Maggie walked happily down the street. Or at least "happy" like a divine cosmic entity. Joe was not with her this time. Apparently, he, Benny, Karen and two other mutual netizens signed up for a large gaming tournament half a year ago. There will be an important game in 20 days, and their team needs to train, but Joe can't train and entertain Maggie at the same time. So he makes the difficult decision to fulfill his promise to the man he's known for more than ten years and asks Maggie to entertain herself for a while.
To his great surprise, the girl agreed without any complaints. From her perspective, Jo's agreement to a social contract and her efforts to uphold its terms are commendable. Additionally, she has learned enough about human society to venture into big cities on her own without causing any major mishaps. It also helped that she had recently figured out how this "wi-fi" worked, allowing her to look up any information she might need from a variety of online resources. That same wireless connection had come in handy a few days earlier when she'd played a little joke on the spy government agent.
Of course, Maggie was fully aware that she was being watched. Her brain's ability to process information rivals that of a quantum computer, and she typically allocates much of that power to being constantly aware of her surroundings. It wasn't hard for her to notice some suspicious data streams here, some suspicious camera movement there. She actually thought it was cute that humans thought they could spy on the Observer without being discovered. Maggie could have retaliated in some way, or confused her actions, but she saw no need to do so. It wasn't hubris or pride, it was logic that drove her to this conclusion.
After all, the harder one works to hide something, the harder people work to unearth it.
That said, she still has some secrets that she would rather keep from humans. One of them is that Joe is her spiritual anchor. If something happened to him, then Maggie would lose the ability to display her otherworldly powers, become weak enough, and be banished to wherever she came from. On the contrary, it was almost impossible for her to be forced to leave this reality as long as Joe was around. She absolutely loves this realm and all its novelties, such as matter and gravity. She really didn't want to leave until she fully experienced its vastness. Therefore, she must ensure that she does not harm Joe during her solo trip.
Then his favorite machine appeared. When Maggie "upgraded" the full-immersion Pod 3000™, she infused it with the essence of a pod person she knew so well. It is a Level 1 cosmic entity characterized by immense strength, immense durability, and doornail-level intelligence. The last one makes their mental footprint almost non-existent while also making them very easy to control. Older dogs usually treat them like servants or slaves, but Maggie has spent the better part of two centuries training her dogs to be more...subtle. Granted, this is still a work in progress, but so far it has served its purpose perfectly. Therefore, she feels confident in trusting Joe's safety to the possessed pod. This would at least buy her enough time to rush to the man's defense if he was attacked in her absence.
As Maggie walked down the street, thinking about the General Goth, she began to realize something. Since she came to the super city Dave-156, she has not seen any living creatures except humans. Within a radius of three hundred meters, there was no bird, no mouse, not even a cockroach. The lack of fauna greatly confuses Maggie. The atmosphere is not so polluted that it cannot support life. If anything, the air is almost completely free of pollution. There was no obvious answer to Maggie's question, and she decided to challenge herself to see where, if anything, some of the animals could be found.
Of course, the girl could quickly read several online articles on the subject without any difficulty, but she refused to do so. Solving mysteries and studying unknown phenomena is Maggie's joy, and simply looking up the answers would ruin her fun. It’s a “journey is more important than the destination” deal. However, the first step is as tricky as ever. When Maggie thinks about Joe's neighbor Edith Mandrake
d
ake) mentioned a "puppy," she didn't know where or how to begin her investigation. Based on the context of that conversation, she deduced that the word likely referred to an animal, most likely a pet, which made it a good topic.
To keep herself from getting an easy answer, the girl resorted to the age-old technique of asking random people on the street. Of course, pedestrians are taken aback when someone as quirky and charming as Maggie casually talks to them, and even more so when she starts asking questions that should be common sense. Despite this, the people at Dave-156 were very reasonable and friendly, and were kind enough to provide Maggie with some relevant information.
Apparently, a puppy is a four-legged mammal characterized by a friendly nature, soft fur, floppy ears, icy nose, and expressive tail. As far as the girl could tell, this was a genetic offshoot of the canine species represented in some of Joe's games. Unfortunately, finding one will be extremely difficult. Puppies are expensive animals that require all kinds of licensing and maintenance, so only those lucky enough to have a job can afford one. Edith Mandrake had mentioned that they were uncommon, but it did not occur to Maggie that the main reason for this was financial.
