Kapitel 21: Gear Shop
"Tch! That old geezer. He sent me away without even telling me anything about this place. He does flip like a coin sometimes; it's even hard to tell what he is thinking." Lin fumed as he walked out of the apartment building. He scanned his vicinity and put a hand under his jaw. "Geez, Old Dan didn't even tell me where to pick a public transport. I guess I would have to use the Sonic trains, but that's far from here". He looked gloomy as he began his walk towards the unknown train station.
He reached the train pick-up point in about an hour. There was already a train about to take off when he got there. Each train car was about forty meters in length. "These trains look amazing every time I see them flying around", he whispered as he jumped aboard. After making a few enquiries, he put his destination into the destination log. The space around him twisted and warped; he transferred into a train car.
Though the trains had several stops along the way where people were dropped off and picked up, people going to specific destinations were designated a particular car which was a bit different from the others. These train cars are dropped off at a location known as Intermediary Points (IPs) and later picked up when other trains make their return journey. One such place was the Territory's largest marketplace, Lins destination, Ocean.
It took only fifteen minutes for Lin to arrive at his destination. The train car he boarded detached from the rest and slowly descended onto a landing pad. The car doors slid open as people walked out and headed in different directions. As many went off the board, some went on board as well.
Lin departed the train car and began his hunt for a gear shop. From where he stood, he could see the Azeria Family's castle. Lin walked by hordes of people as he looked for shops. Among the midst of traders and business people were pickpockets, thieves and scammers. One ought to be careful lest they be swindled. A few people approached Lin with tempting offers, but he declined them and kept walking.
After a while of searching, he came across a building with gears hanging on the windows. "Finally, I found one. Let's see what they offer". He ran in; a young attendant in purple greeted him. She was pretty and curvy. He almost drooled at the sight of her. Her eyes shone as she spoke to him, "Welcome to our humble gear shop. Our shop is the best in this entire region. We offer rare and unique products. If you want it modified, you have come to the right place. So, what should I get you?", she spoke with her face close to his. Lin's face flushed red a little as she drew closer and whispered, "I can give you a little discount if you buy from my section".
Lin stepped back and smiled at her, trying to stay calm. He had a questioning look as he was about to speak, but he was interrupted by the woman. "Our shop is divided into sections with heads for each. Those with the most sales would have their sections expanded and an increase in their pay. It's quite competitive in here.", She explained.
Lin now understood what she meant. He looked around and remarked, "But you seem to be the only one here." Understanding what he meant, she continued, "The others are busy at the moment. They will come swooping here if we don't leave soon", She hurried him. Before Lin could say anymore, three more gorgeous women were approaching them. Noticing their presence, the woman grabbed Lin's hands, dragged him into a small room and bolted the door.
"That b&*^% she doesn't have a reprieve, does she?" one of the approaching women remarked to another after seeing her tactics. "She's just a @#$t who goes about seducing younger men and does not want to commit. We will teach her a lesson later", another badmouthed. They all quickly went their separate ways when more people came to the shop.
The woman with Lin leaned against the bolted door panting heavily meanwhile, Lin was on the floor face up right under her skirt with a red face. She soon noticed the position she was in and screamed, "Pervert! Pervert". She jumped back and kicked Lin in the face before staggering backwards. Her entire face was flushed red as she crossed her legs in embarrassment.
Lin held his bleeding nose and yelled, "Why the hell did you kick me? This was your fault to begin with, dragging me in here all of a sudden."
"You didn't have to embarrass me like that, you pervert" She gritted her teeth and glared at him. He looked up at her from the ground like he was looking at a play toy. "Has this woman gone bonkers or what?", he blinked at her questionably before he got up and readied himself to leave the room.
The woman quickly barred the door with her arms to stop him from leaving. Her sudden behaviour was beginning to infuriate Lin. He furrowed his brow and looked her in the eyes, "What do you want from me?", Lin questioned with a glum look. He thought if she were a man, he would have beaten the crap out of him and left already. She didn't answer his question but only shook her head in response. "I don't have time for games. Please step out of my way", Lin firmly said, holding back the urge to yell at her.
"No, you would have to buy from me else you are not going to leave here", She argued. Lin was frustrated as he realized he could not force her out of his way. "Why would I want to buy from you? You dragged me here and kicked me in the face".
"Sorry, I dragged you in here. I had no choice", she pouted.
"You had one, and that was dragging me in here. Now move out of my way", he was not going to be polite any longer. He felt she was overstepping her boundaries. Before she could utter another word, she was a meter from the door as Lin was about to walk out. Her glistering eyes widened as she saw him in front of the door, "Eh! How did I get here?"
Seeing he was about to leave, she gritted her teeth and shouted, "If you leave this room, you will be signing my condolence book tomorrow." Lin stood frozen by the door. "What is wrong with this woman? Is she crazy?", he wondered and turned to bark at her, but the look on her face made him swallow his words. There was no flint of emotion on her face. She was dead serious. "You keep spouting this kind of nonsense. What do you want from me?" Lin asked.
"I told you already, buy from me else tomorrow…". "Alright, that's enough" Lin cut her off. He could no longer hold his anger in.
"I have been here for years but haven't had any expansion nor raise", She immediately began talking without a pause. Lin looked at her in confusion and wondered, "Why is she telling me this?"
"My section just keeps decreasing and my pay plummeting. I haven't had up to three customers in a month. Why? Because some rich scumbag put a tag on me for refusing his proposal."
"What the hell is this woman going on about?" Lin was disturbed and wanted to walk away, but he couldn't bring himself to.
"Now, everywhere I go in this region, I am rejected because no one wants to offend him. Even here, once anyone finds out about the tag on me, they stay away from me and I would be kicked out of here if I don't make enough sales by the end of the month."
"No one would employ me at any other place. I am so tired of this life that has nothing good to offer me. You are the first person to come to my section since last month. So, if you also leave, it would be the end of the line for me. At that point, there would be no point in living", She dropped to the ground as her eyes watered and she began to cry. She was depressed.
Lin was so confused he did not know what to say. He could tell how much pain she must have gone through because of what happened. He walked to her and knelt before her. "This life has more to offer you than you think.", Lin dried her tears with his hand. "The hell am I doing? Did I just touch her face?"
"Do not for once think that this life has nothing good to offer you. You may not know it, but many people are looking up to you.".
"You harboured all these for years without a word, but you know, you should talk to someone if you feel depressed because you are not alone. There are a lot more people who are ready to help you than you think. So next time you feel depressed, don't hold it all in. Find someone you trust to talk to". She raised her teary eyes to look at him. His warm smile infected her and she managed a smile while wiping her tears.
An idea struck him as he looked at her. "I'm new here and would need some help getting around. She could be a huge help to me and can run the shop with Old Dan."
He turned to her and asked, "How about you become my manager?" She was stunned by his sudden suggestion. "Man…ager?" she uttered after a pause. She tightened her lips as her eyes begun to well up. "Yes, but you should help me pick a suit first, then we can talk about the other details after" She accepted and took him around to find a battle suit.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein