Black Hearted Mage

Chapter 148 Quinn

During that long and distant journey, the massive caravan traveled day and night along the smooth, broad, seemingly endless road. After more than twenty days and nights of speeding, the team finally arrived at their destination—Fire Maple City, the capital of the Roland Empire.

The journey had been exhausting, and everyone was exhausted. Caesars felt the need for a good rest. He decided to rest for a few days to recover his strength and energy. The Sword and Rose mercenary team that had come with him, however, had no such plans. They would only have two days to rest before joining the Vitas Trading Company on their journey to the Northern Plateau.

Caesars was in no rush to embark on a new adventure. He had other pressing matters to attend to, so he didn't head directly to the Cavill family. Instead, he journeyed to a mysterious and forbidding location: the Imperial Eagle Eye's Black Prison. He sought to properly dispose of the bodies of the Golden Viper mercenaries captured in a previous battle.

The massive, ancient castle stood there, like an old man weathering the vicissitudes of time. Thick vines crawled across its outer walls, twisting and turning like ancient blood vessels, with many tender green shoots already poking out. When these vines grew lush and leafy, they would tightly wrap around the entire castle, creating an eerie atmosphere.

"Where are the people? Come out quickly and breathe. I have brought a big deal!" Caesars shouted at the top of his voice like a bell.

The castle's hall was dimly lit, as if shrouded in a mysterious veil. To the west, neatly arranged were various torture instruments, some rusty, some bloodstained, emitting a chilling chill. To the east, several soft, comfortable animal-hide sofas formed a stark contrast to the instruments. Yet, the vast hall was empty.

Just then, a faint sound of footsteps approached. Then, a dozen figures trotted in from all corners of the castle. When they reached the hall, they found Caesars already sitting leisurely on a sofa, legs crossed, and looking around at them leisurely.

"Magician Caesars, the Grand Commander is not here. Just tell me if you have any business to do!"

A thin old man wearing leather armor, his facial expression looked a little dull, I wonder if he was wearing a mask.

"I have some bodies to sell you!"

"Mr. Magician, please take it out. We at Hawkeye are always honest and fair in our prices!"

Caesars took the bodies out directly and piled them in the middle of the hall.

"Mr. Magician, to which faction in the Saint Laurent Empire do these bodies belong? We can then investigate accordingly."

The expressionless old man was a little confused. The weapons and equipment that represented the body's identity had been stripped away, and he didn't know where to start checking.

"Golden Viper Mercenary Group!"

"Hurry up and get the magic photo stones of the Golden Viper Mercenary Group, and call that old guy Quinn over as well!" Following the instructions of the old man in leather armor, someone ran towards the stairs of the castle, and someone took out a lot of photo stones and searched through them.

A few minutes later, a white-haired figure, wearing the most ordinary magic robe, slowly came down the stairs.

"Monkey, do you need my help to check a few corpses?" The old wizard asked the thin old man in leather armor with some dissatisfaction.

"Old man, the magic image isn't very clear, so of course I need you to do it!"

"You all should learn this well. How can you verify the identity if the photo is not clear? This will prevent you from coming to me again next time. Hurry up and arrange the body. Let me record the photo first." The old wizard said hurriedly.

Caesars discovered that the old wizard was of the same level as him, also a high-ranking magician. After the bodies were laid out on the ground, images of their faces were recorded one by one. A magical projection device was brought out, and a recording stone was placed on it. A recording appeared on a huge screen. Several people appeared in a castle courtyard, many wearing leather armor, and some in robes. However, the faces of the people in the images were not clear and could not be seen clearly.

The old wizard froze the faces in the photos, turning them into magical portraits. He then processed the portraits, making them slightly clearer.

"Monkey, comparing the facial image of the corpse with the portrait one by one is like comparing them by overlapping them."

"The portrait is still not clear!"

"Monkey, you are not deaf. Stop questioning me here and do what I say immediately!" The old wizard said to the thin old man with some dissatisfaction.

The portraits began to overlap and compare, and Caesars watched with interest. The number of magical portraits was quite large. Among the photos Hawkeye had of more than a thousand people, there were more than a thousand portraits.

