The wind stirred faintly outside the dormitory window.
Jiang Fan sat alone, his fingers resting lightly against the side of his face, eyes locked on the simulation. He hadn't moved in hours, save for the occasional blink and the scroll of his mouse wheel. Coffee had long gone cold on his desk.
On the screen, the three tribes—Arkhe, Noma, and Khar—had grown larger, settlements rising from simple huts to wood-framed longhouses, walls of sharpened logs encircling them like the first whispers of castles.
They had iron in their mountains. They had wood from vast forests. They had the ingenuity to create.
And yet…
They had no reason to forge weapons beyond what was needed to hunt.
Peace had persisted.
Traders walked between Signal Stones carrying roots and woven baskets. Story-Etchers exchanged tales. A shared language was emerging, slowly but steadily, as markings became phonetics.
The simulation called it the proto-dialect.
Jiang Fan's mouth twisted slightly.
"Too peaceful."
[Civilization Progress Slowing. Evolution bottleneck detected.]
[Trigger required: Complex Metalworking or Conflict Pressure.]
[Recommendation: Catalyst scenario suggested. Option: Initiate Controlled Hostile Event. Cost: 5 Core Energy.]
Jiang Fan stared.
Controlled hostile event?
The System made it sound simple—neat, even. Like it wasn't suggesting throwing a lit torch into a world of woven dreams and stone-taught harmony.
He rose from his chair and paced. The dim glow of the interface reflected in his eyes.
Conflict would push them forward. Metallurgy would rise. Defensive strategy. Organizational hierarchy. Even social classes might emerge.
And yet…
He clenched his fist.
"These are people," he whispered. "Even if they're simulated… even if they're born from code... they feel real."
His eyes lingered on one frame—an old Fire-Keeper of the Arkhe tribe, now gray-haired, teaching a toddler to strike flint. The child giggled each time a spark danced.
Real enough to laugh.
The Deduction Interface hovered patiently. Unemotional. Relentless.
[Controlled Hostile Event Types:]
Beast Rampage – Wild and unpredictable. Minimal structural damage.
Disease Mutation – Causes suffering. Long-term resistance possible.
Rogue Tribe Emergence – Simulated conflict from artificial variant tribe. Realistic aggression.
Natural Disaster – Earthquakes or fires. May collapse knowledge retention.
Jiang Fan hesitated.
A rogue tribe would bring metallurgy… but it would bring bloodshed too.
He opened his notebook.
A single page read:
"Technology isn't born in silence. It's born in necessity."– Notes from Past Life Lecture: Technological Histories and Evolution
His hand hovered.
And then, he wrote:
"…But necessity does not require cruelty."
He shut the notebook.
"I'll guide it my way."
Inside the simulation, Jiang Fan selected an alternative path.
[New Deduction Path: Simulate Environmental Scarcity & Shared Resource Challenge.]
[Triggering: Regional Drought Simulation. Cost: 2 Core Energy.]
Rain stopped.
The rivers near Khar dried first. The fields wilted. Fish migrated. Foragers returned empty-handed. The Fire-Keepers held longer nightfires, seeking warmth from hunger.
But something else happened too.
Messengers ran to Arkhe and Noma—not to raid, but to plead.
And Arkhe answered.
Noma too.
A new system emerged—not through violence, but through alliance treaties. They pooled their resources, distributed dry grain, and shared irrigation ideas. Water-storing pots made of fired clay. Underground reservoirs.
This time, Jiang Fan smiled.
Not a sword. A bridge.
[New System Achievement: Tri-Tribal Resource Protocols (Early Treaty Governance).]
[Effect: Social Evolution +12%, Innovation Triggered – Ceramic Technology + Basic Canal Design.]
[Reward: 3 Core Energy Recovered.]
He exhaled.
Even the system rewarded compassion—albeit indirectly.
One month passed on Earth. In the simulation, years moved by.
Children grew into artisans.
The Arkhe Council expanded, forming an Elder Ring. Khar developed the first musical instruments: flutes made from hollow reeds. Noma constructed the first wooden watchtower to monitor wild beast movement.
The tribes still called themselves by their names—but now they referred to their land with a new title.
Ythira.
In their tongue, it meant: the shared breath.
A continent born from unity, not war.
But advancement needed more than kindness.
Jiang Fan tapped the system again.
"Let's push metallurgy the right way."
[New Deduction Input: Technological Trigger from Observation of Nature]
[Topic: Lightning-struck trees + iron ore = early smelting catalyst.]
[Simulating Discovery Event…]
In a storm-split valley, one curious child from Khar noticed that a rock near a scorched tree had softened, glowing faintly red.
They brought it to the Tool-Maker.
It crumbled. Inside, dark, heavy flakes shimmered.
Three days later, the first furnace was built—not for war, but for curiosity.
And from it came the first knife of iron.
When Jiang Fan saw the message, he stared at it for a full minute.
[Technology Milestone: Primitive Metallurgy Achieved (Iron Age Initiated).]
[Path Opened: Tool Tier II – Iron Implements, Farming Expansion, Structural Architecture Upgrade, Weapon Potential.]
[Civilization State: Transitioning from Tribal to Early Kingdom Foundations. Estimated Time: 12 Simulation Years.]
He didn't cry.
But his throat tightened.
Not through blood, he thought. But through wonder.
The next day, a knock came at his door.
Lin Miaomiao stood there, her arms folded, an unreadable look in her eyes.
"You're hiding your planet's type," she said softly.
Jiang Fan didn't deny it.
"Why?"
He looked out the window, the early sunrise spilling over the academy's distant clocktower.
"They'll laugh," he said. "Most people here think technology is slow, cold… boring. That it doesn't shine like flames or spark like mana. That it lacks power or mystery."
She leaned against the doorframe.
"And do you?"
He smiled.
"No. I think it shines brightest when it's quiet. When no one notices it until it changes everything."
She didn't reply. Just nodded slowly.
"…You're going to build something terrifying, aren't you?"
Jiang Fan looked back at the screen. At the simulation.
At Ythira.
"No," he said.
"I'm going to build something beautiful."