Black Hearted Mage

Chapter 328 Dog Chef

The news that the Saint Laurent royal family's ceremonial armor, a symbol of supreme honor, had been acquired by Duke Solomon resonated like a thunderclap over Fire Maple City. This shocking news spread through the aristocratic circles at an astonishing speed, and every noble who heard of it could hardly conceal their shock. After all, there was only one set of Saint Laurent royal armor, and now that the Duke had snatched it up, the nobles immediately turned their greedy eyes to other treasures—especially the gilded plate armor that once belonged to the Grand Knight. It shone with a cold metallic luster, as if telling of past glory.

In Fire Maple City's bustling square, an unprecedented battle unfolded. Luxurious carriages adorned with family crests arrived one after another, the clatter of hooves, the creak of wheels, and the shouts of the nobles shattering the square's usual tranquility. The elegantly dressed nobles, completely disregarding decorum, competed fiercely in bidding wars before the public's gaze, some even drawing swords for a suit of armor. This farcical scene quickly became the talk of the town, from the most luxurious taverns to the darkest street corners, the aristocracy's disgrace was relished.

Even as the frenzied buying frenzy was in full swing, the Duke's carriage had quietly parked at the edge of the square. This modestly decorated yet luxurious carriage was waiting to pick up Caesars. Meanwhile, Caesars's other belongings—those seemingly ordinary items—were rapidly selling out at astonishingly low prices. By noon, 70% to 80% of the goods had been sold.

At noon, in the lavish, flame-maple-clad living room of Duke Solomon's mansion, the Duke, clad in a regal black and gold robe, sat upright on a velvet sofa. His piercing eyes fixed on Caesars, his face filled with disbelief. This powerful Duke had never imagined that a mage earl, setting up a stall was nothing more than selling used goods in the square.

"Caesars," the Duke said, his voice filled with obvious confusion, "I heard you were in the square today... selling old clothes?"

"That's right!" Caesars answered excitedly, as if he was telling a story of pride. "I sold more than a thousand pieces of old clothes!"

Duke Solomon's brows furrowed more and more. He put down the crystal wine glass in his hand and said with a hint of reproach: "Are you so... short of gold coins?" This sentence implied deep confusion as to how a mage noble could fall to this state.

"It's not that I'm really short of those gold coins. I just tend to save them out of habit. A little bit adds up to a lot!" Caesars stroked his interspatial ring and gave the old duke a shrewd smile that was typical of a businessman. "Look, now that we've set up a stall here, these used clothes are actually selling better than new ones."

The old duke was stroking his gray beard, deep in thought, when Caesars suddenly lowered his voice and leaned closer, "Speaking of which...is your Excellency the Duke interested in mining for gold?"

"Gold mine?!" The old duke's cloudy eyes suddenly burst into a sharp light, and his skinny fingers unconsciously grasped the gold-inlaid cane, "In your territory?" His voice trembled slightly with excitement, like a shark that smelled blood, and even his hunched back unconsciously straightened a little.

"That's right." Caesars looked around and said softly, "In fact, Earl Soren discovered this vein many years ago. But..." He dragged out his words meaningfully, "According to the Imperial Mineral Treaty, the Roland Empire will take 40% of the profits!"

"That's fine too..." The old duke leaned forward eagerly, tapping his cane on the ground with a rapid sound.

"Secret mining?" Caesars smiled bitterly and shook his head. "That vein is a shallow deposit, with the shallowest point only about ten feet below the ground. Even worse..." He stretched out his hand and drew a winding line on the stall. "The vein runs almost parallel to the Imperial Avenue, with the closest point less than a mile away. During the day, you can hear the sound of caravans and carriages on the avenue."

"All we need to do is tamper with the mineral exploration report, write down the rich ore reserves as poor ore, and then bribe the tax collector..." Duke Solomon stroked his crystal wine glass, a sly smile on his face. "According to convention, handing over half to ten percent to the empire is enough. I'm an expert at this kind of accounting game!"

The old duke confidently swirled the amber wine in his glass, his gold cufflinks gleaming dimly under the light. As a powerful nobleman in the empire, a member of the Roland Empire's iron triangle of power, and a frequent guest at the Chancellor's residence, the number games hidden in the parchment scrolls were nothing more than a matter of words to him.

"In that case, I will wait for the Duke's arrival in the territory!" Caesar raised his glass in greeting, and the crystal glasses made a crisp sound when they collided.

