Wizard: Scamming a Demon God

Having made his decision, Isaac immediately set off for Lake Town. He wanted to get it done quickly; afterward, he had to use the White Whale’s Infinite Evolution. After days of hesitation, he had decided to give it to Dragon Lizard No. 1.

Giant Dragons are High-level Demons, stronger than other Demons, if anything. Even if it wasn’t used to devour the power of other Outer Gods, just using it to purify Dragon Blood would be more than worth it.

Dragon Lizard No. 1 was the first Dragon Lizard to awaken its Dragon Blood with his help. It had also taken Isaac’s ’first time,’ even before Shushu. As such, it held a special status, just like Shushu, and wasn’t sold off like the rest of its kind.

Unfortunately, the Dragon Blood Purification experiments were shelved for a time due to various reasons, and so it was forgotten by Isaac. Now, as Isaac restarted the project, he remembered it once again.

Now, it would receive a Trial. By passing this Trial, it had a chance to become an Evil God reigning over all creation, just like the White Whale! 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

But if it failed... it would be doomed beyond redemption!

Of course, failure wouldn’t be that much worse than its current situation. Dragon Blood couldn’t be purified indefinitely—at least, not with current technology. So even with his Golden Finger, there wasn’t much Isaac could do. The success rate first had to be greater than zero.

’Besides, there’s the question of cost-effectiveness. Is it really worth spending so many resources to cultivate a Servant Demon with limited combat potential?’

’So, how much worse could it really get?’

So the Dragon Lizard agreed without hesitation!

At least, it kept nodding when Isaac asked!

’That’s a definite yes, then!’

...

He stepped onto a small boat, crossed the forest lake, and arrived once again in Lake Town. Instead of heading for the four main thoroughfares, he entered the winding, maze-like streets of the town proper.

Lake Town, a truly magical and Mysterious place.

Yes, Mysterious. Even though all Casters could enter it directly, and even conduct business there, it remained very Mysterious.

First, its ownership is Mysterious. The Truth Association, the Mad Witch Association, and the Flesh Sect all know that the Forest Land, the Cabin in the Woods, and Lake Town belong to a Wizard known as the Little Witch in the Forest. That’s it. Nothing more.

What is the Little Witch in the Forest’s name? From what era? Are they male or female, a Wizard or a Witch? No one knows a thing!

Second, the spatial structure of Lake Town is Mysterious.

Initially, when Isaac saw the numbers on the port sign, he assumed it was some kind of parallel Space. He thought it randomly assigned Wizards to corresponding instances, or did so according to some rule. But that wasn’t the case at all.

The numbers at the port are actually identification numbers!

was Isaac’s number in Lake Town. This didn’t mean he was the 12,456th Wizard to enter, but rather that this number had simply become available.

In other words, every Wizard enters the exact same Lake Town!

No matter which world they come from!

This led to the third Mysterious point. Normally, with so many Wizards, the town should be perpetually overcrowded, even if they didn’t all arrive at once. But it wasn’t.

Despite all the Wizards being in the same town, and despite the town’s area never expanding, everyone perceived roughly the same number of people. The Wizards one encountered were also seemingly random.

It was only possible to meet someone specific in Lake Town if you had arranged it beforehand and exchanged identification numbers. It was very much like a parallel Space, but it was not.

On his previous visits, Isaac had always been in a hurry, coming and going with a specific goal in mind, so he had never noticed any of this.

Not that it would have mattered if he had. Even Advanced Mages and the Miracle Mages above them couldn’t grasp the principles behind it. ’What’s the point of a Little Underling like me, who’s just set foot on the Path of Wizardry, trying to figure this out?’

’For now, I’d better focus on solving my food situation!’

Lake Town was a magical place. The same door would lead to a completely new shop every time you entered, unless you had the corresponding ID number. He had read about this on the forums.

For things like Magic, materials, and Magic Equipment, it didn’t matter where you bought them. The market prices were more or less fixed—they wouldn’t be wildly expensive or cheap—and the quality was generally consistent.

Food, however, was a different story, especially Magic Food. Different chefs had varying skill levels, meaning the flavors, effects, and prices naturally differed. That’s why he had already looked up a good place on the forums before coming.

The shop was tucked away deep in an alley, and it took Isaac a bit of wandering to find it. It was at the dead end of a lane. All the doors here were plain, identical wood. Since the shop behind any given door could change, even in its primary business, there was no point in decorating the facade.

CREAK~

He entered the number, pushed the door open, and stepped inside.

The interior was dim, cast in an oily green glow from the lamps on the walls. A few tables were scattered about the room, all of them empty.

This wasn’t due to the town’s strange properties. Once inside a shop, you could see everyone else there, regardless of whether you knew their ID numbers. After all, it was the only way for a shopkeeper to do business.

The lack of customers was simply because Wizards rarely had time to sit down for a leisurely meal. They were usually busy with their experiments or scrambling to make money. The tables and chairs were mostly for decoration.

Aside from the tables and chairs, there was a counter for ordering and payment, and another door. Behind that door was the kitchen, which was off-limits to visitors. For these Wizards, cooking was the same as conducting an experiment—how could they let anyone just wander in and watch?

Behind the counter sat a mature-looking woman in a purple robe. She leaned forward, her generous bust resting on the countertop. A monocle was perched on her nose, and she was intently reading a copy of the Truth Association’s academic journal.

When Isaac entered, she merely glanced up, pushed a menu across the counter toward him, and immediately returned her attention to the journal.

Her perfunctory attitude was understandable. For one, Wizards weren’t Ordinary people; there was no concept of ’the customer is always right.’ It was more ’take it or leave it.’ For another, the journal in her hands was simply that engrossing.

Any paper published in the Truth Association’s academic journal was of the highest caliber. Even for High-level Mages, a relevant paper could yield immense benefits. Every year, countless Wizards were inspired by the journal, leading them to develop new Witchcraft or improve existing ones.

Isaac knew its value firsthand, having read an older acquaintance’s copies for free back at the fortress. For various reasons, however, he had never managed to get his own subscription. He figured he could subscribe when he went to the Truth Association to order a meal later.

’Even if I don’t find a paper directly related to my work, it’s still good to broaden my horizons.’

Isaac picked up the menu and studied it carefully. A moment later, he closed it and fell into contemplation.

’Maybe... I should give some thought to the God of Delicious Food after all?’

’I’m a Mad Witch. It would be perfectly normal for me to go after a True God like the God of Delicious Food, right?’