"I specialize in Demonic Puppet creation. I have design schematics for four types of Demonic Puppets: two are orthodox mechanical ones, one is a pure-flesh type, and the last is a hybrid combining flesh and machine. I'm looking to trade for other Demonic Puppet schematics or biological modification Witchcraft."
After she finished speaking, the Witch standing in the center looked at Isaac.
"Huh?" Isaac was taken aback. He hadn't expected to be singled out. 'Demonic Puppets, huh?'
'That's fine. I'm interested in those, too!'
So he said, "I've currently mastered Demonized Heart Technology and Divine Species Refining..." He trailed off mid-sentence, then helplessly threw up his hands. "Uh, that's it. Just those two."
'Actually, he had also mastered Flesh Nest and Blood Essence Potion. However, the former was his Talent Witchcraft. Others could only learn the Demon God version, which was a huge trap. As a fellow Mad Witch, she definitely wouldn't want it; offering it might even offend her. As for the latter...'
'It was so commonplace it wasn't worth mentioning and embarrassing himself.'
"Huh?" The Witch's beautiful eyes widened in surprise. 'What did I just hear? Divine Species Refining?' She blinked and said, "The *Divine Research Manual*?"
"Huh? You have it too?" Isaac was also stunned for a moment. "I have the Anatomy Chapter. Which one do you have?"
"The Divinity Chapter. Want to trade?" The Witch blinked. She never would have thought that a fragment of a Witchcraft Manuscript she had acquired by chance would have its missing part turn up here. 'Such luck...'
"Deal!" Isaac was also surprised. "Where did you get your part?"
"Someone gave it to me, but as far as I know, it came from the Barbaric Land. What about yours?" As she spoke, the Witch pulled a roll of parchment from her sleeve and gently tossed it to Isaac, then caught the part Isaac threw to her.
"The original manuscript?" The Witch looked at Isaac, a little surprised. Although her own research had revealed nothing special about the parchment, she had still given Isaac a handwritten copy. 'After all, what if...'
'What if my own skill was just insufficient to see its value?'
'So she hadn't expected Isaac to be so generous.'
But Isaac was actually a bit helpless about it. He'd never planned on trading this thing away. After all, who the hell knew he'd run into a second copy of the *Divine Research Manual* here?
'Fortunately, he had already completely memorized its contents, and all the data was recorded in his panel, so it wasn't a huge problem.'
"Yeah, but don't get your hopes up. I couldn't see anything special about it, anyway."
Isaac wasn't lying about that. He had tried using it as a ritual offering, but unfortunately, in the judgment of his Golden Finger, it was utterly worthless.
The Witch nodded, then hesitated a moment before asking Isaac, "The Demonized Heart Technology you mentioned... is it the Heart Transplantation Surgery?"
"Yes, it started as Heart Transplantation Surgery, but I've expanded on it to a certain degree. It can be used to cultivate Demonized Hearts, and it also has some effect on purifying and enhancing the bloodlines of Demons. But overall, it's still quite rudimentary. You want it?" Isaac was a bit surprised.
'Because Demonized Heart Transplant Surgery, much like the Blood Essence Potion, was a commonplace technique. In fact, the transplant surgery was an antique among antiques. It was only because Isaac's research had expanded on it that it was barely presentable.'
The Witch nodded and said, "Besides the hybrid Demonic Puppet, what do you want to trade for?"
Simple Heart Transplantation Surgery was, of course, not worth much. But an expanded version was a different story. Though they both assumed the other wouldn't survive in the long run, it didn't mean they looked down on each other.
In fact, to be able to make deals with Outer Gods at the Official Wizard stage, one needed not only to be mad but also to have skill. Not just any random person could call down the will of an Outer God. Everyone present was an absolute genius.
And the research of a genius was definitely valuable!
"The Flesh Demonic Puppet," Isaac said after a moment's thought. He took out a manuscript and tossed it to the Witch, simultaneously catching the roll of schematics she threw to him.
With that, the transaction was complete.
