Chương 67: Fiscal Responsibilities [Part ½]

First, Scarlet needed to know if she should aim for full Stat Saturation again. She queried the Guide. [The Statistic Cap for Tier 1 is 50. Full Stat Saturation would require 50/50 in all stats.] According to the Guide, the Tier 1 threshold was Level 25. She quickly did the math. Remarkably, it looked like she might actually have the FS for it. Or she would, eventually. The real challenge then became time.

She'd taken over 5 weeks in an optimised training environment, with a beyond extraordinary instructor, and unique growth opportunities, and she'd still needed alchemical aid just to reach 25/25 in all her Stats. The problem wasn't whether she could do it, the question was one of time, and responsibility. How long could she afford to dedicate to raising each Stat by 25? She couldn't just live in Portal Worlds and neglect everything else.

Even if she could, there were few on the level of the Training World, that offered the kind of systematic, and progressive challenges she'd need to reliably boost her Stats. Stats that would be more dificult to gain now that she was Tier 1. It was something she'd need to think about. She made a note of it, then moved on to check out the new interface functions. She looked at the description of the new Maps tab again. What was this about 'System recognised exploration'?

[System-Recognized Exploration: Exploration recognized by the System through qualifying entities or actions. Only recognized exploration updates the System Map.] Okay, something else to experiment with. Opening the map revealed an almost GPS like feature. There were markers indicating herself and Maus. Most of the map was obscured by a 'fog-of-war' effect. Only areas she'd explored since Integration were visible. How inconvenient.

Reaching out with her senses Scarlet felt for the lifeforms within her range of perception. It appeared she was able to toggle on and off indicators for them. She set neutral creatures to show up grey, friendlies to show up blue, and non-friendlies to show up either orange or red depending on the level of threat, and whether they were actively hostile. For now, nothing was red or orange.

She experimented with a few more features, and wondered just how much of that functionality and customisation she'd lose if she no longer had the pioneer bonus from First Among Us Scarlet turned towards Maus, curious if he could act as a proxy in clearing the fog-of-war from the 'unexplored' areas of the map.

'Hey, buddy,' she sent the dozing Spatial Mouse.

'I'd like to test something. If you're up for it,' she asked through the bond. He sat up.

"I can help!" his voice was too loud as he projected it through the new vest, but he was clearly enjoying being able to speak aloud. Scarlet shared her view of the mini-map with him and explained that she wanted him to Blink around the perimeter of the property and scout. He was to tag areas of interest and stay in stealth. She wasn't worried for his safety; she trusted his combat abilities. However, there was no need to antagonize the local wildlife unless they gave him a reason to.

"Can you do it?"

"I can!" He replied, overjoyed.

"Start by Blinking past the property-line, we still need to check if it works. If it doesn't that's alright, just send me anything interesting over the bond, and I'll make a note of it anyway." Maus bobbed once in acknowledgement, and then he was off. It didn't take long to see some of the obscured sections of the map peeling away.

'Great job buddy. Keep going,' she sent, then glanced toward the shelf where she'd stored her collection of road atlases and municipal maps. Can existing maps be used to reveal unexplored areas of the Map interface? [Confirmed. System-recognised maps may be integrated into the Map interface.] That was... simultaneously encouraging and deeply irritating. How do I obtain a System-recognised map?

[Known methods include: System rewards Creation by an individual possessing the appropriate Skills, knowledge, or permissions Acquisition through purchase or trade] Okay. She could work with that. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. She considered the communication card, the Historian's combat Tome, and every other non-reward object she'd encountered that somehow bridged the gap between the physical world and the System.

Can enchantments be used to create a System-recognised map? She queried the Guide. Nothing. No denial or confirmation. Just the quiet that told her this wasn't a question that she was locked out of due to her Tier, but instead a question she'd need to find the answer for herself. Challenge accepted, she thought… Eventually. Still, a part of her mind spun up and began iterating on the GPS and mapping functions she'd planned to integrate into STARnet.

There had to be a way to use it to solve some of these time-wasting problems. Putting the map issue to the side for a moment, Scarlet switched to a tab she'd probably be using a lot once her Faction got going. [System Store | Buy | Sell | Auction] [Buy] Perhaps unsurprisingly, this catalogue was empty. She was the only one who currently had access to the Store, though she expected this section would soon be filled as more people reached Tier 1.

