Chapter 67: Chapter 56: Isaac: A Maid? What Do I Need That For?

Although he had made his decision, this path would not be an easy one to walk.

Unlike the horde-spawning method, which required one to painstakingly upgrade the abilities of the base specimen, the biggest problem with this path was, conversely, the flesh materials.

High-Level Demons weren’t actually difficult to obtain—you just had to spend money. They didn’t even need to be alive; corpses would suffice.

But the stronger the Demon, the more Demonized Flesh was required for the conversion. You either had to improve its quality or increase its quantity.

Either way, it required massive amounts of Demonized Flesh, and all of that cost money!

’So, I need to make money?’

Isaac shook his head. Money wasn’t that easy to make. Besides, casting materials were consumables; he couldn’t rely entirely on purchasing them. It was best if he could be self-sufficient.

Isaac had a few ideas on this matter. The first was still the Goblin Nest. That thing was practically a perpetual motion machine. The only problem was that continually forcing the goblins to reproduce would have a severe impact on the surrounding environment. At best, it would extinguish all life; at worst, the fundamental laws of reality would collapse, attracting all sorts of strange monsters.

But he could try setting one up elsewhere, in a place like an herb garden, to be planted and harvested on a regular basis.

Implementing this plan wouldn’t be too difficult—he could just ask an Outer God for "help." The tricky part was the Legendary Mage behind the goblin species. What was his attitude toward this kind of behavior...?

He was sure he wasn’t the only Legendary Mage who had thought of exploiting goblins this way, nor the only one capable of doing so. But since nothing of the sort had yet appeared, it meant the situation was far more complicated than it seemed. He would have to proceed with caution.

His second idea was to create a Magic Item with an enormous capacity for storing Magic Power. Flesh Conversion didn’t strictly require Demonized Flesh; pure Magic Power would also work, though the consumption would be immense. If he could just prepare the necessary Magic Power for the Casting in advance, this problem would be solved.

His final idea was to upgrade the Flesh Dimension. That way, the Bloody Gemstone connected to it would be able to produce more flesh.

All in all, the last two ideas were more reliable and could be accomplished in a short amount of time. However, the former would yield quick results, while the latter would be much slower.

The latter would have to be postponed. He currently couldn’t acquire the resources needed for the Flesh Dimension to grow effectively. As for the former...

Isaac raised his right hand, looking at the Magic Seal grafted onto its back. The small, circuit-board-like device glowed with a faint blue light and had boosted his Magic Power reserves by three times their original capacity!

This was already the most cutting-edge technology the Truth Association had to offer and wasn’t available on the open market at all. If it weren’t for Cheryl, Isaac couldn’t have bought it even if he had the money—which he didn’t.

From Isaac’s perspective, this little device was already perfect. At his current skill level, if he wanted to optimize it, his only option would be to perform a ritual and ask an Outer God for help.

Then again, the Magic Seal’s greatest advantage wasn’t its storage capacity, but its compatibility.

The Magic Power from the Magic Seal was nearly identical to a Wizard’s own. It could be used to cast any spell and could circulate within the body without any side effects.

But Isaac could do without all of that. He only needed this Magic Power to be usable for Flesh Conversion. It didn’t need to circulate within his body, and he didn’t care about the nature of the Magic Power itself.

’So there’s a lot of room for improvement?’

"Tsk." After staring at the Magic Seal for a long time, Isaac shook his head in resignation. He gave up on the idea of removing it for research. He could take his time studying similar Magic Items. The Magic Seal was just too practical, and even if he did manage to take it apart, there was no guarantee he’d learn anything from it.

’No need to rush.’

’So...’

"Tsk."

After a moment’s thought, Isaac shook his head and began to pack his things.

He hadn’t been part of Gaia’s meeting, nor did he know they were discussing his departure.

But Isaac wasn’t an idiot. He was well aware of what he had done: three Evil God Summonings—one an attempt at communication, two actual, completed transactions.

In his past life, this wasn’t just a case of building a nuke; this was like setting one off for fun!

They had tolerated his reckless behavior before because a great enemy was at their doorstep, and they had to risk it all.

Now that the fight was over, it was time for him to leave. Yes, it was definitely time for him to leave.

Staying here made not only Gaia and the others uncomfortable, but Isaac as well. He always felt like his hands were tied. Of course, it had its benefits—at least there was no shortage of research funding.

Still, in the end, he had to leave.

"RRRIP!"

Harmon emerged. A scarlet eye materialized on the back of its hand, and it looked at Isaac in confusion. "Hiss hiss~"

’Are we leaving?’

"Yeah, it’s about time to leave. Let’s pack up together. I wonder if I can take this entire floor of the laboratory with me. I’ve grown quite attached to it... tsk."

"Squeak squeak??"

’Isn’t it because it’s valuable?’

Shushu, perched on Isaac’s shoulder, gave him a puzzled look.

Isaac: "..."

Harmon: "..."

"...If only you’d apply this intelligence to using Divine Arts..." Isaac shook his head in resignation, making idle chat with the claw and the rat as he packed his things.

The scene was, surprisingly, a little heartwarming...

That evening, as night fell, Cheryl made her way to the third floor after finishing her work. The moment she stepped through the door, she froze.

Isaac was lounging on a sofa, a Magic Book propped in his hands. On his left shoulder, Divine Spirit Rat Rui Cheng was staring with its beady little eyes, looking blankly at the book.

Overhead, a menacing purple Demon Claw extended its long fingers, occasionally giving Isaac and the little gray rat a scratch. Sometimes, it would even open a jagged-toothed maw on its palm and spit out a scarlet eyeball.

At a glance, the scene was both sinister and... somehow heartwarming?

Cheryl: "..."

Cheryl sighed internally. In that moment, she was once again thankful for her decision. ’Legendary Mages truly are all psychopaths!’

’And a Mad Witch is the most psychopathic of them all!’

These days, only a Legendary Mage would choose a Divine Hand as a Magic Pet. Arcanists like her chose practical or elegant creatures—ravens, crows, frogs, black cats, and the like. They weren’t as bizarre in their tastes as Legendary Mages.

After all, a Legendary Mage didn’t actually get to decide the species of their Magic Pet.

"What are you reading?" Composing herself, Cheryl walked toward Isaac with a smile.

"*Kingdom Princess: Fall of the Black Orc Chapter*." Isaac casually showed her the cover.

Cheryl’s expression stiffened. ’*Kingdom Princess: Fall...*’

’Isn’t that just smut?!’

’What do you do when you catch your own little brother reading smut? Asking for a friend, it’s urgent!’

Cheryl sighed, smoothing the frown from her brow. She asked wearily, "Why would you read a book like that? If you’re interested, I can send you a few maids."

"Maids? What would I do with them?" Isaac asked, genuinely confused.