Black Hearted Mage

Caesars continued to ask Polly about the division of Earl Garlon's territory, and finally learned that the land along the Emerald River was temporarily managed by the House of Nobles.

The House of Nobles is in charge of the land. To put it simply, part of the income from the land goes to the House of Nobles, and the remaining gold coins need to be paid into the national treasury.

Caesars nodded slightly, tapping the armrest of the chair with his slender fingers, and continued to ask Polly: "So, those fertile pastures and vineyards along the Emerald River are now all under the name of the House of Nobles?" His voice carried the lazy tone unique to the nobility, but his black eyes flashed with a sharp light.

Polly sorted through the parchment scrolls, her silk gloves glistening with a pearly sheen. "That's right," she explained, lowering her voice. "According to the Roland Empire's Regulations on the Management of Idle Territories, 30% of the annual output from these lands belongs to the House of Nobles, and the remaining 70% must be turned over to the treasury." At this point, she paused meaningfully. "But from what I understand, those old foxes in the House of Nobles always find a way... to keep more."

The carriage jolted slightly, and Caesars saw a glint of cunning in Polly's eyes. He couldn't help but recall the fragments of memory he had plucked from Earl Garon's soul—those heavy gold coins secretly buried in the oak forest by the Emerald River, dug and buried by Earl Garon himself on a dark, rainy night. Twenty years ago, when the old Earl received the tragic news of his only son's death, this mad revenge plan began to take root in the soil of hatred.

"We're here," Polly's voice brought him back to reality. Through the carved windows, he could see the towering silhouette of the castle. When Polly raised the Solomon family crest, the head in the gate's peephole receded. With the sound of turning gears, the heavy magic steel gate slowly opened.

The carriage rolled through the smooth, flagstone-paved courtyard and finally stopped in front of the castle's main building. A steward, about forty years old, was already waiting, his black robe embroidered with silver thread, gleaming coldly in the morning light.

"Miss Polly, everything is ready as you ordered!" He spoke with the restraint and courtesy unique to old-school aristocratic butlers, but the fine wrinkles at the corners of his eyes revealed his unconcealable attentiveness.

Polly gracefully lifted her skirt and stepped out of the carriage. She turned and introduced herself to Caesars, "This is Sean, the youngest son of Roy, the old butler of Solomon Castle in the imperial capital." She gently raised her hand in Sean's direction, "He is currently in charge of the daily affairs of this territory."

Sean immediately gave Caesars a standard butler's salute, his bow perfectly balanced, displaying both respect and dignity. "At your service, Lord Caesars." His eyes, lowered, scanned the unfamiliar nobleman's deerskin boots, which were spotless.

"I never saw him in Solomon's Castle!"

Caesars frowned, his sharp eyes scanning Sean's body. The middle-aged man in a butler's robe had an ordinary face, and indeed, he hadn't left any trace of him in his memory.

Seeing this, Polly quickly stepped forward and explained, "Sean used to be in the Duchy, and he's an expert in brewing moonshine ale." She deliberately emphasized the words "moonlight ale", which is a specialty of the Duchy of Solomon.

"I see!" A glint of enlightenment flashed in Caesar's eyes. "I finally understand Duke Solomon's intention. Sean, from today on, you don't have to be restrained. This territory will be fully under your management."

Upon hearing this, Sean immediately bowed, rubbing his rough hands together unconsciously. "That's exactly what the Duke ordered," he said, his voice tinged with the distinct accent of Fire Maple City. "The southern part of the empire produces 70% of the country's grain, and the price is so low it barely covers the shipping costs. Even if we ship a large quantity of grain, we might not be able to sell it. Rather than letting the wheat rot in the barn, it's better to brew it into fine wine and sell it."

At that moment, the servants pushed open the heavy oak door, and everyone entered the castle's main hall. Caesars's eyes swept over the rough stone fireplace and simple oak furniture. These centuries-old furnishings exuded a calm sense of history, completely different from the gilded decorations favored by the northern nobles.

