The monument pulsed once—then everything around Darius lit up with gold.
> [SYSTEM UPDATE IN PROGRESS…]
Legacy Empire Signature Detected. Syncing Forgotten Protocols…
"Darius?" Rowan stepped forward, but a wave of light pushed him back.
Darius gritted his teeth. "System's… changing something."
More messages appeared:
> [System Update Complete]
Gold is no longer your only resource. System Points have been activated.
Construction, Upgrades, and Unlocks now require: System Points + Gold
You have: 3 SP | 0 Gold
"What the hell are System Points?" Aric asked.
Darius stood up, breathing hard. "New currency. Tied to progress—exploration, empire missions, rare discoveries. Looks like gold alone won't cut it anymore."
He checked the console.
> Restore Outpost (Stage 1): Requires 2 SP + 100 Gold + Basic Resources
Status: Blocked
"Great," Darius muttered. "Can't rebuild a thing until I earn more points or it'll wreck my mind."
"Wreck your mind?" Rowan frowned.
Darius nodded. "System said building without SP is possible… but the mental strain could knock me out—or worse."
Aric whistled. "So we're stuck."
"No," Darius said. "We hunt for points now. Quests. Ruins. Whatever gives us SP. This outpost is step one."
Rowan cracked his knuckles. "Then let's find something worth smashing."
Darius looked out over the valley, system window still open. A new tab had appeared:
> [Empire Questline: Forgotten Path - Activated]
Objective: Investigate the Southern Hollow for Imperial Echoes
Reward: +1 SP, 50 Gold, ???
He smirked. "We've got our first lead."
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