《Magical Cosmic》Chapter 4: The Spring and Autumn Company [R]
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After the digital contract was done, Hussein transferred credits into my account. A six-digit number showed on it, which amounted to around six hundred thousand credits. This increase of 500,000, made me secretly smile so widely — I almost split my head in two. If there was no one else in the room, I would have shouted while jumping around. Then, I said goodbye to Hussein before leaving the store.
Now that I have this much money, it’s time to splurge it on my equipment and buy a lot of provisions. Surely money cannot buy everything in the world, but it’s certainly able to buy happiness, even if it was just a shallow and brief one.
Afterward, a weapon store in the middle of the market caught my eye. It was from one of the big companies which owned the Blue Moon Station. “The Spring and Autumn Store” the hologram signboard in front of the store read. From how fancy the store was structured, anyone could tell that it was a high-class store.
Might as well go into a high-class store like this.
I walked toward the entrance with two well-equipped robots guarding the place. The robots were taller than me, and each held an advanced plasma rifle that would scare anyone just by its price alone. The robot guards scanned my body before allowing me to go in — only after taking my plasma gun.
As for my dimensional storage, it was scanned with a detector looking for any volatile reactions inside. Yet, it didn’t scan the content individually. Since, if it did this, people wouldn’t dare to come here and conduct business.
Inside was a spacious and luxuriously decorated hall with a fancy red carpet on the floor. Just like old Hussein's store, there were a lot of shelves near the wall and platforms scattered around with a hologram screen explaining their usage.
How peculiar, there’s no price tag. Also, instead of a human, it uses robots as a salesman. What a crazy bunch… I remember that someone needs permission from the government, and a large sum of money, to be eligible to buy them.
As I approached one of the pedestals with a diamond shape device on it, I heard a submissive voice spoke beside me, [Good day, sir. This is the newest model of type XII gravity bomb with a disintegration power enough to destroy anything within 100 meters. Not even the nano-carbon steel is able to withstand it.]
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I nodded slightly, finding that the source of the voice came from a humanoid robot dressed in servant clothes near me.
“Interesting weapon, how much is it?”
[Sir, this kind of weapon needs an extensive procedure and license to be bought. However, if sir was eligible for the purchase, and bought more than 10, we could give a discount of 10%. As for buying individually, it cost 5000 credits respectively.]
Since space was vast, the government didn’t have very strict control over all places. It was unlike when humanity still just occupied one planet.
Although the people were given the freedom to buy a weapon as self-defense, a weapon like this would need a long set regulation to be met before it was possible to use freely. Unless the buyer had connections in a big company and the government.
Seems like the reason the price tag wasn't shown is that it’s a way for the company to earn more money. After all, the customer can’t complain when the device sold is rare and hard to find. They could go to other companies, which is where they’ll find the price is pretty much the same.
Still, I’d need a manager here to handle what I’m gonna buy and some secluded room to not let this matter spread into other’s ears. Which means what I need to request is…
“Call the manager of this store, I want to make a big purchase!”
[Pardon?] The robot seemed confused by my demand.
“I said I want to make a big purchase. This cannot be handled by some simple robot like you; call the manager!” I glared at the robot.
[Yes, calling the manager….]
A few moments later, a slim man with brown hair and long black mustache, wearing a light brown tuxedo, came over to me. He had his two hands held together and a smile on his face, looking like a shrewd merchant.
Since this man appeared to be the manager, I began smiling on the inside. As expected, the manager is human.
“Are you the one that called for me?" inquired the man, narrowing his already small eyes.
“Yes, and you must be the manager here?”
“I’m indeed the manager of the Spring and Autumn branch store, manager Lester. What business might this gentleman have?” the man who called himself manager Lester, asked with a smile that wasn’t really a smile.
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“My name’s Victor Petard Asterisk and I don’t think that this place is appropriate for the business I wish to conduct.” I had my eyes looked around the hall, confirming there was nothing suspicious around then continued in a low voice, "This will amount to hundreds of thousands of credits.”
Hearing what I just whispered, manager Lester opened his slanted eyes wide and then said, “Pardon my bluntness. Please follow me, Mr. Asterisk!”
As my weapon was currently confiscated, I kept my guard high as I followed the manager. However, since the store needed to keep its credibility and trustworthiness to be successful, they surely wouldn’t do anything funny to me right now.
