Black Hearted Mage

As the mercenary team slowly descended from the tunnel entrance, Caesars was intently mapping the underground passage. They immediately noticed the deep claw marks covering the dark red sandstone walls, clearly left by some creature. Based on these marks and the complex structure of the underground passage, they roughly surmised the origin of this place.

"The terrain here is really bad. If we encounter those monsters, there will be nowhere to hide!"

Geralt is an experienced mercenary who is keenly aware of the unfavorable factors in the surrounding environment, which puts the mercenary team at a clear disadvantage. Once the monsters appear in groups, they will face the dangerous situation of being attacked from both sides.

"The terrain is indeed not in our favor, but those are just low-level monsters. With our strength, hunting them down shouldn't be a problem!"

Clarisse was also a little worried. She realized that the passages here were too dense and almost hollowed out the underground sandstone layer, which meant that the number of low-level magical beasts might be quite large.

"You guys pick up the magic crystals here first, I'll go ahead and explore the road conditions!"

Low-level monsters are carnivorous, and their numbers are determined by food. This underground world has a complete food chain that maintains a balance between species. If this fragile balance is broken, the entire underground world will be destroyed.

Caesars took out a bundle of fly repellent grass and ignited it with a fireball spell.

"Kaesas, what are you doing?" The old mercenary was a little confused, and Kaesas ignited the fly repellent.

"There's air flowing here, so there should be another exit. I'm trying to find the right path. With so many passages to explore one by one, even if we eat all the food you prepared, I'm afraid we'll only be able to find a small part. There aren't just low-level magical beasts here, there should be high-level ones as well!"

Because the fly repellent was too dry, Caesars had to water it. A pungent smell and thick smoke drifted in one direction. He took out his magic compass and looked at it. It was heading south, consistent with the direction of the mineral vein.

"What's to the south of this territory?"

Caesars was not familiar with this place and could only ask for help from the mercenary team.

"To the east are the Yellowstone Mountains. South of the low mountains is a vast swamp hundreds of miles wide. Beyond the swamp is the Boiling Swamp. South of the Boiling Swamp is the Lava Swamp, and beyond that is the Lava River and the volcanic region. South of the great volcano is the Scorching Plains. I heard the ground is so hot it burns your feet, yet there are flame flowers growing everywhere!"

Geralt said this with a longing look on his face. He had only seen the Great Swamp but had never been in it. As for the places behind, he had only heard of them but had never seen them.

The southern swamp is extremely dangerous, with varying depths, ranging from over ten meters deep to knee-deep in shallow areas. The swamp is home to numerous water-based monsters and wild beasts, the most dangerous of which are white-skinned crocodiles, which are at the top of the swamp's food chain.

"If I'm not mistaken, this should lead to the south of the Great Swamp. The temperature here is higher than in the mine, and the smoke is drifting to the south. If we continue to move forward, the temperature will rise, and you and I can end our exploration early!"

"Caesars, you are not making a wrong deduction, are you? It's at least five or six hundred miles to the southern part of the Great Swamp!" Clarice asked in surprise. It would be difficult to get out of such a long underground cave once you get lost.

"A complete underground world needs to be this size, otherwise a complete food chain cannot be formed!"

As Caesar spoke, he quickly put on the alchemical mask, because the smoke of the fly repellent not only emits a pungent and unpleasant smell, but is also highly irritating to the eyes.

At this moment, the mercenary team members bustled about, picking up the scattered magic crystals. After all, these precious items were right before their eyes; it would be a shame not to take them. Caesars followed the smoke closely, watching it drift deeper into the passage. Meanwhile, bursts of roaring could be heard faintly from further away, deeper within.

As he continued to move deeper into the ground along the underground passage, the temperature around him gradually rose, making Caesar feel like he was in the scorching summer.

Finally, not far ahead, the low roars became clearer and more frequent. At this moment, he carefully placed the little black snake into the animal hide pocket. Then, he cast a magic shield, magic armor, and other various buff spells on himself to enhance his defense and spell attack power.

