Black Hearted Mage

The other party possesses immense financial resources and maintains close and friendly ties with a mysterious and powerful magical force. With such a unique advantage, the other party can easily purchase an astonishing number of alchemical bombs.

The two great nobles in the remote countryside of the Roland Empire were anxiously wondering why the other side launched such a fierce attack on them.

"Count Garlon, this situation is most likely due to us accidentally offending some powerful faction, or perhaps unwittingly offending a high-ranking noble in the north. You know, unleashing so many alchemical bombs without regard for cost is like throwing away hundreds of thousands of golden coins. This is a huge expense that ordinary nobles cannot afford!"

Although these two nobles from the countryside also possessed a considerable amount of wealth, they still had to bear the pain of giving up hundreds of thousands of gold coins at one time. For them, it was also heartbreaking and they were reluctant to do so.

At this critical moment, Count Garlon's face gradually became gloomy, he frowned tightly, and fell into deep thought.

To be honest, even he himself couldn't remember exactly how many powerful enemies the Golden Viper Mercenary Group, under his command, had provoked. However, at this moment, his mind suddenly flashed back to the humiliating and humiliating incident that had occurred not long ago...

"Count Soren, I previously sent someone to commission the famous Shadow to carry out an assassination, but the result was shocking. Not only did the assassination mission fail, they even refused to refund the deposit paid in advance. What's even more outrageous is that in the end, this damn assassination mission was even revoked by them!" Count Garlon recounted this annoying experience to Soren with a face full of resentment and unwillingness.

Count Soren, dressed in exquisite aristocratic robes, was equally incredulous upon hearing this. After all, the Shadows were a renowned assassin organization throughout the Roland Continent, with a long and prestigious history. They were known for keeping their promises and acting decisively. Once they accepted an assassination mission, they would go all out until their target was dead.

"Garon, could it be that... the target you commissioned Shadow to assassinate this time is someone from the Northland Tower?"

Earl Soran frowned slightly and asked thoughtfully. He knew very well that old Garen's son had died in the Northland Tower a few years ago.

"No, Earl Soren. The man I want to assassinate left the North Tower ten years ago!" Garen quickly shook his head and denied it.

"That's strange. If it weren't for someone from the North Tower, there would be no reason for Shadow to not dare to take action again, let alone cancel the mission so rashly. Earl Garlon, I really can't figure out what kind of special identity and background this guy you are so determined to get rid of has." Earl Soran stared at Garlon, his eyes full of confusion and curiosity.

"He is the snake breeder of the Thorn Flower Company!" said Earl Garlon.

"Garon, you're a hopeless idiot! Don't you know what the Thorn Flower Trading Company represents? It's the oldest and most powerful force on the Roland Continent! Anyone who dares to provoke them will end up in a bad situation. Even the renowned Saint Roland Church accidentally angered the Thorn Flower Trading Company because of two magic bows. The result? In one night, the Saint Roland Church was brutally massacred, with over three hundred people killed, half of whom were highly skilled high-level professionals, and even more than a dozen were at the level of great warriors!"

Hearing this, Garlon's face turned pale, but he still defended himself, "Count Soren, I am aware of the mysterious Thorn Flower Trading Company. It is not an existence we can easily afford to provoke. That is why I specifically entrusted Shadow to carry out the assassination mission!"

However, Earl Soren just shook his head helplessly, sighed heavily, and then slumped down on the soft and comfortable sofa like a deflated ball.

"Alas, Old Garlon, how could you be so confused? You know, on this Roland Continent, those ancient forces are all connected to each other. Any mercenary with a modicum of common sense knows one thing: the leather armor sold by the Thorn Flower Trading Company is arguably the most expensive on the entire continent, often priced at over ten thousand gold coins. Only a handful of these top-tier sets are on display. But have you ever wondered why these leather armors, despite being ridiculously expensive, remain unsold?"

Earl Soren paused, staring intently at Garlon, and continued, "The reason is simple. Those leather armors aren't merchandise for sale. Instead, they symbolize the strength of the Thorn Flower Trading Company!"

Count Garlon recalled his experience of visiting the mysterious and eye-catching Thorn Flower Merchants. He had been deeply impressed by the high quality of the items displayed there, but at the same time, he was also stunned by the ridiculously high prices.

Even a seemingly ordinary, low-grade potion was priced several times higher here than outside! And those weapons of superior quality and fine workmanship were incredibly expensive, with any single one commanding thousands of gold coins. Not to mention those magic pattern weapons marked as exceptionally high quality. They were like rare treasures, proudly displaying "Not for Sale" signs, as if to declare their uniqueness and irreplaceability.

Faced with such a high price, Earl Garlon couldn't help but shake his head and said calmly, "What's the point of having something good if it can't be sold?"

Earl Soren sighed and said, "Alas, Old Garlon, according to the information I gathered from the Saint Laurent Empire, the facts are not as you think. These treasures from the Thorn Flower Trading Company are not unsalable. On the contrary, they are selling extremely well. It's just that they have a special sales strategy and only sell the goods to a specific customer group."

At this point, Earl Soren lowered his voice and leaned close to Earl Garlon's ear, continuing, "For example, the notorious organization, Shadow, is a frequent customer of the Thorn Flower Trading Company. And if powerful magical forces want high-quality, advanced staffs, they have little choice but to buy them from the Thorn Flower Trading Company. After all, their staffs are second to none across the continent."

Upon hearing this, Earl Garlon's eyes widened in astonishment. It suddenly dawned on him why, when he'd previously commissioned Shadow to assassinate the Thorn Flower Merchants, the assassination mission had been inexplicably canceled. So, the two were inextricably linked! At this thought, Earl Garlon couldn't help but feel a deep sense of frustration.