Before long, I was brought to a VIP room, where we got in and took a seat across each other. Silence pervaded through the room; the only audible sound was a servant robot pouring tea.
Suddenly, Manager Lester broke the quietness of the room by opening his mouth and said, “Mr. Asterisk, what is the deal that you want to talk about?”
“I want to buy a lot of weapons, devices, and materials for exploration and excavation. Could you provide this to me?”
I flicked my wrist and a small device, projecting a holo-list of things, came out from my dimensional storage. The list was full of all kinds of devices, tools, materials, and even weapons I had always coveted and wanted over the years.
Upon seeing the list, manager Lester’s eyes widened in surprise, and he answered while playing with his mustache, “Of course, of course, but all of this will amount to more than 500,000 credits. Could Mr. Asterisk be able to pay for it?”
With a confident smile, I projected a hologram from the helmet and there was a grant to transfer 550,000 credits.
“Take the change for the handling of the stuff matter and to keep this a secret. Oh.. and send all of the stuff straight to my ship as soon as possible!” I smiled; a bit vigilant to the manager.
Looking at the amount on the holo-screen, manager Lester smiled with delight, continued answering in a subservient tone unlike earlier, "Yes… yes.. of course, this matter will be taken care of!"
“Good, then I’ll take my leave.” Without giving any thought to drink served tea, I stood up and got out of the room. Being cautious is a must, there was no guarantee that it was safe to drink.
“Wait, please take this, good sir!” Manager Lester presented a silver card designed with a tree half in spring and half in autumn. “This is a Silver VIP Card of the Spring and Autumn Company, only someone who makes a 100,000 credits transaction, at least, are eligible to get this.”
Finding nothing suspicious on the VIP card, I took the card and stored it in my dimensional storage. Even though I felt that I had seen this kind of situation somewhere, I decided to disregard that after not finding anything fishy.
“I’ll make another purchase here later,” I said, leaving the room. Although for some reason, I could feel that manager Lester was maliciously staring at me.
A Certain Malicious Group’s Perspective
On one of the dark white-colored moons of the rogue planet, hidden beneath the dim white blanket of the thick ice. A black colored base stood sturdy and covered with snow. There was a big hall within the base filled with malicious looking people.
In the back of all that was, a figure of a large, bald man was sitting on a throne on a pedestal like a king. Suddenly, a man hastily ran inside the room, as if a ghost was chasing him. He stopped close to the pedestal while panting hard in exhaustion.
“Bo-Boss…” After he calmed down, he continued with an excited tone, “We managed to catch the scavenger who possibly got a Technology Cube!”
“Hmm…?”
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Pawns of God
Five Lines PitchJoin Mark in his fight against a God and change the game's destiny! Delve into a slow-paced story focused on the progression of the main party and the development of the world. Mark himself will be narrating his life inside the game, and to a much lesser extend outside. Guild building, economy, and strategy are the central pieces of the novel. Mark is not overpowered, he will have to build his own power through action-packed battles, trials, traumas, love, and death. Accompany him, the healer and the strategist, an agent of chaos, in the adventure of his life. Without further preamble, I will let Mark take the mic. SynopsisHi! My name is Mark. This is my story, my life as I live it day after day. I’m in my thirties, and there’s nothing I love more than playing online games. I’ve just joined the action on the newest VRMMO game, Pawns of God. An immersive experience you can play while sleeping. Of course, as a game that takes pride in its long development and technological advances, everything inside seems and feels real. Beware, this is not a game-turns-real story. I love my own world and I would detest being summoned into another one. If that ever happens, I’ll just quickly take my life and be done with it. I play with my friends, in a party of 5. We have taken several roles, but lately, I've come to love being a healer. It's my secret ambition to someday be the shotcaller. I am not overpowered. If there is any bug or exploit in the game, they are yet to be discovered. Anyhow, for a game of this scale, the company is pouring all of its resources into test servers, QA, and beta tests. I don’t expect to find any, so I’ll be playing the game just like any other person. I must say, though, I am easily distracted, as you will immediately notice once you start. I'm working on it, I promise to improve! I am no hero. Being in my 30s, my heart is too old for this shit. I wouldn’t mind being one, of course. Who hasn’t dreamt of it? Either way, I’m not doing any grand quest to save the world. Whatever the game throws to their users, I’ll be there to experience it. Most of my life, at least