While showering, Kaizen also cultivated to recover his Qi, efficiently dual tasking.
With the amount of Qi he had, any other rank 1 in his place would only be able to fight a single battle while using their cultivation skills.
He, on the other hand, had fought five. It was solely because his control was absurdly precise, wasting almost nothing.
However, that was his limit, therefore he would still have to rest and recover some Qi before stepping outside again.
After changing into a fresh set of clothes laid out for him, Kaizen followed a guard to a luxurious restaurant not far from his residence.
"Please enter, Fifth Prince, I'll stay guard outside."
Inside, he realized the entire place had been reserved. Only one woman sat at a beautifully decorated table.
She had long black hair flowing freely over her shoulders, her cheekbones high and her jawline firm, much like her two sons.
But unlike them, her eyes were a piercing blood red rather than black. They should have made her seem distant, sharpened and intimidating.
Yet, the soft smile she wore softened everything, dimples forming faintly at her cheeks.
"You have finally woken up," she whispered.
Her eyes glistened, tears threatening to fall, though she held them back.
To Kaizen, she was a stranger in all but name, so he could not match her emotion.
He offered an awkward smile and sat across from her.
"I ordered a few dishes. Try them and see which ones you like.
"You probably did not develop a proper taste for food yet, having swallowed treasures all your life. Take your time. If you like something, tell me."
Naturally, Kaizen didn't correct her misunderstanding, but instead began eating the food before him after nodding once.
"I know you do not know me," she continued softly.
"You have no reason to see me or accept anything from me. But let me show you a little affection, at least from my side.
"The same goes for your brother. If you need anything, say so, and we will do whatever we can."
Kaizen shook his head.
"I don't desire anything. Safety is my only concern temporarily so I can grow stronger and protect myself."
Katherine nodded, it was a reasonable goal. When anything and everything felt foreign, one's instinctive desire was safety.
"Don't say you don't want anything. Let me at least help you in some way. Did Adrian tell you not to burden me?
"That child has always been rather mature for his age. The only thing he has ever liked is collecting information and tinkering with various artifacts, so I've supported him in whatever he wanted.
"I did not object even when he abandoned his claim to the throne. So you don't need to be ashamed or afraid to ask me anything."
Kaizen hesitated, but stayed firm on the instruction his elder brother had given him. Don't burden mom.
Besides, he truly did not need anything right now. He had enough funds to start his practice in both domains.
Once he grew a bit more powerful, he could completely start making more money without relying on anyone.
"You really don't want to say anything?"
"Potatoes."
Her eyebrows lifted, looking him in the eye before realising what he meant.
"Oh, you liked potatoes? I will order more of those dishes."
Kaizen's thoughts had derailed briefly, but he was thankful that he hadn't done anything weird.
"Well," she said with a small laugh, "I am quite good at acquiring resources. If you ever need anything, you can always come to me."
Her laugh felt peculiar, but he paid it no heed.
The mother and son continued their talk till both of them had their fill of lunch, at the end of which Katherine spoke.
"Since you haven't asked for anything, I'll help you in my own way."
Before Kaizen could say anything, Katherine reached over, ruffled his hair with a gentle smile, mouthed goodbye, and walked out.
Well, that settles it. I should have no more people to meet.
Kaizen heaved a sigh of relief, then left the restaurant, heading towards the nearest market.
Since he had the Artifact Refiner class, he had to have some blueprints, right?
Unlike Cultivators and Oathkeepers, who relied on cultivation skills, the three creation domains, alchemy, artifact refining and formation making didn't have skills. They relied on blueprints.
Aye wait, instead of searching the market, isn't it better if I buy from the system?
System, you said you can make anything if given energy, can you make blueprints for Artifact Refining class?
[I can. Blueprints for Artifact Refining class at rank one are very common, so I don't need anything other than energy.]
[The host can't provide energy directly to the system at the moment, so experience points will be used as a currency.]
[Below are the current suitable blueprints for the host.]
[Qi Edged Dagger.]
[Balanced Throwing Discs.]
[Qi-Flow Stabilization Rune.]
[Ember Infused Knife.]
[Wood Core Scout bug.]
[Simple Arm Brace.]
[Note: All the above blueprints are at Common grade.]
[The system acknowledges that the host has exceptional Qi control and can effortlessly use Heaven type cultivation skills.]
[However, the three creation domains aren't limited to that. The host is a complete trash at other aspects, therefore he absolutely won't be able to create higher grade blueprints and will keep wasting money.]
[The System advises the host to first learn the art of artifact refining before aiming for the stars.]
…
I wasn't going to ask for higher grade blueprints anyway. I am self aware.
Unlike cultivation skills, blueprints and items used in creation classes were graded in the order of Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legend, and Mythic.
It was because unlike cultivation skills which relied on pure control of Qi, blueprints relied more on external items.
One couldn't create something at Mythic grade with the main ingredient at common grade no matter how good their Qi control was.
Also, some items were notoriously difficult to control, therefore unlike cultivation skills which could be used regardless of rank, blueprints of higher grade couldn't be used by those at lower rank, or they might injure or even kill themselves.
Naturally, Kaizen knew what to choose, because what he practiced now determined his future later.
Tier advancement, also known as Class specialization in RPG terms, which would take place at rank 4, offered people three choices for their future paths.
The paths for Artifact Refiners were -
Smith - weapons and armor forging.
Enchanter - runes and essence infusions.
Machinist - constructs, puppets, and mechanisms.
The greatest synergy with cultivation was naturally Machinist.
Specifically, the puppets.