Black Hearted Mage

Shortly after leaving the Violet Alliance, the carriage arrived at the border with the Kingdom of Thornflower. At that moment, the carriage, which had been moving smoothly, suddenly jolted and slammed to the brakes without warning. The curious puppy, who had been leaning against the window, peering out, was caught off guard by inertia and fell heavily into the carriage, rolling several times before finally stabilizing itself.

This sudden change frightened the puppy. It struggled to get up, staggered to Caesars, raised its head and howled at its owner, as if telling him about the grievances it had suffered.

"I built this mountain and planted this tree. If you want to live from now on, leave money to buy the road!"

Suddenly, a burst of arrogant shouting broke the silence of the area. A group of ferocious bandits had suddenly appeared in the middle of the road ahead. Each of them was burly and muscular, clutching gleaming magic steel swords. They menacingly blocked the carriage's path. Their hideous, twisted faces and domineering demeanor were extremely disgusting.

Seeing the critical situation, the coachman was frightened and his face turned pale. He jumped off the carriage without hesitation and ran away. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared into the mountains and forests.

"You damned dog, how dare you bark at me? It was clearly those guys outside who made you hit your head! You raise a dog for a thousand days, but you only need it for a moment. Now is the time when I need you to be of use. Hurry up and bite these damned robbers to death. Don't let any of them live!"

Caesars rubbed the back of his head, which was hurt by the sudden braking, and pointed angrily at the gangster outside the window and yelled at the puppy.

At its master's command, the dark red puppy, which had been whimpering softly, erupted in fury. Its short fur stood on end, and its once innocent eyes instantly turned a crimson red, like two balls of blazing flames, captivating the senses. Then, with a kick of its hind legs, it shot out of the car window like an arrow, landing firmly on the ground. Without even a pause, the puppy opened its mouth, revealing sharp fangs, and let out a deep, menacing growl, like a ferocious beast about to pounce on its prey.

Caesars leaned against the car window, watching the puppy tear at the robbers like a salamander. Its teeth were sharper than a magic steel blade, and with one bite, it ripped a robber's leg in two. The severed leg fell to the ground, bone exposed and blood gushing out.

Puppies have very fast mouth speeds and can bite three or four times a second.

Seeing the small puppy acting like a ferocious beast, the robbers began to flee in all directions, but they could not escape the puppy.

A few minutes later, the puppy came back and spit out a dozen gold coins from its mouth.

"These poor bastards don't even have a storage ring. Damn it, did you retrieve their weapons?"

The puppy whined and shook its head, and the storage ring on its neck twitched twice. It was telling Caesar that everything that could be sold for gold coins had been taken back.

At this time, the driver who had escaped also came back trembling with fear. He looked at the horrible corpses on the ground, then filled the potholes in the road and drove the carriage on.

This was a small episode on the way to the North Tower, and it also subtly revealed the turmoil in the Roland Continent.

The carriage sped northward, passing through the Blackrock Kingdom a few days later. As they passed through Blackrock City, Caesars took a moment to observe it. This was where he was born. Blackrock City felt smaller and more unfamiliar to him.

The carriage slowly stopped before a canyon. A thick fog filled the canyon, like a heavy white curtain obscuring the entire world, making it difficult to glimpse the scenery within. Even the experienced driver was helpless at this moment, unable to see where the road ahead led.

"Just walk straight and slowly, the road is very flat!"

Sitting in the carriage, Caesars called out to the driver. This was the Misty Canyon, the only way to the Northland Tower. Although the fog looked daunting, if one slowed down, the smooth road would become visible. This thick fog was a magical barrier set up by the Northland Tower. A large magic pattern array within the canyon prevented uninvited guests from approaching the tower.

The puppy seemed to be full of curiosity about everything around it. It excitedly stuck its head out of the car window and stretched out its stubby paws, trying to touch the thick fog that seemed within reach but was actually out of reach.

Time ticked by, and less than half an hour later, the carriage finally emerged from the misty canyon. As the view gradually cleared, the majestic Northland Tower loomed before them. Caesars gracefully dismounted, leaning on his dragon-bloodwood staff. Seeing this, the playful puppy eagerly jumped off as well.

At the main tower's entrance, a young figure in apprentice attire stood quietly. Judging by his appearance, he had likely accepted the lowest-scoring guidance quest.

"Little one, your guidance mission is complete. I used to be an apprentice of the Northland Tower. I can find your tower master myself!"

Caesars smiled and gently waved his hand toward the seemingly immature apprentice. After a quick glance, he concluded: This young man must be of commoner origin. After all, the children of the nobility always scoffed at and disdained such guidance missions. When they urgently needed Tower Points, they often chose a simpler and more drastic method—straightforwardly shelling out a large amount of gold coins to purchase the required Points.

"You really don't need my guidance?"

The apprentice opened his eyes wide with curiosity and cautiously asked again. He seemed very surprised and puzzled by the confident guest before him.

"That's natural!"

Caesars answered without hesitation, his tone firm and forceful. He then strode into the tower's main hall. Upon entering, he didn't pause, his gaze fixed on the passageway at the back of the hall, where the staircase leading to the upper floors of the main tower was hidden.

Caesars' steps were steady and swift, treading on the mirror-like, smooth steps. Along the way, he ignored the exquisite decorations and intricate magic patterns around him, as if they couldn't pique his interest at all. Finally, after a long journey, he successfully reached the top floor living room of the main tower.

