Back in the laboratory, the first thing Isaac wanted to work on was the Demon Rat's Divine Art...
"Tsk... no materials..." Isaac sighed, looking at the Demon Rat strapped to the operating table. Man and rat stared at each other, wide-eyed and at a loss for words.
Shaking his head, Isaac put the bewildered Shushu back in its cage. After scanning the room, he realized with a sigh that there didn't seem to be a single experiment he could currently perform...
'And I've already been so frugal with these projects!'
'Sigh... I still need to get my hands on some money... Perhaps I could ask my family for help?' Stroking his chin, the more Isaac thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. 'I'm not all alone in the world, so why do I keep thinking I have to do everything myself?'
'I could totally partner up with them. The family provides the capital, I provide the technology, and we all get rich together!'
'It's a solid plan!'
Isaac slammed a fist into his palm. The path forward was suddenly clear!
"Smith! Smith!"
WHOOSH!
"Young Master, what is it?" A fierce gust of wind swept through as Smith, dressed in a tailcoat, appeared before Isaac in an instant. He held a cane, his right hand gripping one end, poised for action with a tense expression.
"It's nothing, relax." Isaac waved his hand dismissively and began gathering his research materials. "Pack everything up. We're going to the fortress."
"Now?" Smith asked, slightly taken aback.
"Yes, now. There's nothing for us to do here anyway. Pack up the Demon Rats and Dragon Lizards to take with us. If we leave them here, they'll just starve."
"Yes, Young Master."
Smith said nothing more, simply nodding before turning to make the arrangements. Isaac was right; there wasn't much going on at the castle. The busiest person by far was Isaac himself. If he had no issues with leaving, then no one else would either.
...
A short while later, the Guard Team, looking utterly bewildered, had packed everything up—including the Shushus, who were currently in heat. One could only imagine the psychological trauma they endured upon pushing open the storeroom door to that sight...
As for Isaac, though he was the busiest person in the domain, he was also the quickest to pack. All he had to gather were a few Magic Books and magical experiment manuscripts—oh, and that Crucible, plus a few test subjects.
So, once Barton and his men had loaded the cages of Shushus and Dragon Lizards onto a wagon, Isaac slipped into his carriage. The grand procession then set off toward Solomon Fortress, located on the border of the viscount's domain.
Just as on their previous journey, the convoy carried little food. Since they weren't leaving the domain, they could easily resupply in the towns along their route.
...
「Three days later, at Solomon Fortress.」
"What? Little Bro's here?" Inside the fortress's keep, a middle-aged man looking over reports from the front line glanced up, surprised, at the guard in the doorway.
"Yes, sir. Young Master Isaac and his party... it seems they've all come." The guard's expression was also one of surprise.
"Alright, I understand. You're dismissed." The middle-aged man set down the report, still surprised, and rose to head outside.
The guard bowed and departed.
By the time the middle-aged man reached the fortress's residential area, he found that his second brother, Remington, and their older sister, Cheryl, were already there. They were gathered around Isaac, sizing him up and down with looks of astonishment.
"Eldest Brother!"
Isaac, who was being scrutinized like a lab rat, spotted the middle-aged man and waved excitedly, as if he'd just been thrown a lifeline.
Caesar Solomon, eldest son of the Solomons Family, was thirty-one years old. He was exceptionally talented, both in his Cultivation and in his ability to manage people. Throughout the entire domain, from his own troops to the handful of Barons granted fiefs, there was no one who didn't respect him.
He was also the person Isaac was closest to.
As Isaac ran toward him, Caesar instinctively rushed forward to steady him, a force of habit. Only then did he realize his younger brother truly had become a Wizard. He was completely transformed, his body so much sturdier than before!
"Good! Good! Good!" Caesar exclaimed, clapping Isaac excitedly on the shoulder.
Nearby, Remington and Cheryl exchanged a glance, both smiling with relief.
"Sorry for making you all worry these past few years."
