Renan set off soon after the conversation and arrived at the city of his destination.
He made his way to Arima Library, where he knew that today he would find Lucas. Any other day might be a gamble, but today on release? It was certain.
After dealing with registration, Renan took a look around at the various desks. Though he was surprised not to see Lucas, he didn't panic. He couldn't have changed this aspect of the future, not yet. So he turned to various key sections of books.
Business. Economics. Trade theory. Management. Psychology. Negotiation tactics.
These were the seeds of Lucas' empire, long before Masteria Online gave him a stage. Lucas had devoured these books with obsessive hunger, feeding a mind that would one day take control over the resources of the vast majority of casual players.
Renan moved quickly, gathering the relevant books into a neat stack. Not so many as to seem absurd, but a significant amount. A bit more than reasonable, essentially holding the books "hostage".
He chose a table near the center, in full view of the entrance, and laid out the books with deliberate care. The top one, "The Psychology of Markets" was left open, being actively read. Occasionally, he'd glance up, scanning the room.
Renan flipped a few pages, taking in the words. Who knows? Some of it might come in handy later, even if unlikely. It wasn't like he could do anything else right now.
A door chimed softly.
Renan's gaze flicked up, scanning which door it was. He was confused seeing that it wasn't the entrance, until he realized it was just the bathroom.
Is that him?
After a couple seconds of mental cross-references, Renan decided, yep, that's Lucas.
He had average height, slim build, worn sneakers, and a backpack slung over one shoulder. His dark hair was a little messy, his expression alert but cautious. He was constantly preparing for the world to turn hostile.
The man paused at the shelf, scanning for his usual materials. His brow furrowed as he quickly noticed the missing volumes. A small frown crept onto his face as his eyes swept the room and landed on Renan's table.
The faintest flash of hesitation crossed his face. Then he approached.
Renan kept his gaze on the book, tracking his movement with peripheral vision.
Let him make the move.
"Uh, hey." The man said, voice polite. "Sorry to bother you, but are you using all of these?"
Renan looked up, allowing a faint, friendly smile to surface.
"Not all at once," he replied, gesturing to the stack. "Feel free to take what you need."
The man gave a sheepish chuckle, scratching the back of his neck. "Thanks. Just trying to get some reading in on," he glanced at the titles, "business stuff. Trying to prep for stuff."
Renan nodded, tilting his head slightly. "That's ambitious. Did you also graduate this year like me?"
The man nodded. "Yep!" A small spark of pride lit in his eyes. "I figure if I want to start my own business one day, I need to learn more than what school teaches. You know? You should, you seem to be doing the same thing I am."
There it is. That fire. That drive. The same spark that would one day birth trade empires in the virtual world, if he lived long enough.
"I know exactly what you mean," Renan said, closing his book. "Name's Renan."
"Lucas." the younger man replied, extending a hand.
Their handshake was brief but firm.
Lucas pulled one of the books from the stack, The Art of Negotiation, and sat down across from Renan.
"Hope you don't mind if I sit here," Lucas said. "It's easier than walking back and forth."
"Not at all," Renan replied, offering a casual nod. "More efficient this way."
Lucas pointed towards the author of the book, Micheal Marketwire, and noted, "This guy really knows what he's talking about. All his books are really enlightening."
Renan gave a small nod, as if he knew anything about the author. "Indeed."
For a time, they sat together in silence, pages turning softly in the quiet of the library. Renan made no move to force conversation. He needed patience to let it build naturally.
After some time, Renan deliberately took a break, a moment where he was clearly not doing anything. Lucas was the first to break the silence.
"So… are you just studying, or…?" he asked, voice low as if unsure whether he was interrupting.
Renan glanced up, feigning a moment of consideration. "Not exactly. Let's say I have certain plans."
Lucas nodded, weighing the answer before responding. "Same here. Certain plans are had. Though they are rather vague for now, but still. There's something I want to get into."
"I know what you mean," Renan replied, a small smile playing on his lips. "I even went ahead and sold quite a lot of stuff I had. I'll use it as an investment in the future, once I can."
Lucas grew interested, and his next question came more easily.
"What kind of stuff are you into? Like… startups? Markets?"
"Markets, mostly. Understanding how people think, how they make decisions. Once you know that, business becomes a lot less mysterious." Renan flipped a page, speaking like an expert even though he wasn't. Sure, he was much better than the average person, but it just wasn't his expertise. "And you?"
Lucas grinned and responded, "Similar. I've been studying virtual commerce. That seems like it has potential."
The back and forth continued, slow at first. A question here, an observation there. As the minutes passed, the initial awkwardness faded entirely, replaced by genuine curiosity.
Soon, the books lay forgotten.
Their voices grew more animated, discussing supply chains, market inefficiencies, and consumer psychology. Renan gently steered the conversation at times, feeding Lucas openings that encouraged him to elaborate and share more.
Good, good! He's really getting into it!
After a few hours, Lucas finally checked his phone and blinked. "Wow… I didn't realize how late it was."
"Me neither," Renan lied. "Meeting you was like fate brought us together. It feels like we just started, we still have so much to discuss!"
Lucas laughed. "Yeah. I should probably head home, though. But, uh," he paused for a moment, then smiled, "This was great. I don't really have a lot of people to talk about this kind of stuff with."
Renan saw the opportunity and leaned into it, with a natural grin on his face, "Indeed! Same here. We should keep in touch. Got a number for me, or maybe a Nitro account I can add?"
Lucas hesitated for just a singular second before pulling out his phone. "Yeah, sure."
They exchanged numbers and Nitro accounts. The moment was casual, natural, exactly as Renan had planned.
Success! I successfully befriended Lucas!
This future Masteria Mogul will be a huge help in supporting the player base, as long as I keep him alive. Not to mention, I'll be able to use my connections with him to obtain mass quantities of various resources.
Lucas stood, sliding his backpack over one shoulder. "See you around, Renan. Say, want to do this again some day? We could make this a weekly thing."
"Ah," Renan began, "Actually, I'm not from here. I'm from out of town, I was visiting a friend. Then before leaving town I wanted to visit a library."
"Oh!" Lucas replied, understanding now. "Darn. When do you plan to go back, then. Today?"
"Yeah, gotta go back." Renan replied.
Lucas hesitated for a small bit, but spoke. "And you've got to make sure to keep contact with me once you go back home. I'd be a bit sad if you went radio silent on me, you know?"
"Relax," Renan gently waved away his concerns. "That's why we got each other's contacts, right?"
"Right." Lucas agreed. "I might be a bit busy tomorrow, so we can probably do it the day after. In any case, we can talk specifics later. That said, I kinda have to go."
"Alright," Renan began, revealing the crucial piece of information he had deliberately kept quiet about until the last moment. "Same here. I have to get back home in time, since I've gotta spend all eight hours a day on Masteria Online. I've got a bunch of achievements, and I need to maintain my lead."
"You- what?" Lucas turned around, wide eyed. "Wait, you…" He was shocked. Renan suddenly mentioned Masteria Online out of nowhere! Masteria, that's the game he had been thinking about setting up a virtual market on. That's the game he deliberately didn't mention so his idea wasn't stolen!
Renan was already doing it? And had "multiple achievements?" But that would mean…
Renan casually turned. "Yeah, are you interested? Shoot me a message later, but I really do have to go. Take care, Lucas." With that, he left before Lucas could get proper answers, leaving the man deliberately thinking of him.
Renan smiled.
Another piece in place. Many more to go.