The sky was gray, echoing the weight on Raen's shoulders as he stood at the edge of the village. The Sovereign Project had begun to take shape, but Raen knew this place wasn't ready—not yet.
Saelyn stood beside him, arms crossed, surveying the still-unwalled perimeter.
"It'll take a month for the construction team to arrive and secure the area. Until then, there's not much here but dirt and dreams," she said.
Raen nodded. "That's fine. I need to leave anyway."
She turned to him, surprised. "Leave?"
"I have to form the foundation of something bigger. You want this village to evolve? Then I need the means to build it. Starting with a company."
He paused, rubbing the back of his neck. "Also… I need an apartment, equipment, and basic survival funds. I've got nothing left. Not even a place to sleep."
Saelyn looked at him with unreadable eyes.
Raen's voice dropped, bitter and low. "I feel like a beggar asking you."
She didn't respond right away. Then, without a word, she tapped on her holo-tab and transferred 200,000 Lux to his account.
Raen blinked at the notification.
"I believe in return on investment," she said. "Go prove it."
Just then, a faint chime echoed in Raen's mind.
[SYSTEM ALERT]New Skill Unlock Available — Robotics MasteryUnlock Cost: 60,000 Lux
"What…?" Raen whispered. "I haven't even done a job yet…"
The system didn't respond. It simply hovered in his vision, that familiar glowing interface pulsing calmly.
Raen's thoughts spiraled. Does the system unlock skills when I'm in desperate need of them? Is that how it works?
He didn't say anything aloud. Saelyn was still watching him.
"I'll need a silent ownership agreement," Raen said after a beat. "If I'm founding this company, I want to stay anonymous. No interviews. No photos. Just results."
"And who'll be the face of it?"
"You pick someone you trust. Make it three—two from your side, and I'll stay in the shadows. We build it our way. Controlled. Tight. I don't need noise."
Saelyn gave a half-smile. "You're full of secrets, Raen. But fine. Let's go find your team."
They turned away from the village—unfinished, unguarded. Raen didn't look back. His vision was already ahead.
The lab could wait.
Now it was time to prepare the world for what was coming.