Black Hearted Mage

The setting sun painted the square a vibrant orange. Caesars leisurely packed the merchandise from his stall. His movements were gentle, as if caressing a lover's skin. Each item was carefully wrapped in soft animal hides and placed into his interspatial ring. He sold only a dozen items that afternoon, but each one was a priceless treasure.

"Seven hundred and thirty thousand... eight hundred and fifty thousand... nine hundred and twenty thousand..."

Caesars silently calculated his income for the day, his lips curling up unconsciously. The delicate metal cards fluttered between his fingers, gleaming enchantingly in the sunset. These were the Redstone Kingdom's unique currency certificates, engraved with the face value in common Chinese characters and inlaid with fine anti-counterfeiting magic patterns along the edges.

"Brother..." Emily gently tugged at the corner of his clothes, her voice very low, "At three o'clock, the one wearing the fur hat; and the two people pretending to read by the fountain... They have been staring at us for half an hour."

Without even looking up, Caesars continued to pack his bag: "Emily, do you know what season I like best?" Without waiting for an answer, he continued to speak to himself, "It's the harvest season. Especially when the fruits are delivered to your door." He patted the bulging purse at his waist, and the metal cards collided with a crisp sound, which made several figures in the distance visibly agitated.

The black structure of the Redstone Bank cast a long shadow in the setting sun. A closer look revealed the black steel rock surface covered in fine silver lines, like a shimmering galaxy in the night. Caesars ran a hand over the cold wall, his fingertips emitting subtle fluctuations of magical energy—the entire building was enchanted with protective magic. The guards at the gate held tower shields engraved with magical patterns, their armor joints embedded with energy cores, their eyes gleaming with vigilance under the shadow of their helmets.

The bank hall was eerily quiet, the only sound being the clink of gold coins passing between the counters. Caesars noticed dozens of crystal balls hanging from the ceiling, each housing a floating demonic eye, monitoring every corner of the hall from varying angles. The money changers behind the counters wore uniform dark purple brocade robes, their chests pinned with silver badges representing their ranks.

There were many guards standing on both sides of the spacious hall. They were all wearing magic leather armor and masks, leaving only their eyes exposed.

Caesars led Emily to the tall counter, took out a few special metal cards, and said to the people inside: "I want to exchange them for gold coins!"

"How many gold coins do you want to exchange?"

The middle-aged man in brocade robe at the counter didn't even look up. He picked up the teacup and asked casually.

"Five hundred thousand gold coins."

Caesars' voice was quiet, but it struck like a boulder crashing into a tranquil lake. The conversation in the hall abruptly ceased, and at least twenty eyes instantly focused on him. The middle-aged money changer's teacup clanked onto the gold-rimmed oak counter, and the dark brown tea soaked the documents.

"You...you mean five hundred thousand gold coins?"

The money changer's voice trembled as he frantically pulled out a silk handkerchief embroidered with gold thread and wiped the table. "According to today's exchange rate, this will cost..."

"Direct exchange card, no need to tell me the exchange rate!" Caesars smiled as he slid a stack of metal cards across the counter. "Three hundred thousand of them will be exchanged for standard gold ingots, and the rest will be in gold coins."

At that moment, the bank's heavy, black steel door flung open. Three figures in traveling cloaks burst in, led by the man in the fur hat seen in the square. Caesars had his back to the door, but the glare from the brass edging of the counter gave him a clear view. His fingers quietly reached for the magic blade, and the smile on his face deepened.

He whispered to the little girl beside him, "Emily, our 'fruits' can't wait to ripen, they've all followed us here!"

Several uniformed money changers sat around a heavy oak counter. A senior appraiser, wearing a magnifying glass, used a sophisticated magical instrument to measure the thickness of the metal cards and the anti-counterfeiting markings on them. They chatted among themselves, their brows furrowed in thought, as the entire verification process lasted nearly a quarter of an hour. Finally, the chief money changer solemnly stamped the register and signaled the vault keeper to begin counting the goods. Soon, several heavy oak chests were lifted out. The neatly stacked gold ingots within gleamed enticingly under the light, while the gold coins, packed into linen bags embroidered with the bank's emblem, made a pleasant clinking sound.

As Caesars accepted the treasure, a smile of triumph played on his lips. He deliberately hefted the gold bag in his hand, the crisp sound of metal on metal drawing attention from several nearby. The chubby puppy excitedly circled his leather boots, its wet nose occasionally tapping the ground, imprinting the bank's distinctive scent of ink, leather, and metal deeply into his memory. As Caesars pushed open the carved bronze door, the afternoon sun gilded him. He strode with the air of a victorious general, his shadow radiating triumph.

