The Magic Wand is one of a Caster's most important pieces of equipment, and it's even more crucial for a Legendary Mage. Together with a Wizard Robe and a Wizard Hat, they are known as the Wizard's Three-piece Set.
Among the three pieces, the Magic Wand is the most important. This is because even for Casters who don't rely on a Legend, a Magic Wand can still significantly increase their strength.
Of course, its impressive effects came with an equally impressive price tag. Isaac knew a bit about the cost of Magic Wands. For now, he had no plans to acquire one—or rather, he didn't have the budget...
But even though he had no such plans, since he was already here, Isaac decided to browse Magic Wand Path anyway, just to broaden his horizons.
...
Before long, Isaac had not only finished looking around Magic Wand Path, but had also taken a look at the other three main paths: Spell Path, Material Path, and Department Store Path.
How should I put it.
Although the names were very down-to-earth, the things inside were the real deal. Isaac was dazzled by it all.
It was a good thing his wallet wasn't thick, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to resist going on a shopping spree.
Although he had walked around and bought nothing, Isaac's trip wasn't entirely fruitless. He now had a much clearer understanding of Lake Town.
First of all, Lake Town wasn't the trading hub for all Casters in this world, as his prior information had suggested. To be more precise, one would have to add "one of" to that description.
However, the Casters in Lake Town did indeed seem to come from all over. During his walk, he had heard five or six different languages, and even more accents in the common tongue.
Secondly, although the goods for sale were mainly concentrated on the four main paths, this didn't mean they were the only paths. The four districts created by the division of these paths each had their own unique character.
According to the information he gathered, these areas mostly contained strongholds for various Wizard Organizations. There were also a few shops, which were said to sell a bit of everything.
However, Isaac wasn't interested in that—at least, not right now.
He was, however, interested in joining a Wizard Organization. Unfortunately, they wouldn't have him. The Wizard Organizations in Lake Town only recruited Grand Wizards at minimum, and he had just become an Official Wizard. He still had a long way to go.
Once Isaac had a general understanding of Lake Town, he stopped hesitating and headed straight for his destination to get down to business!
First, he sold the Blood Essence Potion he had to a Magic Pharmacy for eighty Gold Coins. This was twenty Gold Coins below the market price, but it couldn't be helped. He was in a hurry, after all.
To sell it himself, he'd have to set up a stall on Department Store Path. Not only was there no guarantee he'd find a buyer, but even if he did, he'd most likely only get ninety Gold Coins for it. He could never sell it for a hundred—otherwise, why wouldn't people just buy it directly from a shop?
After selling the Magic Potion, Isaac also bought three sets of materials for a Blood Essence Potion from the Magic Pharmacy, spending 90 Gold Coins. He then went to Department Store Path and bought a Knight Level Alchemy Demonic Puppet for 100 Gold Coins. Finally, he went to Spell Path and spent 156 Gold Coins on three Magic Books.
At this point, the funds Isaac had brought with him were almost completely spent.
With his shopping done, Isaac didn't linger. He only had four Gold Coins left in his pocket. There was no point in staying, so he might as well go back and continue his Magic research to increase his strength.
After taking the Demonic Puppet on a small boat through a layer of white mist, Isaac returned to the Forest Land. The Old Witch was still stirring her Crucible at a leisurely pace, showing no reaction to Isaac's arrival.
She might not have reacted, but Isaac couldn't do the same. After giving the Old Witch a slight bow to show his respect, he led the Alchemy Demonic Puppet out of the Forest Land and onto the training ground in front of the castle.
On the training ground, Barton was training shirtless, his upper body flushed red as he huffed and puffed under Smith's watchful eye. Isaac could feel the fluctuations of Magic Power from the Magic Potion on him, which meant he had already taken it.
But...
"Young Master Isaac," they both said.
Isaac scanned Barton up and down, raising an eyebrow. 'He downed a whole potion and still didn't break through?'
Turning to look at the Black Knight-like Alchemy Demonic Puppet behind him, Isaac suddenly understood why his family hadn't given Barton a Magic Potion to help him break through. One hundred Gold Coins given to a living person might go to waste, but for a Demonic Puppet, it was a guaranteed success!
On the other side, Barton was already feeling embarrassed for not breaking through. Now, seeing the menacing Demonic Puppet behind Isaac, a sense of crisis welled up inside him!
"Uncle Smith, spar with it for a bit. Let's see how strong it is." Waving his hand to signal for Barton to continue his training, Isaac said to Smith.
"Yes, Young Master." Smith nodded slightly.
He was no stranger to Demonic Puppets, as the Solomons Family had them—they had even formed an entire legion of them. Of course, Isaac's was only slightly stronger than the lowest-grade Demonic Puppet and couldn't compare to the ones the family owned.
Naturally, a Demonic Puppet like this wouldn't be too much trouble for Smith.
BOOM!
The moment Isaac gave the command, the Black Knight behind him shot forward. Its eyes flashed with red light as it charged, Greatsword in hand, and crashed into Smith!
Isaac's pupils contracted. He hadn't been able to clearly see the movements of either the Black Knight or Smith!
As Smith, wielding a Staff Sword, began to clash fiercely with the Greatsword-wielding Black Knight in the center of the field, an unrealistic idea slowly faded from Isaac's mind— 'I'd better just give that potion to Demon Claw.'
He had originally wanted to try Magic and Martial Dual Cultivation. It was a very good path, and many Wizards in the current Wizarding World followed it. He had even seen several Wizard Organizations dedicated to it.
He figured he could do it too!
'Isn't it just physical strength?'
'Isn't it just special abilities?'
'There's no problem that Magic can't solve!'
But those were his thoughts before Smith and the Black Knight started fighting. As for now...
'Forget it.'
Watching the surging Sword Qi on the training ground and the dazzling movements, Isaac gave up on his unrealistic idea. 'I'd better just stick to casting Magic. Melee combat isn't for me.'
A Knight's power came partly from their formidable physical conditioning, but beyond that, their combat techniques, honed through countless battles, were also extremely important.
Take the battle on the training ground, for instance. As the fight went on, Isaac could now more or less see the movements of Smith and the Black Knight.
In the current battle, the Black Knight, being an Alchemy Demonic Puppet, was definitely superior to Smith in terms of physical prowess. After all, it had a body of steel, while Smith was old and his physical functions were in decline. Yet, it was Smith who had the upper hand in the fight.
Smith was parrying the Black Knight's attacks with ease, his Staff Sword moving as if it were an extension of his own arm. He was guiding the Black Knight to display its three pre-set combat styles one by one.
That composure, that confidence—it was absolutely not something one could get from just taking a potion!
And Smith wasn't even among the strongest of Knights!
"Stop. I have a general idea now." Isaac waved his hand to signal for Smith to stop. He had seen enough; if they kept fighting, he'd have to replace its power source. 'With my humble little operation, I have to be frugal.'
"Yes, Young Master Isaac."