Black Hearted Mage

The night was as dark as ink. Ever since the young woman had gone to the back of the shop at dusk, she hadn't been seen since. After her bath, little Amy, her hair still damp, ran into the shop in her floral pajamas. Seeing Caesars's armored leather tent, she looked at it curiously, her little hands rubbing everywhere.

"Sir, how come your tent is so cool?"

"I put some big ice cubes in the tent so you won't feel hot at night. Little Amy, do you want to take one back?"

"Sir, ice is very expensive in the summer!"

Little Amy wanted to take a piece of ice, but was worried that it was too expensive. She was in a dilemma at such a young age.

"I'm a magician, just like your mother, and I can make ice with the help of magical items!"

Little Amy's face turned pale, and she looked at Caesar in horror, her little body backing away step by step.

"Don't be afraid, little Amy. I'm also a dark magician!"

Kaisas silently chanted a spell, and a black energy gathered at his fingertips, gradually condensing into a shadow arrow nearly three feet long. This shadow arrow was as black as ink, as if it could swallow all light. Its surface was also covered with strange and mysterious patterns, which appeared and disappeared from time to time, giving people a sense of danger and fatality.

Caesars extended his right hand and gently grasped the Shadow Bolt. The moment it touched the bolt, the powerful spell dissipated like smoke, transforming into a dense cloud of dark magic that drifted through the air. However, this dark magic didn't disperse, but instead surged toward Caesars at astonishing speed, absorbing it completely into his body in the blink of an eye.

Little Amy, who was watching from the sidelines, witnessed the entire process. Her face, originally tense with fear, finally relaxed. She widened her eyes, full of curiosity and excitement, and said, "Sir, you really are a dark magician!"

Hearing what Little Amy said, Caesars showed a proud smile on his face, nodded and replied: "Of course!"

As the two were talking, a low and rapid barking sound came from outside. The sound was very far away at first, but as time went on, it became clearer and clearer, and it sounded as if it was approaching in their direction.

"Oh, the greyhounds will bark all night, sir. I have to go to the back!" Little Amy said suddenly, as if she had thought of something. Before she finished speaking, she turned around hurriedly and walked towards the back of the store with light steps.

Watching Little Amy's retreating figure, Caesars couldn't help but feel a sense of doubt. Could those greyhounds really have come to the bakery's doorway, barking incessantly? The thought had just crossed his mind when a piece of magical beastology emerged from his memory. Greyhounds are social beasts with a special ability—they can track the scent of their fallen companions through their sense of smell and follow it to the scene of the incident.

Caesars lay lazily in the tent, his eyes closed, ready to take a nap. Beside him, the chubby, fleshy puppy lay on its back, its belly rolled up, comfortably resting on the soft sleeping mat, its belly rising and falling with each breath.

At this time, little Amy ran back to the room like a happy little bird, her face full of excitement and curiosity, and she couldn't wait to tell her mother about the interesting scene she had just seen.

At the same time, waves of howling and barking echoed from far away, seemingly echoing right beside my ears. Listening carefully to the intermittent, high-pitched barking, I could roughly infer that dozens of ferocious hounds were gathered outside. Their barking was like a cacophony of music, deafening.

The barking of the greyhounds was like a continuous tide, instantly shattering the peaceful atmosphere. The dark red puppy, disturbed by the clamor, grew restless. First, it lay on its back, twisting and turning. Then, it rolled onto its side, as if seeking a quiet corner to escape the noise. But no matter how it shifted, it couldn't escape the distraction. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, it abruptly stood up and let out two angry howls toward the door.

However, the puppy's action did not calm the hounds outside, but instead made them bark even more vigorously. For a moment, the barking of dogs resounded through the sky, and the entire store was filled with this noisy sound.

"These damn greyhounds!" Caesars couldn't help cursing. "Go and drive away all the greyhounds outside, you damned dog. Scare them with your roar, or Master Caesars won't be able to sleep peacefully!"

Despite his anger, he knew now wasn't the best time to kill the hounds. Caesars hadn't yet fully grasped the specific circumstances of the major families, and killing the greyhounds might bring him unnecessary trouble. So, for now, he could only endure and wait for the right opportunity before making his plans.

Caesars stood up and walked towards the door, the puppy immediately following him.

At that moment, the tightly closed door flung open, and with this sudden noise, the incessant barking outside ceased abruptly. Then, a chubby, round puppy slowly stalked out through the crack in the door. Surprisingly, dozens of sturdy greyhounds retreated as if facing a formidable enemy, as if instinctively sensing an unprecedented fear gripping them.

At that moment, the night was as deep as ink, and all around was pitch black. Only eerie red lights flickered and danced on the puppy's body. Upon closer inspection, these lights were actually originating from high-level magic patterns hidden beneath its soft fur. As the magic patterns gradually illuminated, the crimson light flowed freely like blood, instantly dispelling the surrounding darkness.

Looking at the puppy's eyes again, they were like two balls of blazing flames, blazing brightly in the darkness. It tilted its head back slightly, took a deep breath, and its chest swelled. The next moment, an earth-shattering roar erupted:

"Ow—!"

This roar, like the roar of a terrestrial dragon, was as piercing as a human's heart. It possessed immense penetrating power, capable of easily piercing an eardrum, and it also carried an indescribable sense of oppression. As the terrifying sound waves spread far into the distance, even the solid ground began to tremble slightly, as if the very earth itself trembled in fear at the roar.

Standing nearby, Kaisaston felt a buzzing in his ears, as if thousands of bees were buzzing in his head. Despite this, thanks to his uncanny ability of darkvision, he could still barely make out the scene before him: the dozens of greyhounds that had been so majestic just moments before were now terrified and fleeing in all directions.

