"Now that I think about it, isn't the choice obvious?"
Ludo questioned why he even had to think about it any further.
The Virtual AI Assistant sounded like the most advanced and powerful technology of the three, and the price reflected that.
Of course, the other two also seemed promising, but in the end Ludo had set them aside for this one.
The HALIA system was cheap, but its effectiveness was nullified in the face of the Virtual AI assistant, as not only could the Virtual AI assistant do the exact same things, it was a much more powerful AI tool in general and was multi-purpose.
As for the Next gen encryption software, he felt that while its importance was likely on par with the Virtual AI assistant, its specific uses for him were lower and its market potential much more limited.
However the thing that most affected his decision, was one simple thing that could have been overlooked if one wasn't paying enough attention.
In the description of the Virtual AI Assistant, the Galactic Terminal described it as 'on the cusp of being a Middle level 1 technology', which basically sealed the deal for Ludo.
Earth had only just really entered its AI phase, and so it remained one of the few technologies in the Basic level 1 category that they lagged behind in — and choosing a technology that was very nearly of a higher rank only further cemented that gap.
At the very least — unless the governments across the world had hidden away the real powerful AI research — this Virtual AI assistant would be the cutting edge if introduced.
Naturally, this presented a perfect opportunity for Ludo.
Even if the government had powerful AI technology hidden away for their own personal use and research, he doubted they were on the level of this!
But before Ludo made any purchases, there were some things he had to consider, which left him to remain skeptical.
"If I buy this technology, how will it be delivered to me?" He asked the Galactic Terminal, unsure if it would even answer.
It was already clear to him that the terminal itself likely had an extremely powerful AI installed, so it could at least exchange a back and forth conversation with him should he have some questions.
[For purchases of technologies, their schematics, blueprints, instructions and all the research behind it will be delivered straight to your Galactic Terminal across the Galactic Net — providing privacy and security to the extreme with some of the most powerful encryption methods in place to protect you. The seller will have no idea who, what, or where the buyer is — that can be assured.]
[However, for purchases of physical items, it is not so simple. Deliveries will be made by our trusted Galactic Courier partner companies, so keeping your location and basic personal information hidden would not be possible if you wanted to receive them. Such purchases must be made after careful consideration, and the risks are carried by you alone.]
Ludo was glad he had asked this question before making a purchase, as he had potentially just saved himself, and Earth, from something extremely dangerous.
Revealing their location to their interstellar neighbours.
The last thing Ludo wanted to do was invite aliens to come visit, even if they were supposedly partnered with the company that had produced the Galactic Terminal.
If they were anything like humans, he knew he couldn't trust them to do no harm out of the goodness in their hearts.
Especially after seeing that even slaves were sold on the trading hub, showing that even if the Overseers of the Galactic Net didn't partake in the act itself, they weren't against it either.
'Thankfully, all the technologies are sent digitally, keeping all the sensitive information hidden. This at least lets me continue with my plans mostly unhindered for the time being.'
However, carefully reading through made him realise that the protection only covered from from the seller. It said nothing of those behind the trading hub knowing his location.
Though he already knew this, as the first thing it did after setting it up was scan his location.
But the deed was already done.
With his decision made, he purchased the technology behind the Virtual AI Assistant, along with one of the Next Gen Encryption software.
Even though the encryption software wasn't a technology, it was still a digital item, so it would be sent over just the same as any other technology.
As for why he bought it… why wouldn't he?
It was cheap, just 80 credits, and it was ahead of all the other encryption technology on Earth.
Considering he was going to be saving some sensitive and highly secretive technologies and developing them in the coming years, he most definitely wanted to keep it safely protected behind a solid firewall.
Even if a cyber attack by the most powerful supercomputer on the planet were to be launched against it, he would have plenty of time to fight back, or purchase an even stronger encryption method in the future, should he have the credits at that point.
[Purchase complete. 7655.8 credits have been deducted from your balance.]
[Remaining balance: 526.2 credits]
'Wait, what??'
At first, Ludo was exuberant seeing the purchase had been successful, but then he noticed that the price was higher than was advertised.
[A 1% delivery fee is charged for every Virtual item purchased from the Trading Hub.]
And then he found the culprit behind this — a goddamn hidden fee!
"F*cking capitalism!"
He cursed, but there was nothing he could do about it but comply.
Thankfully, his total credits before this came to 8182, so he had enough to afford it regardless of the hidden delivery fee, but it still left him with less than he'd anticipated after the transaction had gone through.
Though it annoyed him now that with every transaction he made in the future, he had to essentially overpay. But it was something he was willing to forgive, since they were delivering it across light years of space, after all.
He was also quick to note that the 1% was for virtual items only as well… He was already dreading the day he eventually bought something physical, only to see what kind of hidden fees they charged for that.
Delivering something physical had to be much more expensive than just transmitting some data, he knew that much.
"I wonder how long it'll take for the information to reach me…" He wondered, slightly worried.
After all, with the current limits of Earth, we can only send information across the universe at the speed of light.
Which was to say that, would Ludo have to wait years before he even received the technology he'd just purchased?
Did he make the wrong decision? Was he too hasty in setting his plans in motion?
This nagged on his mind the more he thought about it, and the seconds passed by with seemingly nothing occurring, worrying him even more.
However, it seemed his worries were unfounded, as that next moment, the screen on his Galactic Terminal lit up.
[Received 2 items: Next Gen Encryption software, Virtual AI Assistant technology.]