Black Hearted Mage

The Duke of Barton is shrouded in mystery and is difficult to understand. Not only that, but even his brothers and descendants seem to be hiding many unknown secrets.

Just two years ago, when the spies sent by Hawkeye were conducting an in-depth investigation on the Black Scale Fish, they unexpectedly discovered people from the Duke of Barton near the Blackwater Bay.

Black-scaled fish is the main ingredient of underwater breathing potions, and combined with the high-grade herbs secretly purchased by Patton Trading Company, this combination made the spy chief highly alert.

To uncover this mystery, Hawkeye dispatched hundreds of spies, expert in stealth techniques, to infiltrate the Duke of Barton's domain and conduct a comprehensive investigation. These spies moved across the land like ghosts, their pursuit of anyone who left the castle imminent. The spies meticulously documented their every move, including every person they came into contact with.

There was a most insidious mystery surrounding the aged Duke of Barton: he was the oldest of the three renowned Grand Dukes. He appeared to be in his twilight years, his body frail and aged, as if a single breeze could knock him over.

When he angrily denounced Philip, he showed a spirit and majesty beyond the imagination of ordinary people. This detail naturally did not escape the spy chief's sharp eyes like a hawk.

Faced with such a confusing situation, the spy chief had to intervene personally. When delivering the magic crystal to Caesar, he directly asked Caesar whether he had ever sold golden ginseng to Duke Barton. The answer he received was a categorical denial—Caesar denied any such transaction. Furthermore, Caesar was extremely disgusted with Duke Barton, who had never carefully maintained the Duchess's tomb.

It was this point made by Caesar that allowed the spy chief to discover Duke Patton's weakness, or a fatal handle.

Duke Barton had been disguising himself, which had alerted Caesars. However, he needed to consult the elven elders of the crater regarding alchemical potions that could slow aging and prolong life.

More than half a month later, Caesars brought Jack and his family to Violet City. Compared to the harsh cold of the Frostwind Mountains, Violet City was a more suitable place for living, with its perpetual spring weather.

The two Ludwigs, feeling embarrassed, reminisced about the past with Jack's family. Caesars had already hired craftsmen to build a house on the west side of the small castle.

"Caesars, is the Roland Empire really going to war?" Old Ludwig asked in a low voice.

"It's hard to say, but something big is about to happen in the Roland Empire, and I'm worried that Uncle Jack and his family are not safe. You guys chat first, I'm going to the crater!"

Kaisas is going to consult the elven elders about the human magicians, alchemical potions, and the reasons why puppies cannot grow up. These are questions that only they can answer.

"Follow me, damn dog!"

In the blink of an eye, the dark red puppy stole a piece of snack on the coffee table. If it was left in the castle, all the ingredients in the kitchen would be ruined.

Caesars walked out of the living room, the plump puppy trotting after him, its stubby tail wagging. To get to the crater, you had to take the Thorn Flower Merchants' carriage; otherwise, you might be attacked by the elven archers.

The black and white magic tower stood tall, and Caesars passed through the air wall unhindered. The fat puppy following closely behind slammed its head into the elastic protective layer, rolling backwards five or six times on the ground, howling.

Kaisas laughed heartily as he stepped out of the air wall, clutching the puppy and heading towards the magic tower. The Frost Crown's protective array was extraordinary, containing not only high-level magic patterns but also runes that no one could comprehend. The high-level magic patterns came from the demonic realm and the abyssal plane, while the runes came from the vast void.

After the puppy entered the magic tower, it changed from its previous mischievous behavior. It stuck closely to Caesars and it was obvious that it was afraid.

In the reception room on the third floor of the magic tower, Caesars found three old elves. He first took out the stone that recorded the photo of old Roman's duel with others.

"Three elders, the Saint Laurent Church may have a magician!"

"Kasas, the human race had mages over ten thousand years ago, but we wiped them out. They don't have the theory of elemental entanglement, so even if they had mages now, they would definitely be weaker than ours!"