The others watched the two of them, who had clearly gained a lot, with some envy. But none of them spoke up. Although they were very interested in the *Divine Research Manual*, they had no intention of asking for it.
Yes, Witchcraft involving the Divine Domain was always amazing, that much was certain. But this was in the field of biological modification, which didn't align with their own specializations. So, there was nothing to be done.
Wasting time to learn it would not be worth the effort.
Since Isaac had already announced what he had to offer during his trade with the Witch, he didn't go up again. No one else would be interested anyway. As for the Dragon Lizard...
'After seeing the shabby scale of this small gathering, he had already given up on the idea of trading the Dragon Lizard. This bunch of paupers definitely couldn't afford it!'
Normally, according to the gathering's procedure, the trading session would be followed by a formal exchange of Magic Knowledge. But since everyone here was an Official Wizard—all of them newbies with little knowledge to share—and their schools of research were quite different, no one had any desire to communicate.
So, after the trading session ended, the gathering dispersed immediately.
Seeing the others leave, Isaac left as well.
Before he left, however, he exchanged names with the Witch. Their fields of research were the most closely related, so they could continue to communicate in the future.
If they were both still alive by then.
...
In the blink of an eye, Isaac left the special dimension of the Mad Witch Association and returned to his basement. Looking at the two Witchcraft Manuscripts in his hands, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
'Talk about perfect timing. It was just what he needed, now that he'd finished learning everything he had on hand.'
'Although both the Demonized Heart Technology and the research on Divine Species had potential for further study, where was the efficiency in researching it all by himself compared to learning from others?'
Back in his laboratory, Isaac first looked at the Flesh Demonic Puppet, not the Divinity Chapter.
This was because his Demon Rat still needed some time before it could condense a Divine Art, so the Divinity Chapter could wait. Right now, he was more interested in Demonic Puppets.
Or rather, he had always been very interested in Demonic Puppets.
'Demonic Puppets were far more marketable than Magic Potions.'
The Flesh Demonic Puppet he had traded for with the Witch was not advanced. It was a basic Demonic Puppet: Flesh Mimicry.
Isaac wasn't surprised by this. The market price for Demonic Puppet schematics was much higher than for Witchcraft of the same Level. If he hadn't expanded upon the Heart Transplantation Surgery, it wouldn't have even been qualified for the trade.
The Flesh Mimicry Demonic Puppet was a semi-independent type. It had two modes of operation: an independent mode, where it moved like a Slime and could fight on its own, and an attached mode, where it could transform into Flesh Armor to assist its wearer in battle.
There wasn't much to say about the independent mode. It was a Slime, after all, so its combat power was what you'd expect. Its only advantage was its flexibility, making it suitable for combat in all sorts of strange terrain. As for its fighting strength...
It was best not to have high expectations. One-on-one, it couldn't even defeat a Quasi-Knight.
The attached mode was what was worth talking about, as it was the Demonic Puppet's core function. Besides enhancing the user's physical attributes and Magic Power, the attached mode could also grant the user different Magic-like Abilities based on the form of the Demon it mimicked.
For example, among the three basic forms, the Violent Bear could drastically increase strength and allow the use of the Fossil into Mud magic once. The Wind Rabbit could greatly increase movement speed and allow the use of Wind Blade once. The Iron Armored Turtle could increase defense and cast Iron Block once to further enhance defensive capabilities.
In short, it had many uses.
Furthermore, the mimicked Demon forms could be modified to obtain different abilities.
However, that wasn't something Isaac needed to consider at the moment. He didn't have that ability yet. For now, he just had to learn how to make it.
"Tsk~ This is a bit difficult~"
Looking at the densely packed tiny words and lines on the design schematic, Isaac shook his head. He had a lot to learn with this thing. The probability bonus from his Golden Finger didn't seem very useful here—success was success. However, its function as a personal tutor that filled in the gaps was as reliable as ever.
"Time to study!"
Isaac sighed, spread the design schematic out on his desk, and began to study it carefully. 'If I learn this well, I might just make a fortune!'
Because manufacturing Flesh Mimicry required only one material: Demonized Flesh!