{"id":60878,"date":"2026-06-21T23:00:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T15:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nightfame.com\/style\/?p=60878"},"modified":"2026-06-21T23:05:53","modified_gmt":"2026-06-21T15:05:53","slug":"chapter-10-a-just-sequence-the-front-running-fencer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nightfame.com\/style\/chapter-10-a-just-sequence-the-front-running-fencer\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 10: A Just Sequence – The Front-Running Fencer"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The diner was called \u201cThe 24-Hour Stop,\u201d and it looked exactly like every other 24-hour diner Jesse had ever seen\u2014cracked vinyl booths, a counter with swivel stools, a jukebox that hadn’t worked since before he was born, and the smell of coffee that had been brewing since the Clinton administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesse sat in a booth by the window, his phone propped against a ketchup bottle, staring at Emberheart on the screen. The sword glowed in the dim light of the diner, orange and red pulsing softly like a heartbeat. He couldn’t stop looking at it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across from him, Nia was on her third cup of coffee. Marcus had insisted on driving them both to the diner after the sale\u2014\u201cYou don’t win a war and then sit in an apartment eating cold pizza\u201d \u2014and now he was at the counter, ordering a slice of pie he didn’t want and a milkshake he definitely did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou’ve been staring at that screen for twenty minutes,\u201d Nia said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt’s been twenty minutes?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTwenty-three, actually.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesse finally set the phone down. \u201cI keep expecting it to disappear. Like I’ll refresh my inventory and it’ll be gone. Sold to someone else. Taken by a bot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat’s the trauma,\u201d Nia said, not unkindly. \u201cYou’ve been front-run so many times that success feels wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs that a technical term?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt’s a therapy term. You should probably see someone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marcus slid into the booth across from Jesse, a plate of apple pie and three milkshakes balanced precariously in his hands. \u201cOne for each of us,\u201d he announced, distributing the glasses. \u201cWe’re celebrating.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt’s ten o’clock at night,\u201d Nia said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMilkshakes don’t have a curfew.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesse took a sip. Vanilla. Cold and sweet and exactly what he didn’t know he needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo,\u201d Marcus said, pointing a spoon at Jesse. \u201cOne sword. That’s all you wanted. And instead, you helped redesign the entire network’s transaction ordering.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn’t redesign it. I just asked questions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou asked the right questions,\u201d Nia said. \u201cThat’s harder than writing the code.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marcus nodded. \u201cMy sister doesn’t give compliments. If she says you did something hard, you did something hard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesse felt his face warm. He looked down at the milkshake, then back at his phone. Emberheart still glowed. Still his.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Scene 1: The Final Sale<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The memory of the sale was already blurring at the edges, the way intense moments do\u2014sharp in some places, soft in others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesse remembered the countdown. The click. The encryption process, which had felt like forever. The wait, shorter than he’d expected but longer than he’d hoped. And then the moment when the dashboard updated and the sword appeared in his inventory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He hadn’t screamed. He hadn’t cried. He’d just sat there, staring, until Nia had put a hand on his shoulder and said, \u201cYou did it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And he’d replied, \u201cWe did it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because that was the truth. The sword was in his wallet, but it didn’t belong to him alone. It belonged to everyone who had stayed in the DAO when leaving would have been easier. To Cipher, who had worked through countless nights without ever revealing their face. To the users who had posted their stories, who had kept believing that fairness was possible. To Nia, who had opened her apartment and her code and her guilt to a stranger who didn’t know the difference between a hash and a promise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’m proud of you,\u201d Marcus said, pulling Jesse back to the present. \u201cBoth of you. When I left for school, I thought the validator pool was going to die. Nia was running it alone, barely breaking even, and I was too far away to help. Now we’re on FairChain, we’re processing more transactions than ever, and we’re actually winning<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe’re not winning yet,\u201d Nia said. \u201cQuickPath is still operating. The Seeker is still active on QuickChain. We’ve created a fair zone, but the war isn’t over.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe war never ends,\u201d Jesse said. \u201cThat’s what I’ve learned. There’s always a new exploit, a new bot, a new way to game the system. Fairness isn’t a destination. It’s a process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marcus raised his milkshake. \u201cTo the process, then.