Black Hearted Mage

All the spider eggs were burned. The two major magical forces had no way to tame and raise the dark spiders. If they were not careful, the servant spiders might become a disaster.

The items in the first stone chamber were appraised by five or six magicians, and the verdict was that they were all valuable items. A metal box contained magic copper, which was roughly estimated to be worth millions of gold coins.

The magic copper ore itself is not expensive, but it is too difficult to refine and purify it, which causes the price of magic copper to remain high.

Magic Copper Ore is quite common on the Roland Continent. If one kilogram of Magic Copper can be extracted from 100,000 kilograms of Magic Copper Ore, it's considered a rich ore. The Magic Copper Ore must be screened, washed, crushed, acid-washed, smelted, impurities removed, refined, and finally purified. This process consumes a significant amount of time and resources, and requires extremely high technical skills, which only a few large magical forces can master.

The production of Magic Copper is very limited, but the market demand is huge, resulting in a persistently high price. Furthermore, due to its excellent magical conductivity, Magic Copper is widely used in the manufacture of various magical equipment, such as wands and magic circles, making it a crucial strategic material. Even with a large amount of Magic Copper ore, there's no guarantee that sufficient Magic Copper can be extracted. This is one of the reasons why the price of Magic Copper remains so high.

Metal containers cannot be used to smelt magic copper, as other metal impurities will be mixed in. Instead, high-temperature-resistant obsidian is required. Obsidian containers cannot be made too large, as they might explode during the smelting process. The final purification step can only be performed by a magician, requiring a significant expenditure of mana.

The nobles and magicians were extremely excited. Today's harvest alone was already a huge profit. They couldn't conceal their greed and anticipation for what lay behind the magic door.

Not far from Stone Mountain stood a magnificent manor, called Solomon Manor. At this moment, the manor was bustling with activity, with a grand banquet underway. With the exception of the magicians assigned to guard Stone Mountain and those who remained there, most of the remaining mages had gathered to celebrate the day's harvest.

Caesars joined the banquet, looking forward to the delicious food before him. Joanna looked at his excitement and said with a smile, "Caesars, take whatever you like. Don't worry. Duke Solomon is a wealthy man in the Roland Empire. He has plenty of gold coins, so don't save money for him! If you want to take some delicious food back, you can ask the maid to take you to the manor's kitchen to choose."

When Caesars heard what Joanna said, he asked in disbelief, "Madam, can I really go to the kitchen and get some food to take away?"

Joanna smiled and replied, "Of course, just take it, you're welcome. Even if you want to move the whole kitchen, that's totally fine, but don't be soft-hearted!"

Duke Solomon, sitting nearby, couldn't help but frown. His eyelids twitched, and he secretly groaned. He knew Joanna's fiery temper well, and knew she was always blunt and unconcerned with others' feelings. But he hadn't expected Joanna to so bluntly tell Caesars to take whatever food he wanted from the kitchen. He felt deeply embarrassed.

"Little guy, eat first. Write down the names of the things you like and I'll ask the kitchen to prepare a few for you later!"

Duke Solomon, dressed in a luxurious robe, looked at Caesar with a kind smile on his face. He called a maid and asked her to follow Caesar and write down any food he thought was delicious so that the kitchen could prepare a few more.

Caesars looked at Duke Solomon with gratitude, walked to the long dining table, and tasted the delicious food prepared by the Duke.

"Solomon, the alchemist of the magic guild is not good enough, right? You have been drinking a lot of potions, how come you have aged so much in just a few years?"

A voice came from my ear, with a hint of doubt in its tone. The speaker was Joanna, who was dressed in gorgeous clothes and was looking at Duke Solomon with a scrutinizing look.

Upon hearing this, Duke Solomon's expression darkened. He sighed and said helplessly, "We're short of several high-quality herbs, especially golden ginseng. The ones from the East Continent are too poor, and only the ones from the West Continent are good. I've also sent people to the West Continent and posted a mission at the Mercenary Guild, but the hope is slim!"