Just as he was about to descend the marble steps, he heard a subtle movement from the backpack behind him. A small, jet-black snake was spitting out a scarlet tongue, its pupils narrowed into a dangerous line. It didn't make the usual hissing sound, but instead vibrated with a peculiar frequency, like a high-pressure gas leak. This sound could send other snakes fleeing.

Caesars patted his backpack absentmindedly, but as he adjusted his collar, he caught a glimpse of the edge of a shirt glimpsed behind a distant column. As he turned into the narrow cobblestone alley behind the town hall, the three pursuers were indeed keeping a perfect distance. They paused at a corner, whispering to each other, the one in the fur hat occasionally looking into the courtyard.

Ivy covered the mottled sandstone walls of the courtyard. Caesars opened the heavy wooden door with a key. He kicked away the puppy that tried to sneak out, closed the door with his backhand, and locked it.

The bronze wind chimes beneath the eaves swayed gently in the evening breeze, emitting a crisp tinkling sound, their rusted bells casting slender shadows in the setting sun. The setting sun now stained the western clouds a brilliant orange-red, like spilled molten gold flowing across the sky.

Kaisas raised his hand to cover his brow, squinted his amber eyes to estimate the sunlight, and his fingers, which were reflected red, unconsciously stroked the space ring - there was a lot of fire lizard meat in it.

"Dinner's salamander meat, stewed, a big pot full of it!"

He deliberately raised his voice, its metallic twang startling a few graybirds under the eaves. Before he'd finished speaking, the dark red shadow in the yard had transformed into a whirlwind and swept over. The puppy's ears stood up like two small flags, its wet nose twitched constantly, and its muddy paws trampled the sage in the small garden, causing it to twist and turn, and its tail whipped so hard that you could hear it piercing the air.

"Silence, damn dog!"

Caesars kicked away the puppy that tried to pull at his boots and poured out the cooking utensils from the ring. The charcoal sparked a few times under the cast iron rack.

"Listen, those three mercenaries we were following are probably going to come and steal our storage ring at night." He grabbed the bloody fire lizard meat and threw it into the iron pot. The fat sizzled on the red-hot bottom of the pot. "All the monster meat is in here. If the ring is lost..."

Before he could finish his words, the puppy suddenly stood up, put its front paws on the edge of the stove, and its tongue, which was spewing hot air, was only an inch away from the boiling broth.

A low whimper rolled from the puppy's throat. Its once innocent, round face suddenly twisted, its mouth stretched to an impossibly wide grin, revealing its sharp, snow-white fangs. The storage ring hanging from its neck jingled with its movements. Its dark red pupils ignited a tangible flame in the twilight, singeing tiny, blackened holes in the fallen leaves. The puppy cared only about food, and if anyone dared to steal its food, it would engage in "friendly communication" with its fangs.

Seeing this, Kaisas snorted and threw the last leg bone into the pot - there was no need to warn the abyss lava dog's cub, those short-sighted thieves would soon find out what kind of nightmare they were targeting.

The puppy's two front paws were digging into the pot, trying hard to smell the aroma of the stew, and saliva kept flowing from the corners of its mouth. Just when the saliva was about to flow, its big scarlet tongue would stick out and lick the saliva away.

"Brother, its saliva won't flow into the pot, right?"

Emily saw the puppy's greedy look and asked with some concern.

"No, this guy is also a gourmet. He knows that when saliva flows into the pot, the taste of the food will change!"

Just as Caesar was speaking, the puppy turned its head and hummed at Caesar, with one of its front paws making a scratching motion.

"Emily, I'll go add the seasoning. The stew is already nine-tenths done. Feed the little black snake first. It doesn't like hot food, so just give it a few pieces of cheese!"

Kaisas walked over to the large stew pot, took out two animal hide bags, and added spices and seasonings. Because salamander meat was quite fishy, ​​the spices needed to remove the fishy smell had to be doubled.

He slapped the stew pot with his stubby, powerful front paws, and then grunted.

"Got it, take your paws away, I'm going to put the lid on the pot!"

Kaisas covered the pot and continued to simmer for another half an hour. He looked up at the starry night sky. The monster meat had already been simmering for an hour.

At this moment, a warning magic pattern outside the courtyard gate was triggered. Just as Caesar was about to go check it out, a dozen potion bottles were thrown into the courtyard.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The crisp sound of shattering crystals pierced the night sky, and Caesar's pupils shrank. The potion bottles thrown into the courtyard shimmered eerily in the moonlight. The instant the bottles shattered, the multicolored liquids twisted and evaporated like living things, instantly transforming into a multicolored mist that rose into the air.

