CANTO VII: MINI-APPS: THE RESURRECTION OF MERCHANTS

From 2022, third-party services expanded TON use inside Telegram. In September 2023, TON Space integration became prominent. The messenger, Wallet service and blockchain had distinct responsibilities. Veles found a passage between connected systems that were not the same organization.

The first killer application is Notcoin, a simple game that lets Telegram users earn cryptocurrency by tapping a button. It sounds absurd. It is absurd. But within months, Notcoin has attracted twenty million users. These are not crypto enthusiasts. These are ordinary people on Telegram who are experiencing cryptocurrency for the first time, not through lectures about blockchain, but through a game. The god Veles the merchant-god is resurrecting his ancient occupation: he is bringing commerce back to ordinary people.

Then comes Hamster Kombat, a virtual hamster fighting game where users breed and fight virtual hamsters to earn Hamster tokens. Again, millions of people, many of them in post-Soviet countries, many of them people with no experience in cryptocurrency, are suddenly earning cryptocurrency through a game they can access instantly without downloading anything. The barriers between ordinary people and financial participation have been demolished.

The genius of this model is that it is neither centralized (the apps are decentralized) nor incomprehensible (the games are simple and fun). It is, in fact, a return to the ancient occupation of Veles, bringing trade and commerce to ordinary people in ways that are natural and accessible. A merchant does not demand that his customer understand economics; he simply offers goods and lets the exchange happen. Telegram mini-apps work exactly like this.

By 2024, TON has become home to thousands of mini-apps, millions of users engaging in transactions and economic activity, and a thriving ecosystem of developers who never asked permission from any government or any venture capitalist to build it. Veles has won a victory that seems permanent, he has made himself indispensable, part of the daily life of millions of people, in the space where he has always preferred to live: the marketplace.