Scheming System

Quickly! Open it now! Yun was not able to do anything since the rental storage ring is temporarily Bonded to Jin. Jin released the items in the storage ring and he noticed the items of interest on the countertop. There were a few pieces of tickets with the Qixi design and layout in it and a blue stone on the countertop.

"So is this what every customer will get when they buy the loot box?" Jin looked at the tickets.

"Mhmm! You will definitely get two random pieces of cosmetic items, a stone, and a dungeon ticket. It acts as a promotion for the upcoming dungeons. The time-limited event about this is, the loot boxes actually give the customers a major discount on the dungeon instance ticket as we promote the dungeon in advance in the future." Yun answered Jin.

"So you are putting a promotion in a loot box vending machine which technically defies the whole definition of loot box system in the modern context of the entertainment industry?"

"That is the whole fun of it, is it not?" Yun laughed out loudly.

Jin ignored Yun and noticed the tickets were QR code on the tickets with his name on it. "These tickets are the digital pet and digital pet costume code which are designed only for you and nonrefundable," Yun explained to Jin.

"What are these digital pets? You mean they are something like Pokeman? " Jin asked.

"Not really, more like that major internet game in the past. Ehhh I think it is NewPets? If I remembered correctly. These pets are just aesthetics which will follow you around when you are doing the miscellaneous service dungeon instances in the store."

"Miscellaneous Service Dungeon instances?" Jin asked again.

"These days, System and I believe that we need to attract all sorts of customers by using this kind of gimmicks to hold them on. Technically, we are not breaking the rules of our dungeon supplier license since we are still using dimensional instances to provide such services." Yun said.

"This is indeed interesting but won't other dungeon suppliers catch up to such technology?" Jin questioned the validity of these service dungeon instances.

"If my sources are not wrong, some major Dungeon Suppliers do have the money to invest on research and development to provide services like ours, such as the Underground shopping centre. However, I foresee that we have at least a five to ten years head start in terms of technology but in my opinion, they won't be able to catch up that soon."

"Five years is quite short." Jin raised an eyebrow at Yun's explanation.

"That is assuming a miracle happens and they are able to get the source code from the system. It's an extremely conservative estimate by the system which likes to consider all odds but in reality, I think at least 20 years. By the time they catch up, we should already be number one. Hahaha!" Yun giggled.

Jin scanned the QR code of the tickets with his Pandamonium app and two notifications appeared. Jin tapped on the notification and the app brought him to another screen to show his pet coming out from a simple cardboard box.

It's a little panda pet and it was standing straight with its head seemed larger than its body. The next thing that he received was a bowler hat and the app asked whether he would like to equip that costume to his new pet. He acknowledged it and he was directed to a section solely for pets.

"Is this one of the reasons why the Pandamonium app went through a major upgrade?" Yun nodded her head to Jin.

"Please choose a name for your pet before proceeding on." A notification popped up prompting Jin to do so and he decided to just call it Xie Xie since it was his surname and he was not that good at creating names on the spot.

A profile appeared for Xie Xie including basic stats like Hit Points, Strength, Dexterity, and other attributes. The pet profile was similar to the stats screen for the cultivator that was using the Pandamonium app too.

"What are these stats for? Are they going to join the battle in the dungeons as well?" Jin asked.

"Oh no, not at all but in the future, there might be pet arenas for cultivators to try their luck in such contest or challenges. At the moment, we just keep it as a Trade Secret for them."

"So...Is that Polished Metal Panda Pedestal on the third floor related to this Service Dungeon Instance you are talking about?" Jin asked as he threw the two tickets into a shredding machine right beside the vending machine.

"Indeed, that is the Panda Muscles, a gym service for those who wish to train themselves. Hence, when you enter that gym, Xie Xie will appear and follow you around."

"Oh? That's really cute of the system." Jin wanted to take a look at the gym later. Right now, he questioned Yun with regards to a few burning issues in his mind.

