Going Home for Funding!

"Dragon Flame!"

In the training yard, Barton and the others stood at the edge, eagerly watching Isaac and the brown drake lizard at his feet, which had two small bumps on its head.

A target stood five meters in front of them.

As Isaac gave the command, the drake lizard opened its mouth and spewed a jet of flame, striking the target with precision!

"Boom!"

In an instant, the wooden target turned to ash before the scorching Dragon Flame!

Isaac's eyes lit up at the sight. The corners of his mouth curled upward as he crouched down and stroked the drake lizard's slender head. "Not bad. Well done!"

"Snort, snort~" The drake lizard gave a silly snort, narrowing its slender eyes beneath Isaac's caress, thoroughly enjoying itself.

The drake lizard had changed considerably since it first arrived. Its brown scales had become heavier and sturdier, while the two horn buds atop its head gave it a touch more majesty. Though it was still over half a meter long, it had grown broader than before, and faint outlines of muscle could now be seen beneath its scales.

Most importantly, it had gained two abilities: Dragon Might and the Dragon Flame it had just displayed.

There was no need to explain Dragon Might. It was an ability possessed by all creatures with dragon blood, though its power varied greatly depending on one's strength and the concentration of dragon blood. As for this drake lizard's Dragon Might...

At present, it could only scare mice—and only ordinary mice. Demonic Rats were too dim-witted to be intimidated, while Demon Rats were too strong to be frightened.

Still, that was not particularly important. Dragon Might had always been a bonus. What truly mattered was its flesh, strengthened by dragon blood, and its innate spell, Dragon Flame.

Dragon Flame had directly raised the drake lizard's combat ability by an entire level. Though it could not be used many times, with proper timing, it had no trouble killing small magical creatures of the same level in one strike.

Of course, most importantly, after awakening its dragon blood, the drake lizard's value had soared!

Its entire body was treasure!

Especially a drake lizard that had awakened Dragon Flame. Its throat and tongue were relatively precious magical materials that could be used to modify oneself and gain mastery over Dragon Flame. Their market price was at least one hundred Gold Coins!

Its own combat ability, on the other hand, was hardly worth mentioning. Without wings, it could not fly, and it did not know Cliffside Sword. It was still rather weak in the end.

Even so, Isaac had no intention of selling it. He would raise it for now and see whether he could eventually raise a real dragon. After all, it was his first time. It had collectible value.

More importantly, the success of this drake lizard had proven that his Golden Finger also worked on raising drake lizards. All he had to do next was replicate the process.

However, if he wanted to properly raise this drake lizard, he would need to learn another contract spell with stronger binding power.

After patting the drake lizard, Isaac stood and led it back to the Beast Breeding Ground. The others exchanged glances, each seeing concern in the others' eyes. Young Master seemed to need them less and less...

Watching Isaac and the drake lizard's retreating figures, the Guard Squad led by Barton felt extremely conflicted. To be honest, when they had first been assigned to Isaac, they had been quite dejected. It meant they had little room for advancement, and barring surprises, this was how the rest of their lives would be.

But when Isaac became a wizard and even helped their captain, Barton, break through to Knight, the hope that had gone out within them began to burn again!

Perhaps they could become Knights too?

Perhaps even Grand Knights!

With that thought in mind, everyone's enthusiasm for training grew ever greater!

However...

Reality proved that there had been a reason they were assigned to Isaac. Despite all that time spent in intense training, apart from Barton, not a single one of them had become a Quasi-Knight...

And now, not only was Isaac growing stronger and stronger, he had also acquired a group of magical creatures that looked incredibly powerful...

On his way to the Beast Breeding Ground, Isaac knew nothing of the Guard Squad's complicated feelings. But even if he had known, he would not have cared.

As far as these people were concerned, his thoughts were actually the same as his family's. They had served the family for so many years, so arranging things so that they could live comfortably for the rest of their lives was enough. As for helping them advance further...

Isaac was not an idiot. Why would he spend so much money on them? Would it not be better to pour those same resources into himself? He had no desire to become a king or conquer the world. There was no point in raising so many people.

At most, he would take care of Smith and his son, Barton.

After putting the drake lizard into its pen, Isaac first tossed several chunks of fatty Demonic Wild Boar meat to the two drake lizards. Then he took a small glass bottle from his robes and carefully poured it into a pile of minced meat beside him. After stirring it evenly, he scattered it into the rat enclosure.

