Black Hearted Mage

Chapter 17 Depero

A thin figure in a long robe walked out of the entrance of the ruins somewhat tiredly. He first looked at the tent in the distance, and then walked over step by step.

"Kaisas, have you accepted the trial?"

The old wizard in a dark grey magic robe asked anxiously.

"No, that flame man said that he will no longer accept outsiders in the trials. If anyone who is not from the Ludwig family enters the ruins, he will beat them up first and then throw them out!"

Upon hearing this news, Old Roman's face darkened. He had originally hoped this expedition would yield some rewards, but now it seemed the ruins of Ludwig Castle were no longer accessible to them. This meant they would lose the opportunity to explore the ancient castle and retrieve the precious artifacts and knowledge it might hold.

When the Word of Truth fell on Caesar, the mind protection spell cast by the flame man showed a slight fluctuation. Old Roman did not notice the abnormality, but Caesar, as the person involved, could clearly sense it.

The great magician began to ask about the details of the ruins and various questions about the flame man. After nearly an hour of interrogation by Old Roman, Caesar's stomach was already rumbling with hunger.

For the first time, the hungry little figure felt that he was nothing more than an insignificant pawn in the eyes of the great magician.

The underground ruins here offered no hope, so Old Roman considered another location—the mausoleum of a great wizard in the Roland Empire. His research and speculation suggested that this ancient wizard likely had a close connection to Ludwig Castle, perhaps even a member of the castle's magic school. If he could find this mausoleum and solve its mysteries, perhaps he could uncover more information about Ludwig Castle.

Old Roman decided to lead the team to the Archmage's Tomb. Although the journey was long and fraught with uncertainty, he believed it was their only option. Before setting off, they needed to be fully prepared, gathering the necessary equipment and supplies. They also needed to be cautious of potential dangers, as the Archmage's Tomb's traps and other unknown factors could pose a significant threat.

At the headquarters of the Mage Alliance, where all the magicians from the North Tower were, Old Roman explained the events of the underground ruins to Joanna and the others in detail.

In the Holy City Cathedral of the Saint Laurent Empire, the aged Pope, clad in a golden robe, had received the tragic news from the Violet Alliance. The Church had suffered heavy losses, with almost all the priests and ministers of the Judgment Hall perishing.

The old man wearing the papal crown felt furious when he saw the news sent back by the spy in Violet City.

"A relic thousands of years old still possesses such powerful force, and hundreds of people are helpless against it. Can anyone tell me what is going on?"

The Pope had no knowledge of magic, nor did he know anything about it.

"Your Holiness, the magic of Ludwig Castle is extremely advanced, especially in the magic rune array. It's rumored that the magic power used in the magic rune array in that ruin comes from a dormant volcano to the west. As long as there's fire in the volcano, the magic rune array protecting the underground area will never cease to function!"

The voice that spoke was old and hoarse. This old priest worked in the church's library and usually had almost no say in the cathedral.

"What will happen if we forcefully break through the underground part?"

After suffering such a huge loss, the Pope felt very suffocated, as if he couldn't swallow his breath.

"Your Majesty, the Violet Alliance won't let us do that. If we want to force our way into the underground ruins, we must first destroy Black Steel Rock's underground structures. Even if we destroy Black Steel Rock's buildings, the underground ruins' self-destruct array will immediately activate. By then, there won't be anyone alive within a few miles!"

The old priest's answer made the Pope feel even more suffocated, and he almost vomited blood in anger.

"Your Majesty, urgent report from the advance team!"

A middle-aged man, his leather armor emblazoned with the church's golden emblem, rushed into the hall. He looked tired, his armor stained with blood, and his eyes bloodshot, as if he hadn't rested in a long time.

"Your Majesty, the advance team of 561 people was attacked on the third day after entering the Western Continent. Only three people managed to escape!"

"Are there only three assassins who escaped?"

"Your Majesty is wise. We have encountered an elven patrol. Their strength far exceeds ours. Those who can't sneak will become sitting ducks under the magic arrows!

