Brewing Potions

"How much money do we have left?" Isaac asked.

Whether the Goblins and the Goblin Killer were merely moving things from one hand to the other had nothing to do with him. He only knew that hiring a Goblin Killer cost money, and he did not have much left...

"Five hundred Gold Coins, sixty-three Silver Coins, and some Copper Coins. We came at a bad time—the Silver Moon Grass from the previous quarter was just handed over."

"Mm." Isaac nodded. "Take out fifty Gold Coins and hire a team... Forget it, five Gold Coins. Hire a Goblin Killer. He'll be responsible for finding the Goblins, and we'll kill them ourselves."

"Yes, Young Master."

With a wave of his hand, he dismissed Smith. Isaac let out a heavy sigh. It looked like a lot, but if it was used for Magic Research... it would probably not be enough. Besides, those five hundred Gold Coins were what he had brought from home. Once they were spent, they were gone.

The Silver Moon Grass grown on the estate simply did not bring in that much profit.

According to the previous accounts, the net profit from the Silver Moon Grass that reached him each quarter was only a dozen or so Gold Coins. Three crops could be grown each year.

That bit of money was enough for a minor noble to live a slightly better life, but nothing more.

So hiring Goblin Slayer...

Had to be considered carefully...

The estate did not have many troops, but their quality was high: one Knight, eleven Quasi-Knights, plus himself, a Formal Wizard. That was more than enough to massacre Goblins. Goblin Slayer's only role was to locate them.

"Ah, back to research, back to research~" Isaac shook his head and turned his attention back to the Parchment Scroll before him.

The Bloodline Essence Potion could not only strengthen their side; it might also be a decent business opportunity. It deserved proper research.

Unlike Heart Replacement Surgery, brewing Potions also required Magic Spells, but not nearly as many. There were only three: the Fire Spell for lighting the fire, the Water Spell for preparing the ingredients, and the Extraction Spell for extracting the Potion at the end.

These three Magic Spells were not as easy to fudge as Heart Replacement Surgery. Repeated recitation would not increase the success rate, because none of the three could be omitted or added. Otherwise, the brewing would fail.

The only place he could manipulate with the Golden Finger, just like with rituals, was the ingredients. Many supplementary materials could be added without limit, endlessly increasing the success rate. Among them, the most cost-effective was Silver Moon Grass, because he grew it himself.

Before he had even arrived, he had already instructed the estate to set aside some Silver Moon Grass. There was enough for him to squander.

The three Magic Spells for brewing Potions were all basic Magic Spells and not difficult to learn. Isaac mastered them quickly and could begin brewing.

The reason he used the word "brewing"...

Was because Legendary Wizards made Potions differently. Unlike Arcanists, they did not use a mountain of tools—beakers, crucibles, Test Tubes, and other chemistry-related equipment. They only needed a large cauldron and a long ladle.

They looked much like the Evil Sorcerers from fairy tales.

After reading through the Parchment Scroll again and confirming that he had memorized all three Magic Spells, Isaac got up and carried the required materials to the cauldron one by one. First, he poured in water and Monster Blood at a two-to-one ratio, filling the massive cauldron, a meter wide and tall, more than halfway.

Then he recited the Fire Spell. With a whoosh, sickly green flames ignited beneath the cauldron, using the magic power in the air as fuel to generate heat and warm the cauldron.

After lighting the fire, Isaac crouched down while the water had yet to boil, curiously watching the sickly green flames blaze without any firewood.

He was rather curious. Could the Fire Spell be used to attack?

In theory, it should be possible, right?

But the Fire Spell was only a basic Magic Spell, and its temperature was not very high. He did not know whether there were more advanced Magic Spells.

Isaac had many questions, and Magic Spells were among them. Both of his current wizard arts required Magic Spells, unlike Arcana. The learning and use of Arcana did not involve Magic Spells, but rather one model after another and calculations of magic power.

Which of these was truly the mainstream path of Legendary Wizards? For his future... Hm?

As he pondered, Isaac suddenly froze, then shook his head. Who cared which one was mainstream? With his Golden Finger, either one was easy to learn. It didn't matter much.

Of course, if conditions allowed, he would choose both!

"Glug, glug~"

Before long, the bright red liquid in the cauldron began to boil. Isaac did not dare let down his guard. With a rip, he summoned Demon Claw and began adding all sorts of strange materials in sequence with its assistance.

A dried finger, two sections of rotten tree root, colorful scales, mushrooms giving off strange odors, the corpse of a Rat, and a bright red heart radiating intense magic power!

After putting them in one by one, Isaac recited an obscure, tongue-twisting Magic Spell while dipping the large ladle into the cauldron and stirring. Three circles to the left, three circles to the right. From time to time, he tossed in some Silver Moon Grass to keep the success rate from dropping below two hundred percent.

He stirred and stirred. Slowly, the ingredients in the cauldron gradually fused with the bloody water, which turned green from the excessive amount of Silver Moon Grass. As green bubbles burst one after another, a strange scent began spreading through the room.

Isaac's expression shifted slightly. He knew the timing was right. Although the green liquid in the pot differed from the red liquid recorded on the Parchment Scroll, the scent it gave off was the same, and the sensation conveyed by the magic power was roughly similar. The success rate was still two hundred percent, so there was no major problem.

With that thought, Isaac moved the long ladle to the surface of the liquid and gently swept it back and forth. The Magic Spell on his lips changed into the Extraction Spell. The Demon Claw behind his head spread its fingers over the cauldron, and threads of magic power began descending from it, seeping into the cauldron.

Slowly, a crystalline red liquid began appearing in the ladle Isaac was moving across the surface. It gave off a sweet, bloody fragrance.

Only then did Isaac finally let out the breath he had been holding.

It worked.

Looking at the ladle filled to the brim with red liquid, Isaac smiled. He carefully poured it into a glass tube, sealed it with a stopper, and finally let out a long breath.

He had only prepared enough materials for three batches of Potion. Failing even once would have been an enormous loss.

Rolling his shoulders, Isaac began adding new materials to the cauldron. While he was still in good form, he would brew all three batches in one go. His magic power was sufficient, anyway.

It was worth mentioning that Isaac did not pour out the green liquid in the cauldron. Instead, he began brewing the next batch with the new materials added directly into it.

This was good stuff. The process of a Legendary Wizard brewing Potions could also be regarded as a simple magical ritual. During the process, the cauldron, long ladle, and residual liquid inside would all receive slight reinforcement. Given enough time, they could become wondrous Magic Items.

Just like the Wizard Robes he wore. They had originally been ordinary cloth, but because they had participated in the ritual that made him a Wizard, they now possessed certain magical properties and could faintly conceal his presence.

The liquid in the cauldron was the same. Once it had been sufficiently nourished by rituals, it could not only increase the success rate of brewing Potions, but also be used to cast wizard arts.