Black Hearted Mage

Chapter 225 Cultivation

While Fire Maple City was enveloped in bitter cold, entering the depths of winter, Violet City, far to the south, basked in a warm and pleasant sunshine, seemingly untouched by the northern chill. This city had fortunately avoided the onslaught of the severe cold snap, and its inhabitants, needing no heavy clothing to ward off the bitter cold, could easily weather the chill with a slightly thicker robe.

In the backyard of Caesar's house, four slender black snakes with sharp golden eyes were leisurely coiled, and beside them was a chubby, round puppy. The whole yard was a little noisy because of their presence. But thankfully, these guys only played around occasionally. If they chased and fought like this every day, even Caesar would probably find it unbearable.

Just then, two small figures appeared. Carrying small backpacks, they trotted back from the backyard of the neighboring Bano family. They looked like they had just finished school. The two children, a boy and a girl, looked very cute.

Kaisas and the other man returned with friendly smiles on their faces, and shouted loudly, "Come here quickly, both of you! I brought back some delicious snacks from Fire Maple City today!"

As he spoke, Caesars had already taken out five or six large, beautifully wrapped paper bags as if by magic and placed them on the stone table beside him.

The little girl seemed to be familiar with Caesars. She jumped up at the call and curiously picked up one of the paper bags. She tried to lift it, but quickly let go. She turned to Caesars and shouted, "Brother, this snack bag is so heavy!"

Kaisas smiled and patted the little girl's head, encouraging her: "Amelie, there are six different flavors of snacks, all of which are the most popular and delicious in Fire Maple City. You have to figure out how to take the snacks back yourself!"

After saying this, he looked at the two children with interest, looking forward to how they would deal with the problem at hand.

"I'll ask my father to come get it. He has a storage ring!"

Hearing the little girl's answer, Caesars nodded slightly.

"Tell Father that I have a hundred-year-old bottle of fine wine here, and I have a lot of good things to give you!"

"What good stuff are there?" Emily asked immediately.

"Some beautiful, high-quality fabrics, some high-quality furs from the North, some hard-to-find beef in Violet City, a large box of gold coins, and some alchemical potions!"

Hearing Caesars mention the fabric, Emily ran towards the nearby castle with her short legs. Soon, little Ludwig came over, and Caesars took out a lot of goodies.

"The purple one is a physical enhancement potion. You should drink one bottle every six months. The yellow one is a vitality potion. Children don't need it, but adults can drink one bottle a year!"

When Caesar took out the alchemical potion, he did not forget to remind little Ludwig.

"Kaisas, are you going out again?"

Little Ludwig looked at the more than twenty barrels of wine and felt that what Caesar gave was a bit too much. He guessed that the other party was going on a long journey again.

"Father, I won't go out for the time being. I need to practice for a while!"

Caesars was also a little puzzled.

"Then why are you giving me so much century-old wine?"

"A lot? I emptied out a count's wine cellar and got several hundred barrels of aged wine!"

Little Ludwig suddenly understood and put away all his things with a smile.

"Caesars, should I continue to accept Madam Kaschi's gold coins?" asked little Ludwig.

"Take it! Why not take it for free? Father, Kasiqi represents Duke Solomon of Fire Maple City. She's giving you the gold coins just to show her goodwill. I also gave Duke Solomon a big gift before I came back. Just feel free to take the gold coins she's giving you!"

"Brother, what gift did you give?"

As soon as Caesars mentioned me, Emily, who was wearing a little skirt, asked.

"A set of heavy plate armor, the armor of a Paladin Captain, which is hard to buy even with gold coins. This item is very popular among the nobles of Fire Maple City. They like to put the armor on a shelf and show it to visitors in the living room!"

"Brother, you're at a disadvantage!"

"No, that set of armor would only be liked by great nobles. If it remains in our hands, it will just be a piece of scrap metal!"

The little girl's eyes widened as she looked at Caesar in surprise.

"Where did the armor come from?"

"The man in armor cursed me, so I stole his armor!"

