--
Rain still lingered on the cobblestones of Trastevere as Matteo Rossi tucked his hands into his jacket pockets and stared down Via della Lungaretta. The early morning light hadn't quite filtered through the low-hanging clouds, leaving the city in a gray hush. Rome didn't sleep, but it did sulk after rain.
It had been a week since the System activated, and already, Matteo's world had changed. He was no longer wandering without direction—he was tracking, evaluating, forecasting. Every corner store and artisan workshop was a potential node in his network. Every passerby a possible customer, mentor, or warning sign.
Yet one truth hadn't changed: he was still alone.
He checked his phone—the System's interface glowing faintly in his peripheral vision like the hum of consciousness itself.
> [Active Quest: Launch a Micro-Enterprise]
Objective: Create a self-sustaining stream of income.
Requirement: Earn €200 from a repeatable, scalable operation.
Reward: "Business Acumen I" Skill + Unlock: Financial Dashboard Module
He had €47 in cash now. He'd flipped a World Cup poster, hustled a few street cleaning gigs, and sold five hand-drawn tourist maps. Enough to eat for a few days and sleep one night at a hostel. But not enough to build an empire.
He crossed over the Ponte Sisto, the Tiber rolling dark beneath him, and headed toward Campo de' Fiori. The market there was already buzzing with early vendors and clinking crates.
As he passed a small café near Piazza Farnese, he noticed something—more precisely, the System did.
> [Ping: High-Footfall Retail Opportunity Detected]
Subject: "Dolce e Nero" – Family-owned bakery
Status: Low online presence. Potential for growth: Medium.
Suggested Action: Offer digital services in exchange for revenue-sharing.
Matteo paused outside the bakery. The display case held cornetti and biscotti that looked rich and flaky even through the glass. Inside, a man in his sixties wiped down counters while a young woman argued with a supplier near the doorway.
"Listen," she said sharply. "You said you'd be here yesterday. Now I'm left with half the flour I need. Tourists don't wait. My father doesn't have time to argue over invoices."
Matteo stepped inside.
The old man glanced at him without interest. "We're not open yet."
"I'm not here to eat," Matteo said. "I'm here to help."
The woman turned to him. Her dark hair was tied back in a messy bun, flour on her cheek. "Help?"
"Your prices are good. Your location is great. But you don't have a website, no delivery options, and your Instagram hasn't posted since Easter."
She blinked. "How would you know that?"
Matteo shrugged. "Because I checked."
"I'm sorry, who are you?"
He offered a hand. "Matteo Rossi. I'm... a systems consultant."
The System chimed quietly in his ear:
> Deception Detected: 'Consultant' Label Valid within Urban Hustle Context
No penalty incurred.
"Systems consultant," she repeated slowly. "Like IT?"
"Sort of. I help local businesses modernize without taking on risk. If I boost your revenue 15% this month, I get a 10% cut for the next three. If I don't, you owe me nothing."
Her father had been listening. "It's a scam," he muttered.
"It's an opportunity," Matteo said. "And you've got nothing to lose."
The woman studied him for a long moment. Then: "Two weeks. You have two weeks to show results."
The System pinged again:
> Micro-Enterprise Anchor Acquired: 'Dolce e Nero'
Objective Progress: 0/€200
---
Matteo spent the next twelve hours in three cafés using free Wi-Fi. He signed the bakery up for Deliveroo and Just Eat, crafted a basic website with operating hours and a photo gallery, and optimized their Google listing with keywords like "authentic Roman pastry" and "Campo de' Fiori breakfast." He created a promotional Instagram reel from photos he'd taken through the glass—using filters, text overlays, and local hashtags.
By evening, the System reported:
> Outreach Engagement +34%
Order Increase Forecast: 19% over baseline in next 10 days
Projected Profit Participation: €143
He returned the next morning and watched as two tourists walked straight to the counter, phone in hand, pointing at the pastry they'd seen online. The daughter, whose name he learned was Alessia, gave him a surprised look.
"It's working," she said.
Matteo nodded. "Give it a few more days."
She handed him a cappuccino. "You're not as crazy as you look."
"Thanks... I think."
---
Three days later, Matteo sat on the Spanish Steps with his journal, sketching out business flows. He'd begun tracking foot traffic around major Roman squares. The System had unlocked a rudimentary heatmap interface that aggregated public data and trends.
He marked certain areas in red—high traffic, low competition. Others in yellow—potential but unstable. Campo de' Fiori was green.
He felt a presence nearby and turned to see a girl sketching. She wore paint-splattered jeans and a worn denim jacket. Her sketchpad captured not the Steps, but a rendition of the buildings surrounding it—except she'd imagined them in brutalist style, all sharp lines and harsh concrete.
"You don't like Baroque?" he asked.
She didn't look up. "I like contrast."
Matteo smiled. "Contrast makes beauty."
Now she looked. "You're not just some guy wandering around, are you?"
"I might be."
"Well, Mr. Might-Be, I'm Elisa. Architecture student. Milano originally."
"Matteo. Systems consultant."
She raised an eyebrow. "That real?"
"Depends on the system."
They talked for over an hour—about architecture, design, the decay of modern cities, and how Rome was a museum frozen in time. She sketched while he talked. Before leaving, she handed him the drawing of a reimagined Piazza Venezia, transformed into a tech campus wrapped around the Altare della Patria.
"I draw what I want to exist," she said.
Matteo studied the paper. "Maybe we'll build it someday."
---
By the end of the week, Dolce e Nero's orders had increased by 26%. Tourists came with Instagram photos. Locals placed orders for delivery. Alessia texted him updates constantly—initially with skepticism, then with awe.
Matteo sat under an umbrella at a café across from the Pantheon when the System chimed:
> Micro-Enterprise Revenue Goal Reached: €236
Quest Complete: Micro-Enterprise Launched!
Reward Unlocked: Business Acumen I
Skill Effect: +10% Efficiency in Deal Structuring and Revenue Forecasting
New Module Unlocked: Financial Dashboard
A new panel opened in his interface: dynamic charts showing cash flow, revenue shares, growth potential, risk indexes. His money was no longer abstract. It was alive.
Matteo leaned back in his chair, sipping espresso. He had proven something—not to the System, not to the bakery, but to himself.
He was building.
One brick at a time.
---
End of Chapter 2.
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