Black Hearted Mage

Young Caesars clutched his food tightly: two golden loaves of bread and half a piece of fragrant, savory cured meat. He took cautious steps, as if afraid of damaging the delicious food in his arms. He slowly entered the gray-black alchemy tower, which exuded an oppressive atmosphere.

Upon entering the hall, Caesar's gaze was immediately drawn to a corpse lying on the ground. Covered in a black cloth, it looked particularly eerie. Nearby, the great alchemist, Kandel, had a gloomy expression, seemingly in a bad mood. Furthermore, nine black-robed figures of varying ages stood quietly in a corner of the hall, their presence filling the entire space with a tense atmosphere.

"Kid, go to the back, you have nothing to do here!"

Kandel watched as Caesar remained where he was, waving his hand impatiently, signaling him to leave. The young Caesar nodded sensibly, then quickly walked toward the back of the hall. As he walked, he secretly speculated that the nine people, all wearing identical black robes, must be Kandel's students. As for the exact number of people in the alchemy tower, Caesar still had no idea.

When little Caesars left, the nine people standing in the corner all looked at his little figure with strange eyes.

Black snakes didn't need daily feeding; feeding them once every five or six days was sufficient. The largest of the snakes had already built a simple nest of hay, and Caesars speculated that it might be about to lay eggs in the next few days.

"Why did another person die in the Alchemy Tower?"

Caesars found his small hide bag and carefully placed the bread and salted meat he had just taken inside, then hung it high in the cage. This food was his daily rations, the only thing he could eat. After doing all this, he lay down to rest with peace of mind.

At that moment, a shrill scream erupted from the hall. The sound was remarkably clear in the silent alchemy tower, sending chills down one's spine. Caesar was startled, desperate to see what was happening. But thinking of the Grand Mage's majesty, he suppressed his curiosity.

Not long after, Kandel appeared at the entrance to the black snake's enclosure. Clad in a black robe, he looked mysterious and terrifying. Kandel entered the room and handed Caesars a crystal vial, instructing him to collect the black snake's venom. The largest black snake, the one with the golden eyes, would need to be handled by the Grand Mage himself.

Kaisas took the crystal bottle, wanting to see how the great magician extracted the venom. When Kandel approached the cage, the black snake inside immediately stood up and hissed.

The great magician snorted upon seeing this. He cast a spell on the iron cage, and the once aggressive golden-eyed black snake suddenly became limp and lifeless.

"Hurry up and get the poison, don't dilly-dally!"

Kandel noticed that Caesars was standing still and immediately urged him on.

"Okay, Master Mage!"

Caesars put on thick protective gloves made of two different animal skins. The two inner layers of leather were relatively soft, and the outermost leather patch was very hard, but it could only protect the back of his hands and forearms.

The twenty or so black snakes here were all very familiar to Kaisas. He was the one who fed the black snakes in Black Rock City. When he approached the iron cage, none of the black snakes hissed in warning.

He expertly opened an iron cage, knelt inside, and easily grasped the slippery, black snake's head. Gently squeezing it, he forced the black demon snake to open its mouth. As two sharp fangs extended, the crystal bottle connected. His small hand gently pressed the snake's head, and golden venom, a color somewhat like honey, dripped from each hollow fang, dripping down the sides of the crystal bottle.

One drop, two drops. When the third drop of venom dripped from the fangs, Caesars released his grip on the snake's head. Three drops of venom was the Black Demonic Snake's limit. If he forced more, the Black Demonic Snake would become sluggish, affecting its future growth.

The Great Wizard had already collected the venom and watched with great interest as Caesars extracted the venom. During the entire process of extracting the venom, each of the captured black snakes did not struggle at all, which made the Great Wizard curious.

Kaisas's speed in collecting venom was incredibly fast, even astonishing. He had already collected all the venom from the black snakes in less than a quarter of an hour. Remember, when Garlon came to collect the venom from these black snakes before, even for a low-level magician like him, it would have taken him at least an hour.

"Kaesas, why don't those black snakes attack you?" the great magician couldn't help but ask.

