Black Hearted Mage

In Fire Maple City's most bustling commercial district, there was a prime location that was considered the entire commercial district. However, right here, three shops belonging to Earl Solam had all collapsed.

At the same time, a richly decorated carriage, pulled by two horses, slowly emerged from Fire Maple City. The driver's face was pale, his body trembling with nervousness. He was so frightened when he saw the three shops suddenly collapse that he nearly fell off his seat.

Inside the carriage, Jessica stared intently at Caesar, who was sitting across from her, with her eyes wide open, full of curiosity and excitement. She imitated Caesar's spellcasting movements, her chubby little hands waving non-stop.

"Wow, Brother Caesars, you just waved your arm lightly, and then a huge cloud of gray-green mist came out! Not long after, those shops collapsed! It's amazing!" Jessica said with admiration.

Hearing Jessica's words, Caesars showed a smug smile on his face: "This is the powerful force of magic! As long as you master the secrets, you can do many things that ordinary people can't imagine."

After hearing this, Jessica's eyes flashed with desire, and she quickly asked, "Then... then Brother Caesars, can I also learn magic?"

Caesars smiled slightly and pointed to the driver outside the carriage, who was concentrating on driving the carriage, signaling Jessica to be quiet for the time being. The clever little girl immediately understood and nodded, indicating that she understood.

Just as their carriage had left Fire Maple City, a large group of fully armed city guards on tall horses rushed to the three completely collapsed shops at lightning speed. The scene was immediately filled with dust and the sound of horse hooves resounded through the sky.

When the city guards began to inquire about the situation, the Empire Hawkeye also arrived, and the spy chief wearing a black mask came in person.

"How could such a good shop collapse?" The spy chief muttered to himself as he stood on the ruins.

"Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, it was done by a magician!"

Hawkeye's spy in Fire Maple City came over and reported in a low voice what he knew to the spy chief.

"Count Solam truly cares for the Empire. He knows the treasury's gold is running low!" The spy chief smiled faintly and immediately issued an order. "Arrest all these people and send them to the Black Prison for rigorous interrogation. How dare they sell counterfeit goods in Fire Maple City!"

"Lord Carlos, the sale of counterfeit goods and the destruction of noble property are under our jurisdiction!" An officer of the city guard spoke up. They must not give up on a good opportunity to make gold coins.

"It's no longer under the jurisdiction of the City Guards. This shop has defrauded the magicians of the North Tower, and it's beyond your jurisdiction!"

The spy chief stood there with a gloomy expression. He spoke coldly, then swung his arm violently. In an instant, the Hawkeye members, like hungry wolves and tigers, pounced fiercely on the men and the portly officer. The men had no time to react before they were violently shoved into the prison van by these ferocious men.

The Hawkeyes completely ignored the cries and shouts of these people, dragged the prison van mercilessly, and quickly disappeared from people's sight.

At that moment, several eagle-eyed magicians in ornate robes hurried to the scene. Their expressions were serious, and their sharp eyes scanned the crumbling ruins, attempting to determine the true cause of the collapse. However, disappointingly, while these magicians were skilled in casting a variety of powerful spells, they had virtually no understanding of the principles of magic.

At the same time, several beautifully decorated carriages slowly pulled up in the once bustling, now chaotic commercial district. Disembarking from the carriages were magicians from the Magic Guild, prominent figures from the Imperial Capital's House of Nobles, and even two court officials sent by the old emperor.

"How's the investigation going?" The spy chief frowned and asked the person next to him impatiently.

"Commander-in-Chief, after our preliminary inspection, we found that the bricks, stones, and wood here are severely corroded. It looks like they have been corroded by some extremely strong acid!"

An eagle-eyed magician spoke as he carefully handed a few stones and a piece of wood that had been completely destroyed to the spy chief.

"Record: Earl Solam's shop had fallen into disrepair and suddenly collapsed today. Fortunately, no casualties were reported!"

The spy chief said something to the clerk, who then held the book and buried his head in writing.

"Find the adulterated goods under the ruins and divide them into three parts. Send one to the House of Nobles, one to the Court of Justice, and the remaining part to the Imperial Palace!"

"Master Carlos, are you going to handle this matter so hastily?"

An old nobleman from the House of Lords, wearing an extremely gorgeous robe, questioned the spy chief. He had received reliable information that a magician had destroyed a noble's shop.

"Yes, I am going to settle this matter hastily. His Majesty will certainly agree, and your Lord Speaker will not object. What the House of Nobles needs to do now is how to deal with Solam who sold counterfeit goods. Don't forget why the Stone City was destroyed!

The old nobleman with white hair and haggard face was standing quietly aside. However, at this moment, he trembled all over without any warning, as if he was attacked by an invisible chill.

The masked Carlos, the renowned Hawkeye commander, commanded the old emperor's trust and reliance. In comparison, this old nobleman pales in comparison, a mere noble in name only, possessing no real power or fiefdom. If it weren't for the protection of the Speaker of the House of Nobles, he'd struggle to make a living in the imperial capital.

The old noble didn't dare offend Carlos. His eyes swiveled as a plan came to mind. He thought to himself, "If that's the case, I'll immediately report Earl Solam's selling of counterfeit goods and defrauding magicians to the Speaker!"

Without hesitation, the old noble turned around, his movements as nimble as a frightened rabbit, and he quickly walked away. A moment later, he was panting and climbing onto the carriage used by the House of Nobles, which was parked outside the ruins.