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo the process,\u201d Nia echoed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesse raised his glass. \u201cTo a just sequence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They clinked glasses, and for a moment, the diner felt like a cathedral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Scene 2: The Diner Conversation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The pie disappeared. The milkshakes melted. The jukebox remained stubbornly silent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesse found himself telling the whole story\u2014not just the technical parts, but the emotional ones. The night he’d thrown his phone across the room. The sick feeling in his stomach when he saw The Seeker’s address. The moment in the library when Nia had first explained the mempool and he’d realized the system wasn’t broken\u2014it was designed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought the system was broken,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it wasn’t. It was just designed for someone else’s benefit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat’s the thing about systems,\u201d Marcus said. \u201cThey’re never neutral. Every rule, every protocol, every default setting\u2014it all benefits someone. The question is who.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nia nodded. \u201cThe old network benefited validators who could extract MEV. It benefited bots like The Seeker. It benefited people with fast connections and deep pockets. Everyone else was just\u2026 feedstock.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd now?\u201d Jesse asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow the network benefits users who want fair access. It’s not perfect\u2014nothing is\u2014but it’s better. The encrypted mempool means bots can’t see what you’re doing. The VRF ordering means they can’t predict the sequence. Time-lock encryption means they can’t front-run even if they try.\u201d Nia paused. \u201cThe Seeker isn’t gone. It’s just not profitable to front-run anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt’ll find other exploits,\u201d Jesse said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt will. And we’ll find other fixes. That’s how this works. Attack and defend. Exploit and patch. The network evolves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marcus set down his spoon. \u201cYou sound like Cipher.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nia smiled\u2014a rare, unguarded smile. \u201cMaybe I’ve been spending too much time in virtual meetings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesse laughed. \u201cOr maybe you’ve become the person who was supposed to be in those meetings all along.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Scene 3: The Realization<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The diner had emptied out. A single waitress wiped down the counter. The neon sign outside flickered\u2014OPEN 24 HOURS<\/em> \u2014though Jesse suspected \u201copen\u201d was doing some heavy lifting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCan I ask you something?\u201d Nia said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you first came to my apartment, after the Emberheart sale, what did you think of me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesse considered the question. \u201cI thought you were guilty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nia didn’t flinch. \u201cI was.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought you knew the system was unfair and you were profiting from it anyway. And I thought you hated yourself for it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut I also thought you were the only person who could help me. Because you understood how it worked. And because you wanted to change it.\u201d Jesse leaned back in the booth. \u201cYou weren’t the villain. You were someone trapped in a villain’s system, trying to find a way out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nia was quiet for a long moment. Then she said, \u201cWhat about now? What do you think of me now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesse didn’t hesitate. \u201cI think you’re a hero. Not the kind in stories\u2014the kind who shows up every day and does the hard, boring, frustrating work of building something better. The kind who doesn’t give up even when giving up would be easier.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marcus made a fake coughing sound. \u201cCough<\/em> my sister cough<\/em> the hero cough<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShut up,\u201d Nia said, but she was smiling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Scene 4: Epilogue \u2014 Three Months Later<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Fair Sequencing DAO had grown to over two hundred validators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesse watched the numbers climb on his dashboard\u2014not from Nia’s apartment anymore, but from his own bedroom. He’d set up a small monitor on his desk, next to the display frame that now held Emberheart. The frame glowed, the sword’s molten light casting orange reflections on the wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The past three months had been a blur of meetings, documentation, and user outreach. Jesse had written over forty guides, posts, and manifestos explaining why FairChain mattered. He’d started a user advocacy group called the Fair Buys Coalition, which now had over three thousand members. He’d even been interviewed for a podcast\u2014Collector’s Corner<\/em> \u2014where he’d told the story of the Emberheart sale to an audience of thousands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nia had become a respected voice in validator governance. She’d written a code of conduct for fair validators\u2014a document that had been adopted by over a hundred pools. She’d spoken at three conferences (virtually, because she refused to travel), and she’d been featured in a major industry publication under the headline: \u201cThe Teenager Who Fixed Front-Running.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(The headline made her furious. \u201cI didn’t fix it alone,\u201d she’d texted Jesse. \u201cYou were there. Cipher was there. The DAO was there.