Chapter 32
Jennet found herself in an odd landscape of shelves, stacked row upon row upon row, as far as the eye could see. A blue sun in the cloudless pink sky let her know she wasn’t on earth anymore. Immediately in front of her, she noticed a large circular desk, with floating white cubes hovering at eye level. She decided It must be some kind of information desk. She briefly considered wandering the shelves, but without other people, the normal shopping experience lost its appeal. She selected a cube at random and walked towards it. As she drew closer, the cube fuzzed into the same cloudy substance as the entrance to the system shop, before resolving into a young woman wearing a white blouse and black skirt. The attendant held a tablet of some kind and what seemed to be a stylus with different colored crystals on either end.
As Jennet watched, the crystals shifted colors, red and blue, then yellow and green, before cycling to white and black. The longer she watched, the more interesting the colors became, the only constant being that the color of one would be opposite to the color of the other crystal.
“Ahem, can I help you?” the young woman had stopped writing and was staring at her.
Jennet felt her cheeks heat slightly at having been caught staring. “Yes, actually you can. Where are all the other shoppers?”
“Ah, the social sort are you? Well, to put it simply, there are so many people accessing the shop at any one given time that there simply isn’t enough space for them all. So instead the System loads a custom instance of the shop for every person. After your first visit, your preferences can be saved for future visits. Would you like to choose a preferred shopping center simulation? Most experience simulations cost as little as $5 USC, and are stored on the system node network so they don’t take up any resources on your end.”
Jennet sniffed a bit while looking to either side. “Surely there are more premium versions available?” she asked. She simply wouldn’t be associated with having a cheap simulation like that, especially if this was something that would be saved forever.
“Ahhh. I see. A socialite and a connoisseur. I do believe we have something that might interest you. Our premium line of shopping experiences starts at $100 USC per visit and includes some of the best possible treatments. Standard features include an assistant assigned exclusively to you, various pre-programmed storefronts, and luxury treatment while you browse products and conduct business.”
The rows upon rows of shelves flew past while the young woman explained the basics, eventually stopping at a row of shelves lined with what seemed like digital snow globes. Each one represented a different layout for the system shop. One looked like a massive starport, glowing neon signs against sleek metal structures with lots of open space, and alien life forms filling the walkways.
Another seemed set up like a luxury cruise ship, with stores stacked atop each other for several stories, and open balconies giving views of an endless expanse of ocean. The people in that one seemed dressed like only the mega-rich could afford. Jennet almost picked that one before catching sight of the perfect experience. This one showed a city skyline on some futuristic planet. Hover cars and air taxis rushed from megabuilding to megabuilding. The shops took up only the top floors, allowing for impressive and dizzying views.
As she reached for it, the digital projection seemed to expand, filling her vision. Fine dining establishments and up-class bars offered a chance to rest and relax while personal attendants cared for every whim of the customers, who wore an eclectic and somewhat exotic variety of outfits, body styles, and skin colors.
“I see you have made a selection. This one costs a one-time deposit of $300 credits and a per-visit fee of $120 credits. Would you like to complete your purchase, or are there other items you are interested in?”
“Just to verify, I would pay $420 credits now, and an additional $120 credits each time I visit the system store?” Jennet asked.
“That’s correct. If you access a system shop node without the additional funds, you will be able to access this common instance, but you will have to pay the back fees to restore the simulation if you want to reactivate the experience afterward.”
$420 credits was a significant amount of her available balance of $700 credits, however since she didn’t really understand how valuable a credit was, she had no reason not to agree. Besides, maybe she could pre-pay for her next visit just in case. She’d never really understood the exact value of currency, even after joining the PLA and having her father significantly reduce her allowance. She’d always had the money to buy whatever she wanted, and she wasn’t about to limit herself to the ‘standard’ experience.
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“Can I pre-pay for my next visit as well? That should bring my total to $540 USC correct?” she asked.