The Sell tab and Auction tab both had easy instructions for how to list and price an item, as well as functions to keep a seller anonymous, though the disclaimer on the anonymity feature admitted that basic access did not erase individual energy signatures, or hide karmic traces. Yeah, Scarlet liked her privacy, so gaining whatever-was-beyond-basic-access also went on a priority list. For now, the Buy & Sell functions were completely restricted to in-world trade while Earth underwent its assimilation period.

The Auction function also restricted off world sales, unless you were part of a Faction or listing through a faction. Perhaps it was meant to prevent people from newly integrated worlds from being scammed? The whole thing seemed a little too kind for the System, though on second thought it was rather pragmatic.

It wasn't about preventing people of newly integrated worlds from being taken advantage of as much as it was about managing resources, economic stability, and preventing the auction houses from being flooded and catalogues being bloated with things better listed for sale outright. It did give Scarlet the beginnings of a direction for her eventual Faction though. STARnet was a great start, and how better to collect and capitalise on information than becoming the foremost merchant guild.

She lingered over the empty Auction tab before finally turning to the System Store. Unlike the other tabs, this one had an extensive catalogue of goods. Everything in the system Store was provided directly by the system. There were artifacts, resources, consumables, Books and Tomes, and so many weapons, all ranging from Tier 0 - Tier 3. Apparently, that was the hard cap until the world was further along in assimilation. Remembering how she'd felt returning to Earth from the Portal World, she could understand it.

Her homeworld simply wasn't ready for anything at Tier 4. Alongside the items, were quantities in stock, and prices. Scarlet was delighted to find she had quite a bit of spending power without even dipping into her sSC. It seemed only reasonable considering just how many feats and trials she'd gone through to earn the credits she did have. Still, she couldn't exactly buy out the catalogue.

She supposed the System Store was probably more expensive than internal buying and selling, and wondered just how much she could potentially make once she was part of a faction, and gained access to trade outside Earth. For now, though, she began with books. Not Skill Tomes or even Knowledge Tomes. Just normal information. Things that would be considered common sense throughout the wider System Network that she hadn't been able to find out, or that her instructor hadn't felt inclined to tell her about.

The first one she bought was Factions of the Network. [Factions of the Network | 10 | SC 100] It cost her 100 System Credits. Once she purchased the book, her eyes moved back to the listing. [Factions of the Network | 9 | SC 50] Meaning there were only 10 of them in stock. Not every item had an inventory limit. For example: [Spear (Basic) – Tier 1 | SC 10] She supposed this was a sort of unspoken benefit for those who not only advanced fastest, but did so with rewards significant enough to provided credits.

Those who rushed to advancement would be forced to either sell items quickly to try and afford some of the limited stock or find themselves desperately working towards gaining rewards. Playing it safe would be very expensive. Scarlet looked at the single book now in her Inventory, then back to the Store, then she thought about her future Faction, and the giant target on Earth. She swept the shelf before moving on.

[Body, Mind, and Soul: A Beginner's Guide to Mana, Psionics, and Spiritual Energy | 5 | SC 500] Three major energies. Perhaps this book would answer questions the Historian had either refused to, or that she hadn't felt safe enough to ask. There were five copies available. Considering the price, she could sweep them, but it felt wasteful. Besides, it was probably better for this information to get out there to those strong enough to access and utilise it first.

Unlike Factions of the Network, she doubted this one would automatically incentivise anyone to defect. Into her inventory it went. Farther down, she found a very familiar title. It was a version of her enchanting book, though this one was authored by the System. There were 100 of these all prices at SC 10. She picked up a single copy for herself, then two more for her future Faction, then left the rest in the catalogue.

She did the same for books covering other crafts: leatherworking, smithing, tailoring, woodworking, and more. After that came books on flora and fauna. Those commonly found on the worlds in the wider System Network, as well as a book about mana mutation, itself. She bought two copies of each. Then came books on magical materials and natural resources. She continued down the shelves, buying at least two or three copies of anything that interested her and only very rarely sweeping an entire listing.

She needed people to be informed about the basics. In fact, she'd probably end up putting much of the information she was gathering directly onto STARnet. However, it would be foolish to simply disseminate information freely and without regard for the greater implications. Information about Nexus Worlds could be dangerous. Just like information about Factions, Interworld Travel, and anything else that might encourage someone to go looking beyond Earth before the world was in a position to protect itself.

She would adjust the information and upload only what was relevant onto STARnet. She couldn't stop every leak, but she could hopefully prevent people from seeking out Factions and selling out their world before most of humanity even understood what was at stake. This was no longer some theoretical moral quandary about who should and shouldn't control free access to information. This was the beginning of a war, and knowledge would remain the greatest weapon, both for and against.