Black Hearted Mage

Chapter 287 Old Enemy

Old Garlon's trembling hands gripped the longsword inscribed with magic patterns, his knuckles white from the strain. His slightly wrinkled face was filled with terror, his hawk-like eyes fixed on the ever-growing hole beside the demonic steel tomb's door. The Ao Quan, previously injured in the nose, now swelled in size, erupting in flames several feet high. The scorching airwaves crackled the surrounding basalt ground, and the hard stone crackled under the intense heat, sending rubble flying everywhere.

“This…this is impossible…”

A hoarse whisper escaped Old Garlon's throat as he watched the beast break free from the last of its chains. Ao Quan threw back its head and unleashed a deafening roar, its crimson eyes like two blood-red moons fixed on Old Garlon. It kicked up its hind legs and lunged forward, engulfed in flames. Old Garlon instinctively swung his sword, but the tip of the blade made contact with the burning fur with a sharp metallic clang and bounced off. Before he could react, a piercing pain shot through his calf—Ao Quan's sharp fangs had sunk deep into his flesh.

At this critical moment, a clear young voice suddenly rang out: "Damn dog, don't kill him, stop it!"

Ao Quan's movements ceased immediately, but the force of his head still flung Old Garlon into the air. The old man slammed heavily against the stone wall of the tomb, accompanied by the clear sound of bones breaking. He slid to the ground like a rag doll, blood oozing from his mouth.

"Hey, isn't this Earl Garlon!"

Caesars shouted in feigned surprise, his brisk tone forming a strange contrast with the bloody scene. He approached with graceful steps, his boots making crisp sounds on the gravel.

"Fortunately, the injury is not too serious!" As he said this, he squatted down, his movements as gentle as if he was examining a precious piece of porcelain.

Caesars' slender fingers skillfully explored old Garlon's injuries. Every time they touched a wound, the old man twitched in pain.

"Count Garlon, you have five broken ribs, one arm is dislocated, and the other is fractured." He listed his injuries like a treasure trove, his voice filled with creepy amusement. "The wound on your leg is not serious, just the tendon is bitten off, and there are a few small nicks on the leg bone!"

As Kaisas spoke, he took out several animal hide packages from his space ring. The packages were bare of any decorations. He gently unwrapped one of them, revealing a powder with a strange aroma inside.

"who are you?"

Old Garlon struggled to squeeze out these words, his hawk-like eyes filled with confusion and fear. He clearly knew this handsome young man, but he couldn't remember where he had seen this face before.

"My Lord Earl, now is not the time to make a promise. Let me treat you first!"

Caesars smiled, and his right hand suddenly glowed with a strange gray-green light. The light, like a living being, wrapped around his fingertips and slowly drifted toward Old Garlon. Simultaneously, his left hand quickly pulled a handful of powder from his hide pouch and sprinkled it precisely on the man's bloody calf wound.

"Ouch!" Old Garlon groaned, then realized with horror that he couldn't make a sound. The moment the powder touched his wound, an indescribable pain ripped through his body, only to turn to numbness in the blink of an eye. He felt his strength rapidly draining away, unable to even lift a finger. He could only lie powerlessly on the cold ground, staring at Caesar's face, which held a gentle smile.

A nearby puppy twitched its nose excitedly, greedily sniffing the powdery aroma wafting through the air. Its maw opened wide, saliva dripping from its fangs, corroding small pits in the ground. It was Caesar's special seasoning, a blend of several rare spices and magical ingredients.

"Count Garlon, let me formally introduce myself to you," Caesar said slowly, gracefully removing the storage ring from the old man's hand and examining it carefully in the firelight. "My name is Caesar, formerly a snake breeder in the Northland Tower." His voice suddenly turned cold. "Your son, little Garlon, was killed by the golden-eyed black demon snake I released!"

These words struck old Garlon like a hammer in the heart. He stared wide-eyed, a hoarse sound emanating from his throat, but he could only watch as Caesars continued to strip off his noble robe and undergarment, leaving him with only a pair of bloodstained shorts. Old Garlon was incredibly well-maintained, his well-muscled body appearing exceptionally robust in the firelight.

