Black Hearted Mage

The road to the Roland Empire wasn't long, but due to the need to cross mountains and forests, the carriage only reached the border of the Roland Empire after two days. However, the border was still a long way from Fire Maple City.

The Roland Empire, located in the north-central part of the continent, inherited most of the Roman Empire's territory and is the largest nation on the Eastern Continent. During the demonic invasion ten thousand years ago, Fire Maple City survived unscathed, resulting in Fire Maple City becoming a city steeped in history and rich in cultural heritage.

After five days of bumpy ride, the convoy finally arrived at Fire Maple City. As a convoy from the Northern High Tower, they enjoyed special treatment. When entering Fire Maple City, the carriages did not have to wait in line, and were even exempted from the city inspection.

When Joanna's carriage entered Fire Maple City, she parted ways with the Northland Tower's convoy. The convoy continued to the inner city, while Joanna chose to go to the Imperial Capital's commercial district.

From the moment he stepped into Fire Maple City, Caesars was filled with excitement. He couldn't wait to lean against the car window, constantly looking out. The towering city walls, the wide streets, and the bustling crowds of people and vehicles dazzled him. The commercial district here was even more prosperous than Violet City, with a dazzling array of shops and a bustling crowd.

The carriage entered a house in the commercial district. The outer walls of the house were all shops, and the gate of the house was not big. Inside was a quiet little garden.

"Ma'am, the twenty or so shops outside the mansion are all owned by your family, right?"

"You're so smart, little one! You figured it out right away. We only use three shops; the others are rented out!"

The gate to the mansion was closed by the coachman, seemingly reserved for carriages. Caesars discovered a shop with a back door leading to the mansion. The main building was a three-story house, with two more large buildings on the side. That was probably the stable, where the carriage had just gone.

"Miss, you're back!

An old man in his fifties or sixties, dressed in a butler's robe, bowed to Joanna. At this moment, Caesars was a little confused about the age of this great magician. The butler addressed Joanna as "Miss."

"Have someone clean my room. I'll be staying here for a while. Clean up the little room next to me too and give it to this little guy!"

The old butler left with a puzzled look on his face, glancing at Caesars twice as he left. Joanna led him to sit in the living room, where a woman in a maid's outfit walked by quickly.

"Miss!"

The maid was very respectful and very familiar with Joanna. Caesars guessed that the great magician must go home often.

"Cecilia, prepare some tea and some large snacks. We haven't had breakfast yet!"

"Okay, miss!"

The maid waved her hand towards the back, and two young maids, who were only in their teens, came over quickly. Then one walked outside the main house, and the other walked to the back.

Tea and snacks were brought in from outside, which made Caesars a little curious.

"Little guy, don't be curious, the three shops in my family are for making and selling snacks!

"A dim sum shop! It's so comfortable to have freshly made dim sum that you can eat anytime."

As the two were talking, a white-haired old man came out, supported by someone. He was wearing a light-colored noble robe. Although he was very rich, the buttons on the robe were made of silver.

"Joanna!"

"Joey, if your legs and feet are not in good condition, don't come out!"

Caesar watched curiously, unable to fathom the relationship between the two. Joanna pulled out a dozen potions from her storage ring. They came in three different colors. The red ones were supposed to be healing potions. As for the yellow and purple potions, Caesar wasn't sure what they were specifically used for.

The old man was sitting on the sofa in the living room. When he saw those medicines, his eyes seemed to flash with a light. It was an extremely greedy look that made people feel cold.

"Cecilia, you keep these potions. I'm worried Joey won't be able to control himself and drink a few bottles too many and end up dying!"

"Yes, miss!"

The old man looked at the potions eagerly as they were taken away by the head maid who only obeyed Joanna's orders.

"Cecilia, give me a bottle of each potion first!"

"No, Master has already drunk the potion this year. He can only drink it next year!"

The head maid rejected the old man's request without hesitation, and Joanna nodded with some satisfaction.

