Black Hearted Mage

Chapter 317 Buying Fish

Baron Sesis controlled virtually every gold-earning business in Highland City. Like a greedy spider, this shrewd noble wove an impenetrable web with power and wealth. The fresh sea fish trade was the glittering thread in this web. Ordinary sea fish were sold at the Highland City market, while the prized deep-sea catches were meticulously prepared: first slaughtered and bled by skilled butchers, then frozen to preserve their freshness. Finally, they were neatly stacked in storage rings and delivered by express horses to the noble restaurants of Fire Maple City, where they fetched staggering prices.

Caesars knew that meeting the real Baron was extremely difficult. The Rose Castle had three secret passages, and the Baron's mansion in Highlands City had no fewer. He planned to create a sensation by purchasing a large quantity of sea fish. After all, no one in this city dared to touch Baron Sesis's cheese. If he rashly approached, he would only find the Baron's double—a double who was like Sesis's twin brother, as indistinguishable from the real thing as a buoy drifting in the harbor.

First, you have to provoke Baron Sesis. An angry soul is the easiest to identify. A person's appearance can be disguised, but the fluctuations of the soul cannot be concealed.

The shrewd Caesars naturally wouldn't alert the enemy. Avoiding the city's eyes, he chose a prime observation point west of the dock—a near-vertical cliff with stubborn thorns growing sporadically on its steep face. He pitched a nondescript gray tent in the leeward spot. From there, he could overlook the fishing boats plying the harbor, as well as the entire fishing port and merchant docks of Highland City.

Baron Sesis controlled all the inns and hostels in the city. Under those eaves with signs, countless pairs of vigilant eyes were hidden. As soon as any unfamiliar face stepped through the city gate, the news would quickly swim into the baron's ears like a school of frightened sardines.

As dusk enveloped the harbor like a fishing net, a cold, salty wind began to blow. In a high-walled mansion in the southwest corner of Highlands City, Baron Sethis, now over fifty years old, hunched over a carved oak chair. The flickering flames in the fireplace cast flickering light on his well-maintained features. The old butler bent over to deliver the news, causing his fingers to rest lightly on his gilded wine glass. For the first time ever, the merchant ship from the south coast had failed to arrive on time.

"Master, something serious has happened!"

The elderly butler hurried down the corridor, straightened his clothes in front of the study door, and then bowed to report, "A high-ranking magician in a gray robe has arrived in the city. A valuable magical gem is attached to his staff. Strangely, he didn't stay at the Emerald Inn or the Rose Inn. Our people found him suspicious, so they quietly followed him to see which master's residence he was heading to..."

The butler wiped the sweat from his forehead and lowered his voice, "But, just as we reached the central square, he turned into an alley and disappeared in the blink of an eye. The three spies we sent were all veterans, but they didn't even see how he disappeared..."

"Idiots!" Baron Cesis slammed the table, shaking the wine bottles on the oak table. "You good-for-nothings still want to follow a high-level magician? I'm afraid you'll be discovered as soon as you take the first step!"

The baron's fingers twitched involuntarily and his temples throbbed as if a hammer were hitting his head.

The baron took a deep breath and suppressed his surging anger: "Pass my order, all spies are to be withdrawn. From now on, if you see anyone wearing a robe, all of them must stay away!" He rubbed his swollen and painful brows, secretly glad that the magician just shook off the pursuit. If he met someone with a bad temper, he would probably use fireball to burn the person to ashes.

"Master, you don't want to recruit a magician anymore? He seems to be wearing the magic badge of the Northland Tower. He must be a top magician!"

"Get out! Get out of here!"

Baron Sethis's mind was buzzing. His men had provoked the North Tower. A ranking of magician strengths was circulating in the Roland Empire, and the North Tower's magicians bore the brunt of the criticism. For thousands of years, the strongest magicians of their level had all hailed from that mysterious tower.

The setting sun shone like blood, dyeing the entire sky a startling crimson. Thick clouds swirled in the twilight, as if splattered with a layer of sticky plasma, drifting slowly in the evening breeze. Caesars had just swallowed the last bite of his dry, hard jerky and now lay supine in the animal-skin tent, where the aroma of meat wafted through the air. His fair fingers unconsciously stroked his staff as he gazed at the plump puppy outside.