Krasus took the image stone and placed it on the magic projection device. A brief spell duel appeared on the screen. The three old elves noticed something and smiled at each other.

"Kasas, this is soul magic. This skinny guy in the cloak is no longer human. If you look carefully at the man's arm in the photo, you can find some clues!"

Crassus stopped taking pictures and said this. His thin figure looked a little shriveled, and his arms were so thin that it was a bit scary.

"He's a skeleton!" exclaimed Caesars.

"Yes, he is a necromancer, his name seems to be Sandro. Caesar, he also has a very fatal weakness. As long as his skull is smashed, his soul will dissipate because of the loss of the container!" Crassus explained.

"Great Elder, can I absorb his soul energy?"

"You can't absorb it directly. You have to let the Soul Gem absorb the soul of the undead, and then you can get the soul energy from the Soul Gem. The soul of the necromancer is full of hostility. The reason why the Soul Gem fell off the stone tablet is because he appeared around the tomb!" explained old Ethan, who was wearing an elf robe.

"Did the life gem fall off for the same reason?" asked Caesars.

"Not bad!"

Old Ethan answered with certainty.

"Three elders, look at this puppy. It's been over two years, and it hasn't grown at all!"

"Kaesus, the lava dog is a high-level magical beast, a semi-elemental magical beast. It needs sufficient fire elements. No matter how much fire magical beast meat it eats, it will only fill its stomach and will not have much effect on its growth!" Old Ethan said, looking at the puppy.

"Going to the Southern Continent?"

"Yes, go to the Southern Continent. You don't need to feed it; let it hunt on its own. Don't look at its small size; the magical beasts of the Southern Continent can't hurt it. Your magic combat lacks a bit of fire and is not ruthless enough. Kaisas, you have never experienced a life-and-death struggle, so you don't know the cruelty of survival!"

"Old Ethan, how did you know that?"

"Your battle footage can be purchased from the Mage Alliance, and it's simply awful. To establish your authority, you must defeat your opponent in the shortest possible time. You chose the wrong spell and weapon. You should have used a staff with Shadow Bolt. A staff has higher spell power than a magic blade. Who needs a staff if short weapons are better?"

"Old Ethan, who should I go fight with in the wild?"

"If you want to kill people from the Saint Laurent Empire, the Bone Battlefield is a great place. As long as the Saint Laurent Empire doesn't fall, the bones there will never be exhausted!"

"Old Ethan, what if we meet a necromancer?"

"Throw the alchemical bomb and then run. You're no match for him now. Soul spells aren't elemental spells, so they don't need to follow the theory of dual element entanglement. The huge shockwave can not only affect soul spells, but also shock his soul!"

After Old Ethan finished speaking, the other two elven elders added their own comments, criticizing the Necromancer completely. Without the blessing of advanced ice spells, the skeleton was extremely fragile and vulnerable to fire and impact spells.

"Three elders, give me a disk for the element conversion array and a disk for the element crystallization array. It would be best if you could replace it with a disk for the magic gathering array. Thirty times is a bit too low!"

"I'll give you a hundred times the amount! But I have something to tell you first. Don't go to the volcanoes around the lava lake to extract fire elements. That's the energy source for us to leave Roland Continent in the future. Any active volcano in the surrounding area is enough for you to store resources for cultivation!"

Caesar nodded. The three old elves revealed the secret information, and he guessed that the time of departure should be advanced.

After collecting the three heavy metal array plates, the elven elders also took back the thirty-fold magic array. They were worried that Kaisas would lose the precious array plates, so they had to take back the mithril array plate.

After returning to the small stone house, Caesars opened the map of the Roland Continent and searched for the border between the Roland Empire and the Saint Roland Empire. It was the place known as the Burial Ground, also known as the White Bone Battlefield. It was actually a large valley. At either end of the valley were the war fortresses of both sides, and the mountains on either side were extremely steep, making climbing almost impossible.

