"What's the cost? What's the profit? Is it a hassle?" Caesar asked quickly, his eyes lighting up.
"The cost... should be over a hundred Gold Coins. That includes a Blood Essence Potion and some other strange ingredients—probably things Isaac researched himself. As for profit... the price will drop with mass production, so it'll be around thirty Gold Coins, I'd say. If we can breed the Dragon Lizard hatchlings ourselves, the cost will drop even further. As for whether it's a hassle, you'll have to ask him."
After speaking, Cheryl turned to look at Isaac.
Isaac looked at his older sister with admiration. 'As expected of a master who's about to become a High-level Mage. Her perception is incredible. She figured it all out with just a casual glance.'
"It's pretty much as my sister said. It's not really a hassle, just requires standard breeding practices," Isaac said with a shrug.
'Awakening their Dragon Blood does require my Golden Finger, but I only need to make one trip during feeding time. It won't be too much trouble.'
'And once my skills improve, I can fully incorporate the Dragon Blood awakening process into a Magic Potion. Then, a single bottle will be all it takes.'
Caesar did some rough calculations, then nodded excitedly. "Excellent! Isaac, go and organize the information first. Write up a list of all the necessary materials. The territory is investing in this project!"
Out of caution, Caesar didn't specify the profit-sharing details. He was, after all, still just the primary heir, not the true Viscount Solomon. The specific figures would have to be finalized by their father.
But they were family, so Isaac wouldn't be short-changed.
Isaac understood this, so he didn't press the issue. Instead, he pulled back the black cloth on the second carriage, which was loaded mainly with his various experimental subjects.
"Huh? Heart transplants, blood transfusions... this setup..." Cheryl's eyes immediately fell upon the four rather listless Demonized Rats and the multiple surgical scars on their bodies. After a moment of thought, she looked at Isaac in surprise. "Are you trying to catalyze Demon Hearts and Demon Blood?"
"Mhm, just trying it out." Isaac nodded with a smile. He was much calmer about this particular project.
Compared to the Dragon Lizards, the experiment to catalyze Demon Hearts and Demon Blood was child's play. The technique itself wasn't very advanced; the main difficulty was the concept and its complexity.
Both heart transplants and blood transfusions required surgery, a process that was both complex and highly dangerous.
At least, that was the case for other Official Wizards of this era. The limited resources and immature surgical techniques posed the greatest risks. Although Magic Spells could be used to mitigate these risks, doing so would add another layer of complexity to the procedure.
And in the end, the result was just some Demon Hearts and Demon Blood. Naturally, no Wizard would bother with an endeavor where the reward didn't justify the effort.
But Isaac was different. He was poor!
So, as long as there was a way to make money, he was happy to delve into it!
Besides, it was only complex for now. Once his skills improved, he could try to streamline it into a form of Witchcraft or a ritual, making it much more convenient.
This wasn't just some pipe dream of Isaac's. In fact, this was how modern Witchcraft and Arcane Arts had come to be: by simplifying the complex and increasing their practicality.
Take the Arcane Missile, one of the three basic Arcane Arts, for example. In its most primitive version, casting the spell required complex procedures like preparing a suitable amount of Arcane Energy beforehand, a Magic Spell to maintain the Arcane Energy's structure, and another Magic Spell to lock onto a target. Though it was a combat Magic, it was unusable in actual combat.
But now, Arcane Missile didn't even require chanting a spell. It could be cast directly by using Magic Power and Spiritual Power to activate the Magic Model in one's mind, making it countless times more convenient!
He firmly believed that, sooner or later, he too could simplify this technique!
The Demonized Rat subjects didn't hold Cheryl's attention for long. Their technical requirements and value were average at best. The concept was a little interesting, but it was the kind of thing only a destitute person would bother with. She looked down on such paltry sums.
Her gaze was quickly drawn to another creature sitting quietly in its cage: a Demon Rat. She stared at it for a moment before asking with some uncertainty, "Is this a Divine Species?"
"Yes. I learned how from the Witchcraft Manuscript Caesar gave me."
Cheryl: "..."
Cheryl was silent for a moment before turning to Isaac with a heavy sigh. "Isaac, it's such a shame you have no talent for the Arcane Arts!"
She had seen that Witchcraft Manuscript before. Although she hadn't read it carefully, she could tell its contents were abstruse. The Alchemy recorded within was so incredibly complex that even she wasn't certain she could master it.
And now Isaac, who had only just become a Wizard, had actually mastered that Witchcraft Manuscript and adapted its Alchemy into surgical modification...
Isaac just smiled faintly without replying. That was all in the past now.
"What's it worth?" Caesar couldn't discern the technical skill involved here. After the excitement over the Dragon Lizards, all he wanted to know was whether it could make money, and how much!
"From the perspective of Magic Knowledge, it's priceless. But from an economic standpoint, it won't make much money. A large-scale operation would probably earn less than farming Silver Moon Grass," Cheryl said with a casual shrug.
"But isn't it a Divine Species? Why is it valued so low?" Remington asked, confused. Dragon Species were so valuable; how could a Divine Species be worth less?
"It's not the same. Every part of a Giant Dragon is a treasure. A Divine Species, at best, is just a somewhat special type of Demon. Their power is erratic and they're extremely difficult to tame, so their monetary value isn't high. The true value of a Divine Species is the Knowledge it contains, but you can't sell that." As she spoke, Cheryl looked over the Divine Species: Demon Rat again.
"Isaac, why did you think to transform a Demon Rat into a Divine Species? It's so weak, it feels like a bit of a waste."
"..." Isaac was speechless. "I'm not rich like you, Cheryl. I don't exactly have the luxury of choice, do I?"
"That's true." Cheryl thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.
She knew just how difficult things were for Wild Sorcerers.
"Alright, we've seen enough. Have them pack this up for now. Come on, let's go get something to eat," Caesar said, clapping his hands.
The other three siblings nodded, handed everything over to Smith, and went with Caesar to the fortress's mess hall.
「...」
"You can conduct your experiments here from now on. Just toss any magical waste into the trash can. The Tower Spirit will have the Demonic Puppets come clean it up."
After they had eaten and drunk their fill and caught up on family matters, Cheryl led Isaac to her Mage Tower and temporarily gave him the vacant third floor to use.
Looking at the spacious laboratory, Isaac nodded with emotion. 'This is a serious upgrade!'
"Thanks, Cheryl."
"Don't mention it." Cheryl shook her head with a smile, then pulled a Magic Book from her sleeve and handed it to Isaac. "You've finished that other Magic Book I gave you, haven't you? If you have, you can start learning this one."
"This is... *Truth Mage Combat Manual, Volume One*? Can you really give this to me?" Isaac asked, staring at Cheryl in surprise after reading the title.