“What now?” Sam asked, half exasperated and half afraid, what this would mean.
Lucy just looked on from her seat, her face filled with worry and a thoughtful look. Lara, on the other side of the phone, however, took a deep breath before continuing.
“You know I don’t like to participate in the whole family drama, but something set them off. Nothing dangerous, but everybody seems tense nowadays.”
“Tense?” Lucy asked.
Sam could literally hear Lara shrug through the phone. “Fuck if I know! Something happened with the numbers they all deify, and that got them buzzing. I leech off their work, so I have no idea what’s going on.”
Sam ignored that remarkable self-awareness and instead continued to think about the reasons behind the meeting. Lucy, however, opened several screens and began furiously to type.
‘Probably looking for the reason…’ he thought, then he returned his attention to the phone. “When does your grandfather want to meet? Still the same place?” Astran Tower?” he asked out loud.
“Yep! Apparently, he looks forward to meeting you again…” she replied with a slightly happier voice. “About what, I have no idea.”
“Found it!” Lucy called out, silencing both Sam and Lara. She made a few motions, and one of the bigger screens was filled with an article.
“…has filed a new law that would tie the current currency exchange of their currency to that of the in-game currency (gold coins) of the internationally acclaimed video game, Magic Unbound, created by Future Unknown.
As is well known, the country had pivoted its industry and founded several government-owned groups whose sole purpose was to acquire – or, to use the common video game parlance, farm – the video game’s currency. The initial investment was soon followed by several interest groups and start-ups that made the same activity the main source of income. Due to the low-cost entry, the income from these activities has increased to – just in a few short months – 30% of the country’s total income. Projections show that this would only increase further, as the government had reinvested a significant portion of this income into city infrastructure and public welfare, which caused a snowball effect as more and more private citizens started their own operations.
This action, which was created between the country’s own currency and the currency in the video game, is unprecedented, and according to several respected sources, would have wide-ranging ramifications.”
As Sam finished reading it out loud, the only sound that could be heard was the quiet murmur of the surrounding devices.
“Well, fuck…”
“I’m not an eco major, but even I know that’s some wild shit,” Lara spoke up after a minute of flabbergasted silence.
Lucy also let out a shaky breath. “Well, for now, I suppose everybody is going to watch how this goes. The country has about a million people and is largely insignificant on the international scene, both politically and economically, but its gold farms have been getting famous.”
“Really?” Lara asked curiously.
“Yeah, somebody did a write-up on them,” Lucy started to explain. “They invited several people who had experience in those black gold farms that nobody talks about, and had them set up an operation, but with actual governmental oversight, insurance, and overtime system. Rumor has it that, due to how the game works, people love working there, but they especially love that they can sell the gold for a much stronger currency than their own.” Lucy explained. “Last estimate I saw was that around ten percent of the country’s working population works at those farms, or related services and offices.”
“That’s a lot. What about the…” Lara asked, clearly the topic catching her interest.
Sam leaned back in his seat, letting the conversation wash over him instead of thinking about the situation.
It wasn’t something that was unexpected. He had even set up some long-term investments that would take advantage of this economic movement. However, he expected it to happen after the end of the year, when the first financial information about Future Unknown would widely circulate. It wasn’t a private company, but they were still allowed to keep most of its data secret. Sam suspected, and everybody else too, that one of the shareholders leaked it.
Sadly, in the end, it didn’t really matter. It kicked off an economic restructuring that hadn’t been seen in ages.
The entire thing lasted almost a year, ending with hundreds, maybe even thousands of companies collapsing, while a few lucky ones – including that small country that started the entire thing – soared to the heavens, becoming economic giants. The game itself saw a massive injection of real-world investment as everybody and their father tried to establish a foothold and to farm those sweet, sweet gold coins.
The original Sam, during this upheaval, hadn’t managed to catch any opportunities – not that he knew there were opportunities – as he was tight with his ‘friends’, enjoying the fruits of their labor as they toiled as mercenaries for some second or third-generation rich heir.
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‘It seems after the war with those Blood Brothers, I would have my hands full handling that…’ he grumbled to himself.
Refocusing on the conversation, he spoke up, cutting off Lucy, explaining the arcane details of currency exchange to Lara.
“Lara, please call your grandfather. If he is available, I will talk with him now.”
The two women talking fell silent, Lucy eyeing him with suspicion and a slight look of sadness. Lara, on the other side of the phone, however, sounded surprised. “Really?”
“Mhm. This sounds important, and I want to get it over with.”
“Give me a sec,” she replied, and Sam could hear her typing. Lucy, meanwhile, leaned closer and whispered. “Are you sure? This is way above our league!”
He reached over and patted her hand. “That’s why. I need to do something to make sure we’re not caught up in the storm.”
She bit her lip a little. “If you are sure…”
“Sure? Not really, but it needs to be done.”
She looked him in the eye as if searching for something before nodding resolutely. “Okay. Then I’ll do some research and reach out to some of my contacts.”
He sent her a thankful smile as Lara spoke up from the phone. “He is in the office. Head over there, and he will see you, Sam.”
