Black Hearted Mage

Chapter 135 Fire Crystal

About half an hour later, Rodman returned to his spot, breathless and sweating. It was mid-afternoon, the sun high in the sky, its scorching rays mercilessly pouring down upon the earth. Surrounded by volcanoes, the already high temperature here was excruciating, and these two factors compounded the heat.

"Rodman, what is that red area in the south? Is it a lava river flowing with boiling magma, or is it a large area of ​​dazzling fire flowers?" Caesar asked anxiously.

Rodman wiped the sweat from his forehead and replied with a gasp, "It's the Lava River, but there are quite a lot of fire flowers in that area, and they are of high quality. Let's wait until the sun sets before setting off. The weather should be a little cooler then!"

Caesars nodded slightly in agreement. He put away his magic viewing mirror and began to scan the surroundings, searching for a shady spot to escape the scorching sun. Soon, he noticed several massive volcanic rocks to the west, perfectly shielding them from the blazing sun.

At that moment, Rodman excitedly ran towards a nearby hot spring, ready to enjoy a refreshing soak. However, as he approached, he was surprised to find that a golden-eyed black snake was actually entrenched in the hot spring, leisurely soaking in it.

"Caesars, why is your snake taking a bath here? Get it away quickly!" Rodman shouted helplessly.

Upon hearing this, Caesars couldn't help but laugh out loud and teased, "Rodman, don't be so timid. My black snake won't bite you. You two can definitely go bathing together!"

"No! Let this black snake leave here quickly. I always feel uneasy as long as it is here!" Rodman said firmly.

Seeing this, Kaisas could only smile and blew a clear whistle. Hearing the master's call, the golden-eyed black snake quickly crawled out of the hot spring, twisting its body, and followed him to the shadow of the volcanic rock.

When Caesars took out the animal skin mat, he saw two silver metal plates, which were the plates of the ice magic circle.

"Rodman, I found something great. I have two ice array discs, one low-level and one high-level. Now we don't have to worry about the scorching sun or the high temperature!"

"Why didn't you tell me earlier? We have wasted all our sweat these past two days. I used to have a low-level ice array, but it was destroyed here last time. I even forgot to ask Ocus for a new one!" Rodman said with some complaint while lying in the pool.

Caesars explained somewhat embarrassedly: "Rodman, you forgot, I didn't remember it!"

As Caesars spoke, the black snake, which had been lying quietly beside him, suddenly reared up without warning, emitting a sharp, piercing hiss. At the same time, the black snake began to twist its nimble body with astonishing speed, and with lightning speed, it slithered into the narrow, deep crevice beneath the volcanic rock.

Suddenly, dust rose from the bottom of the giant rock, mixed with small stones. The black snake seemed to be engaged in a fierce and desperate struggle with an unknown enemy.

Faced with such an unexpected situation, Caesars didn't dare to be careless. He instantly cast defensive spells such as magic shield and magic armor to protect himself tightly. Then, he quickly retreated several steps, concentrating his mind and mobilizing the powerful magic power in his body. He carefully probed deeper into the gap, trying to gain insight into the battle situation within.

Time ticked by, and after about two minutes, the first thing to slowly emerge from the crack was the black snake's scaly tail. Then, its pitch-black body gradually emerged. It struggled to back out of the crack, twisting its body as if something was pulling it.

The inky black, hideous head emerged, swung violently from side to side. At that moment, Caesars could clearly see that the black snake's sharp teeth were tightly gripping an object. At first glance, the object looked like a worn stick or a long stone.

As the black snake continued to drag with increasing force, the object it had bitten gradually revealed its true appearance—a bizarre viper with two heads! This two-headed viper was a deep gray-black color like volcanic rock, and its surface was covered with a dense, uneven layer of scales. These scales were not only extremely rough, but had completely lost their luster, giving it a particularly strange appearance.

The viper was sturdy, and while its body was roughly the same thickness as the black snake, its length was less than half. At this moment, the viper was twisting its body and began to wrap itself around the black snake, as if trying to bind it tightly with its own strength.

The Black Demonic Snake wasn't easily subdued. It reacted swiftly, swung its pitch-black head vigorously, each swing imbued with immense power. With these violent movements, the Viper, like a weightless whip, was lashed back and forth against the hard ground, producing a series of dull, thumping sounds.

Watching the fight from the sidelines, Caesars was initially nervous, worried that the Black Demon Serpent would suffer a setback. But as he watched the Black Demon Serpent easily handle the Viper's attacks and gradually gain the upper hand, his worries instantly vanished. He confidently sat back on the animal hide mat and continued to watch the spectacular snake fight with great interest.

When it comes to the severity of its venom, there's hardly any snake on the Roland Continent that can rival the Golden-Eyed Black Demon Snake. As the two sides engaged in a fierce battle, the Golden-Eyed Black Demon Snake's venom unleashed its immense power. The once ferocious snake, like a deflated ball, became limp, completely losing its ability to resist.

After successfully defeating its opponent, the black snake didn't immediately consume its meal. It casually tossed the viper aside, twisted its body, and slipped back into the narrow crevice. At the same time, a soft hissing sound emanated from the crevice. This sound wasn't a warning from the black snake, but rather a joyful cheer.

The crevice seemed deep and mysterious, seemingly hiding many unknown secrets. Although Caesars extended his magical tentacles, his exploration of such a deep crevice was still limited. While the tentacles could extend a distance, they could never reach the end of the crevice. At best, they could only sense the space within, which was much more spacious than the outside.

"Rodman, what kind of snake is this?"