A few minutes later, a clear face emerged from the overlapping portraits, confirming the identity of the first member of the Golden Viper Mercenary Group. The thin, elderly man, somewhat excited, turned and gave the old wizard a flattering smile.

"There's no need to examine this body. I'd recognize it even if it were reduced to ash. It's the traitor to the Magic Guild—the Grand Mage Laudno. The color of the body isn't right. I almost didn't recognize it!"

The old wizard walked to the side of Laudno's body and used magic to explore it. Then he looked at Caesar with a smile.

"This old guy was poisoned to death. It looks like the poison of the golden-eyed black devil snake!"

"Yes, it's the venom of the Golden-Eyed Black Devil Snake. The amount used was a bit too much!"

Kaisas smiled slightly, patted the backpack on the sofa, and the black magic snake crawled out from it.

"The Golden-Eyed Black Demon Snake can be tamed, right?"

The black snake's eyes were golden and easy to identify, which surprised the old wizard.

"I don't know either. Anyway, it doesn't bite me!"

Kaisas said as he grabbed the black snake and placed it on himself.

"Take Laudeno's body to the Magic Guild. There is a bounty for him in the hall, and you can get 100,000 gold coins. If you leave the body here, you will only get 2,000 gold coins at most. Magic badges can also be exchanged for gold coins. The magic badge of the great magician is worth 10,000 gold coins, and it can also be exchanged for magic crystals of equivalent value!" The old wizard Quinn reminded.

"One hundred thousand and two thousand, the difference is too big!"

Caesar collected Laudno's body and prepared to go to the Magic Guild to complete the task.

"Hawkeye wants the bodies just to confirm how much the Saint Laurent Empire's strength has been weakened by the deaths of its people!"

"To express my gratitude, I also have a message for you. Over 200 high-ranking professionals from the Golden Viper Mercenary Group have died in the Southern Continent!"

"Monkey, write this down immediately and pass this message to Carlos later!"

Hearing the name Carlos, Caesars felt that this old wizard held a high position within Hawkeye. He had been to this castle several times, and only heard others address Carlos as the Grand Commander. This was the first time he had heard him addressed by his name.

Kaisas waited for over an hour before he received over a hundred high-level magic crystals. He then headed straight for the Magic Guild and only reached the Cavill family when the sun was setting.

Caesars arrived just in time for dinner. The long dining table was full of people. Except for Joanna, all the other members of the Cavill family were there.

"Caesars, why did you come back so suddenly?"

As the head of the family, Old Joey was somewhat delighted. He saw the magic badge worn by Caesars, and the Cavill family had produced a high-level magician.

"Old Joey, I'm back to rest for a few days, take care of some things, and then take a tour of the Northland Plateau!"

"Kaisas, you're going to the Northern Plateau too!"

As soon as Caesars finished speaking, old Joey's granddaughter, Avril, who was wearing a long dress, became excited.

"Avril, you've been promoted to a low-level magician! By the way, from the sound of your voice, the magic academy is also going to the Northern Plateau?"

"I can't go. Only intermediate magicians can go. I heard that the Northern Plateau is very dangerous now, with many vipers!"

"I have a golden-eyed black demon snake, which feeds on various vipers. Avril, do you need a staff? I picked up several in the southern continent!"

"Really?"

"Avril, you are my junior. It's just a staff. I'll give it to you to choose from after dinner!"

The Cavill family had always had an unwritten rule: no idle chatter at the dinner table. However, tonight, Caesars had blatantly broken this rule. Surprisingly, even the usually stern old Joey didn't reprimand him, and the rest of the family naturally remained silent, daring not to say a word.

As dinner ended, Caesars leisurely returned to his room upstairs in the mansion. The mansion had three floors, and the east side of the third floor belonged entirely to Joanna, and no one else was allowed to enter.

In the small living room on the third floor, the head maid, Cecilia, stood quietly by. She stared intently at Caesar as he continuously pulled out various items. These items were piled up endlessly, soon filling the entire living room floor. Cecilia didn't show the slightest bit of surprise at the sight, for long ago, Joanna had also sorted her spoils in this way.

