Black Hearted Mage

When the dense, all-encompassing swarm of vipers appeared like a tide, a sudden gasp echoed in the small meeting hall deep within the palace. Several white-haired old men turned pale, their eyes wide with fear, and they involuntarily took deep breaths to calm their fear and shock.

The vipers in the cave were incredibly large, far beyond their imagination. They twisted and slithered like giant pythons, their bodies gleaming with a chilling light that sent shivers down their spines.

At that moment, the golden viper, hidden among the other vipers, finally revealed its true form. Instantly, the elderly emperor, who had always appeared calm, composed, and indifferent, cried out in shock. Even the spy chief, who usually kept his emotions expressionless, shuddered uncontrollably.

"Oh my God! How can there be such a huge golden viper?" The old Duke Solomon was shocked. He stared at the giant golden viper with wide eyes and asked with trembling lips.

"According to my speculation, there should be an extremely sufficient supply of food underground, and it also contains abundant magical elements. If my judgment is correct, the reason why these vipers gather in this cave is probably because this cave is actually a magic crystal vein!" Old Quinn on the side explained solemnly.

All the magic gems exposed in the walls of the passage had already been cleverly dealt with by Caesars, so that even if these people racked their brains, they could not find any clues.

"Carlos, you are the strongest here. In my opinion, this golden viper belongs to you. I believe you can hunt it down successfully!" The old emperor turned his gaze to the spy chief, his eyes revealing a hint of expectation and trust, and then he said this without hesitation.

"Your Majesty, this is such a long passage, and the ground is full of vipers. There is no place to stand. No matter how strong I am, I am afraid I can't reach the location of the golden viper. This golden viper should be a super monster. Its attack power and attack methods are unknown. It will be extremely difficult to hunt it!" Carlos hurriedly explained. He didn't want to leave his life in the underground cave.

"Then how can he stand in front of the Golden Viper?" the old emperor asked in return.

"Your Majesty, he is the snake keeper of the Thorn Flower Trading Company, responsible for feeding the golden-eyed black magic snake. He is a high-level dark magician, and perhaps it is for this reason that he was able to come in front of the golden viper!" Old Quinn, who was standing in front of the projection device, hurriedly explained.

"Your Majesty, he sold us another golden ginseng, but the price is a bit high. Don't ruin this long-term benefit just for a golden viper!"

Duke Solomon spoke a few words. The old emperor had reached the stage where he would do anything for something full of vitality, so he had to be reminded.

"Duke Solomon is right. Long-term interests are the most important. The price of golden ginseng is a little higher, but the Roland Empire doesn't lack those gold coins!"

"Your Majesty, the other party is a magician, and he wants the magic crystal!"

"As long as we have golden ginseng, what does magic crystal matter? Solomon, give the bill to Carlos later!"

When the old emperor heard about the golden ginseng, he immediately smiled. If he didn't have this golden ginseng, he would probably send people to the Icecrown Mountains.

A few days later, Caesars arrived at the Stonebreak Kingdom. He didn't stop there. After buying a large amount of pastry and cheese, he set off for Felwood, donning an elven transmogrifier mask and disguising himself as a low-level magician.

He had received some news in Violet City that some vicious robbers had appeared in the misty Felwood Forest. Regardless of whether their targets had gold coins or not, these people, like the bandits, would kill them and never leave anyone alive.

After leaving Whispering Wind Canyon, Caesars reached the junction of the dry and wet zones of Felwood Forest, only three or four miles from Whispering Wind Canyon. The fallen leaves on the ground were thick enough for the little black snake to hide under. Although the trees here were a bit sparse, they were all towering.

He used his magician's hand to clear a small area and piled up some half-dry, half-wet fallen leaves. The pile was almost as tall as a man. He then used the universal spell, Fireball, to ignite the pile.

Thick smoke began to fill the forest. Caesars picked up some dead trees around and put out the flames on the pile of fallen leaves, letting the thick smoke billow up.

