Black Hearted Mage

Chapter 218: Big Events in Fire Maple City

Caesars slowly turned his head, his gaze settling on Avril, who was standing not far away. She was dressed in a vibrant red magic robe, drawing attention like a blooming flaming flower. In her slender hands, she tightly grasped a blackthorn staff—a gift from Caesars.

At this moment, Avril was standing quietly beside the taskbar with a female companion. However, from her slightly gloomy face and slightly furrowed brow, it was easy to see that she was not in a very happy mood. It seemed that she had not found a satisfactory task that matched her abilities.

Looking at the woman standing next to Avril, she was also a magician. Although she also emitted a faint magical fluctuation around her, with his keen perception, Caesars could easily detect that this magic did not come from the fire element.

At this moment, Caesars walked towards the two women and shouted, "Avril, go sit on the bench on the north side of the hall. I want to ask you something!"

After hearing the call, Avril first nodded slightly in response, and then her beautiful eyes were involuntarily attracted to the chubby puppy at Caesar's feet.

"Wow, Caesars, look at the dog you raised, it's so chubby! Look at its round body, it looks so cute! And its little belly looks like it's about to hang down to the floor tiles!" Avril shouted excitedly while walking quickly to the bench.

Soon, the three of them arrived at the bench at the back of the hall and took their seats. After everyone was seated, Avril broke the silence and asked, "Caesars, tell me, what is it that has you so eager to ask me?"

Avril looked at the puppy with some curiosity. She reached out to touch the puppy's erect triangular ears. Just as her hand was about to touch it, the flat triangular ears suddenly folded and stuck tightly to the puppy's head, making it look like a dog without ears.

Kaisas asked, "Avril, what major incident occurred in Fire Maple City that caused the city guards to conduct such strict inspections?"

"Kaissa, you don't know anything about such a big thing?"

Avril, who was four or five years older than Caesar, looked at Caesar with a puzzled look.

"Avril, I just returned to Violet City a few days ago, and then I came to Fire Maple City without stopping. I really don't know what happened!"

Avril began to speak, "The Church of Saint Laurent dispatched over 300 assassins, armed with weapons, armor, and alchemical bombs, who suddenly appeared in the inner city. They attacked the nobles' mansions, leaving few survivors wherever they passed. Overnight, the people in over 30 mansions were slaughtered, leaving only a few people. The city guards also lost hundreds of men in battle before they wiped out all the Saint Laurent men. After a careful inspection, they discovered that these assassins had entered through the sewers of Fire Maple City!"

Avril's companion added, "Those Saint Laurents weren't afraid of death. They felt nothing when they were wounded by swords. Over 3,000 people died in Fire Maple City that night, and even more were injured!"

Kaisas suddenly remembered something. He had seen such a person in the Black Prison before. That person had been transformed by necromancy and had no sense of pain. No matter how he was tortured, he did not respond.

Caesars nodded slightly and said, "Avril, why are you still a low-level magician? You haven't made any progress in all these years?"

"There are not enough resources for cultivation. My gold coins can only buy twenty low-level magic crystals every month!" Avril complained.

A low-grade magic crystal would sell for eight or nine gold coins in Fire Maple City, sometimes even ten. However, on the underground black market, low-grade magic crystals would only sell for six or seven gold coins.

"It's a small matter. I'll help you think of a solution later. After all, you are my niece!"

"Kaisas, I don't want to sign an indenture!"

"I'm a great magician. Even the earls of the empire have to bow to me when they see me. A few magic crystals are nothing to me. Look, the one delivering the magic crystals is here!"

Caesar looked towards the entrance of the hall and saw an old magician and a spy chief wearing black leather armor with only his two eyes exposed.

"That's the spy chief!" Avril exclaimed in a low voice.

"Your cultivation resources are provided by the spy chief, and he dare not refuse to give them!"

As Caesars finished speaking, Avril, standing beside him, looked incredulous. Seeing the two men heading directly towards the north end of the hall, many students grew nervous.

"Kaisas, why don't you come to my place first when you come to Fire Maple City?"

The spy chief walked on tiptoe, making almost no sound. He walked to the bench and said something complainingly.

"Lord Carlos, the delivery address is the Imperial Capital Magic Academy. I can't deliver it somewhere else, right?" Caesars replied.

"Let's go upstairs to trade first, and then come with me to the Black Prison. We've captured two living Saint Laurents, and they're a little different from last time. Please help check them out!"

The spy chief seemed a little anxious and urged Caesars to complete the transaction quickly.

"Lord Carlos, let's not rush the transaction. My niece is running low on training resources, so please help!"

"Kaissa, how do you want me to help you?"

"Provide thirty intermediate magic crystals every month!"

"Quinn, go inform the Magic Academy and provide thirty intermediate-grade magic crystals free of charge every month. This is for the Cavill family, don't make any mistakes!"

Hearing Carlos's instructions, Old Quinn nodded helplessly. Thirty intermediate magic crystals were worth only a few gold coins. He felt that Caesars was deliberately looking for an excuse to get Hawkeye to provide his niece with training resources.

"I've got it. I'll notify the people from the Magic Academy later. Let's go upstairs and check the goods first. The two people in the Black Prison are about to die. We have to go back quickly!" Old Quinn urged.

Caesar stood up and turned to look at the shocked Avril with a wink. Avril was no fool either, and immediately stood up and thanked the two Hawkeye commanders.

In the reception room of the magic academy, Caesars took out all the remaining goods and asked several magicians to check them.

"Why didn't Old Gard come?"

Caesars asked.

The spy chief explained, "Gad is protecting His Majesty the Emperor in the Imperial Palace. Although the sewers there have been thoroughly inspected, the more sturdy magic steel fences have not yet been replaced. Therefore, the Golden Mage Corps is guarding the Imperial Palace!"

