Black Hearted Mage

Chapter 131 Swamp

The mysterious deaths of Viscount and Viscount Bruce, coupled with Earl Leonard's sudden onset of dementia, were forcibly linked by someone with ulterior motives. This connection caused a tumultuous uproar in Violet City. For a time, the streets, alleys, taverns, and teahouses were abuzz with discussion, with speculation and rumors flying everywhere.

The almighty Noble Alliance had always been a fragmented entity. A small minority harbored dissenting ambitions, unwilling to submit to the Roland Empire's dictates. However, the majority of the nobles held a different view. For them, as long as their wealth and the honor of their titles were preserved, whether they sided with the Violet Alliance or the Roland Empire seemed unimportant. Ultimately, profit was the unwavering pursuit.

Thinking back to over five thousand years ago, the mighty and powerful Roland Empire dominated the entire Eastern Continent, becoming the undisputed overlord of this vast land. In that era, neither the current Violet Alliance nor the later-splintered Saint Roland Empire existed. Upon closer inspection, the fact that the vast majority of the nobles within the Violet Alliance harbored such thoughts is not surprising.

Amidst this swirling debate, a piece of definitive news from the Mage Alliance resonated like a thunderbolt: the culprit behind the tragic deaths of Viscount Bruce and his wife was the dreaded golden-eyed black demon snake! After a thorough investigation, the mages reportedly discovered that it was this ferocious beast that had poisoned the two, and that this was the reason their remains had taken on that strange, shocking black color.

Black demon snakes are venomous snakes native to the Endless Forest, and they occasionally appear even within the Violet Alliance. However, rarer species like the Golden-Eyed Black Demon Snake are rarely seen. The bodies of those killed by a Black Demon Snake will turn blue. The skin of those killed by a Golden-Eyed Black Demon Snake will turn black.

Judging from the fang marks left on the corpse, the venomous snake that attacked the Bruces wasn't very large, only about the thickness of a forearm. Therefore, it's understandable that it was able to enter Violet City so quietly.

"Carlos, does that kid have a golden-eyed black demon snake?" asked the old Duke Solomon.

"Solomon, what's so strange about him having a black magic snake? He specializes in raising black magic snakes. I heard that when he left the Northland Tower, he took a small snake with him. He raises black magic snakes at the Thorn Flower Merchants, so getting a golden-eyed black magic snake shouldn't be difficult!"

The spy chief had secretly investigated Caesars, starting from his birth, but hadn't found much useful information. Firstly, it was too long ago, and secondly, it was difficult to gather information from the Northland Tower.

"Carlos, you should know that black demon snakes are difficult to tame!"

"Solomon, of course I know this. Almost every faction feeds black snakes to obtain potent antidotes, but very few feed golden-eyed black snakes. This is because golden-eyed black snakes are large, thicker than a human thigh when fully grown. They are extremely aggressive and will violently resist when their venom is extracted, often spraying out all the venom before you can control them. Golden-eyed black snakes are high-level magical beasts, highly intelligent, and very vengeful. Anyone who gets close to them is essentially doomed!"

"Carlos, I heard that Caesars didn't wear protective gloves and just held the Golden-Eyed Black Demon Snake with his bare hands."

"He should be able to tame the black demon snake. When this kid was setting up a stall in Huofeng City, he placed the golden-eyed black demon snake next to him. I saw it with my own eyes!"

"He didn't use a magic steel cage?"

"If not, just place the black demon snake on the hide and let it guard the stall!"

Solomon found it a little unbelievable to hear the spy chief's answer, which reminded him of the letter for help from the northerners.

In the northeastern part of the Northern Grasslands, near the Icecap Mountains, a crack appeared in the ground. The crack was only three or four meters wide, and a large number of vipers emerged from the ground. These vipers would come out to bask in the sun during the day and return underground at night.

While grazing, the nomads of the North were often attacked by these vipers, and without exception, they were poisoned to death. The Northland tribes therefore requested help from the Roland Empire, and the Magic Guild and the Northland Tower also received letters of assistance.

"Let's go find Caesars and ask if he can go to the Northland to help catch snakes!"

Solomon stood up and grabbed the spy chief, but the other party was unmoved and still sat on the sofa without getting up.

"Solomon, don't look for trouble. There are super monsters beneath the Northland Plateau. Forget about the magic crystal mines there. They can't be mined. The fragile bottom layer will collapse. Kaisus is now a member of the Thorn Flower Trading Company. If anything happens to him, the elves will not reason with you. They will only kill you with a butcher's knife!"

The spy chief spoke with a touch of disdain. He felt Solomon placed too much importance on wealth, even attempting something he shouldn't risk. He continued, "Solomon, have you ever considered this? What would happen if a large area of ​​the North collapsed and a super monster emerged? Millions of Northlanders would flee south, pouring into the Roland Empire!"

Northerners are burly and appear honest and simple, but that's only if they're not provoked. A Northerner in a rage is no different from a mad bull. Furthermore, Northerners possess far greater strength than an average person. A qualified Northerner warrior could easily defeat three Roland Empire border guards.

"Carlos, it's not me who wants to dig for magic crystals. Someone in the House of Nobles has already discussed it. While cleaning up the poisonous vipers, we will dig for magic crystals and fill the cracks in the ground with slag!" Duke Solomon said.

"These damn nobles, they're going to cause big trouble if they do this! Solomon, we must return to Fire Maple City immediately and stop them!"

Seeing the spy chief's anxious expression, Duke Solomon understood the stakes involved. If the excavation of the magic crystal caused a landslide and the super monster escaped, the people of the North would definitely fight the Roland Empire to the death.

