Origin ARS 5 (17 page)

[Message]

Congratulations on completing the tutorial
dungeon!

Unfortunately, you cannot take the items and money
that you have gathered with you out into the world. It would be
problematic for various reasons.

Do not be too upset about the situation, however. If
you place everything, including your quest rewards, into the box
and close the lid you will be compensated accordingly.

~ Mid

[—]

Scott frowned. "Man, that's weak. What was
the point of farming all this stuff then dammit!"

He analyzed each item one at a time before he
placed them into the box. He had a mountain of armor and weapons to
place inside, and did not bother to count them at all. Even though
the items were shrunk down to the size of something a typical
Barbie Doll might be able to use, the items were heaped above the
rim of the box.

Scott stood there naked and annoyed as he
closed the lid. A brilliant light flared from the box and then it
died back slightly. The box continued to glow for a moment
afterward. Once the glow died down and the lid opened, Scott took a
look inside.

"The hell is this?" Scott picked up an item
that looked a lot like a fantasy version of a cell phone. The
device sit easily in his palm, had a large glass screen on the
front and three crystal spheres situated just underneath the screen
that were arrayed like buttons.

The little sphere in the center lit up and
then started flashing in a rapid manner. Immediately after the
flashing began, the device emitted a cutesy ring-tone sound
reminiscent of the victory tunes from the casual server. Some
strange instinct overtook him and he touched the flashing
crystal.

The screen lit-up and an image of Mid
appeared like they were having a video conference. "Hi! I see that
you received your compensation!"

"Compensation? Mid, what is this?" asked
Scott.

"It's a Crysta-com, dear childe. You have
something similar on Earth." she said with a smile.

"So, it's some kind of smart phone?" asked
Scott.

"Yep, the ARS equivalent. You can even use
the Aethernet to order stuff online." she said in a perky
manner.

"Wow, that's neat." said Scott. Sure, he was
butt naked and faythless, but this was still pretty neat.

Mid chuckled warmly. "It's pre-set with a few
global store chain addresses. As a premium account holder you'll be
able to buy and sell from various stores with greater success."

"Now that
does
sound neat. Any of
these places sell clothes?" asked Scott.

Mid laughed musically then nodded. "Dear
childe, of course they do. Normally ordering off of the Aethernet
would require you to wait twenty-four hours before your packages
arrived in the mail. If you order now, they will all appear in the
mail box on the first floor by the time you arrive there."

"I can order without money?" asked Scott, a
confused tone in his voice.

"Check your bank balance." said Mid.

"Gladly, but how?"

Mid laughed again then gave him a basic
rundown of his new toy worked. Scott fiddled with the crystals
located below her laughing image. A moment later her image shrunk
down and he used his finger to move her to the corner of the
screen.

"Oh, you touch me so forcefully." said Mid
with a silly giggle. She was in high spirits today, for some
reason.

He checked his com-menu and located his bank
balance. His eyes lit-up when he saw that he had a little over
twenty-three thousand Fayth.

[Bank Balance]

[
Balance:
23,438
]

[Copper:
38
][Silver:
34
][Gold:
2
][Platinum:
0
][Aurans:
0
]

[—]

He let out a low, slow, whistle. "Definitely
better than just twenty silver!"

"Absolutely. Tutorial stuff needs to stay in
the tutorial, but we compensate our premium players according to
their efforts. It is one of the special services."

"Wow, not bad. I should probably do a little
shopping!" said Scott in rising excitement. Suddenly, his prospects
in this world had never looked so high.

"Lucky! I have to work another few hours
before I can shop." said Mid with a smile.

Scott laughed a little. "Really? Can't you
just split into different Mids and shop all you want?"

The mini-Mid in the corner of his screen
tugged down the brim of her hat. "Yes, dear childe. I certainly
can. But it's just not the same."

They chatted freely for a moment until Mid
said something else that was quite interesting. "Yes, you
definitely want to save five silver for licensing."

"Rhea never mentioned licensing, or did she?"
Scott tried to think about what sort of specific things Rhea had
said to him. She had been detailed about the game mechanics of the
classic server, but most of the lore and similar things had not
been discussed in detail.

"Probably not. However, it is important that
you go and have your class licensed in your home city. That will
give you legal protection and allow you to hunt, rent property, and
other things." said Mid.

"Does everyone have to do that when they go
to another city?" he asked.

"Ah, no. Licenses are good throughout a given
nation. You'll want a passport for international travel, but those
are one hundred gold coins and must be re-issued every four years."
said Mid.

Scott blanched. "It costs a million Fayth to
travel internationally?"

Mid shrugged then smiled warmly. "If it makes
you feel better, that's only a quarter million per year."

"You have
no
idea how much better that
makes me feel." said Scott in a sarcastic tone of voice.

She laughed at him then shook her head. "It's
expensive, but it is also globally accepted. You need to recall
things like
World Travel
and other rapid transportation
methods. When you have the power and resources, you'll literally be
able to traverse the entire planet in a matter of moments."

Scott understood it. He just did not like the
idea of paying for it. His anus had clenched so hard that he might
have crapped out a diamond if he had thought about it. Although,
had he actually done so his monetary issues might have been
solved.

Travel expenses aside, Scott decided it was
time to do some shopping. He fiddled with his Crysta-com for a
moment and brought up a menu that showed the names for several
stores. He immediately recognized one. "Regal Alice, huh."

Mid's smile brightened further. "Why yes,
feel free to spend all of your lovely money in my store."

Scott laughed at the girl's blatant attempt
to separate him from his funds. He clicked on her store's name and
a secondary menu popped up. He read through it then blinked. "I get
discounts?"

"Why yes, dear childe. At my store you
receive a base twenty percent discount and trade agreement for
purchasing from you. Though, if you go to Meaden you'll receive
thirty percent on trade-in goods that my store accepts."

