Black Hearted Mage

Chapter 137 Salamander

The flame vipers in the mine had all fled, and Caesars looked at the staff in his hand with a bewildered look on his face. The four small snakes on the top of the staff were decorations, used to fix the magic gems, and they had never glowed before.

As he walked forward, Kaisas collected fire crystals, picking up a dozen or so in total, large and small. The temperature inside the mine was rising, making it difficult to breathe. At the end of the mine, Kaisas discovered a large expanse of crimson, crystal clear and emitting a dazzling red light.

Kaisas looked at the fire crystal with anticipation. Just as he was about to dig, he reached out and touched the fire crystal. The moment his fingers touched the fire crystal, a "chi" sound was heard, accompanied by a burnt smell.

"Oh my god, there's no way it's lava inside! Fortunately, it only burned off some of the skin!"

Kaisas used his magic tentacles to explore inside, and everything was almost as he expected. Inside the fire crystal ore layer was a lava channel with magma flowing.

Caesars walked out of the mine and found the Flame Vipers lying outside, densely packed everywhere. Honest and simple-minded Rodman stood over a hundred meters away, waving his hands.

"St. Paul, clear the way!"

The Black Demonic Snake raised one-third of its body, its head held high. Like a king on patrol, it slowly slithered eastward, causing the Flame Vipers in front of it to give way.

Just as it was about to escape from the encirclement of the snake group, the black magic snake suddenly pounced on a fat prey. When the snake bit the prey with its kiss, its fangs also pierced into the opponent's body, and the deadly venom was quickly injected into it.

Using the wizard's hand, Caesar grabbed dozens of twisting poisonous snakes and threw them towards Rodman.

"Rodman, kill all these snakes. This is food for St. Paul!"

Rodman, already preparing to flee, had no choice but to draw his dagger. The scarlet vipers were easy to spot, and killing dozens of them was easy. If Caesars had thrown a shar-skin viper, he would have turned and fled. The shar-skin viper's camouflage was so good that it was difficult to distinguish its head from its tail on the volcanic ash.

As Caesars moved away from the mine, a large number of snakes began to return to the mine.

"Caesars, how come they all ran out at once just now? I was at the entrance of the cave at that time, and I was so scared that my legs went weak!" Rodman asked anxiously.

Although Flame Vipers are the lowest among the intermediate-level magical beasts, they also have deadly venom.

"Scared by the black snake!"

Kaisas looked at the black snake behind him. It was fighting a desperate battle with the flame viper. The prey it chose was a little bigger than itself.

"Just this little snake, can it scare away the Flame Viper?"

Rodman obviously didn't believe the white lie made up by Caesars, but he couldn't find any other possibility.

"Rodman, I have good news and bad news for you. Which one do you want to hear first?"

Kaisas asked as he collected dozens of dead snakes.

"Let's talk about it together!"

"The good news is that there are still quite a few fire crystals inside. The bad news is that the vein is very close to the scorching magma, so we can't mine it!"

"Kaisas, you might as well not say anything! Let's go and complete the mission on the crater first."

Hearing Rodman's urging, Caesars nodded. The crater urgently needed a thousand flame flowers, and he guessed it was probably related to the appearance of the demon.

Before the sun rose, the two set out from the edge of the hot spring pool. The lava river in the south was invisible to the naked eye, and only the huge volcano in the south could be seen.

After the sun rose, the temperature began to rise sharply. Using the shade created by the ice array, the two of them trudged along the scorching ground. After walking for a full morning, they finally reached the edge of the lava river. Here, vast expanses of fire flowers formed a sea of ​​fire. There were also exposed fire crystals around, but digging them up could be dangerous.

Rodman began to dig fire flowers, while Caesars sat not far from the lava river, copying the map of the volcanic area.

Rodman's exploration map was incomplete; he only explored a small portion of the volcanic region. This region was so vast that it was also known as the Southern Continent, its area equivalent to half the Eastern Continent. To put it more literal, it was roughly the size of five Roland Empires.

