Mixed Blessing System

After hearing this old man's question, Lothur and Viktoria quickly headed towards her residence together with this fellow.

Upon entering that place, they soon sat in the living room to find out what this person wanted.

"Well?" Viktoria asked as she sat next to her husband on a sofa, face to face with that man in an armchair.

He supported his elbows on his knees and leaned over to talk to Lothur about his interest here. "I am here to talk about you joining the Formation Masters Association council."

Lothur smiled as he heard this, remembering that Annaliese had said that his sincere and unthinking words had only been a strategy to attract the attention of the group behind Philip.

"Oh?" Viktoria looked with surprise at her husband, considering that she had already heard from him that he had rejected the first proposal regarding this Association.

'It looks like you're quite good, eh? Even though you 'slapped' the 'face' of the Association by refusing them in public, they are still willing to come after you for a second conversation...'

Lothur then said. "As I said, I'm not interested in responsibility, so..."

Lothur stopped his words there as he felt Viktoria's serious look as if she was cursing him.

Viktoria was obviously against such nonsense. After all, to be part of the Formation Masters Association council was a great honor and privilege for a few. So, how could this fool refusing such a benefit make her happy?

"Lothur, let's hear what he has to say first. Then we'll talk about it together." She said as she ignored Philip, looking meaningfully at her husband.

Philip thanked Viktoria in his mind for her saying those words and then continued after Lothur gestured for him to do so. "Well, Lothur, I heard your demands last night. So, I have not come here to offer you the same as before."

"I have already talked to one of my superiors about you, and he has authorized that your entry into the council will be special to fit what you want. We will give you all the freedom you want and access to our books, blueprints, etc. The only thing you will have to do is to be on the side of our group in the future."

"Oh?" Lothur was surprised by this. "What exactly do you mean by this?"

Philip replied. "There are several factions in our institution. From time to time, we have disputes concerning the change in leadership of the Association. So, what we ask is that you side with our faction."

"That is, we want you and the network of influence you eventually develop within the Association to vote for our faction and not stand against it. In other words, your political support."

"So that's it..." Lothur muttered, not thinking this would be problematic for him.

He did not mind choosing sides. As long as he did not have to take the lead or get involved in things outside of his interest just for the sake of others, he was okay with that.

"Well, if that's all it is, I'm interested." He said after thinking about it for a brief moment.

Philip smiled at those sweet words, but before he could say anything else, he was stopped by Viktoria's question. "Wait a moment. Is your group going to give all this to Lothur without him having to commit to anything else? How is that possible? Aren't you giving him too much?"

Viktoria was not trying to get in the way of her husband's deal with this man. Quite the opposite, she was trying to protect him from problems that perhaps that man was hiding.

That was because she knew there were no free lunches in the world. If these people were willing to give so much to Lothur in exchange for so little, there must be some trap or problem.

Therefore, having asked that question, she did not let those two continue.

Philip then smiled and explained. "Well, to get these benefits, Lothur will not receive financial or resource support from us. He will only receive access to our materials and buildings and the identity of a council member."

"But other than that, whatever resources or coins he desires, he will have to perform meritorious acts to gain such things."

The Formation Masters Association was like any other institution in this world. It invested in their most extraordinary talents in exchange for the possibility of being benefited by the power of these individuals.

While training these individuals, they would naturally make a series of commitments that helped the organization behind them. Eventually, most ended up in leadership positions, as elders or even de facto leaders.

But since Lothur did not want these, he could not receive the same resources as those who did commit!

She looked at him and said. "Are you sure you want this? It will be much better if you join them and receive full support from the Association."

That would not only be better for Lothur as a formation master but also for the Frost family. Since she was the future leader of that organization, this woman had to try to move her husband.

Philip looked hopefully at Lothur but then heard that fellow's refusal. "I am sure."

"I have no interest in becoming a full-time formation master. Doing such a thing would be a burden on my shoulders." He looked at Philip. "I prefer to get on with things in my way."

The old fellow sighed and relaxed his muscles, seeing that there was no means of moving this young man, a little disappointed, but pleased that Lothur at least accepted his proposal. "All right, going along with your ideas isn't bad..."

'We'll still have time to try to change that.' He looked at Viktoria and smiled before standing up and saying goodbye to them.

"Well, I'll take care of the bureaucratic matters, so you don't have to worry about anything. Just look for me once you want to use the library or anything else in our Association."

Lothur stood up and greeted that individual just before leading Philip to the exit door of Viktoria's residence.

Once they were alone, Viktoria looked at her husband and asked. "Why do you want to make things difficult? It would be much easier if you focused on being a formation master and eventually used your influence to help me..."

Lothur stood with his back to that door, looking at his beautiful wife, who was only half a meter away from him. "Just because this is the hardest way doesn't mean it will be the worst. The opposite, it's quite likely that the easiest path will be one of the greatest regrets."

"Just imagine what kind of life we would have if I became a formation master? I probably wouldn't have time to take care of my wives and would have a quiet life, full of bureaucracies to deal with..." He smiled at her.

"And that's a bad thing? Do you happen to prefer the instability and excitement of war?" She moved closer to him.

"No. But I believe it is wiser to use others to care for my business while I live my life as I wish."

"Why want to accept the burden of leadership when I can choose someone else to do it for me while I have fun with you?"

Viktoria felt moved by his words, but she contained her emotions as she remembered her responsibilities. "Sigh... You're no good, Lothur Ritter."

...