This was even after Liu Li had reduced the training intensity for Dragon Lizard Number Two. Otherwise, it would have died even faster!

This also temporarily snuffed out Isaac’s idea of casting a High-level Curse on Smith and the Saint Master. ’Better to wait,’ he thought. ’A short delay won’t hurt, and it’s best to be cautious.’

Second, the symposium on the Dragon Transformation Secret Medicine that Isaac had been anticipating for so long finally had a date: just two days away!

At that time, ninety percent of the core members of the Dragon Blood Purification research group would be in attendance, including a Tier Four Miracle Mage!

He was also one of the research group’s founders.

The caliber of this event was off the charts!

Finally, there was news about the Demon Eye. Apparently, another uprising had broken out in the Itra Kingdom, and they were looking for help. The Kaleidoscope Eye was among the rewards offered. However, the information couldn’t be verified. According to his informant, this was a "regular feature" of the Itra Kingdom... something that happened every year.

Isaac remained skeptical. If a kingdom had uprisings every year, how could it have survived for so long?

After all, according to Isaac’s research, the Itra Kingdom was five hundred years old. Kingdoms with such long histories invariably had powerful figures watching over them. These figures could periodically use force to purge any internal decay. How could such a nation suffer from regular uprisings?

Let alone once a year...

But regardless of his doubts, he had to go. What if it was real?

It wasn’t like it would cause any trouble.

Oh, right. There was another small matter. The Terra Royal Family had found out about the deal Isaac made with Princess Philo through the Mad Witch Association. They didn’t ask him to cancel the transaction. Instead, they essentially bought out the Golems, giving Isaac a staggering ten million Gold Coins in cash!

’Some old bastard must have been pulling the strings!’

Otherwise, judging others by his own cynical standards, Isaac didn’t believe Philo would be so quick to hand over ten million Gold Coins in hard cash.

Regardless, Isaac was more than happy with this outcome. Both his wallet and his mood had improved immensely. Who wouldn’t be thrilled to trade a bit of already-restored pride for so much money?

And so, when it came to cultivating Secret Mages, Isaac decided to unleash his superpower: money.

That day, carriage after carriage, fully loaded, drove into Isaac’s castle under Smith’s guidance and stopped on the old training ground. A portly merchant with magnificent Gemstone rings on all ten fingers and a large gold chain around his neck stepped down from a carriage, rubbing his hands together and nodding respectfully to Smith.

"Lord Smith, I wonder if Baron Solomon is free right now?"

"Young Master Isaac is currently conducting an experiment. He will be here shortly. Please wait a moment."

Although the merchant was acting with great humility, his mannerisms—a collection of annoying stereotypes—were grating. Yet, Smith showed not a hint of disdain, neither in his heart nor on his face.

Don’t be fooled by his appearance, because he was actually a Tier Two Legendary Mage!

Remi, a rather legendary fellow, was born a slave. By a stroke of luck, he performed the ritual to become a Legendary Mage and was fortunate enough to survive. No one knew what he went through, but he had now shed his slave identity, transformed himself into a Tier Two Legendary Mage, and was also a Slave Trader.

All the shifty merchant stereotypes he embodied were intentional. This was the story he had written for himself—the story of a Slave Trader.

Back before he and Isaac had branched off on their own, Smith had dealt with Remi many times, often purchasing slaves from him.

Or rather, any member of the Nobility who wanted to develop the Wilderness could not avoid Slave Traders. Because in a godforsaken place like the Wilderness, no one but slaves would be willing to settle.

Remi nodded upon hearing this, showing no objection. He then discreetly sized up Smith, a flash of surprise vanishing from his eyes.

Smith was familiar with him, and he was naturally familiar with Smith; after all, he was an old retainer of the Solomons Family. But the Smith he knew was not this strong, and this tyrannical Magic Power emanating from him...

’A Demon? As expected of a Mad Witch!’

Remi’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he grew vigilant internally. As a Legendary Mage, Remi had long heard of Isaac’s reputation as a Mad Witch!

