The transaction was seamless. To an outsider, it looked like he was simply "charging" a battery to pay for a service. But in reality, the ship was drinking. And if a customer wanted a refund?
Thomas would simply have the ship "discharge" the stored Qi back into a crystal for them to take away. He'd lose the energy, but he'd gain the trust. And in a business like this, trust was the ultimate hook.
"I have the drinks, I have the staff, and now I have the bank," Thomas looked out into the white fog, a predatory glint in his eyes. "Now, let's see who's thirsty."
Thomas watched the crystal in his hand with a clinical eye. When he requested a refund, the ship's core hummed, and the exact amount of Qi he had deposited flowed back into the crystal, ready to be reabsorbed into his body. The system worked because the "Lounge Crystals" had a strict capacity limit, acting as a buffer between the ship's hunger and the customer's soul.
