Gobierno y sistemas.

Form of Government:

The town is governed by the Council of Seven, which includes the leaders of each community body and one representative elected by the citizens, who acts as moderator between the leaders and as the voice of the inhabitants. Each body has its own internal council. The municipality is led by the representative, supported by a treasurer and a chronicler, who records the events that take place in the town.

Every four months — at the change of season — the council holds a public assembly at the theater to discuss and vote on various matters. At this assembly, citizens may present proposals for change, their projects, and register births and deaths. Complaints may also be brought forward. Should something important arise between assemblies, the matter may be brought directly to the relevant body.

Water System of Silicio (WSS):

The Water System of Silicio (WSS) manages the flow of the vital liquid throughout the town; its clean water infrastructure consists of the aqueduct, the treatment plant, and the network of pipes and fountains.

Filtration, purification and mineralization:

Filtration is carried out in three stages:

First, the water passes through an Axolotl tank, where the axolotls absorb the residual radioactivity in the water.

Solids are removed through several layers of muslin cloth and a zeolite filter.

The water then passes through a ceramic microbiological filter.

Finally, a sanitary water check is performed and the water is divided into two streams; water intended for drinking is held to different standards than water intended for general use. Different mineral blends are prepared for drinking purposes, since the town's inhabitants have varying mineral needs. Purified but non-mineralized water is sent through the aqueduct to the town for distribution to homes, businesses, plants, and fountains.

If citizens wish to drink directly from the fountains, they may request tasteless mineral supplements suited to their species at the WSS office; flavored blends are also available. For ease of use, the WSS designed a glass bottle with a lid featuring a small internal hollow, similar to a spoon, measured to hold the exact amount needed to mineralize the volume of water marked on the bottle.

Mineral supplements may also be purchased at town stores, and food establishments — such as the cybercafé and the local diner — are legally required to use the appropriate blends for their customers.

Aqueducts:

The aqueduct connecting the WSS treatment plant to the town is a pre-GA construction; before the GA, it was already considered a historical landmark. Built from stone and formed by arches, it rises above the lake; in earlier times, it simply carried water from the waterfall into the town. Storytellers suggest that when it was built, the water was so pure no refinement was needed.

Upon entering the town, it splits into two branches; one feeds into a covered aqueduct that supplies the fountains and reaches food establishments and other facilities that require it, through dedicated taps. This water is suitable for general use but not for drinking; to be appropriate for consumption, mineral supplements must be added.

Canals:

The other branch enters the distribution system, flowing through open channels; some of these — specifically those running to the industrial zones — are suitable for swimming and are lined with gardens and shaded walkways. In summer, this becomes one of the town's favorite gathering spots; various fruits are often hung inside the channels in mesh bags to keep them cool.

There are regulations on what clothing and cosmetics may be worn while in the water. The Silúridos and the Loomis often use the channels as a quick route to the industrial zone and the train station.

This system delivers water for private use — to homes, other systems, factories, and farms. This service is paid. The WSS does not take personal measurements; users are expected to faithfully report the number of liters shown on their flow meter before resetting it.

Fountains:

The town's fountains vary in design, capacity, and method of dispensing water.

Several large ornamental fountains serve the town with both vital liquid and beauty and coolness. These also provide easy access for the town's fauna, such as giant ravens, basilisks, and coyotlacues.

Others are smaller, on-demand fountains used to fill small containers or buckets. These come in various designs, the town's favorite being an axolotl that spits water. If a fountain is needed in a specific location, one may be requested from the WSS, though their placement is well planned and meets the town's demand.

Drainage:

A subsection of the system manages the sewage network, which is exclusively for blackwater; each citizen is responsible for managing their own greywater. The most common approach is to maintain catchment gardens, typically featuring banana trees or papyrus as the main element. Others use greywater to irrigate their vegetable plots.

Maintenance:

The maintenance of aqueducts and fountains is the sole responsibility of the WSS. In addition to cleaning and servicing aqueducts and fountains, they paint the PVC pipes — relics of the pre-GA world — in cheerful colors to protect them from the sun and detect leaks through color changes. Each year, they coat the copper pipes with a thermal insulator and sun protectant in green, developed by the WSS, whose composition is a system secret.