"Joey, you're just an ordinary person. If you drink too much of these alchemical potions, you'll really die. Eighteen bottles of alchemical potions, and you have to prepare three thousand kilograms of snacks for me. I have to take them away when I leave!"

“Joanna, we are siblings, do we need to be so clear about the distinction?”

"Joey, you're an idiot. Some of these snacks are for the Great Alchemist. Do you really think you have enough gold coins to buy these potions?"

Sitting on the soft sofa, Caesar's eyes stumbled upon the plate of pastries on the coffee table. In that instant, he remembered the delicious treat Kandel had once given him—a shortbread biscuit with a rich, milky aroma. A surge of longing washed over him, and he eagerly reached out, snatched a piece from the plate, and slowly chewed it. Though it wasn't the familiar shortbread, it still had the same milky aroma and a crispy texture, leaving him feeling incredibly satisfied.

"So that's how it is! Joanna, who is this little guy?"

Old Joey turned and cast his gaze upon the dark-haired boy, Caesars, seated on the sofa. The gleaming golden buttons on the dark-toned aristocratic robe were particularly striking, clearly a garment of superior quality. As a senior noble in the imperial capital, Fire Maple City, Old Joey was thoroughly familiar with the nobility hierarchy. He could tell at a glance that the boy before him was of distinguished status.

"His name is Caesars, and he's the new apprentice at the Northland Tower. He's also the personal assistant to the Great Alchemist Kandel and a student of the Great Magician Roman. He'll be staying here for a while, so you'd better not have any unreasonable expectations!"

Joanna's warning was very powerful. She knew old Joey's character very well and was worried that he would cause some unnecessary trouble because of Caesar's identity.

"This little guy is really not simple. He is actually related to three great magicians. Joanna, he will definitely become a magician, right?"

Old Joey spoke thoughtfully, mentally considering how to win over Caesar. For a noble, finding a powerful magician to rely on and cementing that relationship through marriage was a fundamental survival strategy. However, Caesar's age was far too young, leaving him feeling somewhat frustrated.

"That's for sure. Caesar has a good talent for magic. But, Joey, I warn you, don't use your noble little thoughts. Caesar is still young, don't make old Roman angry!" Joanna said seriously.

Old Roman's reputation was so great that even old Joey couldn't help but shudder when he heard the name.

If you want to open the ancient tombs in the Roland Empire, you can't avoid the Magic Guild, the royal family of the Roland Empire, and the powerful class.

Fifteen miles north of Fire Maple City lies a modest stone mountain. The Magic Guild and the Northern Tower have located the entrance to the archmage's tomb, but the surrounding jungle is dense, with crisscrossing vines. Even reaching the base of the mountain is difficult, let alone entering the tomb. More importantly, the mountain is infested with walnut-sized spotted spiders, hidden within the dense forest.

"We need to build a road leading to the tomb and prepare a large amount of insect repellent powder. Destroying this dense forest isn't practical. If we set fire to the mountain, the spotted spiders might escape, and then the situation would be out of control!"

In the Fire Maple City Magic Guild, in the reception room atop the Magic Tower, five elderly great magicians gathered. These great magicians were core members of the guild, along with two from the Northland Tower. They possessed powerful magical powers, capable of performing a variety of remarkable spells. At this moment, they were discussing a crucial issue: how to enter the ancient tomb.

This reception room was remarkably elegant, with portraits of past presidents hanging on the walls. In the center of the room stood a table, chairs, and sofa made of flame maple, along with two coffee tables of the same material. A flame maple wine cabinet stood to one side. Everything here seemed so solemn and elegant.

Old Roman was wearing a black aristocratic robe today, his hair and beard neatly groomed, like a senior noble. He sat in a chair, holding a glass of red wine, and listened quietly to the speeches of others.

Cairns sat aside and said seriously, "I think we should build a road leading to the tomb. This will save time and energy."

Keynes seemed to have completely forgotten the streaking incident a few days ago. His face was full of seriousness and rigor. He continued, "We can't just consider the current difficulties. We also need to prepare for future exploration. If we spend a lot of time and energy clearing the road every time, it will waste a lot of precious time. Moreover, building roads is also a way to respect ancient tombs."

