Black Hearted Mage

Chapter 189 Ancient Map

Time flew by, and six days passed in the blink of an eye. On a bright and sunny morning, Caesars finally concluded his long journey and returned to Violet City. As he stepped into the familiar stone house, an indescribable feeling of familiarity welled up in his heart.

At this moment, the little black snake that had been quietly staying in the backyard heard the noise and swam out excitedly. However, when the puppy's eyes met the little black snake, it was as if a fuse was lit, and it immediately pounced on it like an arrow from a bow, howling.

The speed was so fast that it was astonishing. If it weren't for Caesar's quick reaction and sharp eyes and hands, and if he hadn't grabbed it in time, I'm afraid this little guy would have really bitten the black magic snake tightly and refused to let go.

"Don't bite the little black snake! Be quiet! Come, eat the fire lizard's flesh!"

Caesars shouted as he pulled a massive animal leg from his interspatial ring and tossed it to the ground. In just six days, the once intact salamander leg had been largely devoured by the voracious lava pup. If the pup hadn't been unable to chew through the bone, there wouldn't have been any remaining salamander leg bones.

Caesars released the puppy from his grip and gently placed it on the ground. Freed from its restraints, the puppy immediately shifted its focus, no longer paying attention to the small black snake that had been drooling over it. Instead, it pounced directly on the beast's leg, tearing at it with all its might, purring with satisfaction from time to time.

Thinking of this, Kaisas couldn't help but secretly congratulate himself: Fortunately, the people from the Thorn Flower Trading Company sent the other two larger and more robust golden-eyed black demon snakes back to the crater. Otherwise, the backyard would have been tormented by the puppies and there would have been no peace.

Looking at the poor little black snake, it seemed to be filled with fear of the ferocious puppy in front of it. It curled up and quickly got into its own small cage. Then it cautiously stuck its head out and observed every move outside, fearing that the ferocious puppy would rush over again, howling.

An hour later, Rodman, dressed in leather armor, hurried to the small stone house. Upon seeing Caesars, he immediately took out a photo stone.

"Rodman, are you in such a hurry? You just returned to Violet City and you came here without stopping. Don't you feel tired?"

Caesars teased Rodman, who also looked exhausted. Stella must have urged him to come. He took the image stone and activated it with his magic power, and a screen of light appeared before him.

Except for the narrow entrance, the entire cave was artificially excavated. Due to insufficient light when recording the video, I could only see about five or six meters away, and the image was not clear at all, but blurry.

"Rodman, the photo isn't clear! First, prepare two intermediate-level wind array plates, the kind used for blasting winds in blacksmith shops. Rest for two days, and set off on the third!"

Caesars couldn't see clearly what was in the photo, so he had to go into the cave himself to take a look, but he wanted to rest for two days first.

"Caesars, let's set off tomorrow. The magician in the mercenary team is being targeted!" Rodman said.

"Targeted? How come they were targeted? And who was targeting the mercenary team?"

Caesar was a little surprised. Rodman only told him about the cave. It seemed that there was another cause that he didn't know.

"Because of a worn-out animal-skin map!"

Rodman narrowed his eyes slightly, his thoughts seemingly returning to that extraordinary day several months ago. Back then, the mercenary team he led was on their way to their mission location when they stumbled upon the Redstone Kingdom.

That day, the sun shone on the bustling market, and a variety of noises intertwined. The young wizard in the group looked around curiously as usual. Suddenly, her eyes were drawn to an item on the stall—an animal hide map that exuded an ancient aura and looked quite old.

The young wizard, excited, quickly approached the stall owner to negotiate the price. After some haggling, the deal was about to be concluded, but unexpected complications arose. A group of uninvited guests rushed over aggressively, ready to snatch the animal hide map without a word.

Faced with this sudden situation, Stella naturally refused to give in easily. Thus, a fierce argument broke out instantly. Neither side gave in, and the words became increasingly heated, and soon it turned into a physical fight.

However, at this moment, Rodman stepped forward. Leveraging his immense strength, he quickly seized control of the situation. Despite being outnumbered, Rodman's fierce attack ultimately forced them to flee in dismay. Of course, this battle was not without cost; two members of the mercenary team suffered minor injuries, but for the sake of the situation, this was a blessing in disguise.

At this moment, Caesars, standing by, had a playful smile on his face. He stared at Rodman with interest and said, "Wow, I didn't expect that the honest Rodman has learned to be a hero and save the damsel in distress!"

Hearing this, Rodman smiled sheepishly and continued, "That young mage's name is Beatrice, and she's no delicate girl. As you can probably guess from my description, she has a temper like a hot pepper—very hot. And the other members of the mercenary team are mostly young, inexperienced individuals, all fearless. Faced with a situation like this, they wouldn't back down easily. That's why they got into a fight with those guys..."

Rodman's explanation seemed far-fetched, even absurd, but Caesars didn't pursue it further. Instead, an ancient map captured his attention. The map looked ancient, its symbols and routes intricately marked, as if hiding countless unknown secrets. Unfortunately, the map was now in the hands of the young wizard, and it was already late. Further exploration of the map's secrets would have to wait until tomorrow.

After a brief pause, Caesars turned his gaze back to Rodman and asked, "Rodman, which mercenary group is the one that clashed with you?"

Rodman quickly responded, "It's the Roland Mercenary Group!"

Hearing the name, Caesars's brow furrowed slightly, then he nodded gently. He had long heard of the Roland Mercenaries. Their background was complex, backed not only by the Roland Empire's royal family but also by numerous nobles and powerful trading houses. Because of this, the Roland Mercenaries were known for their impunity and arrogance throughout the Empire. Backed by their powerful backing, they often acted with unbridled force and dominance.