Watching the Little Mice devour every bit of the enhanced minced meat, Isaac's lips curled up, revealing a slightly lecherous smile.

What he had added for the Little Mice was a potion he had developed himself—Spring Has Arrived.

It was a potion that could heighten reproductive urges!

He would test it on the Little Mice first. If the results were good, he could consider bringing in some herbivorous magical creatures later to improve the supply chain. That way, he would not have to keep making trips to Lake Town to buy wild boar meat every few days.

After watching the Little Mice finish the minced meat, Isaac gently shut the door, leaving them their private space.

Afterward, Isaac returned directly to the laboratory. It had been four days since the gathering, and they should be setting out for the fortress within the next couple of days. Before leaving, he needed to settle several key experiments.

For example, the research on Flesh Mimicry had reached its final stage and he could soon begin attempting its creation. The Demon Rats had also preliminarily completed their integration with the Divinity Network and could enter the next stage of condensing divine spells. The cultivation plan for magical hearts had been optimized as well, and he needed to gather experimental data before departing.

Back in the laboratory, the first thing Isaac handled was the Demon Rats' divine spell condensation...

"Tch, no materials..." Isaac looked helplessly at the Demon Rat tied to the operating table. One man and one rat stared wide-eyed at each other, both speechless.

Shaking his head, Isaac put the bewildered Little Mouse back into its cage. After looking around, he helplessly realized that there did not seem to be any experiment he could conduct at the moment...

Even though these projects had already been as economical as possible!

"Sigh, I still need to make money... Perhaps I can ask the family for help?" Isaac stroked his chin. The more he thought about it, the more feasible the idea seemed. He was not all alone, so why had he kept thinking he needed to handle everything himself?

He could work with his family. They could provide the funds, while he provided the technology. They could get rich together!

Reliable!

Isaac slammed his fist into his palm, and his thinking completely opened up!

"Smith! Smith!"

"Whoosh!"

"Young Master, what is it?" A gust of wind swept in. Smith, dressed in a tailcoat and holding a cane, instantly appeared before Isaac. His right hand gripped one end of the cane, poised to strike, his expression tense.

"It's nothing. Don't be so nervous~" Isaac waved his hand and began packing up his research materials. "Pack up. We're going to the fortress."

"Now?" Smith was slightly stunned.

"Yes, now. There's nothing to do here anyway. Pack up the Demon Rats and drake lizards and bring them with us. They'll starve to death if they stay here."

"Yes, Young Master."

Smith said nothing more. He simply nodded and turned to make the arrangements, because Isaac was right. There was not much to keep anyone busy at the castle. Isaac was the busiest person here; if he had no issues, then no one else would either.

Before long, the Guard Squad had packed everything with baffled expressions, including the Little Mice currently in heat. No one knew how large the psychological shadow was when they pushed open the warehouse doors and saw that scene...

As for Isaac, although he was the busiest person in the territory, he was also the fastest to pack. All he needed to take were several Magic Books and spell experiment manuscripts. Oh, and that cauldron and several test subjects.

Thus, once Barton and the others had loaded the cages containing the Little Mice and drake lizards onto the wagon, Isaac climbed into the carriage as well. The group set off in grand fashion for Solomon Fortress at the Territory Border!

Just as on the way there, the convoy carried little food. After all, they would not be leaving the territory, so they could replenish supplies at towns along the route.

Three days later, Solomon Fortress.

"What? The third one is here?" Inside the fortress castle, a middle-aged man who had been reviewing frontline intelligence raised his head and looked at the guard by the door in surprise.

"Yes. Young Master Isaac and the others... seem to have all come." The guard looked rather astonished as well.

"Alright, I understand. You may leave." The middle-aged man put down the report in surprise and rose to head outside.

The guard bowed, then turned and left.

When the middle-aged man arrived at the fortress residential district, he found that the second child, Remington, and the eldest sister, Sheryl, had already arrived. They were examining Isaac from head to toe with astonished expressions.

"Big Brother!"

On the other side, Isaac, who was being examined like a lab rat, spotted the middle-aged man. As though he had found a lifeline, he waved enthusiastically.