Using his magical tentacles, Caesars discovered a group of unusual creatures—low-level magical beasts with black scales. They were huddled in a stone cave about fifty meters away. The number of these magical beasts was so astonishing that it was difficult to estimate their exact number.

If he used magic to hunt them, he might not be able to kill a few of them before the other low-level monsters would quickly flee the cave. Therefore, Kaisas decided to try another method to solve this problem.

He began to look for the alchemy potion he brought with him, but soon realized that the sleeping potion might not be effective on these monsters. So, he took out two bottles of powerful and deadly potions instead, which would become his tool to poison these low-level monsters.

It's worth noting that the main ingredient of the potent and deadly potion is the venom of the Golden-Eyed Black Snake. Considering the relationship between these low-level monsters and the small black snakes, Kaisus believes that the monsters killed by this poison will not have any adverse effects on the small black snakes.

Next, Caesars cautiously approached the cave, two vials of potent and deadly potions tightly clutched in his hands. As he neared the cave, he used his mage's hand to drop the two vials precisely into the cave. The crystal vials exploded in mid-air, and the venom transformed into a mist that filled the cave.

In less than a few breaths, the originally noisy low roar suddenly disappeared, as if strangled by an invisible hand. The entire cave fell into a dead silence, and no sound could be heard anymore.

After some exploration, Kaisas found that all the low-level monsters were dead. He quickly collected his prey. There must be a reason why these low-level monsters were crowded here.

After collecting the corpse of the low-level monster, Kaisas continued on his journey. The temperature in the downward passage grew even higher. A crimson figure in the distance blocked his path.

Caesars took out his magic viewing goggles and carefully observed the fiery red figure. The red scales were as big as his palm, but he couldn't see the head or tail of the monster.

The thick, fiery red scales faintly emanated the element of fire. The edges of the scales were slightly transparent, revealing faint traces of fire. From the scorching heat, it was easy to guess the origin of this beast: a fully grown salamander.

Caesar retreated quietly, trying to avoid making any loud noises. He was no match for this high-level beast. A mature salamander possessed high physical and magical defenses. The difference in level between Caesar and the salamander meant his spells would be resisted by the salamander, and his attack power would be invisibly weakened.

In Roland's plane, the power classification of Warcraft differs from that of human professionals. Warcraft of the same level are one level stronger than human professionals of the same level. This means that without traps or other auxiliary means, even a high-level magician would find it difficult to face a powerful Warcraft like a fire lizard. Killing a fire lizard alone would be a near-impossible task.

An hour later, Caesars finally returned to the site of the previous collapse. At this time, the members of the mercenary team were still trying to find the magic crystal.

"Stop looking for the magic crystal. We must leave here as soon as possible!" Caesars said anxiously.

"What? What happened?" asked Clarisse, the captain of the mercenary team.

"I just saw an adult salamander!" replied Caesars.

Hearing this, the entire mercenary team was stunned. They all showed disbelief, and some even suspected they had misheard.

"High-level magical beast - fire lizard?" asked Clarisse in surprise.

"Really? That's a terrifying creature that can spit out flames!" Geralt beside him added nervously.

Caesars nodded, confirming he was correct. He then emphasized, "When submitting your mission report to the Mercenary Guild, remember to only mention the discovery of the underground Fire Crystal Vein. Absolutely do not mention the Fire Lizards!"

Clarisse understood Caesar's intention: he was trying to trick Count Leonard. The mercenaries had no objection to giving this stingy and vicious Count a hard time.

"Don't bother looking for the magic crystals. I've killed all the low-level monsters. If the fire lizard is hungry and can't find food, it might come up!"

Seeing the mercenary team still searching hard among the rocks, Caesars could only remind them.

"Stop searching and return to the mine entrance immediately. We've already made a small fortune this time, so don't throw your life away here!"

