Black Hearted Mage

The territory of the Gravel Kingdom is not vast, at most only two or three times larger than the crater.

Weeds grew wildly on both sides of the wide, flat roads, and large tracts of land lay barren, uncultivated. This once prosperous country now looked dilapidated, like an old man in his twilight years, awaiting death.

Over an hour passed before a fork in the road appeared. The road to the south led to Gravel City, while the road to the east led to Safin Castle. This meant that only two-thirds of the way to Safin Castle was left. For Caesars, it would be there soon.

It's said that within the city of Broken Stone, some of the lesser nobles of the Broken Stone Kingdom are still reluctant to leave. After all, if they leave this land, they will lose all their land and wealth, becoming ordinary civilians. Therefore, these lesser nobles prefer to stay here, guarding their last bit of dignity and status.

Once, this land was filled with medicinal fields, and the Stonebreak Kingdom was renowned throughout the Roland Continent for its abundant herbal resources. However, with the disappearance of Blackrock Mountain, that fertile black soil also disappeared. The high-quality herbs grown today are now of a much lower quality than before, becoming increasingly degraded.

Before noon, the sun was shining brightly. Caesars rode slowly forward, followed by several other horses. He arrived in front of an old castle. The castle had a long history, but it still exuded a solemn atmosphere.

The castle is very tall, probably with five or six floors, and the windows are all long and narrow, with only the top floor having large windows. With its narrow windows, the Safin Castle gave Kaisas the feeling of a war fortress.

The Safin family once owned vast medicinal fields, but now the land has been converted to growing grain and fodder. Their main source of income has become soufflé, which has brought vitality and vigor to the entire family.

When Caesars arrived at the gate of Safin Castle, an old man in a butler's robe came out to greet him. He was accompanied by two servants and walked out of the castle gate together.

"Sir, is there anything I can help you with?" the old man asked politely.

Caesars smiled and replied, "I want to buy some soufflés and leave my horse here for a few days."

Hearing this, the old butler's face suddenly lit up with a warm smile. He quickly invited, "Sir, please follow me into the castle to rest for a while. De Luo, quickly take these horses to the stable and prepare the best hay for them!"

The old butler smiled so hard that his back teeth were almost exposed. His gray goatee trembled slightly with his smile, and his eyes sparkled with joy.

Caesars followed the old butler into the castle's front yard and found it unique. Generally, castles would build their front yards into beautiful gardens, but the Safin family had transformed it into a spacious martial arts arena.

The castle's walls are extremely thick, almost two meters thick, and an astonishing nine meters high. Such walls are comparable to city walls.

Caesars looked at his surroundings curiously, and suddenly asked the old butler, "Butler, I have something to ask you."

The old butler smiled and replied, "Sir, please speak!"

Pointing at the tall walls and the training grounds, Caesars asked, "The walls of Safin Castle are so tall, and there's a training ground here. Does this mean that wars are frequent in the Stonebreak Kingdom?"

The old butler smiled a helpless smile and explained, "Actually, there wasn't a real war. It's just that the Safin family's cheese is very famous, and many people covet our soufflé recipe. Especially after Blackrock Mountain disappeared, more and more people with ulterior motives tried to steal it."

"Greed is the root of evil and the cause of all killing!" This sentence comes from Raven Rhodes's magic notes, and this is exactly his evaluation of a part of the human race.

After listening to the butler's explanation, Caesars looked at the more than 20 people who were training hard in the training ground, and gradually understood the difficulties that the Safin family had been facing.

The Safin family's living room was unusually spacious, looking more like a meeting room or armory, with seats neatly arranged on both sides. Along the walls were two rows of weapon racks, displaying a variety of swords, shields, bundles of arrows, longbows, and other weapons.

When Caesars sat down, a figure in a dark noble robe slowly walked down the stairs on the side. This person had gray hair and beard, a ruddy face, but a hint of sadness was revealed in his expression.

That dark aristocratic robe, with gold buttons, if this member of the Safin family had not violated the aristocratic rules, his title should be at the earl level.

"Count Safin, I want to buy some cream puffs. If you have ice grass and dream leaf grass here, I'd also like to buy some!"

When Caesars saw the person coming, he told him the reason for his visit directly.

"Oh? Mr. Caesars, you want to buy puff pastry and herbs? Welcome," Count Safin responded enthusiastically, his face beaming with joy. He knew that these goods were an important source of income for the Safin family.

"We do have some soufflés in stock, but we don't have much of those two herbs!" Count Safin looked embarrassed. Herbs were relatively rare, and they were also one of the mainstays of the Safin family's economy.

"Do you have 100,000 kilograms of cream puffs?" Caesars asked straight to the point.

"One hundred thousand pounds? Not that much. Our family only has two storage rings, we can't store that many puff pastries!" Count Safin shook his head helplessly, indicating that their inventory was limited. Due to transportation difficulties, they couldn't store puff pastries in large quantities.

"Isn't it sun-dried puff pastry?" Kaisas frowned and asked doubtfully. He had tasted puff pastry from the north before, and the dry, hard, and muttony taste was still fresh in his memory.

"You're talking about the puff pastry from the North, right? Our Safin family's puff pastry is dried in the shade, but not completely dry; it's still soft."

Count Safin explained, his tone revealing pride in his own soufflés. This unique production method ensures the soufflés retain their soft texture and rich, milky aroma, setting them apart from the soufflés of the north.

"Can you give me some to taste?" Caesars said with a smile.

"Mr. Caesar, I'm so sorry. It was my negligence. Come on, bring some tea, puff pastry and cheese!" Count Safin said apologetically. After all, the guests had come, but he forgot to prepare tea. It was really rude.

After a while, the little maid brought tea and snacks, and the old butler stood aside with a look of self-blame on his face. He was so happy that he forgot to entertain the guests.

