Around this time, the Bitcoin conversations intensified.

Every problem—emotional, technical, existential—was answered with the same phrase: “Bitcoin fixes this.”

Lost your keys? Bitcoin fixes this.
Bad economy? Bitcoin fixes this.
Relationship issues? Maybe Bitcoin fixes this, maybe not.

Our hero didn’t own much Bitcoin. Some sats here and there. But the conviction was infectious.

He read threads about sound money, time preference, and why fiat was a lie told by spreadsheets. He nodded along, even when he didn’t fully understand.

One evening, after three hours of doomscrolling macro charts, he bought more sats.

Not because it was rational.
But because it felt right.

He posted: “Stacked more sats today.”

Someone replied: “Based.”

That was enough validation for a lifetime.

Next Chapter: Chapter 4: The Key Incident