would depend on it.