Mixed Blessing System

After listening to Lothur's questions, Annaliese ignored the bids and started talking about alchemy with him. "Well, pills are mighty resources, capable of changing the lives of their users from water to wine."

"Some can rejuvenate people near death by old age. Others can heal mortal injuries. The best of them are those that can improve our useful characteristics for cultivation or our professions."

"In the case of this pill being auctioned off, I believe it is extremely important for cultivators of virtually all professions. After all, senses are always important, no matter what area of knowledge we are talking about!"

"So, pills really can be described as mysterious and powerful." She laughed graciously, interested in how Lothur was looking at her. "As for the difference between them and potions, well, there is a big difference."

"Potions are liquid, while pills are solid. That implies that the absorption of these resources is done differently by our bodies."

"The consequence is that there are different uses for each of them."

"For example, potions are absorbed by our bodies more quickly than pills. In fact, while we had to circulate our energies in our bodies to use the medicinal effect of a pill, the same is not necessary for potions."

"Potions act directly. They are absorbed like water and therefore have faster and simpler effects."

"Oh? It seems that potions are better than pills..." Lothur commented in curiosity.

"No, pills are definitely much better." She smiled at his naive mistake. "Potions truly do have better effects in certain situations, but they have one flaw that is hard to correct..."

"The too easy absorption!"

"It might be nice to have high absorption in certain situations, but that diminished potions' potential. After all, if they are easily absorbed, then alchemists cannot concentrate much medicinal power on them. Otherwise, such a resource could quickly turn into poison!"

The difference between medicine and poison could be vast, but among the distinctions was the dose. The body could develop resistance without treating the problem if the dose was too low. On the other hand, if the dose was too high, it could easily exceed the body's limits and cause irreparable damage.

As such, potions were usually consumable resources with low medicinal concentration besides being more challenging to produce.

Precisely because of this, the potential of potions was not as great as that of pills!

Pills, however, being more difficult to absorb, could carry significant power in themselves, which could be absorbed by cultivators little by little.

Besides this tremendous positive point, while the effects of potions were limited to the fleshy body, pills could even influence the soul of cultivators!

Of course, this would require the one consuming such a pill to circulate his energies through his soul cultivation technique while the 'digestion' of the pill was taking place.

In any case, the potential of pills was indeed better than that of potions.

"But don't try to see pills and potions as competitors, Lothur. These are two products made by alchemists that are complementary, not competitors."

"Let's say you have an injury and are unconscious. So, in that situation, someone next to you using a potion on you is definitely more interesting and safer. But, on the other hand, after you regain some of your consciousness, using a proper pill could help you recover to a more significant extent."

"Anyway, that depends a lot on the circumstances. But pills and potions have their uses without nullifying each other."

"I see..."

She then continued. "As for alchemy, well, that is the second most important spiritual profession on our continent."

"The three most important professions in our continent are that of formation masters, then alchemy, and finally, the most common of all, that of combat masters."

"However, as much as alchemy is only second, it is definitely the most used among us cultivators. In fact, it is only not in the first place because mortals rarely use pills and potions. At the same time, formations solve almost every daily problem."

"But alchemy is vital since it is the only profession capable of manipulating an infinite variety of unique cultivation resources to produce effects useful to us cultivators."

"Poison masters can do something similar but are limited to using poisons to 'purify.' Therefore, never could the products of such a practitioner solve diseases or ailments not related to toxins. But alchemy can do that!"

"Because alchemy is so capable of solving problems, this profession is critical and naturally has a very high value for those who study it."

"So, the prices of certain pills can truly be as high as that one at auction. But pills of the same rank can have different values!"

"The price depends on what such resources can do." She finished her explanation while the most recent bid for that pill was already 81,000 silver coins.

After hearing that, Lothur was interested in learning about such a profession. Still, since he was already busy learning others at the moment, he just left a mental reminder to look for it in the future.

"111,000!" A slightly annoyed voice gave this bid, finally making other people competing for that pill fall silent.

"Any bids higher than the gentleman in room 31?" The auctioneer looked in the direction of the VIP rooms on the third floor of that area, with a hammer in his hand, waiting to give the signal.

Sensing no indication that there would be any new bids, that man counted to three until he slammed down his hammer, indicating the end of the bids for that pill. "Six Senses Pill sold to the senior in room 31 for 111,000 silver coins!"

After that, a few more minutes passed, and three other items were auctioned off, each with prices similar to or slightly higher than that pill.

But that was not strange to happen. After all, as much as items further along in the auction order were more valuable, the selling price at an event like this always depended on the intent of the potential buyers.

Hence, even the first items in such an event could be priced close to the last, which logically should be worth more.

In any case, during the time that had passed, Lothur and Annaliese just followed the bids, sometimes talking about the auctioned items but not bidding anymore.

But it was not that neither of them was interested, but that they were both out of coins!

Lothur only had the equivalent of 15,000 silver coins, which was not enough for him to join the initial bidding on these items. As for Annaliese, she had already spent more than 60% of her reserves, so naturally, she did not have enough coins to continue bidding.

But both were interested in seeing the last item of the evening, that Silver-grade armor!

"Do you think your family will try to buy that rumored armor? So far, they haven't made any offers..." Lothur commented.

"Well, my mother is only in this place to bid for that armor. So it's only natural that she hasn't bid on the other auctioned items just by being around."

While they were talking, a servant of that auction house finally arrived in that VIP room, carrying a large rectangular metal box with her.

"Dear guests, I am here to deliver your item." A woman dressed as a high-ranking servant commented as she bowed her head to those two, standing bent over between their armchairs.

Realizing what this visit was all about, Annaliese promptly tossed a bag full of coins to that woman and then put that metal box in her spatial ring.

After checking the number of coins, that servant wasted no more time there, having thanked Annaliese for her preference for this auction house, before departing from whence she came.

"When are you going to absorb that Soul Bone, Anna? Can I watch?" Lothur asked.

She nodded her head in agreement and said. "I will do that when we get home. Then I will call my sister, and you can come to watch me without my mother causing trouble."

"Hmm, thanks."

"By the way, may I take a look at this Soul Bone? I am curious to see such a thing..."

"Sure. When we get back, I'll let you take a closer look at it before I start absorbing it."

"Oh? OK then."

Following those words, the auctioneer came to the side of something shaped like a humanoid doll covered by a long black cloth.

"Dear guests, we are finally coming to the end of this occasion, with the evening's last but not least item!"

He then pulled the fabric from above that humanoid doll, finally revealing the outlines of the most anticipated item of the evening.

Everyone in that place fell silent. Even those on the second floor who had no chance of getting such a thing sat in their seats politely, watching the auction of the last item.

"That is a Silver-grade Armor that..."