Black Hearted Mage

Chapter 281 Enemy 4

In the darkness of night, the man in black journeyed westward through the Blackstone Valley, his heavy leather boots thumping against the pitch-black basalt. He paused every few dozen miles, deftly dismantling the surveillance arrays hidden in the crevices of the rock, replacing the depleted image stones and magic crystals. These arrays were cleverly disguised as ordinary stone, making them invisible only to those with keen magical perception. Caesars followed, breathlessly and intently, hundreds of meters away, concealing himself in the moonlight and the shadows of the rock face. He followed from the starry sky until dawn in the east.

This mysterious man had clearly made ample preparations. His storage ring was overflowing with supplies. When hungry, he pulled dried meat and hard bread from his pack and munched on them as he walked. When tired, he tilted his head back and guzzled two bottles of alchemical potions that glowed a faint green. He completed the Blackrock Valley route, which would take an average mercenary eight or nine days, in just three. Caesars, following behind, was in agony, relying on his own alchemical potions for support, the bitter taste lingering in his throat.

In the last oak grove before reaching Blackrock City's west gate, the man in black suddenly stopped. He glanced around cautiously and pulled his robes from his storage ring. He quickly changed in the dense forest. Two minutes later, a middle-aged man with slightly graying hair and a weathered face emerged.

The pupils of Caesars, who was hiding in the distance, suddenly shrank - he was very familiar with this face, it was Tom, the mercenary who was drunk all day long in the Blackrock Tavern!

In my memory, Tom always wore worn leather armor, with several small cages for black demon snakes hanging from his waist. He was mediocre in skill, and whenever he completed a mission and received a bounty, he would spend it all in the tavern. But this seemingly down-and-out mercenary always managed to capture dangerous black demon snakes in the valley, often selling them to the Caesars family for 30% to 40% less than the market price.

Tom now appeared in front of Caesars, with faint dark elements lingering around him, and the aura he exuded in his every move was at least at the level of a high-level magic warrior.

Caesars was sure that this was the same person. When Tom subconsciously scratched the scar at the corner of his right eyebrow with his left little finger, this iconic little gesture made all doubts disappear - that was the mark of a stone scratch on Tom when he was dodging the attack of a black snake when he caught it many years ago.

The pursuit continued to a secluded stone courtyard west of the city. Tom entered, carefully inspected the defensive magic patterns on the doors and windows, then collapsed onto the simple wooden bed and fell into a deep sleep.

Caesars returned to his makeshift camp in Blackrock Valley and pitched his tent between two basalt rocks shaped like the tusks of a giant beast. He retrieved the furry puppy from his pack and settled it down. Then, he spread out a tanned hurricane wolf hide and drew a detailed map of Blackrock City from memory. His pen scratched across the hide, marking Old John's residence, Tom's, and the resting places of over twenty mercenaries.

These locations were widely dispersed, making it difficult to imagine they were a group. Tom's residence, in particular, happened to be able to monitor the entrance and exit of Blackrock City's west gate.

Caesars roughly estimated that the material cost of setting up the more than 30 surveillance arrays alone was equivalent to half a year's profit for a small business. The magic crystals needed to maintain operations were also a considerable amount when converted into gold coins.

What alarmed him most was the density of surveillance arrays disguised as rocks in the western mountains near the Endless Forest, which was over five times that of those in the valley. There were no ferocious beasts in the Blackrock Mountains, so these arrays were probably monitoring an elven patrol.

A few days later, on a misty morning, Caesars wrapped his cloak tightly and entered Blackstone City from the east gate. The gate guard yawned and didn't even look at the people entering the city.

After five days of searching, he had found nothing about Old Garlon, which made him unconsciously drum his knuckles on the hilt of his knife under his cloak. Old John and his gang acted like ghosts, communicating with each other through magic and treating each other as strangers even when they met.

Caesars thought about it for a long time, but he couldn't find any information about Old Garlon. He would never sell these rare medicinal herbs to Old John, as that would be equivalent to directly funding the Church of St. Laurent.

When gentle measures fail, he is prepared to use some tough measures.

Blackrock City lurks at the entrance of Blackrock Valley like a giant beast. The steep rock walls naturally form a north-south barrier, with only two city gates in the east and west.