\u201d Jesse had replied: \u201cThe headline should have been \u2018The Teenagers Who Fixed Front-Running.\u2019 Plural.\u201d Nia had sent back a single word: \u201cFine.\u201d)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cipher had remained anonymous, as always. But they’d released a series of technical papers documenting the Fair Sequencing Protocol\u2014papers that had been cited by researchers at three different universities. A startup had even reached out, offering to fund further development. Cipher had declined, but referred them to the DAO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And The Seeker?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Seeker was still active on QuickChain, but QuickChain was a ghost town. Transaction volume had dropped by ninety percent. Most validators had either switched to FairChain or shut down entirely. QuickPath had rebranded twice, trying to escape its reputation, but the community remembered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last time Jesse had checked the old mempool viewer, he’d seen The Seeker’s address still scanning, still submitting transactions, still trying to front-run. But there was almost nothing left to front-run. The users had left. The value had left. The Seeker was a predator in an empty forest, circling trees that no longer held prey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesse felt something like pity. Not for The Seeker\u2014it was just code, after all\u2014but for the people who had built it. They had optimized for extraction instead of creation. They had chosen profit over people. And in the end, they had lost everything because there was nothing left to extract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Scene 5: The Last Purchase<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The sale was for a shield\u2014not legendary, not rare, but beautiful. A round shield with a phoenix emblem, the feathers picked out in gold and crimson. The creator had listed fifty copies at fifteen credits each. No auction. No bidding. Just first-come, first-served, on FairChain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesse didn’t need the shield. His collection was already complete with Emberheart. But he wanted it. And more importantly, he wanted to prove\u2014to himself, to the network, to anyone still watching\u2014that the system worked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He opened his wallet app. Fifteen credits ready. The creator’s address saved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He encrypted the transaction. Submitted the hash. Waited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The block finalized in 3.8 seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shield appeared in his inventory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No front-running. No sandwich. No bot. Just a clean, fair, honest purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesse stared at the screen for a moment. Then he smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He walked to his wall\u2014the display frames, each one holding a piece of his collection. The dragon-scale cloak. The compass that pointed to hidden treasure. The quiver of endless arrows. And in the center, the biggest frame of all, Emberheart\u2014the sword that had started everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He placed the phoenix shield next to the compass. It fit perfectly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

His phone buzzed. A message from Nia:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSaw the shield purchase. You’re becoming a whale.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesse typed back: \u201cJust a collector with a working network.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe network works because people use it. Thank you for being one of them.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank you for building it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He set down the phone and looked at his collection one more time. The frames glowed in the dim light of his bedroom\u2014proof that he had been there, that he had won, that the system could be fair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outside, the city hummed with its own rhythms. Somewhere out there, The Seeker was still scanning, still trying. Somewhere, a new exploit was being discovered, a new bot was being deployed, a new battle was beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But tonight, none of that mattered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tonight, Jesse had his sword. And his shield. And a network that finally, finally worked for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He stood in front of the display frames, the fencer’s pin still pinned to his jacket\u2014the one he’d worn to Collector Con, the one that had started this whole journey. He touched it gently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA just sequence,\u201d he said to the empty room. \u201cThat’s all anyone ever wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And for the first time in months, he turned off his phone, climbed into bed, and slept without dreaming of bots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

EXTENDED EPILOGUE: THE FAIR BUYS COALITION<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Six months after the fork, the Fair Buys Coalition held its first in-person meetup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was at a community center downtown\u2014a small room with folding chairs, a projector, and a table of snacks that someone had brought from a grocery store. About forty people showed up. Collectors, mostly. A few validators. One journalist who smelled like cigarettes and hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesse stood at the front of the room, wearing his fencer’s pin and a hoodie that said FAIR BUYS<\/em> on the front. Nia sat in the front row, arms crossed, pretending not to be nervous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’m not a coder,\u201d Jesse began. \u201cI’m not a validator. I’m not a cryptographer. I’m just someone who wanted to buy a sword and got robbed by a bot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The room laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat sword\u2014Emberheart\u2014is on my wall now. I got it on FairChain, using the Fair Sequencing Protocol. And I’m here tonight because I want everyone in this room to be able to say the same thing about the artifacts they love.