DING!

~----~

[You have created a new Blueprint: Robot v0.1]

[You have been rewarded with +50 Data Points!]

[Current Data Points: 62]

…

[Give your Blueprint a Name!]

~----~

Thud!

Leon collapsed to the ground with a satisfied expression on his face. He looked at the ceiling, feeling that today was already a beautiful day.

'I did it!' He thought.

Considering how monumental this blueprint was to his growth and power as an Ascended, including how complicated its design was, Leon understood why the System would reward him with a whopping +50 Data Points.

'If only it also increased my Ascended Counter'. He lamented but he didn't let this affect his mood.

He grinned. 'Finally, some progress'.

As for a name, he had never thought of a name for the blueprint before today. Looking at the ceiling, he wondered what he should name the robot and then he remembered what pushed him to rush its creation.

'The terrorists'. He got an idea.

"Let it be called Doom Rover 1.0".

DING!

~----~

[Blueprint name registered: Doom Rover 1.0]

~----~

And just like that, Leon created by far the greatest and most complicated blueprint of his career so far as a Mechanist.

Checking the time, he noted that it was already past 10am. This was partially because he woke up late due to his sleep problems last night and also because he just spent hours working.

He picked up his smartphone and called the hotel kitchen, ordering a plate of food.

After that, he sat down and flicked at the digital board, changing the screen from his new blueprint back to the task list board.

[Tasks:]

*Get the services of a NetRunner.

*Find a way to fight against more Ascended to increase Ascended Counter, maybe through the tournament.

*Acquire a Projection Engineering Knowledge Scroll.

*Buy materials for the robot project, the VX-09 Emberfist Gauntlets, the other Grenade types, a new battery cell and engine for the sword drones.

*I really, really need money.

Staring at the task list again, Leon felt a headache because there were still so many things to do.

In the end, he picked up his smartphone again and dialed a number.

[Outgoing Call to Lieutenant Johnmark…]

Click!

The moment the Lieutenant picked the call, Leon heard the rowdy background noise showing that the Lieutenant was in a busy area.

"Good morning Lieutenant, am I disturbing?" He asked.

"Not yet," Lieutenant Johnmark's voice answered. "I saw footage of you online, I wanted to call you to check on you but the army's been really busy after yesterday's events".

"A footage of me?" Leon was surprised.

"Have you not seen it? You're all over the internet already".

'All over the internet?' Leon was at a loss. 'Why didn't Davis inform me of something like this? Did it deem it insignificant?'

He decided to scold his A.I after the call.

Leon quickly glossed over this topic and directly told the Lieutenant his reason for calling. "I need you to give me more commissions".

Originally, clients are the ones who ask a producer for produces but this time, Leon took the initiative because he felt that he no longer had the luxury to wait for the Lieutenant to decide.

This was the desperation of a broke man who had bills to pay.

And knowing just how straightforward the Lieutenant was, he also decided to be direct with him.

He continued. "You've seen my work, I believe you're satisfied with them or else you'd have told me so. I can craft any of the constructs that I sent their names and description to you, and I work really fast".

"I really need materials from the army and the best way, no the only way I can think of is working for the army externally like you said".

"Please my friend, I need your help again. Give me commissions".

Leon felt like a kid shamelessly begging his uncle for chocolate but he shamelessly held on as he waited for the Lieutenant's response.

Lieutenant Johnmark answered after a few seconds of thinking. "To be sincere, the quality of the Rifles you provided exceeded my expectations".

"My colleagues and superiors were all impressed by them. Besides, after what happened yesterday, I think we'll be needing your services more".

"Expect more commissions this evening".

Hearing that, Leon heaved a sigh of relief then he said. "One more thing, please can I get the service of a NetRunner?"

"For what?"

"I have a project that I'm working on and I need a NetRunner's ability to help me complete it". Leon was frank.

The Lieutenant didn't bother about the details, showing how much trust he had for Leon again as he agreed. "You can tell Tyla". He said.

"The NetRunner will come with her?"

"No," the Lieutenant chuckled. "She's a NetRunner".

'Eh?' Leon was surprised.

Despite interacting with the Sergeant multiple times already, he never once connected her with the NetRunner Class.

Just like most Ascended connected to the Geneforge Clans that he'd seen, he expected her to be a Gene Augur too.

'I really shouldn't judge a book by its cover'.

Leon heaved a sigh of relief after the call as with it, he finally managed to address a few more problems in his task list.

After the call, he finally entered the bathroom to take his bath. After coming out, he put on his clothes and slung on his backpack before leaving the hotel.

His destination was Picasso Lifestyle Club, he was in desperate need of money and he needed to diversify his money channels.

Walking through the city this morning, Leon was surprised as he noticed weird stares from passersby in the streets.

Unlike yesterday after the incident, the city no longer looked as uptight. It felt like the civilians already forgot about yesterday but beneath the surface, Leon could still feel the slight tension and gloom in the district.