Caesars didn't want to tell Emily that he had killed someone. The little girl was too young and it was not good for her to know such things.

"Good job grabbing!"

Emily waved her little hands and spoke loudly.

At this moment, Rad, who had finished teaching, came over from the next yard with small steps. Following Rad was Little Nivea, Rad's great-niece and student, and also the teacher of the two little ones.

"Lad, little Nivea, come and sit down!"

When the two little guys saw the guests coming, they followed little Ludwig back to the castle.

"Kaisas, when I heard the fat dog howling, I knew you were back!"

Rad sat down on the sofa and looked at Caesar with a smile on his face.

"Lad, Little Nivea, I've brought you gifts too. You can each pick three magical items!"

Caesars took out a lot of magical items, which he had not had time to sell, so he simply let Rad and Nivea pick a few.

"Kaisas, are you really going to let us pick three each?"

Rad's eyes widened when he saw the precious staffs, expensive magic accessories, and several magic robes.

"Pick your picks. Three each. That'll be the tuition for the two little ones!"

Emily and Quintus are still just learning to read, and it is too early for them to learn magic.

"Kaisas, you won't teach them magic?"

Rad asked with some confusion.

"I often need to go out and don't have much time to teach them!" Caesars continued, "Hurry up and pick them out. These things are from Saint Laurent. You're welcome!"

"Kaisas, you killed the magician again!"

"I didn't do anything this time, I just followed and picked up the things!"

Caesars took out Barton black tea, an iron kettle, and charcoal. The tea was found in the Delta family's warehouse, along with many other items.

"Kaisas, you actually have Patton black tea!"

"Lad, I'll give you ten kilograms of Patton black tea, plus five barrels of century-old wine. I know you're greedy, old man!"

"Caesars, don't tell me all this wine belongs to Duke Solomon?"

"No, I took it from the cellar of Count Delta's castle. From now on, there will be no Count Delta in the Roland Empire, and this surname will probably no longer exist!"

"This is really great news! Kaisas, tell me about it, I will become a celebrity in the noble circle of Violet City tomorrow."

Caesars smiled and nodded, then revealed all the secrets of the Delta family. Rad's eyelids twitched. Even though Rad was well-informed, he was still shocked by this shocking news.

Although Rad had no inheritance rights, he was a learned scholar among the aristocracy. His knowledge of the great nobles of the Roland Empire was even more comprehensive than that of Caesars. Although a member of the Violet Alliance, he knew the coats of arms and insignia of all the great nobles of the Roland Empire.

"Kaissa, how many key figures of the Delta family have escaped?" Rad continued to ask.

"Only three or four of the most important people escaped, and I failed to stop one carriage. The rest of the group that escaped shouldn't be more than twenty. If you want to brag, old man, I'll give you a map of the underground corridor. Your boasting will be more convincing if you see it!"

As Caesars spoke, he pulled out a yellowed animal hide map. The map looked ancient, yet the lines and markings were still legible. Rad, standing nearby, saw this and quickly reached out his slightly trembling hands, carefully taking the map and gently folding it into his arms. Rad's face, etched with the marks of time, now beamed like a blooming chrysanthemum, as if he had received the most precious treasure in the world.

The very next day after Rad left happily, a shocking piece of news swept through the aristocratic circles of Violet City like a gust of wind - the secret about Count Delta spread like wildfire!

It was said that the Saint Laurent Church had quietly replaced the entire Delta family long ago. Furthermore, even the powerful Earl of Soren in the southern Roland Empire was not spared, having also fallen victim to the Saint Laurents' murderous tactics.

When the mysterious map of the underground corridors came to light through Rad's hands, this lively old man instantly became the focus of attention in Violet City. Those nobles who had once secretly colluded with the Church of Saint Laurent couldn't help but feel a sense of dread. They began to worry that they had also unknowingly fallen into the elaborate conspiracy woven by the Church of Saint Laurent.

