Black Hearted Mage

It was a dark and windy night, and everything was silent. There was only a bright moon hanging high in the sky, casting its cool light and illuminating the quiet town below.

Rodman and Caesars swiftly climbed over the city wall and entered the city without being noticed by the guards. Their figures moved swiftly through the darkness like ghosts.

In the pitch darkness, Rodman led Caesars into a quiet courtyard. The air was filled with a foul odor, like the smell of decay, mixed with the pungent odor of a sewer, and even a hint of the stench of feces. The smell was nauseating and made Caesars feel unwell.

In the dim light, Caesars could clearly see several simple stone houses within the courtyard. Snoring echoed from within, echoing as if the residents were exhausted and deep in sleep. Next to the courtyard wall stood a simple stable, essentially a thatched shed supported by a few stout wooden stakes.

Rodman walked straight to the westernmost hut and gently pushed open the flimsy wooden door. He glanced back at Caesars and said, "Come in and sit wherever you want. I prefer living in a stone hut by myself, not in a large house with so many other people."

Entering Rodman's room, the scene inside was surprisingly neat. Although the floor was uneven, it was swept spotlessly. The room contained a small wooden bed, a small, exquisite desk, and two comfortable chairs.

"Rodman, there's fragrant silk grass in your room!"

Kaisus was somewhat surprised, for he knew the fragrance of the safflower could dispel other odors. This scent made him feel comfortable and relaxed. As for the elves, they especially liked to weave safflower into thick mats and spread them in their tree houses.

"Well, there is a straw mat made of fragrant silk grass on the bed. It was woven by my father himself. It's a pity that I don't have such skills." Rodman said with a smile.

Then, he began to tell Caesar about the mercenary team: "We are actually an exploration team. Normally, we don't accept missions that require hunting monsters. We are more focused on exploring ancient tombs and picking some high-quality herbs. Some herbs often grow in very dangerous places, so they are also very expensive."

Caesars nodded in understanding. He then began to introduce the members of the mercenary team in detail. Each one had a different personality and hobbies, but they were all experienced and powerful adventurers.

As the sun gradually rose, the snoring in the yard gradually faded away. A few sleepy figures yawned and slowly appeared in the yard.

The two bearded men were the Luke brothers, both high-ranking warriors, and the loudest snorers. The older brother, Luke, was slightly older, while the younger brother, Lulo, was slightly younger. Despite the age difference, their snoring was equally matched.

Immediately afterwards, three more men emerged from the stone house. These were the three archers in the team. They hadn't even had time to don their equipment yet. The oldest of the three was named Elon. He was sturdy and muscular, looking around fifty years old. There were also two younger members, Elon's younger brothers.

The last to emerge were a pair of sisters. Both were high-level Swift Wind Warriors, wearing perfectly fitted leather armor and each with two sharp daggers hanging from their waists. They were responsible for scouting the entire expedition team.

"Everyone come here, let me introduce you. This is our new teammate Caesars, a low-level magician who has just been promoted." Rodman said.

"Oh my god, there will be magicians in our expedition team. Which angel sister opened her eyes? Rodman, you didn't kidnap him, did you?"

Elon walked over quickly with an expression of disbelief on his face. As he spoke, he carefully looked at the young magician in front of him. His eyes were like those of a precious work of art, full of curiosity and anticipation.

Elon's two younger brothers followed him, equally curious about Caesars, their eyes never leaving him. They wondered: What kind of abilities did this young man possess to become a magician and join their expedition?

Facing everyone's curiosity and confusion, Rodman smiled and explained: "Haha, stop guessing. He was introduced by an old friend of mine. He is still young, and his elders are worried that he will learn bad things in the mercenary group. So let me take him for a few years and learn how to survive in the mercenary world." After that, Rodman gently patted Caesar's shoulder to show encouragement.

Hearing this, Elon's eyes flashed with a sly gleam. He deliberately teased, "Rodman, you've got such a good thing. His elder must be a high-level magician, right?"

His indirect questioning was clearly intended to elicit more information about Caesars' background from Rodman. However, Rodman didn't directly answer his question, but simply rolled his eyes, indicating that he wasn't willing to reveal too much.

"You damn bastards, there's eye boogers in the corners of your eyes and saliva marks on your mouths. Go wash up quickly and don't scare our magician away!"

Seeing several people with greasy faces approaching, Rodman frowned and waved his hand to drive them away.

Kaisas watched them leave, his heart filled with curiosity. He couldn't imagine what these mercenaries had experienced to be so casual.

"Kaisas, don't be surprised. When mercenaries are out in the wild, they often can't wash themselves due to lack of drinking water. They've become accustomed to it!"

Rodman looked at Caesar's expression and smiled helplessly.

"Rodman, can't you bring more water?" Caesar frowned and asked in confusion.

"Little guy, what we are wearing are low-level storage rings, not space rings, and the capacity is very limited. We need to carry tents, sleeping bags, waterproof cloaks, five or six sets of spare clothes, and a large amount of food. In addition to weapons and equipment, we also need to carry fodder for feeding horses. The remaining space can only carry very limited clean water!" Rodman explained with a wry smile.

Only then did Caesars understand that mercenaries also faced many inconveniences living in the wild. He couldn't help but admire the mercenaries' tenacity and adaptability.

Caesars understood. He didn't have a spatial ring anymore, but he did have several storage rings. However, he knew the importance of not showing off one's wealth. His storage ring contained only ordinary items: a cheap staff, a few bottles of low-level alchemical potions, several bottles of potent poisons and undead rot, a few changes of clothing, and so on. His more important items were in another storage ring, tied to a hide rope and hung around his neck.

