Black Hearted Mage

Although these members of the Saint Laurent Church were filled with fear of falling off the cliff, they still climbed down without hesitation. They knew that continuing forward would at most result in death, but if they retreated, they and their families would be sent to the Bitter Water Farm, a torture worse than death.

Caesars silently watched these people from the Church of Saint Laurent, each of them acting like a desperate criminal. They lined up in a long line, along the steep and dangerous cliff path, and moved slowly and cautiously down the mountain.

Atop a windswept mountaintop, several cloaked mages gazed expressionlessly at the scene. Ostensibly there to assist the assassins and archers, these mages actually shouldered a more crucial mission—supervising them. The higher-ups of the Church of Saint Laurent had issued a death order: revenge against Caesars at all costs.

Time ticked by, and after over an hour, dozens of bodies lay on the ground, their bodies reduced to shattered pieces. However, the figures in leather armor continued their advance, gradually reaching the foot of the mountain. Meanwhile, the cloaked figures on the mountaintop, using magical power, effortlessly floated in the air, observing everything from above.

These cloaked magicians appeared extremely cautious, landing lightly on the ground, as if afraid to make any sound. As soon as they touched the ground, they quickly unleashed their magical tentacles and detection, covering everything within a thirty-meter radius.

"Let's get rid of these bodies first, then rest in the woods ahead for a while and set off again in three hours."

One of the magicians said this solemnly. His gaze passed over the crowd and fell on the distant forest shrouded in drizzle. An indescribable sense of urgency surged in his heart.

Upon hearing his command, several men in leather armor sprang into action. They expertly loaded the bodies into their storage rings, their movements swift and efficient, clearly accustomed to such tasks. After completing their task, they carefully counted the number of people and discovered that over a hundred had already perished before the team even reached Violet City.

Recalling the hardships of the journey, everyone couldn't help but feel sad. While passing through the Rockfall Kingdom, they encountered a sudden mountain rockfall. Huge rocks rained down like raindrops, instantly claiming dozens of lives. Just as they were descending the mountain, the rugged and slippery path caused dozens more to fall and die.

"Kid, wait a minute before you get out. Let me confine them first!"

After Old Ethan finished speaking, he began to chant a spell in Elvish, which sounded very ancient and mysterious. His voice echoed in the air, as if it contained some powerful power.

Caesars listened intently, his eyes wide open. He couldn't understand the Elven language, and certainly couldn't understand the meaning of these spells. It was like listening to a completely unfamiliar language, every syllable was confusing.

However, just as Caesars was confused, Old Ethan's body was suddenly enveloped by a layer of dense arcane energy. This energy was like a transparent shield, tightly enveloping him.

In the blink of an eye, Old Ethan's figure disappeared without a trace in Caesar's sight, as if he had never existed.

Kaisas stared in astonishment at the spot where Old Ethan had vanished, his mind filled with questions. He had read some books on the arcane and had some understanding of this mysterious magic. According to his knowledge, what Old Ethan had just performed was probably a teleportation spell, allowing a person to move instantly over a short distance.

Caesars' gaze turned towards the cliffs in the distance, where he saw a shimmering purple light on the ground. This light flowed along a strange, unusually large pattern, resembling some complex magic array.

This magic circle covered an area of ​​hundreds of meters, encompassing all those in the Saint Laurent Empire. Purple light danced and shone within the magic circle, as if it were the core of this mysterious magic.

Suddenly, Old Ethan appeared in the center of the magic circle. He was wearing a spider silk robe that fluttered gently in the breeze. In his hand, he tightly grasped the purple staff, the tip of which flickered with a faint light.

Old Ethan had an arcane shield activated on his body, isolating him from the dangers of the outside world. He stood in the center of the magic circle, like a magician controlling infinite power.

Then, Old Ethan thrust his purple staff into the ground. Instantly, the purple light on the ground shot up into the sky like a volcanic eruption, forming a huge column of light.

This beam of light shot straight up into the sky, seemingly tearing it apart. Around the beam, a confinement array was officially activated, and a powerful energy wave spread outward from the center of the magic array.

Caesars watched this scene from afar, becoming increasingly puzzled. He didn't understand why Old Ethan wanted to personally activate this large magic array?

"Elves, you shouldn't meddle in the affairs of humans!"

A magician in a cloak shouted loudly. He was extremely frightened at the moment. The elf appeared directly without any disguise. This was not a good sign.

"It seems that you know the rules of the elves. Since I appear here, it must be you who broke the rules of the elves!" Old Ethan's voice was cold and stern, as if the entire space was frozen by his words.

Just as Old Ethan was speaking, Elder Destro, leading over thirty elves, emerged from their hiding cave like ghosts. Their steps were light and graceful, yet carried an undeniable majesty.

The cloaked magician was obviously startled by this sudden change. His voice trembled slightly, but he still shouted calmly, "We didn't break the rules!"

However, Old Ethan ignored his explanation and continued, "The demon's blood you brought with you, and the target of your revenge is the descendants of the elves. These two things are enough to make you sleep here forever!" His words echoed in the air like the bell of judgment, making people shudder.

Hearing Old Ethan's words, the faces of those people from the Saint Roland Church turned pale in an instant. They looked at the scene in front of them in horror, especially when they saw the elves wearing magic pattern leather armor, the fear in their hearts reached its peak.

The magic-patterned leather armor of these elves shone with a mysterious light, as if imbued with boundless power. The pitch-black daggers hung from their waists exuded a terrifying aura.