Of course, the Astral Girl was not easily dissuaded and continued her search for those rare pups. After about 40 hours and nearly 500 street interviews, she learned the location of an exotic pet store that reportedly stocked them. Unfortunately it was about 80 kilometers away, in a completely different place in the big city of Dave 156. There's far more distance between her and Joe than she'd like, and she can't let him stay with her since she's agreed to let him hone his gaming skills without interruption. Maggie was understandably frustrated, but her search was not in vain.
She knew pet stores were a thing. So while the mythical pup may seem out of reach at the moment, she has found a new venue to fulfill her quest to find animals. She went on to ask passersby where she could find a more local place - one within a five kilometer radius of Joe's place. This proved more difficult than her previous attempts, as there really seemed to be no agency that met her standards. She wanted to ask where the meat from those food stalls came from, but that was a dead end. The workers in these places are robots that mimic human behavior. They have no free will and therefore cannot respond to topics they cannot handle.
"I'm sorry, miss."
On the third day when Maggie was looking for a house, a stranger approached her. He was an older gentleman in his forties or fifties, but it was difficult to tell his age because he had ugly burn marks on his face. This immediately struck Maggie as odd, as this was the first person she had ever encountered with a scar, not including avatars. His clothes are also quite peculiar. In relatively warm weather, the man wore a dusty old windbreaker, a red beanie and a gray plaid scarf instead of the light clothing he wore to stay cool.
"Really?" she replied with a smile.
"A colleague of mine told me that a lovely young woman matching your description has been looking for a pet in the area. Would that be true of you?"
"indeed."
"Great! I'm Mr. Charles and I own a small independent company called Lyfe Haxx. The name is spelled with a "y" and two "x's." "Who are you?"
"You can call me Mags. Just the magazine."
"Nice to meet you."
He held out his hand, but Maggie held on.
"...Okay, point blank." He took it back. "I believe my company has the kind of merchandise you are looking for. If you are interested, I would be more than willing to show you the way."
"Curious. The locals told me there are no pet shops nearby."
"We're not a pet store, exactly. More like a grocery store, and we happen to have some cute little animals in our inventory right now."
"As far as I know, it is generally accepted practice for the buyer to approach the seller rather than the other way around," she noted.
Haha, that's true. However, our business is still in its infancy and our ability to advertise is limited, so we must source potential customers ourselves. I assume that, given the singularity of your genetic pattern, you are a fairly wealthy man. Therefore, I consider it prudent to contact you in the hope of establishing a lasting business relationship. "
As a seeker of truth and knowledge, Maggie is not particularly concerned about the ongoing misunderstandings of genetic patterns. She tolerated it because it was a convenient and hassle-free way of explaining her celebrity looks, her swirling dark circles under her eyes and her strange, snake-like curls. It also helps that the hypothesis isn't entirely wrong, as her fleshy blood vessels are technically a genetic modification of the baseline Homo sapiens species. Or she could make herself look entirely human, not just mostly human. By now, she'd gathered enough data on sensual aesthetics to fit them in perfectly.
However, Maggie already loves her unique look so much that she refuses to change it unless absolutely necessary.
"I understand," she nodded. "I agree to your request and accompany you to your place of work."
"Oh, great!" Mr. Charles smiled. "I believe you won't be disappointed!" This way, ma'am. "
The man led her across the street into a residential building and down the elevator.
What locals call "street level" is actually about 80 stories above the ground. This is necessary because these super skyscrapers have about 200 floors in total. It's a great height and a lot of people have to be covered with a very limited number of lifts that can't go too fast lest they injure passengers. At some point, people realized that the easiest way to alleviate this problem was to improve what was considered the bottom layer, so they started doing that. This ultimately led to the development of vertically stratified street systems in most large cities.
Dave-156 is no exception. The street that Joe primarily uses is actually the third of four levels. The place Mr. Charles takes Maggie to is the lowest level, often called the "dungeon." "The astral girl herself has never been there, but she discovered it through her special perception. Interestingly, in appearance, it is no different from the upper level. The most obvious change is that the air becomes stuffier , colder, and with the smell of burning tires.
Following her makeshift tour guide, Maggie eventually arrived at a three-story storefront built between two skyscrapers. It seemed to be a sturdy enough structure and not at all small, although it looked like a tiny shed compared to the feats of engineering that flanked it. If the uncharacteristically fresh white paint is any indication, it was recently added. Hovering in the air above the entrance is a large red holographic sign that reads "Lyfe Haxx™".
"Here we are, mademoiselle," Mr. Charles announced cheerfully. "This way, please!"
