Mixed Blessing System

'Are you trying to seduce me?' He smiled at the thought of that possibility, finding it a funny thing if that were indeed the case. 'If that's the case, I'm afraid I'll soon have two sisters by my side...'

'Good!'

'I've always longed to be with twins. It's just a pity that I wasn't lucky enough to meet any in my previous life. But if she really...' He looked at Viktoria's pink lips and remembered his kisses with Anna. 'Hmm, looks like you'll be in my arms sooner than I planned...'

'Haha, honey, I don't know why you're trying this, but you've already lost in this game!' He finally left Viktoria's residence, surprised by his wife's behavior.

As he walked towards his room, Viktoria opened her eyes as she stood in the same position Lothur had left her on that bed.

'I guess it worked.' Viktoria smiled as she thought about how Lothur had touched her hair when she had 'fallen asleep.'

She then got up and promptly used her hands to put her hair back in place, feeling slightly uncomfortable from the touches she had allowed him today. 'How long will I have to do that? Hmm, I guess I should keep talking to Karen about it...'

...

After Lothur left Viktoria's residence, he stopped by his room and then went to train his combat techniques in one of the more secluded areas of the Frost estate.

Having done this for almost two hours, he returned to his room with his clothes drenched in sweat. However, even though he trained hard, he only gained 0.5 attribute points in this period.

In any case, at his current progress rate, Lothur felt that he could reach level 5 by the weekend when he and Elke would leave for a mission outside Peters City.

Thus, he was not disappointed at all with his recent results!

'If I advance to level 5 by the weekend, after my mission with Elke, I will enroll in the Cultivation House. With that, I'll already be able to do a mission with Annaliese...' He pondered as he stepped into the shower.

'Hmm. With that, I'll be able to have a weekend with Annaliese alone, which will be good for my training and my relationship with her...' He smiled as he planned his next steps.

After he finished cleaning himself up, it did not take long for him to get dressed and get the materials he needed to put his tailoring skills into practice for the first time.

'I made the design for a special glove that is supposed to increase the grip between its surface and others but can also protect the wearer from friction with tools and surfaces.' He looked at the design in his hands while the materials needed for this item were spread out on the floor in front of where he was sitting.

'From what I have learned in the many books I have read since coming to this world, not only is Concordia's transportation deficient, but also the technologies needed for common activities such as mining and farming.'

He took his eyes off that drawing and looked at a small candle. 'The most powerful people in this world are cultivators, but many of them don't pay the slightest attention to mortals. And even considering these individuals can produce many riches useful to cultivators, ordinary technologies are still scarce.'

'The tools of these common workers are better than those seen on Earth, but they are not sophisticated.' He remembered that although the tools used in those two activities in this world were more complex than those on Earth, that was all.

For example, there were no items as sophisticated as tools that could do the job of dozens of people. No, many mortals were employed or, in some cases, enslaved to work on a piece of land or a mine.

Because of this simplicity, Lothur had designed something that could be sold for ordinary mortals to use in their activities and facilitate their services.

The glove in question that he was about to start making could make climbing easier, lessen the discomfort of working with tools, improve strength and handling, etc. In short, such a glove could increase the wearer's productivity efficiency!

What Lothur was doing was an experiment, but if it worked, it could eventually become his competitive advantage over others in this world.

Some things he invented he would keep for himself and the organization he created. But others, he was not against spreading throughout this world.

After all, as much as keeping certain things for himself was good, it was only worth it if it was done to create an item of even greater added value. Otherwise, it was simply more interesting to popularize certain products.

For example, what was more profitable on Earth, selling food or tractors? The creators of tractors could keep such means for themselves and produce food more cheaply than competitors. However, it was simply more profitable for them not to get involved in direct food production, stay just with the tractors, and sell them to farmers.

That is what Lothur intended to do with some of his creations!

With this in mind, he soon began to handle the ingredients needed for the glove in question and the tools useful for 'joining' certain parts of this project.

With his movements, he was constantly using his senses related to sight, touch, and even smell since even flames could be used in the mold of an artifact. So, he had to pay attention not to burn such materials. But the most critical thing there was his perception regarding the properties of the materials at hand, which was greatly facilitated by the system's information.

At the same time, by moving a large needle between some fabrics, Lothur was using all his Dexterity for the first time in this world. With this, he soon realized that, although Dexterity was useful when manipulating weapons, the main point of it was definitely at times like the present.

In other words, Dexterity was more useful outside battles, in spiritual professions that demanded great precision in hand movements!

Following the steps necessary for producing his glove, it was not long before sweat began to break out on Lothur's face, a sign not of physical fatigue but mental exhaustion.

'Interesting...' He pondered as he realized his situation. 'In fighting, virtually all pain and exertion is related to the physical. But hardly a warrior feels great mental fatigue after a battle.'

'With spiritual professionals, that seems to be the opposite... I'm not feeling physically tired, but I feel my mind extremely overloaded.' He finally let go of the instruments in hand, deciding to stop there.

'I've already completed 60% of this glove, but I'd better leave it until tomorrow. With my current situation, if I continue, I might make a mistake and ruin my last 70 minutes of effort.'

"Sigh!"

"Bedtime!" He muttered before drying his face on a towel and falling into his bed.

...

The next day he went on with his usual routine until mid-afternoon and went to the Sector-1 mission hall, where at this moment, he was standing in front of the mural that had dozens of options for him.

'These Sector-1 missions are really simple...'

'Sigh, it's a waste of time for someone like me to be limited with such simple things.' So, he pondered, ignoring the people in the surrounding area staring at him. 'After my mission with Elke, I think I'll have enough merit points and knowledge to attempt the sector advancement exam.'

'Hmm, I'll do that!'

After putting that matter aside, he found a poster that had a mission that more or less caught his attention.

'That...'

'Missing wife investigation mission.' He read the title before checking the smaller letters where the details were.

In doing so, it did not take Lothur long to understand the basics of that mission.

In short, it had been posted by a husband and father concerned about the whereabouts of his wife, who had disappeared without a trace for almost three months.

This woman named Suse Horn, who was supposed to be just a mortal, had been acting suspiciously for days before her disappearance. And then, after going out shopping one afternoon, she had never returned.

Her husband, Otto Waltz, another mortal, was not looking for much. He just wanted information that might resolve the doubts in his heart.

The prize for this mission was 500 bronze coins and 50 merit points, and there was no deadline for it to be completed. If someone could bring good or bad news to the husband, such a person would get those rewards.

'A missing wife, huh? Well, in cases like that, there aren't many options...' Lothur closed his eyes and decided to take this assignment. 'One, she died. Two, she abandoned her husband for someone else. Three, she's been captured and now has her freedom limited.'

'In any case, I already feel sorry for that family. It will be difficult for them to return to normal... Anyway, this might help me train my investigative ability and still accumulate merit points.'