Willie, in his sage-like ramblings, extols XRP’s infrastructure as “widely distributed,” a phrase so grand it could only be rivaled by the sprawling bureaucracy of a Gogolian government office. 🏛️ And what of Ripple and BlackRock? Ah, there’s the rub! Willie hints at a clandestine affair, a behind-the-scenes waltz where Ripple, the public face, prances about like a fop at a ball, while BlackRock, the shadowy éminence grise, pulls the strings from the shadows. “I heard something,” Willie confesses, with the air of a man who has stumbled upon a letter not meant for his eyes. 📜 Could it be that Ripple’s development has been nurtured within the fortress-like walls of BlackRock, like a secret love child of finance and technology? 🕵️♂️