As Caesars stepped through the city gate archway, Old John, hundreds of meters away in the Blackstone Tavern, had already received the news. Old John wiped the foam from his ale mug with his age-spotted fingers as he listened to the mercenary's whispered report, a calculating glint in his cloudy eyes. He deliberately fiddled with the bronze scales on the oak table, making the weights clink with a crisp sound—as if he were weighing the value of his prey.

"In Black Rock City, there's no way he'll find another buyer for his herbs!"

Old John suddenly crushed the walnut in his hand, and the shell fragments splashed on the oak table. Several drunken mercenaries looked up at his words and saw that the corners of Old John's mouth were twisted into a venomous curve.

A one-eyed mercenary wiped his scimitar and raised his doubts: "What if that kid took the herbs and ran to Fire Maple City..."

"idiot!"

Old John's silver wine glass slammed down on the table, startling the one-eyed mercenary. Old John suddenly lowered his voice, like a venomous snake spitting out its tongue.

"If he had a lot of herbs on him, he would have gone to Fire Maple City long ago and wouldn't have stayed in Black Stone City for so long. I want him to beg me to buy these herbs!"

Old John glanced at the mercenaries and said a few words calmly. He felt that only in this way could he force Caesars to reveal the origins of the herbs. If he resorted to force, he was worried that his mercenaries would have a hard time surviving.

The surveillance array near the Endless Forest had exhausted its magic power long ago, and the photo stone failed to record the image of Caesar passing by. This made Old John very annoyed.

The tavern door suddenly burst open, and the morning breeze blew in fallen leaves. A cloaked mercenary, covered in dew, rushed to the corner and said, "Old John, he's hired a carriage from the Iron Oak Trading Company, and his destination is the Northland Tower!"

"He wants to sell the herbs to the Northland Tower!"

Old John stood up abruptly, his oak chair scraping harshly against the floor. He felt he had miscalculated; he had overlooked the magical forces of the north. He just couldn't understand why. If he wasn't a supplier of herbs to the Northland Tower, selling herbs wouldn't be easy. He might not even be able to enter the Northland Tower.

Inside the carriage, Caesars slowly unfolded the wrinkled map of Blackrock City. The dense markings on the hide documented the results of his secret explorations over the past few days. He sat in the bumpy carriage, his brow furrowed, appearing particularly gloomy.

After days of covert investigation, the clues still remained on Old John - this cunning old fox only contacted a few groups of mercenaries through the Black Stone Tavern, and his actions were extremely secretive. Even more surprising was the mercenary Tom, who although visited the tavern daily, always sat at the brightly lit counter and drank heavily, never going to the corner where Old John was.

Almost all of the more than 300 mercenaries in Blackrock City are under the control of Old John. The supplies and equipment they have prepared for a long time all indicate that a major operation is about to be launched against the Blackrock Mountains.

Kaisas's slender fingers traced the outline of the mountains on the map, his eyes growing darker. His journey to the North Tower was ostensibly to sell rare herbs, but in reality, he was seeking help.

The very existence of this mercenary city was a delicate balance—although it lay within the Roland Empire, it flew the banner of the Northern Tower. As a mercenary town founded by the Tower, all of Blackrock City's taxes flowed directly into the Northern Tower's pockets.

The sound of wheels rolling over the gravel road suddenly became rapid. Caesars lifted the curtain of the car and found that the spire of the tall tower in the dusk was just around the corner.

An oxcart would take two days to reach the Northland Tower, while a horse carriage would only take one. Setting out at dawn, the carriage finally stopped before the tower's gate, bathed in the sunset glow. Caesars didn't enter the tower directly after disembarking. Instead, he quietly watched the Iron Oak Trading Company's coachman adjust the reins until the carriage, adorned with the acorn emblem, completely disappeared into the twilight.

At this moment shrouded in conspiracy, he did not dare to trust the hired driver easily - who knew whether old John's calloused hands were hidden behind this seemingly ordinary business?

A few minutes later, as the sound of horse hooves faded, Caesars entered the grand hall of the Northland Tower. He strode quickly toward the slowly closing magic steel gate. Under the guards' vigilant gazes, he calmly pulled out the blue-glowing magic badge from his bosom—the Alchemy Tower Badge.

Several heavily armed guards looked at each other, bewildered by the sight before them. This visitor wore darkly patterned magic-weave leather armor, with two sheathed daggers at his waist, resembling a true Wind Warrior. Even more puzzling, he presented the Alchemy Tower's exclusive insignia. The guard captain hesitantly stroked the hilt of his sword, but given the North's strict hierarchy, he ultimately dared not question the visitor and silently made way.

