[Arknights] The Originium Gambit

Part 17: The Fire Rises

AUTHOR'S NOTE: 

BOO!  I'm a double update! Did I scare you? Also I didn't read this back and onl;y half-assed edited it. Tell me if there's something wrong.

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Ah, the beauty of economics and finance, in that it's entirely unpredictable.

You see, the so-called 'experts,' with their so-called 'forecasts,' love to convince you that they can predict the future. They'll claim they've analyzed every little piece of data, examined the signs, and can tell you what's going to happen next with some kind of certainty. But let's be honest here, who really knows? It's a gamble, all of it. And the most delicious part? You can't ever know when the dice are going to roll in your favor or against you.

Now, the stock market... ah, where do I even begin?

It's like an unpredictable beast that eats up and spits out fortunes with equal flair. It's fickle, volatile, and most importantly, it's chaotic. Let me clarify something, that shiny little piece of paper or that metal coin you hold so dearly in your pocket? The Columbian Dollar, the Lungmen Dollar, the Ursine Chevronet, the Yanese Yuan, the Leithanien Mark, the Victorian Pound? What if I told you that it's all a lie?

Oh, I can see the confusion in your eyes. "What do you mean, Ivan?" Well, don't worry, I'm not here to bore you with the magic of inflation, or currency speculation. I was never one for the typical classroom lectures. In fact, I still have a rather colorful grudge against my university economics professor, oh, but that's a story for another time. The point is, you see, your brain's like a sponge, just waiting to soak up knowledge, but only if you're interested enough to let it.

But let's make things simple for a second.

You know how we all climb this ridiculous ladder of society, right? The one where we hustle, struggle, and fight for a few extra steps, all while playing the money game. It's beautiful, really, but it's ruthless. Money? It's what turns saints into sinners, it elevates us and crushes us in the blink of an eye. And no one's immune to it, no matter how much they convinced themselves that they are 'financially' invincible, stable, independent—you name it.

Ah, now you're wondering, "Ivan, why are you rambling about the economy and the stock market like some half-drunk university lecturer?"

Does it have anything to do with what Priestess said?

OFCOURSE IT DOES.

You think I talk in circles for my own amusement?

...Okay, maybe a little. But this time? There's a point, okay?

Let me put it this way, what can a man do when all he wants is to live—just live—and be spared from whatever cosmic abomination that unhinged star-whispering goddess is about to unleash on this miserable rock?

At the very least I'd like to be spared from the worst of it. That is, if I play my cards right. And trust me, I always do.

So. You're curious, aren't you? What could she possibly want? What would make someone like Priestess—a woman whose bedtime lullabies are the dying gasps of collapsing stars—decide to whisper sweet cataclysms into my ear?

Let's assume you've been keeping up. You remember the basics, yes? Don't worry, this isn't a final exam. I'm not your professor. Even if I was, I wouldn't be lecturing.

People, you see, are predictable. Most of the time, they think with their stomachs, and act with their wallets. If their finances are stable, they'll spend. They'll indulge. They'll chase pleasure, buy comfort, upgrade their lives, order steak instead of soup, buy a new phone, take their lover to a coastal city and pretend they've escaped the grind.