Black Hearted Mage

The beautiful and fertile Roland Continent entered a period of turmoil due to the conflict between the Saint Roland Empire and the Roland Empire. The two empires stationed their heavy armored legions on the border, and localized wars were quietly ignited.

Upon arriving at the border of the Roland Empire, the imperial border guards conducted a very strict inspection, carefully checking and questioning every person and vehicle. Fortunately, Caesars had the magic badge of the Northland Tower, so the questioning he and Liv received was just a formality.

The Sidney Grain Company's convoy continued on its journey, and from time to time they would encounter patrols on war horses.

After passing the hilly area, the road was lined with endless wheat fields on both sides. The southern part of the Roland Empire was a vast plain, the empire's main grain-producing area. Most of the southern nobles relied on the grain trade to earn a large amount of gold coins.

A few days later, Caesars and Liv followed a convoy carrying grain and arrived at Abel City, the largest city in the south of the Roland Empire.

A large number of troops were stationed outside Abel City, guarding its several massive granaries. The city gate was bustling with activity, with dozens of caravans and thousands of carriages parked at the gate, queuing up to enter the city.

"There are too many people here, more than in Fire Maple City!" Liv couldn't help but speak as she looked at the busy streets.

"There aren't as many people here as in Fire Maple City. The streets and the city of Abel are small, so it looks like the streets are packed. The key is that there are so many carriages waiting at the city gate, which makes it look even more crowded. Let's get off the carriage first, go in and buy some food, and then leave!"

After showing the city guards the magician's badge that shone with mysterious light, Caesars entered the gate of Abel City without any hindrance. However, as soon as he entered the city, a strong and nauseating odor rushed towards him like a surging wave, violently impacting his nose and forehead.

Liv, who was walking behind him, frowned, with an expression of extreme disgust on her face, and hurriedly put on a protective mask.

The smell was extremely complex and pungent, like the stench emanating from a sewer, mixed with the smell of rotten garbage and sewage; it was also as if something had completely rotted and deteriorated, emitting a suffocating smell of mold; there was even a hint of the strong, hard-to-ignore stench of horse manure.

The southern region was about to enter the unbearable heat of midsummer, but who could have imagined that Abel City would be so stinking! This horrific situation made Caesars doubt himself: Was his decision to come here truly wise? After all, could he really eat food prepared in such a foul-smelling environment?

Fortunately, the unbearable odor was only lingering on a short stretch of road near the city gate. As Caesars gradually went deeper into the city and reached the center, the odor finally dissipated.

The city's central square was a scene of extraordinary bustle, practically crammed with stalls. Roughly 80% of the stallholders were sturdy, weathered mercenaries. They hawked rare items acquired during their adventures, or displayed a variety of sharp weapons and sturdy armor, drawing the attention of passersby. The remaining 20% ​​were mostly local civilians, selling daily necessities, homegrown goods, and handmade gadgets. The square was bustling with activity, the clamor rising and falling, weaving into a unique symphony of life.

There were several stalls displaying several kinds of fresh fruits. Liv pulled Caesars to walk over there. Elves like to eat all kinds of fruits.

Caesars saw three people at the stall: a middle-aged man in linen clothes with a new scar on his face, a girl in her early teens next to him, and a little girl with a runny nose.

"Geralt, you're from Abel City! When did you get this wound on your face?"

The middle-aged man setting up the stall raised his head and looked at Caesar somewhat bewilderedly.

"Kaisas, the wound on my face was caused by fighting with bandits!"

Hearing Geralt's explanation, Caesar was a little surprised. At this moment, the runny-nosed girl spoke.

"Father is lying. He clearly fell from a fruit tree and was scratched by a branch!"

Geralt's old face suddenly turned red. He stretched out his big hand and was about to teach the little girl a lesson, but the little girl next to him suddenly stood up and glared at Geralt.

"Just try to hit little Fili! It's all your fault that she has a runny nose. You pushed her out of the bed!"

