Lootwell accelerated.
Branches expanded. New locations were approved across the West Continent.
Everyone became busy again.
This time, however, the busyness carried a different flavor.
It was not survival pressure.
It was momentum.
People moved with purpose. Division representatives coordinated without needing Lucien's constant presence. Eirene, Vivian, Elias, Kael, Cecil, Clara, Lilith, Rurik, and the others no longer waited for every answer to descend.
They had learned how Lucien thought.
More importantly, Lucien had allowed them to trust their own judgment.
That changed everything.
A ruler who answered every question eventually became the narrowest gate in his own kingdom. Lucien had no intention of becoming Lootwell's greatest bottleneck simply because people loved him too much to decide without permission.
So he gave authority.
Lucien still reviewed major shifts.
But the territory no longer froze without his hand.
That was growth.
