Black Hearted Mage

The salamander hide unfolded before everyone like a fine work of art, its vibrant hues and lustre as if ablaze with flames. Each scale, imbued with the power of the elemental fire, was tightly aligned and flawless, without a single blemish. To achieve such a flawless kill of a salamander and obtain such undamaged hide required the skill of a master mage of immense power!

At that moment, the agile young man, clad in exquisite leather armor, was filled with excitement, his gaze completely captivated by the salamander hide. Without hesitation, he readily paid a generous sum of gold coins and pocketed the item. For this young man, finding a skilled leatherworker to craft a coveted set of salamander armor was only a matter of time.

As expected, with the first student's successful purchase serving as an example, the others quickly followed suit. After all, most of these warrior-class students from the Imperial Capital Magic Academy came from aristocratic or wealthy families, and their purchasing power was astonishing. Furthermore, intact, high-quality salamander leather like this was rare to find; most people only encountered damaged leather.

As the students were busily selecting their desired leathers, a slight commotion suddenly caught their attention. It turned out to be several elderly magicians approaching slowly. They had heard that a large magical gem had appeared here, and out of a keen interest in precious magical materials and a need for professional research, they had come to investigate.

The stall was crowded with people. Many students bought weapons, leather armor and other protective gear. Some were buying high-grade herbs, and even more were buying alchemical potions.

"Make way, make room!"

Seeing the old master, the students all tried to move away, but there were still people picking things in front of the stall and refused to move.

"Throw a few people out!" an old wizard suggested while looking at the students squatting in front of the stall.

"If you dare to throw my customers out, I'll throw you out!"

Kaisas raised his head and looked at the three old magicians with cold eyes. None of them had reached the level of a great magician, yet they dared to speak so arrogantly.

"This is the Imperial Capital Magic Academy, you are just an outsider!"

The old wizard who was about to throw the student away was a little surprised, and he quickly reminded Caesar.

"Would your dean fight me for such a small matter? What if I'm stronger than him? Not only will he be embarrassed, but the entire academy will be embarrassed too. If you don't believe me, just try it yourself!"

Caesars glanced at the three of them and spoke a few words of warning. He could deal with three high-level magicians in half a minute.

The magical elf mask gave Caesars an extremely sinister and cold aura, which made the three old magicians nervous. They turned their attention to the items on the stall. The intact fire lizard leather was undoubtedly able to prove the opponent's strength.

"We want to see the magic gem!" said an old magician.

Caesar waved his hand, and three magic gems floated in front of the three people.

"Just take your time and watch. Just don't do anything tricky!"

As Caesar spoke, he looked towards the entrance of the hall and saw two old acquaintances walking in - the spy chief and old Gad.

The spy chief had seen Caesar's transformed form, the one who had killed the Roland Mercenaries outside Fire Maple City. Now that the Roland Mercenaries had been killed again, Carlos was sure to have seen some clues from the leather armor and weapons on the stalls.

Kaisas was also very decisive. He took off the transmogrification mask directly. If you wear this thing for a long time, your face will become wet and a little itchy.

"Hawkeye has all the Salamander leather!"

The spy chief's voice was not very loud, but it was extremely arrogant and carried an undeniable momentum.

"Master Carlos, this salamander hide isn't very big. Do you want all of it?"

Caesars looked at the spy chief who was wearing black leather armor and a mask and asked.

"We'll take them all. This isn't just to help you out; we really need them. We'll take the fire magic gems, too. Pack up the weapons and equipment, the high-level herbs, and the storage rings. If this monster cub is for sale, I'll take it too!"

"I'm not selling the puppy. I want to keep it! You can look at the price and calculate it. Just give me the magic crystals in full!"

As Caesars spoke, he looked at the two men. The spy chief spoke arrogantly, and Old Gard was also very domineering in his actions. The three old magicians were holding the magic gems for observation, but he had already ruthlessly snatched them away and ordered the three of them to work.

"You three, help count the gold coins!"

"Okay, elder!"

The three old magicians had their things robbed, but they had to bow respectfully, and then they happily counted the remaining items on the stall and kept records at the same time.

"Caesars, go to the small reception room, we have something very important to tell you!" Old Gard said a little anxiously.

"Wait a minute, I still have a lot of things to take out!"

Kaisas began to fiddle with the interspatial ring. As he moved, items appeared before everyone's eyes. The first thing that caught their eye was dozens of sets of finely crafted, tough leather armor, which shone faintly, as if imbued with some kind of magical power. Following closely behind were a variety of incredibly sharp weapons, including gleaming swords, heavy and solid battle axes, and nimble and swift daggers. Each weapon exuded a chilling aura.

But that wasn't the end. Behind the numerous leather armor and weapons, dozens of enormous magical gems shone forth, dazzling like the glittering stars in the night sky, their powerful magical power awe-inspiring. Finally, the final item on display was over a hundred sheets of salamander hide. These leathers were thick and elastic, still bearing the distinctive fire markings of salamanders, their value evident at a glance.

Seeing so many precious items, many students from the magic academy couldn't help but exclaim in surprise: "Oh my God! So much fire lizard leather, must an entire fire lizard colony have been killed?"

At this moment, Old Gard stepped forward with a serious expression. He glanced sternly at the three old magicians before him and said in a deep voice, "Listen up, the three of you! Be sure to carefully count these items and send them all to the small meeting room! Remember, there must be no mistakes!"

Since the quantity of these things was so huge and they were extremely valuable, Old Gad couldn't help but feel a little worried, fearing that these three people would take the opportunity to do something secretly.

