[Chapter 12 – Exchange district]

As soon as she took off the pendant, the force shielding her mind faded away.

[How should I call you? Ah, Vix right? Well you can address me as Xeno]

I said, starting the telepathic conversation.

[Very Xeno…] said her, either at a loss of words and afraid for the outcome of our conversation.

[I won't kill you, if you will promise to serve me until your very end] I said, a serious tone.

I wasn't joking or lying one bit, it was her choice to serve me or die.

[W-What will happen to me if I would chose to become your servant?] Said her, a little worried, before looking at her trembling body.

[Are thinking that I will do something wicked with your body?

You're not entirely wrong, but not in the way you are expecting it.

I won't rape you or send you to work into a brothel.

You'll just have to drink a glass of 'water' I will give you.

Beware that after that you will change, but in the end you will retain your personality and memories.]

I said, clearly stating the important informations she needed to know.

[If I say no, will you… kill me?] Said her, she now knew something very fishy would happen once she drank this 'water' of mine.

So she wanted to confirm that it was the only alternative.

If I really wanted to try harder, I could imprison her for days until she gave in too.

But in saying so I would give her hope. Maybe in that case she could call someone to rescue her or try to escape somehow.

[Yes, I would definitely kill you and eat your corpse soon after]

I said, cutting off every bargain she could attach to.

[I see, I accept then, not that I have much of a choice] Said her, obviously pained.

Yet I didn't feel much empathy.

I was offering her new power, a way to get out of her weakened state.

Well I didn't expect her thanking me or something, so I just faked to not hear her last sentence.

[To begin with, we'll make a contract through the System.

Then our next destination will be the exchange district]

I declared our next course of action, I was her master now, she had to accept it.

[Yes]

We vowed our part of the deal, calling the System as its witness. Well, a one way deal in this case, since she basically pledged her loyalty to me.

Thus she picked up the most important things left in the camp. Like the daggers once possessed by her companions.

I could see her a little pained, but she obeyed nonetheless.

We arrived without much problem at the shuttle stop. She seemed to have a [tool] bought from the [shop] that was able to construct a little map of a territory you already visited.

I must admit that I've been a little hasty coming here without preparations.

But I was eager to eat and grow, furthermore I couldn't really stand to go around as a baby anymore.

We arrived at the inner city's station, it was bustling with lives.

Most were celidres but you could see strange being every so often.

Humanoids with tentacles, strange appendices and so on.

We moved toward the southern part of the inner section.

I wanted to sell these two tusks, and even the thinks Vix picked up from the camp.

We didn't really need them once she got to become my real servant.

Forty minutes later of walking through the white streets of Elkatra we arrived.

I wish I had some [coin]s with me to take a vehicle. Since I started to feel these tusks weighting on my shoulders.

Still I maintained an unperturbed expression.

Maybe I've been a little silly there. But now it's done.

I placed the tusks down, faking to be pondering about something.

While Vix was looking at the enormous hall that had it's arched entrance a few meters from us.

A white and golden dome, with an overall oval perimeter.

Inside it we could see an endless number of merchant stands. Users were hurriedly walking around and trying to strike favourable deals.

There were even the cabins containing what I learned to be the 'robots' of the system. They were like its avatars, explained Vix to me.

I lacked even this very knowledge that was pretty commonly distributed.

My days at the gymnasium weren't as beautiful as one could imagine. I had been bullied heavily in there, deemed as one of the weakest.

Because of this I didn't attend nor took particular attention on the various lessons.

Still uncle Luse supported me every time I came back to his mansion. Giving me good food and healing me the heaviest injuries.

He couldn't protect me as a matter of fact.

External users couldn't interfere inside the gymnasium, and inside it was prohibited extreme violence.

My life has indeed never been in real danger during my period attending the gymnasium.

Back on track I picked up the tusks and moved towards one of the robots to sell them for good.

While doing so I ordered to Vix to sell all her things except for one dagger, her cloths and [tool]s.

[I wish to sell this two tusks] I said, focusing my nano-energy and maintaining the telepathic link.

For me this is not tiring at all, I've even spoke telepathically a lot with Vix too.

But I think this might not be the case for her, even if I am the one to initiate the bridges she seems to be rather fatigued.

Probably this is how my species should communicate, since I find very difficult the normal speech.

She will have to bear with it until I turn her.

[The system will provide an exchange of 114 coins, Is that fine?]

Hearing the response of the robot I was a little taken aback.

Hat was a really big sum of coins if confronted with my old job.

It corresponded to at least a hundred days of work in the mines.

[deal] I said, already anticipating the shiny golden objects I would receive.

Then my tusks disappeared from their position and a little leather pouch appeared in their place.

Probably containing my precious [coin]s inside.

[Would you like to pay 5 coins to get a credit card? With a transaction of 40 coins you can obtain the {telepathic transfer} ability too.

They are special discounts offered by the system on your first purchase.]

Said the robotic voice, I was a little intrigued and the idea of carrying all these [coin]s around didn't please me.

[I will take the {telepathic transfer} please] I responded.

[very well]

Soon after I saw a good portion of the [coin]s in the pouch disappear.

Then a strange feeling entered in my mind, as if knowledge I had forgotten in the past suddenly came back.

Then I pointed my index finger towards the pouch and a string of blue nano energy connected to it.

The coins completely disappeared but at the same time a new voice was present in my status.

Just under my [Ownings] there was now [Funds: 74 coins].