Black Hearted Mage

After violent casting and the compression of multiple castings, Shadow Arrow has now become an enhanced version of Shadow Arrow, and its attack strength is no weaker than that of Intermediate Shadow Arrow.

"not good!"

The old dean yelled. He wanted to put up a magic shield, but his low-level magic shield hadn't broken yet, and he couldn't open a new one. To avoid embarrassment, he activated the Grand Mage-level magic shield and let the four shadow arrows hit it.

With a "boom", several shadow arrows hit the target almost at the same time.

"I lost!"

The old dean of the magic academy raised his hand toward the elderly referee. Not only did the referee notice the change in the magic shield, but everyone else also noticed it. The difference between a low-level magic shield and a high-level one was huge, let alone a great magician-level one.

Caesars walked up to the referee and saw him take out a rather large bag. He felt the weight of it in his hand and then put it away.

"Avril, give me your pocket. I'm leaving Fire Maple City now!"

"Caesars, are you leaving now?" Avril felt that Caesars was too anxious and should leave after lunch at least.

"We must leave now, or trouble will come to me, and the Cavill family will be in trouble too. You should know tomorrow!"

Taking the animal hide bag containing the black demon snake, Caesars quickly walked out of the competition hall and headed towards the gate of the Imperial Capital Magic Academy. No one in the outside world knew what had just happened yet, so he had to leave Fire Maple City as soon as possible.

After stopping a carriage, Caesars asked the driver to take him to Patton's Trading Company.

After boarding the carriage, Caesars quickly changed his attire, replacing his magic robes with those of aristocrats. Barton Trading Company was very close, so he didn't have time to change his hair and skin color, so he could only use an elf transmogrifier mask to change his appearance.

In less than half a minute, the carriage stopped at the door of Barton Trading Company. The coachman did not make a fuss about the changed appearance of the guests. In the tavern, various magical stories about magicians were heard.

Patton's company was not big, with only two shops, and the goods sold were relatively few, only grain, tea, and smoked dried meat.

Caesars went straight to the shopkeeper and handed over the receipt written by the Duchess. The shopkeeper, who was about fifty years old, confirmed that the seal of the Duke's Mansion on the receipt was correct and carried out the order directly according to his master's instructions.

Ten thousand kilograms of Patton black tea were sold at half price, and the transaction was completed within a few minutes after both parties settled the payment.

Shortly after noon, Caesars left Fire Maple City in another carriage, which headed east.

At this moment in Huofeng City, the news of the magic academy competition has leaked, and some people are already asking about Caesars.

Caesars was well aware that this information was deliberately leaked. This was a deal he had struck with the old dean, who paid a thousand high-grade magic crystals in exchange. The magic academy secretly spread the news and then sold the photo stones, which could only be viewed once, at a high price.

Without sufficient benefits, Caesars would never act rashly, and at most he would just compete with those less powerful magicians. But if there was sufficient benefit, he would be willing to take a little risk.

The so-called "enough profit" is a full one thousand high-level magic crystals, which would be worth tens of thousands of gold coins if converted into gold coins.

For Kaisas now, tens of thousands of gold coins weren't a big deal. What really concerned him was the high-grade magic crystals. You have to know that the entire Roland Empire's magic crystal mines were firmly controlled by the Empire and the Magic Guild. If you weren't a formal member of the Magic Guild, even if you had a lot of gold coins in the Magic Guild's trading hall, you could only buy the lowest-grade magic crystals.

Although the Earth Dragon Trading Company also had magic crystals, they were all secretly mined by Fatty, which was a capital offense according to the laws of the Roland Empire. And to make matters worse, Fatty no longer had any magic crystals in stock, at least not in the short term.

The road to the Dukedom was wide and smooth. As soon as one left Fire Maple City's east gate, vast expanses of wheat fields unfolded before their eyes. Fire Maple City had a large population, and the wheat produced on this land was far from sufficient to meet the city's needs. Therefore, Fire Maple City relied heavily on supplies shipped from the southern part of the empire for most of its food.