Caesars grabbed the viper's tail and shook it towards Rodman. The viper wasn't completely dead yet, and this was the only way to avoid its attack.

"This is a Shar-Pei viper. It actually has two heads! They're ambush snakes, usually lurking motionless. They're rarely seen, mainly because their camouflage is so good!"

Rodman soaked in the hot spring, staring in amazement at the snake in Caesar's hand. The scales of the Shar-Pepper viper were uneven and without any luster, as if it were covered in a layer of volcanic ash.

Kaisas asked, "Is it highly toxic?"

"Remove the word 'ma'! Sharp-skinned vipers are mid-level magical beasts, and their venom is extremely potent. If you're bitten by one, you'll need at least four or five bottles of high-level antidote to save your life!"

Kaisas dropped the Shar-Pei Viper and waited for the Black Demon Snake to come out. This guy must have discovered something.

Caesars inserted a high-grade magic crystal into the slot of the ice array disk, enough to keep the ice array running for five or six days. A cool breeze filled the air. He took out a large piece of cheese and cut it into small pieces with a dagger. Then he took out a bottle of rum and poured himself a glass. The clear golden liquid in the crystal glass showed that it was the finest golden rum.

Rodman's hair was wet, as if he had just been pulled out of the water, with water droplets sliding down his thick arms. He was bare-chested, clutching a set of greasy black leather armor in his hands, and ran towards him with long strides.

Before he could even find his footing, Rodman dropped his leather armor and impatiently reached out, snatching the bottle like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey. He placed his nose close to the bottle's mouth and sniffed deeply, his face instantly lit up with ecstasy. The next second, a jaw-dropping scene occurred—the bottle, as if by magic, vanished from his grasp in the blink of an eye.

"Wow! This is definitely a fine wine that has been stored in the cellar for decades. I can smell the rich aroma of the wine even from the hot spring!" Rodman's eyes lit up with excitement, and he shouted loudly with an uncontrollable smile on his face.

Seeing this, Caesars on the side quickly reminded him, "Rodman, this is strong liquor. You must be careful and only drink one glass at most!"

"Don't worry, Caesar, I know what I'm doing. Just drink half a glass. I have to keep this bottle of wine well and save it for later tasting!" After Rodman said this, he didn't forget to wink at Caesar.

Kaisas shook his head helplessly, thinking that this guy seemed to be a complete alcoholic. As he thought about it, he took out a slightly old-looking wine barrel from his space ring. The surface of the barrel was covered with traces of time, but it still exuded a unique woody aroma.

Rodman's eyes were immediately drawn to it. When he saw the material of the barrel, he couldn't help but exclaimed, "Oh my God! It's made of flame maple wood, and it looks like this flame maple wine is quite old! Kaisas, tell me, where did you get such a precious treasure?"

Kaisas replied, "I bought it from an old noble in Fire Maple City. It's rarely seen on the market!"

At this moment, the head of the black magic snake emerged from the crevice of the stone and hissed at Caesar.

"St. Paul, come out and let me see what's going on."

As the black snake emerged from the crevice, Kaisas used his magic tentacles to explore. He was surprised to find that a piece of fire crystal was stuck and the black snake could not get it out.

"Rodman, we're going to get rich. The black demon snake brought out a fire crystal stone, and it got stuck more than a meter deep!"

"Just under this huge rock?"

Kaisas nodded, guessing there was fire crystal ore hidden inside. He quickly put away the animal hide mat and then took out a magic steel pick from his space ring.

He gripped the handle of the pickaxe tightly with both hands and, using all his strength, dug hard into the volcanic ash beneath the huge rock. In an instant, dust and smoke filled the air, as if a small sandstorm had suddenly arrived.

At this moment, Rodman's eyes widened as he looked at Caesars's desperate mining posture. He couldn't help but yelled at the top of his voice: "Caesars, you are a high-level magician, not a miner who deals with ore all day long. How can you mine like you!"

Hearing Rodman's shout, Caesars temporarily stopped what he was doing, stood up, turned to look at him suspiciously, and asked, "Then Rodman, how should the magician mine?"

Seeing this, Rodman quickly stepped forward, demonstrating the moves while explaining incessantly, "First, of course, you have to cast impact spells, like 'Fire Blast' or 'Frost Blast', to directly shatter the rocks that are blocking your path. Next, use the magical skill of Mage's Hand to easily clear away the rubble and slag. And most importantly, magicians usually stand far away, so there's no need to worry about dust getting on their clothes!"

"That's how we dig. I see!" Caesar suddenly realized. He then kicked the black snake at his feet and said, "Saint Paul, take your food away quickly. Master Caesar is going to use magic to dig, and if you're not careful, he'll bury you alive!"

Rodman, clutching his clothes and leather armor in one hand and the Ice Array in the other, walked westward for a dozen or so meters. The black demon snake, clutching the sand viper, quickly followed Rodman. The west was upwind, and the dust wouldn't blow there.

Seeing Caesar take out the Death Staff, Rodman quickly shouted, "Caesar, don't use large-scale impact spells, the boulder might loosen and roll down!"

"I know, just wait to pick up the fire crystal!"

The Death Staff has a Dark Shock rune, a deformed rune that Kaesus learned after using it several times. As long as a continuous supply of magic power is provided, Dark Shock can be cast continuously.

To maintain the accuracy of his spell, Caesars retreated only a dozen meters. He added an elemental crystal to the slot on his staff and directed the flow of magic power toward the designated magic pattern. A dark gray magic sphere appeared, signaling the start of magical mining.

Dark grey dark impact spells bombarded the bottom of the giant rock again and again, and large amounts of dust continued to spew out.