Caesars smiled as he gazed at the two small plates before him, each containing a dairy product. He sniffed gently, and the refreshing aroma of black tea filled his nostrils, bringing a refreshing and soothing feeling. He then examined the soufflé closely: it was pure white with a hint of yellow, emitting a rich milky aroma without the slightest hint of mutton.

Next, he picked up a slice of cheese, a slightly yellowish color with tiny holes from natural fermentation. The cheese felt soft and springy, like pectin candy made by elves.

Kaisas took a light bite of the milk puff. It was very soft, with a milky aroma mixed with a hint of honey and the fresh fragrance of some flowers, which was very memorable.

"These two dairy products are really good, and the black tea is delicious too. How many pastries and cheeses do you have here? I'll buy them all!" Caesars nodded with satisfaction and praised the dairy products.

"There are only 20,000 kilograms of soufflé, but there should be plenty of cheese. There's no need to store it in a storage ring. Just put it in a cool, dark warehouse!"

"Why don't you prepare a few more storage rings?"

Kaisas was a little confused. The Safin family was also a big family and should not be unable to afford a storage ring.

"It's too expensive! Whether it's the Fire Maple City Magic Guild or the Violet Alliance's Mage Alliance, the storage rings they sell are all priced sky-high. One hundred thousand gold coins a piece is equivalent to the Safin family's profits for two years!"

Kaisas thought the price was too high. The North Tower's storage ring only sold for 50,000 gold coins. If a magician from the tower bought it, they could enjoy a 30% discount and even use their tower points to redeem some gold coins.

"I have a spare storage ring. As long as the price of the soufflé and cheese is right, I'm willing to trade it with you. I definitely don't need the exorbitant price of 100,000 gold coins!"

"We in the Safin family will never randomly raise the price of anything. We will only sell it at the previous price!"

The bait Caesars had cast filled Count Safin's face with delight. Of his two storage rings, only one was actually used to store soufflés and herbs. The other contained the shaman family's wealth, kept in a very secret place.

"Then prepare for the transaction!"

"Have lunch first, and then we'll trade slowly in the afternoon!"

In less than a quarter of an hour, the news that someone wanted to buy soufflés and cheese spread like wildfire throughout the Safin Castle.

Lunch soon began, and the Safin family gathered in the large dining room. This dining room was larger than even the one in the Duke's Palace, with three rows of long tables, each over ten meters long. The main table was also long, placed horizontally, and was about six or seven meters long.

Caesars, dressed in aristocratic robes, followed Count Safin into the dining room. The place was already filled with various dishes and was filled with members of the Safin family, roughly estimated to be over a hundred people.

The main seat naturally belonged to Count Safin, and the second seat on the left was occupied by the Countess, a beautiful woman in her thirties, wearing a sky blue dress.

Sitting on the right of Count Safin is Caesar, and all the members of the Safin family are now looking at him.

"Is this the man who wants to buy our soufflés and cheese?"

“You look so young!”

"Yeah! I wonder what his identity is?"

The people of the Safin family were whispering to each other. They were full of curiosity about this mysterious guest. Caesar smiled and nodded to everyone.

Count Safin raised his glass and said loudly, "Today, I would like to introduce to you all Mr. Caesars, an important guest of our family. Let us raise our glasses together to welcome him!"

The members of the Safin family raised their glasses to welcome Caesar.

Caesars also raised his glass and responded, "Thank you for the invitation, Count Safin, and thank you all for your warm hospitality!"

Lunch officially began. As Caesar savored the delicious dishes, he secretly admired the Safin family's heritage, which could be seen in the polished silverware and the details of the various dishes.

"Mr. Caesar, you are not eighteen years old, are you?" The Countess asked curiously during the meal.

Although the guest was well-dressed, he was too small, with a bit of baby fat on his face. Moreover, he wanted to buy large quantities of soufflés and cheese, which made the Safin family a little suspicious.

"Countess, I am not yet fourteen!" Caesars replied politely.

The Countess was slightly startled, then laughed. "Oh, I see. He's truly young and promising." However, she still gave Count Safin a meaningful look. A thirteen-year-old noble boy, no matter how wealthy he was, had questionable purchasing power.

Count Safin was also somewhat puzzled, but he was still hesitating whether to ask further questions. After all, this young guest did not look like a liar, and his understanding of aristocratic etiquette did not seem to indicate that he was lying.

Caesars saw the Count's hesitant look and roughly guessed his doubts, so he decided to take the initiative to explain his situation.

"Count Safin, Countess, I am actually a magician." said Caesar.

"Magician?"

Count Safin and the Countess exchanged a look of surprise. Magicians are a rare profession, possessing powerful magical powers that allow them to perform all sorts of remarkable spells. If this young guest truly was a magician, then his purchasing power was understandable.

"Our Safin family has produced several magicians, two of whom are great magicians. But in the past thousand years, the family has not produced any children with magical talent!" Count Safin said proudly.

Even after thousands of years, the descendants of the Safin family feel extremely proud of their former glory.

"Two great magicians! Where did they learn magic?" Caesars asked curiously.

"According to family records, one of them studied at the Magic Guild. The other great magician studied at the Magic Academy of the Roland Empire in her early years, but she later studied spells at the Rhodes Trading Company." Count Safin recalled.

"Rhodes Trading Company? According to historical records, there is a Rhodes Trading Company in Cold Wind City?" Kaisas asked in surprise.

"Yes, it's the Rhodes Trading Company. Unfortunately, the Cold Wind City no longer exists." Count Safin sighed.

Kaisas remembered very clearly that his ancestor, Raven Rhodes, had worked at Rhodes Trading Company for many years. This great magician of the Safin family might be related to his ancestor.