Black Hearted Mage

This expedition ended in a hurry. The entrance to the great wizard's tomb was blocked tightly with stones, and several nobles left a few people to guard it in the distance of the stone mountain.

Caesars sat in Joanna's carriage, along with Old Roman and Kandel. They had been diligently studying the magic rune array in the main tomb, having drawn several diagrams. The magic rune array was extremely complex, but fortunately, the array they encountered this time had a pattern that could be followed, so the two great magicians were able to discern a small part of it.

A few days later, the carriage finally arrived at the Northland Tower. As soon as old Roman and Kandel returned to the tower, Caesars never saw them again.

Kaisas returned to his peaceful life of cultivation, meditating, feeding the black snakes, and cleaning the breeding room every day. He spent most of his time meditating in the Alchemy Tower, only returning to the Library Tower at night to sleep.

More than three months later, Caesars encountered Joanna, dressed in a fiery red magic robe, in the tower's courtyard. He learned some news from her: Several great magicians in the tower had copied the magic array of the main tomb, but they found it impossible to decipher it.

Because the ice array was directly beneath the metal coffin, if the coffin wasn't moved, the thick layer of ice couldn't be removed. And if the hard ice wasn't removed, the other magic arrays couldn't be broken. But directly breaking the ice wasn't an option either, as the large vibrations might trigger the self-destruct array.

At this time, several great magicians were preparing fire crystals. They hoped to melt the ice through the element of fire. This was their current plan.

Fire Crystal, a red crystal rich in fire elements, can only be found in volcanic areas. Due to the large number of fire magicians on the Roland Continent, the demand for Fire Crystal is huge, making the already scarce Fire Crystal even more expensive.

Caesars would occasionally chat with Rad, a very talkative fellow. He had been in the North Tower for decades and possessed a deep understanding of all sorts of knowledge, from astronomy to geography. His knowledge was profound.

"Oh my god, Caesars, you're already an intermediate magic apprentice!"

In the magic tower, the white-haired Rad looked at Caesar in shock. He felt that all this was too incredible.

"I'm meditating in the Alchemy Tower. The dark element there is higher, and I don't need points from the high tower!"

"Comparing yourself to others is infuriating. I spent all my points in the meditation room, and you don't even need a single point. What do you want from me today?"

"When I was cleaning the alchemy lab yesterday, I found five more bottles of intermediate mana potions. I want to sell you three!

Rad looked around for a moment, a smile spreading across his old face as he quickly pulled out his gold coins. He was already preparing to attack the magician, and the more mana potions the better.

"Rad, where is your home in the Violet Alliance?"

Caesars collected the gold coins and the other party collected the potion.

"It's in Violet City. There's a small manor in the north of the city. You little guy went to Violet City. I heard that many people died in the underground ruins there."

"The High Priest of Saint Laurent was burned to ashes. I heard from Ms. Joanna that this flame is hotter than magma and can melt magic steel in an instant!"

"Caesars, are you familiar with Ms. Joanna?"

Rad is a senior fire magic apprentice. He admires Joanna very much. The great magician is only twenty years older than him, so they are basically the same age.

"Well, I came back in the lady's carriage. The teacher and Master Kandel had something to discuss. They were studying the magic pattern array all the way."

Hearing Caesar's answer, the gray-haired Rad looked envious.

"I'm about to be promoted too. It will only take a year or two at most, and then I'll be a Master Mage!"

"Rad, the Mage Alliance also accepts apprentices. Why did you end up in the Northland Tower? If you are promoted to a magician, can you become a noble and have a fiefdom?"

Rad looked at Caesar and smiled somewhat complacently.

"The Mage Alliance has too many magic apprentices, but there are fewer magicians than in the Tower, and their strength is also a bit weaker. Of course, I have to come to the Northland Tower. After being promoted to a magician, I won't get a fiefdom, but I will have status. I can take in a few students in the Violet Alliance, and it won't be difficult to earn thousands or even tens of thousands of gold coins a year!"

Caesars nodded. Rad, that old fellow, should have already planned this. The promotion to junior magician was the most difficult, even harder than the intermediate level. The rest was a matter of slowly accumulating magical power, amassing training resources, and honing one's spells. Of course, this presupposed a certain amount of gold.

