Black Hearted Mage

Along the lava river, the searing magma illuminated everything around it in a crimson glow. The air was filled with a suffocating heat wave, as if even breathing would burn it. The air was distorted by the scorching heat, and objects within sight seemed to be constantly twisting and deforming, making it difficult to discern their true form.

Standing by the lava river, Kaisas felt a scorching heat beneath his feet, as if he were stepping on a red-hot iron block. He had to quickly change into his short boots, carefully crafted from salamander leather, to withstand the terrifying heat.

The ground near the lava river was so hot it was practically hot enough to grill meat. This unusually high temperature made Caesars wonder: Could this land contain precious fire crystal veins? Or perhaps a surging stream of scorching magma? His heartbeat quickened at the thought.

"You damn dog! Tell me quickly, is that flowing magma down there, or is it the fire crystal you've been dreaming of?"

Caesars suddenly roared at a nearby pillar-like pipe. Along the banks of this lava river lay numerous naturally formed irregular pipes. They ranged in size, height, and depth, scattered unevenly. Some were enormous, two or three meters in diameter and more than ten meters tall; while smaller ones were only as thick as an arm and only about a meter tall.

Not long after, a puppy covered in blood swiftly emerged from one of the pipes. It looked like it had just experienced a fierce hunt.

"Damn dog, there must be a fire crystal vein underneath!"

The puppy scratched hard with its paws, telling Caesar that it was a fire crystal vein.

"Dead dog, what did you eat?" asked Caesars.

The puppy pressed its belly to the ground, stuck out its scarlet tongue, swung its tail from side to side, and crawled forward a few steps.

"You ate a gecko? There aren't geckos that big in the Southern Continent!"

Under Caesar's puzzled gaze, the puppy nodded.

Kaesus took out his magic steel pickaxe. He had to dig for the fire crystal vein. This puppy needed plenty of fire element, otherwise its growth would be very slow. There was plenty of fire element for it to absorb in the southern continent. After leaving here, he could only feed it fire crystals.

"Get away, you idiot! Master Caesars's pickaxe has no eyes, and it'll hit your dog's head if you're not careful!"

As Kaesus picked up the heavy magic steel pick and was about to start digging, the playful puppy curiously poked its head around the pick as if it had discovered something new. Its furry little head would occasionally come forward to sniff and even lick it with its scarlet tongue.

Seeing this, Caesars helplessly stopped what he was doing, frowned, and shouted at the puppy in feigned anger: "You damn dog, stop messing around! Go away!"

However, the puppy did not seem to take his warning seriously. Instead, it raised its head and howled at Caesar twice in dissatisfaction, as if protesting his reprimand.

Then, the puppy slid and nimbly turned around and slipped into a stone pipe nearby. A moment later, a chewing sound came from deep inside the pipe. It turned out that the puppy had gone to enjoy its delicious food - the "lizard".

Kaisas looked in the direction where the puppy disappeared, shook his head helplessly, and then swung the pickaxe again, breaking the "pipe" in front of him. As he continued to swing the pickaxe, the less solid volcanic ash bottom layer was gradually chiseled away, revealing a narrow and deep passage.

Kaisas dug slowly underground, following the path of the "pipeline." He paused every few steps to carefully observe his surroundings and ensure his safety. An ice array disc sat in his backpack, providing him with a constant supply of cool air, keeping him comfortable and alert in the intensely hot underground environment.

The "pipeline" showed a clear downward and northward inclination, which was undoubtedly a very favorable angle for Caesars. If the "pipeline" tilted southward, it would be extremely dangerous. If they dug below the lava river, they would likely unearth boiling hot magma, with disastrous consequences. Thinking of this, Caesars couldn't help but feel relieved and quickened his excavation speed.

After digging less than ten meters, the pipeline ahead no longer needed to be excavated, and the area was spacious enough to accommodate a tent. A dark red puppy was tearing at a large creature. It was not a "four-legged snake" at all, but a three-meter-long fire salamander from head to tail.

Fire salamanders are vulnerable to attack. They lack tough leather to protect them from attack, nor do they have thick, hard scales to protect them. Furthermore, their bite force is only moderate, but pales in comparison to those of fierce predators. Combined with their slow speed, these factors make fire salamanders a delicacy for salamanders.

The pup tore at the fire salamander's neck, its weak spot. The fire salamander's bones were far less durable than those of other magical beasts, and the pup's sharp teeth easily shredded them. The pup tore at the fire salamander's flesh, devouring it with such relish that it paid no attention to anyone else.

"You idiot, that's not some lizard in your mouth, it's a salamander. Its meat is incredibly tender and delicious, much better than that ordinary salamander meat!"

However, in the face of its owner's call, the puppy continued to work hard, only making an indistinct hum from the depths of its throat in response.

At that moment, Caesars put away his magic steel pick and drew his Death Staff, cautiously advancing along the oval passage. As he walked, he suddenly spotted a dazzling expanse of fiery red ahead: a vein of untapped fire crystal. At the edge of this vein lay several round, red objects, about the size of puppies, their surfaces covered in strange patterns.

"These are actually eggs laid by fire salamanders!" Caesars couldn't help but exclaim excitedly.

Fire salamander eggs are valuable, greatly helping to strengthen the body. With this thought in mind, Caesars quickly collected the five eggs. He put away his staff, drew his magic blade, and scurried towards the puppies.

"Get out of the way, you damn dog! The fire salamander has something good in its belly!"