From the flow meter onward, maintenance is the owner's responsibility. However, if a problem arises, assistance may be requested from the WSS, naturally at a cost.

All materials needed for maintenance or modifications to water installations can be purchased at the WSS offices. It is advisable to show any modification plans to a WSS technician before beginning, to avoid complications.

The Library, Networks and Communications:

The Library's legal name is the "Network, Memory, and Relations System," or NMRS, but nobody uses that name. The Library has, as its legal name suggests, three main functions: maintaining the town's communication networks, protecting and sharing cultural and academic material, and providing space for citizens to come together. Each of these areas has its own coordinator, and none of them outranks the others.

Its central office is located in a building in the town center. But its functions and sphere of influence extend to the cinema, the theater, the antenna, and the cybercafé, all of which are supervised or administered by the Library.

Networks:

The SAN (Small Area Network) that covers the town and its surroundings is maintained and housed in the town library. To communicate with another SAN, citizens may visit the Library, which has access to a WAN (Wide Area Network) connecting some of the SANs of settlements affiliated with the Union. The libraries that make up the WAN are currently working to make it accessible to home users. Network cables are decorated with papel picado, designed to add weight and keep them in place against the wind. The servers regularly receive offerings, so librarians place small shrines in front of them.

Cinema Noctis:

The town has Cinema Noctis, a four-screen cinema. On Fridays and Saturdays it is open from 3 p.m. to 3 a.m. On Sundays it opens from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. It is staffed by academy students during the first shift and by some librarians during the second.

Teatro Mineral:

Teatro Mineral occasionally hosts traveling performances, especially during festivities. Twice a year, a special performance is sent from the capital — it may be a ballet, an opera, a recreation of a pre-GA work, or a renowned musician. These performances are completely free. The dates of these performances coincide with the most delicate maintenance periods of the nuclear plant.

The theater also serves as the venue for votes and public assembly meetings.

The Antenna:

The Antenna is a vital building for the region. It receives and broadcasts radio and television signals for Mineral de Silicio and surrounding areas. It is common to see workers from the nuclear plant going in and out of the Antenna; they claim they are only sending production reports to central command and requesting materials, nothing more.

The materials broadcast by the Antenna are part of the Library's physical collection. Copies of various materials have been made for the Antenna's own use, to prevent wear on the originals, the backups, and the backups of the backups. These are the most requested by the public and include, but are not limited to: the discography of El Gallo de Oro, Jenny Rivera, Kenia Os, Luna Martínez, and Julio Jaramillo; the surviving episodes of Naruto and Mujer: Casos de la Vida Real; the films Twilight, Lilo & Stitch, Treasure Planet, Paul, and all sixteen Shrek films.

The Antenna enables semi-digital long-distance communication through the use of biter pigeons, which can carry encrypted messages stored on memory chips across long stretches of terrain, stopping at the antennas of other Union nodes to rest. In many cases — especially for heavy files — the pigeons are considerably faster and more reliable than the WAN.

The Cybercafé:

The cybercafé offers hot and cold beverages, simple meals, balanced snacks, and the rental of various computing and electronic devices, including desktop computers, FDM and resin 3D printers, a 3D scanner, VR headsets, and home appliances. Moz manages the cybercafé as part of their contribution to the town, which is one of the conditions of their scholarship.

Occasionally, you can hire the eldest grandson of Señora Martina to repair a damaged device — if you can find him. When business is slow, Moz might read your cards, or Luciya might help you with your writing. The cybercafé is open from noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday and Saturday; closed on Sundays.

Entropy Plant (EnPl), Waste Management:

The Entropy Plant (EnPl) handles the town's waste and surplus. It operates a secondhand shop, a recycling plant, a rebirth plant, and an incinerator for materials that cannot be given another life. People often write their wishes and goals on the papers used to start the incinerator; there is a myth that doing so whispers them to the universe.

EnPl receives technological, mineral, and textile waste from other nearby towns.

Rebirth Plant:

This is the reception, redistribution, and eventual recycling plant.