Most of the farmland here is owned by the nobles of Fire Maple City, big and small, and the common people can only get a tiny part of it. These nobles hold a lot of wealth and power, and they maintain their status and wealth by controlling the land.

Before dusk, the carriage finally arrived at the Duchy of Barton. The rest of the journey could only be completed on foot. The grave of Duchess Vivian Barton lay northwest of the Duchy, nestled at the foot of the Frostwind Mountains. It was a cold and silent place, as if isolated from the world.

Because of the huge and dangerous protective magic circle surrounding the Duchess's tomb, it was unguarded and had never suffered any damage. Even though nearly ten thousand years had passed, the tomb still remained in a pristine state, as if it had just been built, as if time had left no trace here.

No one knows how the Duchess's tomb was built, and even the Barton family records cannot find any relevant information. This makes the cemetery full of mystery and an eternal mystery in the hearts of many people.

The Cold Wind Mountains are a huge rocky mountain range, towering into the clouds and extremely steep, like an insurmountable natural barrier that blocks the cold wave from the polar regions.

The mountains here are steep, the walls are as vertical as a knife, the tops are covered with snow, and the cold air permeates the mountains.

At night, under the cold moonlight, Caesars came alone to the foot of Frostwind Mountain. He carefully removed the Frost Palace emblem from his bosom and carefully examined the exquisite pattern and text on it. This emblem represented his identity and status, and was also the key to entering the Duchess's Tomb.

He gently caressed the emblem, feeling the power and meaning within it. He then placed it on his left chest, keeping it close to his heart. With the emblem's blessing, he felt a surge of warmth and strength, as if establishing a connection with the Duchess's grave.

Caesar took a deep breath and continued forward. He activated his darkvision, and the world before him cleared. A strange scene unfolded before him—a barren expanse of land. There was no sign of life here, only cold stone and a still atmosphere. Caesar knew this was the edge of the cemetery. He carefully stepped across the land, the stones beneath his feet making a crisp sound that echoed in the air.

As he walked out of the area, he saw rows of neatly arranged statues in the distance. These statues were lifelike, each one meticulously portrayed, representing those who had once had close relationships with the Duchess.

Caesars slowly approached the statues, carefully observing their faces and postures. They seemed to tell stories of the past, giving one a sense of the weight of history. He paused, gazing at one, a surge of respect welling up in his heart.

From the moment Caesars stepped onto the stone floor, the entire cemetery began to brighten. The tiles, the statues, the tomb doors all emitted a faint glow. The cemetery was designed like a traditional aristocratic tomb. In the center stood a small stone hut with a single metal door and no windows.

The Duchess's coffin is underground, and the small stone house in front of you is the entrance to the tomb. The tightly closed metal door is undoubtedly the tomb door.

"Strange, why is there no tombstone?" Caesars muttered to himself.

The task given to him by his ancestors was simple: place a bottle of elven perfume called Blue Melancholy on the Duchess's coffin. Then, find a secluded place far away and observe quietly for a few days.

Caesars's eyes slowly swept around the surroundings, finally landing on the statues standing on both sides of the wall. These statues were lifelike, just like real people, and their surfaces were smooth and delicate, not at all like they were carved by hand.

Each statue was unnamed, but two of them seemed particularly familiar to Caesars. One was of his ancestor, Raven Rhodes, holding a staff and looking majestic.

The other statue was the tallest, standing over four meters tall and striking. It was a tall and burly ogre, clad in heavy armor, holding a shield in one hand and a massive battle axe in the other, looking majestic and imposing.

In addition to these two statues, there are three female statues, one is a magician statue, and the other two are wind warrior statues. There are also two male statues, one of which is a magician and the other is an archer.

Caesar walked steadily towards the tomb door, where the light was brighter, and his heart was filled with doubts and curiosity.