As the middle-aged assassin spoke, he took out a photo stone from his storage ring, and the Pope's attendant immediately took it. The photo stone was placed on a magical device, and a huge light screen was projected into the hall.

The lush forest, dotted with towering trees, was resting in the dense forest after a recent rain. The advance team of the Saint Laurent Empire numbered over five hundred, representing a wide range of professions: magicians, priests, clerics, paladins, warriors, archers, and assassins.

The advance team was initially divided into more than a dozen teams, each heading westward through Blackrock Mountain. They traveled thousands of miles along a rugged road, overcoming numerous hardships and obstacles before reaching the Western Continent. They weren't there to explore the Western Continent; rather, the Saint Laurent Empire wanted to establish a large, secret stronghold there.

In the dense forest, after the rain had cleared, the magician had already scouted the perfect location for a stronghold. Four or five miles to the north lay a low, extinct volcano. The view was unobstructed, and the magical element was extremely high. With just a simple excavation, an ideal secret stronghold could be established.

The advance team had just emerged from the dense forest, before reaching the extinct volcano, when a giant black eagle began to cry in the sky. A patrol of over fifty elves, mounted on jungle shadow leopards, appeared in the distance and swooped down on the advance team. Once within range of their magic arrows, a massacre began.

These advance parties had come over mountains and valleys, and therefore carried no mounts. Once they entered range, they were immediately pelted with magical arrows. The mages, despite their advanced magical shields, were powerless against the arrows, which pierced through them easily. Soon after, the paladins, despite their formidable defenses, were not spared either. Their magic steel armor was also pierced, leaving their bodies pierced like hedgehogs.

As the warriors held up their shields for defense, they were met with a barrage of explosive arrows from the elves. A cloud of dust billowed, and a dozen assassins sprinted desperately into the dense forest, attempting to escape using stealth techniques.

However, the jungle shadow leopard, with its keen sense of smell, effortlessly pulled out the stealthy assassins one by one. In the end, only three assassins managed to escape by chance. They not only lost all the potions used to disrupt the scent, but also drank all the agility potions.

"The elves' magic arrows were too powerful, even the Paladin's heavy magic steel armor couldn't defend against them. And the explosive arrows were too outrageous, tearing the warrior and his armor to shreds!"

The Grand Knight Commander of the Judgment Hall looked at the photo and felt that even with a shield, he would not be able to defend against the attack of the elves' magic arrows.

"Depero, tell me what you think!"

The old priest of the library hall had been appointed by the church, slumped in the golden chair. This old man possessed the most profound knowledge in the entire church.

"Your Majesty, this time our people were discovered by the elves. It was the giant eagle in the sky that gave the news. The elves are few in number, and the patrols are few in number, but a single giant eagle can scout thousands of miles!"

"Depero, what kind of eagle is that? It's flying so high and can spot our people!"

"The high-level magical beast, the Nighthawk, is approximately two meters tall, with a wingspan of six to seven meters. It is the most powerful of the high-level magical beasts. Its feathers are extremely hard, providing exceptional defense, and its sharp claws can tear through light magic steel armor. Most importantly, the Nighthawk's vision at night is even better than during the day!"

The magnificent hall suddenly became silent. Old Depero's words were so devastating that the old Pope almost vomited blood in anger.

"Depero, how do you think we should deal with the elves and how do we trade with them?"

"Trade with the elves? That's absolutely impossible! According to historical records, apart from the former Frost Castle and the Ludwig family, no other human race has ever left the Western Continent alive! Your Majesty, what do you want to trade with the elves? What can we offer?"

The old priest was a little curious now. He believed that the church wanted to occupy the Western Continent, and that trading with the elves was definitely out of their minds. However, he was very curious about what the church needed.

"Extremely effective potion!"

"Which potion?"

"Depero, we're all old. The Extreme Life Potion and Extreme Vitality Potion can at least give us an extra hundred years of life!"

The old priest now knew very well that the Pope was too greedy for power, so that his own strength could no longer be improved after he sat on the throne of power. Instead, his strength declined.

