Black Hearted Mage

Chapter 175 Conspiracy

Duke Solomon stared wide-eyed at the three-foot-long living root before him, looking at it indistinguishable from an ordinary tree root. Despite his vast experience, this was the first time he had ever seen such a gigantic living root.

The elderly duke slowly reached out his hand and, after carefully rummaging through his storage ring for a while, finally pulled out a whole, slightly worn book. He quickly flipped through the book, which was a collection of classics devoted to various herbal medicines. Not only were they beautifully illustrated, but they also contained detailed annotations for each herb.

"I can't believe that this living grass can survive for hundreds of years!" Duke Solomon sighed with emotion.

Caesars, standing nearby, nodded slightly in agreement. "Indeed, the difference in size between living-root grass that's hundreds of years old and that that's only a few years old is almost indistinguishable. The real difference lies in the roots buried deep beneath the soil. So, if it's not carefully cultivated and planted by humans, then the quality of living-root grass you dig up depends entirely on your luck!"

Upon hearing this, Duke Solomon quickly asked, "If that's the case, then how many years has this living root grass in front of us been growing?"

Caesars helplessly spread his hands and replied with a wry smile, "Well... how could I possibly know the exact answer? But one thing is certain: it must have grown for at least a hundred years. Your Excellency the Duke, what price can you offer?"

Caesars pointed at the bottle, and the old duke understood what he meant. However, he hadn't brought many barrels of wine with him, so their transaction needed to be conducted in Fire Maple City.

"Caesars, where did you get your living root grass?" Duke Solomon asked. He had an irresistible attraction to herbs rich in vitality.

"Endless Forest!"

"Kaisas, if you can go to the Endless Forest, you should dig up more golden ginseng!"

What Duke Solomon cares about, or what he earnestly hopes for, is still the golden ginseng.

"I can only wander around the edge of the forest. I can hardly find any golden ginseng. I dare not go deep into the forest. It would be very troublesome if I encountered an elf patrol. There are also very ferocious high-level monsters!"

"Will the elves in the Endless Forest stop you for questioning?" Solomon asked with some confusion.

"Of course. I'm not an elf, so if I encounter an elf patrol, I have to submit to an inspection!"

"Didn't the Crater give you a pass token to allow you to walk freely in the Endless Forest?"

"Duke Solomon, I never thought of such a good thing!"

Solomon, the old fox, had deliberately or unintentionally attempted to extract confidential information about the Endless Forest from Caesar. However, how could a clever man like Caesar easily let him succeed? Naturally, he remained tight-lipped, refusing to reveal a single word.

After over a week's journey, the massive contingent finally arrived at Fire Maple City. The city gates were packed with people, with many nobles eagerly awaiting their arrival. When Duke Solomon and the mysterious spy chief stepped out of their carriage, they were immediately greeted with a warm welcome. The nobles gathered around them, their faces plastered with fawning smiles and a stream of cloying flattery. Caesars, on the other hand, sat quietly in the carriage, oblivious to the false compliments emanating from outside. Yet, the constant flow of compliments still made him feel uneasy, as if countless ants were crawling all over his body, giving him goosebumps.

The carriage remained stagnant, time ticking by. For over five minutes, it remained stationary, with no sign of further movement. Caesars refused to waste time here. With a sudden thought, he pulled out a magical artifact—the Elf Transfiguration Mask. He quickly donned ordinary magic robes and gently waved his wand. In a flash of light, Caesars transformed into an ordinary young wizard.

After completing these preparations, Caesars pushed open the carriage door without hesitation and walked towards the city gate. Strangely enough, despite the constant flow of people around him, no one noticed his actions, let alone recognized that this seemingly ordinary young magician was Caesars from the carriage earlier.

Caesars successfully entered the city gate and walked on the bustling streets of the imperial capital. In his hand, he held a crystal-clear dragon bloodwood staff that looked like it was carved from red crystal.