The puppy wagged its tail proudly as it walked towards the door. At this moment, the roar of some kind of monster was heard in the distance, sounding very much like the howling of a wolf.

The puppy walked into the store shaking its head, not paying any attention to the wolf howling in the distance.

"What do you want for supper, damn dog?"

Every roar was a significant drain on the puppy. Hearing about a midnight snack, the fang-filled mouth stretched back to its ears. The puppy gestured with its stubby paws, and Caesars understood.

"Omelette, using the egg liquid of the Earth Dragon, with extra diced bacon and fruit!"

After hearing Caesar's description, the puppy excitedly patted the ground twice.

"You idiot, after you finish eating the egg liquid, I can use the eggshell as a bedroom for you. That way, you won't have to worry about getting wet when it rains!"

Caesars smiled as he pulled out an enormous egg. The egg's surface glowed a dark red, and upon closer inspection, it revealed uneven grains, the marks of years. When he gently placed the giant egg on the ground, it reached the height of his chest.

Kaisas deftly removed a piece of eggshell, and a strong fire element instantly spread. He carefully poured some of the egg liquid into the pot, and the golden egg liquid flowed to the bottom of the pot, forming a layer of viscous liquid.

The puppy next to him poked its head out, staring at the remaining egg liquid in the pot with wide eyes. It kept making whining sounds, as if it couldn't wait to get into the bedroom and have a feast.

"Don't look at me, you idiot! This egg liquid is enough to make four or five delicious omelets. As for your bedroom, you have to wait patiently for a while!" Kai

Sass said jokingly, and he resealed the eggshell and placed it neatly into the space ring. Then, Kaisas took out the charcoal stove and various other ingredients.

"Damn dog, how many flame flowers do you want to put?"

Kaisas turned to look at the impatient puppy beside him and asked softly.

Hearing the owner's question, the puppy excitedly raised its front paws and began to pat the ground quickly and rhythmically. Each pat on the ground meant that a flame flower needed to be added.

"No, no, we can't be too greedy and eat too much at once! The number of fire flowers is limited, and we still have to think more about the future. So this time I only plan to put one fire flower in, but as a special reward for you, I will add two more fire flowers to your egg roll!" Kaisas explained with a smile.

Kaisas lit the charcoal fire and quickly began to dice the various ingredients. The puppy, upon smelling the food, looked incredibly greedy, its mouth watering. A bone with a generous amount of pickled meat on it was thrown in front of the puppy, satisfying its craving.

The egg liquid gave off a rich aroma. When Caesars was about to flip the egg roll over, a small figure quietly walked over.

"Little Amy, why aren't you sleeping?"

Kaisas looked at the little girl in her pajamas, staring at the omelet.

"Mom asked me to ask if the fat dog was responsible for the loud roar that scared the hounds away just now."

"Well, it scared the hounds away. Little Amy, our food has too much magical energy, you can't eat it. But you can have a few soufflés, it's a specialty of the Gravel Kingdom!"

Caesars took out a few puff pastry, threw one to the puppy, and gave the rest to little Amy. The little girl who got the puff pastry smiled so much that her eyes narrowed.

In a large mansion just a few miles from the bakery, a pack of greyhounds returned trembling. The old trainer walked up to one of the hounds, removed the image stone from its neck, and handed it to another old man in a robe.

As the image stone was activated, the silhouette of a hound running appeared on the screen. A few minutes later, a Ao Dog emitting a dazzling light appeared.

"It's a high-level fire-type magical beast. It has mastered the power of its own magic patterns and should also be able to use breath magic. Its level is probably not lower than that of a fire lizard, and higher than our jungle wolf!"

The next morning, the heat of the summer night had just subsided when the scorching sun came out.

Little Amy, wearing a linen short, came to the store early with her mother, not to open the store, but to discuss something with Caesars.

"Mr. Magician, you've made things so bad that little Amy and I will have no way to survive!" said the young woman anxiously.

Caesars was slightly surprised, but he quickly figured out the reason. This was the Saint Laurent Empire, and the laws there were extremely cruel to those with dark talents. Anyone with dark talents would be burned at the stake, a practice the Saint Laurent Church called "purification." He had heard about this as a child and deeply detested the Saint Laurent Church's actions.

"I will get you out of the Saint Laurent Empire. But I have a question. How did you, a low-level dark magician, survive in the Saint Laurent Empire?"

Kaisas had doubts in his heart. He needed to know whether the other party was worthy of his rescue. The Saint Laurent Empire had always been very strict in its inspections, and now a dark magician suddenly appeared.

"I only know how to meditate, not cast spells. In other cities in the Saint Laurent Empire, people must undergo talent monitoring when they reach a certain age, but Shenghui City doesn't require it. I usually don't go out, so little Amy will be guarding the counter!"

After hearing the woman's explanation, Caesars nodded slightly. But he was even more surprised that someone who lacked the resources to practice cultivation could actually be promoted to a magician through extensive meditation.

"Let me check your physique. You should have a good talent for cultivation!"

Facing Caesar's request, the young woman hesitated for a moment before extending her left hand. Caesar didn't touch her hand, but instead released his magical tentacles to carefully explore it.

This woman's magical talent was exceptional, and what she said was probably true. Her magic veins showed almost no trace of spells used. As for the fact that talent monitoring was not required in Holy Light City, all he had to do was ask Depero.

"You have excellent magical talent! Why don't you leave the Saint Laurent Empire? No secret can be buried forever, and it will be discovered one day!" Caesars said slowly.

"We also want to leave, but the border of the Saint Laurent Empire has been closed for ten years, and no one is allowed to enter or leave. How can you take us away?"

The young woman asked helplessly.

"This is my secret. If I can enter the Saint Laurent Empire, I can naturally leave. It won't be difficult to take you away!"