"I was the one who fed them before, so they are probably familiar with me," Caesars replied.

Kandel nodded in understanding. After all, as a mid-level magical beast, the black snake, while possessing a certain degree of intelligence, also retained a strong savagery and aggressiveness.

Generally speaking, this kind of cold-blooded monster is difficult to tame, so Kaisas's explanation is relatively reasonable. However, Kandel did not completely believe this explanation.

"Give me the venom. Either freeze it or put it in a storage ring. Leaving it out for too long will affect the quality of the potion. By the way, what did you do with the venom you collected in the past?"

The great magician put the venom into the storage ring and asked the young Caesar.

"We collect snake venom every ten days and send it to the Blackstone Tavern. There are people there who buy the venom!"

"Who bought Venom?"

"He's a middle-aged magician who has been buying venom, several herbs, and some minerals in Black Rock City for a long time!"

Kandel nodded thoughtfully, then turned and left. He realized that there might be other people obtaining black snake venom, and that there was most likely an alchemist behind the middle-aged magician.

At this moment, the golden-eyed black demon snake seemed somewhat languid. It lay there limply, motionless, as if its venom had been excessively drained. Caesars extended a finger, gently passed it through the hole in the iron cage, and touched its smooth, black scales. The golden-eyed black demon snake's body trembled slightly, then turned its head to look at Caesars, and then closed its eyes again.

Kaisas stood up. He knew that the black snakes here did not need to be fed for the time being because their venom had been collected. So, he decided to go out for a walk and familiarize himself with this northern tower.

After Caesars closed the iron gate, he came to the hall of the alchemy tower. He found that the body had disappeared, but there was a large bloodstain on the ground, which was not there when he entered the alchemy tower.

Two people whom Caesar had never seen before were kneeling on the ground, scrubbing the floor tiles. They were wearing short grey coats with no badges on their chests. They must be servants of the tower.

Caesars paid no attention to the two servants, carrying his small backpack as he headed towards the east side of the alchemy tower. He knew Melissa should be there now, as that was where the tower guards lived and trained.

At the edge of the six towers, a high stone wall enclosed a spacious courtyard. This courtyard was filled with a variety of flowers, plants, and trees, creating a tranquil and beautiful atmosphere. The Alchemy Tower was very close to the main tower, only about two hundred meters away, but it was quite far from the guards' quarters, requiring a walk of about five or six hundred meters.

Under the shade of the trees, you can occasionally see some idle guards. Most of the time, these guards patrol the high stone walls. The guards of the tower are all northerners, with burly builds, and they are over two meters tall.

Caesars walked through the tower's garden and arrived at another tower. Here, dozens of stone houses were lined up along the courtyard wall, and guards in leather armor were busy coming and going.

"Excuse me, is Melissa exercising here?" Caesars stopped a passing guard and asked.

The guard looked a little sleepy, as if he hadn't slept all night. He replied, "Yes, Melissa is in the southernmost stone house. But you have to be careful, she's a violent ogre!"

"Thank you so much, I will be careful!"

Kaesus saluted the guard and quickly walked towards the stone house. The guard watched the departing figure, his heart filled with confusion. Ogres and northerners had always been at odds, but only in words.

The big stone house was very lively, with many people exercising here. The ogre's tall figure was too obvious.

Caesars walked over to where Melissa was training and sat down near the weapon rack against the wall, not wanting to disturb the ogre. He surveyed the large stone house, which was filled with weapons and armor. Swords, bows and arrows, axes, hammers, spears, clubs, and other weapons were displayed.

Kaisas looked across in surprise, where there was also a burly figure sitting, a somewhat old Highland Ogre.

"Melissa, stop, come and sit down and rest!"

The old ogre's voice was so loud that Melissa, who was swinging her battle axe, stopped. She turned her head to look at Caesar and waved at him.

"Little guy, come here!"

Melissa walked towards the old ogre, dropped her weapon, and sat cross-legged on the ground. Caesars trotted over and sat down next to Melissa.

"Little guy, don't you have to work?"

"It's already done. I don't have to do any chores. I just need to take care of the black snake!"

