Expansion required resources.
Time.
Planning.
And risk.
Andres sat in a quiet room, coins laid out in front of him.
Not many.
But enough to begin.
"…Storage first," he muttered.
His Infinite Storage allowed him to carry everything—but that wasn't visible. For business to scale, he needed something tangible.
Something believable.
"Warehouse?" Kael suggested.
"Too early."
"…Then what?"
Andres leaned back slightly.
"…A front."
Kael blinked.
"…You're serious."
"Yes."
A physical location.
Small.
Unassuming.
But consistent.
It would justify supply.
Create trust.
And anchor his presence in the city.
"…You're thinking long-term," Kael said.
Andres nodded.
Because short-term success meant nothing without structure.
But even as he planned—
His Mind's Eye stirred again.
Not danger.
But pressure.
Something was shifting.
"…We're being accelerated," he said quietly.
Kael frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Andres looked toward the window.
"…The pace of events is increasing."
Rivals.
Observers.
Lyra.
Everything moving closer.
Faster.
And that meant one thing.
The window to remain unnoticed—
Was closing.