Black Hearted Mage

Chapter 289 Magician Challenge

Caesars frowned slightly, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the silver thread decoration on the cuffs of his robe. He had indeed never heard of the Redstone Kingdom's tradition of a magician's challenge, but the details revealed in Rad's hoarse voice made him gradually straighten his back.

"The last few Magician Challenges weren't held as planned due to a shortage of registered magicians. However, the rewards accumulated, accumulating to this year's 50,000 top-grade magic crystals!"

Rad stood up beside the oak barrel, and the aroma of aged ale floated in the stone house with his movements.

The magic power contained in the best-grade magic crystals was even higher, about ten times that of the higher-grade magic crystals. However, even if one spent twenty times the price of the higher-grade magic crystals, one still couldn't buy the best-grade magic crystals.

A high-level magician's magic sea requires the magic power of about ten high-grade magic crystals to fill it, while using a top-grade magic crystal only requires one. However, the time required to absorb both types of magic crystals is similar, which drives up the price of top-grade magic crystals.

Time is money, and sometimes it is life itself. Magicians, who are extremely dependent on their magical powers, place even greater value on the value of "time".

"Rad, how many rules are there in the challenge?"

Kaisas asked Rad. The reward of 50,000 top-grade magic crystals was too tempting. His current magic sea needed dozens of high-grade magic crystals to fill, and absorbing these magic crystals took two to three hours. If it were top-grade magic crystals or elemental crystals, he could fill his magic sea in just half an hour.

"The rules are very simple: you can't kill anyone, and you can't cripple your opponent. You can just knock your opponent down or even kill him!" Rad, whose hair was a little gray, said without thinking.

"When is the registration deadline?" Caesars continued to ask.

"The deadline is at the end of this month, so there are only seven days left. Kaisas, if you want to participate in the challenge, you must go to the Redstone Kingdom in advance. I will take the student union to watch the game a few days later!"

As Rad spoke, he gently tapped the wine barrel beside him.

"Lad, you old drunkard, take the barrel away quickly. The knocking is making me upset!"

This barrel of beer was a gift from Duke Solomon and was also aged for several decades. Caesar placed it in the stone house as a coffee table.

"Then I'm not welcome!"

Rad, wearing a magic robe, had an expression of excitement and joy on his face, his mouth wide open like a puppy's, as if he had discovered some treasure. He happily placed the wine barrel into the storage ring, his movements swift and skillful.

"Radi, Emily, come with me, let's go to the Redstone Kingdom first!" Caesars said lightly, with a sense of majesty in his voice.

"Great Magician, everything is at your command!"

After hearing this, Rad immediately stood up straight. His movements seemed a little stiff, but full of respect. He respectfully gave Caesars a wizard salute, then walked out of the small stone house with a sly look on his face.

"This damn old guy actually learned this trick!"

Kaisas looked at Rad's departing back and couldn't help cursing. Rad was a very slippery old man, just like that when he was in the Northland Tower.

Kaisas turned his gaze to Emily, who had successfully been promoted to a low-level magician, and her strength had improved significantly. For Emily, whether or not to study with Rad was no longer so important.

"Emily, go back and get ready, we will set off tomorrow!" Caesars said to Emily.

However, Emily answered without hesitation: "Brother, I don't need to prepare anything, everything is in the storage ring!" Her tone was firm and confident, and it was obvious that she was fully prepared for this journey.

The next morning, a spacious carriage left Violet City.

On the winding official roads of Roland Continent, numerous ornate carriages were stirring up clouds of dust as they sped in the same direction. These carriages were engraved with the crests of various families, and were pulled by priceless steeds of Warcraft bloodlines. Some even had wind magic cast directly on their wheels, allowing the heavy carriages to move as lightly as feathers.

The Redstone Kingdom's outlay this time was truly astonishing. Fifty thousand pieces of top-grade magic crystals—a figure that would drive any magician wild. It was said that just to prepare this batch of magic crystals, the kingdom had emptied half of its secret vault. At the inns along the way, the excited chatter of magicians could be heard everywhere.

"Brother, can you really get the reward for this challenge?"