As he approached, the automatic doors opened, allowing him and his guest to enter. The interior is very neat and spacious, with plenty of rafters and shelves to display a wide variety of goods. That said, there wasn't much on display at that particular moment. Such as automatic ashtrays, automatic scratchers, a machine that automatically shuts down when turned on, and other novelties. The most practical item is a pair of running shoes that squeak with every third step.
"I'm sorry for the mess," the owner said cheerfully. "Like I said, we're just getting started and I'm still sorting everything out. Please come to the back with me and I can show you our collection of cheap pets."
Maggie did as she was told and was led into a large warehouse. Seven forklift-like cargo robots are hard at work sorting through the mountains of crates and boxes at the back. Among the packages are a series of smaller plastic containers with small holes in them from which the sounds of animal life emit. Maggie had to try extra hard not to peek inside because she didn't want to ruin the big reveal just when she was about to win. She waited eagerly for Mr. Charles to begin showing them off, which he did without delay.
In total, there are eight animals to choose from. The first three are mammals - a snow-white rabbit, a small giant space hamster that's mostly orange, and a tiny hedgehog. The next two are reptiles, one of which is a black gecko with yellow spots and the other is a coiled snake with gold and brown markings. The sixth pet is a tarantula with very bright blue and yellow colors. The final pair were a slightly annoying but colorful parrot and an overly excited budgie.
"What do you think, miss? Adorable little thing, aren't you?"
In fact, even Maggie can see that these little animals have their own unique cuteness. This is not just her opinion, but an inference based on hard data. Color, size, shape, behavior and other observable factors indicate that 96% of humans would find an attractive mate in this selection. Of course, it's impossible to explain personal taste, but Maggie's objective analysis shows that from a purely scientific perspective, hamsters are the cutest.
When her primary goal was fully accomplished, the girl decided to interrogate her failed efforts to locate a specific creature.
“Don’t you have any dogs in stock?”
"Puppe
s?! The boss’s eyes widened. "Of course not, miss. They are high-maintenance animals and not suitable for living in a regular apartment. Even if I could get one, I wouldn't sell it here."
“Why are regular apartments considered unsuitable for puppies?”
"Their size is the problem. Some of them can grow as big as a human, and they require a lot of real-world exercise to stay healthy. You can't adequately care for them in a standard four-by-five room, so you never You won't get permission to keep one. In contrast, these little bugs can be kept in cages and aquariums that take up barely any space."
"I understand."
Mr. Charles was momentarily startled when the girl's eyes glowed blue, but he just chalked it up to some strange genetic pattern she was using.
"So, what do you say, Miss Muggs?" They only weigh 500 pounds each. This price includes everything you need to keep them healthy and happy, including a digital animal care manual and a year's supply of feed. "
Maggie had come so far that she figured she might as well see it through and decided to get a pet like this for no reason at all. However, there is a considerable problem with pursuing her whim through legal means.
"I'm sorry to tell you that I currently don't have any pounds."
The currency in question is entirely digital, meaning Maggie wouldn't be able to have any currency named after her without a plug-and-play chip implanted. Of course, she can "deposit" the money into someone else's account. If she does this, she can simply overstate Mr. Charles's balance, or borrow a little money from Joe and let him buy on her behalf. However, Maggie is currently on some kind of adventure, so she wants to see how people typically handle these situations. It’s a learning experience she’s looking forward to participating in.
"Oh. That... is so disappointing." The man's smile disappeared. "At the risk of sounding rude, miss, if you're incapable of shopping, you should have said so from the start. Otherwise you're wasting your time and mine."
"I apologize. I was focused on my desire to observe domestic animals and had not taken into account my lack of financial means until now."
"I guess I can't blame you for being so excited. But I'm curious if you're visiting Butte from somewhere else.
po
d-4 ?Your accent and the way you speak show it. "
"That's an accurate assessment."
"Yeah. I see. I think I understand your dilemma."
The Third British Empire is the only government in the galaxy to use Pontington as its primary currency. No one knows why the British insisted on this, as all other space-faring civilizations transacted using standard galactic credits, often abbreviated to "credits." “Every time a foreigner accesses the 3BE system, it causes all kinds of trouble. Not only does the value of the credit fluctuate relative to Pontington, but the former is most often exchanged via physical denomination. Visitors and visitors find themselves unable to pay for anything It's very common because they didn't think to convert the credit card into pounds beforehand.
Mr. Charles is convinced that the girl in his shop is an example of this. He could think of no other reasonable explanation for how a foreigner with such a strange genetic pattern could be so utterly defeated. For her, the only way to change this situation is to implant P
P and open a bank account in her name. The medical procedures and bureaucratic procedures required to do so are too time-consuming. Under the circumstances, Mr. Charles was unable to sell Maggie anything, but he could not bear to drive her away.
