Black Hearted Mage

Early in the morning, Avril was on her way to the Magic Academy, and Caesars took her carriage to the Grand Plaza. As the carriage reached the edge of the vast plaza, a thunderous snoring sound was heard. A large, old hide tent was set up beside the fountain.

Kaisas was also very puzzled. It was strictly forbidden to set up tents overnight in Huofeng City, let alone in the Imperial Square.

"Avril, this ogre sleeps in the square every day?" Caesar asked Avril.

"Yes, he has always slept in the big square. At the beginning, the city guards did not allow him to sleep here, so he set up his tent in front of the door of the city guard house. His snoring was definitely loud enough that the people in the city guard house could not sleep at night. Later, they let him sleep in the big square. The place here is big enough, and no matter how loud his snoring is, it can't disturb anyone!" Avril explained.

At this moment, Caesar thought of a word - rolling knife meat. The ogre Locke seemed simple and honest, but this guy was very thoughtful. Not only was he not stupid, he was also very smart. When he was in the ogre tribe, Locke ate and took away all the food on Caesar's body.

"Where's this guy's Frostmane Bull?"

"In the stables of Chillwind Keep, the border guards wouldn't let the Frostmane Bull in, so he just dumped his mount there. The ogre didn't have to spend a single copper, and Chillwind Keep even had to feed it for him!"

Caesars nodded slightly, then swiftly jumped off the beautifully decorated carriage and walked steadily towards the square. Meanwhile, Avril's carriage circled the square, as they still had a long way to go before reaching the Imperial Capital Magic Academy.

The Imperial Capital Auction House has always been a haven for the nobility, but for those eager to trade magical materials, it's far from ideal. Precious magical materials often go unsold or are easily snapped up at bargain-basement prices. Furthermore, those seeking to sell other items at the auction house must pay substantial appraisal fees and storage costs upfront. Even if a sale is successful, the auction house pockets a hefty 10% commission. For this reason, Caesars abandoned the auction house for selling his items, opting instead to set up a street stall in the square. He viewed the auctioneers as a group of greedy, vampire-like individuals, abhorrent and detestable.

Caesars didn't bother waking Locke, who was soundly snoring. Instead, he went alone to the base of a large, leafy tree. He first spread out a soft, smooth hide, then methodically took out the various items he was selling and neatly arranged them on top. Finally, he placed the small, dark, mysterious demon snake in the center of the hide, instructing it to keep a close eye on anyone with ulterior motives or dishonest behavior.

As time passed, more and more people flocked to the square, and the once empty and silent place gradually became noisy and bustling. Just then, the snoring that had resonated like thunder suddenly stopped. Then, from a tattered tent, a huge, bald head with fangs suddenly emerged, peering around curiously.

Then, a gigantic, somewhat obese figure quickly walked out of the tent. He stretched out his thick arms and yawned loudly. He walked into the fountain shirtless and bathed without paying any attention to the people around him.

The people in the square seemed accustomed to the ogre's actions. They simply glanced casually at the fountain. A huge gray-white figure was bathing happily, humming the ogre's ballad as he did so.

"Brother Caesars!"

As the ogre looked around in the fountain, he spotted Caesars setting up a stall at the edge of the square. He shouted loudly and rushed out of the fountain in his animal skin shorts, running towards him with bare feet and splashing water.

As the gigantic ogre ran, the flagstones paved across the large square vibrated.

"Locke, you finally woke up. The square is bustling with people now. Come over and set up your stall!"

"Come right away!"

The ogre turned around and hurried to the fountain where his animal-skin tent was still.

After just a short while, the ogre returned and set up his stall next to Kaesus, selling ores, herbs, and furs.

The ogre set up a cauldron, took out some firewood, and added some water.

"Locke, you're going to stew meat in the Grand Plaza?"

Kaisas was a little surprised. The people who set up stalls here all ate dry food, and no one ever made a fire to cook here.

"I stew meat here every day! Brother Caesars, look, I have a new big stove that won't spread ashes everywhere!" Locke said with some pride.

"Where did you get your stove?"

Caesars was a little curious. Ogres didn't use stoves, they just set up their stoves over the fire. Locke's stove seemed custom-made, fitting perfectly with his cauldron.

"The stove was sent by the city guards, and I pick up the firewood regularly!"

"You're doing pretty well in Fire Maple City. The city guards are taking such good care of you. They're almost giving you a bath and washing your clothes!"

"When I first came to Fire Maple City, I didn't have a single gold coin. No one can let the ogres go hungry. I only brought raw meat. Stewing meat is my specialty. Brother Caesars, do you see that small tree across the street? I cut down the big tree there for firewood!"

Caesars looked in the direction Locke pointed and saw a young fire maple tree at the entrance of the city hall. This ogre was really bold, actually chopping down the fire maple tree and using it as firewood.

The ogre started to cook stew. At this time, a middle-aged man in leather armor walked quickly to Kaisas' stall and handed him a stack of papers.

"What is this?" asked Caesar.

"Lord Caesar, this is the result of our inquiry last night!"

Caesars took the folded paper and read it carefully. It turned out that what happened yesterday was indeed directed at him.

"Each person who caused the trouble must pay 10,000 gold coins in compensation. This is my minimum requirement. I can let these people go, but they must have a magic battle with me. As for the location and time, let Lord Carlos decide. And most importantly, if something like this happens again, there will be no friendship between us!"

Caesar knew that this incident involved several great nobles, several magicians, and also involved Hawkeye's inner circle.

"Lord Caesar, are these all your requests?" The middle-aged man was a little confused, and he hoped that Caesar could confirm it.

"If you want these people to shut up, all I ask is that you tell Master Carlos exactly what he said!"