At the edge of the cliff, the puppy lay between two rocks, its stubby tail erect like a flagpole, swaying left and right in the blood-red sunset. Suddenly, a gray shadow tore through the twilight—a reckless seabird, its claws like hooks, precisely catching the tip of the puppy's waving tail.

Just as the seabird flapped its wings and was about to take flight, the seemingly clumsy puppy twisted its body with astonishing agility. Its normally tender mouth suddenly opened, revealing two rows of sharp, interlaced fangs.

A crisp snap, mingled with the ripping of feathers, as the seabird's neck snapped between its sharp teeth. The pup's sturdy front paws pinned the twitching prey, expertly tearing at its feathers, each movement imbued with innate brutality and precision. Falling feathers, stained with blood, danced gracefully in the crimson sunset, offering an eerie paean to the sudden slaughter.

"You idiot, you've even learned how to trap prey! That's the skill of the Golden-Eyed Black Devil Snake!"

Wearing an elven transmogrifier mask, Kaesus lay sideways in the tent, a dry grass stem dangling from the corner of his mouth, his icy blue eyes gleaming with surprise and amusement. He clearly remembered how, not long ago in Felwood, a small golden-eyed black demon snake had hidden beneath the thick leaf litter, mimicking the wriggling of a worm with the tip of its tail, luring a demon rat into its trap.

The puppy purred excitedly, its round butt swaying from side to side as it plucked its fur. Its stubby tail, a few strands of seabird down still clinging to its tip, now cocked proudly. Just a quarter of an hour ago, this clever little creature had perfectly replicated the Black Demon Snake's hunting technique—it had crouched between two adjacent rocks, tail hanging out and wagging, successfully tricking a plump silver-billed petrel into swooping down.

A sudden shadow fell from the sky. A hawk, with a wingspan exceeding two meters, spotted its meal. Its piercing yellow eyes locked onto the furry mass at the cliff's edge. This raptor, renowned for its stealthy attacks, folded its steel-gray wings and plummeted like a falling meteorite, its hooked talons extended.

Caesars' pupils in the tent suddenly shrank, and he instantly judged the situation: if the puppy maintained its current boot-sized size, it would be caught by the osprey in a blink of an eye; but if it changed back to its original form, it would consume a lot of energy, and if it changed back to its cute "boot-sized" appearance, it would have to consume it again.

Caesars shook his head helplessly, his outstretched right hand already forming a seal. A translucent torrent of magical energy condensed in the air into a massive palm. Just as the Iron Claw Osprey was within twenty meters of the pup, the mage's hand precisely clamped around the raptor's neck. With a crisp "crack," the savage eyes, once gleaming with ferocity, instantly lost their luster.

The chubby puppy was completely oblivious to this. It was using its tiny fangs to tear at the feathers on the petrel's chest. Its scarlet tongue licked the blood beads on the tip of its nose from time to time, and its short hind legs rubbed shallow dents on the rocky ground due to the force.

Caesars withdrew the spell and, as if in a mischievous way, manipulated the corpse of the skua to smash it towards the puppy with its butt sticking out.

"I'll teach you a lesson. You have no vigilance at all!" He muttered quietly, watching the round figure stagger after being hit.

“Ouch—Ouch!”

The puppy's frightened cry was like its tail being stepped on. It jumped up as if it had been electrocuted, leaving the half-plucked petrel behind and running away on its four short legs. The fur ball scurried into the tent, not forgetting to use its teeth to pull the curtain to cover itself tightly, leaving only a pair of wet eyes peeking out.

"What a big osprey! How could it have fallen to its death? How careless!"

Caesars stood up and walked outside the tent. He looked at the puppy with a smile and said, "You stupid dog, that big bird has fallen to its death. It was really fat. I heard that big birds like this are best roasted, but you have to pluck the feathers quickly. If you roast it with the feathers attached, the meat will have a burnt smell!"

The puppy rushed out of the tent with a cry, and the small figure instantly appeared on the osprey. For a moment, black feathers flew everywhere, like a sandstorm.