“Thanks, Lara.”
“No problem and good luck!” Lara cheered. “And talk to you later, Lucy!”
“Bye, Lara!”
CLICK
Sam put away the now-silent phone and let out an exhausted sigh. “Well, I suppose I should get my suit.”
Lucy nodded. “You do that. While you do that, I’m going to look deeper into this issue.”
“Message me if you find something important.”
She gave him a thumbs-up. “You got it!”
Once again, Sam sat in the almost silent hired car, heading toward the Astran Tower, ready to have another meeting with the scary old man. He was definitely not looking forward to the talk they were about to have, but intellectually, he knew that it needed to happen.
“Anything?” he asked out loud, the built-in screen on the car seat in front of him showing Lucy’s face.
She shook her head. “A lot of speculation from crackpots, but the real experts are suspiciously silent.”
“I see.”
“You thinking what I am thinking?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Yes, but how do we get purple and pink lycra pants at this time of the day?” he retorted almost instantly.
It was a testament to how much Lucy got used to his usual craziness; she didn’t even blink. “I have three of them in my wardrobe if you want to borrow them…”
Sam pouted. “You used to be fun.”
“I also used to be sane…” she replied, deadpan.
“You know you love me…”
“That’s debatable. Anyway, for now, the only info we have is articles about the government actions and whatever is in your fucked up head of yours…” she told him with a pointed look. Apparently, she suspected that he knew more about this than the average person.
She was right, of course, but he wouldn’t ever admit it. Maybe on his deathbed…
Sam nodded as he saw a notification from the auto-drive. “Thanks for looking into it. Keep up the good work. I’m almost there, so if I survive the ninja assassins, then we can talk more.”
“Good luck!”
The screen went off just as the car stopped, and the door opened for him.
“Thanks for the drive,” he murmured to the car and, with a heavy feeling in his chest, left the vehicle.
The last time he was here, the people in the atrium were walking around with purpose, but the air was cheery. However, this time, he could see and feel anxiousness everywhere, as everybody power walked wherever they were heading.
Even the well-practiced smile on the person’s face who sat behind the giant information counter looked more forced than the last time.
“Welcome back, Mr. Lawrence,” the woman called out the moment he stepped up to the counter. “I see you have a meeting on the eighty-fourth floor. Here is your card, and welcome back to the Astran Tower. Hope you enjoy your time,” she spoke, and the moment she finished handing over the ID card, she already returned to her screen.
Sam thanked her and headed for the same elevator he used the last time.
Thankfully, this time there were no actors – or even real people – who decided to cut him off from the secure elevator, so after he was checked by security, he was on his way to the meeting.
As the doors of the elevator silently glided open, he was met with the exquisitely decorated corridors of the high-rise, now with an increased amount of well-dressed people rushing to and fro, with several of them standing in strategic locations, their hands close to their sides and wearing shades indoors.
Sam could feel several eyes on him as he emerged from the elevator, but he ignored them and turned toward the direction he had gone last time. However, before he could step away from the closing doors of the elevator, a woman stepped in front of him. She was older than him and dressed in smart casual clothing. Suit jacket, pencil skirt, and a hairdo giving hardcore librarian. She ran her eyes over him before softly speaking up.
“Mr. Astran will see you now. Please, follow me,” she stated, bowing her head a minuscule amount.
“Lead the way then…” Sam replied and followed the woman as they cut through the crowd, rushing through the corridors.
The room the woman led him to, probably one of the assistants of the old man, was different than the other one. That one was clearly a gentle meeting room, calm and serene decoration, while this one was filled with screens – all of them showing different articles, news, and whatnot from all over the world, while financial data scrolled down on others – and the table in the middle was much more utilitarian.
The old man was sitting at the desk with a cup of tea in front of him (and a glass of lemonade, glistening with ice where Sam would sit), but notably, there were no other people there.
Just the two of them, staring at each other as the assistant carefully and silently closed the doors behind him.
For a long while, they stared at each other, Sam trying to maintain eye contact with a much more experienced old man, while the same man seemed to be looking for something.
Then, after Sam began to feel uncomfortable, Lara’s grandfather reached for his teacup and took a silent sip before putting it down.
“The only thing I don’t understand is how you managed to see what nobody – not me, not even my countless experts could foresee…” the old man cut in the middle, while motioning for Sam to take a seat. “Though it would be foolish to ask at this point.”
Sam sat down, took a sip of his own delicious drink, and nodded. “Unless you want to torture me…”
“Pff…everyone knows torture doesn’t work,” the old man waved his hand dismissively. “It was enough to trace your investments.”
Sam eyed the other man. “You copying me, old man?”
“If it works, it works,” the old man admitted shamelessly. “Thanks to that, we’re ahead of the competition.”
Sam’s eyes narrowed. “Then why am I here?”
The old man took another sip of his tea before putting down the cup and exhaling deeply. “You’re here because while I have notions of what the consequences of the current situation would be, you seem to be much more on top of it.”
“You want my help?” Sam asked, surprised that the man just admitted it like that.
“Yes.”
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