Black Hearted Mage

Chapter 283 Enemy 6

Before dawn, Blackrock City was shrouded in a leaden gray mist, the sky hanging low as if to crush the city walls. A massive team bathed in the glory of the Wind Magic arrived outside the city through billowing dust, the muffled thud of their iron boots striking the ground startling the ravens roosting in the forest.

Kandel stood on the carriage, his voice booming through the loudspeaker: "The thieves from Saint Laurent are eating away at your potion quota!" He deliberately shook the alchemy bottle in the air, and the light reflected from the crystal glass wall swept across the ogre's red eyes. "The strength potion that should have been distributed to you last month is now lying in the storage rings of those mercenaries!"

Kandel made inflammatory remarks, causing the anger of the Northern Guards and Ogres to soar. They served the tower just to obtain alchemical potions, and gold coins were just accessories.

The great shaman Trum was waving a totem staff inlaid with animal bones, and the ogre warriors were buckling their heavy magic steel armor together. The sound of metal clashing was mixed with heavy breathing - these giants over three meters tall spewed out white mist with every breath, just like an active volcano about to erupt.

"Remember your positions!"

Trum's roar echoed outside the city. The ogres split into two iron streams and surged towards the east and west gates. The archers of the Northern Guard climbed up the city walls like ghosts. The other half of the warriors wearing wolf-head helmets had already surrounded the mercenary camp like an iron barrel, the magic patterns on their scabbards glowing with a faint blue light.

As Caesars lifted the carriage curtains, the dark patterns flowing through his spider-silk robes seemed to animate. The black gem atop his staff of death twisted the morning light into a strange halo. He kicked the puppy curled up on the shaft. "Stop pretending to sleep, you idiot! I want to see its intestines hanging from the battlements."

The originally furry pet suddenly expanded into a monster the size of Ao Quan, with bits of dried meat still remaining between its fangs.

The burly Locke originally wanted to chat with Caesars, but Trump beside him grabbed his ear and walked towards the city gate.

"Didn't the boss say we wanted to capture them alive... or..." Locke muttered, rubbing his red ears. Trum poked his back with his totem staff and pushed him towards the city gate. The old shaman cursed, "Idiot, why do you want to keep them alive? Let them continue to drink our alchemical potions?"

"Damn it, let's go to the west gate and catch that damn Tom!"

Caesars pulled two sticks of dried meat from his pocket, squatted down, and stuffed them into the mouth of the now-restored puppy. He gently stroked the puppy's furry head, his fingertips lingering briefly behind its ear. Then he stood up and sprinted toward the west city gate. His battle robe rustled in the night breeze, and his boots made a quick, clattering sound on the cobblestones.

The puppy happily chewed the dried meat, its eyes narrowed in satisfaction at the salty aroma. Its stubby tail twitched, and its four paws nimbly followed its master's steps. Its glowing red eyes occasionally glanced at Caesars—it clearly remembered the rule: all food in the "prey" ring belonged to it.

Meanwhile, Kendel and Joanna approached Old John's courtyard like two ghosts. Caesars had previously detailed the secret room's exact location and how to open it. Kendel's black leather boots landed silently in the shadows beneath the courtyard wall, while Joanna's robes shimmered in the moonlight.

Just as the two figures passed over the courtyard wall, Joanna's slender fingers completed the final spellcasting gesture. An invisible barrier of silence spread like ripples, enveloping the entire courtyard. The arcane prism suspended by the sorceress's fingertips began to slowly rotate, refracting the cold moonlight into dozens of slender silver threads. These magical rays moved as if alive, precisely piercing the cracks between the cellar planks—the very location of the trap that Caesars had discovered during his previous reconnaissance.

Elsewhere, Caesars stopped abruptly in front of Tom's courtyard. He took a deep breath, muttered a levitation spell, and instantly became as light as a feather. He easily scaled the shattered wall, landing without disturbing even a fallen leaf. Finding the door locked from the inside with a heavy bolt, he unleashed a blast of darkness without hesitation. The solid wooden door shattered under the magical force, and at the same moment, the puppy beside him, his eyes suddenly turning a terrifying crimson, shot into the house like arrows.