"It's a pleasure to work with you!" The Duke nodded slightly, and the silk gloves on one side complemented the gilded cane beautifully.

Before the silverware from the luncheon was even cleared, the two men had already sealed the sheepskin contract. In the days that followed, Caesars moved like a top, moving from place to place: setting up a stall in the central square in the morning, visiting the Northern Trading Company in the afternoon, and in his spare time, bargaining quietly with hooded merchants at the black market in Flame Maple City. He even traveled as far as the northern Frostwind Mountains, purchasing hundreds of barrels of twenty-year-old Flame Maple wine from Viscount Sarath's cellar.

By the time the last box of magic crystals was stored in his interspatial ring, the fire maple trees outside the city walls had already sprouted tender red buds. Caesars leaned back on the carriage's cushions, listening to the wheels roll over the smooth road. Since he had nearly cleared out 70% of the city's magic crystal stock this time, the market price had skyrocketed—even a purchase restriction notice was posted outside the Magic Guild.

"Damn dog, it seems we bought too much beef!"

Caesars leaned against the carriage window, counting the pickled beef in his storage ring. The chunks of meat, treated with coarse salt and spices, shone enticingly in the sunlight. He turned to look at the puppy lying against the opposite window. It was staring intently at the passing scenery, its fluffy tail swaying gently with the jolting of the carriage, oblivious to his words.

This guy only loves the wild beef leg marinated by Kaisas himself. Kaisas still remembers the scene when he first cooked it - the puppy squatted beside him, its wet nose twitching constantly, and its scarlet eyes closely watching his every marinating step. This guy can actually eat the skin with fascia and hard bones cleanly, and in the end he even licked the hide that padded the meat several times.

"Woo——"

The puppy suddenly turned its furry head and, after a long search in the storage ring hanging from its collar, finally pulled out half a melted pastry. Protecting the precious treat with its front paws, it whimpered at Caesars, its wet black nose twitching. Ever since its trip to the Endless Forest, it had been forced to reduce its daily intake of three handfuls of pastry to just one, spread over two meals. This was unbearable torture for the gluttonous puppy.

"I know, I know." Caesars reached out and rubbed the puppy's chubby head, then grabbed a handful of the remaining puff pastry from his space bag. "This time, let's have the Safin family deliver the puff pastry and cheese directly to our castle."

The puppy immediately swallowed half of the soufflé and happily pounced on Caesar's legs, rubbing its furry little head against his knees and purring with satisfaction. Its hot, wet tongue would occasionally lick the back of Caesar's hand, bringing with it the unique sweet scent of soufflé.

"You idiot, put away the cream puffs first!" Caesars pinched the puppy's pricked ears. "Don't let the creamy aroma escape. When the Safin family arrives, I'll let you have as much as you want."

The puppy hid the new puff pastry in the ring, and then lay back down by the window to continue looking at the scenery, patting the seat with its tail. It was already looking forward to the puff pastry feast after returning to the castle.

A few days later, the carriage rolled through lush forest roads and finally arrived at Rose Castle, standing tall in the heart of a golden wheat field. The autumn-spring breeze carried the rich aroma of ale from the castle. It was a fine brew carefully brewed during the previous year's harvest, now resting in oak barrels, neatly stacked in the cool shade of the castle cellar. The aroma of the wine, mixed with the fresh fragrance of oak, quietly flowed through every corner of the castle.

"Sean!" Caesars's boots raised a cloud of dust as he jumped off the carriage. "Duke Solomon will come to inspect the territory in a few days, and old Roy will accompany him." His voice was particularly clear in the empty courtyard, startling several birds that were pecking at their food.

The old butler, Sean, hurried over from the wine cellar, his graying temples still stained with sawdust. When he noticed the figure slowly descending from the carriage, a look of confusion crossed his wrinkled face. "My Lord Earl, who is this..."

"Head Maid Cecilia." Caesars patted the butler's shoulder. "From today on, she will take care of the castle's internal affairs. You can focus on the farm and the winery."

"As you command, my Lord!"

Sean bowed deeply, his heart finally at ease. He had been struggling with how to entertain the Duke with so few servants, but now that he had a professional head maid, at least he didn't have to worry about the banquet preparations himself.

Cecilia lifted her skirt and looked around the castle, her slender eyebrows slightly frowned. "Caesars, your castle can't even gather decent servants. How are you going to entertain the distinguished Duke?"

