Black Hearted Mage

Chapter 369 The battle to destroy the country

One morning, more than two months later, the sky was barely turning pale, and the spire of Rose Castle was still shrouded in mist. Several luxurious carriages, emblazoned with the Roland Empire's emblem, rolled over the rose-petal-covered cobblestones and slowly came to a stop in front of the castle's main building. The gilded fleur-de-lis patterns on the carriage doors gleamed in the morning light, highlighting the distinguished status of the guests.

In the lead carriage, Carlos, the head of the secret service, was tapping the window with his deerskin-gloved fingers. In the following carriages, several elderly nobles with gray hair were yawning—in order to arrive before sunrise, they had to break their long-established morning routine.

Sean, the butler, had been waiting at the steps since dawn, accompanied by a team of attendants. As the carriage pulled up, he stepped forward courteously, opening the door with great respect. Several elderly nobles slowly disembarked, stepping on the silver-covered footrests and frantically straightening their silk robes, wrinkled by the carriage's jostling, and their sashes, which had become askew. One of the old earls even pulled out a small silver mirror he always carried from his sleeve and carefully checked his appearance.

"Sean, is Lady Vivian up yet?"

Duke Solomon was the last to disembark. He smoothed the wrinkles from his velvet coat, his sharp gaze sweeping across the castle windows high above. As the son of Roy, the Duke's butler, Sean's appointment to Rose Castle had been orchestrated by Solomon. The young butler's bowed gaze reminded him of old Roy, who had stood in the same position thirty years earlier.

"Your Excellency the Duke," Sean maintained a perfectly humble demeanor, "The curtains in that lady's bedroom have not yet been drawn. As for the Marquis..." He paused, glancing towards the small attic at the top of the castle, "The Marquis has not been seen since he went in last night."

In a corner of the castle hall, a fat dog, curled up and soundly asleep, suddenly twitched its ears and reluctantly opened its sleepy eyes. Its chubby body swayed like a small mountain, and it slowly stretched out its four stout legs. Dragging its round belly, it inched toward the door with lazy, small steps, its wet black nose twitching constantly, clearly wondering who had dared to disturb its sweet dreams.

When the fat dog saw who was coming, it immediately opened its bloody mouth, revealing its jagged, sharp fangs, which were still stained with the meat scraps left over from gnawing on bones during the night. It unceremoniously pushed Sean aside with its massive head and let out a deep growl at the several elegantly dressed old nobles. The muffled threatening sound rolled in its throat, and even the layers of fat on its neck trembled.

"Oh my God! It's grown so big!"

The spy chief gasped and involuntarily took a half step back. He remembered seeing the fat dog a few years ago, when it was just a puppy the size of a boot. Now, it had swelled into a behemoth weighing over a thousand pounds. Several of the old nobles shuddered simultaneously. The fat dog's mountain-like size was certainly terrifying, but even more terrifying were the knife-like fangs in its mouth, which shone with a cold luster.

"You old bastards woke me up," the fat dog said viciously in a hoarse, raspy voice, sticky saliva dripping from the corners of his mouth. "Unless you give me two barrels... no, at least five barrels of aged wine, I'll eat all your horses!" He deliberately bared his teeth and made a creepy chewing sound. "First, I'll bite off their necks and let them bleed, then slowly peel and pickle them... I'm just looking for a change of pace."

Sean, standing aside, remained expressionless, showing no intention of coming to the rescue of the old nobles. He knew this gluttonous beast too well—once it set its mind to extortion, even the king himself would be powerless to stop it except for Caesars.

"Alright, fat dog," Duke Solomon said with a wry smile, shaking his head. His graying beard trembled slightly with his sigh. "You just want five barrels of wine, don't you? Why scare us old men like that?" He glanced at the thoroughbreds tied outside the door with pity. They were all priceless horses. While not necessarily the fastest, their gait was steady and graceful. "Rum, maple wine, ale, take your pick!"

The fat dog's eyes lit up instantly, and he licked his lips greedily, his thirst for alcohol aroused. "Then I want everything! Two barrels... no, three barrels!" He slapped the ground with his paws impatiently, shaking the crystal chandelier.

Duke Solomon sighed helplessly and signaled his attendants to roll oak barrels one by one in front of the fat dog. The barrels exuded a rich and intoxicating aroma of wine, and the fat dog immediately moved forward, sniffing hard with his wet nose against the cracks of the barrels, his tail wagging unconsciously, like a greedy child seeing candy.