"Sean," Caesars suddenly lowered his voice, "How many secret passages have you found in the castle?" Fragments of old Garlon's memory emerged in his mind - two hidden passages, one winding to the long-abandoned quarry, and the other leading directly to the reeds on the banks of the Emerald River.

"Secret passage?" Sean's face paled instantly, and he nearly dropped the account book in his hands. "My Lord, we...we've never found any secret passages!" His voice trembled slightly with shock. As the southernmost border region of the empire, and once belonging to the Saint Laurent Empire's spy, Count Soren, an undiscovered secret passage posed a huge security risk. Beads of sweat dripped down Sean's forehead. This sudden news had clearly caught him off guard.

Beside her, Polly pursed her lips tightly, her slender fingers unconsciously twisting together, her knuckles turning slightly white from the strain. Anxiety flickered in her deep brown eyes, and her mind kept replaying the terrifying scene of Saint Laurent Empire soldiers swarming out of the secret passage. The castle's fortifications might hold up in plain sight, but if the enemy attacked from the shadows... she couldn't help but shudder.

Caesars leaned lazily against the oak chair, his fingertips rhythmically tapping the armrest. He casually glanced at the tense faces of the crowd, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Don't be nervous!" His voice was as calm as a lake on a winter day, without a ripple. "I know the locations of the two secret passages. We just need to block them off!"

"My Lord!" Polly stood up suddenly, her skirt swaying slightly from her hasty movements. "How did you know about the secret passage here?" Her voice was filled with undisguised confusion. "As far as I know, you've never been here. Moreover, after the Solomon family took over the castle, they sent their most elite scouts to search every corner three times, even the rat holes in the cellar, but they still couldn't find any trace of the secret passage!"

The living room suddenly fell silent, and everyone's eyes were focused on Caesar. The fire in the fireplace crackled, casting dancing shadows on his chiseled profile.

Caesars slowly raised his eyelids, a subtle glint flickering in his pitch-black pupils. He spoke casually, his slender fingers tracing an eerie arc in the air. "Because Earl Garlon once fell into my hands, I treated him well before sending him on his way. Don't underestimate the magician's methods." His voice suddenly deepened, as if imbued with some kind of magic. "Under my magical interrogation, it's extremely difficult to weave lies. The old earl ended up being a chatterbox!"

Polly unconsciously took a half step back, feeling a chill running down her spine. Although Caesars had spoken lightly, she knew what the so-called "magic interrogation" meant—it was definitely torture that ordinary people could hardly imagine.

"My Lord Earl, where is the entrance to the secret passage? Every minute we delay, we are in more danger!" Fine beads of sweat oozed out of Sean's forehead, and his right hand was clenched blue, everything showing his inner anxiety.

Caesars narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze lingering on Sean for a moment before he slowly pulled out a yellowed piece of parchment from his pocket. As he unfolded the map, Polly noticed a faint gray-black magic flowing from his fingertips, but it was so fleeting that she almost thought it was an illusion.

"Under the fountain in the castle garden, there's a secret passage leading to an abandoned quarry. The entrance to another secret passage is right under our feet, leading to the edge of the Emerald River!"

"The entrance to the secret passage is in the living room!"

Polly and Sean exclaimed at the same time. They didn't expect the entrance to the secret passage to be right under their feet.

"This is a hidden magic mechanism. In the cracks between the floor tiles, there's a strand of magic copper as thick as a grain of wheat hidden. A high-level magician needs to transmit magic power through the air to open the entrance to the secret passage. Because the magic circle is underground, ordinary magicians can't sense its magic fluctuations!"

Caesars gazed at the gray-black floor, his palms gleaming with magical energy. He slowly channeled his magic into the cracks between the tiles beneath his feet, and a low rumble filled the living room. Six granite tiles trembled slightly under the influence of the magic, then neatly sank more than two feet, revealing neatly cut edges. With the click of a mechanism, the tiles slid apart, revealing a deep stone staircase amidst the dust. A damp, musty smell, mingled with the distinct chill of the underground, reached him as the stone steps wound downwards in the darkness.

"There's a two-inch-thick demon steel door in the passage below. Just block it completely with rocks."

