At Azra family Co. stall, once the lunch time over, our customers once again come to trade with us, all of them got manners, they know to lined up themselves without being told to do so. Robert the Town Guard Leader, due to the deal that I've struck with the town, showed his gesture of gratitude by including our stall, as apart of the town guard patrol route. Thanks to that, I was served a first-class ticket on how the guards kept the peace in this world, by simply just beat the living shit out of those that want to cause any trouble. One rowdy customer tried to steal one of our bred after being denied of a transaction. The guard caught the commotion and just dragged the guy to the side and beat him up with their wooden club on the spot, and since then, everyone knows to keep their manners.
I supposed different time and different world, got their ways to uphold law and order, and I am all for that. Sure, the method is a bit iffy, but it is working and effective, that is something no one can denied. Our business hour for the rest of the day, went on as peaceful and as fruitful as always, around 4:45 pm, 2 interesting guys comes to our stall, just as we about to close up. And they brought a rather interesting with them.
"Afternoon, Boss Azra …. Aw…are you about to close?". (Cheese)
"I was about to…. Cheese, right?".
"Yeah, that's me, Boss…". (Cheese)
Of course, I would remember who he is, this guy came here when we start the Barter Trade, friendly guy who bring a gold bar to trade, he told me his name, and I found it so funny, every time he come, I would ask if he got a brother called Macaroni, which he always denied, for that, perhaps I were the only one in this world that got the joke.
"Where's your brother, Macaroni?".
"Boss …. how many times do I have to tell you~…I don't have a brother call Macaroni at all…". (Cheese)
"Really? ...no, Mac at all? .... what about Ham?".
"Huh? …I'm Ham…". (Ham)
"Wait, wut?".
A man in buzz cut, stand beside Cheese pointed to himself in a bewildered expression. The guy's name, is Ham, why just why? did the people in this world just named their kids using anything that caught their eyes or something, I guess I should be ready for anything these days.
"Sigh~ …anyway…. Ham and Cheese …. Pffttt!!... Ahem!!...what do you guys bring for me today?".
"Geez, boss…why are you laughing so much, every time you see me…. Anyway…I am selling another bar of this shiny metal that you like….and Ham over here…. he wants to sell that…. those broken Automaton…". (Cheese)
Cheese pulled out a 1kg gold bar out of his black plastic bag and put it on the counter, at the same time he pointed at the yellow-colored Automaton that were laying limp on the ground. The design of these Automaton was almost identical to the one that Alfred use at the moment. The only difference is, this Automaton were colored in yellow paint and red and white caution line in the middle of its torso, a metal yellow inbuilt hard hat on its head, one of its hands Is a drill and the other is jackhammer.
"it's a Construction Automaton …. this one is still intact, Boss Azra…so…". (Ham)
With his best scamming artist expression, Ham presented the limp Automaton to me with both of his hand.
"Well…it is MOSTLY intact…there is a massive hole in the middle of that thing, Ham…".
"…Haha…still…it is in one piece…that should be something. Right? …Right boss? …Please, Boss Azra …I need to bring some money and foods for my family back home…please?". (Ham)
"Sigh~ …. Okay. Tell me…how much do you expect from this?".
The man was desperate, I can see that clearly, but at the end of the day, this is a business and I had to get something I want as well.
"Um… Um… how about…a few of those bread and water for the Automaton….and…this…. for 50 coins…". (Ham)
"Oh…this is interesting…".
Ham, come closer to me, and then he pulled out something from his knapsack that hanged around his body, what he pulled out, is a Procom, a small personal supercomputer in a shaped of an arm brace. This thing is so precious that it was able to do anything that a modern computer can do, it can monitor its user body conditions, health assessment, and entertainment system, can connect to the GPS system, this thing is the peak of computing technology of this world.
"Tap! …it isn't working right? ….".
"Hehe …perhaps the battery is dead? But... But…BUT!...it's still a Procom, Boss Azra….Come on…it's a good deal…..Right?...". (Ham)
He is getting even desperate now, the 2 things that he showed to me that is interesting the 2 of them are not working at all. But as person with money, and can see how useful these 2 stuffs are, I wanted to buy them. I secretly do a Deep Analysis on the 2, the Automaton just need a few parts repaired and a full charge on the Automaton pod, and it would come back to life again, as for the Procom, it's in a full system lockdown, due to the death of the owner of the Procom and multiple attempts to turned it on without proper credentials.
"(Alfred, can you repair the Construction Automaton and Hack this Procom?)".
"[I am able to repair the Automaton and restored it to a new state…we have collected enough part to do so…as for the Procom…hacking into them…is as easy to me as repairing that Automaton, you may acquire both of them, sir…]". (Alfred)
Secretly I am talking with Alfred inside my head, if he can easily handle these 2 things. Then it is more than enough reason for me to have them as a set, naturally, I should not let Ham know that I eager to get them off his hands. So, I sigh for a bit and looked at him, with a pity and a sour face.
"Please…Boss…". (Ham)
"Oi, Dude…stop that…you're making things difficult for Boss Azra here…". (Cheese)
Tacitly, Cheese steps in as he saw, that Ham seemingly are pushing and forcing a bit too hard.
"You know what…. I'll give you 25 coins for that Procom and 5 Sourdough bread and 5 liters of Mineral waters for that Automaton…and before you said anything, let me just say this first…. both of them…are clearly broken…these things can only be turned into a spare part and that was it….".
Ham clearly wanted to object my offer, but I did not let up as well.
"The only reason I give you this good deal. That no one in this town will give it to you…is because you come with Cheese…and you told me you wanted to feed your family…listen to me, Ham…this deal…is already the best one you can get…even if you go to the cities…no one can give you this kind of price…how about it, deal?".
"Sigh~ …. I'm sorry I am coming a bit too hard, Boss Azra…Pah! it's a deal…". (Ham)
"Good, help me put that Automaton aside and then come back here to get you hard earn rewards….".
We shook hands and seal the deal, the 2 friends help moving the Automaton to the back of the truck, and then take their income and left my stall. With the last transaction is over, we packed up our stall and head back home.