"Saint Paul, hide in the fallen leaves over there. If bad guys come, I'll attack first. Then you sneak attack me!"

Caesar muttered a few words softly, and the little demon snake, whose body was as black as ink, quickly crawled under the fallen leaves not far away and disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Caesars calmly took out a dark red dragon bloodwood staff covered with exquisite magic patterns. He inserted it into the solid ground beneath his feet, as if this staff was a symbol of his strength and faith.

This dragon bloodwood staff is a priceless treasure, its preciousness beyond imagination. Such a rare treasure will naturally make those with ulterior motives salivate, and it is difficult to resist this huge temptation.

Time slipped by quietly, from the dusk when the sun set and thick smoke billowed everywhere, until night fell completely, and the blazing bonfire illuminated the surroundings. Caesars never took out his tent to rest. Instead, he simply leaned casually against a towering tree beside him, a soft and thick animal hide beneath him, like a silent sculpture, quietly waiting for his "prey" to take the bait.

To ensure the bonfire burned vigorously enough so that the dancing flames could be clearly seen from afar, Kaisa carefully selected a massive tree stump, two meters in diameter, and threw it into the bonfire. With crackling sounds and billowing smoke rising, the bonfire grew even more intense, its orange-red flames illuminating a large area around it.

The night deepened, and all was silent except for the occasional soft crackling of the burning campfire. Just then, a faint, almost imperceptible sound emanated from the nearby forest depths. The sound was so subtle that it would be almost imperceptible without careful listening. However, drawing on his years of experience surviving in the wild, Kaesus immediately determined that the sound could not belong to any of the magical beasts of Felwood, as the magical beasts of this forest were generally afraid of fire.

What on earth was approaching? Caesars narrowed his eyes, his magical tentacles exploring the surroundings, his hand tightly gripping the dragon's bloodwood staff. He guessed it was his "prey." There was no shortage of greed in this world.

"Little wizard, you are so brave! You dare to light such a huge bonfire by yourself!"

A woman's voice came from the darkness, accompanied by the sound of falling leaves, and a masked figure in leather armor walked into the firelight.

"The humidity in Felwood is too heavy. I was just warming myself by the fire!"

Kaisas observed the rogue. From her clear voice, he could tell she was not very old. The leather armor she wore and the two daggers at her waist puzzled Kaisas. They were spell-breaking blades.

The other party was very brave and sat directly next to Caesars, grabbed a few pieces of cream puff and smelled them.

"Liv, you are so bad. You disguised yourself as a stalker and followed me all the way!" Caesars said shaking his head.

"Kaisas, I was clearly wearing a transmogrification mask and changing my voice. How did you figure that out?"

The stalker's leather mask was removed, revealing a very ordinary face, which was the appearance transformed by the elf's transmogrification mask.

"Liv, you weren't camouflaging yourself with the Thorn Flower Merchant's Magic Pattern Leather Armor or the Crater's Spell-Breaking Blade, otherwise I wouldn't have recognized you. But then again, you've been following me for days, and I totally didn't notice!"

Since leaving the Safin family, Caesar has been wearing an elf transformation mask. Since Liv could find him, it was not difficult to guess that he had been following her for many days.

"I have Eagle Eyes, which allows me to track people from two hundred meters away. Not to mention a great magician, even a great mage would find it difficult to detect me!" Liv said with some pride.

Kaisas couldn't help but admire the magic archer's eagle eye. The distance of two hundred meters was far beyond the perception range of the great magician.

"Liv, I'm here waiting for the bad guys to take the bait. I learned a new spell that can only be cast on people who are on the verge of death!"

"I know this spell, it seems to be called Soul Absorption. It is a low-level version of Soul Devouring!" Liv said casually.

"Liv, how do you know this?"

Kaisas was a little surprised. The ancestral notes were in the magic tower and ordinary elves could not access them at all.

