Black Hearted Mage

In the Holy Church's main hall, Depero, clad in a gold and red priest robe, looked helplessly at the aged Pope. He sighed and said, "Your Majesty, normally, the North Tower has the strongest alchemy, followed by the Magic Guild, then the Mage Alliance, and the Saint Laurent Empire has the worst alchemy!"

Before Depero could finish his words, an arrogant voice rang out: "Depero, you're talking nonsense! We all use the same alchemical formula, how can there be any difference in quality? Our alchemy is definitely not the worst!"

The speaker was none other than Freud. As the Grand High Priest, second only to the Pope in power within the Church, he was responsible for managing all of the Church's alchemists. Depero's assessment of the Saint Laurent Empire's alchemy undoubtedly embarrassed him.

Depero frowned and retorted, "Floyd, although the alchemical formula is the same, the quality of the herbs is vastly different. If you don't believe me, compare the alchemical potions of the North Tower, the Magic Guild, and the Mage Alliance with our Saint Laurent potions. Then you will naturally know the result."

Meanwhile, the harried old Pope perked up. The church's alchemy lab was a money-consuming beast, costing hundreds of thousands of gold coins annually. Finding a cheaper alternative would undoubtedly be good news for the church. However, he felt a sense of unease as he watched Floyd, as he seemed to be worried about something.

"Floyd, shut up and let Depero finish speaking clearly. If what he says is wrong, you have reason to punish him!" the old Pope said loudly.

Floyd, the High Priest of the Hall of Discipline, remained silent, his thoughts brooding within him. Nearby, the veteran priest, Depero, felt a chill run down his spine. He suddenly realized he had been swept into this vortex, a feeling of powerlessness and inability to control himself. He began to contemplate how to escape the Saint Laurent Empire and the impending conflict. He had a vague feeling that the Holy Church might collapse, a feeling that filled him with fear and unease.

"Good alchemical materials will produce higher-quality potions. This is basic common sense. The herbs used in the North Tower are basically provided by the Thorn Flower Trading Company. The Magic Guild also uses more than half of them. The Mage Alliance is not very clear because the Thorn Flower Trading Company is in Violet City and they can purchase herbs at any time. The Church cannot buy herbs from the Thorn Flower Trading Company because they won't sell them to us, no matter how much gold coins they offer!"

"Depero, are the herbs from the Thorn Flower Shop the best?" the old Pope suddenly asked.

"Of course, take the powerful antidote potion as an example. To completely remove the poison of the Golden-Eyed Black Demonic Snake, you must use all the herbs from the crater. Even if you change a single herb, the poison of the Golden-Eyed Black Demonic Snake will remain unremoved. This is the powerful antidote potion from the Northland Tower. A small bottle sells for 500 gold coins, and even nobles have to wait in line to buy it!"

"Five hundred gold coins a bottle! Floyd, how much is our antidote for? Can it cure the poison of the Golden-Eyed Black Devil Snake?"

The Pope became excited. Five hundred gold coins for a bottle of potion was no different from robbing gold coins.

Faced with the Pope's questions, Floyd was a little unsure how to respond.

"Your Majesty, I don't know about this either. We don't have the Golden-Eyed Black Demon Snake, so we don't know how venomous it is!"

"The alchemy lab costs hundreds of thousands of gold coins a year, yet it can't even produce decent potions. Floyd, is there still a need for the alchemy room to continue to exist?"

The Pope's words were like a wake-up call. Floyd was extremely nervous, but Depero on the other side was equally shocked. The Pope's intention was too obvious. He wanted to use the old priest to check Floyd, which was undoubtedly to push Depero into the center of the vortex.

"Your Majesty, the church's alchemy laboratory is essential, as high-level potions are difficult to purchase in large quantities. As for the herbs from the Thorn Flower Merchants, perhaps I can give it a try, but I can't guarantee success!"

Depero stood up and spoke loudly. He didn't want to confront Floyd. He knew Floyd's character very well. Floyd operated by the same principles as aristocrats. As long as his interests were affected, killing and silencing people was a common practice.