Duke Solomon was clearly feeling down. At his age, despite possessing immense wealth and high status, what he longed for most was a few more years of life. All of this depended on whether he could find high-quality herbs to refine advanced potions.

Golden ginseng, a precious herb found only deep within the Endless Forest, is considered a gem among high-grade herbs. It can be used to refine advanced restorative and healing potions, a lifesaver for powerful figures like Duke Solomon. However, due to its scarcity and unique habitat, golden ginseng has always been in short supply and in high demand.

Although Duke Solomon has sent people to the Western Continent to search for golden ginseng, his hopes seem slim in the face of such fierce competition and the dangers of the Endless Forest.

"Joanna, I have a question, why does your son call you Madam?"

The elderly Duke Solomon looked at Joanna with some confusion. He found the question quite odd. She was slightly younger than he was, but due to magic, her skin was delicate and rosy, and she looked only about thirty years old, more like his granddaughter.

"It's the rules of the Tower. Old Roman accepted him as his student, and I also taught Caesars magic, so he calls me Madam!"

Joanna was startled, but she didn't show any surprise on her face. Instead, she made up a reasonable excuse. She knew that Duke Solomon was very knowledgeable about the Magic Guild, but he knew very little about the North Tower. He only knew that the rules there were very strict.

At the banquet, nobles and magicians gathered in small groups, chatting about the recent discovery of the tomb. Everyone was asking each other about the tomb, trying to get more information.

Amidst the crowd, a small figure in aristocratic robes stood out. He moved between the long dining tables, carefully savoring the delicacies on the table. He sampled only a small portion of each dish, then whispered a few words to the maid behind him, seemingly discussing the taste of the delicacies.

"Prepare a few more of these dozen or so dishes. I also want a few bottles of the wine they drank!"

The maid following Caesars was stunned. The wine seemed to be very expensive, and it was not her turn to decide.

"Follow me, I'll take you to find the butler. He brought these wines from Fire Maple City!"

In the corridor behind the living room, the old butler in his fifties or sixties was dressed neatly, looking like a senior aristocrat.

"Old butler, this young master wants a few bottles of wine from the table. The Duke has ordered food to be prepared for him to take away!"

"Little guy, I can only give you two bottles of wine. This is because these wines are the Duke's treasured collection. He brought five boxes when he came from Fire Maple City. The banquet is still going on, and the guests still need to drink!"

The old butler's answer was flawless. He promised to provide wine, but only two bottles. Caesars thought two bottles was too few, because due to the aftereffects of the snake venom, both his grandfather and father could drink a lot.

"Old butler, is there any rum in the manor?"

"I still have several barrels of rum. Since it's too strong, few nobles would like it. I can give you half. Little guy, don't blame me if you get drunk!"

The old butler looked at the young Caesars, he knew the identity of this little guy.

"No, I'm saving it for when I grow up!"

"Then I'll give you two more barrels. This rum is already aged, and it's been in the cellar for twenty or thirty years. The nobles don't like these liquors, but they're also very expensive outside!"

The old butler leaned forward slightly and stretched out his right arm. He was ready to take Caesar to the wine cellar, and the maid followed behind.

The underground wine cellar of the Duke's estate is not very big, but it is very cool. It is filled with oak barrels and wooden wine racks are filled with crystal bottles.

"This is gold rum, also called amber rum. It's of the best quality, so you can take six barrels. This is silver rum, also called white rum, so you can take seven barrels. Dark rum is also called red rum, because it's not filtered enough, so it has some impurities. But it has the darkest color and the most mellow flavor, so you can take twelve barrels!"

The old butler narrowed his eyes slightly, a barely perceptible smile playing at the corner of his mouth. With a gentle wave of his right forearm, he signaled to Caesars that he could help himself to the wine. Caesars, standing nearby, his small figure keenly sensed a hint of hidden malice in the old butler's broad smile.