"We're family. There's nothing to be sorry for. As long as you're well, nothing else matters." After the initial excitement passed, however, Caesar's brow furrowed. "You know the dangers of a Legendary Mage better than I do. Since you've chosen this path, there's something I must say to you now. If the day ever comes that you threaten the safety of our domain, I will kill you with my own hands."
Isaac looked at Caesar's solemn face and nodded with a smile. He knew exactly what his brother was referring to.
The power of a Legendary Mage comes from the Outer Gods, making them the group most enthusiastic about striking bargains with such entities. Never mind the distant past; even in recent years, Legendary Mages have made deals with Outer Gods that went awry, resulting in entire nations being devoured!
Although the gradual refinement of the Truth Mage System in recent years has led many Legendary Mages to abandon their pacts with the Outer Gods, the historical precedent is undeniable. Besides, there are still those who flock to it, one after another—like the Mad Witch Association, which Isaac had joined.
So, there was nothing wrong with Caesar saying what he did. He wasn't just Isaac's brother; he was also the future Lord of Solomon's Viscount Domain, responsible for all its people.
'Though, his warning came a little too late...'
'After all, Isaac was already a Mad Witch...'
Of course, in reality, not every failed ritual with an Outer God resulted in a domain being devoured. Most of the time, if a ritual failed, only the Wizard who performed it was consumed—unless, that is, the Wizard put their own domain on the bargaining table!
But that would require the Wizard to have actual control over the domain. It's not like any Tom, Dick, or Harry could gamble away someone else's lands. Isaac neither had that right nor would he ever do such a thing.
'But there's no need to explain these nuances to them,' Isaac thought. 'It would only give them more to worry about. In the future, I'll just make sure to leave the domain before I conduct any transactions with the Outer Gods.'
Caesar gave Isaac a long, deep look, then patted his shoulder, dropping the subject. His gaze shifted to the several wagons covered with black tarps. "I hear you brought some strange things with you," he said with a smile. "Why don't you give us an introduction?"
"My thoughts exactly!" Isaac nodded emphatically. "But let's get one thing straight: this isn't a free show. You'll have to pay up after you've seen it!"
"You little brat, didn't I just give you a thousand Gold Coins?" Caesar said, patting Isaac's head with a playful scolding.
"What good is a thousand Gold Coins? A brute will always be a brute!" Isaac shot Caesar a disdainful look. "Magic experiments are expensive, aren't they, Big Sis?"
"Hmm? Oh, yes." Cheryl, who had been lifting one of the tarps to peek, turned and nodded in agreement. She sized Isaac up again and said meaningfully, "You used a Witch Tea Party for your advancement ritual? The success rate for that is quite low, isn't it? It's not a good thing for a Legendary Mage to be such a gambler."
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained," Isaac said with a nonchalant shrug.
'It's only a gamble if you don't know the outcome. If you can predict the result, it's an investment.'
"Come on, come on, enough of that! Behold, the fruits of your little brother's research! Big Sis, you can be the judge!" With that, Isaac yanked the tarp off the first wagon. On it sat two iron cages: one held two Dragon Lizards, and the other contained more than a dozen Demon Rats. Most of the rats seemed lethargic, but a few were in good shape and, judging by their auras, were already pregnant.
"Is that... a Dragon Lizard that has awakened its Dragon Blood?" As the most knowledgeable of the three siblings, Cheryl ignored the Demon Rats and focused solely on the lizards, her eyes glittering with excitement. "And this one is about to awaken, too? Is this the fruit of your research?"
"Heh heh..." Isaac planted his hands on his hips, a smug look on his face. This was one of the main reasons he'd brought the Dragon Lizards. He didn't even need to show them anything else; these lizards alone would be enough to secure his funding!
"Dragon Lizards? That have awakened their Dragon Blood? For real?" Caesar asked from the side, clearly astonished.
Remington looked just as shocked. Though neither he nor Caesar understood Magic, they knew exactly how powerful Dragons were.
And how expensive!