Then I changed my user agent, checked the sandbox, killed two suspicious scripts trying to load in the background, and finally opened the encrypted browser window I’d buried behind three layers of decoy folders named boring things like chemistry notes and scholarship drafts.
Daddy Dalton would’ve been so proud.
Or horrified.
Probably both.
The forums loaded slowly.
Black background.
Gray text.
No logos.
No drama.
Just ugliness hiding behind minimal design and too much money.
My fingers hovered briefly above the keyboard while old threads and coded listings appeared one after another across the screen.
Auction IDs.
Private buyers.
Anonymous transfers.
Coded lots.
Terms that looked harmless if you didn’t know what you were reading.
Glass.
Antiques.
Mirrors.
Companions.
Ra
