Black Hearted Mage

"Rad, let me ask you a question. What is the difference between a wizard and a magician?"

"There's not much difference between wizards and magicians; both use magical elements to cast spells. The only difference is that magicians' spells deal direct damage, while wizards have spells that deal direct damage plus subsequent damage, but these spells are rare. There seem to be only one or two fire spells, and there are several dark spells, but there are very few dark wizards."

Rad said a few words, then suddenly thought of something and continued, "In the Kingdom of Saint Laurent, anyone with a talent for dark magic will be tied to the stake and burned to death!"

"Is there such a thing?"

"You're such an uneducated fellow! You don't even know the history of Roland Continent. When you have time, go to the library in the tower and read some books to learn about the continent's history. There are many ways to earn gold coins, and you can find them all in the books!"

"Is there a way to earn gold coins in the book?"

"Herbology, Mineralogy, and Warcraft all earn gold. Find a seat, someone's coming!"

As the two chatted in the lecture hall, a dozen new apprentices arrived. Caesars found a seat near the front, waiting for the first magic class to begin. He had already memorized the three books that could earn him gold coins.

Most of the new apprentices were around ten years old, and there were a few who were fifteen or sixteen years old. These people were arrogant in their bones and walked with their heads held high.

"Go away, poor little bastard! This seat is mine!"

In the previously quiet lecture hall, an abrupt voice shattered the stillness. A young nobleman, about fifteen or sixteen years old, dressed in a dark blue robe, stood beside Caesar.

There were many empty seats in the lecture hall, and this noble young man obviously wanted to make some noise and show his identity and status by doing this.

Kaisas looked up at the other person, then turned to look at Rad on the podium. He had heard Rad talk about these things because Rad had also been bullied in the past.

Young Caesars stood up, carrying his small backpack, and found an empty seat at the back of the lecture hall. Rad had told him that arguing over trivial matters in the tower was pointless; once he mastered magic, he could trample anyone underfoot. Even trampling a noble, let alone a child of a noble, wouldn't be difficult.

"You poor little bastard, you're smart!"

Hearing the arrogant voice of the young nobleman, some young men were eager to try, as if they also wanted to bully the young commoner in the linen short coat.

"Silence! This is only permitted once in the lecture hall. Don't bring your noble status into the Northland Tower, and don't feel superior. Over a dozen noble children die in the Tower every year. No matter how powerful your family is in the outside world, they won't dare to hold the Tower accountable. They will only receive a cold corpse. All your outside identities are useless here. Only strength matters here. This is the rule of the Tower!"

Rad said a few words lightly, instantly shattering the fantasies of these noble children.

"Teacher, he is not one of us who came here with us, so why is he able to study magic here?"

A young nobleman raised a question. Rad looked at the young nobleman and smiled slightly. He was another young nobleman who wanted to feel superior.

"Because he has this privilege, Caesars belongs to the Alchemy Tower. He's not just a servant of the Northland Tower; he's the Grand Mage, the Grand Alchemist, and Lord Kandel's personal assistant. He doesn't wear an apprentice badge, but a magician badge, and enjoys all the privileges of a tower magician!"

The lecture hall was completely silent. The nobles were stunned, their mouths wide open, yet no sound emanated. Their gazes were fixed on Caesar, filled with shock and disbelief.

Caesars stood there quietly, a faint smile on his face, as if all this was natural. His eyes were firm and confident, revealing a unique temperament.

At this time, the elderly Rad walked up to the podium, and his voice broke the silence: "Okay, children, today's class officially begins. We are going to learn the origin of magic and the most basic magical theory..."

As Rad explained, Caesars listened attentively, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. This knowledge was all new to him, and every word and sentence excited him.

Time passed by, and in the blink of an eye it was noon. When Rad announced the end of get out of class, Caesars immediately stood up and left the lecture hall impatiently. His steps were light and swift, like a bird flying into the sky.

Caesars galloped all the way and soon arrived at the Library Tower. This magnificent building was not very tall, but it was the largest stone tower in the North, surrounded by lush gardens. Its doors were open, welcoming anyone thirsty for knowledge.

Entering the library tower, Caesars was stunned by the sight before him. The shelves were filled with a wide variety of books, from heavy leather-bound volumes to thin paper books. They were categorized by subject, forming vast library stacks.

Caesars took a deep breath, feeling the scent of books in the air. He began his journey of exploration, moving between the various library stacks, searching for books that interested him—herbal medicine.

Kaisas also knew some herbs because his family would pick some when they went to Blackrock Mountain to catch snakes. There were many herbal merchants in Blackrock City, and these herbs were usually sold directly.

The little figure wandered around the silent library, searching for almost half an hour but couldn't find any books about herbs.

"Gaota is just bragging, why can't I find Herbology?"

"Third row of bookshelves, second layer, there are 236 books on herbs!"

Just as Caesars was muttering to himself, a voice was heard in the silent library.

"There are books on nature over there!"

Caesars looked around nervously, trying to find the source of the mysterious voice, but the entire library was empty.

"Herbs, minerals and magical beasts all belong to the natural category!" The voice came again.

"Where are you?" Caesar asked anxiously.

"You can't see mine in the deepest part of the Great Library. Remember, the books here can only be read here and are strictly prohibited from being taken out of the library!"

Caesars didn't waste time searching for the voice's owner, instead eagerly searching for books. He reached the third row of bookshelves and found them neatly arranged with various books. He couldn't wait to climb the wooden ladder that ran along the shelves and found a book titled "Detailed Explanation of Herbal Medicine in the Roland Continent."