"Dead dog, do you want some honey?"

Caesars suddenly turned to Aoquan, his tone as intimate as if he were addressing an old friend. The pup purred happily, its tail slapping the ground, sending up a shower of sparks. Caesars pulled a crystal bottle from his ring, filled with a thick, golden liquid. He carefully poured the honey out, evenly spreading it over old Garlon's trembling body, his movements as gentle as if he were crafting a piece of art.

The sweet aroma of honey filled the tomb, mingling with the stench of blood, creating a nauseating, eerie aroma. Old Garlon closed his eyes in despair, feeling the sticky touch of honey coating his body. Ao Quan's scorching breath was already close at hand...

"You idiot, bear with it a little longer. Once I extract his soul, this old fellow must have hidden a lot of treasures!"

To fully extract old Garlon's soul, the best time was when he was on the verge of death. A cold glint flashed in Caesar's eyes, and he quickly drew the magic blade from his waist. The blade shone with a cold blue light in the dim tomb. Without hesitation, he plunged the blade into old Garlon's slightly wrinkled forehead, then withdrew the dagger with lightning speed. As old Garlon's body convulsed violently, Caesar muttered an ancient spell, and a wisp of grayish-white soul matter slowly peeled away from his dying body like smoke.

After extracting the soul, Caesars slowly rose. He expertly destroyed the control center and then began a thorough search of the gloomy tomb. He pocketed every valuable item, even the heavy tomb door. Finally, he cast the Flash spell, instantly vanishing from the death-filled chamber.

"Eat now, you bastard! You're drooling!"

The sound of Caesars's fading voice echoed for a long time in the deep tomb passage. Although Old Garlon was his most hated enemy in his life, he still didn't want to witness the scene of the puppies gnawing on the corpse, so he turned and left the place.

Less than a quarter of an hour later, Caesars finally appeared at the tomb's exit. He found a flat rock not far from the cave entrance, sat down, and began carefully examining Old Garlon's storage ring. The ring's interior was filled with a variety of magic crystals, gleaming alluringly in the sunlight. Several boxes filled with gold coins were haphazardly stacked in a corner, alongside several well-preserved boxes of herbs.

"Golden Ginseng!"

As Kaisas counted the herbs, he couldn't help but exclaim in amazement at the sight of two golden ginseng plants, each one completely golden and with its roots intact. However, now wasn't the best time to absorb and refine the souls; otherwise, he could have traced the origins of the golden ginseng. He suppressed his excitement and turned his attention to the other spoils.

Two animal hide maps caught Caesar's attention. One was a complete map of Bitterwater Farm, with several underground secret passages drawn on it. Even the main route to the cave under the Emerald River was marked on this map.

Opposite the Bitter Water Farm, separated by an Emerald River, was the former territory of Earl Soren. In that territory, there were actually two secret underground passages.

The other map was of the area west of the Blackrock Mountains, showing a typical underground passage. The entrance to the tunnel wasn't very close, probably more than ten miles to the north.

To sneak into the Endless Forest to collect herbs, one must have the ability to avoid the elven rangers and the ability to survive from the mouths of high-level monsters. Kaisas guessed that the person collecting herbs was at least a high-level stealth.

The stronger a person is, the stronger his soul power is, and Kaisas needs this soul energy.

In the afternoon, the sun was blazing brightly, its scorching heat scorching the vast earth. The puppy, whose size had grown several times over, finally staggered out of the dark tomb passage. The flames that had once blazed around it were now completely extinguished, with only a few sparks occasionally flashing through its short, dark red fur.

Kaisas squinted his eyes as he looked at the huge monster in front of him. He couldn't help but walk forward and slap its rock-like back muscles. The collision of his palms with the thick fur made a dull sound.

"Good fellow!" Caesars whistled. "That's no puppy at all! It's fatter than the strongest bull! Look at its back, it could be used as a chopping board!"

The puppy suddenly dodged to the side nimbly, its small eyes, which were very disproportionate to its huge body, stared at Caesar vigilantly, and its nostrils flared constantly.

"Hey! You idiot, what's with that look in your eyes?"