"My agreement for Meaden carried through? I
thought that it would have stayed behind." said Scott.

"I own the franchise. I do what I want." she
said.

Scott laughed, "Then why not thirty percent
across the board?"

"Why? You're not marrying
me
, you
silly boy." said Mid with a twinkle in her eye.

"Really? I'd only get a thirty percent
discount if we got hitched?" asked Scott.

Mid laughed in an absurdly adult manner.
"Dear childe, even if we did get
hitched
a girl's still
gotta eat."

"And buy fancy hats." said Scott.

"Indeed!" she said with a laugh. "Only the
fanciest of hats, dear childe." she practically purred the
words.

"Fair enough." said Scott with a soft
chuckle. He decided to steer the conversation away from the topic
of marriage. He already had an engagement to think of after
all.

"So, do all of these stores give me a
discount?" asked Scott.

"Of course, they're part of the premium
account holder's consortium. The largest and most dedicated
businesses across ARS are added to the list, though they charge
extra for delivery."

"It would be less expensive to go in to their
store." said Scott. That made sense, actually.

"Yes, unless you absolutely need something or
you see a premium item that you like, it is best not to order
online if you can go into the store." said Mid.

Scott checked out what Regal Alice had to
offer. On the casual server, the store bought and sold lore
crystals. What he saw on the list of online items was something
different. It was mostly a selection of accessories and specialized
lore crystals that taught basic information about things in the
world.

"These lore crystals don't work the same as
on the casual server, right?"

"Correct. They slowly teach you while you
focus on them. It is similar to finding a tutor or trainer, but
takes a lot more time and effort. If it is a skill crystal it will
also grant you a skill over time, but the growth quality can be
effected if the lore crystal is low-grade." said Mid.

"I thought this sort of thing would be rare,
here." Scott was fairly certain that he had been told something
along those lines.

"Well, they are rare enough aren't they?
Check the prices." said Mid.

Scott tapped on a crystal that was touted as
capable of teaching gunsmithing, it was a high-grade crystal. When
he saw the price, his anus clenched tight enough that it could be
used to draw metal and turn it into wire! "Three hundred fourteen
gold to learn gunsmithing?!"

Mid laughed sweetly. "Dear childe, of course
it is. That's a production skill. You can use it to make things
that make money. The premium grade, and master grade cost several
times more money than that. Though if you ever see either type of
crystal in my store, I highly suggest you buy it regardless of what
skill it is."

"I see. What's so special about them?"

The business goddess smirked in amusement.
"Well, premium crystals can increase the growth rate of a skill
when you learn it through the crystal by up to two letter grades. A
master grade crystal allows you to learn a skill with S-ranked
growth regardless of what it would normally be ranked as."

"Wait, S-Rank? Wouldn't I have to give up a
slot permanently to use either of those types of crystals?" asked
Scott.

"Yes. They are the only short-cut method to
avoid lengthy questing. Though, some of those quests actually
culminate in finding crystals like the ones mentioned."

"I see." Scott looked through the available
selections for a time, but saw no premium or master grade lore
crystals. The few that he did find were all high-grade. Mid
explained that she did not carry mid-tier or lower items in her
store. She sold those bulk rate to artisans and production
companies. Prices varied from two gold to over thirty-two thousand
gold.

Copper Fayth was the most basic medium of
currency for bank balances and daily purchasing power. Gold was the
standard for higher level purchases. The item that basically cost
three hundred twenty million Fayth was called the
[Divine
Circlet of Eldritch Wisdom].

It was a level four hundred item that was
proof-tested
and known to increase intellect and mana by
four hundred percent. It also increased experience gains by forty
percent, and provided celestial protection that was rated at three
hundred eighty points. Oh, and it also allowed summoners to summon
a
Lesser Abomination of the Deep
.

"It's interesting that items actually do have
stats. I could never see any when I analyzed things." said
Scott.

"That's because you currently suck." said Mid
lightly.

Scott laughed. "True enough, but I wonder how
I can suck less at analyzing things. What is this proof-testing
that I see, anyway?"

"Items that are analyzed by masters are
considered to be proof-tested. Without master level specializations
in analysis and knowledge of that item type, you can't really
proof-test."

"Knowledge of the item?" asked Scott.

"Yes. Let's say that there is a master
swordsman who also has a master level specialization in weapon
identification, but she is only an expert in the use of the bow.
That swordsman can accurately tell you the exact stats of any
sword, but put a bow in her hand and she wouldn't be able to tell
you the exact stats. She would be able to guess fairly well,
though."

"Ah, so if I master boomerangs and light
armor, then get master level specializations in armor and weapon
identification, I can see their stats?" asked Scott.

"Yep!" said Mid.

Scott smiled at the mini-Mid on his screen
then left her shop and sought out a clothing store. A store called
Fashion Fatale caught his interest. He would receive a ten percent
discount whenever he shopped there.

He looked through the premium selection for a
moment and found a few pieces of clothing that doubled as light
armor. The total cost was eighty-seven silver, after taxes and
delivery fees were added on, but some of his new clothing had nice
options.

The proof-testing showed that the combined
defensive boost would be twenty-nine to forty-seven points. Plus,
the leather gloves and boots doubled as weapons, and would increase
his attack by eight to fourteen points. He was delighted to see
that he could buy and equip light armor items up to level seven due
to the fact that his light armor skill was both a class skill and
was high-enough to allow him to equip better equipment already.

The level restrictions on items were based
mostly on required skill to wield the item, even if it did not make
sense past a certain point. One level required four skill levels in
that skill. If the item related to a class specific skill then the
main class level could equal the restriction level. However, if it
was not an item related to a class skill then only miscellaneous
skill levels applied.