At that moment, the elderly tower master sat on an ornate sofa, a look of worry on his face, his brow furrowed, as if pondering some extremely difficult problem. Meanwhile, the renowned alchemist, Kandel, leisurely held a crystal goblet filled with a vibrant, alluring wine.

"Two great magicians, I have delivered the goods you urgently need!"

As the shout came, Caesars slowly walked into the small living room.

Hearing the voice, Kandel, with his snow-white hair and kind face, turned to look at Caesar with a smile and responded enthusiastically: "It's Caesar! You have worked so hard." As he spoke, his eyes were attracted by the dark red puppy beside him.

Kandel stared at the puppy curiously and asked with a puzzled look on his face, "This dog exudes a fiery aura. It must be a fire-type monster, right? But why have I never seen a monster like this before? There doesn't seem to be any relevant record in the Warcraft atlas!"

Before Kandel could finish his question, Kaisas quickly interrupted and urged, "Master Kandel, let's complete the transaction first. We can discuss other matters later!"

However, Kandel waved his hand and said, "Kesas, don't be impatient. Sit down and rest for a while. If you come to the tower, I haven't told Joanna yet. Once she finds out, she will definitely go to the Alchemy Tower and throw a tantrum!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Kandel quickly took out a communication stone from his arms and passed the news of Caesar's arrival to Joanna who was in the magic tower.

Caesars nodded helplessly, walked over to the nearby sofa, and sat down. Seeing this, the dark red puppy followed closely behind him. When Caesars sat down, he gently placed his stubby front paws on the coffee table, then extended his scarlet tongue and nimbly rolled it around. In the blink of an eye, two delicate snacks on the coffee table were instantly tucked into his mouth.

"Caesars, where did you get this dog?"

The puppy was so fast that it aroused Kandel's curiosity.

"I picked it up south of Lava Lake in the southern continent. It was only the size of a boot, but it dared to fight a fire salamander and ended up biting it to death. Damn it, show me your teeth and let Master Kandel examine them. He'll give you a few more snacks later!"

As soon as the puppy heard about the delicious snacks, it immediately opened its mouth, revealing a row of sharp teeth like knives.

"Those teeth look a bit scary! They're all slightly backward-curving fangs, very similar to the teeth of a golden-eyed black demon snake. A fire-type monster, a short-legged canine, a mouth like that must have quite the bite force!"

Kandel observed the puppy carefully, commenting on it. The puppy closed its mouth and whined at the old magician, unhappy that it didn't get the sweet snack.

"Master Kandel, give it the snacks. This guy can understand our conversation!"

Kaisas smiled, gently reaching out his palm and patting the puppy's furry head. The puppy seemed to enjoy the caress, wagging its tail happily. It didn't care how people commented or teased it, as long as it got a delicious treat.

At this time, the tower master next to him teased, "Kaisas, these are all snacks specially made by the Cavill family. Don't you have any on you?"

Caesars shook his head helplessly and replied with a wry smile, "There's not even a crumb left of the snacks. That greedy fellow ate them all!"

This puppy needs to eat five or six meals a day. If it couldn't hunt on its own, it would probably have eaten Caesars to the point of bankruptcy and poverty.

As everyone was chatting, they suddenly heard Kandel say, "The lava lake on the southern continent is not safe, because that's where the ground dragons live!"

Before he finished speaking, Kandel pulled out several fragrant, golden, and crispy snacks. Instantly, the puppy, which had been lying quietly on the ground, perked up. Its round eyes fixed on the snacks in the old wizard's hands, gleaming with greed, as if they were the most precious treasure in the world.

The moment Kandel placed the snacks on the coffee table, a dark red figure darted over like lightning. In the blink of an eye, the dark red dog's head had accurately reached the snacks. Then, a large, wet tongue swung around, and the delicious snacks vanished without a trace, leaving not even a trace.

"Caesars, can I draw a few drops of its blood?" the great alchemist suddenly asked.

"Master Kandel, this won't do. It's still a larval cub!"

Kaisas immediately interrupted Kandel. He knew the pup's blood was absolutely impossible. Drawing the blood of a high-level magical beast would expose the hidden secrets. He knew the weight of this matter was immense.

Kandel, however, was filled with a strong curiosity about the puppy. Even though Caesars had clearly expressed his disapproval, he remained persistent and began to coax Caesars into giving him a try. Just then, a series of crisp footsteps were heard, and a figure in a fiery red magic robe slowly entered the room. It was Joanna.

"Everyone is here, start inspecting the goods!"

Kaisas didn't want to continue arguing with Kandel, so he stood up and walked to the center of the small reception room. He took out the items ordered from the Northland Tower one by one and gently placed them in the center of the small reception room.

The three great magicians' eyes lit up upon seeing this. They hurried forward and surrounded the wooden boxes. These magical materials were extremely precious and fragile. If left exposed for extended periods, their quality would likely be affected. Therefore, inspection and acceptance had to be completed as quickly as possible.

Among the goods delivered by Caesars this time, a golden ginseng is particularly eye-catching because it is of great significance to the three great magicians and is the rare herb they are most concerned about.

"This golden refractory is a bit bigger than the previous one. I can refine two or three more bottles of powerful life potions!"

Kandel immediately put away the golden ginseng after he finished speaking. This thing was as precious as his life. As for the other herbs, the three great magicians were very casual in their inspection.

"Advanced Meditation Potion, thirty bottles per person. Also divide the Purification Potion, Holy Protection Potion, Mind Protection Potion, and Flame Bomb equally!"

The tower master distributed the purchased potions, which were prepared for the necromancer to use against Sandro and Old Roman. Both of them came from the Northland Tower and they were likely to come back.