Caesars tapped the edge of the stairs with the toe of his boot, and thick dust rolled into the darkness. "The exit is in the reeds by the Emerald River. Just destroy the exit with a hammer, and the river water will flow back in..." He made a drowning gesture, and the gold thread on his cloak drew a sharp arc under the light.

Butler Sean gave a few instructions to the guards outside. A few minutes later, four heavily armed guards arrived, carrying pickaxes and shovels. The largest guard produced a moonstone for illumination, and the crowd filed in, quickly swallowed up by the staircase. Caesars estimated the distance—the castle to the Emerald River was no more than two miles as the crow flies. These well-trained guards should be able to reach the exit within half a quarter of an hour.

At the fountain's edge, Caesars leaned over and fiddled with the water, his fingertips shattering the reflected moonlight. The entrance, disguised as a reservoir, was even more ingenious: the bottom was paved with retractable basalt slabs, and the drain was connected to a complex gear train. But precisely because of the mechanism's sophistication, simply inserting a few pieces of magic steel into the transmission would disable it.

"Polly, blocking the entrance to the fountain is easy. Have someone find two pieces of magic steel as thick as arms to jam the gears of the fountain. Fill the exit at the other end with gravel. The quarry has the materials!"

"Let's wait until Sean returns with his men. Including the cook and the groom, there are only thirteen people we can mobilize right now. We need someone to guard the castle gate and someone to stand sentry on the wall!"

After hearing Caesar's proposal, Polly also gave her own suggestion. This huge castle is now understaffed.

"Let's talk about it later. Even if the Saint Laurents come, don't worry. My fat dog can handle a dozen of them!"

In the middle of the morning, sunlight shone slantingly on the castle's stone steps as Sean and a few guards returned, dusty and exhausted. Their heavy leather boots were stained with red mud, leaving a series of clear marks on the bluestone slabs. This was the red clay unique to the Emerald River, formed by years of weathering from the Red Stone Mountains upstream, and unique in the entire southern region.

"My Lord Earl!" Sean knelt on one knee, his mud-stained cloak drooping at his side. "The exit of the secret passage has been completely destroyed. We destroyed the last section of the rock wall, and now the water from the Emerald River has completely filled the passage. As for the entrance to the castle..." He wiped the sweat from his forehead, "We plan to use three layers of rubble for protection and then pour some lime slurry. However, to completely seal off the passage inside the castle, we have to wait for the stone from the quarry to arrive this afternoon!"

At this point, Sean's voice suddenly lowered: "It's just... the people in charge of transportation may not be very reliable. Lord Carlos's men speculate that there may be Saint Laurent's spies hidden among them." His fingers unconsciously stroked his sleeves, revealing his inner worries.

Caesars stood by the window, the sunlight casting his tall figure on the ancient tapestry. He suddenly asked, "Sean, how many people are there in my territory now?"

"My Lord, including the elderly and children, there are approximately 3,200 people!" Sean quickly reported the number, "but there are only about 1,000 strong citizens who can participate in the labor."

"Are there any specific suspects on Hawkeye's side?" Caesars looked towards the south, where the Emerald River meandered.

"Yes!" Sean immediately took two steps forward. "Over the past two weeks or so, at Oak Farm on the Emerald River, there have been unusual birds flying south every midnight. Even more suspicious is..." He lowered his voice, "their flight paths are remarkably straight, like... trained messengers!"

A sneer played on Caesar's lips. On the south bank of the Emerald River lay the Bitterwater Farm of the Saint Laurent Empire. Birds flying south at night—they practically had the word "spy" written all over their faces.

“How big is that farm?”

"Two hundred and thirteen people, including seven migrant workers..." Sean had clearly done his homework. "On the surface, it's an ordinary wheat farm."

Caesars downed the red wine in his glass in one gulp, the crystal flute making a crisp sound against the oak table. "I'll go meet these 'farmers' myself this afternoon," he said, his tone as casual as if he were discussing an afternoon hunt. "I want to see how long Saint Laurent's nightingale can sing on my territory!"

Caesars said a few words lightly, as if finding the spy was a trivial matter.