Black Hearted Mage

The jungle deer sizzled over the charcoal, emitting a tantalizing aroma. Elon expertly flipped the meat, ensuring it was evenly cooked on all sides. Judging by the color and aroma of the meat, his cooking skills were indeed quite impressive.

The mercenary team members emerged from their respective tents, and without waiting for Elon's instructions, they tacitly began to pack up their equipment. Magic steel traps, alloy hooks, and other tools were carefully stored away for future use.

Caesars carefully placed the little black snake into his pocket. The other team members were afraid of the black snake, but Caesars was very calm. He sat by the charcoal fire, took out a piece of bread, and toasted it on the charcoal fire. This made the bread softer and emitted a unique aroma.

When the rest of the team finished their work, they too gathered around the charcoal fire. The Luke brothers, with their thick beards, looked quite weathered. They were both heavy drinkers, and every morning they would have a few sips of wine before starting the day.

"Caesars, come and have a taste!" Luke enthusiastically handed his wine jug to Caesars and tried to tease him.

However, Caesars shook his head firmly: "Uncle Luke, I'm still too young to drink now!"

Luke smiled disapprovingly: "Don't say that, kid, you're already thirteen years old. When I was your age, I already learned to drink secretly!"

"Uncle Luke, I'm a magician, and I'm not very strong. I really can't drink now."

"Luke, stop teasing Caesars and have breakfast quickly. We have to leave as soon as possible!" Elon was a little dissatisfied with Luke's behavior and said a few words on the side.

"Brother Elon, we don't need to be so anxious, right?"

"We killed the people from the Saint Laurent Mercenary Group. They will come looking for us sooner or later. It never hurts to leave early!

The Saint Laurent Mercenary Group relied on their large numbers and was notoriously tyrannical and unreasonable in the mercenary world. As an old mercenary, Luke certainly knew this.

The mercenary team was eating breakfast. Elon looked up at the sky through the gaps in the treetops. The clouds seemed to be getting thicker.

"When we set off, everyone should prepare their waterproof cloaks, as it looks like it's going to rain.

"The Felwood Forest is already humid, and it's easy for water to accumulate when it rains. Not to mention people, even horses have difficulty walking!" Luke said with a frown. As an experienced old mercenary, he knew very well what the Felwood Forest would look like after the rain.

"Yes, then the whole forest will become muddy, and there may even be some swamps." Lu Luo agreed.

"As long as we speed up, we can reach the edge of the forest before noon. The terrain there is high and there will be no water accumulation!" Elon said confidently, holding a piece of fragrant roasted venison in his hand and eating it with relish.

"Yes, we are now in the southern part of Felwood. If we speed up, we will reach the foot of the high mountains in the south in two or three hours!" Luke said, putting away the wine flask in his hand, and then eating the roasted venison in big mouthfuls. His mouth was full and his speech was a little unclear.

"And the further south we go, the thinner the forest will become, so we should be able to reach the foot of the mountain in two or three hours. There are caves dug by mercenaries there, so we don't have to sleep in tents today and can have a good rest." Elon added with a hint of anticipation on his face.

Half a quarter of an hour later, the simple breakfast was over, and the mercenary team immediately set off. The dark clouds in the sky were gradually thickening, indicating that this was not a short-term rain.

Horses' hooves trampled the flowers and mushrooms in the dense forest, and no one cared about the trampled herbs. After a heavy rain, the muddy Felwood was just a small matter. If the rainfall was heavy enough, large swamps would form in the forest, these swamps varied in depth.

The forest is at its most dangerous at this time. Once a horse's hooves get stuck in the shallow swamp, it becomes very difficult to get out. If you mistakenly enter the deep water area of ​​the swamp, you can only leave it to fate.

The forest was shrouded in dark clouds, a stillness far greater than at night. The chirping of insects and birds had vanished, and Caesars could only hear the clatter of horses' hooves. The foolish birds of Felwood—the Chocobos—no longer hunted for insects. They stood motionless, disguised as rotten tree stumps.

A trace of doubt welled up in Kaesus' heart. He realized that the true master of Felwood seemed to have had a premonition of the coming rain. He looked up at the sky and saw that the thick, dark clouds began to roll, like the roar of a huge monster, foreshadowing the arrival of a fierce storm.

An hour passed, and the mercenary team continued to move forward. The forest gradually became sparser, and a gentle breeze began to blow through the vast woods, blowing up countless withered yellow leaves, which danced in the air like butterflies.

As time went on, the wind grew stronger, and the surging clouds pressed lower and lower, giving people a heavy feeling. Scattered raindrops began to fall, carrying a slight coolness from the sky and the breath of autumn.

In the southern regions of Roland Continent, snowflakes are rare, even in the cold winter. However, rainfall is quite abundant. Spring and autumn are the seasons with the most rainfall, and judging by the climate of Felwood, the rainy season is about to begin.

The raindrops in the sky gradually became denser, and a thin layer of rain mist filled the sky above Felwood Forest. After being blown away by the wind, the rain mist quickly gathered together again.

"Everyone, put on your waterproof cloaks quickly. It looks like the rain won't stop any time!" Elon shouted at the top of his voice while riding on horseback.

The mercenary team's marching speed slowed down significantly. Everyone could feel the cold raindrops hitting their bodies and began to wear waterproof cloaks.

After passing through the forest rustling in the cold wind, the view became wider as the withered yellow leaves were blown away by the strong wind. Looking due south, you can vaguely see a towering mountain - Yellowstone Mountain, which is the southern border of Felwood Forest.

Many precious herbs grow on Yellowstone Mountain, but because the mountain is too steep, very few mercenaries dare to climb it.