"Galon, how long has the assassination mission been going on?"

"That happened three months ago!"

Earl Soren is a little confused now. The Thorn Flower Trading Company always takes revenge on the same day and never leaves a grudge overnight.

"Old Garlon, you should be thankful that the assassination mission failed, otherwise you would have been lying in the grave long ago. But then again, the Thorn Flower Trading Company wouldn't drop an alchemical bomb to retaliate against us. Our mercenary training camp was bombed by someone else."

"Who could that be?"

The two great border nobles of the Roland Empire sat on the sofa and fell into deep thought, looking for the mastermind behind the incident.

Before I knew it, a year had passed.

In the black and white magic tower in the crater, the giant black cocoon is still floating. The magic pool on the underground level is almost exhausted, and the giant cocoon is still greedily plundering elemental energy.

The Arcane Tower of Frostcrown does not store much elemental energy and can only provide elemental energy to the giant cocoon through the magic gathering circle.

"Kaisas has absorbed too much magic power. If this continues, it will affect the magic circle underground."

Krasus was now somewhat worried. Deep beneath the crater, buried beneath the earth were over ten thousand demon corpses. These corpses contained a vast amount of chaotic magic, requiring the magic tower to gradually transform them into peaceful magic. The activation of the magic gathering circle would affect the conversion circle deep underground.

"Crassus, use the elemental crystal on Caesar first. If there is no magic tower, the leakage of the chaotic magic underground will not be a joke. People or creatures that come into contact with the chaotic magic will gradually mutate!" Old Ethan said a few words while looking at the image. He was very familiar with magic circles.

"The extra element crystals are only a few hundred thousand!"

"Give it to Kaisas first. The magic gathering circle can be stopped. I will just increase the speed of the conversion circle by 5%!"

Crassus nodded firmly, his gaze resolute. He knew full well that the terrifying Black Demonic Serpent had undergone such a startling transformation precisely because it had been influenced by that powerful and chaotic magical force. Originally just an ordinary demonic snake, under the influence of this mysterious force, it gradually mutated into a terrifying creature with golden eyes—the Golden-Eyed Black Demonic Serpent.

Within the demonic ruins, there lay an even larger and more astonishing red giant snake. This snake was arguably the most radical and thorough example of mutation, having successfully evolved from a low-level demonic snake into a terrifying creature rivaling the might of a legendary Warcraft.

At that moment, ten thousand elemental crystals, imbued with abundant magical energy, were carefully dropped into the magic pool. The massive, inky black cocoon began to slowly spin. Simultaneously, the elemental crystals seemed to come alive, floating lightly in the air and rotating closely alongside the cocoon, creating a bizarre and spectacular spectacle.

“Huh… Fortunately, the Abyss Body Tempering is almost over!”

Old Ethan, who had been staring intently at the image before him, finally breathed a sigh of relief and spoke slowly. Hearing his words, the other two old elves relaxed their tense nerves a little, a look of relief on their faces. Previously, Riven had already explained in detail the various stages of Abyssal Tempering and the specific manifestations that might occur at each stage.

"It's finally over! This little guy has consumed a lot of our magic resources!"

Destro shook his head with emotion, his eyes showing both anticipation for the completion of the body tempering process and a bit of heartache for consuming so much magic power.

Elemental crystals are a vital resource for elves' cultivation. Typically, most elves can obtain over twenty of these precious crystals each month. Brave elves tasked with patrolling outside the crater will receive a few extra elemental crystals as a reward and guarantee.

Not long after, the slowly rotating cocoon suddenly stopped. As the cocoon came to a stop, all the elemental crystals fell to the ground with a clear, melodious sound. At the same time, the pitch-black cocoon, which had been suspended in the air, also began to slowly descend, like a giant egg about to hatch.

When the cocoon finally landed, everyone was surprised to discover a noticeable dent in its once smooth, rounded surface. As the three old elves stared in amazement, a hand as white as mutton-fat jade cautiously reached out from within. Then, a shirtless, slender figure slowly rose to their feet. This person possessed long, jet-black hair, as smooth and lustrous as black satin, shimmering with a crystal-clear sheen, flowing naturally over his broad shoulders. Surprisingly, a strange black and red pattern had appeared on his sturdy chest, but it only lasted a moment before vanishing without a trace, as if it had never appeared.

A closer look revealed that the man emerging from the cocoon was none other than Caesars. He seemed slightly taller now, and exuded an indescribable aura of mystery. As everyone stared at him curiously, Caesars suddenly crouched down and nimbly slipped back into the cocoon.

"What's wrong with this kid? Why did he go back in again?"

The three old elves looked at each other with puzzled expressions on their faces. They stared at the giant cocoon intently, secretly speculating on the reason for Caesar's strange behavior.

Time passed by minute by minute, and just as everyone was anxiously waiting, Caesars finally emerged from the giant cocoon again. However, this time, he was dressed neatly, wearing a set of clean and tidy clothes, looking even more heroic and extraordinary.

"This kid is actually naked. He just hurried back to put on his clothes!" Old Ethan said with his eyes wide open and a look of sudden realization on his face.

At this moment, Crassus seemed to suddenly remember something and asked in confusion, "I remember he was wearing pants when he entered the magic pool?"

Hearing this, Old Ethan quickly explained, "Crassus, this potion contains giant snake venom, and it's extremely corrosive. Forget ordinary clothes; even gold would be completely corroded if soaked in it for a year!"