"How could I dare to hit her? The scar on my forehead is a little itchy, and I want to scratch it!"

Geralt said this while covering his forehead with his hand, rubbing it randomly, and smiling slyly at Caesar.

"Geralt, how much do you sell this fruit for?"

"No one should cheat, five silver coins per pound!"

"Geralt, you're lying with your eyes open. Are you planning to slaughter me like a fat sheep? The sign clearly says one silver coin for five pounds, and you're selling it to me for five silver coins per pound. You're nothing but a black-hearted profiteer!"

Caesar looked at Geralt with contempt. This old guy was too shameless for the sake of gold coins.

"Caesars, I just remembered it wrong. The fruit is one silver coin and five pounds!" Geralt said quickly.

"Little girl, is there any discount if I buy all these fruits?"

Caesar ignored Geralt and asked the little girl in linen clothes.

"If I buy them all, one silver coin is seven pounds. It can't be cheaper!" The little girl replied after a little thought.

"Shirley, he is a magician, there is no need to give him any discount!" said Geralt.

"Geralt, I didn't pick up my gold coins. If you keep messing with me, I'll buy someone else's fruit!"

Caesars was a little impatient. Geralt had gone too far.

"Don't talk too much when I'm doing business!" The little girl named Shirley glared at Geralt.

"Don't interrupt!" Little Fili, with a runny nose, also started shouting.

Geralt began to weigh the fruit, while Shirley kept track. There were only a little over six hundred kilograms of fruit, less than five gold coins. Caesars handed the coins to Shirley, and the old mercenary rolled his eyes at him.

"Let's go buy some more fruit from the stall over there!"

Kaisas felt that there were too few fruits and they would not last long, so he prepared to buy all the fruits on the other stalls.

"Caesar, don't go, come home with me. There are still a lot of fruits on the fruit trees at my house. It will be no problem to pick two or three thousand kilograms!" Seeing that Caesar still wanted to buy fruit, Geralt spoke quickly.

"Geralt, is your home far away? I need to buy some more dry food. The rainy season is about to begin in the south of the Roland Empire, so I need to prepare first!"

"It's not far. My home is right next to Gravel Castle. It takes about three or four hours to walk there, or an hour by carriage!"

"It's not that close. When it rains, the roads are flooded everywhere and carriages can't move. Walking is even more difficult." Caesars said.

In the southern part of the Roland Empire, the rainy season arrives every summer. It's not always a downpour, but often a steady drizzle that can last for ten days or even half a month. There's not a single dry spot outside, and every household keeps their doors and windows tightly closed, lest everything inside gets moldy, and some wooden items might even grow mushrooms.

"Caesars, what kind of dry food do you want to buy? I am familiar with the city of Abel!" Geralt volunteered.

"Delicious snacks and stuff! By the way, Geralt, why are there so many mercenaries in Abel City?"

There were about a thousand or two thousand people setting up stalls in the square, the vast majority of whom were mercenaries. And that was just the mercenaries setting up stalls. There were also mercenaries wandering the streets, and there were certainly mercenaries in the taverns as well. Adding these numbers together, it was a significant number.

"Mercenaries are there to escort caravans. The more caravans there are, the more mercenaries there are. Kaisas, something big happened in Stonebreak Castle. Don't you know?"

"I just arrived in the Roland Empire today and didn't know about the Stonebreak Castle incident. Geralt, please tell me what happened?"

Geralt slowly began to clean up his somewhat messy stall, and at the same time, his mouth opened as if he had opened a chatterbox and began to talk nonstop.

Just a few days ago, on a dark and windy night, a mysterious combat squad from the Saint Laurent Empire appeared quietly and ghostly. Amazingly, they had somehow managed to sneak across the heavily guarded border between the two countries, unnoticed by anyone, and the Gravel Fort guarding the border was completely unaware of their actions.

