Black Hearted Mage

The three great leaders of the Northern Tower couldn't definitively determine whether or not Evans was Caesar's ancestor. After all, the incident happened so long ago that it wouldn't be easy to investigate. Ultimately, they decided to bury the secret deep within their hearts and never speak of it again.

The three giants were not without selfish motives. They had previously explored two ancient ruins, both dating back to the Roman Empire, and both attempts had ended in failure. Both ruins shared a similar style: deep underground labyrinths constructed of black steel rock, housing high-level dark-type magical beasts.

These underground labyrinths were enormous, multi-layered, and filled with numerous dark beasts. The labyrinths were also filled with dangerous magical traps that could still be triggered today. Despite their efforts to clear certain areas, new beasts would repopulate them within a few months of leaving.

The three giants had asked old Roman for help before, but he was not interested in the two relics. Now that old Roman has accepted a student, the three giants think this may be a good opportunity to persuade old Roman to help them.

After reading books for half the morning, old Roman had some understanding of this little guy. He took Caesar to the second floor of the main tower, where was the real hall of the tower.

There was a quest area, an item distribution area, and a rest area. The quests ranged from difficult to easy, with quests for magicians and apprentices. Apprentice quests were low-level, like capturing low-level monsters in the north or delivering items.

The wizard's mission is more difficult. It involves exploring an unknown area, eliminating potential threats to the North Tower, searching for important magical materials for the tower, and hunting high-level magical beasts.

Several black-robed magicians, all with white hair, were in the hall, responsible for recording and issuing tasks. Apprentices and magicians could also receive necessary equipment, robes, training resources, and magic badges here.

"Great Magician Roman, you haven't been here for many years. Hey, who is this little guy?"

The old wizard in the apprentice item distribution area was startled when he saw Old Roman coming.

"Caron, this is my new student. Please take note and prepare everything he needs!"

"Oh my God! Great Magician, the last time you accepted a student was over 500 years ago, right? Your student is too young, and I don't have the right apprentice robes for him!"

The apprentice robes prepared by the tower were suitable for children as young as ten years old, and Caesars was just over six years old.

"Pick a few of the smallest ones, and I'll have someone shorten them later. Prepare your things first, and I'll go get my own training resources!"

Caesars was looking around curiously, and under the guidance of old Roman, they came to the other side of the hall.

"Mage Roman, do you want to claim your training resources?"

"Well, you can collect everything at once, including training resources, ordinary robes, and magic robes. I can also collect one, right?"

The old wizard picked up a booklet and carefully checked what old Roman was supposed to receive.

"It's a magic robe with dark magic patterns!"

"Get ready!"

Seeing several large bags of things being taken away by old Roman without paying a single gold coin made Caesars a little confused.

"Teacher, these things don't require gold coins?"

"No need, this is a benefit of the Northland Tower!"

After listening to old Roman's explanation, Caesars felt a little excited. These clothes were actually gifts.

After the two emerged from the tower, Old Roman took two black apprentice robes and went to the tower's tailor for help. Meanwhile, Caesars went to the alchemy tower to tend to the black magic snake, cleaning out the debris in the iron cage, filling the sink with clean water, and throwing a few magic rabbits and magic rats in to feed the black magic snake. Although this was troublesome, he still earned ten gold coins a month.

This massive, golden-eyed black demon snake was captured by Old Roman over a year ago, deep within the Blackrock Mountains. When Caesars sought a small snake for self-defense, Old Roman instructed him to select one, preferably a female. Females are larger, while males are much smaller. Furthermore, these snakes are known for their strong territoriality, making them particularly aggressive. Any human or beast that enters a golden-eyed black demon snake's territory will be attacked, regardless of size.

All things in the world are interdependent and mutually exclusive, and no one can be invincible. The Golden-Eyed Black Demon Snake is no exception; it too has its natural enemy: the Dark Demon Lizard. This remarkable creature is immune to nearly all toxins. They are enormous, weighing nearly a thousand pounds, and possess thick armor, a keen sense of smell, and immense strength. Their claws are as hard as iron, their teeth are razor-sharp, and their tails are as strong and powerful as a whip of steel—these are their most powerful weapons in battle.

However, the Dark Lizards are not invincible; they possess their own weaknesses and predators. In environments like the Blackrock Mountains, large predatory monsters are scarce, so the Dark Lizards' primary threat comes from human mercenaries. These mercenaries are adept at using various tactics to hunt down the Dark Lizards, which are as valuable as piles of gold coins.

Every part of a Dark Lizard is a valuable asset to mercenaries. Their hides are tough and durable, possessing natural magical defenses, making them a prime material for crafting leather armor. Their venom sacs and livers are high-quality alchemical ingredients, used in the creation of various precious potions. Even their tails, with simple processing, can be transformed into powerful whips. These valuable properties make Dark Lizards highly sought after, but also contribute to their rarity.

The third black snake's egg had successfully hatched, and the newborn snake was noticeably larger than the previous two. It occupied a separate area of ​​the cage, while the other two snakes cowered in a corner.

"This is a little female snake!" Caesar muttered to himself.

He knew that male and female black snakes must be kept separately, otherwise the male would be eaten by the female within a few days. Newly hatched black snakes possess the ability to hunt; this is their innate instinct. In the wild, males always hatch first and quickly leave the nest upon hatching to avoid being devoured by the female.

Caesars went to the next room and selected the smallest demon rat. Holding it in his hand, he continued to lure the female snake outside the large iron cage. The female snake's slender black tongue flickered, sometimes extending and sometimes retracting, sensitively detecting the scent of food in the air. Soon, the snake emerged from the small hole in the large iron cage. However, it didn't rush to kill the demon rat. Instead, it hovered in front of Caesars, seemingly curious about the unfamiliar creature.

