Chapter 20 – Echoes in Elaron

The bullet train sped through the glass mountains of Elaron, a country famous for its neutral stance in media wars and its thriving creator economy. Liam stood at the edge of the observation car, watching crystalline spires blur past.

"This place breathes differently," Nova said beside him, camera in hand. "It's like the silence is waiting to be broken."

"They've been quiet for too long," Liam replied. "Time to give them something worth listening to."

Their destination was Skellaris City, the creative capital of Elaron—where Indie Web would be hosting the first decentralized streaming symposium, drawing underground artists, blockchain publishers, and rebellious developers from across the globe.

But as they arrived at the summit, Liam noticed something unsettling. The crowd was energetic, sure. But segmented. Multiple creative guilds sat in distinct circles, some friendly, others cold. The unity of Indie Web hadn't reached this fragmented culture yet.

Nova whispered, "We're not in Tassara anymore."

Ace stepped forward and placed his tablet on the table. "Here's the breakdown—Skellaris has influence, but it's splintered. If we want the Elaran Guilds on our side, we need to build something together. Not just give them Indie Web. Let them feel ownership."

Liam nodded slowly. "Then we give them a stake. Launch Elaron's own ARCLOUD node, governed by their guilds. Full creative control, no strings. A true micro-empire."

Nova blinked. "You're serious?"

"We didn't come to build an audience," Liam said. "We came to build nations."

Just then, a transmission buzzed through Ace's earpiece. His expression shifted.

"What is it?" Liam asked.

Ace looked up. "Kara Vale just announced Everline's partnership with Stratacast—a hyper-AI content generation firm. They're launching Project Persona, a full-scale synthetic artist program."

For a moment, everyone went quiet.

"They're replacing creators," Dex murmured from the corner, fists clenched. "Not just sidelining us. Erasing us."

Liam stared out the glass wall of the summit hall. Across Skellaris, digital billboards were already teasing holograms of perfect voices, pixel-perfect idols.

Then he turned back, his eyes lit with fire. "Then we stop being artists…"

"…and start being architects."

The End of Chapter 20