Kaisas brandished the magic blade and shouted at the pup. The pup, munching on meat, had just turned its bloodied head when it saw a flash of cold light. The razor-sharp dagger pierced its tail, sending a chill down its backside. Kaisas grasped the hilt and slashed hard, splitting the fire salamander's body in two.

The puppy was frightened and quickly ran to the side to look at its intact short tail.

After Caesars broke open the corpse, he turned out two soft-shelled eggs in the fire salamander's abdomen. Although they were not fully formed yet, they still had the effect of strengthening the body.

"You idiot! Two fire salamander eggs, one for you and one for me. They're good stuff, don't waste them. You idiot, you have to eat the fire salamander's liver first, otherwise it won't taste good!"

Kaisas took out the sturdy magic steel bowl and gently placed the round, smooth, and slightly elastic soft-shelled egg in it. Then, he reached out and picked up the still steaming liver with a skillful movement, and quickly took out a heavy cast iron pot.

The lifeless fire salamander's corpse had lost its freshness after being left for too long, so Caesars decisively stored it in his space ring. After all, the fire salamander was a treasure from head to toe. Besides its delicious liver, its other parts also had their own unique uses.

Caesars casually took out a few silver frost charcoal and cast a fireball on the charcoal. Sparks flew and a small orange flame ignited. When the fire was at its peak, he placed the cast iron pot on top.

He swiftly sliced ​​the fire salamander's liver in half with a sharp blade. With a soft "pop," the two halves slid into the scalding iron pot. A sizzling sound echoed, and under the intense heat, the fire salamander's liver began to release golden fat, accompanied by a mouth-watering aroma.

Not far away, a dark red puppy, as if sensing the call of delicious food, rapidly twitched its extremely sensitive nose. It excitedly stood upright, extending its two strong front paws and gripping the edge of the iron wok tightly. Its already wide mouth now stretched even wider, drool flowing uncontrollably.

"You damn dog, you can look at it, but if your saliva gets into the pot, this delicious fried liver will taste bad!"

Hearing Caesars' warning, the puppy closed its mouth obediently, but its eyes, full of desire, stared at the food in the pot that was emitting an enticing aroma.

Meanwhile, Kaisas calmly prepared several carefully prepared seasonings and evenly and meticulously sprinkled them over the frying liver. As the seasonings blended with the hot oil, creating a beautiful sizzling sound, the aroma intensified and deepened. Another half-minute or so later, the deliciously pan-fried fire salamander liver was ready.

"Half for you, half for me!"

A large piece of fried liver went into the puppy's bowl, while Caesars took a smaller piece. Despite the puppy's size, he ate more than Caesars. He saved the soft-shelled egg for dinner, and the fried liver was enough for lunch.

"You idiot, I'll give you two fruits. Fried liver alone is too greasy!"

The puppy followed Caesars' lead, pushing the soft-shelled egg outside the food bowl and tucking into the food it couldn't stop eating. Two bright red fruits were placed in the food bowl, and the sound of them chewing could be heard immediately.

After lunch, Kaisas took a short break and then couldn't wait to get back to work. He picked up the tools skillfully and began to dig the fire crystal carefully.

In reality, excavating the Fire Crystal isn't too difficult, but that doesn't mean it's something to be taken lightly. After all, extreme caution is required during the excavation process. Breaking the Fire Crystal by mistake can be disastrous. Once the Fire Crystal breaks, the fire element contained within is likely to erupt, triggering a terrifying elemental explosion with devastating consequences. Therefore, every strike must be precise and gentle.

As time went by, the surface layer of fire crystals was mined, revealing a rich ore layer. He gently put down his tools and took out a small, exquisite wooden hammer—a sharp tool specifically designed for excavating fire crystals. The fire crystals were generally of uniform size, and a gentle tap was all it took to separate them piece by piece. With the aid of the small wooden hammer, Kaisas's excavation progress significantly accelerated.

In this way, from the early afternoon until sunset and nightfall, a whole afternoon passed. By this time, Caesars was already covered in mud and dust, looking dirty, as if he had just crawled out of a pile of dirt. However, despite being exhausted, he still walked slowly towards the hot spring pool in the night, full of harvest.

The puppy, who had always been by Kaisas's side, refused to be left alone in the mines, and followed its owner back home. Arriving at the hot springs, Kaisas looked helplessly at the three pools before him: the hottest one was bubbling and boiling; the middle one was still a bit scalding; and the coldest one was at the bottom.

Caesars chose to lie down in the coldest pool, letting the warm water soothe his tense muscles and nerves. The playful puppy, however, jumped into the boiling pool at the top without hesitation, swimming around happily and occasionally letting out a few comfortable cries, seemingly enjoying the boiling temperature.

After showering, Caesars washed his clothes. He deftly dismantled the protective array outside the cave, then walked briskly along the uneven passage, arriving at the array disk in no time.

Three gleaming silver metal discs lay before me, their magical energy flowing gently like a stream. At the edges of the crystallized array, a dozen elemental crystals radiated magical light. These elemental crystals shimmered like dazzling stars in the night sky, gleaming with enchanting brilliance.

After storing the precious elemental crystals one by one into his space ring, Caesars pulled out a piece of soft, thick animal hide and spread it on the ground, then lay down on it without hesitation. At this moment, he tightly grasped several crystal-clear magic crystals in his hands, closed his eyes slightly, and began to meditate quietly.

The puppy beside him showed no sign of fatigue. Just today, it had absorbed a vast amount of fire elemental energy. At this rate, even going without food, water, or even sleep for days on end wouldn't be a problem for it. However, this playful little creature insisted on imitating Caesars, sprawled out on a patch of snow-white fur, its limbs spread wide, its round belly exposed.