At that moment, Caesars pulled out a photo stone from his pocket and placed it in front of the puppy, which lay lazily on the animal hide. He then said to the puppy, "You, you keep a close eye on these three. If you notice anything amiss, bring this photo stone to me immediately! Do you understand?"

The listless puppy perked up at the command. It whined a few times, seemingly responding to the command. Then it quickly stood up, its short, stubby, yet flexible tail held high, as if ready to strike.

The Imperial Capital Magic Academy's small reception room was located on the castle's top floor. This massive and sturdy castle, while appearing to have only five floors from the outside, actually had nine within. There were two additional floors underground and two above ground. Those unfamiliar with the castle wouldn't know how to reach the top.

The elegant little living room was only three or four meters square, furnished with three soft leather sofas, a small coffee table, and a small pub against the wall, and nothing else.

"Master Carlos, if you have something to say, just say it!"

Caesars sat on the sofa, ready to listen attentively to the important news. The spy chief and Old Gard sat on the sofa one after another, and they looked at each other.

"Gad, you speak!" said the spy chief.

"Kaisas, Roman, the great magician of the Northern Tower, went to the Saint Laurent Empire over a year ago. Hawkeye recorded a video of him dueling with a magician, and he lost in just one round!"

After Old Gad finished speaking with a serious expression, Caesars only nodded slightly. The only person who could defeat a great magician like Old Roman with a single blow was undoubtedly the Mage.

Kaisas was very confused. The human race did not have a complete body-building method, nor did they have the theory of dual-element entanglement. How did they become magicians?

"Show me the photo!"

Just as Caesars finished speaking, the spy chief skillfully pulled out a photo stone from his pocket. It looked as if he had anticipated this moment and had made all the necessary preparations.

Seeing this, Caesars quickly reached out to take the image stone and continuously channeled his own magic power into it. In an instant, a five or six foot wide light screen appeared in the center of the small reception room.

The image displayed on the screen was clear. The first thing that caught my eye was Old Roman and a thin figure. They walked slowly, shoulder to shoulder, out of a slightly shabby house. Then, together, they walked with steady steps toward the courtyard surrounded by a tall wall.

When they entered the compound, Old Roman's opponent finally showed up. However, strangely, this person was covered in a black cloak from head to toe, completely obscuring his face, making it impossible to see his true appearance.

Despite this, this referee-less magic duel began. Both sides unleashed their signature skills without hesitation—instant spells! These spells were like lightning, swift and fast, colliding in the air in the blink of an eye.

Old Roman unleashed a Dark Blast spell, a spell of astonishing power, roaring forth with boundless dark energy. Counteracting this was a gray spell cast by his opponent. This spell appeared eerie, emanating an unfathomable aura. When the two collided, the result was unexpected: the Dark Blast was shattered, while the gray spell remained virtually unaffected, continuing its onslaught towards Old Roman with overwhelming force.

Poor old Roman didn't have time to react before he was struck hard by the aftermath of the powerful gray spell. Like a kite with its string cut, he flew straight backwards and fell heavily to the ground.

Fortunately, Old Roman had a magic shield on him, so he didn't seem to have suffered much damage. Not long after, he got up from the ground and walked over to the side of the thin figure.

Then, the two of them walked shoulder to shoulder again, as if nothing had happened, and turned around and walked into the house together.

"Where will they fight?" asked Caesars.

"A house on Bitterwater Farm!"

Hearing the spy chief's answer, Caesars was also shocked. Bitterwater Farm was not only in the Saint Laurent Empire, but also under the control of the Saint Laurent Church. It was a training ground for various professions in the church and was also connected to the demon ruins beneath the Emerald River.

"Old Roman hasn't returned, and it's unlikely he'll ever come back. The allure of the Mage is irresistible to him. The old man's life is almost over, and becoming a Mage is his only hope!"

As Kaisas said this, he put away the photo stone and planned to take it back to ask the elf elder for advice.

"Kaisas, you mean that man is a magician!"

Beneath the spy chief's mask, he now had a shocked expression. The Saint Laurent Church was hiding too many secrets, which made him feel extremely stressed.

"I'm not sure, but that person's strength is ridiculously strong. Old Roman represents the pinnacle of great magicians, but the gap in strength between him and him is too great to be compared!"

Caesars couldn't be sure either. He himself was not a magician and could not give a definite answer.

"Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore. Let's talk about something else. Caesars, you killed nearly two hundred members of the Roland Mercenary Group's expedition. What was the reason?"

The spy chief changed the subject and said that most of the people killed by Caesar were from major noble families.

"Lord Carlos, you haven't even found out the truth about this matter. Philip Barton is the mastermind behind this. He used a powerful alchemical bomb, intending to kill me at the entrance of the tomb. If I don't kill them, will I let them blow me up again? Since you and Old Gad are here, please tell Philip that he can only live if he pays him 10,000 magic crystals. Otherwise, I will take his life. I came to Fire Maple City to put an end to this matter!"

After Caesar finished speaking, he looked at the two men, only to see Old Gard nod towards the spy chief. It was not difficult to see that the two men had already clearly understood the whole story, and they were just asking questions on purpose.

"Kaesas, you don't have to worry about this matter. I will give you the magic crystal tomorrow at the latest. Now there are more important things. Do you still have golden ginseng in your hand?" The spy chief asked tentatively.

"As long as you can provide the magic crystal, you won't have to worry about the golden ginseng. After I get the compensation from Duke Barton, we can trade the golden ginseng!"