Black Hearted Mage

Chapter 145 Vitas Trading Company

Amidst the jagged, rocky, and intertwined mountain ranges, the winding path lurks like a forsaken python, entwined within the towering mountains. The road is undulating and riddled with potholes, like a crude painting haphazardly sketched by nature. Every step requires careful consideration; a single misstep could lead to a fall.

The dreaded black snake also lost its former majesty here. Its slender and flexible body could hardly adapt to the complex and changeable terrain, so it had to curl up in the backpack.

This mysterious and dangerous mountain range also lurks countless venomous spiders of varying sizes. They hide in crevices between rocks or quietly weave webs in dark corners, ready to launch a deadly attack on passersby. Fortunately, Caesars had prepared well, carrying a sufficient supply of repellent potions. The unique scent of these magical potions repelled the venomous spiders.

The detailed annotations on Rodman's map reveal that the Rocky Mountains are home to a variety of high-quality herbs. However, due to the exceptionally steep terrain and crisscrossing canyons, harvesting these herbs is extremely dangerous. Loose rocks atop the sheer cliffs are precarious, and the slightest disturbance could cause a devastating collapse, bringing disaster to those gathering the herbs.

During this arduous journey, Caesars would occasionally encounter one or two mercenaries. Most of these people had completed their missions and were on their way back, heading in the same direction as him, although their encounters were only brief.

Time flew by. After more than a month of long and arduous journey, Caesars finally successfully crossed the Stone Mountains. Looking back, he couldn't help but sigh: The straight-line distance from Roland Continent to the Southern Continent is only a little over 800 miles, but the road through the Stone Mountains twists and turns, stretching and undulating for over 3,000 miles. Such a long journey is truly a test of both willpower and physical strength!

Stone City, a small town with a population of just over 10,000, is the only way out of the Stone Mountains. A mercenary city, it boasts hundreds of shops, large and small. Aside from a few major magic shops selling high-quality goods, the rest of the shops sell mostly inferior goods—in other words, fakes.

Every shop in this small town seemed to have sensed a business opportunity. Whether they were large-scale businesses or seemingly insignificant but actually scheming small shops, they all showed a keen interest in magical materials from the volcanic region and purchased them at relatively low prices.

Large shops with strong backgrounds usually choose to play it safe and send the precious items they have purchased back to their headquarters; however, for some unscrupulous merchants who are blinded by greed and sell counterfeit goods, they will not miss this great opportunity to make huge profits - these guys will resell the purchased magic materials to the Saint Laurent Empire at a high price.

Caesars ignored the chaos. He had already boarded a spacious public carriage bound for the Redstone Kingdom and sat leisurely in his seat. As the wheels rolled forward, his adventurous journey on the Roland Continent began again.

The carriage was filled with a variety of people, most of them mercenaries. Their destination was also the Roland Empire, but unlike Caesars, they were not heading to Fire Maple City, but directly to the prosperous Abel City in the south. Rumor had it that Abel City was acquiring resources on a large scale from the southern continent, and the prices offered were quite attractive.

At the beginning of his journey, young Caesar quickly struck up a conversation with the surrounding mercenaries. Through these pleasant conversations, he learned startling news: the Roland Empire had already deployed a large number of elite troops along its borders, eyeing the Saint Roland Empire with eager anticipation, as if a devastating war could erupt at any moment. As a major southern city and commercial center, Abel City naturally became a strategically important location, its position crucial.

Two days passed quickly, and the crowded carriage finally entered the territory of the Redstone Kingdom. As the creaking of the wheels gradually subsided, Caesars jumped from the carriage, waved goodbye to his fellow mercenaries, and embarked on his own journey.

Abel City lies northeast of the Red Stone Kingdom, while Fire Maple City lies directly north. For Caesar, his goal was already clear: to reach Fire Maple City. The road to Abel City was relatively easy, with two or three public carriages running back and forth daily. If hopping on a public carriage wasn't an option, joining a caravan was also a good option. However, the journey to Fire Maple City was far from easy, as there were no public carriages available.

