Wizard: Scamming a Demon God

Cheryl was telling the truth. Although this pile of parts looked like a heap of scrap, they were, in fact, top-tier goods. Most were remarkably intact; many of the cores only needed to have a few non-essential wires disconnected and be given a quick wipe-down to be ready for use.

The only drawback was that these were all cores, and a Golem is more than just its core. The chassis also requires a significant amount of material to construct.

That, however, wasn’t a problem. With a conservative estimate of over three hundred cores in the pile, they could sell a portion, keep the rest, and still manage to build over a hundred complete Obsidian Golems.

What’s more, the domain wouldn’t even have to sell any of them!

Because Solomon’s Domain had its own obsidian mines!

The domain could self-produce most of the materials required to build Golems. Only Harris Goat Steel had to be procured externally. But that wasn’t an issue. For one, they could purchase it through official channels; while it was a controlled commodity for others, it wasn’t for the Solomons. For another, the domain had a locally produced substitute for Harris Goat Steel, though its quality was slightly inferior.

But that didn’t matter. They could use the substitute for now and gradually replace it later!

So, all in all, Cheryl could make full use of this entire batch of Golem Cores to forge another Golem army for the domain!

Even if they couldn’t afford to maintain them, they could just sell the finished Golems. That was far more profitable than selling raw materials and Golem Cores separately.

But for now, there was just one problem—the domain was out of money.

The last war against the Black Orcs had all but depleted the domain’s strategic reserves. Now, every corner of the territory was bleeding money. Although the Empire had granted some Gold Coins when his father’s rank was elevated, it was a drop in the bucket compared to the domain’s expenses.

So the situation was simple: the goods were excellent, and they desperately wanted them, but they couldn’t afford them.

"Don’t worry about it. You can take them now and pay me back later," Isaac said casually with a nod. "I’m not that strapped for cash at the moment. I have enough to get by for now."

He was well aware of the domain’s situation. It was one of the reasons he hadn’t asked for more land after becoming a Wizard—not all territories were profitable.

A rapidly developing domain, in particular, was a terrifying money pit.

Take Solomon’s Domain, for example. The domain had been expanding outward for years. Training Soldiers cost money, waging war cost money, settling conquered lands cost money, and constructing new settlements cost even more money...

Especially the construction of new settlements!

That required money at every conceivable turn!

As a border domain, the Solomons could expand outward, but the lands beyond were all part of the Barbaric Wilderness. The environment there was exceedingly harsh—only Black Orcs could survive in it. After a territory was conquered, it required a long period of development before it was habitable for ordinary humans, a process that involved pouring mountains of Gold Coins into the effort.

’Otherwise, why would the Empire be so kind as to grant its border Lords such immense authority?’

Solomon’s Domain had managed to stay afloat for a few reasons. First, Gaia or Caesar would frequently lead cavalry into the Barbaric Wilderness, slaughtering any Black Orc Tribe they found and selling the vast quantities of loot they seized. Second, Cheryl’s Golem foundry provided a steady stream of income by forging the domain’s mineral resources into Golems and selling them to other Nobility, creating a massive cash inflow.

Third, every Patriarch, in their youth, would form an adventuring party to roam the world, excavating numerous ruins and selling off priceless treasures. This was how they secured sufficient funds to keep things running.

It could be said that while the Solomon Clan’s efforts to get where they were today were admirable, they had also been incredibly lucky. If their cash flow had been disrupted at any point, it would have been game over for them all.

Thus, he completely understood Cheryl’s predicament. Besides, this was a huge and valuable quantity. It would be difficult to find a single buyer who could take so many Golem Cores off their hands at once. Selling them off piecemeal could take an eternity, and they’d probably even get lowballed on the price.

Given that, it was better to sell them to his family. Knowing Caesar’s personality, he would never let his own little brother take a loss. In fact, especially since it was a sale on credit, he might even offer to pay a premium.

As for whether they’d be able to pay him back...

That was impossible. His eldest sister’s Mage Tower could construct complete Golems. Unlike something like Magic Potions, which many Wizards picked up as a side skill, Golems were a high-end business. A lone Wizard simply couldn’t manage it.

After all, the main market for Golems was in the hands of various nobles and major powers, with orders starting in the dozens. Even if an individual Wizard mastered the technology, what small workshop could possibly have that kind of production capacity?

Of course, someone like the Eldest Princess Philo was an exception. She was a princess, a wealthy woman who possessed her own Mage Tower even as an Official Wizard. Her case was entirely different.

Therefore, he wasn’t at all worried about the domain’s ability to pay him back.

Hearing this, Cheryl nodded. The heavy mood that had settled on her since Remington’s death lifted slightly. She smiled and said, "In that case, I’ll take them at ten percent above market price. We’ll pay you in three installments, one per year."

Isaac nodded, having no objections. Building Golems was a time-consuming process. At the domain’s current production rate of about three units a month, it would take several years of working at full capacity to use up all three hundred-plus cores without expanding the production line. A three-year payment plan was perfectly acceptable.

This arrangement was already giving him priority, so he naturally had no further complaints.

And so, with Isaac’s permission, Cheryl gave a grand wave of her hand. A Magic Array unfurled above the training grounds, casting a blue radiance over the Golem Remains. In an instant, all the Golem Remains began to rise, floating piece by piece in the air for Cheryl to count.