At this moment, Caesar suddenly raised his head, smiled and asked Cecilia: "Maid, do you want a storage ring?" Caesar asked.

This time, the harvest was quite rich, with dozens of storage rings alone. With such a large number, even if they took them to the square to set up a stall to sell, they would probably not be able to sell them all in a short time.

Hearing Caesar's question, Cecilia shook her head slightly and replied, "Caesar, I already have a storage ring, and it was given to me by the young lady in my early years!"

The head maid raised her hand. There was a ring with a gem on her finger, but Caesars didn't associate it with a storage ring.

"Then I'll give you a few bottles of potion. The ones produced by the Thorn Flower Trading Company are no worse than the ones that Ms. Joanna brought back!"

As Kaisas spoke, he took out a dozen bottles of potions. He could get potions every year in the crater. Some of the potions had been stored for several years and he rarely needed to take them.

"It's the Advanced Life Potion and Vitality Potion!"

Cecilia cried out in surprise and immediately covered her mouth with her hand. She was in charge of all of Old Joey's potions, so of course she knew these two potions and how precious they were.

"Head Maid, put it away quickly!"

As soon as Cecilia put away the potion, Avril walked into the small living room shouting.

"Kaesas, where did you get so many leather armors and weapons?" Avril began to ask while looking at the small living room opposite.

"I picked them up in the Southern Continent. I killed their owners and sent their bodies to the Black Prison. Your staffs are here. They are all high-quality fire staffs. Pick one for yourself!"

Caesars pointed to a dozen or so staffs lying nearby, belonging to the mages of the Golden Viper Mercenary Group. He then collected the leather armor one by one, separating the intact and defective pieces. He also sorted the magic steel weapons and placed the mercenaries' potions in a wooden box, ready to be sold at the stall tomorrow.

As the things on the ground became fewer and fewer, only a few staffs were left. Avril looked at the staffs in a dilemma, she must have been unable to make up her mind.

"Avril, is it that difficult to choose a staff?"

"There are so many staffs, look at each one, they're all good!"

Caesars stood up with a staff in his hand. He was slightly taller than Avril.

"This staff belongs to the great magician. It is the best quality among the several staffs!"

"Huh? It's black and the surface isn't smooth at all. I thought it was the worst one!"

"This is a staff produced by the Thorn Flower Trading Company. It's engraved with the exploding fireball pattern. The great magician usually doesn't use it, so it still looks brand new. The surface isn't as smooth and delicate as the other staffs!"

"Really!"

Avril took the staff made of black thorns in her hand, and she was ready to leave with a smile.

"Avril, remember to maintain your staff!"

"I know, I know!"

After Avril left, Cecilia whispered, "Caesars, did you kill the great magician?"

Cecilia had already known that Caesar was not Joanna's son, but she still treated him as her young master.

"Maid, the great magician was poisoned to death by the venom of the golden-eyed black demon snake!"

"Just this little snake?" Cecilia looked at the coiled black snake and expressed her doubt.

"Maid, I take a few drops of snake venom every ten days, and over time I'll have several bottles of venom. I threw the crystal bottle at the great magician, who was with a few students at the time, and then I waited for them to be poisoned to death. They are all from the Saint Laurent Empire and have a grudge against me!"

Cecilia nodded. Joanna had instilled in her this idea: A truly courageous person should take revenge immediately and use thundering means without leaving any hidden dangers!

"Caesars, how many days do you plan to stay here?" Cecilia asked. As a conscientious head maid, she had to prepare everything Caesars needed in advance.

"It should be six or seven days. Head maid, please order five thousand kilograms of crispy biscuits for me, at the price set by the Cavill family."

"Five thousand kilograms? That's a lot of money. I'll go to the shop in front and tell them now, otherwise it will be difficult to prepare it!"

Cecilia turned and left. Her influence in the Cavill family was second only to Old Joey. With Joanna behind her, and now with Caesars, the heirs to the Baronial Palace all had to listen to her.