When Evan returned to the market the next day the same crowd from before was waiting near the fountain. The adventurer who recorded himself flexing had become a minor celebrity among them and now everyone wanted to try the illusion chain. Evan arrived carrying a bag of improved crystals and people approached him with questions before he even set the bag down.

Is it ready
Can we record battles
Can my witch partner film spell dances
Does it work at night
Does it cost money

Their excitement felt like fuel and pressure at the same time. Evan reminded himself of every product launch meeting he had run in the real world except this time he had no team no budget no servers only raw magic and his strange new ability.

He set his crystals on the fountain ledge.
All right one at a time I need to test a few features first

The purple robed witch from earlier stepped forward holding two small potion bottles.
I want to show how these react when mixed she said Will your crystals capture color changes
Yes Evan replied though he was not completely certain

She poured one bottle into the other and a plume of bright pink smoke erupted swirling into a heart shaped illusion. Evan directed the recording sphere toward her and the illusion captured smoothly. The relay crystals blinked and transferred the clip across the row. The crowd gasped as the repeated heart shaped smoke looped above every crystal.

It worked

The witch smiled warmly This could change how potion schools teach apprentices
Or how you showcase your shop Evan added gently planting the idea

Next a pair of beast trainers approached with a small feathered lizard perched on one man’s shoulder. The creature chirped loudly with curiosity.
We want to show off our companion tricks one said

The lizard leapt performed a small spin and spat a tiny harmless burst of flame. The sphere captured it the relays copied it and soon the entire plaza watched five looping clips of the little creature twirling.

The crowd grew every minute. People started debating content styles and bragging about who could make the most impressive illusion clip.

But soon the first problem appeared

A loud crack echoed through the plaza and one of the relays sputtered then shattered into dust. The illusion chains broke causing the loops to distort into ghostly shapes before fading. People gasped and backed away from the broken crystal.

The rune craftsman from yesterday happened to pass by and shouted Too much mana flow You overloaded it
Evan swallowed This is early testing I have to tune the mana thresholds

The craftsman gave him a sharp look You are trying to build something dangerous if you do not know how far magic can stretch
Evan kept calm I know what I am doing I just need the right craft techniques and stable runes

The craftsman studied him for a long moment then sighed Bring the broken pieces to my shop tonight I may be old but I know potential when I see it

Evan nodded grateful

Yet another problem surfaced
Some adventurers argued loudly claiming their illusion clip should loop longer while others demanded that their clips be shown first. The small crowd began dividing into groups each insisting on more attention.

Insight Vision activated showing Evan shifting lines of influence forming into clusters.
Early creator friction
Audience competition
Unclear visibility rules

These were classic platform birth pains. He knew them well.

He raised his voice All right everyone I am going to set rules for these crystals They will show clips in order of recording and each clip will repeat for the same amount of time This way everyone gets a chance

The complaints quieted slowly. The witch nodded approvingly and the beast trainers stepped back in line. Evan exhaled relieved.

But as soon as order returned a new tension brewed.
A pair of armored knights approached the crowd wearing the emblem of the Royal Arcanum the kingdom’s magical authority. Their presence made the crowd shrink away.

One knight asked Who is running these illusion demonstrations
Evan stepped forward I am
You are foreign one knight said eyes narrowing You have no guild license and no permit for public arcane broadcasts
Evan kept his voice steady This is not a broadcast It is a relay test for a communication system
That makes it worse the knight replied Arcane communication requires regulation by royal decree

Murmurs spread through the crowd. Some people looked worried others angry. The witch whispered to Evan The Arcanum hates anything that spreads information without their control

The knight demanded You will cease all demonstrations at once Until the Arcanum reviews your intent this activity is prohibited

Evan felt a cold tension tighten in his stomach. He had expected resistance but not this quickly.

He asked What law does this violate
The knight hesitated which told Evan everything he needed to know. There was no law because no one had ever created anything like Magenet before.

Still the knight repeated Cease at once or we will confiscate your crystals

The crowd began to protest
He is not hurting anyone
We want the demonstrations
Let the man work

The knights stepped forward hands on their weapons.

Evan lifted his bag of crystals slowly and backed away. He did not want a scene. Conflict this early could destroy everything.

He looked at the knights and said calmly I will stop for now

The knights nodded and left issuing warnings to the crowd. When they disappeared behind the plaza arch people rushed to Evan with anxious voices.
You cannot stop
They will kill the idea
Do not let the Arcanum silence it

Evan raised a hand I am not stopping I am being smart I will build something they cannot shut down

He looked toward the direction the knights had gone
He realized that Magenet would not be a simple project
It would be a revolution

And revolutions always had enemies

He lifted the bag of crystals
Tonight I fix the prototype
Tomorrow the real building begins

The crowd watched him with hope and fear mixed in their eyes. Evan walked away from the plaza aware of every step. This world was already reacting already shifting.

The spark had been lit
Now he had to protect it before it became a fire no one could extinguish