PUFF... PUFF...

In the lab, Isaac listlessly picked at his food, grimacing as he watched the Fairy Elf flit about, its tentacles dancing through the air. ’Damn it, how did I end up with a thing like this?’

The more Isaac thought about it, the angrier he got, and he channeled it all into his appetite, devouring his food in large bites.

’What else could I do?’

’What’s done is done. I just have to accept it.’

Besides, to be fair, setting aside the Fairy Elf’s abstract appearance, its power was quite impressive. It was proficient in Transformation Magic. And while it couldn’t use it on itself, its abilities were still remarkable. Isaac’s own Transformation Magic could currently only conjure a carriage, and it wasn’t even a particularly fast one.

After all, the Concept of the pumpkin carriage included punctuality. And what did punctuality mean?

It meant that even if the destination was The Ends of the Earth, the pumpkin carriage would arrive on time!

The pumpkin carriage Isaac could currently create was only a bit faster than an Ordinary carriage. But that was because his research had a different focus. For him, the pumpkin carriage had been more for storage than travel, so he had concentrated on developing its internal Space.

But the pumpkin carriage created by the Fairy Elf was a perfect embodiment of the "Punctuality" Concept!

Besides the pumpkin carriage, its other transformations mostly carried special Concepts. For instance, a transformed princess gown would carry the "Status" Concept. That is, while wearing the gown, you would genuinely possess the status of a princess!

Of course, these top-tier transformations were currently limited to the three items featured in the story: the pumpkin carriage, the princess gown, and the Crystal Shoes. Its other transformations were far inferior; it would be an exceptional display of power if they even matched the function of a normal object.

’And that’s what bothers me. In this one area, it just had to stick to the story...’

’Unbelievable...’

In addition to its extremely practical Transformation Magic, the Fairy Elf also possessed the wish-granting Prayer Technique. But this Magic...

How to put it... it was bizarre.

First, it really could grant wishes, albeit within a very limited scope. For instance, it could turn an Ordinary person into a Knight out of thin air, bestowing upon them a complete set of Skills like a Breathing Skill, Swordsmanship, horsemanship, and Combat Techniques.

But!

This ability had quite a few restrictions. First, it could only be used once a year. Using the Prayer Technique consumed an energy called Wish Power, which the Fairy Elf had to slowly collect from the dreams of living beings. Granting wishes was a shortcut to gather it.

Second, making a wish came with a price. The wisher would have to complete a task assigned by the Fairy Elf or abide by certain rules. The Fairy Elf itself couldn’t control the specific price; one would simply be informed of it before the wish was granted.

Finally, the Prayer Technique could not be improved. Its upper limit was set at the birth of each Fairy Elf. The only way to enhance its effect was to expend extra Wish Power, which could not be recovered naturally and had to be collected all over again.

All in all, despite its numerous drawbacks, it was still a pretty good support.

The Prayer Technique, in particular. Despite its low ceiling, if used correctly, it could make Isaac’s experiments proceed much more smoothly.

After finishing his meal, Isaac had more or less sorted out his complex emotions. He waved a hand, calling the Fairy Elf over.

"CHEE CHEE~"

The Fairy Elf, resembling a transparent jellyfish, floated before Isaac, its tentacles waving up and down as it let out a questioning chirp.

"That sound you make... it’s rather unique. Do you have a name of your own?"

"Chee... My name is Aein Doranbaruse Keiyinaer Duobanluo Qilusaisekelia En..."

Isaac silently listened to Aein finish reciting its true name, which was over a hundred characters long, and then nodded. "Very good, Aein. Can you use your Prayer Technique right now? I want to obtain a Secret Skill that will let me sense my Dimension World!"

"Chee?" Aein hesitated for a moment before realizing "Aein" referred to itself. Wiggling its tentacles, Aein spoke in its ethereal and pleasant voice, "I can. However, to fulfill this wish, you cannot eat beef for the next three months."

"That simple? Then let’s begin. I don’t eat beef anyway!" A smile touched the corners of Isaac’s mouth. He wasn’t one to hesitate; if a tool was available, it should be used.

’He estimated he could finish optimizing the Secret Skill on his own in another month anyway, but he had more than a few research projects on his plate. An extra month would let him get a lot done.’

’Besides, who’s to say I wouldn’t need the wish even more for the very next problem that came up?’

And the price wasn’t steep. He just had to tell the person who delivered his meals to hold the beef for the next three months. That was why Isaac made his wish so decisively.

Aein was just as decisive in granting it. With a wave of a slender tentacle, it circled Isaac once. A piece of Parchment materialized out of thin air and slowly floated down.

Isaac caught it and took a closer look. It was an exquisite sensory Secret Skill. But as exquisite as it was, this type of Secret Skill wasn’t inherently difficult, so Isaac learned it with just a couple of read-throughs.

’So it was this simple...’ Isaac sighed faintly, looking at the sensory Secret Skill in his hand. ’To think I was stuck on something like this...’

But on second thought, Isaac let it go.

’It was actually pretty normal. Many technologies in this world weren’t complex or difficult. All that was missing was that single flash of inspiration.’