The wheels had turned.
From one province to another, the sound of bicycle chains was now more common than the neigh of horses. Sharath's inventions hadn't just changed how people moved—they changed how they thought. Speed, access, trade—it was all faster. Farmers grew ambitious, merchants expanded reach, and children in remote villages began dreaming of more than fields and fishnets.
But success, as Sharath would learn, comes with unseen dependencies.
In his study—cluttered with invention drafts, crop yield reports, and gear schematics—Sharath squinted at the blank space where paper should have been.
"I need twenty sheets for the irrigation plan," he muttered.
His steward bowed apologetically. "None left, young master. Even the capital is facing shortages."
It wasn't a war or rebellion that now slowed Sharath's empire.
It was paper.