Mixed Blessing System

After a brief conversation between those three about the transportation problems in Peters City and Linn Province, they arrived at the local Formation Masters Association.

Jacob was interested in stopping by to pick up a formation he had ordered on his last visit to this city. Because of this, they quickly made their way to the interior of a building in the city's central area, which looked like an inverted triangular pyramid trunk covered by glass windows.

When they arrived at the entrance hall of this place, their group immediately came across a large well-lit area that had several screens containing information about what newcomers could find there.

There were directions to teaching facilities in that building, such as libraries and stores specializing in the sale of books and items needed to produce formations.

The Formation Masters Association was an institution present not only in this city but throughout Concordia. And as such, it was not just an institution for meetings of formations masters. No, it was aimed at teaching and developing what was by far the most critical spiritual profession in this world!

However, unlike other institutions of reputation, this organization, despite its influence, had no real power.

Its members were merely individuals who belonged to other organizations or were rogue cultivators, people who joined the association to learn, pass on, or test their skills.

Thus, this institution had no missions for its members, was not involved in political matters, and was merely a place to meet, teach and develop this profession.

Anyway, in that entrance hall, there were also directions to the area where some formations masters stores that were still in training trad their products.

Such people had no way of supporting their stores or having enough customers to not depend on popular places like that. So, low-level professionals were usually found there and not in stores around the city.

In fact, this was not only the case in the Formation Masters Association but in most of the spiritual professions in this world.

Beginners, that is, 1-star practitioners, were usually just apprentices, and their items were traded in their masters' establishments or places like this association.

For this reason, Jacob had ordered his item of interest at this place and not at a store around this city.

He did not need high-level items, and the variety of low-level items in this place was much greater than in stores around the city!

So, this place was better for people like him!

Seeing those directions, Jacob led the group to where he had ordered his low-level formation.

'That place is interesting...' Lothur thought about it as he observed the surroundings, feeling that perhaps he should pay more attention to this profession than he had planned.

'From what little I've learned, it's the formations that explain how certain technologies in this world work, as in the case of lamps that don't use electricity as a power source.' He pondered this as he walked alongside Elke, behind Jacob amid that entrance hall with several people coming and going.

Formations were nothing more than spiritual devices that, in a practical way, manipulated the laws of this world to perform specific tasks.

That was obviously not something simple, and it did not have tremendous results either. For example, a high-level formation could alter the passage of time in an area. Still, it was impossible to use a similar device to, for example, reverse an injury, turn back time, resurrect the dead, etc.

In short, formations manipulated the laws of this world superficially without touching their core!

What formations typically did include manipulating the concentration of spiritual energy in an area, enhancing the properties of objects, and transforming spiritual energy into light energy.

One can suppose that this world's laws were, let's just say, disorganized atoms mixed in not-so-interesting ways, like certain minerals in a quarry. But, on the other hand, formations were like the process that could, for example, turn iron ore into ingots, something much stronger and more valuable.

Formations took the chaotic laws between heaven and earth, gently manipulated them, and resulted in the final product, for example, an item capable of illuminating the darkness.

Thinking about how vital formations could be in this world, Lothur did not underestimate this profession.

Unlike medicine, he felt that learning it was a must for him.

He did not yet know how useful this could be on his journey, nor if such an area could help him in his plans to earn coins with a transport company. But he already wanted to get closer to this field!

He then asked Elke. "Hey, what is required for someone to join this association? Does such a person need to be a formation master, or is it possible to start in this profession here?"

Hearing that, Elke remembered Lothur's talent rating and was curious if he would try to learn this profession. "As far as I know, to become a member of the association, you need to take an entrance test that evaluates your knowledge regarding formations."

"So it is impossible for someone without any knowledge in that profession to become a member of this institution."

"Anyway, if I'm not mistaken, at the end of such a test, the candidate needs to create an Iron-grade formation with at least 30% efficiency."

"The candidate who manages to pass all the tests then earns the 1-star formation master badge, as well as the membership card, something necessary to practice that profession."

"Oh? Can't one become a formation master on their own? Then why does someone need an associate card to practice the profession?" He asked in doubt.

"You can learn any profession on your own. But someone without the recognition of the Formation Masters Association can't open their store in cities, and hardly anyone would buy their products."

"After all, poorly produced formations can quickly lose their effects or even cause accidents..."

Hearing that, Jacob completed Elke's speech. "In addition, some products needed for the development of formations can also be used in producing some mass destruction weapons."

"Such weapons have their production limited by the imperial family, so only people with high-level credentials and good contacts in such institutions can access that."

"I see..."

Lothur realized more about this vast world, muttering in a low voice. "So this association is as a regulator of this profession..."

"And how does someone learn the basics of that profession? Don't tell me that only people from families focused on that profession get that?"

The formation master's field was lucrative. So, Lothur did not ignore the possibility that powers in that occupation would concentrate on the techniques and theory behind formations to ensure their profits.

But thinking like that, he was underestimating this cultivation world too much.

He then heard Elke's sweet voice. "Don't worry. Here in this association, there is a store where all the basic books are sold."

"Before we leave, we can stop by there." She suggested in a low voice.

Lothur was right in thinking that powers would try to concentrate on information and techniques. But he was wrong to think such organizations would go so far as to make it difficult for new people to enter that domain.

Learning a spiritual profession was like cultivation itself, challenging. Depending on the profession, one must have good talent and other skills to grow within such a specialization.

Even if it was undesirable to increase competition, such organizations did not restrict the entry of novices into their professions. It was so difficult for someone without a solid background to surpass the 1-star level that it did not make sense to restrict that!

Thus, anyone with coins could buy the books and low-level items needed to learn a profession, be it that of formation masters, blacksmiths, etc.

There was nothing to block a person's start in one of these fields other than that individual's own limitations!

And learning about this, Lothur smiled, interested in starting to learn such a thing.

"Hmm, let's do that later." He said to Elke just before they finally reached where Jacob was to pick up his item.

...