"Your Majesty, this is too difficult. There is almost no chance of success!"

"Depero, with your strength and qualifications, the position of High Priest of the Judgment Hall belongs to you!"

The old priest's eyelids were twitching. He didn't like the intrigue and power struggle, so he hid in the library.

"Your Majesty, I am old and won't live for many more years. The position of High Priest should be left to someone else!"

The old priest's experience was greater than that of the Pope. He had served as both Patriarch and High Priest, and had long since seen through everything. He no longer wanted to be drawn into the maelstrom of power, but simply wanted to live a simple life. The library was undoubtedly the best place for this.

"Then you should do something for Saint Laurent!"

The Pope's meaning was very clear. If he wanted to live in peace in the library, he had to come up with a plan for the difficult issue at hand.

"Your Majesty, fellow believers, I'm just saying a few words. If you think they're acceptable, then accept them. If not, just treat them as a joke. Since assassins were able to escape from the Western Continent, then we should train more assassins. At least high-level assassins are needed to go to the Western Continent. Intermediate assassins are just going to die!"

When the old priest said this, he looked around at everyone in the hall. He suddenly exclaimed and hurried out of the hall.

"Oh! I'm old and my memory is bad. I forgot there was still beef stew in the library tower."

The old Pope frowned, pondering the old priest's words.

"Your Holiness, Depero is being rude and defying your authority!"

A middle-aged priest shouted, his golden and red robe revealing that he was a priest in name only, as he wore no shawl around his neck, a symbol of authority. A shawl is a scarf-like item embroidered with gold thread that hangs around the neck.

"Outrageous! What qualifications do you have to rebuke Depero?"

The old Pope cursed. "A mere priest didn't know his place. Without Depero's help, he wouldn't have been able to take the position of Pope." Just because he could play tricks on the old priest didn't mean others could.

"If you don't have a better idea, then do as Old Depero says. You must elect a new High Priest for the Judgment Hall as soon as possible!"

The old Pope looked around at the crowd and saw that no one raised any objections.

The carriage team from the North Tower had already set off towards the Roland Empire. Caesars did not sit in Old Roman's carriage, but in Joanna's carriage.

In old Roman's carriage, Kandel was discussing with him how to open the tomb and how to deal with the large number of dark spiders.

"Little guy, have you ever been to Fire Maple City?"

Joanna's carriage was also very luxurious, with a small wine cabinet and a strong fragrance in the carriage.

"No, Archmage, I never left Blackrock City before I went to the Northland Tower!"

“It just so happens that I’m very familiar with Fire Maple City, so just follow me and don’t stay at Old Roman’s house!

"what?"

Caesars couldn't believe that Joanna actually asked him to follow her.

"Ma'am, what happened to old Roman's?"

"It's nothing, actually. They are the great nobles of the Roland Empire. They have so many rules that even eating with them is extremely annoying!"

"Ma'am, what about your home?"

"Little noble, you don't have to be so reserved in our house. Do whatever you want!"

"I just don't know if the teacher will agree!"

Joanna pinched Caesar's little face, and the smooth touch felt very nice.

"Don't worry, the carriages will separate when we reach Fire Maple City. Old Roman is thinking about the Archmage's mausoleum right now. You are not important to him right now!"

"Ma'am, is the Archmage's tomb dangerous?"

"It's extremely dangerous. The mausoleum has been discovered for over a decade, but we've never been able to get in. The design of the mausoleum is somewhat similar to Ludwig Castle. It has a constant supply of magic power, so the magic circle protecting the mausoleum is always running!"

Joanna had also been to the mausoleum once. Unlike Ludwig Castle, the Grand Master's mausoleum was located in the forest north of Fire Maple City. Outside the mausoleum, there were many spotted spiders, likely poisonous spiders specially cultivated by the Grand Master.

The spotted spider, a poisonous spider native to the southern jungles of Roland Continent, shouldn't be seen in a place like Fire Maple City with its harsh winters. According to Kandel's speculation, the tomb's owner was not only a great wizard, but also very likely a great alchemist.

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