With no other options, Caesars wandered around Redstone City. The city was bustling with activity, its streets lined with shops and bustling with people. When he reached the city's central square, he was struck by the sight before him. The square was bustling with people, and a large number of well-equipped guards were patrolling in measured steps. Their expressions were solemn, their postures erect, and they exuded a sense of solemnity.

A variety of large shops dotted the square, offering a dazzling array of goods. And within this bustling area, the Mercenary Guild stood proudly. Caesars hoped to inquire about the caravan bound for Fire Maple City. He took a deep breath and strode toward the Mercenary Guild.

The spacious hall of the mercenary guild was buzzing with activity, like a pot of boiling porridge. People were huddled shoulder to shoulder, making the once spacious space seem incredibly cramped. The massive task board in the center of the hall was completely thronged with people, leaving only a sea of ​​heads visible from afar. The air was thick with the pungent, pungent smell of sweat, a lingering, invisible miasma that felt almost suffocating.

Kaisas didn't want to squeeze in, but the dense crowd blocked his view, making it impossible for him to see the content posted on the taskbar. In desperation, he took out a fire maple chair and stood on it, so that he could look over the heads of the crowd and cast his gaze on the taskbar.

The task board was filled with various commissions, including over a dozen escort missions to Fire Maple City. However, most of these missions required a four or five-day wait before departure, with only one marked "Departing Today." Unfortunately, this mission had extremely high mercenary requirements—it only recruited high-level archers and warriors.

Despite this, Caesars decided to go and try his luck. After all, for him who was eager to leave this place, even a glimmer of hope was worth fighting for. Moreover, he was not a true mercenary, as he did not even have the metal nameplate that symbolized his mercenary status.

Finally, Caesars took another closer look at the name of the trading company, put away his chair, and walked towards the gate of the mercenary guild.

Across the vast Roland Continent, there are several renowned and wealthy trading houses. Vitas Trading Company boasts immense strength, firmly ranking among the top five trading houses across the continent. Its business encompasses a wide range of products, but it primarily specializes in spices and magical materials. Relying on superior quality and a strong reputation, Vitas Trading Company has not only achieved tremendous commercial success but also maintained close and friendly partnerships with various powerful factions.

The sun was shining brightly, and a gentle breeze blew. Caesars walked briskly to the entrance of Vitas Trading Company. Just as he was about to enter, his eyes were suddenly drawn to a group of sturdy, fully armed mercenaries. Among them, Caesars was pleasantly surprised to spot two familiar faces—Clarice and Geralt from the mercenary team "Sword and Rose."

Geralt was standing in the middle of the crowd, narrating his adventures with great enthusiasm. He was dancing and describing his stories vividly, and the mercenaries around him were listening with great interest, occasionally cheering.

Kaisas smiled and walked quickly towards Geralt. When he reached the experienced mercenary, he extended his right hand and gently patted the other's broad shoulder, and greeted him warmly: "Hey, Geralt, have you accepted an escort mission?"

Geralt was so engrossed in his conversation that he didn't even notice who was greeting him. He nodded subconsciously, not even turning his head, and replied, "Yeah!"

Just as the old mercenary finished speaking, there was a crisp "snap" sound, and a white, slender but powerful hand slapped Geralt's head hard.

The defenseless Geralt suddenly felt dizzy. He stopped talking in a daze, put his hand to his forehead, and the expression on his face instantly changed from astonishment to grievance.

"Captain, why did you hit me? It hurts so much!" Geralt rubbed his head and complained to Clarice pitifully.

Clarice raised her eyebrows, opened her beautiful eyes wide, glared at Geralt coquettishly, and said unhappily: "Geralt, you idiot! A noble magician took the initiative to talk to you, and you didn't even turn your head. You are so rude, who else should I whip if not you?" As she spoke, she raised the whip in her hand, pretending to whip him with it.

