After observing Sol's genuine confusion in silence for a while, Katherine was forced to believe he was truly clueless and actually got lucky.
She let out a defeated sigh before adjusting her sitting posture, and then she looked Sol in the face.
"There are two types of artifacts, sealed and living artifacts" She began her explanation with a voice that carried a tinge of frustration.
"While artifacts are rare, sealed artifacts can be considered considerably common compared to living artifacts." Katherine continued.
Her words left Sol in a thoughtful mood as he pondered a bit before cutting her off to ask a question.
"Do all alpha families have living artifacts?" He couldn't help but ask.
While he already had an understanding of Ark's family wealth, he still wanted to confirm nothing was being hidden from him through Katherine.
"Every alpha family has a sealed artifact as a family heirloom, and the city of Aetheria jointly owns only one living artifact of a very high grade," Katherine said thoughtfully. "You really don't know how lucky you are," she added.
Hearing this, Sol was silent as he allowed her words to sink in. He knew of the Ark family heirloom, and he was told he could only claim it when he officially became leader of the family.
"So tell me about living artifacts," Sol said as he inched a bit closer to Katherine with expectant eyes.
Seeing this, Katherine didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this funny behavior, which was different from what Sol had been portraying all this while.
His eagerness to learn made him a different person altogether, and she considered this an attractive trait.
"Living artifacts are said to be weaker than sealed artifacts, but they have two major advantages that make them far more valuable," Katherine explained.
"The first advantage is its ability to bind to its user. Once the user can bind to the living artifact, it cannot be taken away or stolen." Katherine said. "When I found you unconscious, I saw the pendant and tried to take it, but I was blown across the cave almost effortlessly. That's how I knew you were bound to the artifact," she added.
Listening to this, Sol was stunned but managed to keep his calm as he pondered in silence for a short while. Thinking about it, he had to admit this was a major advantage, but if that's the case, why didn't the artifact repel him when he stole it from Lukas?
Does that mean it didn't recognize Lukas as its master?
If so, why was he accepted so quickly?
Is there anything special about him that he is still unaware of?
"The second ability that makes it special is its ability to grow over time," Katherine said. "Even the weakest living artifact can evolve to the level of the strongest sealed artifact if given the time and resources,"
This information caught Sol's attention, and he couldn't help but shoot another graze at the pendant with strange eyes.
"What do I need to make a living artifact evolve?" Sol asked with an expectant look on his face.
However, Katherine's response was one he didn't foresee. She shrank back and shrugged her shoulders without saying a word.
"The fuck?" Sol blurted out with a raised eyebrow.
"I don't know, okay?!" Katherine's face turned red with embarrassment. "I am a student like you, you can't expect me to know everything!" She said,
Hmph!
Sol snorted and turned his back on her, which made Katherine's eyes dilate with shock. She didn't expect this kind of reaction from him.
"Getting someone's hope up for nothing. Why tell me anything at all if you can't tell me everything," he mumbled, but Katherine heard it clearly with her enhanced hearing.
"Bastard!" She cursed and sprang to her feet, but Sol didn't even turn to look at her.
"Don't expect any more help from me!" Kathrine pouted and walked to another corner of the cave. There she sat and began glaring at Sol and observed his cultivation.
'This bitch may actually kill me in my sleep' Sol muttered in his head as he shuddered involuntarily.
Even with his back turned to her, he could still feel her murderous gaze on him. After inhaling deeply and exhaling loudly a few times, Sol pushed those thoughts and began cultivating again.
He sat in a cross-legged position and allowed the pendant to glow brightly. The world energy which was originally invisible to eyes became visible and began surging towards the pendant. Sol's hair and clothes began fluttering gently under the wind as he felt the energy flow through his veins and into every pore on his body.
"This can't be…" Katherine adjusted her seating position and peered at Sol with a look of shock on her face.
"To have this kind of power, this must be at least a tier two living artifact!" She muttered.
Not many artifacts could summon the pure world energy, which is highly sought after by even the strongest experts. Most cultivation resources are of a certain element or affinity, which makes cultivation slightly slower for the user.
An example is the Lunar Crystals, Sol was awarded for the incident with Instructor Dorothy. These Lunar crystals are more effective if used in the full moon, and even more effective if used by a werewolf.
But the world energy is different, it was for all and for none. Its effect was ten times more effective than even the most sought-after cultivation resources.
With this, Sol was bought to reach the first tier far faster than anyone in this testing area!
"I can't let this opportunity pass me by!" Katherine said with a determined look on her face.
While she may not have the pendant, it was like a beacon, pulling all the world's energy into the cave. While they were channeled into Luke, residual energy remained within the cave.
If she can use this, she was certain she would benefit greatly too!
Not daring to waste a second, Katherine assumed a comfortable position and began absorbing as much world energy as she could steal from Sol and his miraculous pendant.