diskusbooks Chapter 308 Harvest
Chapter 308 Harvest
The next morning, Caesars lazily leaned against the window of the castle's living room, his fingers rhythmically tapping the message stone. The latest news from Greystone Castle had finally arrived, relayed through the eagle eyes of Stonecrush Castle. He narrowed his dark eyes, the smile on his lips gradually fading.
“What a disappointing result!”
Caesars snorted softly and spun the message stone in his palm. Sunlight filtered through the stained glass windows, casting dappled shadows on his fair face. "The nightingale and the carrier pigeon are both safe and sound. Only three magicians were killed—one of whom was a low-level magician who couldn't even cast a fireball!"
He clenched the communication stone tightly, his knuckles turning white from the strain. "If I'd known this would be the result, I should have used the venom of the Golden-Eyed Black Demonic Snake!" His voice was filled with gritted teeth and regret. "What a waste of a few drops of the Red Giant Snake's venom! That's a treasure you'll never find again!"
Polly looked up from her soft chair by the fireplace, sewing a new leather quiver. Her long brown hair shone like flowing honey in the firelight. "My Lord!" she said, her voice filled with restrained rebuke. "Greystone Castle has lost two high-ranking wizards. By comparison, training nightingales and carrier pigeons is a quick endeavor with a few gold coins. Training a single wizard takes years!"
Caesars sat back on the soft leather sofa, casually fiddling with the crystal wine glass on the table. The fire maple wine in the glass reflected an eerie red light in the sunlight. "Polly, you never understand the point," he sighed. "Those two high-ranking magicians' storage rings—perhaps filled with whole boxes of gold coins or magic crystals—who knows what lucky person has them now!"
Polly's silver needle suddenly pricked her finger. Seeing the greedy glint in Caesar's eyes, she finally understood what the lord was regretting. She held the injured finger in her mouth and mumbled, "Since you're so concerned about the spoils... Greystone Castle's West Fort Tower is home to at least twenty wizards, and it's only a hundred steps from the spire where the pigeons are kept. With your flying ability..."
"Polly, your suggestion is brilliant!"
Caesars suddenly slammed the table and stood up, knocking the wine glass over onto the parchment map. Red wine spread like blood across the Greystone Castle markings. A blush crept onto his fair face. "Those magicians are incredibly wealthy. Let's visit them tonight!"
Polly's suggestion made Caesars feel enlightened. It just so happened that the task given to him by the Thorn Flower Company was to collect three thousand gold badges of the Church of Saint Laurent.
Polly's blue eyes widened slightly as she gazed at the lord in his ornate wizard robes, rubbing his hands together with childlike excitement. This earl, himself a high-ranking wizard, was so enthused about hunting his own kind. She lowered her head and continued sewing her quiver, her stitches much messier than before.
The territory was just a temporary stop for Caesars. It only had an abandoned quarry and vast wheat fields. With Sean in full control, it made no difference whether he was in the territory or not.
The old spy of the Saint Laurent Empire has now become a handyman in the castle and is cleaning the castle's back garden.
Shortly after noon, the carriage rolled over the gravel road and slowly stopped in front of the tall gates of the Stone Fort. Eagle-eyed guards were already waiting there. They silently led Caesars through the numerous archways and up the spiral staircase until they finally reached the Crystal Room on the top floor of the main fortress. Sunlight filtered through the diamond-shaped crystals inlaid on all four sides, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
An elderly man in well-worn leather armor had been waiting for a while. This man, perhaps in his fifties or sixties, was hunched over, his graying beard stained with wine. He carefully unrolled a scroll of yellowed parchment, upon which was meticulously outlined the entirety of Greystone Castle.
"Commander, please look!"
He pointed at a building on the edge of the blueprint with his calloused fingers. "This is the West Fort, also known as the Side Fort. The nobles of Saint Laurent prefer to call it the Mage's Fort. Thirty-six magicians live there year-round, three or four of whom are alchemists!"
Caesars walked to the crystal wall and squinted his eyes into the distance. On the shimmering southern bank of the Emerald River, the outline of Graystone Castle was clearly visible. He raised his hand and pointed at the tall, chimney-like structure. "Is that the large chimney to the west?"
"That's exactly it, my Lord Commander."
