Black Hearted Mage

Chapter 257: Sharing Experience 4

The Duke's Palace was surrounded by tall, sturdy walls, and at the gate stood a dozen fully armed guards, their eyes constantly scanning the surroundings. Caesars, leading Emily, whose head spun wildly, and a plump puppy behind her, was stopped by the guards just as they reached the gate.

"The Duke's Mansion has an important guest and will not be receiving any visitors today!"

"Get out of here, you blind idiots!"

As soon as the guard finished speaking, a roar like thunder exploded in front of the Duke's Mansion, making the eardrums of the people around him buzz.

Immediately afterwards, a burly guard wearing magic steel armor rushed out from the door, his face full of anger and he kept cursing.

This is the commander of the guards of the Duke's Palace - Delon. He is a sturdy man with muscular body, a face full of flesh, and looks ferocious.

"Mr. Caesars, why are you here so suddenly?"

When Deron saw Caesars standing at the door, his attitude immediately took a 180-degree turn. A flattering smile appeared on his face and his tone became respectful.

"Commander Delong, it's almost noon, of course I'm here for lunch!"

Caesars replied with a faint smile, his lips curled up. He was tall and elegant, a stark contrast to Deron.

Deron obviously didn't expect Caesars to answer like this. He opened his mouth in surprise and was a little at a loss for a moment.

However, he quickly came to his senses and quickly led Caesars in. They walked through the vast garden, which was filled with colorful flowers and shady trees, creating a pleasant scenery.

Finally, they arrived at the gate of the magnificent castle.

"Commander Delong, does the Duke's Mansion have an important guest?"

Caesars looked at the guards at the castle gate and noticed that the emblems on their armor were different from Delon's. He couldn't help but feel curious, so he asked.

"Yes, Mr. Caesars, the royal family is here."

Delong nodded and replied softly.

"Delong, why did you bring a commoner with you?" The royal guards stopped Delong and asked him suspiciously.

Delon looked at the guard seriously and explained, "Bach, don't underestimate this gentleman. He is the Duke's most important friend—the deputy commander of the Empire Eagle Eye, the great magician—Caesars!"

The guard was surprised when he heard Delon's words. He had obviously heard of Caesar's identity. However, he was still a little worried and said, "You wait here for a while. I'll go in and make the announcement!"

After saying this, the royal guard turned and walked quickly into the castle. A moment later, he emerged with a serious expression on his face. He said to Caesar, "The Duke is waiting for you inside. Please go in alone."

Caesar nodded, holding Emily's hand, followed closely by a fat dog, and slowly walked into the Solomon Castle, which he was very familiar with.

After entering the castle, the first thing that catches your eye is the gilded knight's long plate armor placed against the wall in the main hall. It is used as an exhibit and placed in a very conspicuous position. It is a gift from Caesars to the Duke.

Passing through the main hall, one arrives at the castle's side hall, the grand living room of the Duke's residence. The furnishings in the living room are extremely luxurious, with a full set of flame maple tables and chairs emitting a light woody fragrance. Several extremely valuable ancient paintings hang on the walls, drawing admiration.

Three people were sitting on the sofa in the living room, and a dozen or so people were standing around it. Judging from Duke Solomon's sullen expression, they didn't seem to be having a friendly conversation.

"Duke Solomon, we have guests!"

As Caesars walked into the living room, he shouted to the old Duke Solomon.

"Kaissa, why are you here suddenly?"

The old duke was wearing a formal aristocratic robe today and tried to greet Caesar with a friendly expression.

"It's almost noon, so of course I'm here for lunch. I have some important things to do this afternoon, so it's a bit of a rush to go back and eat!"

Caesars smiled as he led Emily to the sofa and sat down without hesitation. His movements seemed very natural, as if this was his own home.

After Caesars sat down, he picked up a plate of snacks from the coffee table and placed it directly in Emily's hands. He smiled and said to her, "Emily, try this. It tastes very good. It was made by the cook in the Duke's Mansion."