"Rodman, when are we going to go exploring?"

Kaisas yearns for a free life and also yearns to learn more survival knowledge.

"We'll set off this afternoon. This time we're going to the Gravel Kingdom to pick herbs. That's the Black Stone Kingdom from long ago!"

Caesars knew of the Blackstone Kingdom. It had once been a fertile land, but as the Blackstone Mountains were mined, the once fertile land became barren, and the prosperous kingdom eventually came to an end. Although it was now known as the Kingdom of Gravel, it no longer had many people.

"Are we going to pick ice grass?" asked Caesars.

The Gravel Kingdom is rich in ice grass, but the ice grass that can be seen now grows in very steep places. The Gravel Kingdom also produces mongoose grass and sun grass, which are the main ingredients for high-level alchemical potions.

"Ice and snow grass is very popular now. All major magical forces are competing to buy it, and the price is not low. Each plant can be sold for three to five gold coins. The only ones who can refine mongoose potion are the Thorn Flower Company and the Northland Tower." Rodman continued.

"Is there any danger in our trip to the Gravel Kingdom to collect herbs this time?" Kaisas asked anxiously.

"There is definitely danger, but it's not because of the steepness of the mountain, but because of the other mercenaries. If someone attacks us, you just need to protect yourself, and leave the rest to me." Rodman said seriously.

"I understand!" Caesar nodded to show that he understood.

After washing up, the mercenary team began to get busy. They needed to buy enough dry food, grass and grains to feed the horses. They also needed to prepare plenty of drinking water and some necessary alchemical potions.

Caesars had prepared all these things before leaving the crater. While the others were out shopping, he sat in Rodman's room, carefully reading the travelogue.

He found the section about the Stonebreak Kingdom in the travelogue's catalog and was filled with curiosity. He knew that the journey from the Kingdom of Thornflowers to the Stonebreak Kingdom was long, requiring him to cross the Felwood Forest and pass through two or three small kingdoms.

The book contains a particularly fascinating account: The city of Stonehenge, located north of Felwood, was once renowned for selling counterfeit goods. However, this despicable behavior angered a powerful being. It is said that this powerful being completely destroyed the city's walls in just half an hour. Without the sturdy stone walls as a barrier, Stonehenge began to suffer frequent attacks from magical beasts, ultimately forcing the city to be abandoned.

The southern wall of the Stonehenge City consisted of two naturally formed, long, strip-shaped rocks, about sixty to seventy meters above ground level and more than twenty meters wide. Each rock was three to four hundred meters long, with a city gate built between them.

Caesars was a little confused: such a strong city wall could be destroyed by someone, how powerful must that strong man be?

Soon after, the mercenary team returned. Elon and his two younger brothers were cleaning the courtyard of the three brothers' home. They would be away for several months, and they needed to clean up the debris and horse manure.

"Rodman, why don't you go and help?"

The other members of the mercenary team were chatting and watching the three Elon brothers busying themselves, and none of them had any intention of going up to help.

"Little guy, they charged us one gold coin per person per month for accommodation. If they hadn't charged us this one gold coin, we would have been obliged to go up and help. But after they charged us for accommodation, it's different now. Cleaning the yard has become their job!"

As the bearded Luke spoke, he took out a wine flask and took a small sip. He squinted his eyes, seeming to enjoy this moment of leisure.

"Then I will have to pay a gold coin in the future!" Caesar blinked and said in surprise.

"That's for sure. The three of them are saving gold coins to marry wives!" Luke replied with a smile, a hint of ridicule in his eyes.

"It's a bit confusing for three of them to marry one wife!" Caesars said without thinking, completely unaware of how shocking his words were.

As soon as these words were spoken, there was a burst of laughter. Everyone was laughing so hard that they fell backwards, and some people even laughed until tears came out.

Luke, who was drinking, choked and coughed non-stop, his face flushed red. He finally managed to catch his breath and stared at Caesar with wide eyes.

"Don't talk nonsense, you bastard!"

Elon, who was busy cleaning, also heard Caesar's words and suddenly became very embarrassed. He quickly stopped what he was doing and explained loudly, "That's not the case! We just want to save money to marry a wife, one for each of us!" His voice was filled with anxiety and helplessness, and he was obviously very troubled by this misunderstanding.

After hearing this, Caesars showed an expression of sudden enlightenment. He scratched his head and smiled sheepishly: "So that's how it is. I thought... Hey, sorry!"

Elon breathed a sigh of relief and resumed cleaning the yard. The three brothers were from this small town, and if this matter got out, they would have no chance of finding wives.

The others continued to drink and chat, occasionally bursting into laughter. This little episode made everyone feel more relaxed and cheerful, and the originally quiet courtyard was filled with vitality and energy.

After a simple lunch, the mercenary team prepared to set off. The sturdy horses were led out of the yard, the doors and windows were closed, and the gate was locked by Elon. He exchanged a few words with a familiar neighbor and also handed him a bottle of rye.

"Rodman, why did Elon give him a bottle of wine?"

Caesar was a little curious. The three Elon brothers wanted to save gold coins to marry wives, but now they gave someone a bottle of wine.

"Now that we're gone, this yard will be empty. Elon wants the neighbors to keep an eye on the house for him. It's no use talking without any hands. A bottle of cheap rye is enough to be convincing!" Rodman explained to Caesars.

Caesars also understood something: asking for help also comes at a price.

Because the streets of the small town were too narrow and crowded, the mercenary team could only lead their horses and walk out of the city. Along the way, the three Elon brothers greeted acquaintances.

Caesars sat on Rodman's horse, looking around as he slowly left the town. He knew that this adventure might be dangerous, but he also looked forward to gaining more.