Nearly a month had passed in a flash, and the time had come for him to absorb soul power again. The Soul Gem was in urgent need of replenishment. As he used the Soul Gem during meditation, he gradually became aware of its miraculous properties. It was like a door to an unknown world, slowly opening to him.

Caesars stopped a passing carriage and arrived at his destination smoothly. When he got off the carriage, his eyes were instantly attracted by the unusual scene before him - he saw a group of people dressed in brocade robes, surrounding the Cavill family's pastry shop.

The Cavill family's snack business is the key pillar of the family's income. In comparison, although the small territory outside the city can also grow some food, the income is at most enough to maintain the family's basic daily expenses.

Caesars thought to himself, "What on earth is going on here? Why is it so bustling?"

Full of doubts, he struggled to squeeze out a passage from the crowded crowd, and finally grabbed a middle-aged man and asked anxiously, "Rom, tell me quickly, what is going on?"

This middle-aged man named Rom was the youngest son of Old Joey. Because he failed to inherit the baronial title, he was relatively less courageous, but he was extremely cautious in doing things.

"Master Magician, these noble children are looking for trouble. They suddenly came to buy snacks, but we don't have enough in stock. They just refused to leave and blocked our shop door!"

Caesar was wearing a mask, so Rom did not recognize him. Seeing Rom's anxious forehead sweating, Caesar also understood something: these noble children came here deliberately to cause trouble, and there was someone behind the scenes instructing them, otherwise no one would dare to come to the great magician's house to cause trouble.

An invisible mage's hand reached out, snatching up two or three noble children and throwing them onto the street. Then a few more were thrown out, until everyone blocking the shop door was thrown onto the street. Caesars, leaning on his dragon-bloodwood staff, walked to the shop door, glaring at the noble children with a cold glare.

"Because you blocked the store, the Cavill family has suffered serious losses. Each of you must compensate the Cavill family 10,000 gold coins. If you give up this condition, we will go to the Imperial Capital Arena for a life-and-death duel!"

As Caesars spoke his bold words, the dragon-bloodwood staff in his hand was also activated by magic, bursting out with a fierce and dazzling light. He slowly walked into the shop and headed towards the small house in the back.

Rom watched Caesars walk into the shop and quickly followed him, instructing the clerk to close the shop door.

"Kaissa!"

The head maid Cecilia was sitting in the yard. Although she was a stranger to the newcomer, she knew the dragon blood wood staff and its value.

"Head maid, you can recognize it like this?" Caesars was very confused.

"Caesar, your face can change, but you haven't changed your staff!" Cecilia, who looks middle-aged, said with a smile.

Kaisas sat down on a chair beside him, took off the elf transformation mask, and followed him in. Rom almost screamed in surprise.

"Rom, which families did those noble children come from?" Caesars asked.

He wasn't very familiar with the emblems of the nobles of Fire Maple City, but Rom had studied aristocratic etiquette, and heraldry was a required course for him. He often went to the inner city to deliver snacks and was very familiar with the emblems of the nobles.

"They are the sons of the three earldoms: Lawrence, Delta, and Portman. Oh, yes, there's also a son from the Duke of Barton's mansion, but he's been standing across the street. He came here with these people!"

After listening to Rom's detailed explanation, Caesars nodded slightly, indicating he understood the situation. With his keen insight, he wouldn't believe the claim that there wasn't some conspiracy involved. The Cavill family was his base after arriving in the imperial capital, and he would frequent them both today and in the days to come.

"There is no doubt that their action this time is definitely aimed at the Cavill family. I just recorded a video. If no one sends gold coins as compensation today, then tomorrow I will not hesitate to invite them to a duel!" Caesars said sharply.

He had a vague impression of Earl Lawrence. He seemed to have close ties to Kandel of the North Tower, and members of his family were studying magic there. As for Earls Delta and Portman, Caesars had no memory of them at all. And he had never met a single one of the children of the Duke of Barton's household. It was said that they all lived in the Duke's own domains and rarely set foot in the bustling imperial capital.