The feared spy chief was sternly pointing at a few pitted stones and rotten wood lying on the ground that could be easily crushed into sawdust with a little force. He said to a great magician in gorgeous robes beside him, "Great Magician Cairns, you are a master of magic. Please come and take a look at these things!"

Hearing this, Grand Magician Keynes slowly approached the spy chief. He bent down, reached out, and picked up a piece of rotten wood. With a gentle squeeze, sawdust fell from his hand. Then, he extended a faintly glowing magical tentacle and carefully touched the wood, examining it intently.

"It's a dark element, and it looks a bit like it was caused by corruption. But it's definitely not corruption. Corrosion is a single-target spell, and it couldn't possibly cause three shops to collapse. It should be a large-scale spell, but the books don't record large-scale dark spells. The spell was controlled very precisely, and the neighboring shops were not affected!"

"Great Magician, are you absolutely sure that there are really no large-scale spells in dark magic?" The spy chief's sharp eyes were fixed on Keynes in front of him.

"The attack power of dark magic is indeed extremely strong, but I've never heard of such a large-scale magic." The great magician frowned slightly, lost in thought. Then, he turned to the spy chief and asked, "Carlos, who is this mysterious magician?"

"Great Magician, we haven't yet ascertained his identity..."

Cairns was also filled with doubts, but Carlos would not reveal any further information. He knew too well the greedy nature of the magicians in the Magic Guild. If they learned of the emergence of a new spell, they would surely stop at nothing to capture Caesar. However, such a move would undoubtedly infuriate the powerful Thorn Flower Trading Company. After all, if the elves were enraged, they might slaughter every last member of the Magic Guild.

Time slipped by quietly, and half an hour later, the old emperor, tucked away deep within the palace, received the news. Simultaneously, the two highly respected Speakers of the House of Nobles, as well as the three powerful Grand Dukes of the Empire, also learned of the incident. For a moment, Fire Maple City was in turmoil over this sudden news.

The civilians of Fire Maple City were all waiting to see the excitement, waiting to see the daring magician arrested. What they didn't expect was that Earl Solam was taken to the House of Nobles. His shopkeeper and his assistant were taken to the Imperial Court of Justice in a Black Prison prison cart, along with a thick stack of confessions.

By noon the next day, the once glorious Earl Solam was no longer to be found in Fire Maple City. Now, only the downtrodden Baron Solam remained.

This earl made a fortune selling adulterated and counterfeit goods. The Imperial House of Nobles and the Imperial Court of Justice severely punished Solam, stripping him of 90 percent of his vast fortune. His magnificent castle also passed away, and his remaining territory was reduced to a small farm of less than 500 acres.

Time passed quickly, and after just a few days, the tall, sturdy fire maple tree, as if painted a brilliant color by the hand of nature, its leaves gradually turned from green to red. This meant that Kaisas's leisurely and comfortable life was about to come to an end.

He also shoulders an important task from the Thorn Flower Trading Company - to properly dispose of a batch of precious magic steel weapons and a large number of magic items, and sell them successfully, and exchange them for magic crystals.

As autumn quietly descends, legions of mercenaries embark on the journey to Fire Maple City, bringing with them their year's harvest. For Caesars, this presents a golden opportunity. He must seize this rare opportunity and do his utmost to sell his wares. Once all transactions are successfully completed, he will exchange the gold coins for valuable magic crystals on the black market and deliver them to the Thorn Flower Trading Company for delivery.

In the mysterious and beautiful Violet City, two people eagerly awaited his arrival. They were none other than Caesar's old acquaintances—Viscount Bruce and Count Leonard. However, far to the south of the Roland Empire, a group of people were also anxiously awaiting his arrival, including the great rural noble, Count Garlon.

"Jessica, come here, take this dagger and keep it safe. And this magic steel bow must also be kept well. Although you may not have talent in magic, with your hard work and courage, you will definitely become an excellent archer!" Caesar handed the weapon to the cute little girl in front of him, and also gave her a dozen bowstrings.

At this moment, Caesars was about to leave with a heavy heart, and the little girl Jessica was visibly depressed. Her big, watery eyes fixed on Caesars, and she asked with a trembling voice, "Caesars, when will you be back?"

Facing Jessica's question, Caesar hesitated for a moment, then replied softly, "I'm afraid it will take at least two to three years before I have the chance to return, and I'm no longer in the Northland Tower, so don't try to find me there. If one day you really encounter difficulties in your life and can no longer make ends meet, or if you encounter a major change, then go to the Thorn Flower Trading Company for help. However, do not tell anyone else about these arrangements. You must remember my words!"

After saying this, Caesars patiently repeated his warnings. After all, he possessed sufficient self-preservation abilities and the means to deal with various dangerous situations, so he wasn't too worried about malicious retaliation from others. But for Jessica and the others, protecting their own safety was paramount.

Hearing this, Jack nodded vigorously and said firmly: "Well, we get it!"

Although tears were still glistening in Jessica's eyes, she still tried to force a smile, wanting to give Caesars a sense of reassurance.

When Caesars passed away, he left Jack's family only 3,000 gold coins, which was enough for them to live on for many years, even enough to buy a house and land. For ordinary people, having more gold coins was not necessarily a good thing, as they were unable to protect them.