"Rad, I'm going to meditate. I'll find you in Violet City later!"

Caesar felt a strong sense of urgency, a feeling that made him eager to break free from Old Roman's constraints and leave the North Tower as soon as possible. Joanna had revealed a crucial piece of information to him: Old Roman had agreed to let Caesar enter the main tomb solely to obtain the two bottles of precious and potent vitality potions. At this thought, Caesar couldn't help but feel a chill.

"Hey, Caesars, you're really working hard! I'm starting to worry whether you'll become a real magician before me."

Hearing this, Caesars quickly responded, "Don't be ridiculous. How could I possibly be better than you? I don't have that many gold coins to buy expensive magic crystals to increase my magic power."

With that, Caesars turned and left, preparing to head to the Black Demonic Serpent's location for meditation. Now that he used magic crystals to aid his meditation, the Library Tower was no longer the best choice. The Alchemy Tower's breeding room, permeated with a strong element of darkness, was rarely visited. For Caesars, it was the safest and most suitable place for meditation.

The magicians of the Northland Tower were now absorbed in studying a large magic array. Their expressions were focused, their eyes revealing a thirst for knowledge and power. The driving force behind all this—the Tower Master, Old Ethan—quietly observed their progress.

According to Old Ethan's speculation, the magic rune array in the main tomb chamber bears a strong resemblance to the array beneath the ruins of Ludwig Castle. This similarity suggests that if the magic rune array in the main tomb chamber can be successfully deciphered, there might be a chance to unravel the mystery of the southern ruins. For these magicians pursuing the truth, this is undoubtedly an extremely attractive challenge.

Faced with such a difficult problem, the magicians did not give up easily. They knew that only through continuous effort and exploration could they find the answer. So, they began to try various methods to try to crack this complex and dangerous magic array.

Meanwhile, Caesars, having concluded his meditation, arrived at the quest hall. He remained there for half an hour, carefully examining the various quests written on the wall. As a fledgling magic apprentice, he needed to find tasks that suited him and hoped to meet more people. This would make future travel more convenient.

Among the many tasks, Kaisas found some simple tasks. Although these tasks were insignificant, they could allow Kaisas to reach more people.

Two renowned trading houses on the Roland Continent delivered large quantities of supplies to the Tower annually, including grain, fruits, vegetables, herbs, and various precious magical materials. These supplies were transported via horse-drawn carriages, and the Tower would issue relevant pick-up and delivery missions, requiring apprentices to supervise the company's drivers and ensure the safe arrival of the supplies at their destinations.

This time, Caesars secured a pick-up and drop-off assignment for one of the trading companies. Although the task only paid five points, it took him an hour or two. For other apprentices, such a task was simply not worth the effort, as a single low-level magic potion cost fifty points. Consequently, few apprentices were willing to accept such a low-rewarding assignment.

Caesars had his own plans for this low-reward mission. He knew that if he could successfully complete it, he would receive an additional benefit—a free carriage ride. This would help him return to Blackrock City quickly without having to worry about safety on the road.

A few days later, a small convoy arrived at the tower, and Caesars received a message from the mission hall. He hurriedly left the alchemy tower, wearing a loose apprentice robe, and ran towards the tower's only entrance.

When he arrived, fifteen fully enclosed, sturdy carriages were already parked neatly at the tower's entrance. Each carriage was emblazoned with the emblem of a thorn flower, signifying their origins as a member of this prestigious trading company. One exceptionally luxurious carriage had stopped at the gate, and over thirty guards in leather armor had already dismounted.

The Thorn Flower Trading Company has a long history, dating back thousands of years. Another trading company supplying the Tower is the Roland Trading Company, founded by the Roland royal family and nobles. Roland's strength is far inferior to that of the Thorn Flower Trading Company, and the gap between the two is enormous.

"Give me the delivery list. I'll see how to unload all the goods in one go so we don't have to go around in the tower!"