Thankfully, he was a savvy guy and was able to come up with an alternative.
"Miss Maggs, I think we might be able to make a deal. Well, I assure you, there's nothing unethical," he added quickly.
"I'm all ears," she said proudly, using the first idiom Joe taught her.
"As you can see, my place of business is still a mess and I haven't gained a consistent customer base yet. If you can help me get it off the ground, I'm willing to give you one of my pets as payment."
She almost questioned whether it was a good idea to lift the building off its foundation, but then realized from the context that he probably didn't mean that literally.
"What exactly do I need to do?" Maggie asked.
"Allow me to explain. My shop has a wide range of items aimed at impulsive young people, which can easily be afforded with £50 pocket money. My plan is to get them to come every month, Try any new fads that have come out since they were last here.”
"This seems to be a sound business strategy in terms of ensuring long-term profits."
"I'm glad you think so. However, it's hard for an old guy like me to appeal to the youthful spirit of my target demographic. You, on the other hand, have an exotic appearance, are soft-spoken, polite, and a bit eccentric. I I believe it’s easy for you to attract someone’s attention. All you have to do is lead it to my store subtly. What do you think?”
"That's allowed. How many customers do I need to secure to honor my side of the agreement?"
"Oh. Um, um. Please wait."
Charles closed his eyes, frowned, and opened his I
stackou
ti
g implant, wants to calculate these numbers.
"I believe 25 paying customers would be enough to pay for one of my pet care packages. Do you think you can do that?"
"This is what I can do." She nodded. "Can you put this agreement in writing?"
Maggie doesn't actually need the transaction files, but her observations lead her to believe that mortals like to keep these things in physical storage.
"Oh, dear. This makes me a little embarrassed," the boss said, feeling uneasy. "I don't think I can prepare a formal contract right away."
"It doesn't matter. I'll be accommodating."
Maggie's eyes sparkled, and she pulled out an ominous-looking piece of parchment out of thin air. Mr. Charles' proposal was written in cursive and shimmering red ink. She gave this to the bewildered shopkeeper, who felt a chill run down his spine as he grasped the suspicious document. He was overcome with a powerful feeling that was more than just a theatrical performance, but a real soul contract sprung directly from some horror story.
In the end, the old man decides to trust his reason rather than his surprisingly accurate intuition, and convinces Maggie that this is a strange misunderstanding.
"Miss, I don't know what you want to achieve with these little tricks, but if you just want a promissory note, then I can issue you one."
He handed the parchment to her, but when Maggie touched it, the parchment ignited and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"This is an acceptable choice," she declared quietly.
Charles shook his head and muttered something like "bloody foreigners" under his breath as he walked toward his office. The promissory note was quickly written, stamped, and signed. The gentleman politely ignored Maggie's statement about signing the agreement and told her to get busy. The girl grabbed his catalog and left quickly. Frankly, he's reconsidering it because he realizes the effort could backfire. Mags is so weird that she could easily bring his shop a bad name instead of a good one, but he decides to believe that cute girls have terrible power over lonely young men.
Mr. Charles subsequently discovered that he had grossly underestimated his temporary business partner. In the two hours that Maggie left, Lyfe Haxx's office received more than 70 potential customers, and at least half of them bought something. Mr. Charles was completely stunned by this inexplicable influx of people, although he certainly didn't complain. As for the girl-like cosmic horror, she fulfilled her role with surprising ease. She doesn't even resort to any particularly evil or immoral means in order to do so. All she does is passively monitor people's subconscious desires and gain access to those who can satisfy their whims with Mr. Charles' merchandise. Her idiosyncratic charm took care of the rest.
In the end, the customers were satisfied with their purchases, the store got the upgrade the owner wanted, and Maggie won herself a cute little pet. This is basically the ideal outcome of “everyone wins”. Mr. Charles expressed his sincere gratitude to Maggie and even offered to hire her as a full-time assistant manager. She realized it would be a great honor to offer a job to someone her age, but she didn't want to accept the position. She politely declined the old man's offer, grabbed her prize, and headed toward Joe's place with a triumphant smile on her face. As for her choice of pet, she ultimately settled on a small snake with gold and brown scales, which she later named Calm Azgodkaral.
Yes, from a scientific perspective, the tiny giant space hamster might be the cutest, but as far as Maggie is concerned, that snake is absolutely precious