The eagle-eyed leader came forward, his leather creaking. "The two forts are about two hundred meters apart. Even though it's a side fort, it's quite large, with a total of 128 rooms. Besides the magicians' quarters, there are also two alchemical laboratories, two lounges with fireplaces, and a circular meeting room..."
His fingers moved slowly across the blueprint, pointing out the important places one by one, his voice filled with a bit of awe for the side fort.
"My Lord, look at that shorter spire." Polly's slender finger traced the sunlight, pointing to the gray-brown building in the distance. "That's where they train nightingales and carrier pigeons. But there are facilities like this all over the Saint Laurent Empire. Even if they were all killed, it wouldn't help. At most, it would just cause some minor trouble for Greystone Castle!"
Kaisas narrowed his eyes in the direction she pointed, a sneer curling his lips. "It's enough to cause them trouble. I happen to have the venom of the Golden-Eyed Black Demonic Snake!"
Caesars casually took out a crystal bottle that was glowing with a faint light. The poison in the bottle reflected strange golden ripples in the sunlight.
He raised four golden-eyed black snakes and had already collected a considerable amount of venom. His gaze now passed beyond the spire and settled on the western side of the main keep, further away—there lay his true prey. In his mind, the wizards of Greystone Castle were walking gold mines, and he could only feel secure if he held them in his grasp.
Polly looked at Caesar's smiling face and noticed that he was unconsciously rubbing his knuckles on the dagger at his waist. She suddenly asked, "Does the Earl intend to wait until dark?"
"nature."
Kaisas turned his head and straightened his magic robe that was messed up by the wind. "Those magicians are just appetizers. If I have the chance, I would like to kill a few priests of the church." He licked his lips, and a bloodthirsty light flashed in his eyes. "It would be even more perfect if we could kill the commander of the Greystone Castle as well. But now--" He suddenly changed the subject, "I should prepare dinner!"
"You cook for me yourself?"
Polly looked up in surprise. The midday sun was still shining brightly overhead. She had eaten lunch an hour ago. "And isn't it too early to prepare dinner now?"
Caesars had already strode out of the crystal house, unearthed a scarlet hide, and spread it out on the top observation deck of the rubble fort. He then took out hundreds of strips of white, rosy-red meat, each as thick as an adult's arm, and neatly arranged them on the hide to dry.
When the heavy cast iron stew pot hit the ground with a "bang", Polly saw dozens of silver charcoal pieces rolling out of the bag, making a crisp sound like metal hitting stone on the ground.
"The white-skinned crocodile, a specialty of the Great Swamp. The meat of this monster is simply inedible if not stewed for two or three hours, and it won't be flavorful if not stewed longer!"
He took out a large piece of pearly-luster monster meat from the space ring, and the meat was still wrapped in the coldness of ice magic.
The plump puppy lazily lay on the salamander hide, its wet nose twitching constantly as it greedily sniffed the exotic aroma of the snake's cured meat. Its furry paws scratched the ground unconsciously, its tail occasionally wagging gently, but it always maintained a lying position.
"You idiot, don't touch the meat with your paws!" Caesars shouted without even turning his head. He was busy piling hard charcoal into a tower. "Your paws are dirty, and the meat isn't completely dry yet. Let me light the charcoal first, and then you watch the meat stew!"
The puppy let out a disgruntled grumble from deep within its throat, but remained motionless, its small eyes fixed on the strips of meat so close to it. Caesars deftly placed the meat into the large stew pot and scooped up several ladles of clear mountain spring water until it covered the ingredients. With a snap of his fingers, the charcoal at the bottom of the pot immediately erupted into orange flames.
"My Lord Earl, is it true that it won't steal food?"
Polly looked at the puppy anxiously—the tip of its nose was no more than two inches away from the hanging strip of meat, and its scarlet tongue licked its mouth from time to time.
"Don't worry, these strips of meat still have traces of toxins, and they taste terrible. This fat dog is also a half-gourmet and won't eat low-quality food. It's just smelling the aroma of the meat strips now."
Caesars replied without looking up, his fingers gently stirring the charcoal fire. He then walked straight towards the crystal house.