To load such a heavy barrel into the storage ring required a considerable amount of magic power. However, the old butler agreed to give Caesar twenty-five barrels of wine. The meaning behind this was self-evident: although the wine was generously given, whether or not one could take it away depended on one's ability.

Caesars, smiling, his eyes steady and calm, began methodically collecting the heavy barrels. Each movement seemed effortless, as if the barrels weighed nothing. One barrel after another, until the last barrel of dark rum was successfully collected, Caesars's delicate white hands slowly reached out to the old butler.

"Little guy, what do you mean?" The old butler frowned slightly, with a hint of doubt in his eyes.

"We're still short of two bottles of wine!" Caesars said calmly, looking at the old butler with a firm gaze.

The old butler gave a wry smile, a hint of helplessness on his face. He had intended to deliberately give the young man two bottles less wine to test him, but he hadn't expected Caesars to be so persistent and attentive. In the end, the old butler could only reluctantly take out two bottles of his private stash of fine wine and hand them to Caesars.

"Little guy, you are such a smart guy!" the old butler exclaimed, secretly admiring Caesar's intelligence in his heart.

These two bottles of wine were privately kept by the old butler. As the butler of the Duke's Mansion, although it was difficult for him to obtain a large amount of gold and silver treasures, it was easy for him to get a few bottles of fine wine. Now, he had to give up his fine wine.

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the clouds, illuminating the entire landscape. Caesars followed Joanna closely, and together they reached the foot of the stone mountain. Upon their arrival, they were surprised to find many nobles already gathered, clearly eager for today's events. Also present were two unfamiliar old wizards, rumored to have profound knowledge of magic patterns and arrays, who had come specifically to open the mysterious metal magic door.

Not many people entered the cave this time, with only Old Roman among them. The others, including the other members of the Northland Tower, stayed outside to await news.

However, not long after, a deafening explosion erupted from the cavern, as if the entire world were shaking. Immediately afterwards, the ground began to shake violently, instilling fear. Old Roman, shielded by his magic, struggled to emerge from the smoke-filled cavern. Most of his beard had been singed off, and his body was covered in dust and ash, making him look incredibly disheveled.

Kandel was extremely anxious when he saw this scene. What he was most worried about was that the items inside the metal door would be damaged. He hurriedly asked, "Old Roman, what happened in there?" What he was most worried about was that the items inside the metal door would be damaged.

"That magic door is a trap. The complex magic patterns and arrays on it are all deceptive. It's also very easy to open, but it exploded as soon as it was opened. Several people from the magic guild must have died. They were all surrounding the magic door!"

"What's inside?" Kandel inquired.

“Who knows? If I hadn’t run fast, I would have been buried in there!” Old Roman said while panting, looking frightened.

The smoke and dust still filled the cavern, and two nobles had unexpectedly crawled out alive, their bodies gleaming with a faint light, as if they were protected by something resembling a magic shield. Caesars's mind struck, realizing that these two men must have been wearing some kind of magical protective item to have survived the explosion.

Before the dust had settled, the Magic Guild's guards and craftsmen had already rushed into the cave and began digging to rescue the people. They moved quickly and nervously, clearly having been prepared for this unexpected event.

Joanna didn't want to stay here any longer, so she took Caesar back to her small farm.

"Ma'am, if the Archmage's tomb is so dangerous, why would they open it?"

Joanna estimated that there might be survivors among the magicians in the stone hall, but it would be difficult to find them intact.

"Because of human greed! The great wizard's tomb contains a vast amount of wealth, which attracts nobles to participate. It also contains high-level magical items, which are a fatal temptation for magicians. For example, the items brought out yesterday, the total estimated value is over three million gold coins!"

"Yesterday's stuff is worth so many gold coins!"

Kaisas exclaimed. There weren't many things found yesterday. There were only a few metal boxes, and the rest were ores and other things.