Chapter 258: The Mystery Of Kalli

Vinnie wasn’t quite certain what to make of Kallista De Marimgar.

She clearly knew who he was, and she wasn’t intimidated. But she handled herself with a level of calm that suggested this wasn’t the first time that she had faced chaos and unrest.

Not something he would expect of someone her apparent age.

"You seem calmer than I would have expected, given the circumstances. Did you have some experience with family management before you arrived here in Marimgar? I don’t remember you, and I’m quite certain that I would have if we had met before."

Kalli smiled. "No, I am a computer and numbers person, not a people person. But I was a transfer student. My first day of school was the end of the world. Not that the two are related."

Vinnie chuckled. She had basically confirmed it for him. She didn’t say that she wasn’t affiliated with a Family, only that she wasn’t a people person. So, she was likely some Mafia or other Crime Group’s hidden genius, who spent all her time either hacking networks or running numbers behind the scenes before they decided to send her off to University to legitimize her position.

"Oh, does that mean that there are working computers here in Marimgar? That will make the techno wizards happy."

Kalli nodded and gestured to the wall, then to her wrist.

"Not only do we have them, we’ve got holographic displays, and a whole local network. It does news, missions, chat, work requests and more. I’ll keep adding features as we need them, but the higher tech versions have become quite popular.

Mostly for the holographic chat function.

The holographic smart devices are two points, by the way. They have a physical or projected keyboard, as well as alert lights and a small screen. Think of them as a smart phone that mounts to the forearm, over your armour.

That’s the next thing on the list.

As much as I do appreciate a well-dressed man, it’s usually more practical here to have a composite battle armour suit.

They hold up to the sort of abuse that an enhanced physique can deal much better than standard cloth. There are other advantages as well, but that’s the most important one to most people.

I will also get you all a suitable weapon setup for your Class.

Now, your people tell me that you’re a Blademaster, so I’m assuming that you’re going to prefer a single sided long blade?"

Vinnie nodded. "Either a rapier or a Sabre style. Though a nice cutlass or scimitar might work as well."

The rapier didn’t suit his build at all.

It might suit his combat style, for all Kalli knew. But it didn’t suit his build. The man was massive, and he could easily swing around a much larger blade without any sort of tradeoff.

So, Kalli brought up all four on the store’s sales screen, along with an Odachi and a few offhand weapon options.

"Pick what you want. I won’t judge."

Vinnie turned to his daughter. "Is she like this all the time?"

"Oh yes. She’s definitely going to judge. I think that she gets bored sitting inside all the time, keeping track of all the gear that we’re breaking and the city’s supplies."

Vinnie looked at the highlighted options, then scrolled down a bit and saw that there were literally hundreds of options, so he could pick anything that he wanted.

"This store is strange. But if we’re not limited, how about a Guandao? That heavy blade with a hooked back to catch blades, with the reach of a polearm, is a great partner for my Class bonuses."

Kalli entered it in the search so he could see the blade styles that would match his description, and Vinnie immediately tapped one.

"That. I want that one."

Kalli purchased the weapon at Rare Grade, and handed it to him.

"We’ve got dungeons here, but getting Epic Grade items out of them is unlikely, so this is likely the best you’ll do until the next combat trial.

It’s a Rare Grade magical item, plenty powerful enough to get you through everything you’ll need to do this month.

Now, what colour do you want for your suit? Black is the most popular answer, but we can do whatever one you want," Kalli replied.

"Black is fine. Everything I own is black anyhow."

"And there you go. If you have room in your backpack, you can just equip it directly instead of changing clothes. But if not, you can change in the gent’s room."

Vinnie frowned. "Backpack? I’m not wearing a backpack."

Kalli sighed, and gestured to Yara.

"Oh, I guess I’m explaining. Check your interface, by saying or thinking interface. Then look for the backpack option. You should have about a cubic metre of space to store stuff. Some people get a little less, some more.

That’s also where you’ll find the Skill Tree for your class, where you can buy more skills."

Vinnie’s eyes went unfocused for half a second, and then he smiled as the armour vanished before appearing on his body. Behind him, the others were all realizing that they had missed out on a huge part of their potential.

For the dumbest reason possible.

The System operated on a standard language, but they spoke a regional dialect at home, and none of them had thought to try words in another language.

"Interface" was definitely one they had tried, in their own dialect. But it didn’t work.

"Hey, we’ve got a lot of points. Well, maybe. Is sixty points a lot?" One of the men asked.

Kalli made a noncommittal gesture. "It’s a lot to get started on your skills. But not a lot if you’re looking to buy shiny objects. I would look at it this way. It’s a month’s wages for a basic system enabled worker who does two missions a day.

That being the four hours a day work task, and one more. Usually to work out for ninety straight minutes without a break."

The man nodded happily. "Then I will spend my savings on skills and figure out how to pay for breakfast in the morning."

That made Yara giggle. "The food is free, but rationed. If Kalli has added you to the system, you just scan your fingerprint at any restaurant or the Academy cafeteria to get three meals a day.

I recommend the cafeteria for the first day or two. It’s the most reliable, as most of the restaurants only have to be edible, and the chef at the cafeteria is a professional."