Inside a carriage trimmed in deep blue velvet, Emily toyed with a plump puppy with her slender fingers. The fat creature wiggled playfully, occasionally trying to provoke a small black snake coiled on the seat. Sunlight streamed in through the carved windows, dancing on her long, pale blond hair.

Caesars put down the magic tome in his hand and looked at the scene helplessly. "As long as nothing unexpected happens, getting the reward shouldn't be a problem." He grabbed the puppy by the scruff of the neck and said, "You idiot, stop bullying St. Paul. If you make trouble again, I'll throw you out to race against the wheel."

The little black snake named Saint Paul, which Caesar had kept for Emily's protection, lay coiled motionless on the seat. The puppy used its paw to poke at the snake's tail, causing it to squirm.

"Right!" Kaisas suddenly remembered something, his eyes lighting up. "You idiot, next time we go to that snake cave and dig out all the remaining crystals. Those gray-green crystals... maybe I can absorb them too."

Upon hearing this, the puppy immediately stopped playing, stared at Caesar with its round little eyes without blinking, and its ears stood up high.

"Brother, what kind of crystal is this? Is it a magic crystal?"

Emily straightened the hem of her skirt, which had been messed up by the puppy, and came closer curiously. She was wearing a lavender dress embroidered with stars and moons, which made her skin look even whiter.

Caesars patted his sister's head. "It's not a magic crystal, but a very special gray-green crystal. It's very dangerous to ordinary people... The strange snake deep in that snake nest is very interesting. It's the same thickness from front to back, just like a giant earthworm." He gestured as he spoke, and suddenly caught sight of Emily's eager expression. He quickly pulled a photo stone from his bag. "Here, take a look for yourself. It's a good time to practice magic control."

Emily excitedly accepted the image stone, carefully cradling it in her hands. As she began channeling her magic power, the image on the screen sped up, then slowed down, occasionally flickering—a common fluctuation in magic power experienced by beginners. Caesars leaned back on the soft cushions, observing quietly without offering any guidance. He knew that this kind of basic control could only be achieved through repeated practice.

When the strange snakes appeared on screen, Emily covered her mouth in surprise. The puppy snorted in disdain. The previously quiet little black demon snake suddenly straightened up, its scales slightly erect, and hissed threateningly at the image.

Outside the carriage, the morning sun dyed the entire Roland Continent golden red, and their journey had just begun.

Caesars's slender fingers gently stroked the yellowed parchment. The ancient magic notebook emanated a faint blue light in his lap. His brow furrowed slightly, his fingertips lingering over the last two pages, which recorded dark spells—"Dark Sky" and "Dark Harvest," both group spells requiring vast amounts of magic power to cast. He sighed softly, and as he closed the notebook, the dark silver lines on the cover gleamed faintly.

Retrieving his ancestor's travel notes from his interspatial ring, they carried the faint fragrance of thorny flowers. Leaning against the car window, Caesars began to leaf through them. The Redstone Kingdom described in the notes plunged him into deep thought—this powerful kingdom, now dominating the southern border, had been but a small city-state on the border ten thousand years ago. The long river of history had washed away countless glorious dynasties, like the names of cities forgotten in the cracks of ancient books.

His eyes were suddenly drawn to the words "Red Leaf City." His fingertips traced the faded ink, as if he could see the ancient city, just as famous as Fire Maple City. Tucked away in his notebook was a maple leaf specimen, still a deep crimson after thousands of years, said to have been used by winemakers back then to distinguish their wines. The story of Red Leaf Wine brought a slight smile to his face. Fire Maple City's fame had soared that the winemakers there were forced to rename their wine, which originated from the same source, Fire Maple Wine. This unexpected change, however, created a legend.

"Three or five silver coins a bottle..." Caesars muttered, a price that now seemed unbelievable. The notes recorded how this amber-colored liquor was once a major hit across the continent. Images of mercenaries drinking in taverns seemed to emerge from the pages, and the ancient ballads that referred to Red Leaf Wine as "Bloody Courage" still echoed in his ears.

Thinking of Black Pearl's offer, Caesars rubbed his temples. The Solomon family's cellared Flame Maple Wine was not only pricey but also incredibly scarce. He unfolded the scroll of the map of the North. The Viscountship of Sarath in the Frostwind Mountains was a tiny dot on the parchment, but it might be the only place to find ten-year-old wine. The falling leaves outside the car window reminded him of the words in his notes: "Some things are destined to become the tears of history!"

