Black Hearted Mage

The next morning, just as the sun rose, golden sunlight shone on the earth. Caesars got up early and hurried all the way to the edge of the turbulent, hot lava river.

From afar, the dark entrance to the mine, nestled beside the lava river, was visible. Just as Caesars was about to enter, his keen eyes caught a glimpse of something unusual. On the once-hard volcanic ash floor, a dense, distinct array of claw marks appeared. These crisscrossing marks were clearly not the marks left by a single salamander.

"You idiot, look! Salamanders have entered the mines and are eating your fire crystals!"

Caesar cursed loudly, his brow furrowed. He pointed at the horrifying claw marks. The puppy beside him immediately approached, sniffing around the mine entrance with its sensitive nose. A moment later, the puppy's eyes turned scarlet. It was in a state of rage, howling loudly, and then it rushed into the mine without hesitation.

Because the space inside the mine was relatively narrow, Caesars didn't want to go in with the puppy and could only wait outside.

Time passed minute by minute, and soon, bursts of sounds were heard from the mine - the low and hoarse roar of the fire lizard, the angry howling of the puppy, and the fighting sounds caused by the fierce collision between the two sides.

At that moment, a red figure suddenly burst out of the mine. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a blood-soaked salamander! Its appearance was utterly miserable, one eye missing, leaving only a hole in its socket from which blood continuously flowed. It seemed terrified, and with all its might, it bolted towards the lava river, running as fast as a wild horse.

At that moment, a resounding roar echoed, and another enormous salamander bolted forth. This one looked even more miserable than the previous one. A small portion of the skin above its head was missing, revealing its horrifying white skull. Its tail, once a whip of steel, was now broken off, and blood flowed from the broken ends like streams of crimson. The severely injured salamander roared in agony as it desperately fled towards the nearby lava river.

In the blink of an eye, a dark red shadow rushed out of the mine. It was a puppy the size of a boot running wildly, and in the blink of an eye it also rushed towards the lava river.

As the three demon beasts rushed into the lava river one after another, the previously calm river surface suddenly became a raging sea. The golden-red waves surged violently, and dazzling undercurrents suddenly emerged from time to time.

Not long after, one of the salamanders slowly emerged from the lava river. It floated belly-up, clearly lifeless. A tiny, dark red puppy, surprisingly, stood on the dead salamander's belly.

The puppy held its head high and chest out, howling non-stop at the rolling lava river. Looking at its posture, it seemed to be solemnly declaring: This hot lava river basin is its territory!

Suddenly, a deep, oppressive roar, like muffled thunder, rolled out from the distant southern bank of the lava river. It seemed to come from deep beneath the earth, carrying an immense power and majesty that chilled the very skin of the creature. The puppy, perceptive to the unusual sound, quickly tilted its head, listening intently. However, just as it tried to discern the source of the sound, the roar abruptly ceased, as if silenced by an invisible hand. Only the sound of flowing lava remained.

At that moment, Caesars cast a spell. With a flash of light, mysterious magic patterns shone on the mage's hand. He slowly reached out to the fire lizard corpse floating in the lava river and easily pulled it ashore. The fire lizard's fatal wound was clearly visible. Its cervical vertebrae formed a terrifying right-angled shape, clearly indicating a catastrophic fracture in its neck.

Kaisas frowned, staring at the massive salamander corpse in bewilderment. He then turned to look at the tiny puppy beside it. With such a disparity in size, he couldn't imagine how the tiny puppy had managed to fight and kill the ferocious beast.

More and more questions came to his mind, and he finally couldn't help but ask the puppy: "Dead dog, tell me, how did its neck break?"

Hearing his owner's question, the puppy jumped excitedly, then threw itself headfirst, stretched its front legs straight, and slammed down with all its might. A crisp "crack" echoed through the air, the sound of broken bones echoing. A closer look revealed that a rib on the salamander's body had snapped under the weight!

He reached out and picked up the puppy, looking at its two front legs. Magical patterns appeared under the short fur.

"You idiot, you have such strong legs despite your short legs! No wonder the elven elders said no monsters in the southern continent could hurt you. The roar that just came from underground came from a ground dragon. It should be in the southwest. Don't mess with it now. One of its toes is bigger than you!"

After placing the pup on the ground, Caesars turned and walked towards the deep, dark fire crystal mine. The pup appeared small and delicate, but a closer look revealed mysterious markings covering its body. These markings were no ordinary decorations, but rather advanced magical patterns from the Abyssal Plane. Despite his profound knowledge and research of magic, Caesars was helpless in the face of these enigmatic patterns, unable to delve deeper.

After entering the mine, Caesars skillfully picked up his tools and prepared to continue digging for precious fire crystals. At this moment, the puppy hurried in on its short legs.

The scene inside the mine made Kaisas frown. Many fire crystals were gone. But fortunately, compared to the entire vein, this loss was only a drop in the bucket.

By then, the clever puppy had already sprung into action. It happily leaped and dove among the scattered fire crystals, devouring them. Soon, its tiny belly seemed full, but this didn't stop it from collecting more. It opened its mouth and diligently took in each fire crystal, until it could no longer hold any more. Then, it spat the fire crystals into a corner, ready for another treat when it was hungry.

Seeing the puppy busy at work, Caesars couldn't help but laugh and scold, "What a greedy dog! I have a storage ring for you. But... I can't guarantee that it won't be burned by the high temperature of the magma!"

Hearing this, the puppy's eyes lit up with excitement, his mouth opened wide to reveal several sharp teeth, and he happily wagged his short tail, just like a pug trying to please his owner. He quickly ran to Caesars, stretched his neck, and rubbed back and forth on Caesars' legs affectionately.

