Black Hearted Mage

Hiding in the room where the black snakes were raised, the baby secretly cried for a while, then spread out the worn but very soft animal skin in an empty iron cage. This iron cage might have once held other black snakes, but now it would become the baby's home.

The baby carefully spread the hide, trying to cover the entire bottom of the cage. Although the hide was a little worn, it still retained a certain softness, providing him with some warmth and comfort.

After the laying was completed, the baby raised his head and his eyes fell on the thick, golden-eyed black snake. It was currently coiled in the large iron cage, its black, forked tongue moving in and out continuously, as if sensing the changes in its surroundings.

Milkman knew the Black Demon Snake was a powerful adult female with a strong attack power. If he got even slightly closer, it would hiss menacingly. This made Milkman afraid to open the cage door, fearing he might be eaten by the ferocious snake.

He stood there, quietly observing the mother snake's behavior, trying to find a way to approach her and complete his task. As the seconds ticked by, Milkman began to consider how to handle the situation. Perhaps he needed to find some tool or bait to attract the mother snake's attention, then use the opportunity to place another animal skin into the cage. However, this approach also carried risks; if the mother snake was enraged, the consequences could be disastrous.

The baby grabbed the hide and went straight to the iron cage, because the food in the cage should be able to fit the hide in. The baby spread the hide flat on the floor tiles, then stretched out his chubby little hands and rolled the hide into a long strip.

The hide was a bit heavy, and the baby was too weak to hold it in. Amidst the mother snake's constant hissing, one end of the hide was stuffed in. The feeding hole was a bit small, and the baby could no longer stuff the hide roll in.

"Take it in yourself!"

The baby stepped back a few steps, and the golden-eyed black snake stopped hissing, its tongue constantly probing the animal hide. Under the baby's extremely expectant eyes, the golden-eyed black snake bit the animal hide and effortlessly dragged the animal hide roll in.

The golden-eyed black devil snake shook its head vigorously, and the animal skin roll was unfolded. It sniffed the animal skin bit by bit, and then coiled its body to hide the animal skin under its body.

The baby returned to his cage, lay flat on his back, and gradually fell asleep.

As night falls, the moonlight sprinkles on the ground like water, illuminating the darkness around it.

Milkman's stomach growled; he hadn't eaten all day. A sliver of anticipation welled up in his heart when he saw Kandel and a dozen men in leather armor walk in. They were carrying a huge iron cage, looking incredibly mysterious.

"Master Wizard, you are back! I have been hungry for a whole day! Is there anything I can eat?" The baby was lying in an empty iron cage in the breeding room. He was so hungry that his chest was sticking to his back. His body was very weak, and his voice was full of longing.

"Damn it! Those three bastards didn't even bring you food?" Kandel frowned, anger evident in his tone.

"Yes, the iron door to the second floor has been closed. I can't go up and they have never come down." The baby answered helplessly.

The great wizard immediately pulled out a bag of milky-smelling snacks from his storage ring and handed it to the baby. "Take it and eat it first. I'll teach them a lesson later!"

Milkman accepted the snack with tears of gratitude and devoured it ravenously. This was food that Kandel had prepared specially for him, all of which were expensive milk-flavored crispy cakes.

At this moment, Kandel was concerned with snake venom. He hoped to study it and develop a potent antidote. Last time, while exploring an underground ruin, he encountered several extremely difficult dark spiders. Their attacks had left him severely wounded, and he urgently needed a way to combat the venom.

The Dark Spider, also known as the Dark Demon Spider, is a large arachnid, two to three times larger than a giant forest wolf. While its venom is not particularly potent, it possesses two powerful abilities: web spray and physical attacks comparable to those of a great knight. The Dark Spider also possesses a large number of servants, each only the size of a fist, whose venom possesses both extreme toxicity and a powerful paralyzing effect. This venom can paralyze its prey for up to a month instead of immediate death. The venom sacs of the servants, along with the Dark Spiders themselves, are critically needed alchemical materials for Kandel.