A cold moon hung like a hook in the deep night sky. The thick darkness enveloped the fishing harbor, and only the gentle lapping of waves against the rocks echoed in the silence. The puppy lay sprawled in the tent, purring softly, intermittently, as if the night wind could blow it away at any moment.

Caesars sat alone on the edge of a steep cliff, his cloak rustling in the cool sea breeze. He gazed at the twinkling lights below—the moonstones held by the fishermen, flickering a milky white glow in the darkness. Silently, they boarded their respective fishing boats, their aged planks creaking under the weight. Dozens of weathered boats left the harbor one after another, slowly sailing off into the distance in the gentle sea breeze. The ripples left by their sterns were quickly swallowed by the inky sea.

He leaned over to light a bonfire, the dry wood crackling in the flames. The firelight illuminated his angular profile, casting a flickering shadow on the cliff. The fishing boats still had about two hours to return, plenty of time for him to roast the plump osprey to a crispy exterior and tender interior.

When the fat begins to seep out from the golden skin and flesh, making an enticing sizzling sound on the flames, the rich aroma of meat spreads with the salty and humid sea breeze.

The puppy in the tent suddenly stopped snoring, its wet nose twitching slightly in its sleep. It rolled over, its scarlet tongue unconsciously licking the corner of its mouth, as if it had also smelled the mouth-watering aroma in its dream. Caesars glanced at the tent and returned to his concentrated work flipping the barbecue, mentally planning to head to the dock later to buy up all the fresh fish the fishermen had caught.

Kaesus was concentrating on sprinkling the last pinch of spices on the sizzling osprey meat. The golden fat dripped onto the charcoal, creating an alluring sizzle. Suddenly, a clang sounded beside him. The drooling puppy was clumsily pushing its shimmering magic steel food bowl with its front paws. The sound of metal scraping against the ground was particularly clear in the night.

"You greedy dog, you have a really sharp nose!" Caesars scolded with a smile, poking the puppy's wet nose with his spice-soaked finger. "I just finished spreading the seasoning over here, and you wake up over there?"

The puppy wagged its tail ingratiatingly, its scarlet eyes fixed on the slick osprey on the grill.

Kaisas expertly tore off two still-steaming, crispy wings, then a plump leg. As he moved, the alluring aroma of roasted osprey filled the night air. He tossed the remaining whole osprey into the magic steel bowl, the size of a child's bathtub, with a splatter. The charred skin clashed with the metal bottom, creating a mouthwatering sound.

The puppy immediately let out an impatient "woof," its short hind legs desperately kicking the ground, and its entire body almost flew into the food bowl. Its sharp teeth tore through the crispy skin, and it didn't care at all when the scalding meat juices splashed on its furry face. Kaisus slowly nibbled at the grilled wings in his hand, squinting his eyes and savoring the unique salty flavor of an osprey.

At that moment, his pupils, shimmering with a faint light, contracted slightly. Aided by his darkvision, he could see, far away on the horizon, a wooden fishing boat, dragging a net, breaking through the surging waves and struggling towards the fishing port amidst the growing wind and waves. The fishing light on the bow flickered in the darkness, like a star struggling to stay extinguished.

"Hurry up and eat, damn dog! The fishing boats are back. We're going to buy some sea fish for our lunch today—delicious grilled sea fish!"

The puppy greedily devoured the fragrant roasted osprey meat, the glistening sauce coating the corners of its furry mouth. When the last piece of tender fish disappeared between its tiny fangs, it expertly wiped its mouth with its paw and then put the large, blue-glowing magic steel food bowl into its storage ring.

Caesars smiled and described the mouth-watering taste of the grilled fish. The puppy's ears immediately stood up straight, and its pink tongue unconsciously licked the tip of its nose, wishing it could taste it right away.

Before Kaesas could even open his mouth to greet him, the creature twisted its chubby body and slid into the backpack like a ball of fur. It knew it was going to ride its flying mount to the fishing port, which made it both excited and nervous.

The puppy had an innate and insurmountable fear of heights, the only flaw in its otherwise formidable character. But after days of patient training by Caesars—including gentle comfort, tasty treats, and gradual acclimatization—it could now at least stifle its pitiful howls during flight. Its wet little eyes remained tightly shut, occasionally daring to crack a tiny slit, only to be frightened shut again by the whistling air currents.