Clarisse issued the order, and the mercenary team picked up several magic crystals, which was already a pleasant surprise. Combined with the mine exploration mission, they could earn a commission of 1,000 gold coins.

"Don't be fooled by the salamander's usual laziness. It has a charging skill similar to that of a warrior, and its burst of speed in a short period of time is far greater than ours. Without enough cover, we will hardly have a chance to escape!" Geralt added. He had never seen a salamander before, and he had heard all this in the tavern.

The mercenary team began to return, with the old mercenary Geralt leading the way, and this time they walked faster.

"Geralt, stop. Rest for a quarter of an hour. Everyone, eat something and replenish your energy!"

The mercenaries had put all their energy into searching for the magic crystals. After less than half an hour, some of them began to fall behind. A dozen or so mercenaries sat on the ground, taking out their water and dry food and quietly eating.

At Count Ronald's mansion, news of the magic crystal mine was awaited. This southeastern territory had provided the Ronald family with a vast supply of gold for fifty or sixty years. This territory was the backbone of the Ronald family, the foundation for its continued growth.

"Has there been any news from the mine?"

In the Earl's study, an elderly noble, over seventy years old, dressed in a dark blue robe, inquired with the steward about the mines. Beside him, on the coffee table, sat a steaming cup of clear, golden-red black tea. This was Barton Black Tea, produced in the Roland Empire. It had a refreshing aroma, a rich flavor, and a refreshing effect.

"My Lord Earl, news came back this morning that the Sword and Rose mercenary team has entered the mines. And more importantly, there's a magician among the mercenaries, and Rollo has offended him!"

"what happened?"

Upon hearing the butler's report, Earl Leonard frowned. Offending other nobles was a minor matter. In the Violet Alliance, magicians held a higher status than nobles.

"Rollo didn't know there was a magician in the group, so he called the mercenaries "low-lifes." The magician lying on the carriage got upset, and he used a spell to turn Rollo mute, and even called him a bastard!"

"Isn't he a magician from the Mage Alliance?" asked old Earl Leonard with a frown.

The magicians of the Mage Alliance all knew the relationship between the Leonard family and the Mage Alliance. It was possible that they would teach Rollo a lesson, but they would not go so far as to call Rollo a bastard.

"The other party seems to be a magician from the North Tower. A guard recognized the magic badge he was wearing!"

"Northern Tower!"

Old Earl Leonard exclaimed in surprise. He was well aware of the ranking of the major magical forces on the Roland Continent. The Northland Tower was the strongest, followed by the Roland Empire's Magic Guild, and the Mage Alliance was only third.

Old Earl Leonard's expression darkened. He hadn't expected his Third Steward to offend the magicians of the Northern Tower. The Northern Tower was one of the most powerful magical organizations on the Roland Continent, its members comprised of top-tier magicians. If the Northern Tower pursued this matter, the Leonard family could face immense trouble.

Earl Leonard took a deep breath and calmed himself. He decided to first understand the details of what had happened before finding a solution. The magicians of the North Tower were not to be trifled with. Joyce, the Grand Mage of the Mage Alliance, had once been a magic apprentice at the North Tower.

Before dusk, the mercenary team arrived at the entrance of the mine, but the magic steel door was still closed.

"Open the door, we're going out!" Geralt banged on the metal door and shouted outside.

"Hand over the storage ring first, we need to check it!

A dozen guards from the Ronald family followed the third steward Rollo out of the wooden house and came to the magic steel gate at the entrance of the mine.

"You want to check my storage ring?"

Caesars asked the man at the iron gate. This was an unreasonable request and one he could not accept.

"No matter who you are, anyone entering or leaving the mine must be inspected. If you don't accept the inspection, we won't open the magic steel gate!"

The third butler Luo Luo, with a pointed face and monkey cheeks, stood outside the magic steel gate and shouted. It seemed that he had found an opportunity to take revenge on the magician.