The group entered the castle's spacious living room. A crackling fire in the fireplace illuminated the yellowed paintings on the walls. A sleepy-eyed maid, yawning, slowly approached, bearing a silver tea tray. Steaming black tea curled from a porcelain cup, and a few delicate almond cookies sat beside it. In a corner, the portly hound lazily lay behind the castle gate, its ears alertly perked, its scarlet eyes flicking as it listened intently to every word of the elderly nobles.

"Sean, go get Caesars! We're here to deliver the magic crystal to him!" Duke Solomon's slender fingers tapped gently on the mahogany armrest, his tone calm but undeniable. He was dressed in a dark blue velvet tuxedo with a family crest pinned to his chest. His silver hair gleamed faintly in the candlelight. The main purpose of this trip was to report border military intelligence to Vivian and to purchase some rare herbs.

"Your Excellency the Duke, the Marquis has specifically instructed that no one is allowed to disturb me during meditation." Sean spread his hands helplessly, his young face full of embarrassment, "Now they won't even let me get close to the stairs to the attic." He subconsciously looked up in the direction of the spiral staircase. There was a magic barrier on the wooden door of the attic.

"I'll go and call!"

Suddenly, the fat dog, which had been lying on its back, stood up and barked loudly. It shook its sleek fur and walked slowly towards the spiral staircase on the side with an elegant gait that was extremely disproportionate to its size. The storage ring hanging around its neck swayed gently.

Watching the fat dog disappear around the corner of the stairs, Duke Solomon turned his penetrating gaze to Sean. Casually adjusting the jeweled buttons on his cuffs, he asked casually, "Sean, why did Lady Vivian choose to reside in this Rose Castle?" The spy chief sitting beside the Duke pricked up his ears; none of them understood.

Sean scratched his head, a distressed expression on his face. "I'm not quite sure of the specific reason..." He lowered his voice, "But Lady Vivian and the Marquis seem to have known each other for a long time..."

"How can this be!"

Duke Solomon's pupils shrank slightly, and the teacup in his hand swung gently, splashing a few drops of tea onto the snow-white lace tablecloth. Vivian Barton was a legendary figure from thousands of years ago, while Caesars was the most outstanding rising magician of our time. Between them lay thousands of years of time. The flames from the fireplace flickered, illuminating the stunned faces of the crowd. For a moment, the only sound in the living room was the ticking of the wall clock.

A few minutes later, accompanied by a faint ripple of magic, Caesars, clad in a dark gray magic robe, slowly strolled into the living room. The robe, meticulously woven from black pearl spider silk and mithril threads, shone dimly in the morning light. The faint magical runes on the robe swayed with his steps, creating a look both magnificent and mysterious. He casually flicked his sleeves, sending wisps of residual magic dust drifting through the air.

"You old guys are here too early." Caesar yawned lazily, his dark eyes sweeping over everyone in the living room. "The sun hasn't even climbed over the eastern ridge yet, and you're so impatient to come visit the Rose Castle?" He smiled meaningfully, slowly sinking into the soft sofa, his slender fingers tapping the armrest from time to time.

The elderly men gathered in the living room exchanged knowing glances. These influential figures in Roland Continent were now on pins and needles because of the order Vivian was about to issue. Duke Joyce's knuckles had turned white as he gripped his cane tightly; Old Gard kept polishing his monocle; and even the usually calm Duke Solomon could hardly hide his anxiety, beads of sweat oozing from his forehead.

"Caesars!" Duke Solomon was the first to break the silence, his voice filled with urgency. "When will Ms. Vivian be able to meet us?"

Kaisas raised an eyebrow at this and pulled out an exquisite silver cigarette case from his pocket. "It's still early!" He casually flipped open the lid and pulled out a cigarette emitting a faint magical aura. "At least another hour. But..." He suddenly smiled slyly, a faint blue flame shot out from his fingertips and lit the cigarette. "Since you're all here, why don't you take out the magic crystals? I plan to sell you a few more golden ginseng plants this time."

Amidst the wisps of lilac smoke, Caesars narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the restless old men. He would be leaving Roland Continent for the Demon Realm in two years anyway. These golden ginseng, so valuable in the Roland Empire, would be worth less than ordinary herbs there. Might as well exchange them for more cultivation resources now to prepare for the upcoming journey to the Demon Realm.