Yellowstone is a relatively hard rock with a yellow-brown appearance, similar to the color of rust. Another special feature of this stone is that its surface slowly peels away over time, leaving newly exposed edges that are very sharp.

The forest became very sparse, and the horses began to run quickly. The brown mountain was not far ahead, so high that you had to look up to see it.

A quarter of an hour later, the rain and fog became denser, and the mercenary team successfully reached the foot of the mountain. The yellow-brown ground here was slightly hard, formed by the weathering and shedding of Yellowstone.

The mercenary team didn't stop, they continued eastward along the Yellowstone Mountains. The cave that Elon mentioned was still more than ten miles away, and less than two hundred miles away from the Whispering Wind Canyon.

Another quarter of an hour later, the mercenary team arrived at their destination. Their boots and bodies were soaked. The waterproof cloaks could block the raindrops, but they couldn't block the moisture.

"There are three caves in total. You can pick any one you want. But be careful when you go in. There might be poisonous snakes inside!"

The three stone caves are close to each other. One of the caves has a larger entrance and is also very spacious inside. There is even a row of horse hitching posts.

After entering the cave, the Luke brothers and the Elon brothers took off their wallets and clothes, and then took off their boots. The stench of sweat and foot odor filled the cave, and the smell made Caesars feel nauseous.

The five of them were busy, barefoot and shirtless, bringing the horses in and building a fire to dry their clothes and boots.

"I won't stay with you guys anymore. This smell gives me a headache. I'm going to live in a cave by myself!"

Caesars walked quickly outside, and the five people in the cave laughed loudly.

Caesars arrived at another cave. Because the entrance was small, it was extremely dark. Even after using the illumination technique, he still couldn't see clearly some areas. He took out the little black snake and let it go in to explore.

Suddenly, a shrill scream was heard from the cave. Caesar was very familiar with this sound. It was the terrified cry of the demon rat.

As the illumination spell was cast again, a fat demon rat was twitching on the ground in the corner of the cave. The little black demon snake waited quietly on the side, its heart waiting for its food to stop beating.

The cave was very small, with obvious signs of excavation, and it couldn't even fit a larger tent. Fortunately, the ground was clean, without much dust or debris.

Kaisas looked at the small space, feeling somewhat helpless, but decided to rest here for the night. He took out the animal hide tent from his storage ring and slowly set it up.

Although this place was very simple, it was much better than smelling the stinky feet. Caesars thought, at least he could get a good night's sleep.

Then he took out some firewood and prepared to make a fire to keep warm. After all, his robe and boots were soaked, and it was not very comfortable to wear them wet.

Caesar cast a small fireball spell and threw it onto the pile of firewood, which quickly ignited the dry wood. The fire gradually grew larger, and a warm atmosphere filled the cave.

He placed his robe and boots by the fire, hoping to dry them quickly, and at the same time he took out some food, including bread, sausages and a green fruit.

He had found this fruit in the crater. It was sweet with a hint of sourness and rich in magical elements. Eating it quickly restored magic power. Elves loved this fruit, and it was also a resource for their cultivation. Caesars could claim ten of them each month.

At this moment, Caesar noticed the small golden-eyed black snake next to him. The snake opened its mouth towards the magic rat, as if it was ready to eat.

The demon rat looked very fat, about twice as big as the ones raised in the crater. This reminded Caesar of the crater, the elves, and the two Ludwigs at home.

After a simple lunch, Caesars retreated into the tent. The mercenary team would not continue their journey in the afternoon as they needed to wait for Rodman to arrive.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, in the Saint Laurent Church, a towering magic tower stood in the heart of the city. A swift eagle landed atop the tower, bearing two small packages. These contained metal fragments recovered from the explosion site, which were carefully delivered to the church's alchemy laboratory.

Several magicians gathered around a lab table, intently studying the metal fragments. They noticed that the fragments were engraved with complex magic patterns, but they were incomplete. One of the magicians picked up a fragment and carefully examined the magic patterns on it, trying to find a clue.

"These magic patterns look somewhat familiar..." said another magician, "but we still can't determine its purpose."

They began to try to piece the fragments together with alchemical glue, hoping to restore the complete magic pattern. However, after some effort, they only managed to piece together about one-third of the magic pattern.

"Damn it! The elves' alchemical bombs are too powerful, causing these fragments to be severely damaged!" An old magic pattern master slammed the table angrily. "We can't piece together a complete magic pattern at all!"

The other magicians nodded in agreement. They were frustrated and confused, because these magic patterns might be the key to unlocking the secrets of the elves.

"What about the fragments of the magic arrows? Have you found any useful clues?" asked the old magic pattern master.

"No, the arrowheads have shattered into tiny pieces and can't be pieced together," another magician replied. "The elves use disposable magic patterns on their irretrievable magic arrows. When the arrows hit the target, the magic patterns on the arrows will explode and be destroyed!"

The old magic pattern master sighed helplessly and angrily threw the fragment in his hand into the magic furnace. However, the moment he threw it in, he suddenly realized his mistake.

"No! Wait! What did I just do?" he cried in horror.

But it was too late. The fragments quickly melted into a pool of hot liquid metal. The old magic pattern master looked at the furnace in frustration, knowing that he had lost the ability to detect the material of the magic arrow.

"Well, now we're really in trouble," he muttered to himself. "We must find more clues, otherwise the secret of the elves' magic arrows will never be solved."

The other magicians looked at the old engraver silently, their hearts filled with worry. They knew that this incident posed a great danger. Elves were not a race to be trifled with. Humans who entered their territory would be mercilessly killed without exception.

The little black snake coiled its dark body, its golden eyes closed, quietly guarding the front of the tent. Caesars was rummaging through the tent for the storage ring, which was the trophy from killing the magician the night before. He couldn't let the other members of the mercenary team know about it.