Black Hearted Mage

Chapter 138 Murder and Robbery

The salamander frantically pursued Kaesus, its body ablaze with flames, leaving a trail of scorching heat across the landscape. It raced furiously, gradually retreating from the surging, scorching lava river. As the distance widened, a thrilling hunt officially began.

Keep in mind, a salamander's lava-spitting ability isn't infinite; each burst consumes a tremendous amount of energy. Typically, they can only spit seven or eight times in a row before being forced into a predicament where their only available attacks are physical attacks. These include the fierce scratching of knife-sharp claws, the merciless biting of sharp fangs, and the whip-like lashing of their tails.

The clever and resourceful Kaisas had already carefully selected the battle site. Here, three or four huge rocks stood like a natural barrier, effectively stopping the Salamanders' rampage.

After several exhausting lava spews, the fire lizard finally realized that its energy was about to run out, so it began to change its strategy and used its strong limbs to chase after Kaisas. However, it never expected that what was waiting for it would be a series of fatal blows.

Caesars flashed, unleashing a powerful spell. Like lightning, it streaked through the air, striking the pursuing salamander with unerring precision. Sudden and utterly agonized, the salamander roared in agony. Caesars, however, pressed on, unleashing a barrage of exquisite spells. Magic shone brightly, spell after spell.

After spinning several times, the once ferocious salamander was now covered in wounds and on the verge of death. It began to retreat, wanting to turn and flee this terrifying battlefield. But it was too late. How could Caesars let it go so easily?

Curses of Weakness and Fatigue were cast upon the Salamander, making its movements increasingly sluggish and powerless. Meanwhile, Caesars further increased the intensity of his spells. Death Coil roared out like a black whirlwind, slamming fiercely into the Salamander. Immediately afterwards, a spear of darkness pierced through the air, piercing the Salamander's massive body.

Faced with such a massive influx of magical damage, the fire lizard could no longer withstand it, its body convulsing violently. Worse still, due to its relentless pursuit, it was now quite far from the lava river, completely losing any chance of escaping to safety. Watching the fire lizard writhing in agony, Caesars chanted a spell, preparing to deliver the final blow...

Dark Blast, this single-target spell wasn't very powerful, but it accurately struck the wound left by the Dark Spear. The immense force of the impact shattered the fire lizard's internal organs, sending blood and flesh spurting out of the wound.

Only a weak wail was heard, and the life of the sturdy fire lizard came to an abrupt end.

"The fire lizard was too difficult to deal with. It took more than 30 high-level spells to hunt it down!"

Caesars collected the fire lizard's corpse and sat down to rest. He had expended one-tenth of his magic power. With the help of the Death Staff and the Frost Crown Badge, he had finally killed the lizard. This didn't even include the consumption of the elemental crystals. His two protective bracelets, the outer spell and the Death Coil, all consumed the magic power from the elemental crystals.

It took a lot of physical effort, as I ran a lot back and forth.

"A salamander is worth at least 10,000 gold coins. My hard work has paid off!"

The daring plan of mining for precious fire crystals and hunting fire lizards flashed through Kaesus's mind like a flash of lightning, instantly igniting his deep desire for adventure. His restless heart could no longer calm down, as if time had become inexhaustible, and every second was a torment.

After a short rest, he took another step and walked resolutely towards the dangerous lava river.

Dozens of miles away from the lava river, a well-equipped and well-trained mercenary team was advancing at full speed. They had just passed through a warm and pleasant hot spring area, discovered a newly excavated mine, and saw an astonishing number of flame vipers.

"Everyone, work harder, the fire flower is waiting for us on the southern bank of the lava river!" A white-haired old man in the front of the team shouted loudly with an anxious look on his face, staring at the towering volcano in the south.

This mercenary team consisted of approximately thirty men, most in their forties or fifties, with several even sporting graying hair. Time hadn't dulled their courage and fighting spirit. The magicians within the team quickly cast spells, granting all members Swiftness, instantly increasing the team's speed.

A closer look at this team would reveal a surprising seven mages. The rest were nimble archers and swift warriors skilled in melee attacks, but there were no heavily armored warriors. Perhaps it was this unique composition that allowed them to advance so quickly in this perilous region.

Caesars was fighting a desperate battle with a huge fire lizard. He was fully focused and immersed in the fierce battle, forgetting everything around him.

After several hours of magical combat, Caesars successfully hunted down seven fire lizards. This long battle drained his magic power like a tide, and coupled with the long period of mental tension, he was already feeling a little exhausted.

He looked up at the sky, which had been pitch black, and saw that it was now tinged with a faint light. Dawn was about to arrive. Caesar knew that what he needed to do now was to find a safe place to have a good sleep and recover his lost physical strength and magic power.

He pulled out the copied map and searched for his destination. About twenty miles away, there was a safe spot dug by Rodman himself. It was well hidden, but thankfully, it was clearly marked on the map.

When Caesar was about to set off, the black magic snake that had been silently accompanying him seemed to have sensed Caesar's intention. It twisted its body nimbly and quickly got into the backpack.

Seeing this, he picked up his heavy backpack and cast Swiftness on himself, which could greatly increase his movement speed. After doing all this, he strode towards his destination.

As we walked further and further away, we gradually left the lava river flowing with hot magma.

In the early morning in the volcanic area, gusts of cool breeze blew through, bringing a refreshing feeling to people.

"stop!"

Caesars suddenly heard shouts in the distance. Turning back, he saw over thirty mercenaries rapidly pursuing him. Recalling Rodman's warning and the sheer number of their opponents, he immediately cast several buff spells and dashed northeast.