"Don't worry, head maid!" Caesars laughed, looking across the spacious courtyard. A faint light flickered from his magic robe. "Just have Fatty Dog stew the monster meat. His stewing skills are unmatched even by the chefs in the capital. As for me—" He winked mysteriously, "I can make an omelet with fire salamander eggs. That's a delicacy worth more than gold. The Duke doesn't care about the delicious food, but the treasure in my hands!"

Two weeks later, the long-silent castle welcomed a new lease of life. Cecilia carefully selected two clever young women from the peasant households in her domain as personal maids. Dressed in brand new linen dresses, they carefully followed the head maid as she learned the castle's rules. Just as the maids had gotten accustomed to their duties, a cloud of dust rose from the horizon—Duke Solomon's massive convoy had finally arrived.

The sheer size of the procession was staggering. Leading the way were eight purebred warhorses, followed by over three hundred fully armed knights, their gleaming armor gleaming in the sunlight. The captain of the guards, a gold-studded sword at his waist, surveyed the surroundings vigilantly. A silver-haired steward directed servants to carry the luggage. Three maids in velvet dresses, holding incense burners, followed the Duke's carriage closely.

Even more impressive was the subsequent convoy—more than twenty horse-drawn carriages laden with exploration equipment creaked by, and more than two hundred miners and technicians lined up in a long line. They carried mattocks, ore screens, measuring instruments, and other professional tools, their dark faces brimming with anticipation.

"Your Excellency the Duke, you brought so many people here at once!" Caesars stood on the steps of the castle, looking at the dark crowd in front of the door, his voice filled with surprise.

The old duke, dressed in black aristocratic robes, approached quickly, leaning on a silver-headed cane. His ruby-studded ring gleamed in the sunlight. "Don't worry, they don't live in the castle," he said eagerly, his gold-rimmed cuffs swaying. "They'll set up camp near the gold mine. Take your men to survey it first. Once we locate the vein, we can start digging!" Anxiety was written all over the old duke's wrinkled face, and greed flickered in his cloudy eyes.

"Sean!" Caesars turned and called the butler, "Take your men to the exit of the secret passage in the cellar. That's where the gold mine is!"

Sean was struck by lightning when he heard this, and he stood there in a daze. He clearly remembered the scene when he led his men to seal off the secret passage six months ago - the damp cave walls were covered with moss, and apart from a few frightened mice, there was no trace of the gold mine.

"My Lord Earl!" He lowered his voice, beads of sweat oozing from his forehead. "Is there... really a gold mine there?"

Caesars raised the corner of his mouth meaningfully and leaned close to Sean's ear: "The entrance is camouflaged with a special method, a mixture of sandstone powder and alchemical glue. Ordinary people can't see it at all." As he spoke, he took out a yellowed parchment from his arms with several eye-catching marks on it in red ink, and handed it to the somewhat dazed butler.

As Sean and a large group of miners left in a mighty procession, the once noisy courtyard suddenly quieted down. Duke Solomon then noticed the strange figure walking upright in the corner—a chubby puppy standing on its hind legs, skillfully using kitchen utensils with its front paws. Wearing a ridiculous plaid apron, it was busy in front of a large stew pot.

"Caesars, what's that fat dog of yours doing?"

The Duke frowned, his silver eyebrows almost twisted into a ball, and the red wine glass in his hand shook unconsciously. He had lived for more than ninety years, and this was the first time he had seen a dog that could cook.

"Oh, dear Duke!" Caesars clapped his hands happily, his eyes smiling into two crescents. He pointed to a place not far away and said, "It's preparing dinner for you! Look - over there is stewing top-quality salamander meat, seasoned with moon grass and dragon's breath pepper; on the grill is fresh white crocodile meat, brushed with three layers of honey..."

Before he had finished speaking, the plump little dog suddenly turned around, hummed at the Duke, and then continued to turn the roast meat with his paws, his tail wagging happily.

Kaisas continued excitedly, "I'll make you a fire salamander omelet later. Paired with two star fruits fresh from the Endless Forest, it will definitely be a perfect dinner!"

The old duke's eyelids twitched, and the fingers gripping his wine glass trembled slightly. Having a dog—even one that looked like a good cook—prepare his dinner was simply... simply... an unprecedented challenge to his aristocratic dignity. Looking at the fat dog in its apron, its tail wagging, the old duke suddenly felt he might suffer from indigestion tonight.