Black Hearted Mage

As they continued to go deeper into the foggy cave, the temperature around them gradually rose, and the damp ground began to dry out. Grayish-white snake skins began to appear everywhere, these were the old skins shed by ordinary black demon snakes.

Gradually, a hissing sound began to rise from the depths of the cave. From the volume of the sound, it was clear that these warning calls came from ordinary black demon snakes. However, despite the hissing sound, the black demon snakes could not be seen. They seemed to be well hidden, making them difficult to detect.

"Ms. Phyllis, are these black snakes hiding in the cracks of the rocks?"

Caesars looked around suspiciously, trying to find the trace of the black snake. He found that the sound of the black snake seemed to come from the edge of the cave.

"Yes, that's right. Applying the repellent potion now can only repel ordinary black snakes, and the effect on the golden-eyed black snake is very general. But don't worry, the repellent potion is only effective for an hour, and we will definitely be out within an hour!"

Phyllis explained, taking out a bottle of potion and gently applying it on her leather armor and soft-soled leather boots.

The elves had already begun applying the potion to their bodies, and Caesars quickly took out his potion bottle and applied it to his own robe. The elves' dispelling potion was different from the one in the North Tower. It didn't have a pungent, unpleasant smell, but instead had a light, refreshing fragrance.

Caesars learned from the elves that the alchemical formulas taught by the Ludwig School of Magic were one level lower than those of the elves, in order to prevent backlash from humans.

Not only did the Ludwig School of Magic weaken the alchemy formula, but even the magic it taught was weakened. This was the rule set by Raven back then. He didn't want to see the tragedy of the elves happen again.

With the protection of the repellent potion, the expedition team successfully entered the depths of the cave. When large pieces of snake skin appeared on the ground, it meant that they had entered the territory of the Golden Eyed Black Demon Snake, but the cave ahead also forked.

"The passage on the left is the lair of the golden-eyed black demon snake, only about one or two miles long. The passage on the right is the red giant snake's lair. This passage is deeper and about five or six miles long. The giant snake only comes out when it's hungry. Under normal circumstances, it's too lazy to move. We only need to catch three golden-eyed black demon snakes this time!"

Orcus spoke briefly, essentially speaking to Caesars. The other elves already knew this. The shadow dancers donned leather helmets and visors, which, combined with their existing leather gloves, could withstand even the venom of the golden-eyed black demon snakes. They produced metal nets designed for catching snakes, and in groups of three, they went stealthily.

The magician and the spellbreaker waited there, ready to support the shadow dancer at any time, and also to guard against the giant red snake.

"Kaisas, stealth is useless against black snakes. They identify their prey by smell, sound, and temperature."

"Then why did they go into stealth?"

Hearing Phyllis' words, Caesars was a little confused.

"Shadow Dancers are used to it. Once they are in action, they will instinctively enter stealth mode."

Caesars nodded, and he and the elves waited. A quarter of an hour later, several shadow dancers returned empty-handed.

"Lord Orcus, that giant red snake is inside. It scared the golden-eyed black snake so much that it hid in the cracks of the rocks. It will probably be difficult to catch the black snake today!"

"What a coincidence! Why didn't the magic pattern formation send out any warning sounds? You guys retreat outside first, I'll go check the magic pattern formation!"

The elves had long understood the giant red snake's path and had placed a magic pattern array along its path. This array possessed a keen sense of perception, and in the past, whenever the giant snake entered or exited, it would issue a warning signal, allowing the elves to prepare in advance. However, today, something unexpected occurred: the magic pattern array showed no reaction at all, leaving all the elves deeply surprised.

Under Caesar's astonished gaze, Orcus quickly cast a magic shield, then rushed to the right passage without hesitation, followed by a superb flash. His movements were smooth and natural, as if he had practiced them countless times.

"We must retreat outside the cave immediately. The giant red snake is hungry and is likely to launch a fierce attack on us!"

Phyllis spoke nervously, hugging Caesar tightly. She turned at top speed and bolted out of the cave. She even employed her combat skill—the Galloping Technique, which greatly increased her speed and agility. The other elves followed suit, closely following. They had all witnessed the giant red snake from afar and knew it was a terrifying being, surpassing even the mightiest of beasts. Even a powerful mage like Orcus struggled to withstand it.

