Elias hadn't intended to settle into routine.
But here he was, two weeks into his life since departing from the base, in Cetinje, living on stale bread, bitter black coffee, and twelve-hour days in the cramped study of Baron Radomir Petrović, one of the lesser nobles tethered to the royal court of the principality, returning to his workaholic life after just two months of being shot into the past.
The Baron—balding, hawk-nosed, and perpetually irritated—had an insatiable appetite for reports, translations, and treatises on everything from border disputes with the Ottomans to foreign investment schemes.
Elias, with his "northern schooling" and uncanny grasp of multiple languages, fit the mold of a discreet and educated assistant perfectly.
He showed up early.
He left late.
He kept his head down and his ears open.
Because while Baron Petrović thought he'd hired a scholar, what he'd really done was open a side door to the engine room of Montenegro's government.
And Elias listened.
To gossip.
To troop movements.
To whispers of Russian advisors and Austro-Hungarian coin flowing beneath the table.
And all the while—Eagle View followed him.
Each night, Elias returned to the tiny attic above the printer's shop.
He lit a single candle, sat cross-legged on the floorboards, and summoned the holographic projection only he could see.
And finally—tonight—it paid off.
[Credit Reserve: 478]
[Ore Refinery Status: 56% Yield Increase]
[Ore Miner Status: Copper Vein Acquired]
Elias stared at the new reading, eyes narrowing.
Copper.
Not gold.
Not silver.
But copper—dense, plentiful, industrially essential.
"System. Estimated income rate?"
'Current output: 4.2 credits per hour. Projected maximum: 5.5 with optimal route and dual miner implementation.'
He sat back, heart hammering with a slow, steady rhythm.
No more half-credit-per-hour dribble.
He was officially post-subsistence.
This wasn't just enough to build.
This was enough to expand.
"System, has the unit recruitment already been processed?"
'Confirmed. Engineer training complete. Unit: ENG-001 now active and standing by. Riflemen squad RFL-Alpha has also been completed and is standing by.
Nice, his six units had been created, and he still had close to five hundred spare credits after his recent bout of saving up and just waiting for his funds to increase.
Thanks to that, he was able to select the construction of his next building.
A powerplant.
He switched views.
Below him, through the god-like perspective of Eagle View, he watched the base buzz to life in its quiet, hidden way.
Quickly selecting the location of his future powerplant, watching the credits drain from his account before moving on to scour his forces and see what they were up to.
The Engineer, clad in a pristine white winter coat marked only with the barest RA insignia, moved through the base with purpose.
Without needing a spoken word, Elias issued the first order mentally to the unit.
"Camouflage reinforcement. Use excavated soil and loose rock. Reinforce slope line, obscure facility outline."
The unit obeyed immediately—no questions, no hesitation, starting to move out no longer than five seconds after the thought transmission had been sent out.
He was alone no longer.
The first Rifleman squad stood ready.
[Unit Deployed: RFL-Alpha]
[Equipment: Hybrid Needle Rifle-Muskets, winter fatigues, passive camouflage. Combat efficiency: Moderate. Loyalty: Absolute.]
Five men.
Anonymous.
Loyal only to him, or those he designated.
He watched them stand in perfect formation on the snowy plateau outside the Barracks, awaiting further orders.
'Perform local perimeter scouting. Do not engage. Monitor for wildlife, foreign activity, or terrain shift."
'''''Yes Commander!'''''
Elias shut off the display for a moment and stared at the ceiling.
This wasn't a dream anymore.
He had boots on the ground.
A base turning profit.
An Engineer further developing defenses.
Riflemen starting up patrolling around his base.
And nobody—not the villagers below, not the soldiers on the city streets, not the crown princes or foreign ministers—knew that deep in the mountains, a new power was stirring.
Not born of bloodline.
Not voted into being.
Built.
One decision at a time.
~
The next day in the capital, Elias filed and organized reports on agricultural shortages and border scuffles near Scutari.
By lunch, he was translating a letter from a French diplomat requesting discreet talks with the Ministry of War.
By the time the Baron dismissed him, Elias's hands ached from ink and stiff parchment.
But he smiled.