A few days later, the Mage Alliance received a mysterious letter of denunciation. The contents of the letter were shocking: a certain Viscount in Violet City had been murdered by Saint Laurent spies in his mansion, including servants, guards, and even the kitchen staff. Even more terrifying, this actual Viscount, along with his entire family, had been brutally murdered decades earlier by Saint Laurent operatives.

As the guardian of the Violet Alliance—the Alliance of Mages that protects this land, he is known for his decisiveness and fierce style.

When a mysterious letter of complaint was delivered to the Mage Alliance, they immediately launched a comprehensive and in-depth investigation. Through multiple visits, meticulous verification, and meticulous analysis of various clues, they ultimately confirmed that the contents of the complaint were completely true.

With irrefutable evidence in hand, the Mage Alliance unhesitatingly collaborated with the City Guard to plan and execute a surprise attack. This assault, like a thunderbolt, swiftly stormed the Viscount's residence. For a moment, shouts and screams rang out in unison, creating a scene of unparalleled chaos.

However, the well-trained members of the Mage Alliance and the City Guards were not disturbed by the chaos before them. They carried out their mission in an orderly manner and successfully captured most of the people in the Viscount's Mansion alive. Afterwards, these captured people were taken to a secret location and subjected to the most severe interrogation.

In the dim and oppressive interrogation room, flickering candlelight illuminated faces twisted with fear. The interrogators' gazes were sharp, their words incisive, and they didn't miss a single detail. Under this pressure, suspects who had previously clung to hope for a better outcome gave in and confessed everything they knew.

When this thrilling trial finally concluded and its results were made public, the news, like a boulder dropped into a calm lake, instantly caused an uproar in Violet City. People were shocked to discover that the Saint Laurents were so despicable and shameless, their filthy hands already quietly reaching out to the nobles of the Violet Alliance.

This incident quickly spread throughout the Roland Continent, becoming a hot topic of discussion on the streets. People were filled with indignation and disgust at the Saint Laurent Empire's brutal actions. The nobles, in particular, were filled with righteous indignation. They knew that if such a tragedy could befall the nobles of the Violet Alliance, it might happen to them tomorrow.

While the power of a single noble is insignificant, when thousands of them unite, they form a force powerful enough to shake the very foundations of the Saint Laurent Empire. Faced with this surging tide, how will the Saint Laurent Empire respond? The entire Roland Continent is watching...

Kaisas was busy recording the photo stone, preparing for his journey. For a magician to become stronger, meditation alone was useless; he had to fight constantly and hone his spellcasting skills.

Rad had already completely exposed the ugly faces of the Saint Laurents, and the Mage Alliance had just caught an example. Caesars was ready to add fuel to the fire, gradually revealing the hidden secrets of the Saint Laurent Church.

Before embarking on his journey, Caesars decided to go to the small territory first to visit his uncle Jack and his family. After arriving at their destination, they were very happy to see each other, asking about each other's well-being and chatting about many trivial matters.

After their brief reunion, before leaving, Caesars handed Rodman a mysterious map that detailed a little-known, hidden road in the southern Yellowstone Mountains.

Rodman took the map with a puzzled look on his face. He couldn't help but ask, "Caesars, where did you get this map?"

Although their small territory was not too far from the Yellowstone Mountains, it was still quite a distance away from the entrance to this secret road.

In response to Rodman's question, Caesars smiled and explained, "It's a long story. I got this map from a thief. The authenticity of this secret passage is undeniable, but reaching it is extremely difficult because of the treacherous terrain and the nearly vertical slope of the mountain. Once you get down, it's relatively easy, but climbing back up is incredibly difficult. Furthermore, in a place like that, ordinary grappling hooks are completely useless; you can only rely on the strength of your fingers to climb."

After hearing this, Rodman pondered inwardly. As an accomplished archer, he was confident in his speed and arm strength. However, the thought of conquering the steep, straight face of the mountain with only his bare hands filled even him with daunting fear, his brow furrowing tightly.

"Kaisas, the two tombs should be down there, at these two locations on the map. We were afraid we wouldn't be able to come back up, so we didn't dare to explore the valley floor!"

Rodman said, pointing to the map.