Chapter 137 - 10x Returns

Theo shut his bedroom door, settled cross-legged on the mattress, and emptied his lungs.

Productive day. Bewildering day...

But none of it changed the core arithmetic: he was still not strong enough.

Twenty-nine days until the Imperial Tournament.

He closed his eyes. Drew his focus inward. Began the first cycle of Aether circulation—

[Ding!]

[Calculating expedition returns...]

[Active Multiplier: 10x]

Golden text cascaded across his vision, line after line shimmering into existence.

[Investment #1 — Shielding the Academy Expedition]

[Action: Host protected fourteen Imperial Academy students from lethal Archon-level combat within the Sanctum of Somnus. Host deployed a Shadow-Clone as a strategic decoy, drawing hostile pursuit from Crown Prince Aurelius and Hierarch Malakor. All non-combatants evacuated successfully.]

[Return: Praetorian Aegis Stud — Class-3 Defensive Artifact]

[Description: A matte-black earring that automatically deploys a protective ward when the wearer is targeted by a Peak Exarch-level attack. Capable of nullifying three such strikes before its matrix is depleted.]

Theo flipped his palm, and a small obsidian stud materialized against his skin.

It looked deceptively plain... smooth, no larger than a peppercorn.

But the Aether compressed within its shell was staggering.

Three Exarch-grade attacks, erased outright.

If he’d worn this during the initial Praetorian ambush in the cavern, his combat decisions would have been drastically bolder!

Liana had her Genesis Sphere. Sylvia had her Oracle wards.

Even the Pontifex, for all her disorientation, was still a Seventh-Realm Exarch who could protect herself.

This one, Theo would keep.

He clipped it onto his left ear, then glanced at the mirror on his desk.

*...Not bad, actually.*

Before he could suppress it, a treacherous thought surfaced:

*Would Liana notice? Would Sylvia comment? Would the Pontifex raise an eyebrow?*

He caught himself, exhaled sharply, and moved on. The Abyssal Sovereign had no business auditioning for a jewelry catalog.

[Investment #2 — Stabilizing the Genesis Sphere Absorption]

[Action: Host endured four hours of sustained feedback, filtering excess Primeval radiation through the Parasite class’s assimilation protocols. Host’s intervention directly prevented ego dissolution in the subject.]

[Return: Primeval Frost Resistance — Permanent — 20%]

[All hostile effects involving extreme cold, ice-element Aether, or frost-based divine energy are reduced by 20% against the host.]

Theo flexed his fingers experimentally.

His *Abyssal World-Forge* operated at searing temperatures, so cold had never been his primary vulnerability.

But against a true Frost Exarch, or, should the worst come to pass, against the Aurora Primeval herself channeling through Liana, this margin could be the difference between standing and falling.

A brief chill swept through his meridians, crested, and disappeared.

He noticed that even without actively circulating his inner flame, his body felt insulated from any trace of winter chill.

Useful. Filed away.

[Action: Host additionally contributed ongoing support including: nutrient-optimized meal preparation.]

Theo’s reading pace slowed.

[Return: Celestial Harmony Pressure Technique]

[Description: This technique carries no restorative or medicinal properties. Its purpose is purely to maximize the recipient’s comfort and euphoria.]

Theo read the notification.

He read it again.

*Purely to maximize comfort and euphoria.*

*’No medicinal properties.’*

*Great Sage. Clarify something for me.*

[Standing by.]

*What exactly does the System believe I am doing with Liana during our sessions?*

He pressed both palms against his face and groaned into the unlit room.

First, the system had generated a technique for "dual cultivation."

Now it was rewarding him with a glorified massage art whose sole function was inducing euphoria.

He was the Abyssal Sword Sovereign! A principled, virtuous warrior! He was not operating an imperial bathhouse!

He shoved the technique’s knowledge into the most inaccessible vault of his memory, slammed the door, and welded it shut.

[Investment #4 — General Party Maintenance]

[Action: Host provided sustained daily care for all party members over an extended operational period. Services rendered include: meal preparation, medical triage, emotional support, tactical planning, residential upkeep, and protective escort through Exarch-level hostile territory. No compensation requested or received.]

[Return: Lifespan Extension — One Additional Year]

Theo lowered his hands from his face and blinked.

Not cultivation resources. Not a combat technique. Raw lifespan?

Every living being, no matter how monstrous their power, was bound by the finite length of their existence.

An Exarch might live for centuries, but the clock still ticked.

One additional year meant one more year of sunrises, one more year of meals around the courtyard table, one more year to protect the people sleeping under his roof.

He accepted without hesitation.

[Action: Host founded a covert organization across the southern provinces, providing subsidized food, medicine, and infrastructure to civilian populations. Host suppressed the grade of distributed resources to match local economic conditions, ensuring broad accessibility.]

[Return: Sovereign’s Palate]

[Description: Allows the host to instantly identify the properties of any ingredient on sight. Additionally enables the host to determine which ordinary, non-spiritual ingredients can be combined to produce meals with genuine beneficial effects.]

[Potential effects include: accelerated stamina recovery, improved cultivation, heightened concentration, reduced fatigue accumulation, and temporary resistance to exhaustion.]

Theo’s eyes widened.

He already possessed formidable culinary instincts from his past life, but this ability elevated his understanding to an entirely new plane...

He could design entire menus tailored to specific cultivation bottlenecks. Recovery meals for post-combat exhaustion. Focus-enhancing breakfasts for formation study. Endurance dishes for extended sparring sessions.

His mind was already sprinting through ingredient combinations when the final notification appeared.

[Investment #6 — Securing the Household Residence]

[Action: Host repaired damage to Solstice Manor caused by hostile surveillance activity prior to the expedition. Host sourced materials, replaced compromised ward-stones, reinforced the courtyard perimeter, and restored the living quarters to habitable condition for all occupants.]

[Return: Zephyr Hearth Stone — Class-3 Utility Artifact]

[Description: A decorative stone that, when placed within a residence, continuously purifies the ambient air. Filters dust, spiritual impurities, and residual Aether contamination. Maintains clean, refreshing air throughout the entire dwelling. Operates for one full year before requiring recharge.]

A jade-green stone appeared in Theo’s palm.

It was warm to the touch, carrying a subtle fragrance... mountain pine after rainfall.

Exactly the kind of artifact a household caretaker would treasure.

Theo leaned back and surveyed his haul.

Then he closed every system window and settled into proper lotus position...