Caesars was laughing as he watched everything that had just happened. Clarisse was too aggressive and didn't give Geralt any face at all.

"Brother Caesars, so it's you!"

The old mercenary smiled sheepishly, scratching his head with his rough hands, looking bewildered. When he saw the magic badge that Caesars was wearing, his eyes widened.

"Oh my God, Brother Caesars, you are a high-level magician!"

"I got promoted accidentally, Geralt. Let me ask you, can I join the escort team? I don't need any commission, I just want to follow you to Fire Maple City!" Kaisas asked.

"No need to ask, just take our carriage and be considered a member of our mercenary team. High-level professionals can get a commission of fifty gold coins. I'll go tell the manager of the trading company to add one more person to the Sword and Rose team!"

Geralt, clad in leather armor, strode swiftly toward the entrance of Vitas Trading Company. His steps were firm and powerful, as if carrying an invisible confidence and courage.

Arriving at the entrance of the trading house, Geralt stopped and stood face to face with a middle-aged man in a gorgeous silk robe. The middle-aged man's face was serious and calm, revealing the shrewdness of someone who had been through a lot of business.

The two began to talk. Their conversation was concise and clear, yet it seemed to contain a lot of unknown information. Although it was only a short moment, the atmosphere in this brief exchange seemed quite serious.

Not long after, the old mercenary, who had originally had gray hair, suddenly broke into a broad grin, and his wrinkled face instantly blossomed into a brilliant smile. He strode back with a smile, looking like a general who had just returned from a victorious battle.

"Haha, nothing can defeat me, Geralt! The commission is one hundred gold coins, Caesars, and the company will send a magician to check your strength soon. By the way, do you have any delicious rum?" Geralt said happily, his voice as loud as a bell.

Hearing this, Caesars on the side couldn't help but joked: "Yes! Geralt, the cost of your errands is really expensive!" As he said that, he shook his head slightly, with a faint smile on the corner of his mouth.

Geralt didn't care about the teasing at all, instead he just laughed even harder. His bright eyes were almost narrowed into slits, and he looked extremely happy.

At this moment, Caesars casually threw a bottle of rum at Geralt. The old mercenary was quick to catch the bottle, examined it carefully, and carefully put it away as if he had found a rare treasure.

"Kaesus, where is your black snake?" Geralt put away his smile and asked curiously.

"Saint Paul, come out and say hello to our brave Geralt!" Caesar blew a crisp whistle.

As the whistle sounded, a black snake slowly emerged from the backpack. It was slender, its scales gleaming with a mysterious light. Its golden pupils, in particular, were like two brilliant gemstones, shimmering faintly and drawing attention.

The black snake twisted its body flexibly, climbing up from the backpack and finally landing steadily on his shoulder. It opened its mouth slightly and let out a low hiss, as if responding to Geralt's greeting.

"Golden-eyed black demon snake!"

A few mercenaries who were watching the excitement nearby saw the terrifying demon snake and screamed and kept backing away.

"St. Paul, get back to your backpack, you're scaring people!"

The black magic snake returned to the animal skin backpack, but its head, which was bigger than a fist, was exposed outside, and its pair of golden eyes scanned the people around it.

"It's a little bigger than before! Caesar, is it called St. Paul? The same name as the Pope?" Geralt asked in surprise.

"Yes, it's called St. Paul! You all have to go to Fire Maple City to join the team. There's no place to explore, mine, or dig herbs there!" Kaisas asked with some confusion. There were only four high-level professionals in the mercenary team, and the rest were intermediate.

"This time we are going to the Northland Plateau to catch the vipers that escaped from underground. Vitas Trading Company has offered a purchase price of ten gold coins for one viper. Our mercenary team has made full preparations and a large magic steel cage has been installed on the carriage!" Geralt spoke incessantly.

"Why don't you go for a walk underground?"

"No, I heard the crack in the ground is more than ten miles deep. If you go down, you might never come out again!"