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He paused, looking at the faces in the crowd. Some were young, like him. Some were older\u2014collectors who had been in the game for years, who had lost thousands of credits to front-running. Some were just curious, trying to understand what all the fuss was about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Seeker isn’t dead,\u201d Jesse said. \u201cIt’s still out there, still scanning, still trying to find an angle. QuickPath rebranded again\u2014they’re calling themselves \u2018Express Chain\u2019 now, which is cute\u2014but they’re still running the same extractive protocol. They haven’t changed. They’ve just put on a new mask.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He clicked a slide. The screen showed a graph\u2014FairChain vs. QuickChain transaction volume over the past six months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFairChain is now processing eighty percent of the network’s transactions,\u201d Jesse said. \u201cEighty percent. That’s not because we have better marketing. It’s because we have better math<\/em>. We have an encrypted mempool, VRF ordering, and time-lock privacy. We have a system that makes front-running impossible, not just unprofitable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The room applauded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut we can’t stop,\u201d Jesse continued. \u201cThe Seeker will adapt. New exploits will be discovered. New bots will be deployed. The work of fairness is never done. That’s why the Fair Buys Coalition exists\u2014to advocate for users, to audit new protocols, to hold validators accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He looked at Nia. She nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd that’s why the Fair Sequencing DAO exists\u2014to build the next generation of fair protocols. VRF was just the beginning. There’s already research on zero-knowledge mempools, on fair ordering for cross-chain transactions, on ways to make front-running not just impossible but inconceivable<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesse stepped away from the podium. \u201cI’m not going to lie to you. This is hard work. It’s boring, technical, sometimes frustrating. There are days when I want to throw my laptop out the window and just play video games.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More laughter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut then I remember the feeling of watching a transaction fail. Of knowing I was first, but finishing last. Of realizing that the system I trusted had been designed to exploit me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His voice softened. \u201cNo one should feel that way. Not about a game. Not about a collection. Not about anything. And if we have the power to build something better, then we have the responsibility to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The room was silent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then someone in the back\u2014a young woman with purple hair and a backpack covered in patches\u2014started clapping. The applause spread, rippling through the folding chairs, growing louder and louder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesse felt his face get hot. He looked at Nia, who was clapping too, a smile on her face that he’d never seen before\u2014proud, relieved, maybe even a little amazed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He raised his hand. The applause died down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d he said. \u201cNow let’s get to work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

That night, after the meetup ended and the folding chairs were stacked and the leftover snacks were divided among whoever wanted them, Jesse and Nia walked to the diner\u2014the same 24-hour diner, the same cracked vinyl booths, the same jukebox that still didn’t work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marcus was already there, holding down a booth in the corner. He’d driven down from college for the meetup, claiming he wanted to \u201csee what all the fuss was about,\u201d but Jesse suspected he just missed his sister.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow’d it go?\u201d Marcus asked as they slid into the booth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood,\u201d Nia said. \u201cReally good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJesse gave a speech.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI gave a speech.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marcus raised an eyebrow. \u201cThe kid who didn’t know what a mempool was six months ago gave a speech about fair ordering protocols?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe kid who got front-run gave a speech about why front-running needs to die,\u201d Jesse corrected. \u201cThere’s a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The waitress came by. They ordered milkshakes\u2014vanilla for Jesse, chocolate for Nia, strawberry for Marcus\u2014and sat in comfortable silence until the drinks arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo what’s next?\u201d Marcus asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nia answered first. \u201cCipher has a new proposal. Zero-knowledge mempools. Even stronger privacy than time-lock encryption. It’s theoretical now, but the math is promising.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd you?\u201d Marcus looked at Jesse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Fair Buys Coalition is growing. We’re going to start auditing artifact sales\u2014making sure creators aren’t accidentally building front-running vulnerabilities into their contracts. Education, basically. Teaching people how to protect themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat’s not as glamorous as building new cryptography.