World's Richest Man: I Leaped Across Time

The auctioneer shuffled through the plaques, holding the first one up with a bit of flair.

"Let's start with an intriguing favor," he started. "Asking for a $100 million investment into a new biotech company with just 2% of the company in return. This is a request by a Nobel Prize winner in biology and the company belongs to him. Starting bid, 10 voting points."

"Nine points!" Immediately, a voice echoed from across the room.

I blinked, surprised. 'They even invite Nobel Prize winners into this club?'

I shouldn't be shocked, though. A Nobel Prize in Biology. That's probably how they recruit new scientists.

"Eight voting points!" another voice rang out.

I glanced at the table across from mine—Benjamin sat there, watching the auction with casual interest.

I figured, why not? I raised my hand.

"Seven voting points!"

Benjamin's eyes briefly flicked toward me, giving me a quick look before returning his attention to the auctioneer.

"Five voting points!" someone shouted, cutting through the chatter. The voice came from the direction of Soros's table. I followed the sound and saw him casually lean back in his chair.

That made me pause.

$100 million was still a lot of money for me.

I don't think the favor was worth competing over.

I decided to back off, leaning in my chair as I tapped my fingers on the table.

The auctioneer glanced around the room. "Going once… going twice… Sold!" He slammed the gavel down, confirming the deal.

A few smaller favors followed. They were things like getting something to appear in a newspaper or acquiring some dirt on someone.

I considered bidding on one or two of them, but for just a single voting point? It wasn't worth it.

I watched the parade of favors pass by without much interest.

And then the favor I'd been waiting for finally came up.

The auctioneer looked down at the next plaque and read aloud, "The next favor is about assisting in the creation of a Super Political Action Committee... The person taking this favor needs to have influence in TV media, preferably a shareholder in a media company. Starting bid: six voting points."

"Six points!" Ryan Bloomberg immediately raised his hand.

Another man, someone from across the room I vaguely recognized as a media mogul from the West Coast, raised his hand next. "Five points!"

I kept my eye on Ryan. He looked like he was ready to raise the stakes, but just as his hand started to rise again, next to him, Emily Heart raised her hand. "Four points," she said casually.

Ryan's hand hovered for a second, and then he slowly brought it down. He didn't look happy about it.

'OH COME ON!' I thought, my frustration kicking in.

This was my request!

Don't tell me Emily's going to take it...

"Four voting points… going once." The auctioneer's voice rang out.

I clenched my fists under the table. 'Come on, someone bet!'

"Going twice…"

Oh no.

"SOLD!" The gavel slammed down.

I looked up at the ceiling, trying to keep my cool.

The auction ended shortly after, the bidding slowing down as the last favors were taken. The auctioneer stood tall at the podium and tapped the microphone.

"Thank you all for participating tonight, but don't leave just yet. Later tonight, a special favor will be requested by a high-ranking member of the club. This could be an opportunity for all of you."

With that, he stepped off the stage, and the lights around the balcony became brighter. People relaxed; some started to enjoy dessert. The supermodels made their rounds again, serving small pastries and delicate sweets to the tables.

As I sipped my drink, a slim, dark-haired model approached me. She leaned in slightly and spoke in a low, smooth voice. "Sir. You've been invited to a private room."

I stood up and followed her through the hall. The doors to the private room opened and we made our way into the room.

Liliana was already there.

She stood from her desk as soon as I entered. She was wearing a short black skirt and a white sweater.

Her face wasn't the only part of her that kept it's youthful appearance; her legs still had the shape as well.

Unless she was lying about her age from the very beginning...

She nodded slightly at me, but the interaction was brief.

Not long after, Arnold Johnson entered the room. Stepping in with that same calm but dominating presence.

We sat opposite each other on the couch.

"According to the favor agreed upon between you two," Operator Liliana began, looking from me to Arnold and back again, "Mr. Johnson is to provide information about the creators of the document titled 'Bitcoin Whitepaper.' In exchange for 15 voting points."

Arnold leaned back in his chair. "We did our research. The names of the supposed Russian programmers tied to this paper—well, they don't exist. People with those names are not programmers at all; their backgrounds are clean. Too clean. It's obvious that those names were fake."

He glanced at me and then continued. "Now, I ain't a man to give you breadcrumbs and call it a meal, so we dug a little deeper. It turns out the original article where the whitepaper first showed up was on a website that had been hacked. After that, the site deleted the post, but the document had already spread."

'So I still know nothing about the creators...' I thought, but then Arnold leaned forward slightly, his tone dropping lower as he spoke.

"Don't underestimate my team, Jack." He reached into his jacket pocket and handed me a small piece of paper.

I unfolded it and stared at what looked like a screenshot from a sort of forum.

The word "Bitcoin" was clearly mentioned in a post dated May 2002. Alongside it was a user nickname, cryptoEmperor34

I blinked. 'May 2002... 34... cryptoEmperor... pff. Did the guy make a mistake? Maybe I can track the real 'Zero' with this.' I thought.

Arnold must have seen the look on my face because he chuckled softly. "I reckon that's a fine haul of information. We went beyond what you even asked for."

Liliana stepped in. "Mr. Somnus, is this sufficient for you? If not, we will need to file a complaint regarding the favor."

"No. It's alright. The favor is completed." I confirmed.

"Good lad," Arnold said.

Liliana nodded. "Fifteen points will be transferred to Mr. Johnson."

Arnold tipped his head back, smiling, "Pleasure doin' business, Jack."

Arnold left shortly after our business was done.

I was just about to make my way out too when Liliana stopped me.

"Hold on, Mr. Somnus. Before you go, I must inform you that nine points from your deal with actress Kirstie Allen will be transferred to you shortly," she said, eyes scanning her tablet briefly. "And there's someone else who will be meeting with you regarding your newest request. So be patient."

I sighed, sinking back into the couch.

I barely had time to gather my thoughts when the doors creaked open again.

In walked Emily Heart, wearing that familiar smile, the one that could charm or disarm, depending on her mood.

"Mrs. Heart, good to see you again," Liliana greeted smoothly, gesturing to the couch. "Please, take a seat."

Emily nodded and walked over, her heels making soft clicks on the floor. She sat on the couch across from me, her smile still present, but the moment her gaze locked onto mine, she paused, and then her smile faded, twisting into something more bitter.

"Hey," I said.