Passing through a corridor studded with magic crystals, Caesars walked with familiarity around the central magic fountain, the familiar scent of herbs filling his face. The bronze doors of the alchemy tower opened automatically before him, and the rich aroma of agave and moonweed instantly filled his nostrils. Without pausing, he ascended the spiral staircase, his boot soles clacking against the steps with a crisp sound.

When Caesars pushed open the oak door of the third-floor alchemy room, he was greeted by Master Kandel, operating a precision instrument. The old alchemist's long, silvery beard trembled with his rapid movements, and dangerous bubbles were bubbling in the crystal test tubes.

"Stop! Who allowed you to—"

Kandel's head shot up, nearly dropping the dropper in his hand. The color drained from his wrinkled face as he took in the man. He was dressed like an assassin, and standing right before him.

"Relax, Master Kandel, I am Kaisas!"

Caesars smiled at the old alchemist and gently pressed his finger behind his ear. As a wave of magic rippled through his body, the middle-aged man's face gradually emerged, transforming back into a youthful one.

"It seems that even a great magician like you can't see through this new toy!"

Kandel straightened his slipped monocle, his cloudy eyes widening. He pointed tremblingly at the delicate mask, "By the Moon God! Is this the legendary elf-transformation mask? It's amazing!"

Caesars smiled slightly, and then he turned back into a middle-aged man.

"Caesars, why are you disguised as an assassin?"

Kandel was a little curious about the illusion mask. Its camouflage effect was so good that everything looked real.

"I'm worried that there are spies from the Saint Laurent Empire in the Northland Tower, so I need to disguise myself. Master Kandel, don't be surprised. I certainly have a reason for saying this."

The old Kandel was shocked, but he knew that Kaisas wouldn't say anything nonsense, so he quickly asked, "Kaisas, this is no small matter. What is your basis for this?"

"Master Kandel, I have a very simple question. Were the herbs sent to the Alchemy Tower from Black Rock City fifty years ago the same amount as today?"

"Back then, tens of thousands of high-grade herbs were delivered every year. Now, among the herbs delivered to Blackrock City, only one or two thousand are available at most!"

Kaisas sat on the sofa, looked at Kandel with interest, and asked, "Don't you wonder why there are fewer high-grade herbs?"

"They told me that the Blackrock Mountains had become barren and that high-grade herbs were becoming scarce. I was skeptical at the time, and I even went to the Blackrock Mountains myself. High-grade herbs were truly hard to find!"

"Master Kandel, you've been deceived for decades. The Blackrock Mountains aren't barren; all the herbs there have been picked clean. Your herbs were taken away by the Saint Laurent Church, and the Northland Tower has lost a huge amount of tax revenue!"

Kandel took off his glasses, walked to the sofa with a serious expression and sat down. He realized the seriousness of the problem.

"Are they really from the Saint Laurent Empire?" Kandel asked.

"They have been plotting in Black Rock City for over forty years. You must have heard of the mastermind behind this. His son, who was your student, was bitten to death by a golden-eyed black demon snake in the feeding room!"

"Garon!"

"It's old Garlon! This man is shrewd and cunning, a ruthless character who should not be underestimated. Ever since young Garlon entered the Northland Tower, he has been quietly laying out plans in Blackrock City. Now he has secretly taken control of Blackrock City, and most of the mercenaries picking herbs are his men!"

Hearing Caesar's addition, Kandel frowned and thought for a long time. After a long while, he suddenly asked, "Caesar, how many people are there?"

"I've only found over 300 people so far, but the real number is definitely higher. Master Kandel, those people are very cunning. Several key figures never meet in person; they communicate with each other through magical means. The mastermind behind this is even more cunning, and I haven't been able to find his hiding place!"

Kandel's eyelids twitched. The number of Saint Laurents was indeed quite large. This large number of people was fully capable of controlling Blackrock City, which also meant that the people in Blackrock City from the Northland Tower had been bribed.

"Kaisas, Blackrock City isn't that big. As long as we seal off the entire city, the rest will be easy. Getting those people to tell the truth is a piece of cake for me!"

"Master Kandel, this is a bit difficult. We don't have enough manpower!" Kaisas was a little worried. There were not many magicians in the tower.

"We have over two hundred Northern Guards, a few Highland Ogres, and the Tower Mage. That should be enough!"