The quest to find a trade partner began with an act of faith and an expenditure of my precious System Points. The world beyond our valley was a complete unknown, a blank space on my mental map. To send a caravan out blindly would be to send them to their deaths. I needed intelligence.
I secluded myself, accessing the [TECHNOLOGY] tab. My gaze swept past the familiar agricultural and engineering packets. Under the [CIVIC & MILITARY DOCTRINES] tab, a new set of options had appeared, contingent on our new societal stability.
[BASIC CARTOGRAPHY & SCOUTING - KNOWLEDGE PACKET]
[Cost: 4 System Points.]
[Description: Provides knowledge of map-making using celestial navigation and terrain association. Unlocks skills in long-range reconnaissance, trail-finding, stealthy movement, and identifying signs of sentient activity (settlements, patrols, trade routes).]
[PRINCIPLES OF BARTER & TRADE - KNOWLEDGE PACKET]
[Cost: 3 System Points.]
[Description: Foundational knowledge of value assessment, negotiation, supply and demand, and the establishment of basic economic exchange systems. Includes information on common trade goods and their relative values in the current technological era.]
I had eleven points saved. The cost of seven points was steep, but the knowledge was essential. It was an investment in our future. Purchase both, I commanded.
The dual influx of information was dizzying. One part of my mind filled with star charts, with the subtle art of reading the land, of moving unseen through hostile territory. The other part filled with the cold, hard calculus of value, the psychology of a negotiation, the complex dance of barter. When the influx subsided, I felt like a different kind of king—not just a builder or a commander, but a spymaster and a merchant prince.
My first act was to summon Ren, the former raider. He had proven himself to be a diligent worker and had fully embraced his new life. More importantly, he possessed a knowledge that I, with all my system-granted power, lacked: he knew the wastes. He had lived in the spaces between settlements.
I unrolled a large, tanned hide on the floor of the manor. Using charcoal and my new cartographic knowledge, I began to sketch our valley with a precision that made him gasp. Then I pointed to the world beyond. "Tell me what you know, Ren. Tell me of every tribe, every ruin, every oasis you have ever seen or heard of."
For hours, he spoke, and I drew. His scattered, anecdotal knowledge was filtered through my systematic cartographic framework. The blank hide began to fill with promising routes, dangerous territories, and, most importantly, the locations of three potential settlements. One was a hostile tribe of nomadic warriors. Another was a rumored 'ghost city' in the salt flats. The third, and most promising, was a mining settlement called Ironpeak, nestled in a mountain range a week's journey to the west. They were said to trade iron ore for food and water, supplies they constantly lacked. They were our target.
The expedition would not be a massive caravan at first. It would be a small, armed scouting party. Their mission was to confirm the location of Ironpeak, assess its strength, gauge its disposition, and, if possible, initiate contact.
There was only one man I trusted to lead it: Borin.
I laid the plan out to him and the council. "Borin, you will lead a party of ten. Your mission is reconnaissance, not trade. You are to be my eyes and ears. Avoid conflict if possible. Your goal is information."
Borin, who had settled into a comfortable role as the city's watch captain, looked almost relieved to have a true mission again. "It will be done," he said, his one eye gleaming with purpose.
"I will go with you," a voice said from the back of the room. It was Ren. "I know these lands. I know the ways of the tribes that wander there. I can guide you past the dangers."
Kael and the other elders immediately bristled. Sending a former enemy on such a critical mission was a huge risk. But I saw the sincerity in Ren's eyes. This was his ultimate test of loyalty, his chance to fully repay his debt and earn his place.
"He will go," I said, my decision final. "His knowledge is too valuable to leave behind. Borin, he is your responsibility."
Borin looked at Ren, a long, appraising stare. "He will not fail us," Borin said at last. "Or he will not return."
The preparations for the expedition became a city-wide effort. It was a showcase of how far we had come. They were not leaving with stale bread and murky water. My mother and her team packed sacks of nutrient-rich hardtack. The 'Farmers' selected the best of our grain for trail rations. We filled a dozen waterskins from our pristine well. The blacksmith, now a respected artisan, crafted new arrowheads, spear tips, and a fine, balanced short sword for Borin. Ren was given a new spear and a shield bearing the simple insignia I had designed for Oakhaven: a single, golden stalk of wheat against a green field.
The day they left was a momentous occasion. The entire city gathered at the gates to see them off. This was not a desperate flight or a grim march to war. This was a proud, confident stride into the future. It was Oakhaven announcing its existence to the world.
I stood on the wall, my mother beside me, and watched the small party of twelve disappear into the vast, shimmering expanse of the desert. Borin, the grizzled warrior. Ren, the redeemed raider. Ten of our best men. They were the tip of our spear, the first tendril of our new, mercantile empire.
Watching them go, I felt a strange sense of quiet. For the first time, a critical part of Oakhaven's fate was out of my direct control. It was in the hands of the men I had trained, the leaders I had forged.
My work was here, in the growing city. We needed more housing. Our legal code needed to be formally written and taught. The new agricultural techniques of crop rotation had to be implemented. The system, I knew, would soon present another challenge, another quest.
The expedition was a gamble. But as I looked at my thriving, bustling city, at the golden fields, at the faces of my people filled with purpose and hope, I knew it was a gamble we had to take. We had conquered our valley. Now, it was time to see what lay beyond the horizon.