Black Hearted Mage

Chapter 228 Holy City

In the early morning, just as the sun rose and the thin mist had not yet dissipated, Caesars, wearing a green silk robe, led the fat puppy into the Holy Light City.

This small city might seem small, but its construction was every bit as solid as that of a larger city. The walls were four or five meters thick and estimated to be around eight or nine meters high. The stone used was a hard black sandstone sourced from a quarry a hundred miles away.

The city's roads are flat and broad, meticulously paved by countless skilled craftsmen. Lush, verdant trees line the roadsides, like loyal guardians, silently guarding this prosperous place. Their green leaves sway gently in the breeze, casting patches of cool shade and bringing a sense of coolness and comfort to pedestrians.

The streets were bustling with people, some hurrying, some leisurely, with a smile of peace and contentment on everyone's face, and the whole city was filled with a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere.

Caesars led his chubby, round little dog on a leisurely stroll through the streets. They came upon a shop selling breakfast and pastries. The shop was small, occupying only one storefront. It wasn't in a prominent street location, but tucked away in a less-visible alley.

Despite its limited space, the shop is kept spotlessly clean. The white walls and polished tables and chairs all show the owner's care and attention.

Behind the counter, a little girl, about six or seven years old, stood on a chair. She had brown hair that cascaded down her shoulders. Her large, bright eyes were like twinkling stars in the night sky.

"Guest, what would you like to eat?"

The little girl's voice was clear and melodious, like a nightingale singing in a valley. She smiled and asked Caesars enthusiastically.

Looking at the lovely girl in front of him, Caesars smiled and replied, "Then pick out a few of your best pastries for me to try. If they taste good, I'll buy some more to take away!"

Hearing this, the little girl nodded excitedly and quickly introduced her cakes. "Our cakes are all delicious, especially the flower cakes with honey. They are sweet and delicious, and I guarantee you'll have an unforgettable aftertaste!" She couldn't help licking her lips as she spoke, seeming to be filled with love for her cakes. She looked particularly lively and playful in her green dress.

"Then give me two of each. I'll give you a gold coin first. If it's not enough, I'll give you more later!"

Caesars took out a gold coin and placed it on the counter in front of the little girl, then walked to the table and chairs on the side.

"Enough, enough!"

The girl turned around and grabbed a rope by the wall, pulled it hard twice, and the sound of bells came from behind.

"Emilia, what's going on?"

A woman's voice came from the back of the store, but no one came out.

"Mom, I got a big order! This customer wants two of each dessert!"

"We have to wait a little longer, the cakes are still steaming in the pot!"

Caesar heard their conversation. He preferred steamed cakes because baked cakes could easily cause choking.

"Sir, the pastries will take a while. Let me pour you a glass of water first!"

The little girl squatted down, put her head under the counter, and then ran out from behind the counter. After seeing the dark red puppy, the little girl seemed a little scared.

"Don't be afraid, this fat dog is very well behaved. Sit on the chair and chat with me, I'll pour the tea myself!" Caesars said and waved at her.

The chair was a little high, and the little girl tried twice but failed to climb up.

"Little girl, step on this fat dog's back. It will be easier to climb onto the chair that way!"

"It won't bite me!"

"No, I promise!"

"The Clark family's hound is very fierce. It will bark as soon as you go out. But it's really obedient. It lies on the ground without making any noise!"

Emilia lifted her tiny foot lightly and stepped onto the plump puppy's back. Like a nimble little monkey, she climbed onto the tall chair with ease. The puppy, using her as a stepping stone, merely whimpered softly, expressing its slight displeasure. But this didn't bother it at all. It slowly stood up, swaying its chubby body forward a few steps, and then docilely lay down at Caesar's feet.

You know, in this place called Holy Light City, Clark is an extremely rare surname. Only the High Priest Floyd has this surname. As for Caesars, he is a newcomer and knows nothing about the various situations in this city.

At this moment, Caesars suddenly noticed his puppy and couldn't help but feel curious. He pointed at the chubby puppy and turned to the little girl beside him and asked, "What does Clark's hound look like? Is it as fat as this one?"

Hearing Caesar's question, the little girl blinked her bright eyes, and after a careful recollection, she replied, "Well... Clark's hounds are much bigger than it, almost as tall as me! But they're not as fat as it is, they're long and thin. Their ears are pointed and always stand straight up, and their tails are long and thin, like a whip!"

"I see. Sounds like that's a bush hound. Is their fur that gray-black?"

Caesars nodded thoughtfully, and at the same time pulled out a few brightly colored fruits from his pocket. The fruits were slightly smaller, only slightly larger than walnuts, and were extremely rare in the southern continent.

"Open your mouth, damn dog!"

The puppy saw the bright red fruit and stood up nimbly, opening its mouth as wide as it could. Caesars loosened his grip on the fruit and the temptingly colored fruit went into the dog's mouth.

"Emilia, you should eat it too! This fruit is fragrant and sweet, and tastes almost like honey."

Kaisas took a bite of the fruit, savoring its exquisite sweetness. Only the scorching southern continent could produce this magical fruit, imbued with the element of fire.

"I want to eat with my mom!"

The little girl took the fruit, placed it in front of her, and greedily sniffed the fragrance. She looked a bit like a puppy.

"I'll give you another one. This fruit is too small to share!"

"That's so embarrassing!"

"Don't be embarrassed, it has never been polite to me!"

Caesars took out a fruit and pointed at the puppy that was smacking its lips.

Just then, a young woman in a plain long dress came out from the back of the store, carrying a large steaming tray.