Two days ago, a massive convoy laden with grain was en route to Stonefall. Like hungry wolves pouncing on their prey, a group of Saint Laurent Empire soldiers swooped down from the roadside and launched a bloody ambush. Each of them was fearless, seemingly indifferent to life and death. Despite facing an enemy force several times their own number, they remained undaunted, frantically setting fires everywhere. In an instant, flames shot up into the sky, thick smoke billowed, and over a hundred wagons laden with grain were instantly engulfed in flames.

After a fierce battle, it was discovered that the Saint Laurent Empire's combat team consisted of fewer than fifty men. However, the leather armor they wore possessed exceptionally high defensive power, as strong as heavy magic steel. Furthermore, each man was equipped with a self-igniting incendiary oil. Facing over three hundred heavily armed guards, the Saint Laurent Empire suffered only a minor loss—only five or six men were killed on the spot. The majority of the remaining troops, relying on their highly defensive leather armor, successfully escaped by leaping into the Emerald River.

Led by the experienced and thick-skinned Geralt, Caesars enthusiastically wandered through the bustling market, eventually selecting and purchasing three or five delicious-looking snacks. Afterward, they walked briskly along the street toward the east gate.

Not far from the city gate, a spacious stable appeared, with Geralt's old carriage parked in a corner. Geralt nimbly leaped onto the driver's seat. After settling firmly, he turned to Caesar, who had followed him, and solemnly warned him, "Caesar, you must remain vigilant on this journey. Don't let your guard down for even a moment. Those damned Saint Laurents are as cunning as foxes. They might sneak across the Emerald River and attack us at any moment!"

Hearing this, Caesars couldn't help but frown and responded, "Geralt, I heard that the army has sent people to patrol the banks of the Emerald River day and night. Even if these Saint Laurents really have some ill intentions, do they dare to cross the river in broad daylight?"

Facing Caesar's question, Geralt just nodded seriously, and then emphasized again: "No matter what, it's better to be cautious in everything!"

Seeing Geralt's insistence, Caesars had no choice but to wave his hand helplessly and said, "Alright, I understand. Let's hurry up and get on with the car. If we dawdle any longer, it will probably be dark soon!"

Just then, Geralt's two lively daughters poked their heads out of the carriage, each clutching a large bag of fragrant pastries, devouring them with gusto. Seeing their contented expressions, Caesars suddenly felt a flicker of doubt. Could it be that Geralt had taken them out for pastries just to get them to pay? After all, they'd packed two full bags of pastries, and when the bill finally came, they'd all been charged to him... The thought made Caesars chuckle to himself. But now that things had come to this, he could only consider it a small gift for the children.

With the gentle clatter of hooves and the rolling of wheels, the somewhat worn carriage began to move forward slowly. It first smoothly drove over a bumpy dirt road, and then stepped onto the wide, smooth, and flat cobblestone road. As Geralt whipped his whip, the carriage gradually picked up speed and galloped towards the east.

Sitting in the car, Caesars looked at both sides of the road, his eyes landing on the cute little girl beside him. He smiled slightly, pulled out a fragrant pastry from his pocket, and gently waved it in front of the little girl's eyes.

"Fili, let me ask you a question. Why did your father push you out of the bed?" Caesar asked curiously.

Hearing this, the little girl blinked her big watery eyes, pouted with grievance and said, "Actually, it's like this... My sister and I sleep together at night. But last night in the middle of the night, for some reason, my father was suddenly beaten by my mother. Then he ran into our bed. Our quilt was too small, so he squeezed me out of the quilt!"

After saying this, the little girl sniffed the snot hanging from her nose. Then, she stretched out her chubby little hand and snatched the puff pastry from Caesars's hand. She eagerly put it in her mouth and took a big bite. Instantly, a sweet and delicious flavor filled her mouth. The little girl's already round eyes narrowed into slits of joy with satisfaction.

"Wow, this is delicious! Sweet, fragrant, and soft!" the little girl muttered in ambiguous praise as she chewed the delicious food in her mouth. Then, as if remembering something, she quickly handed the remaining half of the puff pastry to her sister Shirley, shouting excitedly, "Sister, sister, come and try it, this is really delicious!"