These were well-equipped mercenaries. Just by looking at their age, Caesar knew that, like Rodman, they were all experienced veterans. If he stopped to talk to them, he would undoubtedly be putting himself in danger.

Kaisas has undergone the Abyss Body Tempering Technique, and his physique is comparable to that of a Holy Knight. When he runs at full speed with the blessing of the enhancement spell, his speed is not much different from that of a galloping horse.

"Damn it, he got away. I shouldn't have shouted just now!" an archer complained.

"Whether we shout or not, we can't catch up with him. He runs too fast!" said another Wind Warrior.

An old man with snow-white hair, leaning on a staff in one hand, frowned as he watched the dust billowing in the distance. "He's a dark magician. There were traces of magical combat where he just passed. He was hunting fire lizards alone, and that's how he destroyed this fire flower. Oh, and he also dug up the fire crystals. Let's go back west. There are many fire flowers and more fire crystals upstream of the lava river!"

"There are more fire lizards there. First collect herbs, then hunt fire lizards, and finally dig fire crystals!" another old wizard added.

The mercenary group turned around and headed upstream towards the lava river. Rodman was moving forward at the edge of the muddy swamp, while Caesars was still running.

In Fire Maple City, the capital of the Roland Empire, in a study in the imperial palace, the old emperor, Duke Solomon, the spy chief, and the speaker of the House of Nobles were all sitting together.

"Damn Saint Laurent Church, how dare they kill our nobles!" The old emperor in gorgeous robes slammed the table and roared.

Duke Solomon sat in a chair, glanced at the old emperor, and said, "Your Majesty, calm down. The Fifth Legion has already set out and will reach Earldom of Solon in five days. We now have three legions in the south. Once the fire crystals and strong acid are ready, we can block the mine and kill everyone outside!"

"Carlos, how many people have been sent to the Southern Continent?" the old emperor asked the spy chief.

"Over 500 people. They've been on the road for a few days, and it'll take a month to reach the southern continent. Someone from the Royal Mage Corps is in the volcanic area. I've already sent a remote message to them. Sulfur is all you need to buy, and it's not expensive, but fire crystals and flame flowers are hard to come by!"

The spy chief was wearing a mask, so his expression couldn't be seen. The old emperor and the speaker looked anxious. They were both members of the Roland royal family. A major event concerning the life and death of the empire had occurred, leaving them unable to eat or sleep well.

After nearly two hours of traveling, Caesars arrived at a seemingly unremarkable volcano. It resembled a small mound rising abruptly from the plains, seemingly dwarfed and lonely compared to the vast expanse of the surrounding land. It was actually a dormant volcano, so small that even the nearest volcano was dozens of miles away.

The southeast face of the volcano presents a steep vertical cliff, a unique landscape formed by a landslide caused by a violent volcanic eruption in the past. And the extremely safe hiding place is hidden on this cliff.

Despite some minor setbacks along the way, Caesars ultimately succeeded in finding this hidden retreat. Rodman had skillfully combined alchemical glue with hard volcanic stone, meticulously crafting an incredibly sturdy secret door that was perfectly concealed within the cliff face. Without prior knowledge of the secret, it would be impossible to imagine that such a hidden cave entrance, approximately one meter in diameter, existed within this seemingly ordinary cliff face.

Kaisas stepped into this hidden cave. Although it was only a little over a hundred meters above the ground, it offered a panoramic view of the entire southeast. The interior was quite narrow and cramped. With a height of just over a meter, it was impossible to stand upright, forcing one to bend or squat. Fortunately, at just over two meters wide, it was perfectly adequate for meditation or sleep.

Caesars dropped his heavy backpack and unrolled a thick, soft animal hide mat. He then pulled out a few magic crystals and placed them beside him before slowly lying down. At this moment, the most urgent need for Caesars was to rest well and replenish his depleted magic power. All other matters, at this moment, became less important.

Several hours of intense spellcasting revealed Kaisas's shortcomings: he rarely engaged in spell combat and hadn't mastered some spells fully.

As Caesars entered a meditative state, the black snake emerged from his backpack. It surveyed the small, square stone cave, confirmed it was clear of danger, and then crouched down beside the hide. Every time Caesars meditated, the black snake benefited greatly, bathing in the peaceful dark magic.

Kaisas was in no hurry to leave his base. After his magic power recovered, he rummaged through his space ring and found a purple crystal bottle. He hadn't consumed a high-level physical enhancement potion in a while. After drinking the potion, he needed to use his magic power to assist in tempering his body. Although this process would take several days, it would maximize the absorption of the potency.

The three elven elders of the crater were also extremely envious of Caesar's special physique. According to Old Ethan, "Caesar is a humanoid magical beast. As long as more advanced magical materials are available, his physique can be continuously enhanced."

Late in the night a few days later, Caesars quietly left his base. He had originally planned to leave before dusk, but unfortunately, he spotted an old acquaintance—the Golden Viper Mercenaries. This time, the elite members of the Golden Viper Mercenaries had arrived in the volcanic area. He carefully counted the number of their men, and found they numbered over three hundred.

The Golden Viper Mercenaries had set up camp about 300 meters south of the small volcano. They chose that location out of concern for boulders falling from the volcano.

Caesars looked at these people like a vulture seeing rotten meat, or a leech smelling blood; his gaze could no longer be averted. With a simple calculation, he could figure out that the Golden Viper Mercenaries were carrying at least one hundred and sixty storage rings.

The storage ring has a limited capacity. To explore the volcanic area, you need to carry at least three months of food and water, plus weapons, equipment, clothes, tents and other things. A storage ring can only store what two people need.