Chapter 13 Catalonia’s Gambit
The ride back from the border was quiet—Camille drove while Matteo reviewed the Ashen Ledger, flipping through symbolic impressions of recent events. Each trust token exchanged left a ripple: names, faces, debts. And now that Rudy was erased, the system was recalibrating.
> [Node Stabilization: Tarragona – Trustlines Severed]
Incoming Influence: Unknown party using proxy networks to re-initiate false investments.
Risk: High. Influence Source: Unverified.
Suggested Action: Deploy Sub-Node. Local Interface Required.
Matteo turned to Camille. "They're trying again. Not through Rudy this time—someone else. Tarragona is still hot."
She raised an eyebrow. "Someone higher up?"
"No… smarter."
---
Barcelona – Early Morning
The train station buzzed with tired commuters and tourists. Matteo wore a sharp charcoal blazer over a turtleneck, his hair tied back loosely. He no longer walked like a ghost of Naples. He walked like a name people hadn't heard yet—but soon would.
Next to him was Ezra Delgado, a local journalist who doubled as a socio-political analyst. Camille had arranged the meeting.
"I don't usually meet men funded by shadows," Ezra said, sipping a café con leche at a steel café table outside the station.
Matteo smiled. "I don't fund shadows. I shape trust."
Ezra chuckled. "That's worse."
Matteo leaned forward. "How would you like exclusive rights to the first Aegis sub-node in Spain?"
The café silenced for a heartbeat.
---
The Aegis System shimmered as Ezra accepted a symbolic token via an encrypted handshake app on his phone. But Matteo's HUD displayed something new:
> [Unique Trust Class Detected – Media Interface Node]
Modifier Applied: Narrative Multipliers +20% in Press-Influenced Regions.
Status: Dormant until public event occurs.
Matteo grinned. "I just made you the most powerful storyteller in Catalonia."
Ezra blinked. "What kind of story?"
"One that reshapes how people value promises."
---
Later that day, Tarragona
They arrived at a private estate overlooking the old Roman amphitheater. Camille had identified a proxy investor—someone funneling high-level resources into destabilizing the Aegis expansion. His name: Guillem Rosselló, Catalan industrialist, philanthropist, and rumored puppet master.
They didn't enter through the front gate.
A gardener let them in through the east wall.
"Guillem throws parties every Thursday. Tonight, you're guests," Camille said. "Sort of."
"Sort of?"
"We're crashing."
---
The Rosselló Estate, 10:37 p.m.
Music drifted over the courtyard. Influential guests laughed beside platters of shellfish and gold-leafed desserts. Matteo wore a pin on his blazer—a symbolic token glyph that glowed faintly.
Camille tapped her earpiece. "We have five minutes. Ezra's going live."
Upstairs, on the private balcony, Guillem Rosselló sipped a deep red wine and smiled as he watched the party.
"I hear the boy is in town," he said, voice low. "Matteo, is it?"
"You hear a lot," Matteo said, stepping forward from the shadows. "Yet you missed Rudy's erasure."
Guillem chuckled, unbothered. "Rudy was noise. I focus on signal."
---
Downstairs, Ezra Delgado's live broadcast began.
> "Tonight, on Catalan ground, a man with no political office, no company listing, and no historical family wealth has placed a challenge on legacy power. His name: Matteo Vitali. His tool? A system that turns trust into currency…"
As the livestream climbed to thirty thousand viewers, the Aegis System responded.
> [System Trigger: Media Resonance Achieved]
Sub-Node in Catalonia: Fully Activated.
New Passive: Public Credibility Shield – Regional Discredit Attempts Reduced by 40%.
Symbolic Reach Expanded to: Andorra, Basque Regions, Balearic Coasts.
Rosselló's face changed. "What have you done?"
Matteo stepped closer. "I've built a new narrative around your old world. And the best part?"
He reached into his coat and handed over a thin, silvery booklet—the Ashen Ledger's first public-bound chapter, now printed in cryptographic ink.
"You just became the antagonist."
---
Midnight – Rooftop above Tarragona
Camille joined him on the edge, her breath fogging slightly in the spring air.
"You sure you want to keep escalating this?"
Matteo stared over the coastline. "They wanted Catalonia to be the graveyard of my system. Now it's the proving ground."
"Ezra says they'll come harder next time. Politicians. Banks. Maybe Interpol."
"Then we scale."
He tapped his wrist and called up the Aegis interface.
> [Mission Chain: Expansion of the Edge]
Next Objective: Secure Node in Milan. Tie into underground logistics networks.
Optional Goal: Integrate immigrant-owned microbusinesses into trust economy.
Reward: Title Upgrade – System Architect (Tier II)
Camille raised an eyebrow. "Back home?"
He nodded. "We started in exile. But it's time we return as a symbol."
---
Chapter End.
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