Universal Market

The universal market is a Dalmer interconnected trade area network that links all buyers and sellers of the empire. It can be accessed from the Aether Web, or from physical sellers such as trader bots. 
Since the creation of the Universal Market via Aether Web, it is possible to order personalized items from a number of small businesses using Warpnet. The universal market is linked to the massive IECCC automated factories of Pentagon to supply the countless goods and materials required by the empire.
== Supply ==
Main Article: Supply and demand of the Universal Market, Provider program
Most goods are supplied by the IECCC (Imperial Elector Contributor Consumer Complex) which produces most of the goods for the empire. Other sources of goods can be supplied to the universal market from the outside. Knights Expeditionary and adventurers are suppliers of the universal market, the treasure they find on their adventures is eventually sold on the market. Loot from campaigns is also sold on the universal market. Suppliers can either sell to the market for profit or a portion of their treasure is taken by the fiscal institution.
The universal market uses algorithms in order to manage automated vendors (such as trader bots).
== Services ==
===Gross barter system===
The user can sell and buy any item to any robotic shopkeep, who will propose a price. The user can propose a new price, and according to its clearances, privileges and achievements the shopkeep can accept or refuse. Insistence on a price will reduce the shopkeepers disposition, leading to higher prices on further transactions.
===Public Access Storage===
The Public Access Storage is a public auctioning system. When an inventory is full, items are sent to the PSS, when the PSS is full, the item is sent to Public Access Storage where the items are auctioned. Every adventurer has an aether web inventory managed by a personal AI butler who can be summoned via traditional warping. 
== Limits ==
=== The limits of the universal market ===
The universal market is not foolproof, as attested by the actions of the Sandor, who manage to sell off their illegal goods without detection on the universal market.
The algorithm isn’t perfect, as attested by the Alchemist who managed to trick the algorithm into constantly resupplying the vendor bots with cash to buy his expensive concoctions. The algorithm was later retooled to counter this practice.
=== Provider duplication glitch ===
Crafty dalmer take chests from one area and move them illegally two quadrants away from its original position. This causes providers to replace the previous chest and its contents, meaning its contents can be duplicated infinitely. 
Unregulated products cannot be sold on the universal market, giving room for the parallel economy to exist.
=== State competition act ===
The obligation for the government of each elected kingdom to have a state run industry equivalent for all types of trades and businesses. This is done as a means of price control via state run competition, as well as to prevent the loss of technical skills by the state inherent to each of these sectors.
== The parallel economy ==
Main Article: The Parallel Economy in Dalmer Economics
The parallel economy is simply the trade of goods that are not found on the universal market, for reasons of safety or because they were elected out of public circulation. These markets are run for profit or simply the thrill of illegality, and the role of the first responders is to regulate it. Forced labor, illegal drugs, weapons, racketeering and counterfeiting are just examples of the parallel economies markets, and gangs fight for the control of these markets.
=== Ownership Issues ===
Ownership is also an issue on the universal market, as stolen objects cannot be sold there (thanks to ID tags). However some users can bypass vendor bots programming to sell stolen objects on the universal market. As such fence networks are a concern for police forces all over the empire, and several task forces are created to combat them.
The universal market is vast and difficult to control or regulate effectively, as some regions of the empire are completely dependent on the universal market for access to certain resources.
There are clear market trends on the universal market, metals and construction materials for example are constantly under great demand.
The market is supplied from various sources, civilians can sell their wares on the market, but most of the supplies come from automated industries, or from independent agents on the field.
== Provider Robots ==
Main Article: Provider Robots
Provider robots are also an essential tool for the universal market as they resupply areas with goods and materials. When provider robots harvest resources, half of the harvest goes to the universal market, the other half goes to the settlement the robot is supplying.
The Artificer Warper class combat robot, for example has two missions pertaining to the acquisition of sources of wealth and technology for the universal market. This is to the point that many robots operate their own black market businesses on the side, selling contraband, coordinating the bets when a fight breaks out and then looting the resulting corpses to feed the universal market and the circular economy.
As a result, Dalmer merchants have no interest beyond their need for new and exotic items. They will buy and sell whatever the customer has to buy or sell, as they know they can always sell their wares on the universal market.
The Spur is an alternative to the universal market that exists in Thimeran, how this works exactly is unknown.
When access to the Aether Web is impossible, alternative supply lines, such as train systems are used to buy and sell goods to the universal market.
=== PIWC Chests ===
Main Article: Programmable inventory warp conduit chests
Programmable inventory warp conduit chests are containers that respawn goods via warp conduits that are programmable with what to warp in. This causes Dalmer chests to be prized possessions for other races. The chests are restocked in the inventory by provider robots. 
=== Inventory Assistant ===
The Inventory Assistant is an AI assistant with limited telekinetic ability that places the object, if scannable, into the users inventory in the Public Storage System (PSS) the watch doctor has access to all first aid and healing items in the inventory, ForgeAssist with access to scrap, Alchemyfriend with access to ingredients, Cookout with access to food, Armoright with access to scrolls and weapons. 
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Category:Unfinished articles
Category:Dalmer Economy