“Of course ma’am. The credits will be deducted from your account. Thank you for shopping with the system, and enjoy your experience.” the young woman disappeared, as did the strange world full of shelves. In its place, the world she’d seen in the digital projection sprang up around her. She found herself standing near the edge of a massive tower. The occasional sky car hovering past, but mostly the traffic was several stories below.
As Jennet turned around, a team of professionally dressed assistants rushed up to her.
“Ah, Miss Ming. Welcome to the system shop. It seems you are alone this evening. Would you like to be paired with another premium guest, or continue the evening alone?” a woman, apparently the leader of her assistant team, wearing a maroon pantsuit asked.
“I’ll be alone this evening, thank you,” she replied. “In the future I can bring guests with me?”
“Of course. Very little is off-limits to our premium members. However, you will have to pay a guest fee of $60 credits per person. But if you wish to share the finer things in life, this is one of the best ways. Business deals worth hundreds of thousands of credits have been settled in the lounges of the system store’s elite premium simulations. Needless to say, we can accommodate a large variety of potential situations, impressing everyone involved.” the woman replied.
“Good to know. First off I’d like to browse a catalog of available combat options for a Yin Swordswoman of around level 5 to 10 that I can spend gear, skill, or upgrade tokens on.” Jennet ordered.
“Of course Ma’am. Would you like a massage while you wait for the information? Or perhaps a tour of the city? Or even both? Or if you are hungry, there are several fine establishments I can recommend, catering to either your preferred taste or a truly new and unique experience. Alternatively, there are several drinking establishments, tea houses, coffee shops, or ‘enlightenment’ dens that I can recommend.
“I believe I’ll save the tour for another day. I have limited time and I do need to acquire some decent items before I leave.” Jennet replied.
“Oh. well if you truly wish to hurry, we can have the information compiled with other priority requests. The normal upcharge will be waved of course, but you don’t need to rush if you don’t want to.. Time in the system store flows differently than anywhere else. No matter how long you spend here, time will not pass on the outside, except under certain conditions. This is one of the benefits of the enhanced experience you purchased earlier.”
Jennet could see why such advantages would be appealing. Her mind was filled with possibilities on how to use the unexpected information to her benefit.
“Perhaps I will enjoy a massage.” she amended. “And a meal wouldn’t go amiss. I’d like some general information about how the system shop works, and exactly what I can purchase here. I hadn’t ever thought I would have the option to buy time.”
Almost a month later, SFC Jennet Ming exited the system shop. The neural cortex implant she’d purchased modified the default HUD of the system to include a small mini-map and the local date and time. As her lead assistant had assured, only a few seconds had passed since she entered. She smiled, thinking of all she’d managed to acquire while in the system shop.
Congrats!
You’ve visited the system shop for the first time! You have purchased an enhanced shop experience! You spent $540 USC on an enhanced experience module.
Congrats!
You spent 1 gear token for [Adrenal Neural Cortex Implant] and basic information about it.
Congrats!
You spent 1 upgrade token to upgrade [Adrenal Neural Cortex Implant] to (Rare - Masterwork) and add the following qualities: Heirloom Yin Swordsmastery, Self-Repair, enhanced duration, and enhanced data capacity
Congrats!
You spent $60 USC to add a minimap and local date/time indicators to your System HUD as enhanced by [Adrenal Neural Cortex Implant of the Ghostly Yin Swordsmaster (Rare-Masterwork)]
[Adrenal Neural Cortex Implant of the Ghostly Yin Swordsmaster(Rare-Masterwork)] is an Advanced-level Neural Cortex Implant that will scale with your attributes and level. It allows the user to exert enhanced power, speed, and control while wielding a Ghostly or Heirloom Yin-attuned weapon. It also allows the user brief periods of greatly enhanced mental processing ability, causing the outside world to seem slowed.
Congrats!
You spent 1 skill token for the [Incorporeal Steps] spell and basic information about it.
[Incorporeal Steps] allows the user to conceal the movement of themselves or another by turning partially incorporeal. Has an enhanced effect or a reduced cost for Yin-based Cultivators.