The middle-aged man nodded, turned around and left the square. The ogre on the side had his mouth wide open, not eating, but stunned by the ten thousand gold coins.

"Brother Caesars, you earn gold coins too quickly. Just by opening your mouth, you can get 10,000 gold coins!"

"Locke, those are not the gold coins I earned. Someone wanted to harm me, and these ten thousand gold coins are compensation!" Caesars explained quickly.

"Who is it that dares to harm Brother Caesars?"

Locke was furious and looked like he was ready to fight at any time.

"A great magician and three high-ranking magicians. Locke, can you teach them a lesson?"

After hearing what Caesars said, the ogre stretched out his big hand and scratched his bald head, with an indecisive expression on his face.

"Brother Caesars, I've never fought a magician before, and I'm afraid I won't be able to defeat him!"

"Then wait a few days and see how I fight!"

The ogre's stall wasn't doing much business, but Kaesus was selling several sets of leather armor and a few magic steel weapons. The inquisitive ogre looked at his own stuff, then at Kaesus's.

"Brother Caesars, where did you get your leather armor and weapons?"

"This is the leather armor of the Saint Laurents. I killed them, and the weapons and storage rings are also theirs."

"Brother Caesars, these are storage rings!"

"All of them!"

Hearing that Kaesas was displaying storage rings, the ogre yelled and glared, his eyes bulging out. Having been in Fire Maple City for several years, he knew the price of storage rings, which ranged from 80,000 to 90,000 gold coins.

"Brother Caesars, where are the Saint Laurents? I want to kill a few of them too!"

"Locke, you need to be as strong as Melissa, otherwise you will be killed by the Saint Laurent people. Leather armor is worn by Saint Laurent assassins. Their strength is definitely not as good as yours, but their attack speed will be several times yours. You should practice your shaman skills well. You have been setting up a stall for so many years. Do you have enough gold coins to buy a storage ring?"

The ogre shook his big head. He had a huge appetite and the gold coins he earned were enough to keep him full. He hadn't been able to save much gold coins in the past few years.

"Brother Kaisas, the Shaman's skills are not easy to practice. After a few skills, the mana is gone."

"The Demon Sea is just small. With each level up, the Demon Sea will gradually expand. This is how magicians become masters. Locke, you've wasted several years. If you practiced your shaman skills well, you would be able to deal with a high-level assassin, and then you might be able to obtain a storage ring!"

Kaisas patiently coaxed this guy into setting up a stall in Huofeng City. As long as the temptation was enough, he could easily trick him into becoming a thug.

"Brother Caesars, you should have told me earlier. Look, I've wasted several years!"

The ogre began to complain non-stop, losing his appetite even looking at the huge pot of stew. A storage ring could hold tens of thousands of gold coins; the temptation was simply too great.

"Brother Kaisas, I won't set up the stall anymore. I'm going back to the tribe right away!"

"Locke, wait a few days before going back. You've never seen how magicians fight. It won't be too late to leave after you've seen me fight!"

The ogre sat on the animal skin, frowning and thinking, constantly weighing the pros and cons in his mind. After a fierce ideological struggle, he finally smiled with satisfaction and gladly accepted the proposal made by Caesars.

At that moment, the ogre's utter thirst for power instantly transformed into a frenzied desire for the massive pot of stew before him. He opened his bloody mouth, grabbed a piece of the stew without hesitation, and began devouring it with a frenzied abandon. He looked like a starving beast, completely disregarding his appearance as he desperately stuffed the food into his mouth.

Just as dusk was approaching, the beautiful Avril, dressed in a magic robe, walked lightly into the square, ready to take Caesar home. When she saw Locke and Caesar, she couldn't help but stop and looked at the behemoth in front of her - Locke - with curiosity.

Locke's towering figure, over three and a half meters tall, exuded a strong sense of oppression, enough to send shivers down the spines of even the weaker ones. Surprisingly, however, this formidable ogre actually listened obediently to Caesar's words, nodding his head occasionally.

Because Locke was too big and his snoring was so loud when he slept that no one could stand the noise. Caesars could not take Locke to the Cavill family, so he and Avril took a carriage back to the business district.

When Caesars returned to the Cavill family, the sun had already set, and a brilliant sunset glow had appeared on the horizon. Entering the living room, he immediately saw a dozen wooden boxes stacked on the floor. These boxes were made of hardwood, each corner sheathed in gleaming copper sheets. They were specifically designed to hold gold coins.

Rom had been waiting for a long time. Upon seeing Caesars return, he hurried forward and excitedly said, "Caesars, these are the gold coins delivered this afternoon!"

Caesars nodded slightly, indicating his understanding. He then walked forward, carefully inspected the wooden boxes, and said with a smile, "I didn't expect the gold coins to arrive so quickly! I originally thought they would deliver them directly to the square! In that case, I'll take ten boxes from here, and the rest will be left to you!"

After saying that, he collected ten wooden boxes and motioned for Rom to take the rest.

"Caesars, there are still five boxes of gold coins. That's too many!" Dom asked tentatively.

"Dom, these gold coins will be used to buy snacks. I'll save the extra ones. That should be fine, right?"

After Caesars finished speaking, Dom put away the gold coins without saying a word.

Dom was a typical aristocratic heir, prioritizing profit over everything else. Caesars was also nominally the heir to the Cavill family, but he was now a magician. In Dom's eyes, there was no longer any conflict of interest between them; magicians wouldn't compete for a baron's title.

During dinner, Caesars met Old Joey, who looked a little unwell. He was a few years younger than Joanna, almost ninety. Old Joey was an ordinary person with no real strength. If it weren't for the potion Joanna provided, he would have been buried in the family cemetery long ago.