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt’s more important.\u201d Jesse took a sip of his milkshake. \u201cYou can build the most perfect protocol in the world, but if people don’t know how to use it, it’s useless. The Seeker didn’t just exploit code. It exploited ignorance. The more people understand how the system works, the harder it is to cheat them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marcus nodded slowly. \u201cYou’ve changed, you know. Both of you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs that bad?\u201d Nia asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt’s not bad. It’s just\u2026 different. You used to be so angry, Nia. At the system, at yourself, at everyone who was profiting while you struggled. Now you’re\u2026 calmer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’m not calmer. I’m just channeling the anger into something useful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd Jesse.\u201d Marcus turned to him. \u201cYou used to be just a collector. Now you’re an organizer. A leader.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesse shook his head. \u201cI’m just a guy who wanted a sword.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat’s how it starts.\u201d Marcus raised his milkshake. \u201cWith one person who wants one thing and refuses to accept that the system is broken. That’s how every revolution begins.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They clinked glasses. The milkshakes were cold. The diner was warm. And outside, the city hummed with the quiet chaos of people living their lives, unaware that two teenagers and a mysterious ally had changed the rules of the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Jesse got home around midnight. His bedroom was dark except for the glow of the display frames\u2014the dragon-scale cloak, the compass, the quiver of arrows, the phoenix shield, and at the center, Emberheart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He stood in front of the frames for a long time, just looking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His phone buzzed. A message from Nia: \u201cGet home okay?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He typed back: \u201cYeah. Just looking at the collection.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHappy?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah. Tired. But happy.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood. Get some sleep. Tomorrow we have to figure out zero-knowledge mempools.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesse laughed. \u201cCan’t it wait?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Seeker never sleeps. Neither can we.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He set down the phone and looked at Emberheart one last time. The blade glowed orange and red, pulsing softly, like a heartbeat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A just sequence<\/em>, he thought. That’s all anyone ever wanted.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He climbed into bed, pulled the covers up to his chin, and closed his eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the first time in a long time, he didn’t dream about bots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He dreamed about swords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Table of contents:<\/em><\/strong>
Introduction<\/a>
Chapter 1: The Mempool<\/a>
Chapter 2: A Transaction in the Dark<\/a>
Chapter 3: The Gas Auction<\/a>
Chapter 4: The Sandwich Attack<\/a>
Chapter 5: The Priority Fee War<\/a>
Chapter 6: A Fair Ordering Protocol<\/a>
Chapter 7: The Commit-Reveal Scheme<\/a>
Chapter 8: The Encrypted Mempool<\/a>
Chapter 9: The Time-Weighted Consensus<\/a>
Chapter 10: A Just Sequence<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/div>

<\/path><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>

<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The diner was called \u201cThe 24-Hour Stop,\u201d and it looked exactly like every other 24-hour […]<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/path><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60292],"tags":[60332,58994,60293,58992,60294,60295,60333,60335,60334,60297,60296,60336,61157,61158,61159,61160,61161,61163,61162,60330,60331],"class_list":["post-60878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-science-fiction","tag-children-novel","tag-crypto","tag-crypto-story","tag-cryptocurrency","tag-cryptocurrency-story","tag-science-fiction","tag-science-fiction-novel","tag-science-fiction-novel-for-children","tag-science-fiction-novel-for-young-adult","tag-science-fiction-story","tag-science-fiction-story-for-children","tag-science-fiction-story-for-young-adult","tag-the-front-running-fencer","tag-the-front-running-fencer-science-fiction-novel","tag-the-front-running-fencer-science-fiction-novel-for-children","tag-the-front-running-fencer-science-fiction-novel-for-young-adult","tag-the-front-running-fencer-science-fiction-story","tag-the-front-running-fencer-science-fiction-story-for-children","tag-the-front-running-fencer-science-fiction-story-for-young-adult","tag-ya-novel","tag-young-adult-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nightfame.com\/style\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60878","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nightfame.com\/style\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nightfame.com\/style\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nightfame.com\/style\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nightfame.com\/style\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60878"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/nightfame.com\/style\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60878\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60903,"href":"https:\/\/nightfame.com\/style\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60878\/revisions\/60903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nightfame.com\/style\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nightfame.com\/style\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nightfame.com\/style\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}