This underground ruin held an irresistible allure for Kandel. It was the tomb of a great wizard from the Roman Dynasty, the predecessor of the First Roland Dynasty, and dated back nearly two thousand years. The thought that this place might hold many precious treasures and secrets beckoned Kandel to explore.

"Oh, right, there are a lot of magic rabbits and magic rats this time. Feed each snake one first!" Kandel instructed. He needed to ensure his black magic snakes had adequate food to maintain their good condition. He also hoped to increase their venom production by feeding these monsters.

"Okay, I'll feed them right away. Master Mage, the largest black magic snake needs five magic rabbits. It's about to lay eggs, so we need to feed it well!"

"I see. No wonder it's been so irritable lately. Is this animal skin used to build a nest for it?"

When the thick female snake saw so many people coming in, it stood up again, and the animal skin under it was exposed.

"It would be better to use soft hay, but there is none here, so I can only give it animal skins!"

"Go to the stable and get two bundles of soft hay. Find a blanket and some thick fur. Leave two cages here and carry the others to the next room!"

Kandel instructed the tower guards while Milkman reached the cage containing the magic rats. He expertly grabbed the rats and tossed them one by one through the feeding hole into the black snake's cage. Then Milkman grabbed a few magic rabbits and tossed them all into the golden-eyed black snake's large cage.

Kandel was very satisfied. He saw the black snake begin its fierce hunting. Capturing and hunting gave the black snake more energy.

"Take this and wear it. You can walk freely in the open areas of the North Tower. If you get hungry, go to the back of the main tower. There's free food there, and you can bring some back. If you have any questions, ask the leather-armored tower guards. And one more thing, it's best to close the door here when you sleep!"

"I understand, Master Mage!"

Kaisas took a small golden badge and saluted respectfully towards Kandel.

Kandel, dressed in a black robe, turned and left, his figure gradually disappearing into the darkness. He knew all the shameful things that happened in the alchemy tower clearly.

Soon, a guard came in with thick furs and soft blankets, and gently placed them on the ground. Another guard also came in with two large bales of hay, and also placed them on the ground.

Milkman chatted with the two for a while and asked about some things about the North Tower.

The next morning, before daybreak, Caesars was already dressed and ready to start the day. He climbed the wooden ladder to the top of the enclosure and carefully opened the three ventilation holes one by one, letting fresh air in. He then opened the small hole in the metal door to ensure good air circulation.

The thick, dark female snake lay quietly on the haystack, its eyes closed, seemingly in deep sleep. Caesars didn't bother disturbing it, but quietly walked outside. He hurriedly washed his face, tidied himself, and then impatiently headed out of the alchemy tower.

The Alchemy Tower was only about two hundred meters away from the main tower, and a smooth stone path led to the main tower. This path was over three meters wide, and only guards in leather armor could be seen along the path; not a single person in a robe was visible.

Behind the main tower, there was a large gray-black stone house. Before the baby in short clothes walked in, he smelled the aroma of food. The tempting aroma made him even hungrier.

In the spacious hall of the stone house, there were two long dining tables. Opposite the tables was a tall wooden counter, on which were placed two large baskets of golden bread and two wooden barrels.

"I want a piece of bread and a glass of water!"

The person sitting at the counter was a little confused. He only heard voices but didn't see any figure.

"Asshole, who dares to use stealth here in Melissa?"

A gruff voice came from behind the counter.

"I don't know how to sneak. You can see me if you stick your body out!"

Blackrock City is a mercenary city, and the young baby had long heard of stealth, which is a skill exclusive to assassins.

A large head with gray skin and two small fangs protruded from its mouth and stuck out from the counter, which startled the baby. The other party seemed to be a northern ogre, with four or five thick braids on his head.

"Oh my God, you're so tiny! These damn magicians are so shameless, they actually let such a tiny child do the work! You should drink more milk and eat more bread, and I'll give you a piece of bacon. Come in and have breakfast with Melissa!"