"Master Carlos, did the Saint Laurents enter the palace sewers?"

"They got in, but there were dozens of magic steel fences in the sewer leading to the palace. They gave up after cutting only three!" said the spy chief.

"Lord Carlos, someone has provided the sewer drawings to the Saint Laurent Empire!" Caesars asked.

The sewer exit outside Huofeng City was over ten miles away from the Imperial Palace. The underground sewers were densely packed like a maze. Without a map, finding the Imperial Palace would be incredibly difficult.

"We found more than a dozen sewer blueprints and some underwater breathing potions on the bodies of the Saint Laurents. Some of the sewers are so full of sewage that you need to dive to get through them!"

"Master Carlos, please stop talking, this is too disgusting!"

Caesars felt his stomach churn, a discomfort like an invisible hand stirring, making him nauseous. After all, diving in a sewer filled with stench, darkness, dampness, and unknown dangers was no easy feat for anyone, let alone someone as pampered as him. However, this nauseating experience also made him fully realize the cruelty and viciousness of the Church of Saint Laurent.

As the spy chief detailed the assassins from Saint Laurent, Caesars couldn't help but frown. According to the spy chief, these assassins had undergone special modifications. Not only did they lack the ability to perceive pain, but they had also consumed a variety of extremely violent potions that rapidly restored their strength. Even more terrifying, their bodies were meticulously painted with strange magic patterns! Therefore, the only way to stop these fearless individuals was to chop off their heads.

Caesars listened quietly to all this, pondering it inwardly. Combining various signs with the intelligence he had gathered, he began to boldly speculate: These terrifying Saint Laurent assassins were most likely the work of the necromancer Sandro. At this thought, a chill ran down his spine, instantly spreading throughout his body.

Just then, the final shipment of goods from the Thornflower Trading Company was successfully completed. Caesars, suppressing his inner discomfort, followed the spy chief on his return journey. Soon, an ancient castle covered in dense vines appeared before their eyes. This castle was the legendary Black Prison—a place that terrified countless people.

From the gloomy dungeons of the Black Prison, two figures, bound tightly with heavy magic steel chains, were roughly carried out by eagle-eyed guards like cargo. They were completely naked, with only the last wisp of their breath remaining, like candles in the wind, ready to go out at any moment. What was striking was that on their naked bodies, eerie blue lines appeared, like serpents crawling.

"Lord Carlos, why don't you give them some food? Looking at their condition, I'm afraid they can't hold on any longer!" Caesar asked with a puzzled look on his face.

The spy chief standing nearby responded, "Caesars, if you investigate, you'll find out the reason. These two are actually the living dead!"

"The living dead?"

Caesar was obviously very confused about this. He raised his hands slightly, accurately controlling countless magic tentacles, and slowly extended them towards the two Saint Laurents.

However, when the magic tentacles reached the blue magic patterns, they encountered a certain degree of resistance. Although this blocking effect was relatively weak, it still caused some trouble for Caesar's exploration. After some effort, the magic tentacles finally succeeded in breaking through the magic pattern's defenses and burrowing into the Saint Laurent's body.

At that moment, Caesars suddenly shuddered as if struck by electricity, and beads of sweat instantly formed on his forehead. It turned out that when he used his magical tentacles to sense the condition within the other person's body, he couldn't help but gasp in shock—the internal organs had completely shriveled and withered, presenting a horrifying state. What surprised Caesar even more was that this time, he didn't find any metal pieces engraved with magical patterns inside the bodies as he had last time, and there were no signs of being disemboweled on either person's body.

"Lord Carlos, the shrunken internal organs of these two men are caused by this strange magic pattern. It consumes their own internal organs, allowing them to continue killing. Their skin is bluish-gray, and they must have been transformed by some kind of necromancy!"

After a long moment, the air seemed to freeze. Caesars broke the suffocating silence, slowly announcing the results of his investigation. The spy chief stood quietly by, his face covered by a cold mask, preventing anyone from glimpsing his true thoughts or expressions. Meanwhile, Old Quinn furrowed his brow, his eyes fixed on the strange magic patterns, attempting to decipher any useful information. Clearly, these complex and mysterious patterns were beyond his comprehension, leaving him helpless.

"Kaisas, has Sandro really become a magician?"

The spy chief's low voice sounded, with a barely perceptible hint of nervousness in his tone.

Caesars took a deep breath, nodded, and answered solemnly, "Yes, he is indeed a powerful necromancer. When I fought him, I truly felt that terrifying power. If I hadn't reacted quickly, I would have been killed by him. Moreover, the necromancy he cast was extremely strange, completely different from elemental magic. There is also one thing that requires special attention. The range of the necromancer's spells can reach forty meters. Therefore, if you want to launch an effective attack on Sandro, you must find a way to create a safe distance from him!"

Speaking of this, Caesars remembered the batch of fire bombs that Hawkeye had ordered before, which were prepared to deal with the troublesome Sandro.

However, in the face of Caesar's detailed description and analysis, the spy chief never made any obvious reaction. He simply nodded slightly, as if he had anticipated such a situation. Then, he turned and walked towards the darkness.

"Come here, all of you, and throw them into the crematorium. Anything that has come into contact with necromancy must be burned!"

Quinn instructed the guard beside him.

"Old Quinn, are you worried that they will also become undead?" asked Caesars.

"I'm worried the corpse will cause a plague, even though the toxin test showed nothing unusual. But the Saint Laurents are capable of anything, so it never hurts to be cautious!"

Old Quinn cast poison detection again, and Caesars also felt that the old magician was right. The people of the Church of Saint Laurent had no bottom line at all and could do anything.