"So, is the pet randomly selected and what if the customer gets the same pet or the same costume again?"

"The first pet is not random, they will get their pet based on their cultivation style." Yun stretched her arms a little.

"For your second question. you do not have to worry about that. The probability of getting a new pet is significantly lower than a new pet costume ticket. So when they buy a loot box, the chances to get two costume ticket is higher. Also, there is no such thing as a duplicate item, because the system handles everything the moment they placed their phone on the vending machine. Brilliant, is it not?" Yun smiled brightly while she explained further.

"However, if they do not like a pet or costume, they have the chance to sell it back to the web store in the Pandamonium app for Panda Credits, albeit at a fixed price of 25 Panda Credits regardless of the item. Technically, this is a win-win situation for both parties."

"If that is the case, why will you choose the Loot Box method? Why not make it a fixed promotional item" Jin suddenly realised the Pachinko situation.

"Well, it's mainly due to one thing. People will think they are getting rewarded and it's true that most loot box methods employed by major companies is based on the compulsion mechanics but our loot box method is not entirely based on that. We reward the cultivators justly for their purchases. If they are not happy, they can exchange them for Panda Credits again."

"Also, all these pets and pet costumes are just aesthetics which bring no direct benefit for the cultivator at all. Even the stat profile of a pet is based on the cultivator's efforts if they chose to train their pet and that is not related to the loot box." Yun justified her case.

"Alright, how about this weird looking stone?" Jin held the stone up and could not understand its purpose.

"Put your hands together and concentrate." Jin listened to Yun and did just that. Momentarily, he felt brave and ready to take on the world. At that point, his stone immediately disintegrated into dust.

"This is a one-time low-level inscription kind of stone which I must emphasise. It is bonded to the user who received it. Only the user who bought it can use it. I aptly called it the Panda God Blessing but in actual fact, it's an inscription that provides you the motivation or the courage to press forth. Each Loot Box contains one such stone. It is either the Blue Stone of Courage or White Stone of Calming." Yun said as she snapped her fingers and a white stone appeared in front of Jin.

Jin tried the white stone and he felt a sea of tranquility encompassed over him for a moment.

"Why would you want to sell this in the loot box?" Jin asked Yun and she sighed.

"The truth or the lie?" Yun questioned Jin.

"Both."

"Lie: Everyone needs a little courage and peace in their life. This is a good reward which the system promotes the compulsion mechanics in the customer to get this loot box."

"Did you not say the loot box method was not based on compulsion mechanics?"

"I said not entirely." Yun's eyes shuffled a little.

"The truth?"

"The System somehow or rather had too many of this stones in stock. It wanted to find a way to dispose of them and throwing them seems like a waste. It decided to put it into Loot Boxes to entice people to get it while benefiting them and the system." Yun said with an annoyed face.

Lastly, the Qixi Dungeon Instance Ticket. Before Jin opened his mouth, Yun immediately explained to him. "The Qixi dungeon instance is an instance to commemorate the Qixi Festival. The cost of the loot box was meant solely for the ticket to enter the Qixi Festival dungeon instance. The rest of the loot box items were just gimmicks to entice people to get the box."

"Then why would you not just sell the gimmicks and dungeons separately, won't we earn more money that way?" Jin thought it was a little illogical to not earn money from them.

"Because you are a Dungeon Supplier. Do not lose sight of that." Yun looked a little angry when she said that.

"Besides, it is a time-limited event dungeon instance which the system insisted in order to get more business. Throw more goodies in and the customers will be hooked by it."

Jin realised that the system is rather scheming and kept the Qixi ticket with him for the moment. It seemed that he had much to learn to make customers happy but at the same time to take their money.

"Oh but do not worry. Once the event is done, the dungeon will still be available in a month time or so...Just more expensive."

"Let's take a look at the toilet instance you were so insistent about." Jin accepted the loot box vending machine which the system created and beckoned Yun to follow him.