But he had only ever heard rumors; this was his first time making contact. He hadn’t expected such a big surprise before even meeting the man. To think he would be willing to modify such a close retainer...

As he thought this, he couldn’t help but cast a sympathetic glance at the numb-faced slaves in the carriage behind him. ’Landing in this guy’s hands... you lot are truly unlucky.’

But sympathy was sympathy; business was business. His childhood as a slave hadn’t made Remi dissatisfied with the institution of slavery. He was only dissatisfied that he wasn’t the master.

So, after escaping his status as a slave, the very first thing he did was become a Slave Trader!

Unlike the vast majority of Transcendents, Remi did not aspire to the status of Nobility. He had seen many slaves of noble birth in his childhood. In his eyes, so what if one became a noble?

’If you lose, you end up a slave just the same. There’s no difference!’

In this world, the most important thing wasn’t authority, but money and power!

Being a Slave Trader allowed him to make money and also gain power by following his path of Legend. It couldn’t be more perfect.

So, while Remi might feel sympathy for these unlucky slaves, he still had to sell them. Who would argue with money?

Remi did not wait long. Soon, Isaac, dressed in a gray Wizard Robe, walked toward him. Following behind him was Liu Li, wearing a provocative outfit.

However, unlike the Adventurers from before, Remi did not focus his attention on Liu Li’s clothes. He glanced at Liu Li, then quickly lowered his head, constantly wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.

’Holy hell!’

’I’m seeing a Demon God in broad daylight!’

As a Legendary Mage, although not a Mad Witch, his power still originated from various Outer Gods, making him very sensitive to their power. Thus, he could tell at a glance that Liu Li was not human!

Although she was only a Demon God’s Favored, to an ordinary Legendary Mage, that was no different from a Demon God.

This scared the hell out of Remi, giving him a whole new understanding of Isaac’s "mad" reputation!

No wonder he advanced to Tier Two in such a short time. Remi had been quite envious and had even entertained the thought of becoming a Mad Witch himself. But now, forget it. Sleeping with a Demon God... that was just too damn crazy!

At this moment, Isaac was unaware that his image had undergone a drastic change in Remi’s eyes. He approached with a smile and said warmly, "Uncle Remi, long time no see."

It had indeed been a long time. The last time they’d "met" was ten years ago. Back then, he had only caught a glimpse of Remi from a window before a maid pulled him back into the room, afraid the slaves would frighten him.

"It has been a long time. To think you’ve already become so powerful." Remi quickly suppressed the panic in his heart, a professional smile appearing on his face as he unconsciously rubbed his hands together. "Lord Baron, shall we get right to inspecting the goods?"

As a renowned Slave Trader, Remi was an excellent judge of character. He tailored his approach to each client. Some required small talk, others needed their egos stroked, and some had to be offered... additional services... before a deal could proceed smoothly.

And Isaac was clearly the type who disliked pleasantries and preferred to get straight to the point.

"Good, let’s see the goods." As expected, Isaac showed no dissatisfaction and simply nodded, following behind Remi.

Soon, Remi led Isaac to the first carriage and pulled back the black cloth. Inside a small iron cage were more than twenty adult men. It was very crowded and the conditions were quite poor, but the food seemed decent. These were high-quality laborers.

"They’re from the recently fallen Ray Kingdom. They don’t have any skills or Extraordinary talent, but they’re healthy and have plenty of brute strength. One Gold Coin each."

"One Gold Coin?" Isaac looked at Remi in surprise—not because it was expensive, but because it was cheap. "This is basically your cost, isn’t it?"

Generally speaking, slaves were cheap, but it depended on the slave. Different slaves naturally had different prices. The ones like these—healthy, strong, and with no problematic origins—were high-quality slaves that could be bought to develop a territory. The market price was around ten Gold Coins, and even a bulk purchase would cost seven or eight Gold Coins each.

One Gold Coin was a giveaway. An absolute steal!