Mixed Blessing System

'The Red Gauntlet looks interesting, but I will eventually get a similar ability when I learn soul cultivation...' Lothur pondered this point.

An external item could sometimes give its user abilities equal to abilities that higher-level cultivators could exercise.

Not everyone had promising cultivation talents, so items like this were a means for weaker people to protect themselves and even challenge stronger ones.

Of course, this was not a viable means since items of this kind were costly, that is, for the few.

Anyway, items with abilities like this existed, and, of course, they had their advantages to justify their price. After all, what good would it do to spend millions of coins on something identical to that developed with the power increase itself?

Hence, external items could give special abilities to weak people, but they also had their advantages.

For example, that gauntlet could be used by someone as weak as Lothur. Still, it would have an effect many times greater than the natural ability of a 2nd stage cultivator.

A natural ability similar to this in a 2nd stage cultivator would, at most, serve to attract small objects. But, on the other hand, such an artifact could attract or repel even a bull, even if used by a 1st stage cultivator!

But Lothur did not want to take an artifact that had an ability he could acquire later, considering he had few options here.

If he could take whatever he wanted, he would not hesitate to take such a gauntlet and all the other items he saw. But since he had to choose only two and had already taken one, he could only give up the Red Gauntlet.

'I'll take you!' He picked up the Space Belt, the quasi-Gold artifact capable of teleporting the user over short distances.

Such an item was fascinating to have the ability to save its user's life by using this as a method of escape. At the same time, in a surprise attack, this could play a key role in landing a decisive blow at a vital point of a dangerous opponent.

Because of these possibilities, Lothur chose an artifact that could be worn as part of his attire without drawing too much attention.

"Very well, I have already chosen my items, Viktoria." He looked at his wife and saw her with the two items he had suggested in her hands. "What do we do now?"

She saw the belt on her husband's waist and the staff in one of his hands. "If you have already chosen, we will return. There is no need to do anything else. When we leave this place, the Memory Crystal will undo its connection to these items, and we can use them in any way we prefer."

"So that's it?" He started walking beside her, feeling satisfied with his gains with the Frost family but also relaxed that he had not had to face any tests in this place.

How ridiculous would it not be for him to have to pass a test when he had already been rewarded for his actions?

So, in the blink of an eye, the two passed through the large gate they had passed about 26 hours ago, finding the same elder as before standing there.

"Oh? Have you finally returned? I thought I would have to force you out." Such a person commented as he looked at the two of them intently.

He could not sense anything from Lothur, but he recognized some of the artifacts with this young man that he had no idea what they were for.

Since he did not know the value of those things and could not sense Lothur's improvements, he just ignored this young man who probably wasted the chance he had.

Thus, this individual focused on Viktoria, who had significantly raised her powers in that place.

"What?" He stood up from where he was sitting, feeling shocked by the unbelievable level increase of this beautiful young woman. "What happened? How did you improve so much in this place? I thought you weren't going to choose anything."

This man had seen Viktoria enter the family treasury three times in the past. She had only taken out one item each time, although she had a chance for more.

Two of them had been the Soul Bones she had in her body, and another had been one of those little fruits, which she had given to her father to trade...

So seeing this woman has changed so much and still with two other artifacts in her hands, that man could not help but question her.

Viktoria then commented. "I will report back to my father. I have some updates on this place to give him, but first, I need to get some rest."

This man frowned, noting that Viktoria looked tired, even though her powers had increased so much.

He stopped questioning her and said. "Very well. Go and get some rest. In any case, it's good that you took advantage of the opportunity..."

With that, the two departed, quickly making their way toward Viktoria's old home within the Frost estate.

...

Upon arriving at the house in question, the two quickly began to analyze their items.

Viktoria was going to give the eye patch to Annaliese, as Lothur had suggested since she was not selfish. But still, she would test that item to get a realistic feel of the magical abilities her husband had promised.

On the other hand, Lothur was trying to understand his two new artifacts. He tried to understand the staff first but soon gave up since he could not feel anything from it either.

He then tested the belt at his waist, trying to command it to do what he wanted.

As he did so, he felt a special connection with that thing forming, quickly making him feel as if a sphere of energy had enveloped a space up to 25 meters from him.

'Oh? Is that how it works?' He was surprised to notice that that item did not require him to infuse his energies into it directly.

When he put the belt around his waist and tried to connect to that artifact, the thing immediately started sucking in his energies.

Such a thing did not need to suck energy directly from the soul. Instead, it could do this with the energy in Lothur's muscles, which made it possible for anyone with the ability to cultivate to use this artifact.

Unfortunately for Lothur, he was too weak. By his estimation, he could only make two teleports within that range before he was exhausted.

'It seems this is truly an item to use at decisive moments...' He understood such a thing but did not regret it since it was useful.

'Now all that's left is you... How will I test you?' He bitterly smiled as he looked at his Gold-grade artifact.

"What will we do now?" Viktoria asked as she checked the two items in her hands, noting that Lothur had gotten everything right.

Since she had been pleased with his thought of giving the best item for cultivation to Annaliese, who was less talented than she was, Viktoria felt warm, wanting to have fun with him.

"I guess we'll have to spend the night here, won't we? You are weakened, so it will be dangerous to return to our house." He commented, sighing at having to sleep on the same property as Mabel.

...