Every ten minutes or so, Rodman would run to Caesars to rest and enjoy the coolness brought by the ice magic circle.

"Rodman, how far can the fire lizard's lava spew out?" asked Caesars.

"A fire lizard's breath can reach farther than spells, about thirty-five to forty meters. A ground dragon's breath is truly terrifying, exceeding fifty meters. If you want to dig up fire crystals near the lava river, first check for fire lizard footprints. Then make a loud noise, and you'll quickly know if there are any fire lizards around!"

Rodman pointed to the southwest, where there were traces of stirred volcanic ash, indicating the presence of salamanders. If they weren't visible nearby, they must be in the lava river.

After a period of rest, Rodman felt revitalized. The sun hung high in the sky, radiating its merciless blaze. The air around him seemed to ignite, and waves of heat rolled in. This harsh environment didn't deter Rodman. He resolutely braved the scorching sun and unbearable heat to continue digging for high-quality flame flowers.

Elsewhere, Caesars had successfully copied the map and carefully stored it away. He then deftly packed up his tent and made all the necessary preparations. He also wanted to join the fire flower gathering and contribute his own efforts to this mission.

Judging from the growth cycle of the flame flower, this place has been deserted for at least a decade. It is precisely because of this that so many high-quality flame flowers grow here.

Under normal circumstances, harvesting the flame flower isn't particularly difficult; simply pull it from the ground. Even if the stem is accidentally broken, it won't significantly affect subsequent processing. However, it's important to note that despite being called a "flame flower," it's actually just a magical herb with fiery red leaves. In alchemy, only the fiery red leaves are used.

Kaisas took out a small, delicate hoe and began to diligently dig up the flame flower, even up to its roots. According to the requirements of the crater, they needed a complete plant with a root system.

By evening, Caesars and Rodman had completed their mission at the crater. They also dug up some flame flowers for themselves. Flame flowers and flame mushrooms were quite expensive, with Fire Maple City purchasing them for over fifteen gold coins, a price they had maintained for years.

"Rodman, are you ready to go back now?"

Hearing that Rodman was anxious to return the flame flower, Caesars gave him five fire element crystals, which Rodman could take to the crater and exchange for the element crystals he needed.

"Well, the elven elders are urging us to send it back as soon as possible. Kaisas, what about you?"

"I plan to follow your exploration route, heading east, crossing the Stone Mountains and entering the Stone Kingdom. Then, I'll head west along the mountains and enter the Redstone Kingdom, and then head north to the Roland Empire!"

This was the same route Rodman had taken before, and Caesars planned to follow it. Leaving the volcanic area would require walking, and it would take more than a month.

"Caesars, remember one thing here. If it rains here, find a place to hide immediately. If there's no cave, dig one. The rainwater here is corrosive, and the stagnant water on the ground is even more corrosive because the volcanic ash contains sulfur!"

Caesar nodded solemnly. Weak acids are also corrosive and can damage weapons and equipment, and can cause skin ulcers if they get on the body.

Under the veil of night, Rodman checked his weapons and equipment and set off. He would first return to the hot springs for a bath, then head north to the edge of the Great Swamp. He would continue east along the swamp, where it would be slightly cooler and more accessible to avoid the other mercenaries. He would then retrace his route into the Muddy Swamp, cross the shallow swamp, and follow the underwater path through the deep swamp, returning to Violet City.

Kaisas didn't stop either. The high-quality fire flowers near the lava river had already been picked. His only option now was to mine for precious fire crystals. To be on the safe side and avoid a sudden attack from the ferocious fire lizards, he couldn't get too close to the scorching lava river.

Not far away, a cluster of perfectly positioned fire crystals caught Caesar's eye. They resembled a giant ruby, set atop a seemingly insignificant volcanic rock. The experienced Caesar knew this volcanic rock held a hidden secret—it must be deeply connected to the surging magma beneath. Without a constant supply of fire elements to nourish them, how could these fire crystals grow there?

