The dawn light streamed through a lattice of brass and glass atop the Grand Observatory. The shadows it cast flickered across ancient stone, etched with the spirals and whorls of constellations no eye had ever seen.
Jiang Fan sat beneath the high dome, his gaze distant—far above the growing cities, the pulsing veins of technology, the rhythm of forging hammers and clicking logic-drums.
His thoughts had left the earth entirely.
They drifted upward.
Toward the stars.
In his past life, Jiang Fan had once stood in a high-tech observatory, sipping coffee at 3 a.m. while calibrating a quantum lens for exoplanet scanning.
But here, on this young and rising world, the people still called stars "sky candles," and the moon was "the pale witness."
Still… they looked.
They wondered.
And that wonder could be shaped.
The Deduction System pulsed softly beside him.
[New Civilization Need Detected: Spiritual Cosmology Transitioning to Rational Astronomy]
[Priority Recommendation: Advance Sky Observation – Symbolic and Functional Milestone]
[Bonus Unlock: Planetary Awareness Threshold — If Satellite Technology Introduced, Possible Global Unification Trigger Detected]
Jiang Fan narrowed his eyes.
This was the first time the System had mentioned something beyond the atmosphere. Until now, every breakthrough—tools, government, trade—had stayed on the ground.
But now, it whispered of space.
And the consequences of reaching for it.
A thrill moved through him.
"Deduce the framework for an artificial orbital object. Lightweight, observable, manually launched via tension-torque sling. Must transmit light pulses via prearranged signal pattern."
"Design for ritualistic reveal, integrate into cultural architecture. Let them believe they've placed a mirror into the heavens."
"Name the project… Lucerna. The Light-Bearer."
[Deduction Initialized: Lucerna Mk. I – First Orbital Relay]
[Launch Type: Kinetic Sling-Arc via Engineered Ramp and Rotational Lift]
[Signal Type: Reflected Sunlight in Morse-Equivalent Pattern (Codeframe: Chain of Lights)]
[Purpose: Observation, Communication, and Unifying Belief Anchor]
The next few weeks were consumed with feverish development.
In the hidden chambers beneath the observatory, Jiang Fan's engineers—brilliant students of the Enlightened Chain—worked day and night, carving alloys from rare meteoric ores found in the Khar mines.
Their eyes burned with the same light as the stars they sought to mimic.
Jiang Fan guided them gently.
He taught the math, but clothed it in poetry.
He taught orbital arcs, but spoke of dance.
To them, Lucerna was not just a machine—it was a gift to the gods.
And the people?
They watched, puzzled but awed, as a massive spiraling ramp took shape in the Valley of Echoes. They watched as rope-pulleys wound tighter than they'd ever seen, and crystal lenses were polished until they gleamed like suns trapped in stone.
Rumors spread.
Some said it was a weapon to fight the sky.
Others said it was a bridge to speak with the moon.
Children began leaving petals and carved figurines at the base of the tower, whispering wishes into the wind.
As the day of launch neared, Jiang Fan stood alone at the apex of the ramp.
He looked out at the gathered masses below—thousands, gathered from every tribe, city, and forge.
And he wondered…
Was this what it felt like to be a god?
To look down, to lift others up, and to carry their dreams?
No.
It wasn't divinity.
It was responsibility.
The final adjustments were made.
Lucerna, a gleaming orb no larger than a human heart, was locked into the tension rig.
Inside it: polished mirrors, lenses, and a rudimentary kinetic timer that would rotate panels to reflect sunlight in pre-coded flashes.
If it worked—it would orbit for 3 days.
If it failed—it would fall, burning.
There was no second chance.
"Begin the sequence," Jiang Fan said.
The countdown began—not in numbers, but in drumbeats.
The people clapped in rhythm, their hands like thunder.
Thoom. Thoom. Thoom.
And on the final beat…
Release.
The sling lashed forward.
Lucerna screamed through the air, parting the clouds, vanishing into the high blue beyond.
A hush fell.
Nothing moved.
Even the wind paused.
And then—
A sparkle.
A flicker.
High above the atmosphere, a tiny flash of sunlight winked once, then again—precise, deliberate, impossible.
A cheer erupted so loud it shook the earth.
That night, every eye turned upward.
The stars were unchanged.
But now, one moved.
Lucerna danced across the sky in slow arcs, blinking its silent pattern.
Not a god.
Not a miracle.
A message.
From the ashes of clay and copper, from forges and floodplains, the people had sent something into the heavens.
And it had answered.
They wept.
They sang.
And a new word entered every tongue: Skylight.
It meant hope.
[Planetary Civilization Tier: Upgraded – From Tribal Confederation to Early Kingdom Age]
[Innovation Flag: Artificial Satellite Achieved (Primitive) – Global Awareness Shift +36%]
[Cultural Shift: Astral Unity Doctrine Unlocked]
[Mystery Triggered: External Civilization Monitoring Node Reactivated]
Jiang Fan felt it—subtle, deep in the simulation core.
Something… noticed.
Something from outside.
Another Architect?
A Watcher?
He couldn't tell.
But the planet had just announced itself to the cosmos.
And there would be consequences.
Later that night, as Lucerna traced her silver arc, Jiang Fan stood alone atop the Observatory once more.
In his hand was a clay tablet inscribed with the first complete planetary map.
In his mind, blueprints spiraled endlessly—solar energy towers, ion fields, clean engines, planetary AI...
And within his soul, an echo stirred.
Not fear.
Not arrogance.
But longing.
"You'll be a world unlike any other," he whispered.
"And when the others come, you won't just survive…"
"You'll shine."