Even for Magical Creatures, inbreeding can cause problems.

However, since these issues could be regulated with Magic, they weren’t a major concern. This was one of the essential forms of magic for breeding Demons, and Isaac, naturally, knew it as well.

But in reality, it wasn’t just used for breeding Demons; it could be used on people too.

What’s interesting, though, is that this magic wasn’t originally developed for breeding Demons.

Many nobles with powerful bloodlines, seeking to prevent their lineage from being diluted, would often choose to marry within their clan. Over long periods of time, and given their extended lifespans, relationships between siblings became commonplace—to say nothing of pairings between mother and son, or father and daughter.

Consequently, the drawbacks of inbreeding appeared, and along with them, the magic to resolve these issues.

To this day, many nobles still use this method to maintain the purity of their bloodlines.

However, this situation did not exist within the Terra Empire. Among the Three Great Empires, the Terra Empire was relatively young and did not possess as many powerful bloodlines.

After observing the Demon Rats and the Dragon Lizard, Isaac returned to his laboratory and began to take stock of his gains from the trip to the Imperial Capital.

The journey had some strange aspects, but overall, his gains were substantial. Chief among them was the list of Outer God victims that the Eldest Princess had given him. Ninety percent of the Outer God Ceremonies on the list were still usable; even the worst one had a 2% success rate!

’The only problem is that the materials are hard to buy. I estimate I can only perform two or three more before I advance to Grand Wizard.’

’As for the rest, many of the rituals will need to be adjusted after I become a Grand Wizard, and I don’t even know if they’ll be usable then. The amount of power I’ll be able to draw from the Outer Gods will increase, so naturally, the material requirements for the ceremonies will also change. It’s anyone’s guess how many of them will still be viable.’

Next was a pile of Magic Materials. He had bought a small portion himself and had almost gathered enough for two Evil God Ceremonies: one for the Deep Sea Evil God Lord of R’lyeh and one for the Deep Sea Evil God White Whale. He just needed to visit Lake Town to procure a few more supplementary components.

The former was an ancient Evil God and a symbol of [Water]. It possessed extraordinary powers of Erosion and mutation. What Isaac could obtain from It was limited, mainly because their affinities didn’t align well; he didn’t know any Water Element magic.

The latter was a Demon that had achieved Godhood. Originally a White Whale, a Demon of the Deep Sea, it was enormous and possessed the [Fog] Authority. It could summon a fog over the sea, causing people to become lost. Their bodies would be devoured and their souls enslaved, which was why It also held a portion of the [Domination of the Dead] Authority.

His affinity with the White Whale was much higher than with the Lord of R’lyeh. He was quite interested in both the [Fog] and [Domination of the Dead] Authorities. The former would enhance his tactical options, while the latter would enrich Shushu’s repertoire of Divine Arts. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

’But whether it’s the White Whale or R’lyeh, even with our different affinities, they are exalted beings. Even the scraps that fall from their fingertips would be more than enough to satisfy me. I’m in no position to be picky right now.’

’I want them all!’

’Even the scraps!’

’Because these aren’t just any scraps; they’re an Evil God’s scraps!’

Besides the ritual components, the rest of the materials were all parts salvaged from the Alchemy Golems. These made up the largest portion. Most of them were Acks Third Generation Demon Furnace power cores, which were Tier Two. Even secondhand, they could fetch a hefty price!

He had several hundred of these things. By his rough estimate, they could sell for at least a hundred thousand Gold Coins!

And that was despite the fact that the Great Sword Ghosts’ dismantling methods were improper, causing varying degrees of damage to most of them. Otherwise, they would be worth even more!

Beyond the Tier Two power cores, there was an even bigger prize: three Tier Three power cores salvaged from the hundred-meter-tall golem. Two were in roughly 30% condition, while one was at 90%. Isaac couldn’t even begin to estimate their price.

Because Tier Three power cores simply couldn’t be bought on the open market!

They were a proprietary technology of the Truth Association, not sold to the public. They were only used to barter for resources with the great Empires, Kingdoms, and other major powers!

’This just goes to show how loaded the Eldest Princess is!’

’Of course, this only strengthened my resolve to kill Philo!’

’Such wealth, even for the Eldest Princess, is completely abnormal. Add to that her ability to repeatedly obtain the Emperor’s Decree, and it’s almost certain. She’s a special talent being cultivated by the Terra Empire—perhaps even groomed to be the next Demigod!’

’As long as an enemy with such wealth, power, and talent is still alive, I won’t be able to sleep peacefully.’

’I believe Philo feels the same way about me.’

’But this has to be a slow process. Within the Empire’s borders, no matter how fiercely we fight, we can’t take each other’s lives. That’s the bottom line. A kill would have to happen outside the country...’

’So, will we go abroad?’

’Of course we will. Once we reach the level of Grand Wizard, ordinary rituals are no longer enough to advance. We’ll have to rely on natural rituals, like the Divine Lamp Trial.’

’Even the rituals we can set up ourselves have specific terrain requirements, which means we’ll have to travel all over the world.’

’So, unless we both decide to halt our progress on the Path of the Wizard, we’ll eventually give each other an opportunity to strike. There’s no rush.’

And in addition to the victim list and the trove of high-value materials, his gains from the Divine Lamp Grand Trial were also significant.

Although Philo had thrown the Divine Lamp Grand Trial into chaos and prevented it from proceeding normally, that was only the case for those who had followed her orders to attack Isaac and Angel. For Isaac, Angel, and Philo herself, it was a different story.

The three of them had been in the same faction from the start, and since they never directly attacked one another during the ceremony, they didn’t violate the trial’s rules. Therefore, from the perspective of the trial itself, all three of them had completed the process normally.

Each of them received their own rewards.

Among the three, Philo gained the most, as she had also used the ceremony of the Divine Lamp Grand Trial to advance to Grand Wizard.

’In comparison, Angel and I received a bit less. It couldn’t be helped; the timing was off. After two advancement rituals, this period of Mana turbulence is even harder to stabilize. I still have thirteen percent left to go.’

But even so, he had obtained a Relic and a [Storybook].

The Relic was All Things Severed. Its effects were unchanged, and Liu Li was still using it. However, he planned to find his contact after some time and arrange a swap, because Liu Li much preferred using a cleaver over a Knight’s Longsword.

’It’s strange. She looks so delicate, yet she prefers a strength-based fighting style.’

But the most valuable prize of all was the [Storybook]!

This item was the best thing a Legendary Mage could hope to get from the Divine Lamp Trial!

Its properties were somewhat similar to a Legendary Mage’s three Magic Books. One could write stories in it, draw upon the Power of Faith, and ultimately become a [Legend]!