Black Hearted Mage

After a long and arduous journey, Caesars had been walking for five consecutive days. During this time, the puppy had been tightly wrapped and had no chance to stretch its body or move its muscles.

Finally, he found a relatively large cave on the edge of the cliff path ahead. This cave could provide a good place to rest, but it also required high vigilance - because this artificial cave was connected to a natural cave, and spotted spiders often came out of it.

The moment Caesars stepped into the cave, he threw the salamander leather on his back heavily to the ground as if relieved, then untied the package and gently let the puppy out. Then, he took out a thick and soft animal skin mat and spread it out so that he could lie down comfortably and relax his exhausted body.

This path, carved into the cliff face, was incredibly narrow, barely two feet wide. If you wanted to rest, you had no choice but to sit down. In contrast, the cave before us seemed vastly more spacious, measuring over ten meters square.

The newly freed puppy leaped up and down with excitement, like a wild horse unleashed. It released its pent-up energy, as if to release all the repression it had endured during these days of confinement. However, it soon quieted down and began to survey its surroundings with curiosity. Soon, its gaze fixed on the entrance to a natural cave in the corner of the stone cavern. It had been bitten by a spotted spider there before, but thanks to that, it had enjoyed a delicious meal.

The puppy walked to the entrance of the natural cave and howled towards inside. After a while, its voice echoed from the cave.

Caesars was helpless, but he had no other choice. He took out a bottle of dispelling potion and evenly applied it to his magic robe, sprinkling the rest on the animal hide mat. He stood up, moved the animal hide to the edge of the cave, and then lay down.

"Damn dog, I'm going to take a nap, please keep the noise down!"

Caesars took out a piece of fur and covered his head with it.

The puppy whimpered softly, indicating it had heard and was ready. It stood firmly at the cave entrance, its chubby body exuding an air of determination and focus. Its adorable little triangular ears pricked high, carefully listening to every subtle sound emanating from the depths of the cave.

Time ticked by, and after a few minutes, a burst of dense, tiny hissing sounds shattered the surrounding silence. The sound was distant at first, but soon grew closer, surging toward the cave entrance like a tide. The puppy instantly focused its attention, its eyes fixed on the horizon, its strong, powerful claws slightly flexed, poised to meet the approaching spotted spider and kill it in one swoop.

A few minutes later, a fist-sized spider covered in colorful patterns slowly emerged from the cave. At that moment, the puppy, unable to contain its excitement, pounced on it like an arrow, raising its front paws and slapping it hard.

From this moment on, the puppy's attacks became extremely fast and frequent, and the high-frequency slapping sounds were like a violent storm, never stopping for a moment.

However, faced with such a ferocious attack, the spotted spider showed no sign of retreating. Instead, it emitted an even more intense and shrill hiss. Along with this piercing call, more spotted spiders continuously poured out of the cave. They densely covered the walls, ceiling, and floor of the cave. Their number was staggering, and each one was the size of a fist.

Caesars was sleeping peacefully in the cave, but the cacophony of hisses was too loud for him to fall asleep. Reluctantly, he peeled back the fur covering his body and peeked out through sleepy eyes. It wouldn't have mattered if he hadn't looked, but once he did, Caesars felt the hairs on his body stand on end, a chill running down his spine—all he saw was countless spotted spiders!

Looking at the overwhelming swarm of spiders that the puppy seemed to never be able to kill, a terrible thought flashed through Caesar's mind: "Insect tide!"

That’s right, it’s that terrifying swarm of insects that can drown everything.

Although the puppy was not afraid of the venom of the spotted spider, it was already crying out in pain from being bitten. There were so many spiders that they could not be killed.

Kaisas quickly sat up and quickly sorted out the messy items around him, putting them into his space ring. Then, he took out two large bottles of fierce fire oil, which shone with a crimson light under the weak light.

Caesars took a deep breath and fiercely threw the two large bottles of incendiary oil toward the cave entrance. With a resounding "bang," the bottles arced through the air before striking the cave entrance with pinpoint accuracy, shattering instantly and splattering the red liquid inside. However, using alchemical bombs here was absolutely unacceptable; after all, the slightest mistake could cause the entire cliff face to collapse, with disastrous consequences.

After completing all this, Caesars began to chant a mysterious and ancient spell. As his voice rang out, dark elements, as if awakened, began to vibrate joyfully around him. Gradually, these dark elements converged, forming a dense, gray-black fog that expanded and grew at an alarming rate.

At that moment, the splattered incendiary oil spontaneously ignited. Instantly, the blazing flames, like a ferocious beast, gaped its bloody maw and devoured the entire cave. The scorching heat distorted the air, filling it with billowing smoke, making it nearly impossible to breathe. The spotted spider was quickly consumed by the flames, and a foul, burnt odor permeated the air.

"Go away, damn dog!"

Kaisas shouted anxiously.

The puppy, however, was not in the least afraid of the blazing fire, and continued to swat the spotted spiders one by one. With a single swipe of its sharp claws, the spotted spiders were smashed to pieces like fragile porcelain.

At the same time, the dark mist summoned by Caesars was also not idle, silently corroding all living things and objects around it. The blazing flames burned more and more fiercely, as if to turn the world into a sea of ​​fire.

Seeing this, Caesars no longer cared about anything else. He rushed forward, reached out and tightly grasped the puppy's neck, then turned and ran towards the cave entrance without hesitation. When they finally rushed out of the cave, Caesars suddenly spread the pair of black elemental wings behind him, flapped them vigorously, and took off with the puppy, rushing towards the towering mountains in the north.