The members of the Saint Laurent Church tried to struggle, but found themselves completely immobilized, as if by an invisible force. They could still make sounds, but their limbs were as if under a spell, unable to move.

Not far away, Kaesas was galloping towards them at a staggering speed. Meanwhile, the dark red puppy was also as fast as lightning, reaching the edge of the confinement circle in the blink of an eye.

"He's a necromancer!" High Priest Destro's voice suddenly rang out, a hint of surprise and alarm. "The moment he landed, I smelled the strong stench of decay on him!"

Without hesitation, Destro rushed into the confinement circle, his steps steady and powerful. He drew out a spell-breaking blade adorned with mysterious magic patterns. The blade gleamed faintly, as if imbued with boundless power. The dagger flew at high speed, slicing the necromancer's cloak and magical robes into shreds.

Just as Caesars used his teleportation to reach the edge of the confinement circle, he witnessed a horrifying scene. The figure before him was completely covered in rotting flesh, a scene of horror beyond words. The flesh had been severely dehydrated, shrunken, and cracked in places, exposing the bones beneath. Furthermore, his joints were exposed, his ribs half exposed, and even his rotting internal organs were visible.

Even more disgusting was the fact that the other person's body was covered in a thick layer of mold, which looked particularly hideous in the dim light. The air was filled with a strong smell of stinking pickled meat, which made people want to vomit.

"Dead dog, don't you like eating bones and dried meat the most? The Necromancer is yours!" Kaisas looked at the puppy in front of him with a playful look, as if teasing it.

The puppy, however, seemed unsatisfied with this "gift," uttering two disgruntled grunts. While puppies aren't picky eaters and will eat almost anything, they can still distinguish good from bad food. The necromancer before them exuded a nauseating, rancid odor, which instantly dampened the puppy's appetite.

"Destro, stop dawdling and get to work! Don't waste my arcane energy. Caesars, take out the Soul Gem quickly and don't waste this good thing that has been delivered to your door!" Old Ethan said impatiently.

For Old Ethan, imprisoning the members of the Saint Laurent Church was not his main purpose. What he really cared about was the extremely dangerous demon blood. If it weren't for the existence of this demon blood, he wouldn't have come to this place at all.

Kaisas produced a grayish-white, somewhat dull crystal. The elves began to eliminate the Saint Laurent Church members. Their skillful technique allowed them to quickly sever their targets' cervical vertebrae with sharp daggers, and their speed was even faster. This prevented the blood from flowing everywhere, thus avoiding a bloody scene.

The necromancer's head was shattered by the high priest's shock spell. The elves began to collect the storage rings, magic steel weapons, and magic wands. The elves also collected the body, leaving only a headless corpse with a stench of decay.

The soul energy floating in the confinement array was gradually absorbed by the soul gem, and the dull crystal began to glow faintly. As time passed, the brightness of the crystal gradually increased.

The elves began to collect corpses from the ground. They would use the bodies of their enemies as fertilizer, burying them deep in the roots of giant black thorns. This was an ancient tradition of the elves, and Caesars had read about it in the books of the magic tower.

All the spoils harvested this time were handed over to Caesars for processing. As usual, the profits were split 70% to 30%, with the Thorn Flower Trading Company taking 70% and the rest being Caesars's errand fee.

Three bottles of pitch-black demon blood exuded an extremely dangerous aura. Their existence seemed like a taboo, a power that should not be touched.

The puppy looked at the three bottles of demon blood with some dissatisfaction, then turned to look at the two salty and fragrant wild bull legs. It stretched out its front paws and slapped the ground vigorously. It happily accepted the deal and asked Kaisas to drizzle some sweet honey on the wild bull legs.

"You damned dog, you actually understand the art of trading!"

Kaisas took out a small jar of honey and placed it on the pickled bull leg. The puppy swallowed the demon blood without hesitation.

The rotting remains of the necromancer, including the shattered skull, lay scattered on the ground, a sight exceedingly horrifying. Orcus unleashed a magical flame, burning the remains to ash. He knew that anything touched by demonic blood was imbued with an evil power, and incineration with intense flames was the best way to dispose of it. Only in this way could the evil influence be completely eradicated.

Old Ethan stood aside and watched Orcus burn the corpse of the necromancer to ashes. A satisfied smile appeared on his face, because he knew that this action had successfully eliminated a potential threat.

As the elves entered the portal one by one, Caesars returned to the magic tower in the crater with the puppies. This experience was a profound lesson for him, making him realize the viciousness of the Church of Saint Laurent.

He realized that before he was promoted to the rank of mage, he would be better off lying low and not provoking powerful enemies easily. He couldn't fight the Lizardmen alone, let alone the Undead Mage.

Between the southern Roland Empire and the Saint Roland Empire lies the Emerald River, a river flowing endlessly. The waters of this river are clear and emerald green, like an emerald jade belt, separating the two empires.

The Bitterwater Farm of the Saint Laurent Empire lies on the south bank of the Emerald River, a vast expanse of land brimming with life and vitality. The farm is home to a large number of lower-class ascetics, who lead a hard life, tempering their will through labor and practice.

Furthermore, there were many Paladins in training. Clad in heavy armor, wielding massive shields and longswords, they held an imposing presence. These Paladins underwent rigorous training at Bitterwater Farm, aiming to one day become the protectors of the Saint Roland Empire.

Near the edge of the Emerald River, a heavily fortified stone mansion stood, yet within this vast compound, spread over hundreds of acres, there were fewer than a hundred people living there. In the backyard, a small, windowless stone hut stood, its doors heavy with magical steel, resembling the entrance to a noble's tomb.