Substrate MVP Chain Build

I’m looking to get a bare-bones Substrate blockchain up and running so I can validate a custom consensus mechanism. Think of it as an MVP: no bells and whistles, just the essentials that prove the chain can start, produce blocks, and finalize them reliably.

Scope
• Fork Substrate’s latest node template in Rust.
• Implement or wire in the chosen consensus pallet (Aura/Babe or another lightweight option you recommend).
• Configure basic runtime parameters—block time, authorities, and genesis settings.
• Provide a clean build that compiles to WASM and runs locally (dev and test networks).
• Include a concise README with start-up commands, key files to tweak, and notes on how to extend the chain later for smart contracts or token issuance.

Acceptance
• Code compiles and launches with no errors on a standard Rust toolchain.
• Nodes discover peers and finalize blocks for at least 100 consecutive rounds on my machine.
• Documentation is clear enough for me to repeat the setup from scratch.

This is intentionally lean to match the initial budget; we can discuss phase-two features—on-chain governance, tokenomics, or smart-contract pallets—after the MVP proves stable.