Half a minute later, the puppy was thrown on the top of the mountain, and Caesars sat down and grabbed the puppy's ears.

"You idiot! There's a giant spider in the cave. It might be a dark spider. It can command the spotted spiders and has tens of thousands of servant spiders. It's bad enough that you don't sleep, but now you've even left me with nowhere to sleep!"

The puppy was curled up in a ball, its four legs trembling constantly, as if its fragile body would collapse at any moment. It stood on the very summit of the mountain, a mere two-meter-tall rock surrounded by a bottomless, terrifying abyss.

Caesars looked at the trembling puppy before him, and the corners of his mouth lifted involuntarily, revealing a playful smile. He could hardly suppress the urge to laugh, and thought the puppy's appearance was truly hilarious.

"You useless dog! Close your eyes quickly. I have to find a spacious place to have a good sleep. You just stay here and watch over me. If anything goes wrong, I'll show you how I'll deal with you!" As Caesars spoke, he reached out and grabbed the puppy, then flew up again and galloped towards the north.

At this moment, Caesars hadn't slept for five consecutive days, and the extreme lack of sleep made him exhausted. He clearly felt a serious disconnect between his thoughts and actions. His movements were always a beat slower than his thoughts, and this sense of disharmony made his movements somewhat clumsy.

After flying for dozens of miles, they finally found a relatively spacious spot on the top of a mountain. Caesars, relieved, tossed the puppy carelessly and quickly pulled out his sleeping bag. He didn't even have time to remove the magnificent robes that symbolized his magician status before he eagerly dove into his sleeping bag and fell asleep in the blink of an eye.

The puppy, left aside, looked around in confusion at first, seemingly unsure of the situation. But soon, realizing it was still at the top of the mountain, it lay quietly not far from Caesars, watching the surroundings warily.

Far away in the palace of the Roland Empire, the latest intelligence was delivered to the old emperor, and the spy chief who delivered the intelligence stood quietly by.

The old emperor picked up the intelligence and flipped through it. Every time he read a piece of intelligence, the veins on his forehead would twitch a few times and his wrinkles would deepen a little.

"Carlos, assassinate all members of the Delta family and sink the Saint Laurent Empire's ships. You can use any means!"

After reading the intelligence, the old emperor said with a heavy heart.

"Your Majesty, it's too difficult. The Delta family's castle has a security array, and it's difficult for me to get in. The castle should be connected to the underground corridor, and I don't know how many exits it has. Duke Barton, no, now he's Earl Barton, the number of his private army has not decreased at all. They are now called farmers, just a new name!"

The spy chief explained that he hadn't been able to open the magic door by the sea, so he didn't know where the underground corridor led to, let alone what was inside.

"First, take over the territory west of Earl Patton and send the Third Legion there. The reason is also very good, to fully maintain the Duchess's tomb!" said the old emperor.

Duke Solomon said, "Your Majesty, the stone is mined from Count Delta's territory. This will put pressure on them. If they dare to resist, we can just encircle and wipe them out in one fell swoop!"

Duke Solomon, who was sitting on the sofa at the side, continued to add: "The territories of the two earls are very close to Huofeng City. This is indeed a huge hidden danger!" After that, he frowned slightly and looked at the old emperor with a serious expression.

The old emperor nodded gently, indicating that he agreed with Duke Solomon's opinion. This hidden danger had been lingering in his mind, making it difficult for him to fall asleep at night and unable to sleep peacefully.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, half a month had passed. On this day, the man and the dog finally emerged from the rocky mountains. The previously quiet puppy was now like a wild horse, running wildly around. Perhaps because it had been suppressed in the mountains for too long, it couldn't wait to vent its inner depression.

In the blink of an eye, the puppy rushed into the Stone City like lightning. Caesars, following not far behind, was helpless. It had long been immersed in its own world, charging recklessly, without a care in the world.

A few muffled thuds echoed, as mercenaries, unable to dodge, were knocked to the ground by the scurrying puppies. Another series of crashes followed, and two roadside stalls were also knocked over by the puppies, their goods scattering across the ground.

However, all this didn't stop the puppy. It rushed straight to a stall, then suddenly stopped. Its claws and teeth were bared, its sharp fangs exposed, and it howled at the mercenary setting up the stall.

The middle-aged mercenary was confused by the sudden situation. He stared blankly at the fat and ferocious dog in front of him with wide eyes, completely confused as to what it was trying to do.

At this moment, the puppy suddenly stretched out its strong claws and began to scratch at the old animal hides on which various items were placed. Seeing that the mercenary remained indifferent, the puppy seemed to be a little impatient. It opened its mouth and bit the worn animal hide fiercely. Then, with a strong pull, it actually dragged the mercenary and the goods together into the middle of the road.

The puppy returned to where the middle-aged mercenary had been sitting, and it was obvious that it had taken over the stall.

Kaisas came over, leaning on a dragon-blood staff. He was quite pleased with the puppy's dominance. He also wanted to set up a stall to sell the damaged salamander hides. Some of the salamander meat would be made into jerky, a skillful craftsmanship found in a shop in Stonebreak.

Gravel City is built in a small valley. The city is relatively small, with only one street and less than a hundred places to set up stalls.

Kaisas spread out a piece of animal hide and took out the salamander leather. The leather hadn't been treated in any way, only thoroughly air-dried, and was as hard as steel. When he threw it on the ground, it actually made a clanging sound.

"You idiot! Go get the meat jerky vendor. We need them to process the salamander meat into jerky!"

Caesars said something, and the puppy trotted out with its butt twisted.