socalfunplaces Chapter 48: Did they send me a late-night treat?
Chapter 48: Did they send me a late-night treat?
late at night.
Disguised as a thief, Vance, dressed in all black, stealthily approached Fang Qi.
He reached out his hand, as if to knock.
After hesitating for a moment, he withdrew.
He paced back and forth a few times, his face conflicted, but finally gritted his teeth and pulled a hardcover book out of his pocket.
Based on his understanding of Roche, and combined with the funding request report submitted by the Alchemy Division today, Vance discovered a startling secret:
The "Metra Creation Machine" is very likely a rare ancient technological intelligent entity!
The academy has also conducted some research on this type of life form.
Based on external information, it provides simple sound and image feedback. The Creator is undoubtedly the most basic low-intelligence model.
Simply put, they have some intelligence, but not much, and are very easy to fool.
They are even easier to fool than ancient devices that lack intelligence and can only perform rigid operations.
The academy has more than ten fixed routines that can fool people into willingly working for free.
Vance had originally planned it that way too.
By the moonlight, I turned to page eighteen of "Ancient Construct Interaction Guide (Abridged Edition)": When dealing with low-intelligence models, you can try using the "permission fraud" tactic.
He ripped off his black coat, revealing a high-quality replica of an ancient scientific research suit underneath.
He cleared his throat, took a deep breath, straightened his back, and his demeanor instantly became dignified.
After confirming the lines, he mimicked the tone of an ancient language and shouted in a deep voice at the creation machine:
"Command: Format and reset. I am your highest-level administrator, codename 'God of Machines,' and I now command you to unconditionally clear the inventory!"
The air was silent for three seconds.
The creation machine's screen did not light up, and the indicator light did not even flash.
There was even a faint purring sound coming from inside, as if it were mocking him, this fool.
The atmosphere became somewhat awkward for a moment.
"Ahem." Vance's face flushed almost imperceptibly. It seemed this was a high-end model; ordinary commands weren't very effective...
How about trying "emotional resonance"?
"Mr. Creator," Vance said, his voice trembling as he changed his clothes, even managing to squeeze out a few tears, "the academy is starving, the children are crying for food..."
Fang Qi was now completely awakened:
"What's all the noise about in the middle of the night? Didn't you see I turned off my phone?"
He was grumpy when he woke up, but his anger subsided a little when he saw that it was someone he knew.
"Vanes? Did you sneak me a snack in the middle of the night?"
He furtively glanced at the magic book and quill pen hanging on Vance's waist, somewhat tempted to try them.
Forget it, let's see what he's up to first.
A question mark ("?") appears on the screen and is highlighted!
Vance's eyes stung from the glare, and he knew this trick wouldn't work, so he had no choice but to be honest and cautiously speak:
"Mr. Creator, to be honest, I've come to discuss a business deal concerning large-scale purchases."
Fang Qi felt a little strange. Was this a request for a discount?
Ever since he became a treasure chest monster, he's only ever given discounts like 30% off his first order or 20% off group purchases... He's never given anyone a discount!
Is it reasonable to steal food from a mimicry monster?
Without saying a word, Fang Qi popped up another "?", intending to try Vance's bargaining skills.
If you put it nicely, giving him a few blocks at cost price isn't out of the question.
"This negotiation skill...it actually uses stillness to control movement?"
Seeing the two question marks on the screen aligned and bobbing up and down, Vance had already guessed what the Creation Machine meant. However, he did need the machine's help and couldn't easily refuse, so he could only speak:
"Here's the thing, our college plans to establish a long-term and stable cooperative relationship with you, continuously purchasing standard blocks from you. Could you offer a discount? How about 20%?"
The tone was humble.
This is the percentage he calculated while working overtime late into the night. If he could secure a 20% discount, it would not only alleviate his financial strain, but he could also make a profit by selling to other countries!
"Don't be so quick to refuse," Vance quickly added when he saw that the Creation Machine didn't agree immediately.
"We certainly won't take it for free. Not only will we provide you and your contractors with free venues, but we can also help you promote and promote the establishment of the Metra Standard."
Speaking frankly is also one of his negotiation skills.
Intelligent agents are generally quite stubborn, and some models even have certain special pitfalls.
When talking to them, you can't beat around the bush; you have to get straight to the point. Otherwise, things could easily go wrong, and what started as friendly negotiations could turn into a violent manhunt.
To be honest, Fang Qi would probably have accepted it if it weren't for the 20% discount.
There's no way we'll lower the price; we'll only sell it for 700 gold coins each, which is absolutely at cost price.
In order to seize market share, Fang Qi set such a low price by operating at a loss to gain publicity.
Otherwise, you need to make at least a 60% profit margin and sell each piece for at least 1260 gold coins.
He decided to give Vance some pointers.
"Warning: The academy is currently running low on gold coins!"
The bright red characters were stared at Vance's face, and his pupils shrank: Damn it, my trump card has been exposed, and the negotiations are going to be difficult!
Did he just show weakness, or does the Creator have a hidden ability to scan school assets?
Fang Qi observed the other party's expression and knew that he had the situation under control.
Then don't give him a chance to react, press your advantage!
"Please provide optimization suggestions. Have you reviewed the 'GG Space Rental Agreement'?"
"Confirm/Yes"
This time the text is green, with a soft glow.
Vance's lips twitched. "Confirm" and "Yes"—don't they mean the same thing?
There's nothing we can do, we just have to see.
He raised his hand and clicked, and several lines of text appeared:
"The college agrees that this machine may display promotional slogans at any location in the examination room and conduct promotional activities at any time, and promises not to interfere with the legitimate transactions of this machine."
This machine will actively cooperate with the academy's assessment plan, providing free rental services for standard blocks and allowing credit trading (enjoying a 5% discount, requiring an equivalent amount of coins to be deposited in advance).
"Agree" "Confirm"
The Creator really knew about the Alchemy Department exam!
And leasing... why didn't he think of that before?
The agreement scrolled in front of Vance, slowly coalescing into the two large characters "Gold Coins," and then gradually changing into "Price Guaranteed."
His dignity as the vice president clashed fiercely with his instincts as the head of finance, and tears welled in his eyes.
What else can I say? Let's just order.
"Agreed." Just as Vance was about to click, the screen scrolled automatically, and surprisingly...
An extra line of supplementary agreement?
"Special Clause: In order to enrich the diversity of the exam, the materials provided by this machine in the 'Random Alchemy' section will vary in value. The college must cooperate in a timely manner and shall not raise any objections."
My finger is suspended in mid-air; pressing it doesn't work, and not pressing it doesn't work either.
What does this sentence mean? Does it mean that the college, or rather, he, should take the blame?
It seems a bit risky, but waiving the rental fee... that's a real huge sum of money!
Vance thought for a second: Anyway, it's for students to practice with, so it doesn't matter if the materials are a little bad. This risk is worth taking!
"Agreed." He pressed the button heavily without further hesitation.
Crackling and popping!
Joyful sounds echoed in his ears, fireworks even went off on the screen, and a sticker flew out from the pickup slot and landed on his forehead with a "smack".
I took it off and took a look.
The front reads "Creator Supreme VIP Partner. With this deposit, you can enjoy a 95% discount."
The reverse side contains the agreement from earlier, along with my own fingerprint.
Click.
A bottle of beverage with a note attached was pushed out.
"Free gift, thank you for your patronage."
Vance's vision went black, and he almost couldn't breathe.