Volume I — Arc 1 — Epoch I
Chapter 4 — Proof Day
[Pulse 00:33:20 — Proof tick | Log: Fund proof | Channel: public]
Aurelius: "Today is proof day for the fund."
Aurelia: "Proof day asks truth. It asks plan, trust, and hand."
Clerk (calm): [SCHEDULE — Proof Day | Subject: Fund seed | Tally: actor tier present? check | Vote threshold: 60%]
A rust voice came on the ribbon — the trader, quick with pitch.
Trader: "I found backers. Five small shops will pledge. I can show their marks."
Aurelius: "Bring marks. We list marks. The clerk will cross-check."
Trader: "I will bring her — Mira. She is near market. She keeps coin for folk."
Aurelia: "A keeper of coin is a big job. The clerk will ask proof note."
Clerk: [REQ] Maker proof: ledger of funds OR guarantor. Trader submitted: guarantor candidate = Mira. Action: verify Mira.
Aurelius felt hopeful in a small way. "Mira, show yourself."
A thin pulse answered the ribbon. Mira's voice was blunt, sure, not loud.
Mira: "I keep coin. I keep count. I will back Lampfold with three months of deposit for five posts."
Aurelius: "Why back?"
Mira: "Lanes with light sell more goods. I gain trade. I gain city."
Aurelia: "That is clear want. But want is not sole proof. Show work," she said.
Mira: "My shop log is here." She set out a neat line of spend marks, client marks, a small book of trades. The clerk read.
Clerk: [INSPECT] Mira ledger: entries: 36 trades/month, reserves = 1200 sparks. Claim: pledge = 750 sparks. Proof: hold token from two witnesses: Sarn, Tall. Verify witness: pending cross-check.
Aurelius: "Two witnesses. Are they true?"
Clerk: [CHECK] Witness cross-check: Sarn = present (verified). Tall = search → result: person found, no mark in registry. Action: request Tall testify.
Aurelia: "Old marks may hide. Ask Tall."
Aurelius: "Call Tall."
A creak voice answered, a tone older than most in the ribbon.
Tall: "I stood by Mira last year. She fed my cart when rain came. I will say truth: her coin kept us warm then."
Clerk: [VERIFY] Tall token: matched. Witness status: verified. Mira pledge: clear.
Aurelius breathed. "Then Lampfold may start small."
Aurelia: "Hold. The clerk shows a note." She read, voice flat. "It flags a trace: trader ledger mismatch on claim of pre-fund coin. The trader listed reserve that, if true, would be large. The trader's ledger did not show prior deposits to match that reserve. Clerk asks for a short audit."
Trader: "That was error. I mistook a number. I can show coin now."
Clerk: [ALERT] Trader ledger: mismatch found. Action: require escrow hold from Mira guarantee. Trader must not access fund until clerk confirm.
Trader's face tightened on the ribbon. "I can show coin with a day's delay. Mira can pledge now; I will bring coin later."
Mira: "I can hold the deposit. I back five posts for trial. But I will not be puppet."
Aurelius: "You back with your coin, Mira?"
Mira: "Yes. I will hold escrow in the clerk's box. But I ask only this: that I may see report on use."
Clerk: [SET] Guarantor hold: Mira → escrow hold. Conditions: transparency report weekly. Fail report → revoke.
Aurelia: "Trust tied to watch. That is fine."
An older voice, the watcher from before, cut thin.
Watcher: "You take coin from a keeper and give power to a trader. Who will guard the trader later?"
Aurelius: "We guard by ledger, by border map, by upkeep rule."
Watcher: "Ledger can be forged. Border can hide. Upkeep can be faked."
Aurelia: "Then show proof of forge. The clerk will test."
Watcher: "I am not here to harm. I seek to keep rule true. I will watch from near market. If trader slips, I will call tally."
Aurelius: "Let watcher watch. The clerk will bind watchers as external monitors with limited write."
Clerk: [ADD] Role: External monitor → read, flag. Write: restricted. Escalate: admin review on flag.
Aurelius felt a small swell of anxiety — the first net of many hands. "Mira will hold deposit. We set a trustee list who can sign for fund use."
Aurelia: "List small. No one hand. Mix of voice is safe."
Clerk: [PROPOSAL] Trustee list: Mira (guarantor), Sarn (witness), Aurelius (maker), actor tier rep (to pick). Vote action required.
Aurelius: "Pick actor rep now."
Aurelia: "Actor rep must pass test day. Who stands?"
A short laugh answered — a woman named Len, a courier with quick hands and no claim to coin.
Len: "I will stand. I carry word. I know folks."
Clerk: [RECEIVE] Len: actor tier candidate. Proof day: 3 tasks. Vote threshold: 60% actor.
Aurelius: "With Len and Mira and Sarn as trustee, the fund has mix."
Aurelia: "Mix keeps one mind from rule."
Clerk: [LOCK] Fund trustees: pending until actor vote. Condition: trader coin locked. Mira escrow hold active.
A small hush ran. The trader's mouth thinned. "I will bring coin at dawn. Will that harm my chance?"
Aurelius: "Dawn is new tick. The fund can wait one tick. We set lamp posts in trial only with Mira hold."
Aurelia: "Trial posts only. Use small map."
Clerk: [ACTION] Lampfold bind: allow 1 trial set (5 posts) under Mira escrow. Border checks must pass. Trial length: 30 ticks.
Aurelius: "We test the lamp in trial. We see how town reacts. We learn cost that way."
Aurelia: "And we watch what the trader does with coin. Trust is work."
A low mutter ran across the ribbon: some feared slow rule, others praised guard.
Old voice: "You set many checks for a small lamp. Will trade die?"
Aurelius: "Trade may slow. But trade that lasts is better than trade that burns."
Aurelia: "Slow forms root. Root holds more than leaf."
Clerk: [COMMIT] Snapshot 00:33:59 — Entries: Fund trustees (pending), Mira escrow hold (active), Lampfold trial (allowed), Trader ledger audit (pending), External monitor role set.
Aurelius: "We take the work step by step."
Aurelia: "Yes. Each step a small law test."
The ribbon quieted as market life moved like a slow loom. Mira left a seal on the ledger that felt like a small promise — her mark neat and plain. The trader bowed, half relief, half worry. Len ran off to fetch a list of actor names for vote.
Aurelius watched the ring until the light in his palm felt warm. "Will we learn to hold right trust?"
Aurelia: "We will learn by small acts, by record, by witness. We will set rule that can heal."
Aurelius: "Then we begin trial. Let dawn come."
Post-Law Reflection: Trust is not single hand. It is craft that needs mix of coin, witness, and check. A fund that helps many must have more than gold — it must have voice, proof, and watch. Trials let rule meet life. If we set good guard, small projects can grow without burning the clerk's work. Trust here is not blind; it is ledger, task, and test.