Because when Elias returned to his attic, candle flickering beside him and boots damp with slush, the system's glow greeted him like an old comrade.
[Credit Reserve: 302.8]
[Current Output: 5.2 Credits/hr]
[Copper Vein Status: Stable]
'Defensive Camouflage Progress: 38% Complete'
'RFL-Alpha: Hunting/Trade Activity Engaged'
A soft chuckle escaped his lips.
He hadn't even issued the last order.
They'd improvised.
Good.
Flicking into Eagle View, Elias zoomed in on the squad's position.
RFL-Alpha was stationed just outside the nearby village of Razvrsje, rifles slung over shoulders, conversing with locals at the edge of a tree line.
Three hares hung from a rope, their pelts still steaming from the cold kill.
The villagers seemed relaxed—smiling even.
He leaned forward.
"System, explain this activity."
'RFL-Alpha entered contact with civilians during patrol. Villagers identified them as travelling hunters. Offer made: local meat in exchange for bread, salt, and minor supplies. Unit accepted in Commander's absence.'
Elias watched as the squad passed off preserved rations to the villagers—hard biscuits, dried berries—and received fresh meat and rough-cut leather in return.
Practical.
Inconspicuous.
Mutually beneficial.
"Tag that as authorized in the future. RFL-Alpha has permission to maintain low-tier trade with villagers, we just need to be careful that no one becomes suspicious since blackmarket dealing with military supplies could bring the nations military police if rumor spreads, bringing the Principalities attention on us much to soon. Prioritize camouflage, no political disclosure."
'Order received.'
He zoomed back out, eyes turning toward the heart of his hidden command.
The powerplants construction had been completed during the day, the brick walls and smokestacks rising up within the mountain range, with some simple powerlines running from it into the Barracks, elevating the barracks itself as a secondary home availible to the soldiers, which meant just with his base alone he could house approximately two hundred soldiers before needing to construct another.
Thanks to the powerplant he could now think about constructing more advanced building and unlocking a commanders true potential.
And with 300 credits burning a hole in his pocket, he knew what came next.
"System. Queue War Factory."
'War Factory available for construction. Cost: 2,000 Credits. Required: Operational Powerplant. Projected Time to Completion: 18 Hours.
He hesitated for only a moment.
Because he could spend the money elsewhere.
Another three Rifleman squads.
Or another pair of Engineers.
Or even a medic.
But the truth was simple: infantry didn't grow economies.
Ore Miners did.
And a War Factory meant vehicles.
Not in the way of tanks just yet but if they had a war factory he could purchase new 'ore miners' that would increase the number of miners currently swinging pickaxes and digging up the mountain range along with more carts to ferry the dug out spoils to be returned to the refinery.
With another Miner operational, his income could double—maybe even triple if the copper deposit held.
With two miner teams running, he'd reach expansion velocity.
Outposts.
Communications.
Remote barracks.
Tech centers.
Tanks.
Domination.
All without lifting a finger outside his attic.
Later that night, Elias flipped open a leather-bound notebook he'd taken from the Baron's study and began to scribble in a near manic scrawl:
Expand miner output
Engineer team for forward bunker (Gora Crna?)
Interrogate trade routes between Cetinje and Scutari
Start sleeper agent integration by placing RA units into the Montenegro Military, and social structure.
Approach newsman for distribution channel—anonymously
He underlined the last one twice.
Power didn't only come from bullets.
It came from narrative.
From momentum.
And soon, the time would come to shape the truth before others tried to.
At the base, dawn crept over a snow-laced ridge.
ENG-001 worked silently, carving a low wall of earthen berms camouflaged with pine and shale.
Beside him, the powerplant glowed faintly as inside the plants machinery worked away tirelessly to endlessly produce power for the base.
And just beyond, the barren plateau designated for the War Factory shone with construction beacons.
[Powerplant Operational.]
[Initiating War Factory construction.]
[Credit Reserve: -1698.2]
In the stillness of early morning, without fanfare or announcement, Elias Kaine's army began to upgrade.
The wheels of industry had begun to turn.
And the world?
It hadn't even noticed.
Though his latest construction wouldnt be completed for another 10 days due to the current extent of the mining operations, and beyond that another 10 thereabouts to create a second mining team.