Staring at the green heart in his hand, Isaac let out a soft sigh. The ritual was a success, but his experiment had failed.
The goblin heart hadn't increased the degree of Demonization as he'd hoped. Instead, it had turned into a Witchcraft tool—one that could store Magic Power.
As for its use… well, it wasn't completely useless, but it wasn't that great either. The Magic Power it contained was only enough for him to create three Heart-Swapping Rats from thin air before it needed to be recharged.
'Better than nothing, I suppose.'
Resigned, Isaac put away the green heart and sighed again, turning to leave the basement. The ritual needed to be modified. He wouldn't give up on this experiment—at least not until he achieved some basic financial freedom.
But his current knowledge was insufficient. He needed to purchase more Magic Knowledge…
...and that required money.
SIGH... Walking up the stairs, Isaac heaved another heavy sigh. He'd have to visit Lake Town again to find some work and build up his initial capital.
Of course, he could also just confess his identity as a Wizard to his family and receive some funding.
But Isaac dismissed the thought the moment it appeared. For one, the territory was short on funds right now and couldn't give him much. For another, his sudden transformation into a Wizard might give his second brother the wrong idea—he might think Isaac was trying to usurp his power, which would be troublesome.
'So, I should at least wait until after the Witchcraft sublimation ritual before revealing anything. I need the power to protect myself first.'
Besides, even if his family gave him money, it would be a limited amount. In the end, it would all come back to him. He still had to be self-reliant.
However, for a Wizard to make money…
...was, frankly, quite difficult.
He hadn't been idle these past few days. In between studying Magic, he had also made several trips to Lake Town to get a general understanding of the Wizarding World's commercial structure. How to put it… the wealthiest were all selling raw materials and semi-finished products.
This was because Wizards weren't just researchers; they were also producers. The stronger the Wizard, the stronger their production capabilities!
While their production efficiency wasn't very high, it was very comprehensive.
Except for Witches, who were born with powerful Magic Power and Magic, both Legendary Mages and Arcanists required a certain level of intelligence. Therefore, Wizards were basically all top students, and many followed an all-rounder path.
They could craft many simple Magic Potions and Witchcraft tools themselves and didn't need to buy them at all.
Only High Level items needed to be purchased, but Isaac didn't even have the recipes for those…
That's why the most common items sold in Lake Town were various materials and semi-finished products. For example, extracted Demonized Flesh was one such item, and many shops and stalls would consistently buy it.
In other words, farming was the true path to wealth!
Unfortunately, he didn't have the means…
Whether it was the techniques, the seeds, or even the land, he had none of it. He simply couldn't start farming…
'Perhaps I can try a different approach.'
Leaving his bedroom, Isaac pushed open the laboratory door. He casually placed the green heart on a nearby shelf, then walked over to the bookshelf and thoughtfully picked up a document.
The laboratory was no longer as empty as when he first arrived. In a cage in the corner were three Demonized Rats, all of them test subjects Isaac was observing. One was a Demonized Rat that had received an Ordinary heart transplant. Its condition had improved, and its heart seemed to have begun the Demonization process, verifying his hypothesis. However, the degree of Demonization was likely insufficient, causing this Demonized Rat to lack some of its energy.
Another was a blood transfusion subject based on this theory—it had been injected with higher-Level Demon Blood.
This Demonized Rat now had goblin blood flowing through its veins. Isaac had put a lot of thought into this experiment because a simple injection wasn't enough. Besides solving the rejection issue, he also had to deal with the new blood the Demonized Rat produced.
Fortunately, his Golden Finger was as reliable as ever. Thanks to the powerful effects of multiple Magic Spells, the experiment was a success and was now in the Observation phase.
The third was a puppy-sized Demonized Rat. Its chest bulged grotesquely and throbbed, a result of Isaac having transplanted a goblin's heart into it, which made its proportions somewhat distorted.
Among the three, the most perfect subject was the one that had undergone the blood transfusion. Although its enhancement speed couldn't compare to the heart transplant, its progress was slow and steady. Moreover, the enhancement was all-encompassing, and the side effects were far less severe than the Heart Transplantation Surgery. In fact…
...there might be no side effects at all!
However, he still needed more time for Observation to be certain. He felt that blood transfusion seemed more promising than heart transplantation!
This was because the Heart Transplantation Surgery had a limit. A subject could undergo at most three heart transplants. On the fourth attempt, the body's immune system would completely fail, leading to death.
But blood transfusion, from the looks of it, wouldn't cause any problems as long as the new blood was properly assimilated.
Besides the rats in the corner, a dissected goblin corpse lay on Isaac's operating table. He was using it to study the goblin's anatomy.
On his desk were several pieces of parchment with Evil Magic Arrays drawn on them, splattered with bloodstains Isaac had accidentally left, adding a certain horrific ambiance.
Isaac himself, however, was used to it. After all, he had caused all of this with his own two hands.
"Looks like... this is the only way..." Isaac shook his head, put down the notes in his hand, and made a decision.
He would find a Wizard Organization to join!
It was currently the most stable and convenient way to earn money, and it would also make acquiring Magic Knowledge much easier.
Although Wizard Organizations didn't recruit Official Wizards, that only applied to official members. An Official Wizard could join as an external contractor, work for the organization, earn points specific to that organization, and then exchange them for Knowledge or items.
This was one of the ways most Wild Sorcerers made a living, and it was also how Wizard Organizations evaluated potential new recruits.
'So, the next step is to carefully consider which Wizard Organization to join.' This was not a decision to be taken lightly. He not only had to consider the financial benefits but also whether its Path of Wizardry aligned with his own.
After all, if he became a Grand Wizard in the future, this would likely be the organization he would fully join.
Isaac was a man of action. Having made his decision, he immediately grabbed the Wizard Hat from the side, placed it on his head, and quickly walked out of the castle.
...
In the center of the Forest Land, the Old Witch was still there, tirelessly stirring her Crucible. After giving a slight bow as a sign of respect, Isaac walked into the wooden hut behind her and began to look through the recruitment information for the various Wizard Organizations.