Black Hearted Mage

Shortly after leaving the town, the mercenary group set foot on a broad road. Dense forests lined the road on both sides, and sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows. A gentle breeze blew, bringing fresh air and the sound of birdsong.

Along the way, they met other travelers and merchants, and they greeted each other and discussed their destinations.

The mercenaries also shared stories with Caesars, and they temporarily established a friendship.

As time went by, the sun gradually set and the sky darkened. They decided to find a suitable place to camp for the night. In a quiet clearing in the woods, they stopped and began to set up their tent.

As night fell, a bonfire burned brightly, warming them. They gathered around it, sharing food and stories. Elon told them some mysterious legends about the forest, letting everyone immerse themselves in their imaginations.

Rodman took out his small harp and strummed a cheerful melody. The music echoed in the night air, attracting nearby wildlife to listen. A plump, golden-furred squirrel perched on a nearby branch, dancing to the rhythm.

In this quiet night, they forgot their fatigue and worries and enjoyed each other's company. Although there were many unknowns waiting for them ahead, at this moment they felt an unprecedented peace.

The next morning, the mercenary team woke up early. After washing up, they began to enjoy a very simple breakfast - a piece of whole wheat bread and two slices of fresh and fragrant bacon. For adventurers living in the wild, this was already a good meal.

After breakfast, everyone packed up and prepared to enter Felwood. Although everyone had been filled with anticipation, facing this mysterious and dangerous forest, their hearts grew heavy. After all, this was no place to play around; a single misstep could cost them their lives.

Due to the influence of the magical tide, Felwood is now far more dangerous than it was ten thousand years ago. High-level magical beasts roam the forest, and poisonous insects hide beneath the fallen leaves, making bites a common sight. It's also a haven for herbs, with many precious herbs to be found here.

The land within the forest is exceptionally fertile, with black soil at least two meters thick. A warm, humid atmosphere permeates the dense woods, creating ideal conditions for the growth of high-quality herbs. As long as one can carefully avoid dangerous areas, unexpected treasures may be reaped.

However, finding precious herbs in this forest is no easy task. Not only does one need extensive knowledge of herbs, but one must also be constantly vigilant of their surroundings to avoid unexpected situations. Furthermore, the forest's complex and ever-changing terrain can easily lead to disorientation, and without sufficient experience and skill, it's easy to get stuck.

Felwood is often covered in intermittent fog, which can last from just one or two hours to as long as two weeks. When thick fog appears, Felwood is at its most dangerous.

"We are about to enter the Felwood Forest. Let's put leather leggings on the horses first!" Rodman jumped off the horse and carried Caesar down with him.

Half an hour later, the mercenary team reached the edge of the forest. The trees here were extremely dense, with almost no gaps between the treetops. Riding in such a dense forest was the only option, and even then, accidents were likely to occur.

The mercenary team members all put soft leather gaiters on their horses, and then applied repellent potion on their own legs and the horses' legs as well.

After Caesars applied the potion on himself, there was a movement in his pocket and the little golden-eyed black magic snake came out.

"Just stay in the pocket. If you move on the ground, a horse hoof will trample you to death!"

Caesars untied the linen bag, loosening it to allow the black snake's head to emerge. Rodman heard Caesars mumbling to himself and turned his head in confusion. When he saw a pair of small golden eyes, he shuddered and fear surged in his heart.

"Kaesas, is that a golden-eyed black snake in your pocket?" Rodman asked in surprise.

"Yes, a little female snake. It's less than three feet long now. This guy grows very slowly!" Caesars replied with a smile.

This little demon snake had been with Kaisas for several years, but it hadn't grown significantly. This was a bit strange for Kaisas, as most black demon snakes grew much faster.

Rodman looked at Caesar's pocket with lingering fear, recalling how he hadn't noticed the black snake on the way back yesterday. The other people, upon seeing the black snake, subconsciously stepped back, their faces filled with alarm and fear.

“Doesn’t it bite you?” Rodman asked curiously.

"No, it's very obedient. Don't worry, it won't bite you!" Caesar said confidently.

"Caesar, it won't run out, will it?" Elon asked in a low voice.

"No, it won't come out without my permission!"

Led by Rodman, the mercenary team slowly made their way deeper into the forest. At first, they could still advance slowly on horseback. But as they got deeper into the forest, the trees grew denser and denser, and more and more branches blocked the path. With no other choice, they dismounted and began walking.

"Rodman, isn't there a path in Felwood?" Caesars asked doubtfully as he carefully parted the branches. Because of his short stature, walking was the most difficult.

Rodman replied: "Yes, but it's more dangerous on the road!"

Kaesus immediately realized that the roads in Felwood were not safe, and that there might be people with ulterior motives lying in ambush along the road. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a chill.

Shortly after entering the forest, a thin layer of mist began to permeate the dense woods. This mist obscured vision, as if casting a mysterious veil over the entire forest. The mercenaries were forced to slow down their pace and observe their surroundings with vigilance.

Rodman pulled a magic compass from his backpack, checking his direction from time to time. Caesars, head bowed, searched everywhere. He knew this damp, dark environment was perfect for the growth of mist grass. If he searched diligently, he might find some precious mist grass.

Kaisas's mind moved: "High-level mana potions require ice grass, and powerful mana potions use mist grass. However, only elves can refine this kind of powerful mana potion. There is not even an alchemy formula in the outside world."

Caesars put on his herb-picking gloves and took out a small herb hoe because he found a mist grass.

"Little guy, why are you digging this kind of herb? Among our mercenary team, only Rodman knows how to dig this kind of herb. It's not worth a few silver coins, and only the Thorn Flower Trading Company will buy it!"