the interesting parts that I’ll be narrating, happen inside the game itself. Rarely, there will be some IRL (In Real Life) chapters. You’ll understand, however, that as a freelance software developer, there is not much I can entertain you with when outside the game. Did I say I love games? Well, I’m also a fan of LitRPG literature. You know, journeys of magic, relationships, personal development, items, skills, discovery… In the spirit of not overwhelming my public, I’ll condense each chapter into circa 1500 words. You might have noticed some tags over this story, let me elaborate. I like to swear. I’m not shy when it comes to cursing my enemies, friends, or even myself. When there’s blood, I tell it as I see it. And… it hurts to admit it, but I’m not a casanova. Of course, this doesn’t mean that I won’t ever find love. So, in case I do end up finding it, let’s keep my sexual options open. As for traumas, none yet, but the future is vast and unknown. Release Schedule The schedule is subject to change, particularly if enough readers end up loving it. All chapters are already written, thus there is enough freedom to modify them. Arc 1 * Chapters 1-14: Each released one day and an hour later than the previous. Starting with chapter 2 at 09:20 UTC+2 on day 1, and finishing at 21:20 UTC+2 on day 13. Elapsed: 2 weeks Total: 2 weeks * Chapters 15-30: Releases every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 11:30 UTC+2. Elapsed: 5½ weeks Total: 7 weeks (1 month, 3½ weeks) * Chapters 31-49: Releases every Wednesday and Saturday at 11:30 UTC+2 Elapsed: 9½ weeks Total: 17 weeks (4 months, 1 week) All subsequent arcs will follow the same release schedule, 2/week. No hiatus will be done between arcs 1 and 2.
8 181Ascension
Before the age of men, there was the age of gods, or some say immortals. Not many know for sure what these beings are due to the lack of information and contact. Only one thing is certain these so-called immortals or gods are beings that we cannot comprehend due to our capacity for knowledge there seems to be a barrier that separates us from the so-called gods. Humanity has always been a pitiful existence, we can never be at peace always in conflict both internally and externally, thus causing us to be stagnant in terms of evolution as a species. Liu Feng was raised by humanity but he is not of the human species, follow him on his journey as he finds his origin while struggling with his inner identity.
8 128The New Creator
More than two hundred years have passed since Brandon killed Zion and changed the world. Magic, which was a once rare commodity, is now used by nearly every person on the planet. Brandon holds onto Zion's words and has been training and hunting down any holy artifacts he could find over the last couple of centuries. Follow along as Brandon overcomes many challenges and near-death experiences as he pushes himself towards his goal, killing God.
8 244The Agitator
The sentinels fight for the good and glory of god, but when things take a turn for the worst, it leaves one sentinel on a hopeless quest for revenge.
8 93The Withering of Gold Vol. 1
Enjoy the lives of two overly enthusiastic gamers who spend their days wasting away in front of a screen! But how long can they keep up this life, when many unexpected events come and go...
8 75His Yasmina [Completed]
Little did he know, her flame couldn't be put out. And little did she know. . .Cristiano always won. ************************************************Ruthless, cold-hearted Cristiano Russo is out for revenge. He thought she'd fall like a ripe peach into his hands. He'd even planned on it. Nothing and no one was going to stop him from crushing her. His thirst for revenge was too great, vowing to use her heart against her, use her for his pleasure and discard her like damaged goods-broken and disgraced. But what he didn't expect was a burning spit fire that fought him every step of his deceitful plan to ruin her. Jasmine St. James thought he felt the instantaneous connection and the sparks fly as soon as they met during her sisters magical, fairytale wedding. But behind his smooth Italian accent, and charming exterior, she soon discovered Cristiano was a devil in disguise. After a heated, humiliating exchange of words, and her hate for him burning like an inferno inside of her, Jasmine returns to her busy life in England full of outrage, confusion, and wounded pride hoping never to set eyes on his rugged, handsome face ever again. Unfortunately, her problems haven't even begun as he materializes out of nowhere, taunting her at every corner, constantly reminding her of his presence and giving her a taste of hell.And she soon finds out it's all because of her playboy brother Zayn and the mile-long, string of panties and broken hearts he's left behind. Will Jasmine be strong enough to tame the flames of Cristiano's revenge? It's said, there's honor in revenge. It's also said, it isn't as sweet as it tastes. ***His Yasmina is a stand alone, although it's highly recommended you read the others in the series. ***Series spinoffs:His DuchessHis CameliaHis Hope
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