"Of course I've heard of it. This spell is a bit cruel, extracting the target's soul. However, the soul energy is very important once it's acquired. There's a fruit in the Abyss that contains soul energy, but it's not found in Roland Continent or the Demon Realm. You can only kill the enemy and absorb their soul!"

Liv really had a lot to tell her, far more than Caesars. To get more information out of Liv, Caesars didn't hesitate to bring out a large amount of puff pastry and cheese. These puff pastry and cheese exuded an alluring aroma, and were Liv's favorite snacks.

Just as Liv was filled with joy and pride, a rather unusual sound could be heard from the distance in the pitch-black forest. Listening carefully, it was easy to distinguish the sound of fallen leaves being trampled. And judging by the incessant sound alone, it was clear that there were quite a few people coming.

"Oh no! Caesar, it looks like we are surrounded!" Liv shouted anxiously.

Hearing Liv's cries, Caesars showed no sign of panic. He stared resolutely at the dark woods ahead and calmly instructed Liv, "Liv, don't panic! Hide in the darkness quickly. Leave this to me. This is a good opportunity for me to practice my magic!"

Before she finished speaking, Liv nodded without hesitation and unleashed her Shadow Strike skill. Instantly, she transformed into a cloud of black mist, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye. It was truly remarkable, similar in function to the magician's signature Blink spell. In a split second, she could cover approximately thirty meters, five or six meters further than Blink.

Caesars activated his magic shield and began to cast buff spells on himself, a common mage's initial preparation before a fight. The nearby bonfire burned too brightly, severely affecting his darkvision. He could only wait for the newcomer to enter the firelight.

From the moment Liv suddenly disappeared, the footsteps in the darkness also suddenly stopped. Just as Caesar was about to walk into the darkness, he heard the sound of heavy blows, the sound of bones breaking, screams, cries, and the sound of rapid running in the distance.

When a lighting spell flew out from a distance, Caesars also shouted.

"Saint Paul, give that magician a bite!"

Upon receiving the command, the Golden Eyed Black Snake flashed like lightning in the darkness. Even before the Illumination spell reached its highest point, screams emanated from the magician's location. As the Illumination spell slowly descended, Caesars fired several shadow arrows, knocking several masked men to the ground.

Liv's figure was seen moving in the darkness, and soon the sound of hitting stopped.

"Kaisas, one of them escaped. He was a stalker, and he was so cunning!"

Liv dragged two half-dead masked men to the bonfire and threw them in front of Caesar.

"It's okay, let's see who they are first!"

The black veils were removed, revealing two unfamiliar and frightened faces. Two storage rings were found, from which two mercenary badges and some other miscellaneous items were found.

"It's someone from the Saint Laurent Empire!"

"Caesar, how did you know that?" Liv asked curiously.

"On their mercenary badges, there's a large cross in the background. This is something the Mercenary Guild created specifically to distinguish mercenaries from different countries. Liv, take a closer look."

Caesars gave the badge to Liv, then walked into the darkness and dragged the seriously injured mercenary to the campfire. The magician had been bitten by a golden-eyed black snake and would not live for more than a few minutes.

The magician couldn't find many magic crystals in his storage ring, but fortunately, his magic robe and staff could be sold for a few gold coins.

"You were bitten by a golden-eyed black demon snake and won't live long. Tell me, why did you kill people in the forest?"

The magician is still conscious now, but it’s hard to say what will happen in a few minutes, Caesars asked him hurriedly.

"The Roland Empire and the Saint Roland Empire are now on the brink of war. Border inspections are so strict that both sides regard us as spies. We are just mercenaries, but now not only can we not return home, but we can't accept mercenary missions in the Roland Empire either. We have run out of gold coins, and in order to survive, we can only take risks!"

The magician knew he was going to die, and he didn't want to hide it anymore. They were just ordinary mercenaries, but now they were collateral damage of the empire, becoming victims of the empire.