The Solidarity Network glowed softly in her mind. It wasn't a list of commands. It was a map of needs and strengths.
[WILLOWBROOK POTTERY]
[NEED: PACKING MATERIALS. STURDY, REUSABLE FABRIC.]
[STRENGTH: DURABLE GLAZED CONTAINERS. IMPERMEABLE.]
Anya looked at the text. It wasn't about finding the cheapest supplier. It was about finding the right partner.
This changes everything.
Her first stop wasn't a merchant. It was a small textile workshop two streets over.
--------------------------
The Weaver's Knot smelled of lanolin and dyed fibers. A woman named Elara worked a handloom, her movements a practiced rhythm.
"I'm not buying," Anya said quickly. "I'm proposing a trade."
Elara's hands didn't stop. "We sell cloth. We don't trade."
"Willowbrook Pottery needs packing fabric," Anya explained. "Sturdy stuff. In return, they can give you glazed vessels. Perfect for storing your dyes. No more leaking wooden barrels."
The loom clicked and clacked. Elara finally looked up, intrigued.
"Leaky barrels are a nuisance," she admitted. "Let me see these pots."
----------------
Anya carried one of Mira's sample bowls across the district. It was heavier than it looked.
I'm a courier. But I'm carrying more than clay. I'm carrying a possibility.
Back at the pottery, Mira examined a swatch of Elara's heavy canvas.
"This is good fabric," Mira said, running it through her fingers. "Strong. We could use this for years."
"And her dyes won't spoil," Anya added. "Your pots seal tight."
Mira nodded slowly. "A fair trade. No coin needed."
A warm pulse spread through Anya's chest. The Network responded.
[NEW BOND FORMED: WILLOWBROOK POTTERY ↔ THE WEAVER'S KNOT]
[QUEST PROGRESS: 15%]
It's working. It's actually working.
--------------------------
But the Network showed her more. A third node, flickering with potential.
[THE QUILL & NIB BINDERY]
[NEED: PROTECTIVE COVERS FOR DELICATE WORK. UNIQUE CONTAINERS FOR SPECIAL EDITIONS.]
[STRENGTH: FINE PAPERS. EMBOSSING TOOLS.]
The bindery needed the potter's containers for special book boxes. They needed the weaver's felt for protective slips.
The weavers could use the bindery's paper for pattern drafting. The potters could use it for labeling.
It was a simple supply chain. But it was built on mutual need, not profit extraction.
This is the foundation. One where everyone stands stronger.
---------------------------
Anya's footsteps connected the workshops. Her path was the first thread being woven.
The scents changed with each location. The earthy clay of the pottery. The lanolin and fiber of the weaver. The paper and ink of the bindery.
She carried samples between them. A bowl here. A fabric swatch there. The weight felt good in her hands. It was the weight of building something real.
At the bindery, an old man named Kael looked over the proposals. He adjusted his spectacles.
"So," he said slowly. "The potters give me boxes. The weavers give me felt. I give them my leftover paper scraps for their patterns and labels."
"It's not about the scraps, Kael," Anya said gently. "It's about knowing that when you need something, you have someone to ask. It's about not being alone."
Kael was silent for a long moment. He looked at the sturdy bowl, then at the soft felt.
"Alone is expensive," he finally said. "I'm in."
-------------------------------
The final meeting happened back at the pottery. Mira, Elara, and Kael stood in a circle.
It was awkward at first. They were all artisans, but from different worlds.
Then Mira handed Elara a beautifully glazed jar. "For your indigo."
Elara gave Kael a roll of soft felt. "To protect your gold-leaf pages."
Kael presented Mira with a stack of fine paper. "For your labels. Your work deserves beautiful presentation."
They shook hands. A simple, human gesture.
And in Anya's vision, something miraculous happened.
A thin, golden line of light appeared between Mira and Elara. Then another connected Elara to Kael. A third stretched from Kael back to Mira.
A shimmering, golden triangle glowed in the air between them. A living circuit of solidarity.
[QUEST PROGRESS: "CONNECT THE THREADS" - 75%]
[NEW BONDS FORMED: 3]
[VULNERABILITY DECREASED: ISOLATION → INTERDEPENDENCE]
[COLLECTIVE POTENTIAL: SIGNIFICANT INCREASE]
Anya gasped. She could see it. The connection wasn't just an idea. It was real. It had weight. It had light.
The warmth in her chest bloomed into a steady, joyful heat.
She had done it. She had woven the first thread.
But as the artisans began discussing their next collaboration, a cold thought intruded.
Gareth's system would see this as inefficiency. Three separate transactions. No centralized profit.
He would see it as a weakness to be eliminated.
The real work was just beginning