"Mother, this guest wants a double portion of dessert, and he has already given a gold coin, which I put in my pocket!"

Emilia said this with some excitement, while reaching out her little hand to touch the pocket around her waist to make sure the gold coins were still there.

"Amy, why did you take the gold coins? We have so many silver coins, we can't make the change!"

The young woman grumbled, placed the heavy tray on the counter, and took out the piping hot pastries one by one.

"Mom, this guest said that as long as our pastries are delicious, he will buy some to take away!" Emilia explained to the young woman.

"That's right!"

The woman busied herself swiftly behind the counter, not even bothering to wipe the beads of sweat from her forehead. She expertly and steadily brought a plate of freshly baked pastries to Caesars and gently set it down. Seeing this, the little girl beside her hurriedly pulled a glittering gold coin from her small bag, along with a bright red fruit, and carefully handed both to the woman.

The woman's face didn't show much expression. She simply took the items silently and put them into the pocket of her slightly worn but clean apron tied around her waist. Then, she raised her head, glanced quickly at Caesars sitting at the table, and turned to walk towards the back of the store.

"Amy, the pastries you make are so exquisite! They're even divided into several layers. They look like they were pressed into shape using a special mold, right?"

Kaisas picked up a piece of steaming pastry with great interest and examined it carefully. Although the ingredients used in this pastry were relatively ordinary, the craftsmanship was very skillful and meticulous, and the transitions between each layer were handled just right.

Hearing Caesar's praise, Amy, who was sitting opposite him, turned around and said with a proud smile on her face, "Sir, you have a really good eye! Our pastries are famous in this area for their deliciousness. Come and try them!"

Caesars smiled and nodded slightly to Amy, then reached out to pick up the delicately floral dessert and gently took a small bite. Instantly, a sweet, soft, and glutinous flavor filled his mouth. However, the only drawback was that the dessert, fresh from the pan, was incredibly hot, nearly making him cry out.

"Dead dog, you have a taste too!"

Caesars took a piece of cake and threw it to the side. The greedy puppy had already opened his mouth, waiting for the cake to fall.

At that moment, a gray hound rushed into the store and pounced on Caesar's table. The little girl was so frightened that her face turned pale and her body was still shaking.

Kaisas waved his hand, and the mage's hand turned into a huge palm, fanning the hound that was running towards him away. The fallen hound immediately got up and howled at Kaisas.

"You dead dog, all you do is eat. Go outside and fight it. Beat it until it's scared, and don't kill it!"

The fat puppy was a little confused, as it was too difficult to kill the hound. However, it obeyed Caesar's command and rushed out, howling.

"Amy, don't be afraid!"

"I'm not afraid of it biting people, I'm afraid it will eat our cakes. This hound often comes and steals our cakes, and the Clark family won't even compensate us with a single silver coin!"

In the alley, two dogs, one big and one small, one tall and one short, began to confront each other.

"You idiot! The cakes are getting cold! They won't taste good if they're cold!"

Caesar shouted towards the door, and the dark red puppy rushed out instantly and rushed directly towards the grinning hound opposite, looking like a mad bull.

There was a loud thud, followed by the hound's scream. The gray hound was knocked flying, flew out of the alley, and landed heavily on the street. The fat puppy ran back into the shop, ran to Caesars, and took out its magic steel food bowl.

"Little Amy, that hound came here to steal the cakes, and the Clark family didn't care?"

"As long as no one is bitten, no one from the Clark family will come out to take care of it!"

"So this hound is eating your cakes for nothing?"

"Ok!"

Little Amy answered aggrievedly, and Caesars grabbed a piece of cake and savored it slowly.

According to Depero's description, Shenghui City has its own rules. It is the cradle of the Church of Saint Laurent. Although the Clark family acts in an overbearing manner, they do so without causing loss of life.

"Amy, your pastries are delicious. Make me a thousand of each. Or maybe three thousand, since this fat dog is such a big eater!"

Kaisas thought the pastries were soft, sweet, and perfect for the hot southern continent. This puppy needed to grow, so he definitely needed to visit the southern continent a few more times.

"Buy so many cakes! But we don't have enough gold coins to buy the ingredients!"

"I can advance you some gold coins. By the way, is there an inn near Shenghui City?"

Caesars asked the little girl, he didn't see any inn on his way into the city.

"There are no inns or hotels in Shenghui City, only restaurants and taverns!"

After hearing the little girl's answer, Caesar's face, which had been slightly smiling, suddenly darkened. In his heart, he kept blaming Depero for forgetting to tell him such a big thing.

However, Depero also told him a lot of things. Among the families affiliated with the upper echelons of the church, each family has one or two extremely powerful guards. Therefore, he needs to be cautious in Shenghui City.

"Then I'll have to live outside the city every day!"

The little girl blinked her bright eyes and thought for a moment before answering, "Well... if you really want to buy a lot of cakes, maybe we can lend you the woodshed out back for a while. But I still need Mom's consent!"

Upon hearing this, Caesars nodded without hesitation, then quickly pulled out a heavy purse from his bosom and gently placed it in front of the little girl, saying eagerly, "No problem, as long as I can find a place to stay. Take these gold coins first, and go ask your mother for me! If she agrees, these will be considered as rent and pastry expenses."

But unexpectedly, the little girl didn't reach out to take the purse. Instead, she shook her head and said seriously, "No, no, you can't give me the gold coins now. The final decision on this matter is still up to Mom!"

Little Amy was about to get off the chair, but the fat dog stood up again and lay down beside the chair, letting the little girl step on its back.