The book, made of animal hide, was incredibly heavy. It was difficult for young Caesars to carry it, let alone move it to a distant desk. Helplessly, he sat on the cold tile floor and diligently flipped through the illustrated book. He eagerly absorbed the knowledge in the book, like a dry desert longing for the nourishment of rain.

Among the new apprentices attending the lecture in the classroom, someone, whether intentionally or unintentionally, told others that Caesar was the personal assistant of the great magician.

In the Northland Tower, Kandel's status as a Grand Alchemist was so high that no magician dared to question the affairs of his personal assistant. They relied heavily on various magical potions, and on the Roland Continent, Kandel was the strongest of the four Grand Alchemists.

He had an alchemy notebook from the Roman Empire, which contained many now-lost alchemy formulas. It was precisely because of this that vicious competition arose among Kandel's students. They would even kill others in order to monopolize this ancient alchemy notebook in the future.

Hungry, Caesars returned to the Alchemy Tower in the pitch-black night. The Alchemy Tower at night seemed exceptionally quiet and mysterious, as if hiding countless secrets waiting to be revealed.

Caesars walked into the alchemy tower's hall. It was completely silent, empty, and without a sound. He walked through the side passage with familiarity to the rear breeding room. He expertly inserted a metal key into the lock and gently turned it. The heavy iron door slowly swung open. However, to his surprise, the magic lamp that should have illuminated upon opening the door remained silent, plunging the entire breeding room into darkness.

"I just replaced the magic crystal a few days ago, how come it's not lighting up?" Kaisas muttered to himself. He knew everything about this large stone chamber, but this time the magic lamp's abnormality left him a little puzzled.

Although somewhat puzzled, Caesars remained calm. He took a deep breath, and relying on his familiarity with the layout of the breeding room, he reached out and groped along the dark wall, slowly moving towards the oil lamp placed on the wall. He planned to light the oil lamp first, then carefully examine the problem with the magic lamp.

At this moment, Caesars suddenly felt something like a stick beneath his feet. The object had a certain elasticity, and seemed to be trembling slightly. Then, he heard a slight hissing sound, which was particularly clear in the silent night.

"Oh no! How did the black snake get out? I checked every cage before I left!"

Caesar's heart tightened. The large stone chamber was pitch black, and he couldn't see clearly what was happening on the ground. Fortunately, the black snake didn't bite him after being stepped on. He felt for the oil lamp and flint on the wall and quickly lit the lamp.

In the dim light, Caesars knew someone had entered the breeding room. The doors of three iron cages were open, and three black snakes, each as thick as his calf, were slithering around in the light.

After checking the magic lamp, Caesars sat in his iron cage. The magic crystal hadn't been removed, but it wasn't fully in contact with the slot. He remembered old Ludwig's warning: the North Tower was a place where people were eaten, and someone wanted to use the black magic snake to kill him.

"Who wants to kill me?"

The three black snakes swam over to Caesars, letting his small hands touch their smooth scales. At this time, two small snakes, each as thick as an adult's finger, swam out from the large cage opposite.

"Oh, the Golden-Eyed Black Demon Snake's eggs have hatched!"

Kaisas took out the communication stone and contacted the great magician Kandel directly. He then put three ordinary black magic snakes into the iron cage and placed the two small snakes next to the mother snake.

After a while, the great alchemist, wearing white silk pajamas and a red nightcap, hurried into a bright breeding room.

"Has the Golden-Eyed Black Demonic Snake really hatched?"

The great magician was a little anxious and started asking questions as soon as he entered the door. He was five or six meters away from the mother snake's iron cage. He was worried that if he got too close, the little snake would refuse to come out.

"Master Mage, they've hatched. Two out of three eggs have hatched. If the remaining egg doesn't hatch within three days, it's basically useless. They're too small to be contained in the cage and can crawl out at will!"

Caesars stood in front of a huge iron cage. He grabbed a fat magic rabbit and threw it into the cage. Then, he picked up two young magic rats and lured the two small snakes inside the cage.

The two little snakes in the cage were hiding in the hay. When the magic rabbit was thrown in, the mother snake's fangs pierced its body like lightning. The magic rabbit screamed in pain, trying to escape but unable to do so, and could only struggle desperately in the iron cage.

At the same time, two other small, pitch-black snakes emerged from the cracks in the cage and cautiously approached the little demon rat in Caesar's hands. Their pitch-black tongues stretched and retracted, as if probing for something. Finally, as if they had identified their target, they opened their mouths without hesitation, baring their sharp fangs and biting the little demon rat fiercely. The little demon rat let out a shrill scream and struggled to escape. The venom began to take effect, and soon the little demon rat's movements gradually became weaker.

This scene gave Kandel a chill. Caesars wasn't wearing protective gloves. Yet, he remained calm, as if accustomed to such scenes. He gazed at the little demon rat in his hand, a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes.

The little demon mice were released by Caesar's little hands. They were no longer able to struggle. Two little black snakes slowly approached their prey, waiting for the baby mice's hearts to stop beating.

"Kaisas, I'll have someone build two small cages. The holes need to be smaller than a thumb!"

The great alchemist left in a hurry. Caesars didn't know why he was in such a hurry. The blacksmiths in the tower should all be asleep now.

The two little snakes had already begun to devour their prey. Their first swallow was very ferocious, and they swallowed the whole mouse with great difficulty. But now they couldn't go back, because the little snakes had swallowed the magic mouse, and their bodies had become thicker in the middle.

Kaisas simply fed the mother snake a few more magic rabbits and then opened the largest iron cage. He knew that if the mother snake did not stay with the little snake, it would not be peaceful all night.

After hastily eating half a piece of bread and a glass of water, Caesars lay down in his cage and covered himself with the quilt. While he was thinking about who wanted to kill him, he fell asleep unknowingly.