Elon's younger brother Evenk looked at Caesar with some curiosity. He felt that this young magician seemed to have a special interest in the mist grass.

"Magicians are poor! A low-level magic crystal costs ten gold coins. It's better to save a few silver coins. When you save enough, you can buy a magic crystal!" Kaisas smiled helplessly and explained.

"Haha, so that's how it is! Then you are such a patient guy!" Evenk said with a smile, and he understood Caesar's thoughts.

Misty grass grows in dark, damp places. Its leaves are gray-green and emit a faint fragrance. Kaisas carefully dug the roots of the misty grass out of the soil and placed them in the storage ring.

Rodman saw Caesars skillfully gathering the mist grass, and a flicker of admiration flashed in his eyes. Meanwhile, Emily, standing beside him, smiled happily; she found Caesars quite amusing.

"Little guy, you don't want to save gold coins to marry a wife too, do you?" Emily asked with a smile, and the others also laughed.

"No, no, I'm still young!" Caesars waved his hands and explained.

Hearing this, everyone laughed so hard that they fell over and started teasing the boy.

"Don't laugh so loudly, in case someone in the distance hears us. Felwood Forest is not peaceful, so please pay attention to the distance!" Rodman frowned and reminded them. He knew that in this dangerous place, any negligence could lead to fatal consequences.

The others immediately stopped laughing and became alert, carefully observing their surroundings. After all, they were in Felwood, and any slight mistake could put them in danger.

After more than an hour, the mercenary team finally reached their destination—a relatively safe open space. They decided to rest here and recover their strength.

The mist was still spreading, but it hadn't turned into a thick fog, which made the mercenaries feel a little relieved. However, they didn't let their guard down and remained on high alert. Because in a place like Felwood, even the slightest slack could bring them disaster.

The golden-eyed black snake poked its head out of its pocket and hissed a warning sound. Caesars looked around but found no danger, so he took the black snake out and let it search on its own.

The black snake was thrown into the fallen leaves by Caesars. Its slender, pitch-black body burrowed beneath them and swam swiftly to a nearby location, rustling the fallen leaves on the ground. As the leaves were constantly turned over, Caesars discovered the golden-eyed black snake fighting something.

"It's a dead leaf snake!"

Rodman whispered, "Kaesus noticed that the snake fighting the black demon snake had large, yellow-brown diamond-shaped markings of varying shades on its scales. The dead leaf snake's camouflage is so strong that if it stays still in the fallen leaves, it's difficult to spot even with a careful search."

"Hiss..."

The Black Demon Snake firmly grasped the Leaf Snake, while the Leaf Snake similarly bit the Black Demon Snake. Each side injected venom into the other's body. The two venomous snakes, of similar size, were entangled with each other.

In less than two minutes, the short and thick leaf snake became limp.

Kaisas walked over and touched the black snake's wound with some heartache. The little golden-eyed black snake had already begun to devour the leaf snake. It bit the leaf snake's head and swallowed it bit by bit.

Half a quarter of an hour later, only a small fragment of the dead leaf snake's tail remained twitching. By the time the dead leaf snake was completely swallowed, the black demon snake's body had grown thicker. Caesars carefully placed the black demon snake back into the linen bag. He also realized that many unknown dangers awaited them in this forest. They needed to be even more cautious on the rest of their journey.

"Caesar, your black snake swallowed thirty gold coins!" Elon reminded Caesar.

"It's okay. As long as this guy can find food on his own, I'll let him remind me next time. He ate such a large prey in one go. I guess he won't need to be fed for half a month!"

Kaisas knew the value of the leaf snake, a rare venomous snake that was difficult to catch because of its almost perfect camouflage.

The rarer something is, the more it's sought after by the nobility. While the hide of a leaf snake isn't large, the nobility always find ways to use it. They like to use it as the outer layer of a scabbard or a leather belt.

"Rodman, the maximum length of a leaf snake can be around two meters!"

"I once hunted a dead leaf snake that was about two and a half meters long. I sold it in Fire Maple City for 1,300 gold coins, minus the auction house's 10% handling fee."

Kaisas was a little surprised that the dead leaf snake could be sold at such a high price at the auction house. He still had a lot of things on him that needed to be sold so that he could buy more magic crystals.

"Rodman, where are the richest nobles?"

"Of course it's the nobles of Fire Maple City. Do I even need to ask? Most of the nobles of Fire Maple City have been passed down for thousands of years. They are so poor that they only have gold coins left!"

Rodman said it too bluntly. If Caesars wanted to sell his things for more gold coins, he had to go to Fire Maple City.

Soon after, the mercenary team set off again. The Felwood Forest was full of dangers, but also countless opportunities waiting for them.

At dusk, the mist was also reflected in a dim yellow color.

The mercenary team prepared to camp for the night. In a relatively spacious open space, the thick fallen leaves were cleared away and a layer of insect repellent powder containing sulfur was evenly spread on the ground.

After the mercenaries had set up their tents, a firewood pile was lit. Because the Felwood Forest was too humid, everyone was soaking wet, and they needed to dry their clothes.

"Kaisas, you don't have a staff?"

Evank, the youngest of the three brothers, suddenly asked.

"I have a staff, but the end is a little rotten, and it's a little too long for me to hold. It's a bit of a hindrance when I walk with it, so I've never taken it out!"

Caesars was only thirteen years old now, and the standard staff was five feet seven inches long, much taller than he was.

"Kaisas, take out your staff and let me see it. If it doesn't affect your use, I'll help you cut off a section of it."

Evenk offered to help, and the others also wanted to see Caesar's staff.

"That!"

As he spoke, Caesars took out his worst staff. It looked black and dingy, like a burnt, bent tree root. It looked awful, and there wasn't even a magic gem on the top.