Great Magician Brian retorted, "Keynes, why do we need to build a road? We're not going on vacation to escape the summer heat. Just clear a path. If you don't have enough insect repellent powder, use sulfur powder. It repels insects longer and can also corrode trees and vines. We may not be able to open the tomb this time. Our current magic circles are far inferior to those of ancient times!"

Old Roman nodded slightly, agreeing with the great wizard's point. He put down his glass and said slowly, "I agree with Keynes, but we also need to consider the actual situation. We can first clear a small path and then gradually build the road. This will ensure speed while avoiding excessive resource consumption. As for the insect repellent powder and sulfur powder, we can use them flexibly as needed."

The other great magicians all expressed their agreement with Old Roman's opinion. Seeing this, Keynes no longer insisted on his own opinion. He nodded and said, "Okay, then let's do as you say. I hope we can successfully enter the tomb and find the treasure left behind by the ancient great magician!"

Old Roman glanced at Keynes. At the old man's pace, the tomb wouldn't be visible for months. The large number of spotted spiders was a significant problem, and the dark spiders in the tomb were also a significant concern. The Archmage's tomb certainly contained more than just spiders.

At this moment, Old Roman had already forgotten his students. Since he entered Fire Maple City, he had never thought of Caesars at all.

Word of the ancient archmage's tomb had also spread through the magic guild. Several luxurious carriages had been parked in front of the residence of a minor noble in Fire Maple City. Each carriage bore a golden heraldic emblem. Anyone with even a basic understanding of heraldry would know that these carriages belonged to a prominent noble in Fire Maple City.

The mansion's small living room was already filled with people: the housekeeper, servants, maids, and even the noble himself were all very reserved. Half of Fire Maple City's nobles had arrived, and the noble had no idea what was going on.

"My Lord Duke, My Lord Marquis, My Lord Prince, and My Lord Earl, what brings you to my residence?"

Baron Leonard was a little restless and did not speak after several nobles arrived.

"Ronald, that stone mountain in the north of Fire Maple City, along with the surrounding five miles, is yours!"

"Yes, my lord, that is indeed the territory of the Leonard family."

Baron Ronald quickly stood up and answered, wondering in his heart why these important figures were asking such questions. That useless territory had made the Ronald family a laughing stock in Fire Maple City.

"Great, we want to buy that land."

Baron Leonard was stunned for a moment, he suspected that he had heard it wrong.

"Sir...what did you say? Buy that land?"

"Yes, name a price."

Several great nobles nodded in agreement, their eyes focused on Baron Ronald.

Baron Leonard's forehead began to sweat. He really couldn't understand why these nobles were suddenly interested in his territory.

"My Lord, I don't quite understand... Although this piece of land has some value, it's not worth asking you Lords to come and buy it in person."

Baron Leonard asked cautiously, hoping for an explanation.

"Stop talking nonsense and just name your price." One of the nobles said impatiently.

Baron Leonard looked at the nobles and spoke hesitantly.

"Gentlemen, that piece of land was sold last year!"

"What? Who bought that land?"

The prince was the youngest and the most impatient one. He asked loudly to Leonard, his tone revealing a strong sense of dissatisfaction.

"It's Baron Cavill's sister. She bought the land last summer!" Leonard replied quickly.

"Baron Cavill? I've never heard of him. Since he's just a small baron, things will be much easier. He bought the territory from you, so I can buy it back from him!"

The prince spoke confidently, and the other nobles nodded in agreement. Baron Leonard, seeing this, understood that these nobles had formed an alliance.

However, Baron Leonard shook his head: "Your Excellency, it was not the Baron himself who bought that piece of land, but his sister - the great magician Joanna!"

Upon hearing the news, the prince's expression remained calm. He had only heard of Joanna's name, but didn't know her specific circumstances. Meanwhile, the old duke of the empire seemed incredibly nervous, even trembling uncontrollably when he heard Joanna's name.