Chapter 81

Thinking of this, Edward's smile widened even further as a sense of excitement grew in his chest.

A while later, after taking a moment to compose himself and slow his racing heart, Edward directed his attention to the interface displayed on his screen.

'BitcoinMarket.com' had earned its reputation as one of the earliest pioneers in the cryptocurrency exchange platform market.

What are cryptocurrency exchange platforms?

Cryptocurrency exchange platforms are virtual marketplaces where individuals can buy, sell, and trade various cryptocurrencies.

Platforms like Coinbase, Binance, Kraken, and others were considered prominent examples of cryptocurrency exchange platforms.

However, at this point in time, those platforms haven't been created yet, leaving Edward with no choice but to stick with BitcoinMarket.com.

'BitcoinMarket.com,' as its name suggests, operated exclusively as a platform for trading Bitcoin... But again, thinking that Bitcoin was the only cryptocurrency in circulation during this time, it's reasonable.

However, being a person from the future, Edward was aware that 'BitcoinMarket.com' would soon cease its operations due to various factors, such as its exclusivity to Bitcoin, which would become an impractical approach as the cryptocurrency landscape evolved.

After all, there were also other cryptocurrencies besides Bitcoin on the market, and the fact that many platforms offered better features, security, and a wider array of cryptocurrency options made 'BitcoinMarket.com' increasingly inconvenient for most users.

Shaking his head, Edward chose not to dwell too much on the matter.

Turning his attention back to the interface in front of him, he clicked on the "Register" button and began filling in the basic information required to create an account, including his username, password, email address, and other necessary details.

In contrast to the future, creating an account at this time was a simpler and more straightforward process, as it didn't require various government identifications, therefore, he quickly completed the account setup without any complications.

Looking at his newly created account, Edward sighed, marveling at how easy it is to create an account at this time... Compared to the future, it was really more convenient.

"It's really easy." He sighed, but then, thinking that the security measures at this time were not as advanced as in the future, he couldn't help but feel worried.

The absence of stringent identification requirements meant fewer verification steps, and combined with the relatively low security of platforms, cryptocurrency accounts at this time were very vulnerable to hacking.

Without the need for various verifications, hackers have many ways to hack accounts.

After all, such cases often happen.

"Or maybe I'm overthinking again?" Thinking that cryptocurrency had only been created the previous year, it wasn't particularly widespread, and there weren't many crypto hackers active during this period... Perhaps his concerns were not very serious... at least for now.

"Anyway, it's better to be safe than regret it later," Edward decided after pondering for a while. Letting out a sigh, he made the decision to take countermeasures in case of a potential hack. After all, an extra layer of caution wasn't bad.

There are many ways to prevent hacking, but Edward thought that using a virtual private network (VPN) would suffice for the moment.

VPNs can not only encrypt data, making it hard for others to see your online transactions and activities; they can also hide IP addresses and locations, which is what most hackers need when hacking a physical device.

Well... At least for individual hackers, that's how it usually is. As for those hacker organizations... They usually hack entire websites or platforms when hacking, so IP addresses and locations are usually bypassed by them.

Thinking of how those big hacker organizations work, Edward couldn't help but shudder with a sense of dread. Fortunately, he wasn't a significant enough target yet to attract such an organization; therefore, after a brief consideration, he finally decided that VPN was enough... at least for now.

Opening a new tab, he searched for an available VPN service at this time and found several of them in search results... Without dwelling on them, he simply decided on the first one in the search result, Hostpot Shield.

Entering the official website, he simply went to look at the downloaded link and downloaded the VPN installer file.

After downloading, he went to the files in the download folders, double-clicked, and began to run them. Upon running, accepting the terms and conditions, selecting the installation directory, and configuring any optional settings, Edward finally launches the software.

Clicking the 'sign up' button, he simply went to create an account and then found two options: a free and a premium subscription plan, and of course, Edward chose the latter without a second thought as it offers better service.

The total subscription fees that he had to pay were about $5 to $15 monthly.. A bit more expensive compared to the future, but considering that there are only a few VPN services on the market at this time and the demand is high, it makes sense.

After paying the subscription fee, Edward went back to the homepage of the software and clicked Connect.

With the connection established, he could freely choose whatever server he wanted to do with it; only then did he let out a relieved smile.

Finally, he felt much more secure.

Now, the next step is to create a Bitcoin wallet.

A Bitcoin wallet is a digital tool or software application that enables you to store, send, and receive Bitcoin (BTC) cryptocurrency.

Through it, you can manage your Bitcoin holdings by securely storing your private keys and providing you with a public address to receive funds, which also allows one to interact with the Bitcoin network, making transactions and managing Bitcoin assets.

The creation of a wallet was simpler than creating a Bitcoin account, so it didn't take him long.

Nodding his head, he headed back to the BitcoinMarket.com exchange platform and then went to deposit his money from his bank account to his crypto account... It took him some time, as there were still a few verifications needed, but after a while, the money was finally deposited.

A whole $1,000 or more than fifty thousand Philippine pesos.

Not too much, but considering that the daily transaction at this time wasn't as high as billions of dollars as in the future, but only a few tens of thousands to a hundred thousand, it was enough to fluctuate the market a bit.

Nodding his head in satisfaction, without further wasting time, he immediately went to the exchange page and placed an order at the market price, and within a few seconds, all the dollars in his account were replaced by BTC.

Looking at the amount of BTC in his account, Edward couldn't help it anymore but let out a laugh.

"Fuck! I'm rich! Hahahaha!"

Thinking that each point of Bitcoin would be worth over $60,000 in 2021, a smile graced Edward's face as he thought that as long as he held onto his investment and waited for the right time, he wouldn't have to worry about his financial concerns for many lifetimes to come.

"No, I can't just hold onto it," Edward reasoned, shaking his head, thinking he shouldn't restrict his vision... Although the amount that can be earned through passive investing is already a lot, it pales in comparison to what he could potentially earn through active trading.

While passive investing had its merits, active trading had the potential to generate higher returns and fully maximize his investment.

Looking at his account one more time, Edward made sure that everything was fine before shutting down his computer and then going to bed to sleep.

Days passed in a blink.

Before he knew it, another week had passed.

At this time, the class had just ended, but Edward didn't start recording as usual but got into a taxi and headed towards the Market Place in their district (barangay).

Upon arriving at the location, Edward smoothly settled the cab fare, then made his way to the designated meeting place.

Arriving at the designated spot, Edward spotted his father already waiting outside, just as they had agreed.

"How long have you been waiting here Dad?" Edward asked after a warm exchange of greetings, his eyes reflecting curiosity.

"Not very long, just a few minutes ahead of you," his father replied, revealing a reassuring smile on his face.

"That's good!" Nodding his head, Edward sighed, then finally went straight to the business. "Have you met the owner?"

"Yes, he's already inside. I greeted him briefly and came here to wait for you," his father nodded.

"Oh.. then, shall we head inside?" Edward smiled excitedly and couldn't hold it anymore. 'Finally, it's here.'

After months of planning and negotiation, they are finally going to meet the owner of the store today to finalize the deal.