The morning after the Battle of the Toll Gate, the mood in the penthouse of Cocoa House was less "Victorious conquerors" and more "Hungover accountants."
Bhy Khay stared at the holographic budget sheet floating above his desk.
[CITY TREASURY: 1,200 COINS]
[REPAIR COSTS (TOLL GATE): -800 COINS]
[MICRA REPLACEMENT FUND: -200 COINS]
[ZAYN'S THERAPY BILL: -50 COINS]
"We are broke," Bhy Khay announced, tossing a virtual pen onto the desk. "We defeated a Warlord, saved the city, and now we can't afford to fix the potholes."
"Welcome to governance," Zayn said from the couch. He was reading a pre-apocalypse textbook on Structural Engineering while nursing his bruised shoulder. "Did you know that launching a Nissan Micra at Mach 1 voids the manufacturer's warranty?"
"I'll write a strongly worded letter to Nissan," Bhy Khay stood up. "But right now, we need liquidity. We need trade."
He walked to the window looking down at Dugbe Market. The fires were out. The zombies were gone (mostly). In their place, players were setting up stalls.
"The System promised a global economy," Bhy Khay said. "It's time we opened the Ibadan Stock Exchange."
THE EXCHANGE (Formerly Bodija Market)
The market was chaos. But it was organized chaos.
Instead of yams and peppers, the stalls were filled with monster parts, skill books, and glowing weapons.
"[Lvl 3 Machete]! Barely used! Only killed two neighbors!" a trader shouted.
"[Health Potions]! Home-brewed! Tastes like battery acid but heals 50 HP!" yelled another.
Bhy Khay walked through the crowd, flanked by Elara and Tomiwa. He wore his [City Lord's Cloak]—a black trench coat that gave off a faint aura of authority (and +10 Charisma).
"Look at them," Bhy Khay gestured to the haggling players. "The Invisible Hand of the market."
"It looks more like a fistfight," Elara noted as two players argued over the price of a goblin ear.
"Competition drives innovation," Bhy Khay stopped at a stall selling [Roasted Rat Skewers]. "And tax revenue."
He tapped the System Interface.
[TAX RATE: 10% APPLIED TO ALL TRANSACTIONS.]
PING. PING. PING.
Coins started flowing into the City Treasury. +5... +10... +2.
"Passive income," Bhy Khay smiled. "The sweetest kind."
"Boss," Tomiwa nudged him. She was sketching the crowd, her eyes narrowed. "Something's wrong with that guy."
She pointed her charcoal stick at a hooded figure standing in the shadows of a shipping container. He wasn't buying or selling. He was just... watching.
"He's not rendering properly," Tomiwa whispered. "My sketch keeps blurring his face. He has [Anti-Scrying] gear."
Bhy Khay activated [Sovereign Eyes].
Usually, he would see a Name, Level, and Class.
This time, he saw:
[PLAYER: ???]
[CLASS: ???]
[AFFILIATION: LAGOS (The Syndicate)]
"A spy," Bhy Khay muttered. "The Godfather sent a scout."
"Should I freeze him?" Elara asked, raising her staff.
"No," Bhy Khay held up a hand. "If you freeze a spy, you just get an ice sculpture. We need information. We need to out-scam the scammer."
He turned to Zayn, who was perched on a rooftop overlooking the market.
"Zayn, do you have a line of sight?"
"I have a visual," Zayn's voice crackled. "He's holding a [Communication Crystal]. He's broadcasting our market prices back to Lagos."
"He's doing insider trading," Bhy Khay scoffed. "In my city? Unacceptable."
Bhy Khay walked up to the hooded figure. He didn't draw a weapon. He drew a [Merchant's Smile].
"Hello, friend!" Bhy Khay boomed, slapping the spy on the back.
The spy jumped, hiding the crystal. "I... I'm just browsing."
"Browsing? In this heat?" Bhy Khay laughed. "You look like a man of discerning taste. A man who knows value."
He leaned in close.
"Are you interested in a... Unique Item?"
The spy's eyes lit up under the hood. "Unique? What kind?"
"It's a [Gravity Nullifier]," Bhy Khay lied smoothly. "Very rare. Drops from the Micra Boss."