There were no visible magic patterns on the tomb door, nor could any magical elements be sensed. Caesars reached out and touched the door, only to hear the sound of mechanical transmission. It had been the same since Caesars had just entered the cemetery; he hadn't sensed a single magical element. He was now curious: how had the protective array functioned for ten thousand years without any magical elements?

Caesars quickened his pace and entered the tomb, where the light was bright. The mission clearly stated that the time allowed to enter the Duchess's tomb was no more than a quarter of an hour.

Caesars descended the steps and soon entered the tomb. It was spacious, with intricate carvings on the walls and smooth stone slabs on the floor. However, the most striking feature was the enormous crystal coffin. It sat quietly in the center of the tomb, emitting a faint glow, as if it held endless secrets.

Caesars walked over to the crystal coffin and gazed at the figure within. Inside lay a young-looking person with long golden hair and a beautiful, serene face, like a sleeping goddess. Although she had been dead for many years, her body remained perfectly preserved, her skin delicate and showing no signs of decay.

Caesars noticed that the Duchess was not wearing traditional aristocratic robes, but instead a set of dark red magic pattern leather armor, which made her look heroic. Two sheathed short swords hung at her waist, all of which showed the Duchess's extraordinary strength in her lifetime.

He carefully observed the surroundings of the crystal coffin and discovered a stone tablet with an epitaph beside it. He walked over and read the words: "My student, the Duchess—Vivian Barton, a brave and fearless mage warrior, loyal to justice and honor. Her courage and wisdom are admirable. May she rest in peace."

The last signature was Raven Rhodes, the ancestor of Caesars.

According to the epitaph, the Duchess's armor was meticulously prepared for her by Raven Rhodes. This demon-skin armor possessed extraordinary defensive power, not only capable of withstanding the spells of a fire mage, but also surpassing even heavy magic steel armor in physical defense, rendering it practically indestructible.

Caesars took a deep breath, feeling the greatness of the Duchess and the glory she represented. He knew he was shouldering an important mission and must complete it as soon as possible and leave this mysterious cemetery.

The Duchess had lived with her mother since childhood near the magical holy tower, Frostcrown. Her immense strength came from the magic circle created by Raven, which had baptized her with the elements since childhood.

Caesars placed Blue Melancholy on the crystal coffin. He took one last look at the Duchess inside the coffin before turning and leaving. Because the quarter-hour deadline was almost up, he had to leave the cemetery as soon as possible.

The night was as dark as ink, the moon hanging high in the sky, casting a silvery glow across the landscape. Caesars chose to set up his tent far from the cemetery, between two massive rocks at the edge of the Frostwind Mountains. He decided to spend the night there while he prepared to recover his magic.

The little black snake crawled out of his pocket. This guy was a good night watchman. Even in the dark night, it could detect a stalker thirty yards away.

Stealth might be effective against other magical beasts, but it is useless against black snakes. Black snakes rely on their keen sense of smell, their perception of subtle changes in surrounding temperature, and subtle sounds to detect enemies and food.

Any living person will emit body heat, which makes it impossible for stalkers to approach the little black snake.

"Hey, little guy, you'll be in charge of guarding the tent tonight. If you perform well, I'll reward you with a delicious buttermilk puff for breakfast tomorrow morning! Remember not to stray too far from the tent, especially since that cemetery is very dangerous. Always stay alert!"

Caesars gently stroked the little black snake's head. To prevent it from running away, he took out a small piece of fur, folded it, and placed it in front of the fur tent. This piece of fur was its nest, and it liked to hide in the soft fur.

The cemetery was completely silent, with not a single insect chirping. Caesars lay in his tent, absorbing a magic crystal to replenish his magic power. A small black magic snake burrowed into the fur, its golden eyes fixed on the distance, its pitch-black tongue constantly exploring the surrounding scents.

Recalling the deeds of his ancestors, Kaisas showed extraordinary magical talent at a young age. Kaisas had seen his battle photos and knew that his earliest ancestor was an ice magician with superb control over the ice element.

Kaisas's spellcasting skills, combat skills, and super magic skills were all learned from the photos left by Riven.