A terrified scream suddenly rang out from the dark stone house, followed by a heart-wrenching howl. The deep growl, characteristic of an angry puppy, echoed in the small space, interspersed with the crisp sound of breaking bones and the dull thud of flesh hitting the wall.

A few minutes later, everything fell silent. Tom, covered in blood, was dragged out of the house by the puppy's sharp teeth. His mutilated body left a horrifying trail of blood on the dirt. Only bloody severance remained at his wrists, his left leg twisted at a strange angle, and every breath was accompanied by a painful groan.

"You idiot! First, go find his storage ring in the house, and then look for a secret room!"

As Caesars spoke, he looked at Tom, who looked a little miserable, with interest.

"who are you?"

Tom, with gray hair, looked at Caesar in horror. He had just been attacked by a demon dog, and all his resistance was in vain.

"Don't worry about who I am for now. You must be from the Saint Laurent Empire. You've been hiding your true strength in Black Stone City for over thirty years!"

After hearing what Caesars said, Tom, who was lying on the ground, was about to speak but stopped talking.

At this moment, a loud bang erupted from the small stone house, followed by the sound of heavy objects collapsing. A moment later, a dust-covered puppy emerged, spewing out a severed hand and a storage ring.

"Two storage rings! Damn it, there's a secret room?"

The puppy opened its mouth wide and whined.

Kaisas picked up the bloody severed palm, removed the ring from his finger, and casually threw it at Tom. Immediately afterwards, two curse spells fell on Tom. A flash of gray-green magic light made Tom fall into a state of extreme fatigue and weakness.

Caesars turned and walked into the small stone house. He saw a hole in the bedroom floor and walked down the steps into it. The puppy followed him into the house and peeked down.

"You idiot, go watch him, don't let him get away!"

The puppy whined, turned around and walked out of the house.

Caesars controlled his magical tentacles and carefully explored the secret room from all directions. Apart from some worthless items, he found no other secret rooms or hidden compartments. He returned to the surface and searched the stone house inside and out, even the small stone courtyard, but still found nothing.

After inspecting the bloodless storage ring, Caesars made a discovery: a full set of magic-weave leather armor, four or five magic-weave daggers, a Saint Laurent Empire mercenary badge, a large bundle of animal hide ropes, and several magic steel hooks.

"Get off him, you idiot! You're going to sit on him to death!"

Caesars said with a smile. The chubby pup, the size of a full-grown hound, lazily sprawled across Tom's belly, its sturdy claws digging deep into his soft underbelly. Its sharp white fangs bared, sticky saliva dripping from between its teeth. Its scarlet eyes, like rubies soaked in blood, stared intently at Tom's violently throbbing carotid artery.

The puppy reluctantly moved his body upon hearing this, taking small steps to Caesar's feet. The pale blue potion bottle in Caesar's hand glowed strangely in the moonlight. He skillfully popped the cork with his thumb, and a cool minty scent mixed with a light hint of alcohol immediately filled his nostrils.

"No doubt about it, this is what the night-awakening grass juice tastes like after it's been purified."

Caesars muttered to himself. The liquid in the bottle produced fine silver bubbles when shaken, exactly the characteristics Kandel had described. He glanced at Tom, who was limp on the ground. His pale face was covered in cold sweat, and two charred wounds on his wrists were still emitting green smoke - the masterpiece left by the small fireballs he had condensed with his fingertips.

"Tom..." Caesars said in a long tone, as if calling an old friend affectionately, "This beautiful little blue thing is the purified night-awakening grass juice obtained from the Saint Laurent Empire, right?" As he said that, he kicked Tom's bleeding wrist with the toe of his boot, which caused him to scream heart-wrenchingly.

"You...who are you?"

Tom's teeth chattered in pain, and his body, bound by the magic ropes, twisted in vain like a stranded fish.

