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Shan Liang's POV
A year.
It was hard for Shan Liang to believe so much time had passed since they had first set foot on the plateau, when it had been nothing but grass, wind, and dreams.
Now, as she stood at the central rise where the Academy's open-air learning space stretched beneath the sky, she saw life everywhere. Smoke curled from the chimneys of sturdy timber homes. The sound of hammering echoed from a workshop where a team was shaping new ploughs. In the training grounds to the north, the rhythmic thud of spear against shield blended with the barked orders of the Protectors' drill leader.
Children ran past her in a blur, chasing one another with sticks pretending to be swords. Their laughter rang across the open square—an easy sound, one she hadn't heard much of in her early years wandering between struggling settlements. Back then, children rarely played; they worked, they scrounged, they shivered through cold seasons praying for the next meal.
Now… now they had the luxury to dream.
The System's voice appeared in her vision as it had countless times over the past year.
[Long-Term Mission Status: Academy Establishment — Year 1 Review]
[Primary Objective Progress: 64% Complete]
[Achievements Noted:]
• [Academy has functional open-air teaching space with capacity for 50 learners.]
• [Initial curriculum established — food preservation, crop rotation, basic numeracy, early calendar tracking.]
• [Duplicate knowledge storage implemented — clay tablets stored in underground vault.]
[Bonus Achievement:]
• [Emergence of apprentice teachers detected — knowledge is already being passed without direct Host intervention.]
[Advisory: Host is encouraged to transition from sole instructor role to supervisory and knowledge creation role. A civilization thrives when many can teach, not when one teaches many.]
Shan Liang smiled faintly. She had resisted that last part for months, clinging to the joy of speaking directly to every learner. But the System was right—if everything depended on her voice, then all progress would vanish if that voice ever fell silent.
The Protectors had changed just as much as the settlement. Xie E now commanded a force of thirty well-trained fighters, each drilled in formations, patrol routines, and the use of not just spears, but bows and slings. They had developed signals for emergencies—horn blasts for beast attacks, drumbeats for human raiders.
And the most remarkable thing? They rarely had to fight anymore. Word had spread across the region that the plateau was a safe place under strong protection. Raiders found easier prey elsewhere, and those seeking refuge came here instead.
It was working.
She walked the perimeter wall one cool morning, the dew still wet on the wood. A Protector named Han greeted her with a respectful nod.
"Morning patrol clear, Teacher Shan," he said.
"Good. Keep an eye on that southern path—the rain last night might have made it slick."
He grinned. "Already told the watch to be careful. Don't want anyone tumbling down the slope again."
It was this kind of exchange that warmed her heart—people thinking ahead, looking out for one another without being told.
Later that day, the System interrupted her thoughts again, but this time the tone of the messages felt… heavier.
[Civilization Assessment Update:]
[Host's settlement has achieved sustained food surplus, basic education infrastructure, and organized defense.]
[This represents transition from "Early Village Confederation" to "Proto-Town Society" stage.]
[However, sustained growth will now depend on three key developments:]
[1. Expanded trade and resource acquisition beyond immediate territory.]
[2. Standardization of written language to preserve complex ideas.]
[3. Diversification of skilled professions — metalworking, medicine, engineering.]
[New Task Issued: Establish Trade Routes]
[Objective: Identify and secure at least two reliable exchange paths with other settlements within 6 months.]
[Reward: Knowledge Module — "Metallurgy Basics."]
[Secondary Task Issued: Develop Writing System]
[Objective: Create a standardized written form for numbers and words; implement in Academy curriculum.]
[Reward: Knowledge Module — "Medicine: Principles of Diagnosis and Herbal Remedies."]
Trade routes. Writing. Professions.
She remembered, suddenly, the earliest conversations she'd had with the System a year ago. How distant and impossible these things had seemed then. Now… they felt within reach.
But they wouldn't be easy.
Trade meant sending people beyond the safety of the plateau, risking conflict or treachery. Writing meant convincing people to take time to learn symbols instead of hunting or farming. And skilled professions meant pulling hands away from the plough to experiment with work that might not feed them immediately.
Still… she'd seen what happened when people dared to imagine something bigger. The winter survival rates had improved because of it. The plateau itself existed because of it.
That evening, she and Xie E sat by the central fire, watching the flames dance.
"Trade routes," she said.
He raised a brow. "And I'm guessing the System didn't mean a quick stroll to the next village."
"No," she replied, "it wants paths we can rely on—places we can exchange goods and knowledge."
Xie E leaned back, thinking. "We'll need scouting parties. Not just fighters—negotiators, too. People who can offer something other settlements want without making us look like a threat."
"And we'll need a surplus of goods to trade," she added. "Dried meat, maybe tools."
They talked long into the night, plotting routes on a rough map drawn in the dirt.
The next morning, Shan Liang gathered her apprentice teachers at the Academy site. She explained the concept of writing—a way to put words into shapes that could be remembered even when the speaker was gone.
Some were skeptical.
"If we teach everyone this," one young woman asked, "won't it make secrets harder to keep?"
Shan Liang didn't dismiss the question. "Yes. But it will also make truth harder to twist. Knowledge should outlive the person who holds it."
The System's text flickered in her vision.
[Host has initiated foundational step for Secondary Task: Develop Writing System.]
[Suggestion: Begin with pictographs related to farming, seasons, and trade. Expand gradually.]
By mid-year's end, the plateau settlement was busier than ever. Scouts left and returned with news of distant communities, some friendly, some wary. The Academy's learners were carving symbols into clay tablets, proudly reading them back. The Protectors had begun escorting trade groups along safe routes.
The air itself felt different—charged, alive, as if the land knew something important was taking root here.
And through it all, Shan Liang kept her gaze forward. She knew that these were still the earliest days of something that could last centuries.
The God of Wisdom's gift had started it. But it was the people—their courage, their trust, their willingness to work—that would make it endure.
And she would see it through, no matter how many winters, or how many tasks, lay ahead.
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