Caesars was amused by its wary look. "Don't worry, I'm not planning on stewing you. But..." He stroked his chin thoughtfully, "With your size, you'd be a perfect mount. No, calling you a horse is an understatement. Your back is so wide you could easily fit two people lying down!"

He suddenly lowered his voice and pointed to the north: "Listen, there is a cave over there, hiding a cunning stalker. That guy must have a lot of food on him..." Before he finished speaking, the puppy's eyes suddenly lit up, his wet nose twitched constantly, and a few drops of saliva dripped from his grinning mouth.

"Deal?" Caesars raised his eyebrows, and the puppy immediately let out a happy hum from his throat, and his thick tail swept up a cloud of dust on the ground.

But when Caesars stepped onto the platform-like back, he realized things weren't quite so simple. The dark red fur was as slick as oil, leaving him with nowhere to rest his weight. As the puppy took its first steps, he swayed from side to side like a clumsy rag doll. Once the puppy sped up, he lost control of his center of gravity.

"Slow down! You idiot..." Before he could finish his words, the puppy suddenly stopped, its claws digging into the ground. Caesars, however, continued flying forward due to inertia, his black robe rustling in the wind. In the nick of time, he quickly performed the levitation spell, avoiding a complete fall.

"You damn dog, you definitely did it on purpose!"

After Caesars landed on the ground, he was so angry that he jumped up and down, but the puppy tilted his head, his little eyes full of innocence, and he even made a "woof" sound of grievance.

"Stop playing dumb!"

Kaisas climbed onto the puppy's back again with a look of dissatisfaction on his face, and he held on tightly to the puppy's fur. The fur was not easy to hold and was easy to slip.

He tugged hard at the puppy's ears, and it immediately whimpered in grievance. However, Caesars remained unmoved. He continued to threaten, "You idiot dog, if you don't run properly, I'll put two earrings in you. I'll put a rope through the earrings, just like putting bridles on a horse, and then you'll have no choice but to obey!"

Hearing this, the puppy slowed down noticeably, not wanting to have its ears tied by a rope. However, it didn't stop completely, but instead trotted cautiously, each step appearing to be exceptionally steady.

In this way, the puppy led Caesars on a difficult journey along the bumpy road. The road was about ten miles long, but because the puppy was slow, it took them a full quarter of an hour to finish the journey.

The entrance to the cave, marked on the map, was just over a hundred meters ahead. It was at the base of a massive, dead tree, only five or six meters tall. Vines had been planted around it to provide camouflage and concealment. From the outside, all one could see was the dense, crisscrossing vines, making the cave's presence completely invisible.

Caesars jumped off the puppy's back, pointed at the vines and said to the puppy, "You damn dog, you need to return to your original size, otherwise you won't be able to enter this narrow underground passage!"

The puppy seemed a little dissatisfied with this request. It grinned mischievously, revealing a row of white fangs. When it saw the vines ahead, a flash of surprise suddenly flashed in its eyes. It had smelled the aroma of barbecue, and this aroma came from the vines not far away.

In the red magic light, the dark red puppy gradually shrank back to its original size. Without even needing a command from Caesars, it lowered its fat body and burrowed into the grass. The weeds, like a wave, gradually approached the vines.

Caesars used the magic of invisibility and quietly followed. The mage's invisibility had a time limit, only lasting about two minutes. The invisibility effect was not very good, far inferior to the assassin's stealth.

Before Caesars could even get close to the dense vines, he could hear a great movement within them, as if a fierce struggle had broken out. Then, a man in black leather armor burst out of the vines, a dagger in his right hand, his left hand holding only a bloody wrist.

This is the puppy's usual style. It likes to bite off the palm of the hand wearing the storage ring.

Caesar's invisibility was broken, and with a flash of gray-green magic, Curse of Pain and Death Coil had already struck their target. The leather-armored figure suddenly twitched, then continued running a few steps, twitching again from the incantation. This time, he could no longer run. He only took a few steps forward before collapsing to the ground, convulsing.

Caesars stepped forward and began to plunder the spoils before the assassin was completely dead. His elemental system was about to be promoted to mage, and his spell attack power would be even higher in the future.