It receives waste and donations from citizens and, in some cases, from other Union nodes, and processes them before routing them to one of the other plants.

At the front of the building is a large greenhouse that shelters the Flor de Silicio plant. It is tended and harvested by the GS reforesters, but its flowers and stems are processed by the plant.

At the back of the building is a wooded area closed to the public, where the green auras sleep at night and are cared for by the EnPl workers, who consider them colleagues.

These birds perform a fundamental role in the ecosystem by fulfilling their biological niche as scavengers: protecting the town from disease.

Though it is not one of their formal duties, they also defend the EnPl facilities, as they nest within its grounds.

They breed so successfully at the EnPl that each year some pairs are sent to the waste plants of other Union nodes. Others are taken to dead zones, where their consumption and processing of irradiated material contributes significantly to the recovery of those areas.

Recycling Plant:

The recycling plant processes restorable objects — those that can be returned to a state at least similar to their original condition. It supplies both the secondhand shop and the incinerator.

Secondhand Shop:

Here, previously loved objects are sold. Some arrive after light treatment at the rebirth plant, others come directly from the recycling plant if they were already in excellent condition. Prices are considerably lower than buying new.

It is a point of interest for tourists who manage to enter the town and a mandatory stop for traveling theater companies.

The secondhand shop occasionally acts as a mediator for barter, assigning value to the items being exchanged and, when necessary, contributing items from its own stock to balance the trade.

Incinerator:

This is where materials that cannot be recycled in any form end up. Mineral de Silicio can proudly say that it is only lit once per season, and this is an event of great social significance — it marks the end of the seasonal resets and gives rise to one of the town's post-GA rituals: the Fiery Whispers.

Each citizen receives a phosphor paper, which is used to ignite and sustain the incinerator. On it they must write their wishes, dreams, or something that weighs on their heart and that they wish to overcome. As the papers burn, what is written on them is whispered to the universe — and if the universe receives the whisper well, it will echo it back, making it come true.

Security Guild (SG), Maintenance, Urban Development and Gardens:

The Security Guild (SG) keeps the town secure in every sense of the word.

It oversees the town's development and general upkeep, particularly regarding public spaces, open gardens, the facades of public buildings, street lighting, and pathways. It authorizes and supervises civil works and installation modifications, whether carried out by citizens or other bodies.

It legislates and enforces ecological and civil law. All criminal matters fall under the jurisdiction of the Union.

It also acts as liaison and mediator between the other systems.

Maintenance of Public Spaces:

The maintenance of public spaces is directed by the SG, but is a collective effort involving all systems and citizens. In addition to ongoing maintenance that addresses emergencies as they arise, four general maintenance events take place each year. These are periods lasting approximately one week, during which classes are typically suspended.

Citizens repair their homes and shared spaces; it is common for neighbors to help one another, combining their strengths.

These events are called Resets and occur at each change of season, taking the name of the incoming season.

Lighting:

The only exterior lighting permitted within the town — whether on streets, patios, or gardens — is amber LED lighting, in order to protect the natural cycles of insects and animals. After 11 p.m., only the lights along internal pathways and entrances may remain on.

Lighting and cable maintenance is carried out by the town's Cera, despite her primary duties being in reforestation. She says it does not bother her, as it is a very occasional and light task. When the work is more demanding, she receives support from other SG members.

Ecology, Park Rangers:

The ecology branch includes reforesters, lake stewards, rehabilitators, and hunters.

Workers in these areas are local celebrities; their work is considered the most dangerous and most essential.

Civil and Criminal:

The town has two Union agents to handle civil and criminal matters — things like neighbor disputes or murders. With the sole exception of murders, crimes generally do not result in prison time.

Works and Construction:

The SG supervises designs and materials in self-build projects and carries out all civil engineering works in the town. The latter typically coincide with the Resets, to take advantage of the reduced flow of residents through public spaces.

Health Team (HT), Food, Health and Sanitation:

The Health Team (HT) provides medical care at the town clinic and arranges patient transfers to hospitals in larger settlements when necessary. It oversees food safety within the town, covering both raw and primary produce as well as prepared food. It also ensures that works and installations meet the necessary safety standards for the town's population.