Caesars turned to look at the guest from the Duke's Mansion, his smile still bright. The guest was dressed in a black and gold robe and looked to be in his sixties. His graying hair was neatly combed and sleek, making him look very energetic.

Around the sofa stood a dozen guards. They were all slender, clad in magic-patterned leather armor. Each of them stared intently at Caesars, as if he were a dangerous figure. This feeling of being watched like this made Caesars slightly uncomfortable.

There was no maid in the spacious living room. After a while, the old butler of the Duke's Mansion came in with black tea and snacks and placed them on the coffee table.

Duke Solomon introduced Caesar, "Mr. Caesar, this is Prince Bernard, second in line to the throne." Then, pointing to another person, he said, "This is the head of the Royal Mage Corps, the great magician Westminster. He's even more powerful than Gard!"

Duke Solomon said lightly, and Caesars just nodded casually, with no intention of talking to the prince.

"How dare you not stand and salute when you see the Imperial Prince!"

The old and majestic voice echoed in the air, like a thunderclap, shaking everyone present. The person who spoke was Ximin, his face full of anger, his eyes wide open, staring at Caesars, as if he was about to spit fire.

This sudden rebuke frightened Emily, who was holding the snacks, so much so that her hands trembled and she almost dropped them. She looked at Westminster in horror, her face pale, obviously frightened by the scene.

However, facing Westminster's scolding, Caesars appeared unusually calm. He raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a disdainful smile, and then waved his hand casually, as if all this was just a farce.

At the moment Caesars waved his hand, an invisible force struck Westminster as fast as lightning. The old wizard's mouth suddenly seemed to be blocked by something, opening and closing, but no sound came out.

"That old dog is such a loudmouth! He almost scared my sister," Caesars sneered. "Even if he's stronger than Gad, so what? In my eyes, he's just an annoying bug. Shutting him down is as easy as squashing a bug!"

After saying that, Caesars patted Emily's shoulder gently and comforted her, "Emily, don't be afraid, your brother is here."

Then he turned to look at Prince Bernard, his eyes full of provocation and warning, "Don't mess with me, I don't care who you are. Tell your men to take their hands holding the weapons away. If they dare to have any ill intentions towards me, I will kill you and them all without hesitation!"

Caesars acted as if nothing had happened. He picked up the teacup and took a sip, then took a piece of exquisite dessert and put it in his mouth, savoring it carefully.

"There are more than a dozen of us!"

After hearing Caesar's warning, Prince Bernard suddenly spoke.

Caesars said with a smile, "Prince Bernard, a dozen of them can't beat my fat dog. How about we make a bet? I can offer a golden ginseng as a stake. If you lose, you have to give me 350,000 gold coins!"

Caesar's words moved Prince Bernard somewhat. After all, golden ginseng was an extremely rare herb, hard to come by. It was the main ingredient in refining powerful life-enhancing elixirs, and its value was inestimable.

However, 350,000 gold coins is not a small amount! Prince Bernard began to hesitate. He was eager to get the golden ginseng, but he was also worried about losing such a large sum of money.

Just when Prince Bernard was in a dilemma, a voice suddenly rang out: "I will fight this fat dog!" Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Westminster standing there with an anxious look on his face.

It turned out that Ximin had been cursed by Caesars, which made him unable to speak normally. Now that the curse had finally expired, Ximin couldn't wait to shout out this sentence.

Although Westminster was still a little afraid of Caesars at the moment, he was full of confidence in his own strength and firmly believed that he would be able to defeat the fat dog.

"Prince Bernard, Duke Solomon, you come as witnesses, let's go to the lawn outside to fight!" Westminster said anxiously. He was a little uneasy, fearing that Caesars would suddenly change his mind.

The corners of Caesar's mouth rose slightly, revealing a barely perceptible smile. He glanced at Westminster, then said slowly, "Okay, let's go to the lawn outside."

