Black Hearted Mage

This magician from the Saint Laurent Mercenary Group was definitely a real fat sheep. Caesars looked at the collection in his storage ring and couldn't help but marvel at its richness.

Inside were five chests of gold coins, a staggering amount; a small chest of mid-level magic crystals, emitting mysterious and powerful magical fluctuations; two fire magic robes, two precious magic accessories, and more than a dozen bottles of mid-level mana potions, all crucial items for improving strength. Furthermore, there was a staff of exceptional quality, clearly a high-end item. Finally, there were some spare clothes, magic notebooks, and other miscellaneous items.

Caesars was filled with excitement. He made a rough estimate and found that the magician's wealth was equivalent to the total wealth of a middle-class noble.

However, when he looked at the magic badge, he was stunned. There was only one star on the magic badge, but it was the badge of the Roland Empire Magic Guild, a low-level magician's badge.

"A traitor to the magic guild!"

Caesar cursed under his breath, knowing that if such a person was discovered, he would face severe punishment. He picked up the mage badge and weighed it in his hand, finding it was made of magic copper plated with a layer of gold, and it was of quite good quality.

"This thing needs to be kept. It can be used to disguise your identity!"

Kaisas decided to keep it for future use. Mages held a high status in the Roland Continent and enjoyed many privileges. With this mage badge, traveling to the Roland Empire would be very smooth.

Looking at such a huge fortune, Caesars felt that the nobles were far inferior to the mages. The latter did not need to manage territories and people, nor did they need to engage in intrigue among the nobles, yet they still possessed a large amount of wealth.

After gathering all his spoils, Caesars gently lifted the tent curtain. His gaze fell on the slightly twisted black snake in front of him.

"Hey, man, come in, it's warmer here." Caesars said softly, with a hint of kindness and gratitude in his tone.

This black snake played an indispensable role in the victory of this battle. If it had not successfully ambushed the senior archer first, it would have been difficult for Caesars to find the opportunity to complete that crucial first kill.

The archer was a high-level professional who had resistance to low-level spells. In addition, he was wearing magic-resistant magic-patterned leather armor, which made Kaisas feel more pressured when facing the enemy.

If that archer were to draw his bow and fire a magic steel arrow, it would be hard for Caesars himself to survive such an attack. After all, a low-level magic shield would be powerless against arrows fired by a high-level archer.

The black snake spit out its black tongue, as if it sensed Caesar's invitation, and slowly crawled to the tent. After entering the tent, the black snake looked a little excited. It slowly crawled under the soft animal skin blanket, as if it had found a comfortable shelter.

Caesars reached the cave entrance. The rain outside wasn't heavy, just a light drizzle, like a mist. A damp, cold wind blew, and he shivered suddenly. He hurried to the charcoal fire, put on his warm robe, and then crawled into the tent.

Inside Caesar's storage ring, there was a special piece of clothing—a fur robe prepared for him by the elves. This robe wasn't brand new, but rather a garment worn by an elf before he reached adulthood. Due to Caesar's rapid growth, new robes tailored for him often only lasted one to two years.

Yet, this old robe was truly remarkable. Made from the tough leather of the superb Warcraft Earth Dragon, it possessed exceptional physical and magical defense. However, for Kaesus now, the robe seemed a bit too large and baggy.

The elf's robe was originally covered with mysterious magic patterns, but in order to make it look more aged, Phyllis cleverly used illusion dye to re-dye the robe.

These phantom dyes are alchemical dyes, the main ingredient of which is ghost mushrooms. The alchemical formula of this magical dye is firmly controlled by the elves.

Caesars took out the thick animal-skin robe and unfolded it, revealing it to be a typical elven magic robe, similar in style to aristocratic robes. The robe had high slits on both sides, a distinctive feature of elven battle robes.

The elves had a long lifespan, so their magicians often chose to take on other professions to fill their long hours. When he saw an elven magician holding a magic bow, Kaisas was already accustomed to it.