Speaking of which, Caesar himself had a feud with the Roland Mercenaries. Initially, the Roland Mercenaries coveted his dragon-bloodwood staff and sent men to seize it. This led to a fierce battle outside Fire Maple City, ultimately resulting in Caesar's victory. During that battle, he poisoned several Roland Mercenaries, inflicting a heavy blow on the enemy.

The next morning, the little black magic snake was still hiding in the cage and didn't dare to come out, and the lava puppy was circling around the magic steel cage.

"St. Paul, you stay home and guard the little stone house!"

Kaisas stuffed a few pieces of monster meat into the cage, and his action caused the puppies to howl.

"You damn dog, let's go, you can eat on the way!"

Caesars held the greedy puppy tightly in his hand and walked steadily toward the backyard door. Sunlight shone on the backyard path, illuminating his slender figure. Not far from the backyard door, Rodman and several others were already waiting quietly.

Two fine horses, one as white as silver, the other as black as ink, were parked outside the door. They held their heads high and chests puffed out, appearing heroic and majestic. Nearby was a seemingly ordinary carriage, a bit worn, but immaculately kept. Rodman, atop a black horse, stood tall and proud. Beside him, Stella, atop a white horse, the two looked like a perfect match. A powerful warrior, firmly seated at the wheel, his gaze vigilantly surveyed.

At that moment, a small head popped out of the carriage window. It was the little wizard. Her large, lively eyes blinked, and she looked around curiously. When she spotted Caesars leaving the courtyard, she quickly emerged from the carriage like a cheerful little bird and scurried down with brisk steps.

"Mage Kaisas, please come and sit here!" The little mage smiled brightly, her voice clear and pleasant. She stood eagerly in front of the car door, extending her hand to signal Kaisas to get in.

Caesars smiled faintly and nodded to the young mage, expressing his gratitude. As he approached, he carefully examined the young mage before him. She looked no more than a teenager, her face as white as snow, smooth and delicate as mutton-fat jade, exuding an air of innocence. She wore a small, delicate magic robe. Though slightly undersized, it was perfectly tailored, perfectly framing her petite figure. Embroidered with the insignia of the magic academy, it shone brightly, highlighting her status as a low-level mage from the academy.

"You are so young, why do you want to travel? Shouldn't you stay in the magic academy and study hard at this time?" Caesars couldn't help feeling a little confused and asked softly.

Hearing Caesar's question, the little wizard stuck out his tongue mischievously, then replied with a smile: "I am an ice magician! I have already learned those low-level ice spells in the magic academy. There is nothing there worth me to study in depth, so I want to come out to gain some experience and broaden my horizons!" After she finished speaking, her bright eyes flashed with excitement and anticipation.

Caesars nodded slightly, then grabbed the puppy and stepped steadily into the spacious carriage. He pondered the various aspects of ice magic. From what he knew, there might be intermediate ice magic in the outside world. After all, the Ludwig School of Magic had once taught such magic, so it stands to reason that intermediate ice magic should have been widely circulated.

Recalling the horrific incident that year when students at the Ludwig School of Magic triggered a self-destruct mechanism, burying hundreds of high-level magicians alive, it seemed highly likely that intermediate ice spells hadn't been passed down under such tragic circumstances.

At this moment, the young soldier shouted loudly: "Belis, hurry up and get on the car! Time is running out, we must set off immediately!"

The warriors' voices were loud and powerful, echoing on the empty road.

Hearing the call, Beatrice was slightly nervous and reserved. She gently lifted her magic robe and quickly boarded the carriage with small steps. For this fledgling mage, being able to come into such close contact with a great magician like Caesars was truly an unprecedented experience.

As the soldiers whipped their whips, the carriage began to move slowly forward. Rodman and Stella followed closely behind, their expressions serious, their eyes warily looking left and right, constantly aware of changes in their surroundings.

At this moment, Caesars, who was sitting in the carriage, turned to look at Beatrice and asked calmly, "Little girl, can you take out that animal skin map so I can take a look?"

Beatrice was stunned at first, then quickly responded: "Oh, okay, please wait a moment." After that, she took out a rolled-up animal skin map from the storage ring and handed it to Caesar.

Caesars looked at the dark hide. The puppy beside him raised its head, sniffing the hide's scent. Then its eyes widened, and its mouth, disproportionate to its head, opened wide.

"Stay still, damn dog!"

Seeing the puppy's behavior, Caesars quickly took out a piece of salamander meat and threw it on the floor of the carriage. This guy wanted to eat anything he saw. The puppy howled twice, stepped on the piece of meat with its two stubby and powerful front paws, and bit it hard with all its might.

Caesars took the animal skin scroll and opened it carefully. Looking at the leather that had been there for thousands of years, the middle part of the scroll was still very tough. At the same time, he sensed a faint magical power.

"High-grade demonized leather!"

"Isn't this called Magic Leather? Isn't it Enchanted Leather?"

As Caesars exclaimed softly, the little mage on the side raised an objection.

"This isn't enchanted leather, it's demonized leather. It needs to be soaked in alchemical solvents for at least a year, and it needs to be soaked in four or five different solvents. Processing enchanted leather is relatively simple; just soak it in one solvent for a few days. Enchanted leather won't survive for more than a few thousand years in an ordinary environment."

After Caesars finished speaking, he carefully examined the animal hide map. There were some faint patterns in the blank areas around the edges of the map. These were probably printed on the enchanted leather before it was made. This pattern had some special properties. There were many such patterns in the underground ruins of Ludwig Castle.