However, this discovery also brought huge challenges to the excavation work. After all, just a slight tap on the fire crystal would generate a shock wave that would be transmitted to the lava river at lightning speed, suddenly waking up the sleeping fire lizards.

"St. Paul, get out of here! I'm about to start mining!"

Kaisas shouted as he pulled out a durable magic steel pick. He gripped the handle tightly with both hands, took a deep breath, and then, with all his strength, swung it fiercely towards the bottom of the fire crystal.

Suddenly, a resounding "bang" echoed, and sparks flew everywhere, dazzling like a dazzling display of fireworks in the darkness. The powerful impact ripped the fire crystal, over half a foot tall, from the volcanic rock. Almost instantly, Caesars used his mage's hand to precisely grab the fallen fire crystal. Then, with lightning speed, he bolted away from the lava river without a backward glance.

Four or five crimson fire lizards, startled awake by the crash, quickly emerged from the lava river, searching for the culprit who had disturbed their sweet dreams. When they spotted Caesars, lava erupted like a rain of fire, a truly spectacular sight. While Caesars was unaffected, a large area of ​​fire flowers was damaged, reduced to ash by the lava rain.

This was also the first time Kaisas had seen a salamander. This fire-type beast was nearly five meters long, with a tail about four or five meters long. They had strong explosive power and could run very fast over short distances, comparable to a stealth fighter's dash.

Several fire lizards did not pursue, they all lay on the edge of the lava river, as if waiting for Caesar to come over.

Standing in the distance, Caesars looked at the fire lizard, then at his own magic robe, and then he rummaged through his space ring. He pulled out a blood-red magic robe made from the hide of the legendary beast, the giant red snake.

He put on a scarlet magic robe, and the black magic snake hid far away, as if it was afraid of the magic robe.

Since he couldn't mine the fire crystals, he had to find another way to obtain the required resources. He turned his attention to those ferocious fire lizards.

Caesars moved cautiously, slowly approaching the group of salamanders. He observed their every move intently, searching for the perfect moment to strike. He spotted the nearest salamander, dozing off. Without hesitation, he unleashed a powerful spell—Shadow Bolt. As his magic surged, a black, purple-glowing shadow bolt imbued with a powerful dark force quietly launched. With lightning speed, it struck the unsuspecting salamander.

After a successful attack, Caesars did not dare to stop for a moment. He immediately used the flash spell and disappeared from the spot in an instant, ready to avoid the subsequent rain of fire.

The struck fire lizard was no pushover. As a high-level fire-type magical beast, it possessed an exceptionally violent temper. The attacked fire lizard roared in anger, opened its maw, and furiously spewed scorching lava in the direction of Caesars. For a moment, the surrounding air seemed to ignite, and waves of heat rolled in.

However, to Caesar's surprise, after spewing a burst of lava, the salamander calmly returned to its original position, seemingly making no attempt to pursue him. This was completely different from what Caesar had expected. Normally, a salamander under attack would pursue relentlessly. However, this situation presented him with a dilemma. If he couldn't lure the salamander out of this area, hunting it here would become extremely dangerous. If the fight dragged on too long, other salamanders would likely arrive to reinforce him. Furthermore, this place was close to the lava river, and an injured salamander could easily escape back into it.

With this in mind, Caesars gritted his teeth and decided to risk approaching the salamander once more. This time, he knew that shadow bolts would no longer be able to effectively harm it, and he would need to use more powerful spells. He cast spells in succession—corrosion, curse of pain, and sacrifice.

As spell after spell struck the fire lizard, it suddenly felt an unprecedented pain. It suddenly stood up from its previously peaceful position, its eyes blazing with rage as it stared intently at Kaesus. The fire lizard was now completely enraged. It stretched its powerful limbs and rushed towards Kaesus with reckless abandon.

Seeing his plan work, Caesars was delighted, but he didn't dare show any sign of complacency. He used the Curse of Weakness and the Curse of Fatigue to slow the salamander's movement, while constantly guiding it away from the lava river. Thus began a thrilling hunt...