After only a moment, Phyllis successfully led Caesars out of the cave, followed by the elves. Their faces were filled with fear, clearly still reeling from their recent adventure. The shadow dancers could see the giant red snake, and it must have sensed them.

As the seconds ticked by, every elf grew anxious, eager to rush in and see what was happening. However, they knew that doing so would only make the situation worse, so they could only silently await Orcus's return. At that moment, Orcus appeared at the location of the magic rune formation. The sight before him startled him: the ground looked as if it had been corroded by a strong acid, and the original magic rune formation had been nearly completely destroyed.

Orcus' heart sank, realizing the situation was dire. Although he had the materials needed to rearrange the magic circle, now was not the best time to act—the terrifying giant snake could return at any moment.

Just when Orcus decided to go back to the cave to meet up with everyone, he suddenly saw a huge red figure slowly swimming out from the depths of the cave.

The elves outside the cave nervously awaited Orcus's return, eager to know what was happening inside. When the massive red figure appeared at the cave entrance, a terrified Phyllis nearly screamed.

"Don't panic, retreat slowly, and don't turn around and run!" Phyllis ordered calmly. She knew that facing such a powerful monster, panicking would only put her in a desperate situation.

The giant red snake's movements appeared slow, but in reality, it was gradually approaching the cave's exit. As the distance closed, Caesars finally got a clear view of the snake. Its body was immense, even thicker than he was. Every movement caused the ground to tremble slightly, sending chills down his spine.

The giant snake resembled a mutated black demon snake, over a meter thick, covered in crimson scales, its golden eyes gleaming with wisdom. Its blood-red tongue flickered in and out, catching a familiar scent.

When the giant snake swam out of the cave, its head suddenly stood up six or seven meters high, and its forked tongue stretched out, determining the source of the smell.

Okus was originally a shadow dancer. At this moment, he was sneaking around, observing the giant snake that was acting strangely. He didn't dare to rush out directly, because he knew he was no match for the giant snake.

Caesars was retreating cautiously. He was only eight years old, and his strides were small, so he couldn't keep up with the retreating elves. He became the last one in the group and looked a little lonely.

The giant snake opened its mouth slightly, but without showing its fangs, it looked like a smile of surprise. The elves accelerated their retreat, but Caesars stopped. He had seen this expression on the giant snake too many times.

"Kaissa, retreat!"

Phyllis was a little anxious. Caesars was more than ten meters away from the elf, and the giant red snake was only more than ten meters away from him.

"Ms. Phyllis, I'm fine, please step back!"

Caesars looked at the giant snake in front of him, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and he waved his chubby little hand gently, as if summoning something.

"rustle!"

Along with the sound of scales rubbing against the ground, the huge red snake body began to move slowly. The scales on its body flashed with mysterious light, which made people marvel.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the crimson giant snake lowered its head, as if in awe of Caesars. It swam slowly, each step being extremely cautious, fearing to disturb its mysterious little master.

It came in front of Kaisas and gently placed its head on the ground. Kaisas reached out and stroked the giant snake's head, feeling its cold and hard scales.

The giant snake stretched out its tongue and gently licked Caesar's face, as if expressing friendliness and affection to him.

"Damn it, you drooled all over my face!"

The sound of "crackling, crackling" continued to be heard, and Caesars's small hands slapped the giant snake's head hard.

The elves were filled with fear and surprise when they saw this scene. They had never imagined that such a young child would whip the giant snake.

What surprised the elves even more was that the giant snake actually pressed its head to the ground, showing no sign of resistance. It even had an expression of enjoyment, as if being spanked by Caesars was an incomparable pleasure.

"Go back and eat your black snake. Don't come out and scare people!"

Kaisas frowned and shouted at the giant snake. There was a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone. The giant snake's saliva was sticky and had a very fishy smell.

The giant snake seemed to understand what Caesar meant. It gently rubbed its huge head against Caesar, then slowly turned and swam towards the deep cave. When the elves thought the danger was over, the giant snake suddenly swung its tail and whipped Orcus, who was sneaking, away.

Fortunately, the giant snake didn't attack Orcus again, disappearing leisurely into the darkness of the cavern. After Orcus regained his footing, he immediately lifted his magic robe, revealing a red patch around his waist. If he weren't so strong, he'd probably have had several ribs broken.

