֍ A couple hours later ֍
.
"… Argh… why is my head hurting so much…?"
"…So… I'm not the only one… argh… why does everything hurt so much… ouch…
Why can't you ever be the only one hurt… why me Esy, why…?!"
Carter wanted to bash in Esmonds head for causing him to go through spine tingling pain that would drive one insane.
He could care less if Esmond was harmed or not, since he was in enough pain right now.
Neither of them moved or spoke again for ten or so minutes as they tried to adjust to the stabbing pain that continued to surge all over.
Once they weren't breathing all haggard and stuffy, they both looked at each other.
Esmond was trying to figure out if Carter would try and hit, while Carter tried to figure out where he should punch Esmond.
Nothing happened but there was a deathly staring contest going on between the two.
Only thing to stop them was the stranger with dark blue long hair like deep depths of the sea that matched with his pearl blue gemmed eyes.
His creamy white skin hidden under the suit jacket and pants that hid his chiselled body, much like Carters own body once he underwent his first upgrade.
.
"Y-your Echo, aren't you?"
"Aff-… that's indeed correct, Carter.
I am Echo, and just like you I've been upgraded from a basic A.I program and improve along with the temporary authority granted to me once the two of you were unconscious."
The two had many questions to ask the charming person before them who called himself the Echo, but they continued to listen and followed him into the kitchen.
"You've both been unconscious for several hours only, however, there have been some changes you both need to be informed of."
Echo asked the two of them to check with the system notifications while Echo set up the dining table for them to get some food into their bellies.
The time was 5 in the afternoon on the 9th of February, so while the changes might not have caused a great number of problems for everyone, it indeed caused things to occur that were far out of Esmonds and Carters expectations.
.
What the two of them found in the series of notifications was the upgrade of Echo into a similar being as Carter however as the authority had returned to Carter, Echos level of power reduced, though the servers and mainframe connection it had allowed it to extremely close in strength to Carter.
He was classified as an Artificial System Spirit Core, though he was graded at common rank, while Carter wasn't graded.
It was a big deal for Esmond to have Echo in a humanoid form though, though he knew it would drive his parents to treat him like another son of theirs, he was quite delighted to learn Echo had kept the system at bay.
"What exactly went down with the system, Echo?"
"Master, the system opened up another function, in connection with the Spatial Ark Land, it allowed for it to generate Credits to purchase the A.I programming needed from the system store to upgrade my form so I could take on temporary authority."
Echos attitude was like a very well manner butler with a well-spoken tone.
Esmond quite enjoyed it over the brutish Carter, but his brutal honesty was exactly what he needed at times.
.
"So can we use the Retail Market as well?"
Esmond wondered, asking Echo as Carter had already dug into the steak and vegetables.
"Yes, however I need your help to finish of the registration Master.
You can open the System Interface to access the Retail Market.
It seems the system bypassed the rules of the Retail Market for Hosts and sold it to the main hub of the market, but I'm not certain about anything as I have restricted access till you have first signed up."
Esmond didn't waste any more time and brought up the System Interface before clicking on the Retail Market.
.
*Ding*
[Welcome Host, to the Retail Market!]
[Please confirm the design of your avatar and profile!]
[Your avatar and profile will be crucial for the Host to sell and cooperate with other System Hosts]
.
Before his eyes, Esmond could set up a profile, much like a social media account, however he also needed to create a full body scale model that would also be his identity in the Retail Market.
He created his avatar to be as minimal and simple in design, best to keep his identity lowkey, however he used a mixture of his current facial features with his past lives to create his avatars face, asking Carter's help so he could make it as perfect as possible.
The system told him he could change it later, but it would cost, so Esmond wanted to make sure it was perfect the first time round.
Having done that, the system then sent a few strings of information that Esmond found laughable but thanked his lucky charms…
.
*Ding*
[Retail Market Achievement!]
[Host has already made 1,000 Credits worth of sales!]
.
*Ding*
[Retail Market Achievement!]
[Host has already made 10,000 Credits worth of sales!]
.
*Ding*
[Retail Market Achievement!]
[Host has already made 100,000 Credits worth of sales!]
.
*Ding*
[Retail Market Achievement!]
[Host has already made 1,000,000 Credits worth of sales!]
.
*Ding*
[Retail Market Achievement!]
[Host has already made 10,000,000 Credits worth of sales!]
.
*Ding*
[Retail Market Achievement!]
[Host has already made 25,000,000 Credits worth of sales!]
.
*Ding*
[Retail Market Achievement!]
[Host has already made 50,000,000 Credits worth of sales!]
.
*Ding*
[Retail Market Achievement!]
[As Host has been awarded 8 achievements (Including this one) within a record-breaking time, specified rewards have been spawned for the Host]
[Please enjoy!]
[Rewards:
- 250,000,000 Credits
- 300,000,000 Exp
- Cosmic Sail Star Merchant Group (VIP Customer Profile)
- Veveliaan Race Genetics]
.
