"How much money do we have left?" Isaac asked.
Whether the whole goblin-and-Goblin-Slayer situation was just a self-serving racket didn't concern him. All he knew was that hiring a Goblin Slayer cost money, and he was running low.
"We still have five hundred Gold Coins, sixty-three Silver Coins, and some Copper Coins. We came at a bad time; the last quarter's harvest of Silver Moon Grass was just handed over."
"Mm." Isaac nodded. "Take out fifty Gold Coins and find a team... actually, never mind. Make it five Gold Coins. Find a Goblin Slayer. He'll be responsible for finding the goblins, and we'll kill them ourselves."
"Yes, Young Master."
Waving his hand to dismiss Smith, Isaac heaved a heavy sigh. Although it seemed like a lot, if it were used for Magic research... it most likely wouldn't be enough. Moreover, these five hundred Gold Coins were funds he had brought from home; once they were gone, they were gone.
The Silver Moon Grass grown at the manor didn't generate that much income.
According to the old ledgers, the net profit from the Silver Moon Grass that reached his hands each quarter was only a dozen or so Gold Coins, and they could grow three harvests of Silver Moon Grass a year.
This amount of money was enough for a minor noble to live a slightly better life, but that was about it.
So, this matter of hiring a Goblin Slayer...
...had to be handled with caution.
The manor's forces weren't large, but their quality was high. With one Knight, eleven Quasi-Knights, and him, an Official Wizard, they were more than enough to slaughter the goblins. The Goblin Slayer's role was merely to locate them.
'Sigh... back to my research, back to my research...' Isaac shook his head, then focused his attention back on the Sheepskin Scroll before him.
The Blood Essence Potion could not only enhance their own strength, but it could also be a profitable business venture. It was worth studying carefully.
Unlike the Heart Transplantation Surgery, brewing a Magic Potion also required Magic Spells, but not as many. There were only three: the Fire Magic Spell for ignition, the Water Magic Spell for preparing the ingredients, and finally, the Extraction Magic Spell for extracting the potion.
These three Magic Spells couldn't be fudged like the ones for the Heart Transplantation Surgery. Repeatedly chanting them wouldn't increase the tolerance rate, because you needed exactly these three spells—no more, no less—or the brewing would fail.
The only area where he could use his Golden Finger to meddle, just like with the ceremony, was the materials. Many supplementary ingredients could be added without limit, thereby infinitely increasing the tolerance rate. The most cost-effective of these was, by far, Silver Moon Grass, because he grew it himself.
Before coming, he had already instructed the manor to set aside a portion of Silver Moon Grass, enough for him to squander freely.
The three Magic Spells for brewing the Magic Potion were all basic spells and not difficult to learn. Isaac quickly learned them and was ready to start brewing the Magic Potion.
The reason he used the word "brewing"...
...was because the way a Legendary Mage created a Magic Potion was quite different. Unlike an Arcanist with a plethora of tools—like beakers, test tubes, and other chemistry-related equipment—a Legendary Mage only needed a large cauldron and a long ladle.
It was quite similar to the image of Evil Sorcerers in fairy tales.
After looking over the Sheepskin Scroll again and confirming he had memorized all three Magic Spells, Isaac got up and moved the required materials one by one in front of the cauldron. First, he added water and Demon Blood in a 2:1 ratio. The large cauldron, one meter wide and tall, was filled more than halfway.
He then chanted the Fire Magic Spell. With a POOF, a ghastly green Flame ignited beneath the cauldron, feeding on the Magic Power in the air to heat it.
After lighting the fire, while waiting for the water to boil, Isaac squatted down and curiously watched the ghastly green Flame that burned fiercely without any firewood.
He grew curious. 'Can the Fire Magic Spell be used for offense?'
'Theoretically, it should be possible, right?'
'But the Fire Magic Spell is just a basic spell; its temperature isn't very high. I wonder if there are more High Level Magic Spells.'
Isaac had many questions, and Magic Spells were one of them. Currently, both of his Witchcraft techniques required Magic Spells. This was different from Arcane Art; the study and use of Arcane Art didn't involve Magic Spells, but rather models and Magic Power formulas.
'Between these two, which one is the mainstream path for a Legendary Mage? For my future... huh?'
As he pondered, Isaac suddenly paused, then shook his head. 'Who cares which one is mainstream? My Golden Finger makes it easy to learn either, so it doesn't really matter.'
'Of course, if conditions allow, I'll choose to have it all!'
BUBBLE~ BUBBLE~
Before long, the crimson liquid in the cauldron began to boil. Not daring to be careless, Isaac summoned his Demon Claw with a RIIIIP. Aided by the claw, he began to add all sorts of strange ingredients one by one.
A dried-up finger, two sections of rotten tree root, multicolored scales, a mushroom emitting a strange smell, the corpse of a mouse, and a bright red heart pulsating with intense Magic Power!
After adding them in order, Isaac began chanting a convoluted and obscure Magic Spell while dipping a large ladle into the cauldron and starting to stir. Three circles to the left, three circles to the right. Every so often, he would also toss in some Silver Moon Grass to prevent the tolerance rate from dropping below two hundred percent.
He stirred and stirred. Slowly, the ingredients in the cauldron gradually merged with the bloody water. The bloody water itself had turned green from the addition of so much Silver Moon Grass. As green bubbles popped one after another, a peculiar odor began to spread through the room.
Isaac's expression twitched slightly. He knew the time was right. Although the green liquid in the pot was different from the red liquid described in the Sheepskin Scroll, the smell was the same, and the feeling from the Magic Power was similar. Moreover, the tolerance rate was still at two hundred percent. So, it shouldn't be a problem.
At this thought, Isaac moved the long ladle to gently skim the surface of the liquid. The Magic Spell on his lips changed to the Extraction Magic Spell. The Demon Claw behind Isaac's head opened its five fingers, hovering directly above the cauldron. Wisps of Magic Power began to fall from the claw and seep into the cauldron.
Slowly, a crystal-clear red liquid began to appear in the long ladle as Isaac moved it across the liquid's surface, emitting a sweet, bloody aroma.
At this, Isaac's heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled.
'It worked.'
Looking at the full ladle of red liquid, a smile appeared on Isaac's face. He carefully poured it into a glass tube, sealed the cap, and only then did he let out a long sigh of relief.
He had only prepared three sets of materials for brewing the Magic Potion. The loss from a single failure would have been immense.
Rolling his shoulders, Isaac began to pour new materials into the cauldron. 'Might as well take advantage of this good state and brew all three portions in one go. I still have enough Magic Power anyway.'
It was worth noting that Isaac didn't discard the green liquid in the cauldron; instead, he began brewing the next Magic Potion with the new materials in the existing mixture.
This stuff was valuable. The process a Legendary Mage used to brew a Magic Potion could also be seen as a simple Magic Ceremony. During this process, the cauldron, the long ladle, and the residual liquid inside would all be faintly enhanced. Over time, they would transform into wondrous Magic Items.
It was just like the Wizard robes he wore. They were originally just ordinary cloth, but because they had been part of the ritual for him to become a Wizard, they now possessed certain magical properties, including a weak ability to conceal his aura.
The same was true for the liquid in the cauldron. Once it had been sufficiently nourished by the ritual, it could not only increase the success rate of brewing Magic Potions but could also be used to cast Witchcraft.