Mixed Blessing System

'Hmm, when I go to the Cultivation House, I must remember not to expose my previous situation with Willi and those two.'

'If I start looking for information from them after their deaths, the organization behind them might notice and consider it suspicious. So, I guess I should look for Willi's origin, considering we have a past together.' Lothur pondered as he had one of his hands on his chin.

'I can use the excuse that I haven't seen him in days...' He smiled, making Anneke think of the things on this young man's mind.

'A drinking buddy concerned about the disappearance of his companion. Perfect!'

"What? Why are you smiling?" Anneke asked as she could not help but smile as well because of the contagious smile of that attractive person.

Lothur then looked into her eyes and continued with his next question. "I just think that this won't be that difficult... Anyway, my other question is a little more complicated."

He saw that he had gotten Anneke's full attention and tried to express himself as evasively as possible. "Recently, I've been feeling strange in the Frost family. Some people there never seem to relax, full of tension, as if they live solving problems..."

"Can you tell me if something is going on in the province? I feel like a blind man in the middle of a gunfight. There are strange signs, but I'm lost given the lack of information."

"Oh?" Anneke was surprised at such a thing because the troubled situation of the Frost family was a common topic among cultivators.

The Frost House was powerful in Linn Province, with a lot of history and contacts, which definitely made it relevant regardless of the problems. But the origin of this family was also a problem, and again and again, this family faced challenges.

The powers created during the current dynasty were constantly growing in influence and power, while those from the era of the ten independent regions were declining. And since the Frost family had always tried to keep out of the political games of the capital, this power had naturally ostracized itself and attracted the interest of others.

At certain moments in history, it was possible to stay in a position of neutrality. However, most powers did not like such a thing, as it was more challenging to distinguish between allies and friends with such behavior.

And when decisive moments like the present one arrived, this family always suffered external pressures. Of course, that had happened in the past, but given this organization's great power in other times, it had overcome all the pressures in its path.

However, this family was no longer as strong at present. Their influence in Linn Province had already declined considerably, and the rival powers had moved closer to their position.

As such, this family had many current problems, and it was to be expected that the members of House Frost would be solving problems constantly, as Lothur had said.

Because these things had been going on for a long time, already being part of local history, Anneke was surprised that Lothur knew nothing about it. "It seems that despite your hiding, some of the rumors about you are true..." She said this after a long sigh.

Upon hearing this, Lothur was not offended, only having smiled awkwardly, waiting for this woman's response.

"Anyway, I think that for you to understand this, we would need a long conversation... But I don't have time for that at the moment."

"Then how about this? Let's arrange to have lunch together tomorrow, and at that time, I'll tell you a few things." She looked at him thoughtfully, showing her commitment as a teacher. "In the meantime, study a little more about the history of Peters City. That is content you should have learned by now if you have not entered this academy so late."

"Anyway, this will help you understand a little more about your family, and when we talk, I will remove your remaining doubts."

Finishing listening to Anneke's words, Lothur smiled in satisfaction, interested in how this woman had made herself available to help him regarding this matter.

"Anne, you..."

But before he misunderstood the situation, she made a point of clarifying everything. "Don't misunderstand me. That is not a date. If you want to know, I'm doing this for two reasons."

"Oh?"

"First, this is my job as a teacher. You have a question that is directly related to my subject. So, it's only natural that I try to help you."

"On the other hand, if you want to have this lunch with me, you will have to give me something in return." She smiled, thinking of the mystery behind this who was the most attractive man in the academy.

She naturally would not be persuaded by his attractiveness alone. But hell, Anneke was not an icy woman who sealed off from her life those things that might stimulate her. On the contrary, she was someone who had a curious personality and who could not ignore the mysteries behind Lothur.

Considering also how active he was in trying to approach her, she considered the idea of allowing him to do so while she would have the opportunity to satisfy her curiosity.

The fact that he was handsome was also important, but that was more like a bonus for her and not her goal. Therefore, she had not missed the opportunity to negotiate with him.

"Hehe, if you want my body as payment, I don't see a problem with that..." Lothur said this as he moved closer to her, playing with his beautiful teacher.

"Tsk!"

"Could that be considered payment?" She laughed, not bothered by his words since she already understood his personality well enough at this point. "I think you're the one who would be getting a payment in that situation..."

"Don't be so sure... But anyway, as long as it's something I can do without too much trouble, I'm willing to give you whatever you want."

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow then. Go to this place." She handed him a small paper card with the logo of one of the restaurants in Sector-4.

...

After his brief conversation with Anneke, Lothur made his way to the trading area in Sector-1, where he intended to sell the parts of the Giant Tropical Spider.

And quickly, he arrived at one of the buildings surrounding the square where the ranking of the students was projected in this sector.

Such a place looked like a big marketplace, where several stalls with posters were well organized in aisles with specific purposes in an area of hundreds of square meters.

For example, there were aisles there that only had people trading formations. Others just pills and potions, weapons, everyday items, clothes, etc. Besides that, there was a large circular reception in the center of that area, where several people were standing around.

Above that reception, a formation that projected images presented a set of information that Lothur had no idea what it meant.

And not knowing where to start in that place, he immediately made his way to one of the people in that reception.

"Hello, I have an item to trade, but I don't know exactly how to proceed in this place." He said as he stopped next to a young man who looked younger than him and was at level 2.

Noticing the person who had taken him out of his focus, the student who was there because of one of the many missions available in this sector, then looked at Lothur intently.

'Hmmm?' He found it strange to see someone so distinguished in front of him, already feeling a fit of anger towards Lothur. 'That appearance... Tsk!'

'Lucky bastard!'

He then said in a disinterested tone. "If you don't have the permission to set up a trading stall here, then you can only trade items in the collective trading room."

"In that room, if you are going to buy, then follow this direction..." He pointed to a particular place. "There, you can buy what you want."

"But this is not an auction. You can negotiate directly with the owners of items for sale, so there's no point in you just bidding the highest."

"If you want to sell, you must go through the item evaluation area..." He pointed to another place. "There, your items will be checked, and if it's not a fake, you can display them in the collective trading room."

After hearing this, Lothur quickly made his way towards that place indicated by such a person.

Meanwhile, a woman approached that student and said. "Wow! That guy looks as handsome as the description of the individual that Chief Valentin is after..."

"What?" That young man said in surprise, not realizing that fundamental fact when he saw Lothur's annoying face.

...