The robe's tan hue varied in color, as if it had been immersed in rusty water for years. It was thick and soft, but the color was truly unappealing. However, it was precisely this camouflage that made it unique. Few would have guessed it was a powerful magical robe crafted from the hide of a supreme demonic beast.

The sky outside was unusually dark, making it difficult to tell whether it was afternoon or evening. Meanwhile, in the cavernous area in the other direction, the sound of snoring echoed throughout the space, clearly audible even through the thick stone walls.

Kaisas devoted himself to practicing spells on the stone wall. He continued until the magic power in his body was consumed by about half. He stopped his movements and quickly entered a meditative state similar to sleep.

The next morning, while sleeping, Caesars felt a tightness in his chest. He knew without hesitation that it was the little black snake that had landed on his chest again. Fortunately, after a few lessons, the little snake stopped licking his clothes.

"Get off me quickly! If you keep pressing on Master Caesars like this, I'm going to suffocate!"

Hearing Caesar's scolding, the little black snake quickly slithered away from him. The amount of food in its belly had noticeably shrunk, and its golden eyes stared cautiously at Caesar.

"Now that it's getting cooler outside, you can choose between a linen bag and an animal hide bag. We'll be ready to go soon!"

As Caesars spoke, he took out two pockets specially used to hold black snakes. Seeing this, the little black snake got into the softer and more comfortable animal skin pocket without any hesitation.

After leaving the cave, Caesars felt the temperature around him and found that it was lower and more humid than yesterday. He didn't need to wear thick clothes, just an ordinary robe, because he still needed to wear a waterproof cloak.

"Kaissa, pack up, we're ready to go!"

Luke, with a big beard and a smell of alcohol on his breath, shouted from outside the cave. He didn't dare to walk in rashly because he was very afraid of the golden-eyed black snake.

"Uncle Luke, I'll be right there!"

Caesars quickly packed up his tent, hung the animal skin bag on his belt, and then walked out of the cave.

"Kaisas, we thought you lived with the Wind Warriors, but you occupied a cave all by yourself. You're really brave."

"They are ladies, how can I live with them? I have black demon snakes guarding the night, so I don't have to worry about wild animals coming in!"

Facing Luke's teasing, Caesars was full of dissatisfaction. After hearing this, the two female Wind Warriors glared at Luke with anger.

"Alright, no more joking around, let's get going now. Rodman should be ahead of us, we need to hurry!"

Rodman had said at the time that he would wait for the mercenary team in Whispering Wind Canyon. Only after passing the Boulder Mountain did the route turn diagonally southeast, directly reaching Whispering Wind Canyon southeast of Felwood Forest.

"Uncle Elon, can Rodman be this fast?"

"Fast? Rodman once crossed the entire Felwood Forest and reached the Violet Alliance in just one day and one night!"

After hearing this, Caesar was very surprised, because it took almost four days to get from Felwood to the Violet Alliance, and Rodman was able to complete the journey in just one day and one night, which was really unbelievable.

"Uncle Elon, this is impossible!"

"I didn't say there was only one horse, nor did I say Rodman took a flat road. He headed west along Yellowstone Mountain, then crossed the mountains and entered the Violet Alliance. Such high mountains would be scary for others, but for Rodman, it wasn't too difficult!"

Hearing this, Caesars couldn't help but sigh: "Rodman is a legend among mercenaries!"

"Of course!" Elon said with some envy.

The mercenary team set out in the drizzle. The naturally formed gravel road at the foot of Yellowstone Mountain allowed for a quicker journey. Before noon, the road ahead had dried up, and not even a fallen leaf could be seen in the distant woods.

In the distance, smoke rose from a fire, and a figure sat by it. A horse was tied to a small tree, and some hay was on the ground.

The man was wearing leather armor, with his gray-black hair loose, and was roasting a large piece of monster meat.