"Depero, you have to do your best!"

Floyd was a bit surprised; he hadn't expected the other party to speak up for him. In fact, whether it was the high priest or the Pope himself, they all wanted to obtain high-quality, extremely effective potions. Holding these things was like having an extra life, equivalent to an extra hundred or two hundred years of life.

"I can't handle this matter directly. I need to find an honest and reliable middleman. I have an old friend who runs a pharmacy business!"

"Depero, who is your old friend?"

Floyd pressed the issue. The old priest looked at him and smiled slightly. "High Priest, can everyone here be trusted? Can you guarantee that everyone here can keep secrets? Floyd, you must know that if the news leaks out, everything will be in vain!"

The old pope nodded subconsciously, but inwardly he couldn't help but sneer. Although there were many people in this hall, they could be bribed with just a few hundred gold coins. Now all he needed to do was quietly hide this secret deep in his heart.

"No one is allowed to inquire about this matter. Floyd, you must immediately prepare 50,000 gold coins for Depero and ask him to buy the herbs from the Thorn Flower Merchants as soon as possible!" The old Pope's voice was majestic and unquestionable.

"As you wish, Your Holiness. The gold coins are just a small matter, but do we need to send someone to protect Depero? After all, the journey is long and there may be danger." Floyd asked cautiously, with a hint of cunning in his eyes.

"Protect Depero? Floyd, even if you join forces with me, I'm afraid you will not be a match for this old guy!" The old Pope said with a sneer, a hint of disdain in his eyes.

The Pope was well aware of Floyd's intentions. He intended to send experts to secretly protect Depero, allowing for better surveillance. However, information received by the Church indicated that individuals with lesser strength were unable to restrain their divine attributes, making them easily discovered and intercepted by the Violet Alliance. Therefore, sending more personnel would only increase the risk for this mission.

When Depero got 50,000 gold coins, in the distant abyss plane, Raven-Rod left the Shadow Abyss and came to the Lava Abyss. There were some things he needed to confirm.

Shadow Abyss, also known as Blackwater Abyss or Endless Abyss, is the final layer of the Abyss Plane. It is filled with shadow energy, arcane energy, and black water with destructive properties.

At the same time, Caesar entered the Magic Tower. He was going to read about his ancestors' lives today. After watching the battle footage, Caesar flipped through a light book and began to read eagerly.

The three old elves on the upper floor of the magic tower were watching the peeping circle with great interest. Nothing that Caesars did every day escaped their eyes.

"This kid has an affinity for dark elements, and his bloodline is also somewhat special. The black demon snake is willing to get close to him. Just like what Riven said, this little guy is immune to most of the toxins on the Roland Continent!"

"Whose bloodline does he have part of?"

Old Ethan was looking at the image of Caesars when Destro on the side suddenly asked a question.

"Raven didn't mention it, but I guess it's the bloodline of the Abyss. He might reveal some clues only after his bloodline awakens."

"This little guy is quite hardworking, but his magic sea is a little small. However, the tenacity of his magic sea is comparable to that of a high-level magical beast!"

After Crassus spoke a few words, the three old elves resumed their discussion, this time focusing on matters outside. The crater was too close to the human world, inevitably coming into contact with humans, but those they encountered were often those with ill intentions.

This year alone, over twenty human assassins were captured and interrogated using the mage's Power Word. The results of the interrogations were largely the same as in previous years: the spies came from two major factions on the Roland Continent: the Saint Roland Church and the Magic Guild.

In the eyes of the three old elves, humans' memories were truly terrible. After only ten thousand years, they had already forgotten everything. However, the human spies outside were only used to test the elves who had just reached adulthood. If they took action, their actions would be meaningless.

Over the years, many young elves have forged strong strength and resolve through contact with the outside world. The human scouts have served as stepping stones for their growth. Despite this, the three elder elves continue to closely monitor developments in the outside world, knowing that the situation may change over time.

