Joining a wizard organization?

Looking at the Green Heart in his hand, Isaac sighed softly. The ritual had succeeded, but his experiment had failed.

The goblin heart had not increased its degree of demonization as he had expected. Instead, it had become a wizardry tool, one that could store magic power.

As for its usefulness, it was not entirely useless, but it was hardly impressive. The magic power it held was only enough for him to create three Heart-Exchange Rats out of thin air before it needed recharging.

Better than nothing.

Resigned, Isaac put away the Green Heart, sighed, and turned to leave the basement. The ritual needed more adjustments. He would not abandon this experiment, at least not before he achieved some measure of financial freedom.

But his knowledge reserves were no longer enough. He needed to buy more magical knowledge...

And that required money...

"Haah..." Walking up the stairs, Isaac let out another heavy sigh. He would have to visit Lake Town again and find some work to build up his initial capital.

Of course, he could also tell his family ahead of time that he was a wizard and receive some financial support.

But Isaac rejected the idea the instant it surfaced. First, the territory was short on money and could not give him much. Second, his sudden emergence as a wizard might give his second brother the wrong idea. If his brother thought he wanted to seize power, things would become troublesome.

So he would have to wait until after the Wizardry Sublimation Ritual, at the very least, before telling them. He needed the power to protect himself first.

Besides, even if his family gave him money, it would be limited. In the end, it would still come down to him. He would still have to support himself.

But for a wizard to make money...

Honestly, it was rather difficult...

He had not been idle these past few days. Between researching spells, he had made several trips to Lake Town and gained a rough understanding of the Wizarding World's commercial structure. How should he put it? The wealthiest people were all selling raw materials and semifinished goods...

Because wizards were not merely researchers. They were also producers, and the stronger the wizard, the greater their production capabilities!

Their production efficiency might not be very high, but their range was extensive.

Aside from Witches, who were born with powerful magic power and spells, both Legendary Wizards and Arcane Masters needed a certain level of intelligence. As a result, wizards were generally academic high achievers, and many pursued an all-round approach.

They could make many simple potsions and wizardry tools themselves, so there was no need to buy them.

Only high-level items needed to be purchased, but Isaac did not even have the formulas for those...

That was why the most commonly sold goods in Lake Town were all sorts of materials and semifinished products. Extracted demonic flesh, for example, was one of them, and many shops and stallholders bought it regularly.

So farming was the way to go!

Unfortunately, he did not have the means...

Whether it was techniques, seeds, or even land, he had none of them. He could not get started at all...

Perhaps he could take a different approach.

Leaving his bedroom, Isaac pushed open the laboratory door and casually set the green heart on a nearby shelf. Then he walked over to the bookshelf and picked up a document, looking thoughtful.

The laboratory was no longer as empty as it had been when he first arrived. In a cage in the corner were three demonic rats, all experimental subjects Isaac was observing. One was a demonic rat whose heart had been replaced with an ordinary one. Its condition had now improved somewhat, and its heart seemed to have begun undergoing demonization, confirming his hypothesis. However, the degree of demonization was probably insufficient, leaving the rat somewhat lacking in energy.

Another had undergone a blood-replacement modification based on this theory—namely, injections of blood from a higher-level monster.

Goblin blood now flowed through this demonic rat's body. Isaac had put considerable thought into this experiment, because injections alone were not enough. Besides resolving the rejection issue, he also had to deal with the new blood the demonic rat produced.

Fortunately, his golden finger was as reliable as ever. With the powerful effects of multiple spells, he had completed the experiment and was now observing the results.

The third was a demonic rat the size of a puppy. A large bulge rose from its chest, pulsing with every heartbeat. Isaac had replaced its heart with a goblin's, leaving its proportions somewhat distorted.

Of the three, the demonic rat that had undergone blood replacement was the most successful. Although it strengthened more slowly than the one with a replaced heart, its progress was steady and comprehensive. Its side effects were also far less severe than those of Heart Replacement Surgery. In fact...

There might be no side effects at all!

Still, he needed more time to observe the specifics. He felt that blood replacement seemed more promising than heart replacement!

Because Heart Replacement Surgery had a limit. A heart could only be replaced three times at most. On the fourth attempt, the body's rejection response would fail outright, resulting in death.

With blood replacement, however, it currently seemed that there would be no problems as long as the blood was properly assimilated.

Besides the rats in the corner, a dissected goblin corpse lay on Isaac's operating table. He had used it to verify the structure of a goblin's body. Originally, he had also planned to try performing Heart Replacement Surgery on a goblin.

But when he saw the fear in the goblin's eyes, he gave up.

Although goblins were monsters, they were humanoid monsters with a certain degree of intelligence. If Isaac had to kill goblins, he would not hesitate. Even goblin young would leave him unmoved.

But using them for experiments...

The current Isaac did not yet have that resolve...

After all, he had only been a surgeon in his previous life, not a mad scientist.

Several sheets of parchment bearing evil Magic Arrays lay on the desk. Bloodstains Isaac had accidentally left on them added a touch of horror.

Isaac himself, however, was accustomed to it. After all, he had created all of this with his own hands.

"Looks like... this is my only option..." Isaac shook his head, put down the notes in his hand, and made his decision.

Join a wizard organization!

At present, this was the most stable and convenient way to earn money, and obtaining magical knowledge would become easier as well.

Although wizard organizations did not accept Formal Wizards, that referred to full membership. Formal Wizards could join as outside employees, work for the organization, and earn its points, which they could then exchange for knowledge or items.

This was one of the ways most Hedge Wizards made a living, and it also served as a means for wizard organizations to assess newcomers.

Next, then, he needed to think carefully about which wizard organization to join. He could not be careless about this. Not only did he have to consider the financial benefits, but he also had to consider whether his own path as a wizard was compatible with it.

After all, once he became a Grand Wizard in the future, this would probably be the organization he joined.

Isaac was quick to act. After making his decision, he immediately picked up the Wizard Hat beside him, settled it on his head, and hurried out of the castle.

At the center of the woodland, the Old Witch was still there, tirelessly stirring her cauldron. Isaac bowed slightly in greeting, then entered the wooden hut behind her and began looking through the wizard organizations' recruitment information.