Caesars suddenly squatted down, and his muddy leather boots crushed Tom's wound. He took off his hood, letting the light illuminate his face. "Don't you recognize me? I'm Caesars, the former snake breeder of the Northland Tower!"

As Caesar spoke, he watched Tom's eyes and the subtle changes in his expression. When the other party's soul began to fluctuate, Caesar was sure that he knew where Old Garlon was.

"Caesars, why are you doing this to me?"

Poor Tom, he feigned innocence, as if Caesar had wronged him. Caesar keenly noticed the veins bulging in his temples—a manifestation of his intensely turbulent soul. The puppy nearby suddenly barked excitedly; he could smell fear.

"Shh..." Caesars put his index finger in front of his lips and slowly pressed his other hand on Tom's forehead, which was covered with cold sweat. A strange gray light appeared on his palm.

"Tom, you know what? My little pet is growing up recently, and the flesh and blood of a high-level magic warrior is a great tonic for it."

As the gray magic sank into Tom's brow, a shrill scream pierced the night air. Tom's body seemed to be ripped into the air by invisible hands, then slammed back to the ground. Spiderweb-like cracks began to appear on his skin, and grayish-white soul mist was forcibly drawn from all seven orifices, twisting into a painful humanoid shape in the air.

The puppy was spinning around excitedly, waiting for the delicious meal from its owner.

"Dead dog, he's yours!"

Tom's soul became pure and transparent after being filtered by the Soul Gem. Caesars stared at the purified soul and then devoured it without hesitation.

When the soul entered Kaisas' body, he immediately felt a powerful energy surging in his body. He closed his eyes, concentrated his mind, and began to absorb and refine this soul energy.

During this process, Caesars could not only feel the soul energy gradually merging into his body, but he could also read Tom's memories. These memories flashed before his eyes like pictures, giving him a deeper understanding of Tom's past.

After a long time, Caesars finally opened his eyes. His gaze became deep and sharp, as if he had undergone a baptism. By reading Tom's memory, he also learned a shocking fact - Tom's true identity was actually Old Garlon's nephew!

Old Garlon, this name caused a ripple in Kaisas's mind. He knew that Old Garlon was an extremely cunning person, and now he was hiding in the northwest of Blackrock Mountains, in an abandoned wizard's tomb.

Caesars stood up, stretched his body, and felt the strength of his soul. He was about to leave the small stone courtyard and continue his journey. However, the moment he turned around, he saw a scene that shocked him.

A bloody intestine hung from the gate, swaying gently in the breeze. The intestine still had some lingering blood stains on it, making it particularly eye-catching.

"Damn dog, you did this?"

Kaisas widened his eyes and glared at the puppy sitting beside him.

The puppy seemed to sense Caesar's anger and whimpered, acting innocently. It wagged its tail, as if to express that it was doing all this according to Caesar's instructions.

"You idiot, I was just saying that!"

Caesars sighed helplessly. He had just said it casually, but he didn't expect that the puppy would be so obedient and actually hang its intestines on the gate.

Looking at the shocking pool of blood on the ground, Caesars couldn't help but shake his head. He knew that although the puppy looked cute, it was actually a "killer". However, since it had already happened, he could only accept this reality.

Tom was a master of disguise and extremely cautious. His two storage rings contained completely different weapons and equipment, a habit he'd developed over years of navigating the gray zone. The unassuming ring contained the standard mercenary gear: a well-worn leather armor with bleached edges, a common magic steel dagger with a scratched scabbard, and a few bottles of basic hemostatic powder—anyone who saw him would have guessed he was a low-level adventurer who hadn't made it.

Another storage ring, disguised as a treasure, was inlaid with inferior gemstones. Inside lay his true possessions: high-grade magic pattern leather armor crafted from magic leopard hide, its lines flowing dark silver in the moonlight; a fine magic pattern dagger; a dozen or so sets of gorgeous silk robes; and over a dozen barrels of fine wine. A small chest was crammed full of high-grade alchemical potions. The value of this box alone was at least 10,000 to 20,000 gold coins.