Caesar Solomon, the Solomon Family's eldest son, was thirty-one years old. Whether in cultivation talent or interpersonal skill, he was exceptional. Throughout the territory, whether among the troops directly under his command or the barons granted fiefs, there was not a single person unconvinced by him.

He was also the closest to Isaac.

As Caesar watched Isaac run toward him, he instinctively rushed forward to support him. Only then did he realize that his younger brother truly seemed to have become a wizard and undergone a complete transformation. His body was far sturdier than before!

"Good! Good! Good!" Caesar excitedly patted Isaac on the shoulder, saying good three times in a row.

Remington and Sheryl exchanged a glance, both revealing relieved smiles.

"I'm sorry for making you worry all these years."

"We're family. What is there to apologize for? As long as you're well, that's all that matters!" But after calming down, Caesar's brow furrowed. "You understand the dangers of Legendary Wizards better than I do. Since you have chosen this path, there is something I need to tell you in advance. If one day you threaten the safety of the territory, I will kill you with my own hands!"

Isaac looked at Caesar's solemn expression and nodded with a smile. He knew what Caesar meant.

The power of Legendary Wizards came from Outer Gods, which was why they were also the group most enthusiastic about making deals with Outer Gods. Not only throughout history—even in recent years, Legendary Wizards had failed in their transactions with Outer Gods, resulting in entire nations being devoured by Outer Gods!

Although many Legendary Wizards had gradually abandoned trading with Outer Gods in recent years due to the increasingly complete Truth Wizard system, history was history. And there were indeed still people rushing headlong into it, such as the Mad Wizard Society Isaac belonged to.

Thus, there was nothing wrong with Caesar saying this. Besides being Isaac's brother, he was also the future lord of the Solomon Viscount Territory and needed to be responsible for its people.

Though he was saying it a little too late...

After all, Isaac was already a mad wizard...

Of course, in reality, not every failed ritual for trading with an Outer God resulted in a territory being devoured. Most of the time, only the wizard conducting the failed ritual was consumed—unless that wizard had put the territory itself on the gambling table during the deal!

But that required the wizard to have actual control over the territory. Not just any random nobody could gamble away someone else's territory. Isaac did not have that authority, nor would he ever do such a thing.

Still, there was no need to explain the distinction to them. It would only cause unnecessary worry. In the future, whenever Isaac traded with an Outer God, he would leave the territory first.

Caesar looked deeply at Isaac, patted him on the shoulder, and dropped the subject. He turned toward the carriages covered in black cloth and smiled. "I heard you brought quite a few strange things. Why not introduce them to us?"

"Exactly what I wanted!" Isaac nodded heavily. "But let's be clear—no free viewing. You have to pay after you see them!"

"You brat, didn't I just give you one thousand Gold Coins?" Caesar laughed as he smacked Isaac on the head.

"What can one thousand Gold Coins even do? Barbarians really are barbarians!" Isaac shot Caesar a disgusted look. "Spell experiments are expensive, right, Big Sister?"

"Hm? Oh, yes." Sheryl, who had been lifting the black cloth to inspect the contents, turned and nodded. After giving Isaac another once-over, she said meaningfully, "Did you use Witch Tea Party for your advancement ritual? The odds of that are very low, aren't they? Legendary Wizards being so fond of gambling is not a good thing."

"Fortune comes from danger~" Isaac shrugged, looking utterly unconcerned.

Not knowing the outcome was gambling. Knowing the outcome in advance was called investment.

"Come on, enough of that. Take a look at your little brother's research results! Big Sister, you can be the judge!" As he spoke, Isaac pulled away the black cloth covering the first wagon. Two iron cages sat atop it: one containing two drake lizards, and the other containing over a dozen Demon Rats. Most of the Demon Rats looked lethargic, but several were in good condition. Judging by their auras, they were already pregnant.

"These are... drake lizards that have awakened dragon blood?" Sheryl, the most knowledgeable of the three siblings, ignored the Demon Rats and looked directly at the drake lizards, her eyes shining. "This one is close to awakening as well? Is this the result of your research?"

"Heh heh~" Isaac planted his hands on his hips, looking utterly pleased. This was one reason he had brought the drake lizards here. They did not need to see anything else—these drake lizards alone would be enough to secure funding!

"Drake lizards? They awakened dragon blood? Really?" Caesar asked in surprise.

Remington looked equally shocked. They might not understand magic, but they knew how powerful dragons were!

And how expensive!