[1-200] THE MECH TOUCH

Chapter 24: Melinda

Shrugging, Janet hopped into a pod, curious what Melinda wanted to do with a large bunch of credits. "Don't tell me she wants to buy a virtual mech? Is she crazy? If she wants to gain experience with advanced mechs, there's plenty of other programs installed in the simulators."

After the two young women logged into the game, they searched for their counterpart and added each other to their lists. Janet playfully hugged Melinda's virtual body. "I'm here now! Please tell me what you're up to now."

"We'll have to take a visit to the market for that."

They both entered the market, encountering a bustle of virtual avatars and computer-controlled personnel. Instead of approaching one of the many public access terminals to call up a shopping interface, Melinda led her colleague through the narrow streets of the simulated market city. She took a sharp turn into an alley and entered a small, rickety shop with a wooden door that almost seemed to fall apart. The interior hosted no furniture and almost appeared abandoned if not for the glowing blue ball floating in the room.

"Welcome to Chasing Clouds Mech Shop. How may I assist you, customers?" The default robotic shopkeeper asked the pair.

"Wow Mel, are you sure you want to buy something from this shifty store? I don't think the owner even bothered investing a single penny in this store."

Melinda just bumped Janet onto the head. "This store's owned by my cousin, dweeb. He's a little short on cash so he can't waste it on a frivolous expenditure like a virtual shop."

Most sales happened through the public terminals or from a mech pilot's exclusive room. The lively city and its many ancient-looking storefronts were only recent additions to the game. The BSBH Corporation wanted to increase Iron Spirit's appeal by facilitating social interactions.

"The only reason why I brought you here is so you can take a closer look at the Mech my cousin designed."

"Oh? This is the first time I heard of you having a cousin who works as a mech designer. Is it an original design?"

"How can it be an original design." Melinda shook her head as she navigated the menu provided by the shopkeeper. "It's only a variant, but it's also quite impressive."

With a final press of her finger, the dark and empty shop seemed to fade away into an endless starry sight. A mech gradually materialized in front of the two women. The Marc Antony revealed its dark and menacing visage to the two women for the first time.

"This..."

"My cousin calls it the Marc Antony. It's a cheaper variant of the Caesar Augustus. Impressive, huh?"

"Wow. And you say it's cheap? It looks just as grand as the original Caesar Augustus, just with a different flavor."

The dark armor plates, the blood-red shield with its lightning bolts and eagle wings, the various red and bronze accents, they all contributed to an image of unbridled blood lust and aggression.

"What's that cool looking thing at the top?" Janet curiously asked as she spotted the strange helmet crest and the red vapor spouting quietly from the slit at the top.

"Beats me. My cousin used the Festive Cloud Generator that's famous on his home planet to achieve this effect."

"Haha, he actually used a party trick on such a serious mech." Janet laughed, though she inwardly admitted that it added very nicely to the mech's flamboyant flair. "So what's its tier and how much for one?"

"It's a middling tier 5 mech, but it costs just 25,000 credits."

"Sounds like a good deal to me." Janet nodded. Despite not having logging in for a year, she still retained much of her knowledge of the game, including the going prices of virtual mechs. "If it's as good as the Caesar Augustus, then it's a steal."