A soft magical glow swirled through the room. Caesars tucked the Soul Gem into the inner pocket of his magic robe, holding it close to his heart. He slowly sat down on the recliner, crossed his slender fingers over his abdomen, closed his eyes, and began to concentrate on absorbing the soul energy contained in the gem.
"My Lord Earl, are these strips of meat poisonous?" Polly shouted outside the house.
"Yes, the residual toxins are not something that ordinary people can withstand. You must not try it. Polly, I need to practice for a few hours, don't disturb me!"
If you want to go to the other side of the Emerald River at night, it is best to absorb the energy in the soul gem first, otherwise a lot of soul energy will be wasted.
Time slipped by unnoticed, the rich aroma of stew wafting slowly on the wind. The dark red puppy, lying on its back, suddenly stopped purring, its moist nose twitching slightly, and its round eyes fluttered open. It rolled clumsily over, its chubby body rolling like a ball of flesh to the side of the stew pot. Its front paws deftly fiddled with the charcoal on the ground, precisely pushing a few sticks into the dying fire.
Polly, who was stirring the stew pot, opened her eyes wide in surprise. This fat dog, who usually ate and slept all day, woke up the moment the aroma wafted out. Even more incredible was that it seemed to know how to tend the fire!
"Good heavens, you silly dog!" Polly exclaimed. "The fire's almost out, and you'll smother it by piling all that charcoal on top!"
The puppy tilted its head, its small, red eyes blinking. Suddenly, it opened its fanged mouth and fired a precise orange-red fireball at the stove. With a boom, the newly added charcoal ignited instantly, the flames soaring high that they nearly licked the bottom of the pot.
"Hey! The fire is too big!"
Polly scrambled to save her stew, but the puppy calmly opened its mouth again, and the dancing flames, as if summoned, transformed into wisps of red light and were drawn back into its mouth. In an instant, the raging fire was reduced to a perfectly small blaze.
Polly's wooden spoon clattered into the saucepan. "You... you understand me?" she stammered.
The puppy snorted softly, glancing at Polly with a sidelong glance filled with disdain, "Why even ask?" Polly belatedly realized that the plump puppy before her was a magical beast that even a great wizard couldn't defeat. But she had never imagined that this creature was not only powerful but also able to understand the Common Language.
In the firelight, the dark red puppy sat in front of the stew pot, its tail slapping the ground rhythmically, its wet black nose twitching constantly, and its eyes fixed on the churning meat in the pot. Polly couldn't help but observe it curiously, wondering how this mysterious magical beast would "take care" of dinner.
The puppy's moist nose twitched as it carefully sniffed the rich aroma wafting from the stewpot. Its scarlet eyes darted around, as if judging the tenderness of the meat by the changing aroma. Suddenly, it deftly fiddled with the ancient storage ring around its neck with its front paw. A crisp "ding-dong-dong" sound was heard, and several bottles and jars of various shapes appeared on the ground. One large crystal bottle held a golden powder, while another contained a pungent red seasoning. Most eye-catching were a delicate silver ladle and a miniature trident weapon—although significantly reduced in size, the sharp tip still gleamed coldly.
The puppy deftly used its teeth and paws to unscrew the cap of the spice bottle, then picked up the gleaming silver spoon and, with impeccable demeanor, sprinkled the various spices into the boiling pot. Sometimes it tilted its head in thought, sometimes nodded gently, its expression of concentration reminiscent of a master chef. Then it stood upright, its furry front paws resting on the scalding rim of the pot, seemingly unfazed by the heat. The spoon in its mouth rhythmically drew circles in the rich broth, allowing the various spices to blend seamlessly.
At that moment, the puppy performed a jaw-dropping act—it used its paw to push all the charcoal piled nearby to the bottom of the pot. Then, it opened its mouth and released a blazing fireball. With a roaring "boom," the newly added charcoal instantly erupted into a blazing flame, engulfing the stew pot in dancing tongues of flame. Fueled by the fierce fire, the broth in the pot began to boil violently, and the rich aroma of meat mixed with the aroma of spices filled the air, making everyone's mouth water.
With a crisp "clang" sound, the puppy took out its own large magic steel food bowl from the storage ring. This large bowl was shiny black and had exquisite patterns engraved on the edge. It flickered with mysterious light under the firelight.