Price negotiations are like a battlefield.
Open attacks are easy to block; hidden arrows are hard to guard against.
It's a psychological war—the winner gets everything they want at a slightly lower price.
So both of them were deadly serious.
Earlier, a functional Mecha Girl had said that humans all have inherent flaws—you can't give everything away at once, or it won't be cherished. DL-01 took that to heart, so she absolutely… well, probably, maybe, seemingly wouldn't just give herself away for free. She had to see what she was worth in this man's eyes.
But she also knew he had only just opened his club. There was no way he had much money.
So—
"Thirty million! Thirty million minimum! That's my bottom line!" A cold glint flashed in DL-01's eyes as she spoke in a low voice. "Top-tier Mecha Girls usually start at fifty million. I'm cutting you twenty million—that's the absolute limit of what I can do!"
Derek Su: "???"
Uh…
That didn't seem right.
Wasn't her auction price supposed to be 1.5 billion?
He had been ready to start bargaining down from at least 500 million.
So what was with DL-01 opening at thirty million?
Seeing Derek Su's stunned expression—mouth slightly open, completely baffled—DL-01's heart sank. Had she set the price too high? What if he just turned around and walked away?
After struggling internally for a long moment, she bit her red lip, tilted her head slightly to avoid Derek Su's gaze, and whispered, "…If it really won't work… twenty-five million… no… twenty million is fine too. I can accept that…"
She dropped the price again!!
Derek Su's pupils shook.
"You—"
"Fifteen million!"
"I—"
"Ten million. I can't go any lower!" DL-01 looked at the man who had fallen silent, nervously rubbing her fingers together, her voice carrying a hint of grievance. "How about this—name a price you think is acceptable. If it feels about right to me, we'll sign the contract."
Derek Su: "…"
He suddenly felt that even if he said fifty, DL-01 would probably still sign.
But that wasn't who he was.
He didn't know why DL-01 thought so highly of him, but being chosen with such one-sided determination—especially by an outstanding top-tier Mecha Girl—was impossible not to enjoy. It was exhilarating.
At the same time, Derek Su was thinking.
How should he treat someone like DL-01?
"To be honest, I don't have much money, and I don't want to take on outside debt." Derek Su rested his elbows on the table, clasped his hands in front of his mouth, and spoke calmly. "My assets are less than five million. I still need to set aside some for my first Mecha Girl, Stella, to choose modules and buy nutrient solution. I also have to maintain a club. You're an exceptional top-tier Mecha Girl, so…"
"Thirty million," he continued. "I've heard that the starting bid for top-tier Mecha Girls is fifty million. If a Mecha Girl is especially satisfied with her driver, that price usually gets cut in half. You chose me, so I'll take that as you being very satisfied. Thirty million, settled in the form of an IOU."
According to Regulation 177, when an auction price is settled via IOU:
If the Mecha Girl is dissatisfied with the driver or the club, she may leave at any time without paying a penalty.
Once the IOU is fully repaid, penalty terms may be renegotiated.
If the Mecha Girl has followed the club for a period of time, participated in competitions, and repaid part of the IOU, then if she chooses to leave, half of the amount already paid must be refunded.
Derek Su felt that IOUs were basically a way to get something for nothing, but under the circumstances, this arrangement was fairly balanced for both him and DL-01. DL-01 could leave at any time. He was confident he could make her stay, and repaying the IOU gradually wouldn't be demeaning to her. On top of that, agreeing on this price would keep others from having anything to say.
Just look at those guys outside with their miserable expressions.
If DL-01 had really been given to him for free, he seriously wondered whether walking alone at night would get him stuffed into a sack, beaten senseless, and dumped into a river.
...
DL-01 looked at the man sitting across from her, light flickering in her eyes.
Suddenly, she felt that all the time she had spent waiting behind the glass wall hadn't been wasted.
This man was truly exceptional—both in skill and in character.
If it were anyone else, judging by her attitude, they would probably have driven the price down as far as possible, eager to take her away for nothing. But Derek Su was different. A Mecha Girl who came out of an auction had a corresponding value. Since he had acquired her through this channel, the price itself was, in a sense, a form of respect and recognition.
Derek Su, whose assets were less than five million.
Had already done his utmost to show her respect.
Perhaps the human flaws that functional Mecha Girls talked about were indeed common, but she believed that Derek Su would lead her to claim her own glory on the racetrack. And she, in turn, would carry Derek Su toward the pinnacle of racing—the world stage.
"Let's sign the contract."
DL-01 took a deep breath and pulled the form out of the drawer.
She filled in her part first, then handed it to Derek Su.
Derek Su glanced through it briefly. It mainly covered the rights and obligations between the Mecha Girl, the driver, and the club; DL-01's transaction price [Thirty Million]; and the repayment method when the price was settled via IOU.
As for the repayment date—
At any time.
Written by DL-01 herself.
Her handwriting was elegant and forceful, like silver hooks and iron strokes, carrying a sharp, killing edge.
There was nothing more to say. Derek Su signed his name.
From today on, he was officially tens of millions in debt. Thinking about it was oddly thrilling.
He laughed at himself.
"Master, please give me a name."
For the first time, a clear smile appeared on DL-01's face.
It was still cool and restrained, but her good mood was unmistakable.
A name…
As someone who was hopeless at naming things,
Coming up with names had always been painful for Derek Su.
He looked DL-01 up and down, his gaze inevitably lingering on her overwhelmingly impressive bust.
"How about… Thunder?" he smacked his lips.
No beating around the bush—it really was huge.
Even more imposing than the combat-type Mecha Girl named Warhammer he had encountered during his first training race.
The smile on DL-01's face slowly disappeared.
A chill ran down Derek Su's back. Facing those icy eyes, cold sweat broke out as he scratched his head and forced a laugh. "Ahahaha… that doesn't sound very nice. How about this, DL-01—what do you think would be better?"
Out of respect for her Master, DL-01 had originally given Derek Su the right to name her.
But his naming sense completely broke her.
So she decided to take that right back.
After a brief moment of thought, she looked up at Derek Su, her gaze sharp and solemn. "Then from now on, my name will be Imperial Scale… the scales of an emperor, unbreakable. I hope that on the racetrack in the future, I can become the unyielding shield in your hands and fight through obstacles together with you!"
"Imperial Scale… that's good!"
Derek Su nodded with an awkward smile.
The name fit Imperial Scale's performance—and even her special abilities—perfectly.
"So, should we leave now?"
"No, Master. We'll return to the auction seats first. There's still another auction coming up."
"Huh? Weren't you the last one?" Derek Su froze.
"Mecha Girls who weren't bought earlier get one final group auction at the end. There's one called TB-21—you can bid for her," Imperial Scale said calmly. "She's been with me for a long time. I wouldn't feel at ease if she were taken by someone else. When you negotiate the price, you can bring me along."
...
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