"Damn it, it's a compound poison mist!"

Caesars immediately pulled out his alchemical mask and fastened it onto his face. The metal buckle clicked and locked automatically. His fingers slid swiftly across the Spellbreaker Blade. Three auras of buffing spells rose almost simultaneously from his feet—Magic Armor, Dark Vision, and Dark Corrosion. Several more buffing spells followed.

Emily's magic shield had been deployed, enveloping her in a pale blue light. She was frantically searching for her storage ring, a few strands of her blond hair sticking to her forehead with sweat.

"Where's my mask? I clearly put it on..."

Kaisas shook his head, and at the same time, his left hand had already drawn the Law-Breaking Blade from his waist. This pitch-black short knife was a gift from the crater, and the blade was engraved with magic patterns.

"Ow"

The puppy's bark suddenly grew deep and hoarse, its short, dark red fur standing on end, and its eyes glowed red, like two balls of burning charcoal. Even stranger, it was inhaling the deadly poisonous mist into its nostrils like a whale sucking water, and with each breath, its high-level magic patterns became more visible.

Caesars caught a glimpse of this scene from the corner of his eye, but a smile appeared on his lips: "You damn dog, don't just focus on biting people later. Pay attention to the stew so that it doesn't burn!"

The puppy grumbled in dissatisfaction, but its tail wagged excitedly. It scratched the ground with its front paws, its nails having grown into sharp claws, leaving deep scratches on the bluestone.

The poisonous fog grew thicker, the purple paralyzing gas intertwined with the green corrosive smoke, forming a deadly camouflage in the courtyard. Caesars waved his staff and shouted, "Dark Shock!"

An arc of black air blast struck the courtyard wall, carrying away most of the poisonous mist and shaking the wall twice. However, a few strands still seeped in and hit the shrubs in the corner of the courtyard, causing them to wither and turn black at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Bang!" The courtyard door was violently kicked open, and a dozen men in black filed in. They were wrapped in specially made protective suits, their masks uniformly shaped like bird beaks, and they held a variety of weapons—poison-tipped short crossbows, gleaming scimitars, and several had more potion bottles hanging from their waists.

The leading man in black wore a crow mask, and his voice sounded particularly hoarse after being filtered through the mask: "Hand over all your property and I will leave you with your whole body!"

Kaisas sneered and tapped the ground lightly with his dragon bloodwood staff: "Want it? Come and get it yourself!"

Before he finished speaking, he plunged his staff into the ground. A black arc erupted from him, knocking the five closest men in black to the ground. At the same time, the puppy let out a roar completely uncanine and pounced like a bolt of lightning at the enemy on the right.

Kaisas drew out his staff and launched shadow arrows indiscriminately at the front.

Emily finally found the gas mask and quickly put it on while casting a buff spell on herself.

The crow-masked man seemed to be a dark magician as well. He began to cast dark protection on his companions.

Kaisas was a little surprised, but his hands did not slow down at all. The shadow arrows became more frequent, forcing the men in black to retreat again and again.

The dark shield hastily erected by the crow-masked man shattered, but just as Caesars was about to press on with his victory, his feet suddenly sank—his shadow had unexpectedly come alive, wrapping around his legs like sticky black oil.

"Dark Binding!" Caesar was a little surprised. This was definitely not a magic that an ordinary bandit could master. It required a high-level magician to master it.

The crow-masked man laughed triumphantly and took out a pitch-black staff. At the same time, Caesars heard Emily's cry from behind him—the second group of enemies had somehow climbed over the courtyard wall and were approaching her from the left.

Luo Youquan angrily bit a man in black, even biting his steel shin guards until his calf was bitten off.

Poisonous fog, sword flashes, and magic intertwined, transforming the small courtyard into a battlefield of life and death. What shocked Caesars most was the emblem on the crow-masked man's chest—a crow holding a rose, the very symbol of the notorious assassination organization, the Night Ravens.

"You don't want to be killers, so you're going to be robbers!" Caesars tried to get some information while secretly preparing to remove the magic.

The crow-masked man held a staff in one hand and raised a scimitar with the other, the tip of the blade pointing directly at Caesar's throat: "A dead man doesn't need to know so much!"

"You're so arrogant! I was just teasing you just now, but now I'm going to kill you. Not only will I get the spoils by killing you, but your bodies can also be exchanged for gold coins!"

Caesars cast a dark torrent upon himself, raising his power to that of a dark mage, and the surrounding dark elements came under his control. The man wearing the crow mask was terrified, the dark magic within him suppressed, the magic within the sea of ​​magic seemed to have solidified, and he could no longer call upon it.