For over ten thousand years, the elves have enjoyed relative peace and tranquility. However, in recent years, they have sensed a subtle shift. This shift stems not from within, but from external pressure. The Church of Saint Laurent and the Magic Guild seem to be taking a growing interest in the elves, a development that has left the three elder elves feeling a sense of unease.

They worry that this instability could escalate into a greater crisis over time. Therefore, they've decided to strengthen their observations of the outside world and take appropriate measures to protect the crater. They also hope to cultivate more outstanding young elves to meet future challenges.

A few days later, one morning, sunlight streamed through the leaves. Kaesas and thirty other elven expedition members rode on shadow leopards, preparing to head to the demon ruins west of the ring mountain. At the end of the demon invasion war, some demons hid in underground caves, trying to avoid being surrounded and hunted.

This time, they chose a hidden tunnel to leave the crater. This tunnel was located on the west side of the crater. More than 30 elves, including Kaisas, rode shadow leopards with night vision and headed west along the dark tunnel.

The forest was filled with mist and dew in the early morning. They walked along a path known only to the elven patrol. After passing through the dense forest, the elven team stopped in front of a wide canyon.

This Grand Canyon was formed tens of thousands of years ago. Due to a major earthquake ten thousand years ago, the original rift valley, which was hundreds of miles deep, was almost filled up.

"Everyone, take a break first. Let's have Shadow Leopard search the area within ten miles north and south first. Finally, let Shadow Leopard guard the entrance to the canyon. If there are any intruders, they will be killed without mercy!"

Kaisas and the other elves dismounted their Shadow Leopards, stretched their bodies, and took a short rest. They were filled with anticipation, but also vigilantly observed the movements around them.

Team leader Orcus gave an order, and the elves then communicated with the shadow leopards. More than 30 shadow leopards with black and gray stripes quickly ran out on their own.

Kaisas knew that Shadow Leopard could understand Elvish, but he couldn't understand it at all. Several animal skins were spread on the grass in the forest. The elves were eating and resting.

"Kaisas, don't be nervous. Human mercenaries usually don't come here. Eat something and rest for a while!"

Phyllis, wearing black leather armor, sat on the animal skin and patted Caesar's little shoulder.

"Ma'am, I'm not nervous. I was just thinking about how we just left the tunnel, and when I turned around, I couldn't see the tunnel exit anymore, just a stone wall!"

"That's a magical mechanical door. It's covered in a layer of stone, and then machined to fit perfectly with the stone wall. Of course, you can't see the tunnel exit!"

"I put a layer of stones on it. How do you keep them from falling off?"

Caesar was very curious. There was actually a secret entrance and exit in the crater, which was so camouflaged that it could not be seen at all.

"A powerful alchemical glue that hardens like stone. The stone won't fall off!"

Hearing Phyllis's answer, Caesars was reminded of the ancient tomb in the north of Fire Maple City, which had also been constructed with a large amount of alchemical glue and remained remarkably solid after thousands of years. Caesars now had some interest in alchemy, but his strength was too low, and his magic sea was not large enough, which was a taboo in learning alchemy.

"Alas, Elder Crassus won't let me learn alchemy!"

Caesars felt helpless and confused.

"Little one, you need to increase your magic power and strive to be promoted to a magician as soon as possible. Your ancestor, Lord Raven, was very skilled in alchemy, but according to the knowledge he left behind, alchemical potions are only useful when one's strength is low. When one reaches the level of a Grand Mage, the improvement provided by alchemical potions is very limited."

Orcus, who was sitting on the side to rest, spoke up. He had known for a long time that Caesar wanted to learn alchemy, but the three elven elders did not tell Caesar the reason.

"Is my ancestor, Raven Rhodes, very powerful?"

Kaisas asked curiously. The elves said that his ancestors were very powerful, and he wanted to know how powerful they were.

"Raven is so powerful that it's hard to describe him. All the elves in the crater, plus everyone on the Roland Continent, combined are no match for him. If Raven wants to, he can destroy the entire Roland plane and not leave a single person alive!"

"what!"