'Why are they staring at me?' He thought, confused.

A few minutes later, just as he was about to descend the stairs in the support pillar to the Lower Streets, a female Geneform suddenly blocked his path.

She fidgeted. "Um, sir, can I get a picture?"

'Huh? What is this?'

Leon was a bit vigilant but seeing that there was no danger, he allowed the girl to take a picture with him and after that, as he descended to the Lower Streets, he finally remembered what the Lieutenant said.

With that thought, he picked up his smartphone and accessed the internet. Instantly, he found the number 1 trending topic online in Leviathan Quay.

[#1. Thomas Riley]

'Wait, my name is trending?'

Finally, he understood why the people were looking at him weirdly and why the girl came to him for a picture.

'Did Thomas Riley just became famous?'

Leon felt that this was troublesome but since no one else approached him for a picture, he easily put up with it and arrived at the nightclub.

The moment the bouncers at the entrance saw him arrive, they were stunned as their eyes widened.

But one of them quickly reacted as he whispered to the other thug who quickly nodded at Leon then rushed into the nightclub while the first thug looked at him with a fawning smile.

"Mr. Thomas Riley, welcome back to our club".

'These guys now know about me too?'

They were not the same people, but he still remembered the 2 thugs who looked down on him yesterday.

The bouncer tried to build rapport with him and have a conversation but he clearly wasn't that educated as he stumbled on his words.

Leon nonchalantly nodded at him, sticking to Thomas Riley's taciturn persona as he walked into the club but just as he entered inside, a chubby middle-aged man quickly emerged from the stairs leading upstairs with rushed footsteps.

The thug who left earlier followed behind this man.

The chubby man smiled the moment he set eyes on him. "Mr. Thomas Riley, welcome back!" He said with clear enthusiasm.

Leon didn't respond to the man's enthusiasm as he coldly looked at the corridor leading to the underground staircase, showing his intention to go underground and fight.

The man was not disappointed by the silent treatment that he received, instead he was excited. 'He's just like they say on the internet!'

He chuckled. "You want to fight, right?"

Leon nodded.

"Mr. Thomas, I'm afraid our octagon arena is too small for a fighter of your caliber. For most powerful fighters, after becoming Ranked, they gain the privilege of going to bigger arenas where bigger fighters fight to climb the rankings".

"The pay there is better too".

'Better pay?' Leon's ears immediately perked up, that got his attention.

Seeing him focus on him, the chubby middle-aged man politely suggested. "Why not come to my office so I can properly explain the rules to you?"

"Ok". Leon nodded.

Apparently, this chubby middle-aged man was named Paul Pork. He was the manager of the nightclub.

His office was big and luxurious with a crystal chandelier illuminated by bright white light. There was a glass desk, 2 office chairs and multiple sofas.

Leon felt like he was walking into royalty the moment he entered.

Inside, the manager poured a bottle of his most expensive wine and as they drank, he explained the concept of the bigger arenas.

The Gene Combat Sports Tournament is an annual tournament of the Geneforge Clans and every year, the preliminaries are scheduled to take place in any of the 3 cities of the Geneforge Clans.

This year, Leviathan Quay was the chosen city for the preliminaries before the finals that'll take place in Verdanthold.

Considering the different classes of people and fighters that take place in the tournament every year, there are different ranked octagon arenas.

Picasso Lifestyle's arena was one of the lowest-ranked arenas where any bum on the street who wanted to try his luck at the tournament could access, but there are much bigger arenas exclusive for bigger fighters with pedigree.

Those octagon cages are where Ranked fighters fight for money, fluctuating through the ranks before the finals start.

According to Mr. Paul, these arenas are all exclusively in the floating districts of Leviathan Quay, meaning first you had to have the money to go there.

And not just that, you need a ticket to enter to fight there and since tickets don't come easy, you need connections for it.

Mr. Paul generously told Leon that Picasso Lifestyle intended to be his sponsor, paying for his daily transportation expenses to the octagon arenas in the floating district and back.

The manager also promised promotion on his behalf.

Apparently, in the bigger arenas, fighters get paid through a PPV (Pay-Per-View) system, meaning the more rich people who come to watch you fight, the higher the pay hence the need for promotions.

Leon was stunned. 'Why didn't I know about all of this before?'

He understood why.

This combat tournament was clearly so big that it already turned into an annual cultural event in the Geneforge Clans.

Like Mr. Paul said, the bums and weak fighters only know about fighting in the smaller arenas because if they know about the bigger arenas and the pay, they would all clamor to get a ticket to fight there by any means possible which will just clog traffic, ruining the novelty and exclusivity of the events.

'In essence, you have to prove yourself in the smaller arenas before you get a chance to fight in the bigger arenas'.

As he made these deductions, Leon felt like flashing a smile but he stayed faithful to Thomas Riley's persona.

Just like he thought, the tournament was truly a lucrative event for him.

He looked at the manager. "When can we leave?"

"Now".

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