Just then, the housekeeper came running over in a hurry.

"Master Rom, the city guards want to see Master Caesars!"

As the old butler finished speaking, a dozen figures in leather armor walked into the courtyard with great momentum. Their breastplates were branded with the emblem of the Roland Empire, and daggers hung at their waists.

Rom was too timid to speak when he saw the city guards. Cecilia, in her long dress, also stood up immediately, while Caesars remained seated in his chair.

"Were you the one who beat up the nobleman just now?" asked a member of the city guard team.

"They were making trouble in front of the Cavill family's store, and I threw them onto the street!" Caesars replied.

"Just admit that you assaulted the noble. Now come with us to the City Guard House!"

"Are you blind? I'm a magician. I don't need to go to the city guards even if I assault a noble!"

"If you only injured a noble, you certainly don't need to go to the City Guard's headquarters. But if you killed a noble, then you have to go to the City Guard's Mansion!"

Caesars smiled faintly. He sensed a deeper, more sinister conspiracy. This wasn't just aimed at the Cavill family; it seemed to be directed at him as well. Although he had used his magic to teach a few nobles a lesson, it was absolutely impossible for anyone to die.

"Okay, I'll go with you!" Caesars said with a smile.

"Caesar, do you want to inform the young lady?" Cecilia asked anxiously.

"No need. Fire Maple City is too far from the Northland Tower. After sending the message, it will take about five or six days to get there. Head Maid, don't worry, I'll be fine!"

Under the watchful eye of a team of city guards, Caesars walked toward the courtyard gate. Outside the gate stood a dozen horses and a dilapidated cart, without even a fence, carrying goods.

This was clearly an attempt to disgust someone, a magician. Caesars simply smiled and walked to the shabby carriage. A dozen city guards mounted their horses and urged the driver to set off.

The City Guard House was in the outer city. Caesars remembered it was to the east, passing through the Imperial City Plaza. As the carriage left the commercial district, many people noticed a team of City Guards and a magician in a dilapidated carriage.

The Didu Plaza was still bustling with activity, with many people setting up stalls. Among them, one figure stood out. He was incredibly burly, and sitting on the ground, he looked like a mountain of flesh.

"Locke!"

Kaisas called out to him, then he jumped off the carriage and walked towards the ogre's stall. He was a little puzzled now, why would the ogre set up a stall in Fire Maple City?

All the city guards stopped, dismounted in unison, and followed closely behind Caesar.

"Locke!"

Kaisas walked to the ogre's stall. He was wearing linen clothes and looked very greasy. The weather was a bit hot, and the ogre was tanned.

"Brother Caesars, you're here to set up a stall too!"

Locke grinned, revealing several sharp teeth.

"I'm not setting up a stall today. By the way, why are you in Fire Maple City?"

"Of course it's to earn gold coins and buy delicious food!" Locke said excitedly.

Kaisas looked at the other party's stall, which contained a pile of ores, a number of highland herbs, a pile of furs, and a few magic gems. Although these things were not too popular, there were definitely people who needed them.

"Locke, this isn't your first time in Fire Maple City, right?"

"I come here every year, six or seven times in a row!"

"The tax collector also charges you a gold coin every day?"

"No one can take my hard-earned gold coins. I beat up the tax collector once, and now I am just like the magician - I am tax-free!"

The ogre laughed heartily, his laughter extremely joyful.

"Brother Caesars, why are these bad guys following you? Do you want me to beat them all up?"

In Locke's eyes, there is no difference between the city guards and the border guards, and anyone who dares to stop him from entering Huofeng City is a bad guy.

"No, they need me for something. I'll set up the stall tomorrow. Locke, you can set up the stall under that tree. It's so hot under the sun!"

"Yes, it's a little cool in the morning, but it's too hot in the afternoon!" said the ogre with sudden realization.