The old ogre was wearing a fur robe and had two thick braids. He handed Melissa a water bottle and looked at Caesar with a smile.

"Black demon snakes are extremely dangerous monsters. You must have special abilities to be able to take care of them!"

"My family has raised black demon snakes for generations, and we sell them all to the tower!"

"Now that the elements of Roland Continent have changed, the size of the Black Demonic Snake must have shrunk!"

"How did you know?"

Kaisas was a little surprised. Ludwig often complained that the black snakes they caught were too small and needed to be raised for several years before they could be sold. This put a heavy burden on their family. Because black snakes need to eat magic rats, and feeding magic rats requires a lot of grains, all of which need to be purchased with gold coins.

"Little guy, I am a shaman who has mastered the elements. It's a profession similar to that of a magician." The old ogre smiled slightly and said with some pride.

Highland ogres, also known as grayskin ogres, do not eat humans. Instead, they make a living by growing hardy wheat and hunting, ensuring the tribe's self-sufficiency. Although they look a bit scary, they are actually very kind.

There's also a type of ogre living in the southern part of Roland Continent, called the White Ogre. They have fair skin, are slightly smaller, and have no hair on their heads. White Ogres are incredibly ferocious, eating whatever they catch, including humans.

"Yes, the black snakes caught now are very small. They need to be fed for five or six years to grow up, barely meeting the requirements of the Northland Tower. What is the element? Why is it so scarce?"

"Elements are the foundation of magic. It's not that they're really missing, but rather that the elemental tides have shifted. With fewer magical elements here, there are more magical elements elsewhere. Little guy, there's something wrong with your badge. It's not an ordinary badge, it's the badge of a low-level wizard!"

"This was given to me by the great magician. He said that with it I can go to the open areas of the tower!"

Caesars was a little confused by the old ogre's words. He frowned and looked at the old ogre in confusion, waiting for him to explain further.

The old ogre nodded in understanding. "Little one, don't waste this badge. You can go to the Magic Tower and take classes when you have time. But it's best to wait until next month. The new magic apprentices won't arrive until next month, and you won't understand if you go now!"

Kaisas' eyes widened, a surge of excitement and curiosity welling up in his heart. He had never imagined he would have the opportunity to enter the Magic Tower and learn about magic. Although the old ogre said he would have to wait until next month, he couldn't wait any longer.

"Thank you, I will remember it!" Caesar said gratefully to the old ogre.

The old ogre smiled slightly, patted Caesar's shoulder gently, and encouraged him: "Make good use of this opportunity and study hard. Perhaps you can become an outstanding magician in the future!"

Caesars nodded vigorously, his eyes gleaming with determination. He knew this opportunity was hard-won and he must cherish it.

Caesars ate half a loaf of bread in the martial arts hall, then prepared to return to the Alchemy Tower for a nap. He would start learning to make bread tomorrow. Melissa was a good cook, and he thought that if he couldn't learn magic, he could open a bakery when he returned to Blackrock City.

Watching the small figure carrying a small bag leave, Melissa, who was swinging a battle axe, walked to the sidelines and sat next to the old ogre.

"Grandfather, I heard that three more people died in the Alchemy Tower today. One was murdered, and the other two were executed by Lord Kandel himself!"

"Melissa, you never cared about these things before. If you want to ask about the magic badge, just ask directly. No need to beat around the bush!"

The old ogre was very wise and he knew that Melissa was asking about the magic badge.

"Grandfather, did Lord Kandel take the magic badge intentionally, or did he just take it by mistake?"

"It was intentional. The Great Magician wouldn't make such a stupid mistake. He's very dissatisfied with his students and wants to get rid of them all. These students of the Great Magician all have some background. Killing them directly would leave a bad impression. He's just waiting for those students to give him a chance!"

"Then this little guy is in danger too!"

"Kandel's students are also scared. They won't do anything to the little guy right now. The Great Magician is doing this to warn them not to target this little guy. Because black magic snakes are becoming increasingly rare, and people who can raise black magic snakes are even rarer!"