A few days later, as the carriage wheels rolled over the last stretch of gravel, the towering crimson walls of Redstone City finally came into view. Caesars opened the carriage curtains, and was greeted by a wave of heat mingling with the scent of spices, sweat, and iron. A long line stretched for hundreds of meters at the city gate, where heavily armed city guards rigorously inspected every entrant.

"No carriages are allowed into the city!" a captain of the guards, whose armor bore a fire emblem, announced loudly. "Traffic in the city will be restricted during the celebration!"

The streets were packed, many times more crowded than Caesars had anticipated. The cries of vendors, the sounds of street performers, and the laughter of children blended into a sea of ​​clamor. Nearly every inn had a wooden sign reading "Full House" hanging outside its door, and some even set up makeshift beds for rent right outside their doors.

"Make way! Make way!" Emily tried to clear a path through the crowd, but with little success. It wasn't until Caesars raised his crimson dragonbloodwood staff, its core brimming with molten lava, that the crowd parted like waves encountering a reef. Several burly men wearing mercenary insignias even volunteered to clear the way, fearing the magical light emanating from their staffs would smear their clothes.

There was finally some breathing room by the fountain in Redstone Square. A variety of vendors gathered here, and fur traders from the North bargained with pearl merchants from the Southern Isles. Caesars noticed several fellows wearing pointed hats setting up alchemy tables in a corner. Their staffs looked like dead branches compared to the dragon's bloodwood.

"Your Excellency..."

When Caesar stopped in front of a grocery stall, the scarred middle-aged mercenary almost spilled his beer. The stall was cluttered with rusty weapons, suspicious animal specimens, and several "magic books" with gold-stamped covers - Caesar knew at a glance that they were fakes.

"Mr. Mercenary, I'd like to ask where the registration for the Magician Challenge is?"

The middle-aged mercenary in leather armor looked up at the magician holding a staff, and his mind was also confused for a moment. Someone who wanted to participate in the magician challenge didn't know where to register.

"Mister Magician, the registration office is in the Executive Hall, just across from the Red Stone Square, in the tall white marble building!"

When the mercenary saw the man wearing a magician's badge and holding a red crystal-like staff, he quickly stood up and answered the questions respectfully, and pointed out the location of the city hall.

"Thank you very much. I have another small question. How do I pay taxes by setting up a stall here?" Caesars continued to ask.

The scarred mercenary looked confused again. Magicians could be seen setting up stalls, but they were all shabbily dressed young wizards.

"Mr. Magician, the rules here are the same as those in Fire Maple City of the Roland Empire—mages are tax-free!" the middle-aged mercenary replied.

"Thanks again!"

After learning the location of the registration office, Caesars glanced at the tall black hats of several tax collectors in the square. He deliberately raised his voice to ask about taxes, attracting the attention of several apprentice mages setting up stalls nearby. When he heard the answer, "Magicians are exempt from tax," a gray-robed apprentice who was counting copper coins almost bit his tongue.

As he bid farewell to the mercenary, the tip of Caesars' staff inadvertently scraped the ground, leaving a charred mark on the stone slab. This detail caused several nearby pickpockets to retreat into the shadows. Emily took the opportunity to pull back the puppy that kept trying to escape to the barbecue stall. The puppy's mouth was already drooling.

"You damn dog, if you catch up, don't let yourself get stepped on like you did in Gravel City!

The puppy grumbled in dissatisfaction. It just wanted to smell the barbecue. It hadn't eaten any hot food on the whole journey.

As they crossed the square, the magic crystal on the high building of the City Hall began to tell the time. The colorful halo flowed on the white marble wall, reflecting the faces of the contestants in the long queue at the door, some nervous and some arrogant.

Kaisas didn't wait in line. He walked to the top of the stairs, where there was a notice for the Magician's Challenge. After a closer look, he learned the specific rules of the Magician's Challenge. The 50,000 top-grade magic crystals weren't just a reward for one person, but the combined rewards for four people.

"Amelie, you should sign up too. The low-level magician group will be rewarded with one thousand top-grade magic crystals!"