Seeing this, Caesars smiled slightly and took out a storage ring from his pocket. Then, he found a rope made of salamander leather, passed it through the hole in the ring, and tied it around the puppy's short neck.

"You idiot! I'll teach you how to use the storage ring tonight. Master Caesars is going to dig for fire crystals now!"

The playful puppy ran happily towards a small pile of glittering fire crystals, then stretched out its stubby little paw and pointed firmly at the precious magic crystals. It purred, as if urging Caesars to come over and help collect these treasures.

The intelligence of this puppy is amazing. Although it is only three years old, it has the intelligence of an eight or nine-year-old child. Such a high level of intelligence is really hard to imagine.

Opening the storage ring wasn't a difficult task. It didn't require any incantations like casting a spell; it could be easily completed with just a little injection of magic power. Of course, ordinary people didn't even need magic power to use a storage ring, and Caesars didn't have such a low-level storage ring.

For this puppy, its magic control ability was incredibly strong, and opening a storage ring was a piece of cake. Furthermore, it could also freely control the fire element outside of its body, freely constructing a solid protective layer for itself.

However, compared to the puppies' miraculous abilities, traditional magic shields pale in comparison. This is because a magic shield relies on the magician's own magical energy to create it. From this point of view alone, the difference between the two is immediately apparent, and who is stronger and who is weaker.

It is worth mentioning that the Lava Dog is a unique semi-elemental creature that is born with the racial talent of controlling the element of fire. Because of this, the puppy's precise control of the fire element is as simple as eating food.

Ever since the pup learned to use the storage ring, Caesars had rarely seen it. It had gone hunting along the lava river. It no longer cared about the salamanders and had gone to steal their eggs. Fire salamanders rarely went to the lava river, usually hiding in underground caves.

Kaisas continued to mine for fire crystals daily, determined to clear the veins that day. The elemental crystal array would also remain in operation, stockpiling cultivation resources before returning home. And most importantly, the puppies needed to grow up.

It was another long and tiring day. After finishing his mining work, Kaisas dragged his tired body, bathing in the soft and warm afterglow of the setting sun, and slowly walked towards the hot spring pool. He had seen the puppy this morning, and then it disappeared all day. No one knew where it had gone to "fool around".

When Caesars finally reached the hot springs, he breathed a sigh of relief and pulled a fire salamander egg from his interspatial ring. Looking at the smooth, round egg in his hand, he couldn't wait to make it into an omelet. Because of the unique environment of the southern continent, where common leafy vegetables were unavailable, Caesars decided to garnish the dish with a vibrant fire flower, adding a unique touch of color and flavor.

He then pulled out five or six more attractively colored and fragrant fruits, a small piece of carefully cured meat, and a piece of soft cheese from his backpack. He expertly picked up his short knife and cut the fruits into even, fingernail-sized chunks. The meat required more meticulous processing, shredding it into smaller pieces to ensure its unique salty flavor would be fully released during cooking. As for the cheese, the cutting method was relatively casual; a few simple cuts would suffice, as the cheese would quickly soften and melt once heated.

After all the ingredients were ready, Caesars began to build a fire. He expertly lit the charcoal and set up a small iron wok. He then poured a suitable amount of oil into the wok and waited for it to reach the desired temperature.

At that moment, he held a short knife and gently tapped the shell of the fire salamander egg with the flat end of the blade. With a crisp crackling sound, the crystal-clear egg liquid flowed into the scalding iron pot. Instantly, a crackling sound echoed throughout the surroundings. The golden egg liquid quickly solidified and expanded under the high temperature, emitting a mouth-watering rich aroma.

The charcoal fire burned fiercely, heating the iron pan to a sizzling heat. In just two minutes, a golden fried egg, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, was ready. Then, freshly chopped fruit, juicy diced cured meat, and fragrant cheese were evenly spread over the fried egg, creating a juicy, flaky omelette.

Then, comes the crucial step – carefully rolling up the omelette and reheating it for a minute or two to ensure that the cheese is thoroughly melted and perfectly blended with the other ingredients.

Kaisas stood aside, sniffing the alluring aroma that permeated the air. When everything was ready, he took the steaming omelet and placed it in his mouth. Instantly, a light fragrance, accompanied by a hint of spiciness, blossomed on his tongue. This unique aroma came from the flame flowers used as embellishment.

After savoring the first bite, Caesars pulled out a bottle of long-treasured golden rum, gently unscrewed the cap, tilted his head back, and took a large gulp. Then, he closed his eyes, letting the rich, aromatic liquor flow slowly down his throat, savoring the mellow, lingering, wonderful taste.

In a short while, Caesars had already eaten most of the omelet, but he could no longer eat, so he put the rest of the omelet into his space ring. After doing this, he stretched out contentedly and lay down in the warm and comfortable hot spring pool next to him.

At this moment, the bright moonlight spread across the entire southern continent like a veil, casting a dreamy silver glow on everything around. Caesars quietly soaked in the hot spring waters, gazing up at the distant starry sky, immersed in this peaceful and tranquil atmosphere.

However, just then, a sudden, distant howl broke the night's stillness. Judging from the sound, the source seemed to be from the east. Caesars, alerted by the sound, quickly extended his right hand to test the wind's direction. As expected, a warm west wind blew. It was obvious that the puppy, with its keen sense of smell, had picked up the fragrant aroma of the omelet, prompting its anxious barking.

Under the moonlight, a column of dust rolled in from afar. This should be the fastest speed the puppy can run. For the sake of delicious food, it is challenging its own speed limit.