After extracting all the talents and looting the materials from Dima Loan Sharks, Sogen leaves the mansion and heads to the workshop.
"Hey System! I'm confused; I didn't receive a single talent from all those people. I only got some cubes called Talent Fragments."
"Host, I believe you can use them to upgrade your acquired talents. There could be two reasons for this: either there's a limit to the number of talents you can acquire, or the talents that are of a lower grade compared to your cultivation are converted into Talent Fragments. The second possibility is more likely."
"If I can upgrade my talents, that would be beneficial. However, if there is a limit, I'll need to extract talents more carefully in the future."
Despite this realization, Sogen doesn't go straight to the workshop.
"I've heard that Pilaaf Estates Association is one of the largest real estate business associations here. I should go there to buy some land to grow Vola trees (cocoa trees). How much land should I buy? I made a decent amount of money from Dima Loan Sharks."
Suddenly, the system starts to chuckle, struggling to contain its laughter.
Noticing this, Sogen, with a stone-cold expression, asks, "What's so funny?"
"Nothing. I just find it a bit absurd hearing you talk about money. Did you forget that the exchange rate is 100:1 here?"
Sogen's face turns red with anger as he responds, "You trash System, are you mocking me?"
"Host, I'm not mocking you; I'm merely describing your situation."
With a serious tone and a depressed expression, Sogen asks, "System, am I really that poor?"
"Yes."
"Don't worry, System. Soon we will be rich." He says with a sly smile.
After some time, he arrives at the Pilaaf Estates Association. He enters and approaches the counter, where a girl is standing.
"Hello, sir. How can I assist you today?" the girl asks with a smile.
"I want to buy a large piece of flat land with a normal-sized house. Can you show me?"
The girl opens a drawer and pulls out a small book.
"Here, sir. This is our land book. It contains all the available lands, their locations, and sketches. You can tell me which one you'd like."
Sogen thinks to himself, "All these sketches must have been made by someone with innate talent for sketching or by a professional artist."
After some time, Sogen selects a location.
"I want this piece of land," Sogen says, pointing to a picture.
However, before the girl can provide him with the land documents, another man approaches and says, "I also want this land."
Sogen looks at the man, who appears to be a young boy around 23-24 years old. A beautiful girl, seemingly 20-21, stands behind him. Anyone would be captivated by her beauty at first glance. They are both dressed in red, adorned with a large yellow phoenix symbol.
"Sir, I apologize, but this land has already been selected by him." The counter girl points to Sogen. "I can show you some other land instead."
The boy looks at Sogen and says, "Brother, I'm Gale, and this is my sister, Siana. We're from the Felix Mercenary Group. For the sake of our reputation, could you please let us have this land?"
[Felix Mercenary Group is one of the largest groups in Hamar Town. Though it's called a group, it operates more like a small clan and has a solid reputation in Hamar Town.]
"Sorry, but I selected this land first, and I don't want to sell it to anyone else," Sogen replies firmly.
"You..." Siana attempts to retort in anger but was interrupted by Gale.
"Alright, brother. You can have it, but I'd like to befriend you. May I know your name?" Gale asks, extending his hand for a handshake.
Sogen looks at Gale's hand but does not shake it. Instead, he replies, "My name is Sogen."
"Sir, all your documents are ready. Please go inside to complete the necessary procedures," the counter girl informs him.
Sogen walks into the room to handle the paperwork.
Meanwhile, outside the room, Gale and Siana stand together.
"Brother, why did you let him take the land?" Siana asks, slightly puzzled.
"Siana, if we always use our power to force others, it will lead to our downfall one day. You know my Innate Talent, Grade D Blood Perception. When I used it on him, I sensed a dense blood aura surrounding him, indicating he has likely killed many recently. He didn't show any fear at the mention of our group name. He's not an ordinary person. Making a new friend is better than creating an enemy. We should look for another piece of land."
Before they could ask the counter girl for another option, several people dressed in the same red attire approach them.
"Young leader and young miss, the leader has called for both of you immediately," one of them says.
Gale nods, and both he and Siana follow their companions.
After some time, Sogen exits the Pilaaf Estates Association and begins his journey to the workshop.
"It's fortunate that those from the Felix Mercenary Group didn't cause any trouble and left. Now I have decent land to grow Vola trees (cocoa trees), but there's still a problem: it will take a long time for these trees to grow. Hey System, do you have a solution for this problem?"
"Host, there is a solution. If you want to grow these Vola trees early, you can utilize formations. You know that almost everything in this world depends on energy, such as cultivation energy and spiritual energy. By setting up one formation to provide cultivation energy to the Vola trees and another formation to regulate temperature and other conditions, you can help them grow faster. However, for this, you will need assistance from an Array Master or you must become one yourself."
"Array Masters are individuals who study array formations. There have been many instances where a single Array Master has defeated numerous cultivators single-handedly. Creating a formation requires many resources, but if an Array Master appears in a sect, it will surely thrive. They are rare, but not as scarce as Spiritualists. Becoming an Array Master demands not only resources but also knowledge and understanding of formations. Large sects often pay Array Masters to create various formations for them. They are not classified by grades but rather judged by their knowledge. An Array Master generally cannot do much in direct fights; their role is to support cultivators from the backlines."
"If I start searching now, I might not find a single Array Master. How can I become an Array Master, System?"
"Ding! Host, do you want to purchase the Ancient Array Formation Manual and the Ancient Array Formation Techniques?"
Sogen sighed in disappointment and said, "System, it seems you want to sell your own items, but I believe I have no other choice."
Sogen was disheartened, thinking that becoming an Array Master would only waste his time.
"Okay, buy it for me."
"Host, transaction completed."
Both books appeared in the system inventory.