12 November 2025.

Hello, reader.

You've already met the first few characters. And you may have noticed that companies have started appearing on the site too. Two of them, to be exact: TYDE and Al Masdar Investment. Let me explain why those two, and why your introduction to this story begins with them.

When a character list starts reading like the cast of a long-running soap opera, you need an anchor point. Mainly for your sake. So you don't raise an eyebrow and say, "Mike, did you just make all of this up over a glass of wine? Next thing you know, you'll be slandering perfectly decent people."

To prevent that from happening and to establish absolute trust between author and reader, I am starting with a specific date. One that you can easily verify yourself, without my help.

12 November 2025.

Exactly 24 hours after a notarised deal in Munich. Or twelve, to be perfectly precise. Al Masdar Investment and three of the characters you already know release an official press statement: they've acquired 63% of TYDE, plan to invest in its expansion, and are out to conquer the world (well, almost).

The news, naturally, is all over the internet in no time.

So, there's our anchor. From this point, though not in strict chronological order, I will start sharing my findings with you. And you, being a thoughtful reader, can form your own theories. For my part, I'll try to keep you in a state of mild suspense, leaving just enough unsaid to keep things interesting.

And I hope that, once you've checked the facts for yourself, you'll see that this conversation of ours started with the truth. The truth is what will carry us through this book, from the first page to the last.

Oh, and I nearly forgot: two more notable things happened on 12 November. But I'll say no more, since each of them deserves a chapter of its own.

On we go.