Atlas sat on the edge of the central platform, staring at the Weave interface floating in front of him. Messages kept coming in—dozens every hour now.
A node two hundred links away wanted advice on water distribution. Another asked for mediation in a dispute over tool sharing.
A third just sent a simple request: "What would you do?" He rubbed his eyes and closed the window. The expansion had brought more connections than anyone expected, and with them came the weight.
He stood up and walked out alone. The new threads stretched far into the distance, thin lines of light that pulsed faintly. Atlas followed one that led toward the outer ridges, his boots kicking up dust. No one followed him at first. Good. He needed the quiet.
The thread felt solid underfoot, but every few steps a small wisp of light broke off and drifted toward him. One showed a group of builders in a distant node using a pulley system he'd suggested months ago.