"Kaisas, how many plants are you going to sell?"

Duke Solomon leaned forward eagerly, his bony fingers tightly gripping his jeweled cane, his cloudy eyes gleaming with desire.

Caesars leaned lazily against the carved chair, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. "Fifteen golden ginseng stalks. Of course, given your current situation, you certainly can't come up with that many magic crystals at once." He slowly swirled the red wine in his crystal glass. "But I'll allow you to pay on credit for six months."

"Fifteen plants?!"

Several white-haired nobles simultaneously gasped, shock written across their wrinkled faces. One even stumbled back on the sofa. They looked at each other, clearly having not anticipated such a staggering number. Normally, the precious golden ginseng traded would only yield two or three plants at most.

Duke Solomon narrowed his eyes. This was too abnormal. How could Caesars sell so much golden ginseng at once?

"No need to pay for half a year!" the spy chief suddenly interrupted, a fierce look flashing in his eyes beneath his mask. "We will deliver the magic crystal to Rose Castle within a month."

The spy chief glanced around at his colleagues, a menace in his cloudy eyes. These aging dignitaries knew full well that their decaying bodies depended entirely on potent life-enhancing elixirs, with golden ginseng being the most crucial ingredient. To stay alive, they would pay any price.

The spy chief pulled heavy wooden boxes from his storage ring and opened them, revealing gleaming magic crystals. "It's all here," he croaked, his dry fingers trembling slightly.

Kaisas counted the magic crystals with a smile on his face, his eyes narrowed into slits: "Happy cooperation." He swept these precious magic crystals into the space ring. They were just some cultivation resources.

These golden ginsengs, prized in the human world, were not uncommon in the elven territories of the Endless Forest. The elves only used them to make potent life-enhancing potions to aid in healing injuries and illnesses, never using them as a panacea to prolong decaying life like the human nobles did.

As sunlight streamed into the hall through the stained-glass windows, light footsteps echoed on the stairs. Vivian rubbed her sleepy eyes, her black dress setting off her skin like snow. She yawned lazily, her long golden hair slightly disheveled. Meanwhile, the kitchen servants arrived at the dining room, wheeling a silver dining cart. The delicate porcelain plates clattered against each other with a crisp sound.

"Let's go, have breakfast first, we can talk later if there's anything!"

Before Caesars finished speaking, he stood up swiftly. His fat dog couldn't wait any longer and rushed to the restaurant happily, its tail wagging like a rattle.

Several old nobles and secret service chiefs stood still, their hunched backs straightened, wrinkled faces showing respect as they quietly waited for Vivian to go first. This subtle gesture silently highlighted Vivian's unusual status.

Several elderly nobles followed closely behind Vivian, filing into the spacious, bright dining room. Morning light streamed through the stained-glass windows onto a long table covered with a snow-white tablecloth. Several well-trained maids delicately set the exquisite silverware, the clink of porcelain plates against knives and forks creating a crisp sound.

Vivian took a seat at the head of the table, her sharp gaze sweeping over the elderly nobles present. Her slender fingers tapped lightly on the table, breaking the brief silence. "Are you all ready?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the white-haired Duke Solomon rose, placed his right hand on his chest in a standard court salute. His lowered eyes couldn't hide the enthusiasm in them, and his voice trembled slightly with excitement. "Lady Vivian, everything has been arranged as you instructed. At Bonebreaker Castle, we await your arrival to personally oversee the situation."

"Very good." Vivian nodded slightly, her fingertips tracing the rim of the crystal cup. "Give those specially crafted large alchemical bombs to Caesars." She paused, a sneer curling her red lips. "Let him be responsible for blowing up the Saint Laurent Empire's Bone Castle."

The maid duly brought over a steaming breakfast. Vivian gracefully took up her napkin and said, "Let's have breakfast first. We'll discuss the details later."

Sitting next to Vivian, Caesars couldn't contain his excitement. He reached out and grabbed a piece of golden, crispy, and creamy bread. He expertly placed the perfectly seared bacon between the bread and took a large bite, chewing it slowly, letting the rich gravy and the sweetness of the bread blend in his mouth. He wore a satisfied expression, clearly impressed by Chef Cecilia's cooking.