"Rodman, it looks like you've been here for several hours!" Elon shouted loudly and ran over at full speed.

"Almost. I dried my clothes and took a nap!" Rodman glanced at everyone as he spoke.

Caesars looked at Rodman's face and was surprised—there wasn't even a trace of fatigue on it. At this moment, the mercenary team members dismounted, quickly took off their waterproof cloaks, and sat in a circle around the fire.

They were at the edge of Whispering Wind Canyon, and a cool, dry south wind blew in their faces, as if blowing away the cold, damp air of Felwood.

To the east of the entrance to Whispering Wind Canyon, there was an extremely flat road, a meticulously constructed trade route. This road extended eastward along the edge of Yellowstone Mountain, leading not only to multiple kingdoms but also to the far north, all the way to the Roland Empire.

The mercenary team enjoyed lunch during their break and exchanged ideas. Rodman explained that they were not far from the Gravel Kingdom, and this time he planned to lead them on a more convenient route. Once they had passed Whispering Wind Canyon, they would ascend the south side of Yellowstone Mountain.

On the south side of Yellowstone Mountain, about four or five miles east of Whispering Wind Canyon, lies a little-known, steep, and rugged trail. So hidden is this trail that only a handful of people know of its existence. Rodman learned about it because he once rescued a herbalist from the Gravel Kingdom.

At this moment, Caesars was flipping through his travelogue. He clearly remembered the many mouth-watering delicacies of the Gravel Kingdom, the most famous of which was its world-renowned puff pastry. However, for hundreds of years, the puff pastry from the Gravel Kingdom seemed to have been unavailable for sale. As he flipped to the last page of the travelogue, he discovered that his mission had a specific requirement: to purchase 100,000 kilograms of high-quality puff pastry.

Caesars frowned slightly and asked Rodman, "Rodman, I'd like to ask if there are still any soufflés for sale in the Gravel Kingdom?"

Rodman thought for a moment and replied, "They do sell it, but for some reason, the Safin family's production of soufflés isn't very high. I went there to buy some ten years ago, but I only managed to buy a little over 3,000 kilograms!"

Upon hearing this news, Caesars' heart sank. According to Rodman, he might not be able to complete this travel mission.

"Let's set off after we've rested. This time, we'll try to collect as many herbs as possible. Fire Maple City has the highest purchase price. This time, we'll take the herbs to the Roland Empire to sell."

Elon urged the team to set off. Autumn had arrived, and winter wasn't far behind. They were all from the south of Roland Continent and couldn't stand the harsh cold of the northern winter. They had to return before the snow fell.

The horses had had a good rest, and the mercenary team set out on their journey. They had already made arrangements before setting out. This time, they would let Caesars look after the horses while the eight of them went to the mountains to pick herbs.

Safin Castle is located in the easternmost part of the Gravel Kingdom. The mercenary team will come down from there. Caesars only needs to take the horses to Safin Castle.

The winds in Whispering Wind Canyon are strong, cool yet dry. This canyon was artificially carved; without it, reaching the kingdoms of the Southern Continent would require a detour of thousands of miles.

Whispering Wind Canyon was only five or six miles long, but after crossing it, Kaesus felt like he had stepped from autumn into spring. Felwood was currently experiencing its season of falling leaves, while the Stone Kingdom was still in bloom.

"Kaisas, we'll head east on foot. You can just take the horses and keep going east. Because Blackrock Mountain has shattered and collapsed, the high-quality herbs of the Stonebreak Kingdom are now all high up in the mountains. There are almost no mercenaries coming here, let alone large caravans."

Rodman gave a few instructions and led the mercenary team slowly eastward along the rocks at the foot of Yellowstone Mountain.

Caesars rode Rodman's horse, a hybrid with the blood of a forest demon horse, and the other horses trotted behind it. This black horse was not very tall, but its endurance was far superior to that of ordinary horses.