[Cosmic Sail Star Merchant Group]
[Made up of various kinds of species that proliferate throughout the galaxies, the Merchant Group is known to be one of the largest and powerful space faring groups that sold and transports both regulated and unregulated goods]
[Connected with powerful Empires and Kingdoms, the Merchant Group was founded upon the basis that exclusivity came with a price, and their utmost attention came with leverage]
[VIP Customer Profile awarded to Host includes a Gem Pad, consisting of a teleportation inscription that allows purchases to be sent immediately to Host, free of charge]
[Host is also awarded 100,000 Cosmic Sail Star Credits to begin with]
[Cosmic Sail Star contact information has been added to Hosts System Interface]
.
[Veveliaan Race Genetics]
[Host has acquired – Veveliaan – a humanoid race with unique eye and hair characteristics that allowed them to flourish within the galaxy, originating from the inner circuit of the planetary figures from the Lyra Cloud Nebula]
[The main ability of their eyes and hair allows them to trigger certain skills within their body like improved hearing, eyesight, muscular strength and so forth]
[Each time they manipulate their hair or eyes to change colour or appearance and style for example, allows them to switch between skills and abilities.
The specie learns new skills from their opponents in combat or through training and exchange of skills between their own kind]
[Veveliaan Race Genetics will be added to the Spatial Ark Land!]
.
*Ding*
[Retail Market]
[Level – 1]
[Exp: 0/10,000]
[Host Authority: ?¿?]
…
..
.
Esmond wanted to curse at himself for somehow being stuck with Veveliaan.
He had no real enmity with them, however because of the few numbers of their kind, they were greatly hunted to extinction.
Cruelly their hair would be plucked from their scalps and woven into wigs which granted the wearers unimaginable power.
One such person wore a wig woven from golden plucked Veveliaan hair.
That person was able to control hundreds and thousands of people, removing their freewill, however the load of energy on the wearers mind caused him to die and eventually the wig was lost.
It was said to have reached the hands of the black market of the Galactic Network, from where it ended up with some Emperor, but no one was certain.
But the news was enough to drive people crazy and hunt down the Veveliaan.
They on the other hand were great information seekers and sometimes extraordinary assassins and spies because of their changing features.
However, it was also the reason they were killed off because of the knowledge their kind had on the outside world.
.
Esmond had zero plans to mistreat the people, but what caused him trouble was the possibility it might have people chasing after them once he entered space.
However, like the Zadris, Esmond pushed it aside in his mind for now and thought about the other reward he got.
But before he could have a look, he first activated the Retail Market.
.
Diving in, Esmonds consciousness was transported to his avatar who seemed to have been sent to a platform like the Summoning Square, however in front of him was a one door with Stage 1 spelled out on the door.
'Must be what I can access so far…
Well, let's see what's behind the door.'
Esmond opened the door and walked in, to find himself standing in a large open space filled with people rushing past him talking and chatting.
Some were flying up above, others were dressed in fantasy clothes, some had quirky looks.
It all reminded Esmond of what VR should feel and look like when once online and networked together for players to meet.
Esmond would see stores with sport clothes, branded and all, while other places sold food to eat and where one could go to watch a film.
There was everything and more, and from the looks of it, Esmond was a freshie who just arrived, so he looked around for a moment before heading in a random direction till he arrived at what seemed like a help desk.
As he got closer to the desk, a virtual intelligence popped up before his eyes that looked female in appearance and voice.
{Hello User - 8913745, my name is Lila, and I am tasked with helping you around the Retail Market!}
{Hmm… it seems like the database has informed me this is your first time visiting the Retail Market!}
{I have sent a small gift to your Inventory based on authority}
{Please attach the bracelet onto your wrist for quick access to the Retail Market and Maps for directions}
{As User – 8913745 has met certain achievements, a Guide will arrive shortly to tour the Retail Market}
.
And with that Lila was gone and Esmond was wondering why he could see some guy tea bagging another person who was on the ground.
'This really is like a VR world… Jesus Christ I need to get a handle on what's here quick!'
Not wasting a moment more, Esmond pulled up his Inventory and called out he wrist bracelet that he attached to his wrist before he noticed the colour change of the bracelet flicker past his eyes for a moment.
From a dark black it turned into a deep golden colour before reverting to the dark black.
Esmond thought it was strange but wasn't too concerned with it for now as he waited for his guide to arrive.
It wasn't long before a short brunette-haired kid no older than 10 or so came sprinting towards him through the pack of crowds.
His blue eyes were dazzling that even Esmond was nearly caught up in their beauty however the energetic kid was able to catch his attention.
"Hello mister! I'm your guide for today!
I hope you're ready?"
"Sure kid…
What's your name?"
"… Davi"
"Davi… what a lovely name.
My name is… Zar…"
Esmond had set his avatars name to be Zar and not Esmond, first to cover his identity and also using a name from his past here meant nothing much as nobody here should know of him.