The side door of the counter opened, and Milkman walked in timidly. Melissa was a female ogre, her petite body already over three meters tall.

A big hand lifted the baby onto the big wooden table. The wooden table was too high and he couldn't reach it even when he stood on a chair.

"You are too young, you should sit at the table and eat!"

A large loaf of bread was placed on the plate, along with a large cup of hot milk and a large piece of fresh and fragrant bacon. This breakfast was quite filling, but it also gave the baby a hard time.

“That’s a lot of breakfast, I can’t eat such a big portion!

"Just eat, and take away what you can't finish. I'm only making breakfast, and I have to practice martial arts soon. There's no lunch or dinner here!"

"Don't those wizard masters come here to eat?"

"This is where the tower guards eat. Those magicians don't come here. They eat in the tower!"

Melissa looked at the baby as she spoke, and even stopped chewing the bread in her mouth. She looked at the baby in confusion, and then swallowed the food in her mouth.

"Are you also a guard of the tower?"

"No, I'm the snake keeper at the Alchemy Tower!"

"Snake breeder? You're really brave. Do you know how many people have died in the Alchemy Tower in the past ten years?"

The burly Melissa widened her eyes and looked at the baby in disbelief.

"I heard it was eleven!"

"Eleven died this year. In the past ten years, almost two hundred people have died in the Alchemy Tower. Even a mid-level wizard died in the Alchemy Tower. He was a student of Master Kandel!"

Melissa spoke gruffly, seemingly unconcerned about being overheard. Milkman was shocked that so many people had died in the Alchemy Tower.

"Did he also die from a snake bite?"

"No, he was poisoned by another student of Master Kandel. The murderer secretly copied the man's room key and smeared several colorless and odorless liquids in his residence. This is the terrifying thing about alchemists. A single liquid is harmless, but once two liquids meet, they immediately become deadly poisons. The Alchemy Tower has many poisonous creatures, and the black snake is just one of them!"

"So this is ah!"

As Milkman spoke, he touched the key in his pocket. He suddenly felt that it was not safe to keep the key in his pocket.

"Little kid, eat quickly, and take a piece of bread back after you finish. Those guards usually don't eat here, but they will come here to take away the bread. If you don't take it, it will be gone soon!"

"The guard just took the whole basket of bread?"

"Well, the guards' quarters are to the east. They don't make breakfast. Lunch and dinner are prepared by the chefs in the tower. When I'm not here, you can go to the tower for breakfast. Others may not be able to, but you definitely can, because you are Lord Kandel's man. The Grand Alchemist is one of the three giants of the Northland Tower, and everyone here has to give him face!"

Melissa ate her breakfast quickly, barely chewing her food before swallowing it whole. In just a few moments, she had consumed five loaves of bread, a glass of hot milk, and a large plate of bacon.

"Little guy, you can eat slowly, I have to go exercise!"

Melissa, a heavyset woman, stood up and pulled out a suit of weighted leather armor filled with steel rods. Milkman watched curiously, wondering where she had hidden them.

“Melissa, where did you get so many things?”

"They were taken from my storage ring!"

Melissa stretched out her large, fan-like hand and pointed at a necklace hanging around her neck, which indeed contained a metal ring.

Melissa hurriedly put on her weighted leather armor, then took out a heavy steel shield and a northern-style one-handed axe.

"How much do they weigh together?"

"Over 300 pounds, no more talk, I'm going to go exercise!"

In the baby's surprised eyes, Melissa waved the battle axe in her hand and hurried out of the stone house.

The baby got a lot of information from the brief conversation just now. The people who died from snake bites were only a small part.

Milkman ate a small portion of the rich, milky bread and drank a large glass of milk. The bread here was much better than in Black Rock City, a soft, whole-wheat loaf. The bread in Black Rock City was hard and irritating, mixed with sawdust and other debris.

Before leaving, Milkman took another large loaf of bread.