Several luxurious carriages slowly approached the street. Each was pulled by six majestic, snow-white horses, the sound of their hooves echoing throughout the streets. Surrounding these carriages were hundreds of heavily armed guards, clad in sturdy composite leather armor and wielding razor-sharp weapons. Their expressions were solemn and awe-inspiring.

In just less than half an hour, this luxurious team quickly left Violet City, raising a cloud of dust and moving further and further away.

"Damn Solomon, he returned to Fire Maple City without even saying hello to me!"

Caesar learned that the spy chief and Duke Solomon had hurriedly left the city.

Before this, Liv had given him a lot of weapons and equipment, and now he had Viscount Bruce's collection. However, now, faced with so many items that needed to be sold, Caesars was a little worried for a while.

Just as he was about to settle down for meditation, a magical message arrived. It was Rodman, saying that the Thorn Flower Trading Company was in urgent need of a batch of Flame Flowers and asking if he was interested in joining them in the volcanic region.

Located at the southernmost tip of Roland Continent, amidst the vast volcanic region, lies a mysterious land filled with boundless opportunities and immense dangers. Countless brave mercenaries have flocked there to embark on adventures. Some, with exceptional luck, have reaped immense wealth overnight; but many more have perished there, never to return home.

Kaisas packed up his armored leather tent, said goodbye to Rad, and hurried to the Thorn Flower Trading Company. The volcanoes also held a fascination for him, and with Rodman as his guide, he was unwilling to pass up this good opportunity.

When they arrived at the Thorn Flower Trading Company, Rodman was already waiting there. He had prepared three large buckets of water for Caesars.

"Rodman, do we need to bring so much drinking water?" Caesars asked in surprise when he saw the big bucket.

"Of course you need it. All this water is yours. The temperature in the volcanic area is extremely high. Only ice magicians can block out the heat. Magicians of other types cannot. Let's set off now. This time we are going to collect one thousand fire flowers!"

Caesars put away the three large buckets, and Rodman led him to the backyard of the store, where a delivery carriage was parked. The driver was sitting in the carriage waiting, and it seemed that everything was prepared in advance.

"Kaisas, get in the car quickly, it's only more than 20 miles to the swamp anyway!"

Rodman flashed like a light bird, easily jumped several meters high, and then landed steadily on the top of the carriage. His agile posture and quick movements were amazing.

At the same time, Caesars was not to be outdone. He used his hands and feet to quickly climb onto the carriage, with a hint of excitement and anticipation in his eyes.

"Rodman, why are you in such a hurry? It's less than an hour before sunset!" Caesar asked suspiciously.

Rodman's face was solemn, and he lowered his voice to answer, "The situation is urgent. We must enter the Great Swamp after nightfall. I've been followed twice by unidentified individuals recently, and I'm worried that the underwater path in the Great Swamp will be discovered sooner or later!"

After hearing Rodman's explanation, Caesars nodded in sudden realization. He knew full well that due to the unique nature of the Thorn Flower Trading Company, many factions secretly sent personnel to monitor it, with the spies sent by the Saint Laurent Empire being the most active.

At this moment, the carriage began to slowly pull out of the trading post. The wheels rolled forward, and the horses' hooves made a crisp sound. After passing through the west city gate, the driver whipped his whip violently, and the horses galloped south like an arrow.

Sitting in the carriage, Caesars nervously looked around, carefully observing the movements around him. However, he was relieved to find no signs of any suspicious people following him along the way.

"Kaisas, those spies are very cunning. The spies in the city will not follow us out. They use magic communication stones to notify people outside the city."

"Do they have many spies?"

"Yes, they should be from some powerful force. I guess they are from the Saint Laurent Empire. These spies have received assassin training and can use stealth and sprint skills!"

"It's okay, I brought the Golden-Eyed Black Demonic Snake. No one within thirty meters can escape its perception!"

The carriage sped along like an arrow, its wheels rolling and raising a cloud of dust. In less than half an hour, it came to a steady stop at the edge of a vast swamp that looked like a lake.

Caesars and Rodman leaped from the carriage one after another. They had barely gained their footing, barely had time to exchange a few words, when the driver, without hesitation, yanked the reins, causing the horses to turn quickly and gallop back the way they had come at an alarming speed.

Looking at the driver's receding figure, Caesars couldn't help but grumble in a low voice, "This elf is so rude! He didn't even say hello before going back!"

Rodman, standing nearby, smiled faintly and said soothingly, "They've always been like this, but compared to those arrogant elemental elves, they're much better!"

Rodman then looked up at the sky, where a red sun was slowly setting, its golden afterglow casting a shadow over the earth. He stared at the setting sun, patiently waiting for night to fall.

At this time, Kaisas took out a black demon snake from his animal hide backpack and threw it on the overgrown ground. The black demon snake seemed to be freed, twisting its body flexibly and quickly disappearing into the dense grass.

Rodman produced a spear and handed it to Caesar. Caesar took it and examined it carefully. The spear was over four meters long, its tip gleaming with a cold light, clearly made of magic steel. However, in stark contrast, the shaft was made of ordinary wood, looking somewhat out of place.

Caesars looked at Rodman in confusion and asked, "Rodman, why is the shaft of this spear made of wood?" Rodman smiled and explained, "If we encounter a white crocodile later, we can use this spear to pierce its nose and eyes. The rest of the crocodile's body is extremely hard to penetrate!"

"Rodman, take it back, I have a magic steel giant blade gun!" Caesars returned the spear to Rodman, but the other party was unmoved.

"Kaisas, my raft can't bear anything too heavy, and the giant spear is too short to support the raft!"

"Are we going there by raft? Not by wading?" Caesars asked curiously.

"Wading? There are giant leeches in the water, and there's even a kind of carnivorous fish. Their numbers are so numerous that it's terrifying. The rafts have to be soaked in special alchemical potions, otherwise they'll be chewed to pieces by these little fish!"