"Kaisas, drink the powerful antidote quickly. This giant snake's saliva is also poisonous!"

Orcus shouted anxiously, and quickly took out a bottle of healing potion and drank it all. Although his bones were not broken, the pain in his flesh was unbearable.

"Lord Orcus, its venom has no effect on me!" Caesar responded.

"How is this possible?"

Orcus and the other elves were very confused. They couldn't understand why the giant snake's venom had no effect on Kaesus.

"Lord Orcus, I was bitten by a black demon snake when I was a child. I just felt a little itchy in the wound, but I didn't have any symptoms of poisoning!"

"Let's go up first. Caesars, when we get back, give me a drop of blood so I can test it!"

The expedition team began to return along the same route. After more than an hour, they finally reached the surface. Caesars was exhausted and sweating. Now he lay on the thick animal skin, not wanting to move at all. If he could, he would lie there all day.

After a quarter of an hour's rest, Caesars was lifted up by Phyllis. After such intense exercise, he couldn't lie down for too long; he needed some relaxing exercises. The elves prepared to pick some herbs. Although there were medicinal fields in the crater, they couldn't return empty-handed today.

"Kaissa, you go at the front of the group and pick the high-quality herbs you recognize. The herbs you pick will be yours, and you can also ask Orcus to refine them into potions for you."

Phyllis took out a small medicine hoe and handed it to Caesars. The little guy was delighted and temporarily forgot his physical fatigue. He walked quickly to the front of the expedition team.

"Phyllis, this little guy probably has never dug herbs before. He doesn't even wear gloves for picking herbs. I guess they don't have soft leather gloves like these. Follow him and teach him how to dig herbs. Many herbs have a long growth cycle, so be sure not to damage them!"

"Okay, Ocus. I'll take good care of this little fellow," Phyllis replied with a smile. She watched Caesars excitedly run to the front of the group, and a sense of relief welled up in her heart. This little fellow had a strong interest in herbal medicine, which was also a way to earn resources for cultivation.

Phyllis quickly caught up with Caesars and walked side by side with him. She noticed that Caesars was holding the small medicine hoe tightly in his hand, with an expectant light in his eyes.

"Kaisas, put on this pair of herb-picking gloves. This is what I used before, and now it belongs to you. You must observe the surrounding environment carefully and look for places that look different and may hide precious herbs. Then, use your herb hoe to gently dig the roots, and try not to damage the rhizomes of the herbs. Remember, some herbs need special treatment because they are very fragile." Phyllis patiently taught Kaisas.

Caesars nodded earnestly, listening intently to Phyllis's instructions, his eyes constantly scanning the surroundings. Soon, he discovered a seemingly ordinary, but in fact rare, golden ginseng. Carefully, he knelt down and gently dug the soil with a small hoe. The golden ginseng's roots were quite deep, making it more difficult to extract.

"Wow, I did it!" After a long time, Caesars jumped up with joy, and the golden ginseng covered with mud was dug out by him.

"Well done, Caesars. Keep up the focus and attentiveness, and you will definitely find more herbs," Phyllis encouraged.

Over time, Caesars became increasingly skilled at picking herbs under Phyllis's guidance. Together, they explored this mysterious land and discovered many precious medicinal herbs. Each successful harvest filled Caesars with a sense of accomplishment, while Phyllis silently watched over him, ensuring his safety.

As the sun gradually set, the expedition concluded its day's work. Everyone returned to the crater laden with a bountiful harvest. Kaisas, clutching the herbs he had gathered, beamed with pride. He knew these herbs were not only the fruits of his labor but also a valuable asset for his future studies in herbal medicine.

After returning to the crater, Phyllis helped Caesar sort and classify the herbs he had picked. She told Caesar the properties and uses of each herb and reminded him how to properly preserve these precious resources.

"Thank you, Ms. Phyllis. I learned a lot today!" Caesars said gratefully.

"You're welcome, Caesars." Phyllis replied with a smile.

As night fell, a bonfire burned brightly in the forest of the crater. The elves took out the fruits they had picked today and taught Kaisas survival knowledge in the jungle, including how to identify edible fruits in the forest.