"We need to find someone to help us, and we need someone with a foul mouth and someone who speaks harshly!"

The area known as the Boneyard never extended beyond a twenty-mile radius. Whenever the two empires were at peace, it became a place to settle personal grudges and a stage for challenges before the war fortress.

As Kaisas was about to journey to the Boneyard, he knew he had to be thoroughly prepared. While the Boneyard wasn't too far from the Stone Mountains, the journey was still fraught with danger. Especially for the Southern Continent, while food wasn't necessary, he would need to bring plenty of drinking water. Bathing wasn't a concern, either; in the north-central part of the Southern Continent, there was a volcanic hot spring that would provide him with a cleansing bath.

Thousands of miles away in Fire Maple City, within the eerie Black Prison, the headquarters of the Imperial Eagle Eye Organization, the spy chief, who controlled the entire situation, sat solemnly behind his desk. Suddenly, a burst of hurried footsteps shattered the tranquil atmosphere. One of his men hurried into the room and handed the spy chief an urgent message.

It turned out that when Hawkeye's spies were searching for the best observation post along the coastline, they unexpectedly discovered an extremely hidden dock.

This mysterious dock was hidden beneath a cliff. The surrounding ground was overgrown with weeds and rocks, making it impossible to find a decent path. Even more problematic, the ships were all docked securely at the bottom of the cliff. Even experienced and agile spies, risking their lives by crouching on the edge, would have difficulty glimpsing the slightest clue.

The sturdy spy chief slowly walked over to the enormous map hanging on the wall. His gaze, sharp as a hawk's, fixed on the seaside fiefdom. That fiefdom belonged to the prestigious Delta family.

Speaking of the Delta family, it has a deep connection with the Duke of Barton. The Duke of Barton's former wife was none other than Count Delta's sister. This former noblewoman, known for her elegance and intelligence, was once a household name among the aristocracy, but she long ago died of illness.

At this moment, the spy chief, his brow furrowed, lost in deep thought. Suddenly, like a flash of lightning, he remembered something even more crucial. This fiefdom, now owned by the Delta family, had once been the territory of the Holy Mountain Church over ten thousand years ago!

"Underground corridor!" The spy chief muttered unconsciously.

According to historical records, before the establishment of the Holy See, this area was once a large-scale quarry. The exceptionally hard white marble produced there was highly praised for its quality. At that time, there was also a small town on this land called White Stone City, which later became the prototype of the Holy See of the Holy Mountain.

However, after the Vatican was officially established, the bustling quarry came to a sudden halt, returning to silence. The Vatican excavated a passage several dozen miles underground, the legendary underground corridor. This mysterious corridor has never been found due to the collapse of the sacred mountain.

What secrets does the underground corridor hide? Is it connected to the Church of Saint Laurent? Countless questions flooded the spy chief's mind...

"Carlos, things are getting more and more complicated. We missed the Delta family in the hidden docks and underground corridors. People from the Dukedom of Barton often go to the Delta family, and a large number of herbs may have been transported away by the ships at the dock. Now we have to find a way to find where the ship went. This is the most important thing!" The old wizard Quinn reminded from the side.

"Quinn, there's no way a person on land can track a ship at sea. Use your Swift Eagle! I need to go to the dock in person. Those people aren't strong enough, so we don't want to alert the enemy!"

"Carlos, if it really is an underground corridor, then you have to be careful. This was the escape route for people from the Vatican in the past!" Quinn reminded.

"If it really is an underground corridor, then the Delta family must be related to the Church of Saint Laurent. Rumor has it that the underground corridor is full of traps. The exit, which is the location of the seaside pier, should have a disguised magic door. The ship should have sailed directly in!"

The spy chief sat back in his chair, his chin resting on his left hand, his right fingers tapping lightly on the table. He had a hunch that the Delta family might be members of the Saint Laurent Church, just like Earl Soren in the south. The entire earl's mansion, from top to bottom, was filled with people from the Saint Laurent Empire.