Caesars made no move, waiting for the snake to build trust, the crucial step. Everything was just as he'd expected. The dark element's high affinity made the snake willing to approach him. It was even more cautious when hunting demon rats, as if worried its fangs might bite Caesars.

The well-fed little snake lay peacefully in the linen bag, motionless, as if soundly asleep. Caesars gently placed it in its place and began diligently cleaning the enclosure. He carefully sorted out all the debris from the iron cage and tossed it into the large wooden barrel outside the stone chamber. With a satisfied nod, he returned to the library tower with the little black snake.

When he returned to the library tower, Old Roman was still nowhere to be seen. Feeling somewhat bored, Caesar decided to continue reading the tattered magic book. The book was filled with mystery and novelty, and every page captivated him.

The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight streamed through the window, Caesars opened his eyes. However, he looked around but couldn't see Old Roman. He shook his head helplessly, thinking the great wizard might not have returned. He quickly rose, washed briefly, and then eagerly trotted out the door, ready to enjoy a delicious breakfast.

Thanks to his storage ring, Caesars could take one or two more loaves of bread this time, which made him particularly happy. He hummed a little tune as he briskly walked out of the library tower.

But just then, a piercing gust of cold wind blew in his face, sending a chill through him. The weather outside was unusually cold, and the flowers and plants lining the road were already covered in a thin layer of hoarfrost, appearing crystal clear, like exquisite paintings. Caesars hunched his neck and quickened his pace toward the large stone house behind the main tower, hoping to warm up quickly.

"Little guy, why are you wearing so little clothes?"

The burly Melissa stopped packing her things and turned to look at Caesars. She hadn't practiced basic martial arts as usual today, which made Caesars curious.

"My new clothes are too big for me," Caesars said, helplessly pulling at the oversized clothing. "Melissa, why didn't you exercise today?"

Melissa smiled and explained, "Little one, there's an autumn frost today. Autumn in the north only lasts a little over a month, so it'll snow in a few days. My grandfather and I should return to the tribe. We'll have to wait until the ice and snow melt before we come back next year!"

"Why do you want to go back to the tribe?" Caesars asked in confusion. He knew he couldn't go home yet. After all, Blackrock City was far from the North Tower, and even by carriage it would take two days. Therefore, he had no choice but to stay in the North Tower to spend the winter.

"Go back and protect the tribe. Our tribe is only separated from the icefield by the Icecrown Mountains. After the snow falls in winter, the dire wolves will migrate south due to food shortages. They will move south along the Frozen Canyon, and our tribe is their first stop. If we don't intercept the dire wolves, they will continue to move south and spend the winter near the Blackrock Mountains. So we must go back to protect the tribe, and magicians will also go to the tribe to help!"

"How many direwolves are there? Are they big?"

Kaisas now felt a little regretful that he had not yet looked through the atlas of the continent's magical beasts. If he had looked at it earlier, he would not have been unaware of magical beasts like the dire wolf.

Melissa explained, "Dimewolves are high-level magical beasts, slightly smaller than ordinary horses, but incredibly ferocious. Their fur is incredibly tough, easily withstanding the cold. The number of direwolves that appear at any one time is not fixed, depending on the abundance of food on the icy plains. Sometimes there might be tens of thousands, other times only a few thousand."

"Wow, there are so many!" exclaimed Caesars.

"Hey, when I come back next year, I'll definitely bring you two wolf skins. You can spread one on your bed and use the other to cover yourself. That way, you won't feel cold even when sleeping outdoors in the cold winter. But considering your current size, I'm afraid a few wolf tail furs would be enough to wrap you up tightly!"

Melissa laughed as she spoke, and at the same time stretched out her big hand to gesture at Caesar's size. As she said, the other party's height was indeed not as long as the dire wolf's tail.

"I will definitely grow taller in the future!" Caesars retorted unconvincedly, while continuing to put bread into the storage ring.

"You have a storage ring?"

"I'm already a wizard's apprentice, and this is my trophy!"

"A trophy? Can a little guy like you fight?"

"I can't, but the black snake can. Someone tried to harm me, but was poisoned to death by the black snake!"

Melissa thought of the Alchemy Tower where people often died. Yesterday, a low-level magician died, and he was also a low-level alchemist.

The neatly dressed old ogre came over, urging Melissa to set off. The straight-line distance from the North Tower to the southern Icecrown Mountains was nearly a thousand kilometers, with the vast northern grasslands in between.

"You're just going to walk all the way back?"

"Little guy, our mount is in the stable at the back. It's the Frostmane Bull!"

Melissa waved and walked out, following the old ogre to the tower's animal pen. Caesars hurriedly followed behind, wanting to see the Frostmane Bull.

The Frostmane Bull was so large that Kaesus could only reach its leg joints. Only a mount of this size could bear the ogre's overweight body.

On the fifth day, when sporadic snowflakes were floating outside, old Roman, wearing a black magic robe, came back exhausted.

"Teacher, where have you been?"

"I went home and found you some small clothes. The tailor in the tower was a bit clumsy and only made one style of robe."

Old Roman took out several large packages, containing everything from clothes and shoes to delicious snacks. Caesars looked at the embroidered robes and smiled until his eyebrows curved.

"Boy, it's just a few old clothes, are you so happy?"

"Teacher, you are a noble lord! Look, this little robe is a noble robe, even the buttons are mixed with at least half gold. I don't mind old clothes, but the weather is too cold, and I haven't left the library tower for three days!"

Although young, Caesar had some foresight, thanks to the guidance of old Ludwig. He had met nobles in the Blackstone Tavern and knew the strict rules of the aristocracy. He dug out a thick, soft garment and held it before him, gesturing.

Old Roman on the side smiled slightly, then nodded. The students he accepted this time were quite smart.