The winter air in Milan was crisp, smelling of roasted chestnuts and high-end leather. Julian Vane sat in a corner booth of Giannino, a restaurant where the AC Milan hierarchy conducted their most secretive business.
Across from him sat Adriano Galliani, the CEO of AC Milan, a man who looked like he had stepped out of a classic noir film.
Galliani was sipping a glass of red wine, his eyes fixed on Julian with a mixture of amusement and curiosity.
"You are the boy who beat Chelsea," Galliani said, his voice a low gravel. "Roman's people were very upset. They say you are a sorcerer."
"I don't believe in magic, Adriano," Julian replied, his mind running a background scan of Galliani's mental state. "I believe in efficiency. And currently, you are using Andrea Pirlo at 60% of his efficiency."
[ LAYER 1: EYE OF THE PROGENY – SCANNING... ]
[ TARGET: ANDREA PIRLO (STAYING AT TEAM HOTEL) ]
[ CA: 168 | PA: 185 ]
[ ROLE: DEEP-LYING PLAYMAKER (UNCONVENTIONAL) ]
[ LOYALTY PRISM: 12/20 - FRUSTRATED BY ROTATION ]
Julian leaned forward. He had 2,500 words worth of tactical conviction to deliver. He wasn't here to buy a player; he was here to steal a vision.
"In Carlo Ancelotti's system, Pirlo is a luxury," Julian continued. "He sits behind Rui Costa and Kaká. He is the insurance policy. In my Aston Villa, he is the sun. Every movement, every pass, every defensive transition will revolve around his ability to see the pitch in four dimensions."
"He is not for sale," Galliani said, though he didn't look away.
"Everyone is for sale when the price is right and the player is unhappy," Julian said. "You want to buy Kakha Kaladze and Cafu. You need the liquid capital to finalize the summer deals. I will give you £18 million for a player your fans think is 'soft'."
Julian's high intelligence had already mapped Milan's financial books using the [FINANCIAL ORACLE] function (which was currently flickering in its locked state, providing only glimpses of data). He knew Milan was over-leveraged on their wage bill.
"Eighteen million is an insult for Andrea," Galliani scoffed.
"It's a fortune for a player you're going to bench against Juventus next week," Julian countered.
Julian felt the familiar thrum of the Protocol. He needed to push harder. He pulled out a portable DVD player—a high-tech rarity in 2003—and turned it toward Galliani. On the screen was a simulated animation generated by the [TACTICAL SIMULATION LAB].
It showed Pirlo at the base of a 3-2-2-3 formation, with Cristiano Ronaldo making diagonal runs from the left. The animation wasn't just a video; it was a mathematical proof of how Pirlo's passing range would increase Ronaldo's goal output by 40%.
"Show this to Andrea," Julian said. "Tell him he can stay in Milan and be a part of the choir, or he can come to Birmingham and be the conductor."
Galliani looked at the screen, then at Julian.
For the first time, the "Eminence Protocol" flagged Galliani's status as [UNSETTLED].
"You are a very dangerous young man, Julian Vane," Galliani whispered.
"I'm just a man who hates wasting talent, Adriano."
As Julian left the restaurant, he didn't go to his hotel. He went to the San Siro. He stood outside the massive, brutalist towers of the stadium, his mind already calculating the fallout of this deal.
If he pulled this off, he would have the best young winger in the world and the best playmaker in the world.
But the Protocol suddenly flashed red. A massive warning icon blocked his vision.
[ WARNING: ANOMALY DETECTED ]
[ EVENT: THE FERGUSON INTERVENTION ]
[ DATA: Sir Alex Ferguson has contacted the FA to investigate your 'irregular' scouting methods. ]
Julian's eyes narrowed. He hadn't even finished the Pirlo deal, and the "Greatest Manager of All Time" was already trying to sabotage him.
Ferguson wasn't stupid. He had seen what happened at Chelsea, and he had realized that Julian wasn't just a lucky kid—he was a threat to the hierarchy of English football.
[ NEW MISSION: THE OLD GUARD'S WRATH ]
Objective: Defeat Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Condition: Use a 'New' tactical innovation that Ferguson has never seen.
Penalty for Failure: -500 Prestige Credits and a 3-match 'Media Ban' (Internal).
Julian walked through the streets of Milan, his brain already shifting away from Pirlo and toward the 4-4-2 of Manchester United.
He needed to invent something. Something that would make Ferguson's traditional "Wing Play" look like a game of checkers compared to Julian's chess.
"So, you want to play dirty, Alex?" Julian muttered, a cold, predatory smile appearing on his face.
He opened the [BLACK MARKET]. He had very few credits left, but he saw a "Locked" item that was starting to glow—a reward for his "Level 2" status.
[ ITEM: THE INVERTED FULLBACK MANUAL (2023 EDITION) ]
[ STATUS: EXPERIMENTAL ]
In 2003, fullbacks were supposed to stay wide and cross the ball. If Julian brought a tactic from twenty years in the future to Old Trafford, Ferguson wouldn't just be defeated; he would be bewildered.
But to execute it, Julian would have to spend the next 72 hours on the training pitch, manually coaching every movement.
The Protocol could give him the idea, but his players' muscle memory had to be rewritten.
He boarded his flight back to England. He ignored the luxury of the first-class cabin and sat with his laptop, coding the training drills.
The Pirlo deal was in Galliani's hands now. Julian's focus was now on the "Theatre of Dreams." He wasn't going there to dream; he was going there to end Ferguson's peace of mind.
By the time the plane landed in Birmingham, Julian hadn't slept. His eyes were bloodshot, and his "Mental Stamina" bar was in the yellow zone. But his heart rate was steady.
He walked through the arrivals gate and saw a swarm of reporters.
"Julian! Did you sign Pirlo?"
"Julian! What do you say to Ferguson's claims that you're 'cheating' with illegal data?"
Julian stopped. He looked directly into the camera of the BBC news crew.
"Sir Alex is worried about my data because it's the only thing he can't shout at," Julian said. "He's used to being the most intelligent man in the room. On Saturday, he's going to find out that the room has changed, and he doesn't have the key anymore."
He walked away, leaving the press in a frenzy. He had just declared war on the most powerful man in the sport.
There was no turning back, and the Apex Tactician had just challenged the King.