Clinic:

The clinic has three terrestrial physicians and two veterinarians; this may sound excessive given the town's population size, but considering the variety of species in the community, these practitioners can still be insufficient and may require backup from the capital — which can arrive in as little as three hours by train, or forty minutes in urgent situations using a dedicated capsule that runs on the same tracks.

Fortunately, this is not a common occurrence.

They tend to make more home visits than clinic appointments, both to prevent the spread of illness and to offer greater comfort to the patient.

Levelers:

Formerly called "supervisors," they are responsible for verifying that various tasks in the town — such as water purification and mineralization, or lighting — meet their assigned standards.

The name was changed to "levelers" because "supervisors" makes them seem external to the process, when in fact they are a vital part of it. They tend to participate actively in projects as they unfold, ensuring compliance during execution rather than after the fact — avoiding the need to demolish completed work or, in cases such as the mineral blends, making adjustments before a product reaches the market.

Electricity Command (EC):

The EC manages the nuclear power plant located near the lake. This plant supplies energy to Mineral de Silicio and several nearby communities, including some considerably larger. Citizens may connect to the electrical grid, but it is not mandatory — closed electrical systems are permitted. Within the town, electrical cables are wrapped in shiny paper to protect them from the sun and make them more visually striking.

The Nuclear Plant:

The nuclear plant is located partially within the lake, at the southeast corner of the town. It is surrounded by forest. It has 3 cooling towers and 3 containment buildings.

The plant's leader, a Matalí who witnessed the GA, stated that it is "more than enough to cover the demand of the train, the town, and the 5 nearby villages, as long as everyone puts up their panels and we keep the turbines and all that running."

Regarding the suspicious behavior of the EC workers, she assured that it is a way of keeping the work fun and not something that should cause panic.

Public Outlets:

At the base of every streetlamp in the town and at several other strategic points in public spaces, there are freely accessible public outlets. While nothing technically stops you from plugging in your home batteries or electric vehicle, it is considered very bad form.

The outlets are designed to make long stays in public spaces easier, especially for robots — for them, it is the equivalent of the WSS public fountains.

These outlets are powered by the nuclear plant and by solar panels installed as roofing over these same public spaces.

Connecting to the EC:

Connecting to the EC does not mean you cannot install solar panels or wind generators at your home. All home and business meters are dual, so you can store the energy you generate or feed it into the system and receive a considerable reduction on your bill in return.

As with the WSS, nobody will check your meter — you are expected to faithfully report the readings when making your payment.

It is also recommended to consult an EC technician before making changes to your electrical installation.

Battery Charging:

An option for those who do not wish to join the EC system but occasionally need electricity from it is to purchase watts. Simply bring your batteries or your full mobile bank to the station, where they will be charged for a modest fee.

Before storms, it is common for people to make the trip to the nuclear plant together.

Transportation:

By design, the town's interior does not permit heavy traffic, so movement is carried out in light motorized vehicles, typically three-wheeled. The bicycle is, however, the population's preferred mode of transport. The market is located on the outskirts to receive large shipments.

Entering and Leaving the Town:

There are only two ways in and out of the town: through the breach, a gap between mountains near the lake with a lightly traveled road, or by taking a train from the station at the southwest corner of the town.

Both options require a passport, as they are routes regulated by the Union. Most of the town's exports are shipped by train, and imports are received the same way.

Train:

The bullet train is electric; like all trains in the Northern Fragment of the Union, it runs on energy generated by the Mineral de Silicio nuclear plant. The cars are painted and decorated according to their designated purpose. Passenger cars have particular colors and patterns to help people find their seats easily.

To obtain Union permission to leave the town, one must specify the destination or destinations, the number of days they will be away, the specific reasons for the trip, and provide proof that their duties in the town will be covered — or that they will not be needed during their absence.

The Canals:

While not as common a mode of transport as the others, the canals are used to move quickly from one side of the town to the other, especially in spring and summer.

Factories use the current to send their products to the station. The products that may be transported this way and the type of packaging required are regulated.

Some people also use them to send personal packages — though if the package is small and shiny, you run the risk of having it stolen by a giant raven or a basilisk.