Seeing this, Ximin felt relieved. He hurriedly urged, "What are you waiting for? Let's go!"

Caesars followed calmly behind. He turned to the puppy beside him and whispered, "You idiot, teach this old man a lesson later. But don't beat him to death, just beat him half to death. If you can do that, I'll add ten flame flowers to your dinner omelet and give you half a pickled savage ox leg!"

The puppy's eyes lit up when he heard this, and his mouth almost watered. He had only eaten one meal since morning, and was already ravenous. The offer from Caesars was so tempting, he agreed without hesitation.

Emily stood aside, watching the puppy's greedy look, and couldn't help but laugh. She gently grabbed the puppy's ears and whispered, "Fat dog, you have to work hard later and eat up all the magic from that old guy!"

The puppy seemed to understand Emily's words. It opened its eyes wide and grinned with some joy, as if it had seen the delicious omelet and the beef leg waving to it.

The group marched towards the castle gate, with Caesars and Emily at the rear. While everyone wasn't paying attention, Caesars quietly cast several buff spells on the puppy, allowing it to unleash its full potential in battle.

The lawn at the castle gate wasn't large, but it was spacious enough for this high-stakes gamble. Westminster stood at the gate, quickly donning a bright red magic robe. Clutching a dragon's bloodwood staff, she hurried toward the center of the lawn.

Caesars stood not far away, his eyes fixed on Westminster, a barely perceptible smile on his lips. In his eyes, this old man was simply a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered, and a bet of 350,000 seemed a bit low.

At that moment, a plump puppy walked onto the lawn with a cheerful gait. Its plump hips wiggled, and its stubby tail wagged continuously, as if to show its confidence and pride. The puppy walked straight towards Westminster, its mouth wide open, revealing a row of sharp teeth, as if mocking the other person.

Seeing this, Westminster raised his staff without hesitation and pointed it at the puppy. In an instant, a blazing fireball shot out like a meteor, hurtling straight towards the puppy. This sudden scene startled everyone present, who stared in amazement, their eyes wide open.

However, something unexpected happened. Just as the scorching fireball was about to hit the puppy, it suddenly, as if squeezed by an invisible force, rapidly deformed into a long, noodle-like object. The puppy, unfazed, opened its mouth and swallowed the "noodle" as if it were a delicacy.

This scene left everyone present dumbfounded. They couldn't believe what was happening before their eyes. The powerful spell of the great magician Ximin was so easily dispelled, without even a spark left.

The humiliated and disgraced Great Mage went mad, unleashing all manner of fire spells at the gaping, fat puppy. Fireballs, massive fireballs, exploding fireballs, and flaming arrows all failed to produce a single spark, as the puppy swallowed them all.

Old Westminster, enraged, began chanting a lengthy incantation, and the fire element in the castle gardens rapidly increased. The old man seemed to be reckless, preparing to cast a large-scale fire spell.

Westminster's spell hadn't yet taken shape, but the temperature around him was rising rapidly. Duke Solomon frowned. If such a large spell was cast, his beautiful garden would be ruined.

The magic patterns on the puppy suddenly lit up, and its mouth opened even wider, as if it had seen a delicious meal. Westminster's magic power surged like a flood, and the puppy was absorbing the fire element at an astonishing rate.

Caesars noticed something was amiss. Westminster's spell had already finished, but the surrounding fire element hadn't increased, but was actually decreasing rapidly. The old man was now pale, and the hand holding the staff was shaking.

After some investigation, Caesars was also frightened. Westminster's magic sea seemed to be out of his control, and fire elements poured out continuously. The culprit was the greedy puppy.

Two or three minutes later, the great magician, Simin, collapsed to the ground, his body twitching violently. This unfortunate old man, the magic power in his sea of ​​magic had been drained away by the puppy, and he fell into a state of weakness.