After inquiring about the procedure with Rad, Caesars climbed directly into the luxurious carriage. Inside sat a middle-aged woman wearing matte black leather armor and two short swords with black scabbards hanging from her waist. She had curly brown hair and sharp black eyes.

"Wow, a little magic apprentice is actually wearing a magician's badge!"

Several pieces of animal skin paper were placed in Caesar's hands, and he observed the small figure with great interest. The delivery list contained a lot of items, including two black snakes. This time, they would have to run a long circle around the tower.

"The Grand Magician gave it to me on purpose. I have no choice but to wear it. The guards of the Thorn Flower Trading Company cannot enter the tower. The convoy will go to the Alchemy Tower first. I will contact Master Kandel first, because there are precious alchemical materials involved and I need his approval!"

Caesars got off the luxurious carriage and climbed onto a freight carriage. He took out the communication stone to notify the great alchemist.

"Kaisas, the Thorn Flower Merchants' goods will be fine. Have them place the goods in the lobby of the Alchemy Tower, and I'll have someone take them away right away!"

Kandel's voice came from the communication stone, and it sounded like he was still asleep.

"Master Kandel, the manifest needs your signature!"

"Boy, you're my personal assistant, just sign it. I need to sleep for a while, don't disturb my rest!"

The Grand Alchemist cut off the magical communication, and Caesars shrugged helplessly. The woman in leather armor, curious, leaped onto the ten-foot-high truck.

"Hey, you're the personal assistant of the Great Alchemist!"

"Ma'am, you believe this? I'm Master Kandel's personal servant, specializing in cleaning the bottom floor of the Alchemy Tower. To put it bluntly, I'm responsible for feeding the black demon snakes!"

"Let's go!"

The middle-aged woman gave an order, and the driver gently waved his whip, and the convoy slowly drove towards the gate. Caesars looked at the delivery list and found that the magic materials needed to be delivered to the Magic Tower.

The convoy stopped in front of the alchemy tower, where several of the Grand Alchemist's students were already waiting. The driver opened the side doors and unloaded the cargo one by one. It turned out that the sealed carriage had magic patterns inside. Caesars was puzzled as to how such precious alchemical materials could be transported in such a carriage.

"Kaisas, you handle the black snake. We don't dare to enter the breeding room!"

Kandel's students are now afraid of the feeding room. After all, Garlon, a magician, was bitten to death by the golden-eyed black magic snake.

"I know. Bring the cage to the door and I'll change the cage for the black snake right away!"

After unloading the things from the Alchemy Tower, the coachmen were waiting at the door, but the woman in leather armor followed behind Caesar.

"Ma'am, guards are not allowed inside the Alchemy Tower!"

"I'm not a guard. I'm the steward of the Thorn Flower Caravan. Little Bean, let me see how you change the cage of the black magic snake."

Caesars looked at the other person's clothes with some confusion, and thought to himself: Anyone with a discerning eye can tell that this woman is either a Wind Warrior or an assassin.

He gently pushed open the metal door of the breeding room, and then opened one of the cages without hesitation. The woman was obviously startled and took a dozen steps back, her face full of horror, staring intently at the black snake that swam out of the cage.

"Get in!"

Kaisas slapped the black snake's raised head without hesitation and pointed his finger at the depths of the breeding room. The black snake did not make a "hissing" warning sound, which meant that it was less likely to attack.

The black snake seemed to understand what Caesars meant, and slowly lowered its head, swimming towards the breeding room filled with dark elements. Seeing this, Caesars hurriedly followed it in and opened the door of an empty iron cage.

The other black snake was not very obedient. Even though the cage was open, it refused to come out. Caesar had no choice but to reach into the cage, grab the snake's tail tightly, and drag it hard.

A warning hissing sound was heard in the breeding room. It was the golden-eyed black snake hissing. The black snake, which was already very dishonest, was now even more dishonest.

"Ma'am, come and help me. I'll grab the snake's head and you grab the tail and throw it in!"

"No, you can't catch it, it will bite me!"

Seeing the woman's timid look, Caesars went straight into the iron cage, grabbed the snake's head with both hands, and sat on the black snake. He turned the snake's head and let it swim towards the breeding room.

The woman was so shocked that she almost screamed.