The spy froze. He knew exactly what a "Micra" did to his boss's gravity magic.
"Show me," the spy whispered.
"Follow me to the VIP lounge," Bhy Khay gestured to a secluded warehouse behind the market. "Strictly for high-rollers."
THE WAREHOUSE
The spy walked in, confident. He was Level 12. He had a dagger hidden in his sleeve. He figured he could kill this "City Lord" and steal the item.
As soon as the door closed, the lights flickered on.
Zayn was sitting on a crate, aiming his bow at the spy's head.
Elara was leaning against the door, holding a ball of ice.
Tomiwa was sketching a cage on the floor.
"Welcome to the VIP lounge," Bhy Khay locked the door. "The entry fee is your information."
The spy dropped the act. He pulled back his hood, revealing a scarred face and a jagged, serrated knife.
[ENEMY: "THE FOX" (Lvl 12)]
[CLASS: ASSASSIN]
[SKILL: SHADOW BLINK]
"You think you trapped me?" The Fox laughed. "I can teleport through shadows. This warehouse is full of them."
He vanished.
ZOOP.
He reappeared behind Zayn, knife raised.
"Too slow, Sniper!"
Zayn didn't flinch. He didn't even turn around. He just sighed.
"You didn't account for the lighting," Zayn said.
CLICK.
Bhy Khay flipped a switch.
Floodlights—massive, industrial stadium lights stolen from the raid—blasted the room from every angle.
[LIGHTING: 100% ILLUMINATION]
[SHADOWS: 0%]
The Fox reappeared in the middle of the room, blinking, exposed.
"My shadows!" He shielded his eyes. "It's too bright!"
"Shadow Blink requires a destination shadow," Bhy Khay explained, walking calmly toward him. "Basic optics. No shadow, no travel. You just lagged out."
The Fox lunged at Bhy Khay, desperate.
"I'll kill you manually!"
Bhy Khay side-stepped. He didn't use a dagger. He used a [Calculator].
Literally. He threw a heavy, old-school Casio calculator at the assassin's face.
THWACK.
"Ow!" The Fox stumbled.
"That was for the audit," Bhy Khay said.
He swept the Fox's leg. The assassin hit the floor.
Elara slammed her staff down. "[Freeze]!"
Ice encased the Fox's legs, pinning him to the concrete.
Bhy Khay crouched down, picking up the [Communication Crystal] the spy had dropped.
"Now," Bhy Khay looked at the crystal. It was still connected to a frequency. A voice was coming through.
"Fox? Did you get the intel? Is the City Lord dead?"
It was The Godfather.
Bhy Khay smiled. He held the crystal up.
"Hello, Godfather. This is customer service," Bhy Khay said cheerfully. "Your agent has been detained for violating our Terms of Service."
"You again," The Godfather's voice growled. "Send him back. Or I burn Ibadan to the ground."
"I'll send him back," Bhy Khay promised. "But there's a return shipping fee."
He looked at the Fox.
"Tell your boss to send 5,000 Coins. Or I start sending pieces of you back. Starting with the ears. They affect aerodynamics, you know."
The Fox paled. "Pay him! Boss, pay him! He's crazy! He uses math as a weapon!"
There was a silence on the other end.
"Fine," The Godfather spat. "Transferring."
PING.
[SYSTEM ALERT: +5,000 COINS RECEIVED.]
Bhy Khay stood up.
"Pleasure doing business."
He tossed the crystal back to the Fox.
"Elara, unfreeze him. Walk him to the border. And Tomiwa..."
"Yeah?"
"Draw a 'Kick Me' sign on his back. In permanent ink."
As the humiliated spy limped out of the warehouse, Bhy Khay looked at his Treasury balance.
[CITY TREASURY: 6,200 COINS]
"We're solvent," Bhy Khay grinned. "Zayn, buy the turrets. Elara, fix the roads."
"You kidnapped a man for ransom," Elara pointed out. "That's not governance. That's piracy."
"It's aggressive negotiations," Bhy Khay corrected, walking back toward the market. "Now, let's go check on the Rat Skewers. I'm starving."
[QUEST COMPLETE: COUNTER-ESPIONAGE.]
[REWARD: ECONOMY STABILIZED.]