Black Hearted Mage

Chapter 129 A Small Revenge

Count Ronald cannot be killed for the time being and needs to be left to Cassi as a bargaining chip. Otherwise, the old man's son-in-law, Viscount Bruce, will bring his wife to rob the property and fight for the Count's castle.

"Your Excellency the Duke, it should be okay to kill Viscount Bruce. He has been coveting Miss Kaschi for a long time. He even stretched out his dirty hands in public. If we keep him around, he will be a disaster sooner or later!" Caesars said to the old duke.

"He's just a low-born country nobleman. You can kill him if you want. He also sent people to assassinate you. I leave this matter to you!" Duke Solomon replied.

"Your Excellency the Duke, he will die unexpectedly!"

Caesars smiled slightly, his goal had been achieved. Viscount Bruce's death had also been predetermined. He was bitten by a black demon snake and eventually died of poisoning.

"Your Excellency the Duke, I'd like to exchange some magic crystals and fire maple wine with you, and also exchange them for tens of thousands of gold coins!"

"Kaisas, you've found another rare herb! It's truly amazing!"

Upon hearing that Caesar wanted to trade with him, Duke Solomon's wrinkled old face instantly broke into an ecstatic smile, as if he had discovered a treasure hidden in the mountains.

Kaisas retorted with a look of dissatisfaction, "What do you mean by 'picking'? I risked my life and painstakingly dug them deep into the mountains! Every single one was hard-earned!"

As he spoke, Kaisas took out a large number of high-grade herbs from his space ring. These herbs exuded bursts of rich medicinal fragrance. Their quality was simply jaw-dropping and could definitely be described as rare and high quality.

However, when Duke Solomon saw these high-quality herbs firsthand, his originally expectant expression suddenly turned to disappointment. He shook his head and muttered, "Kaesus, although these are indeed good herbs, given their current value, I'm afraid they won't be worth much in gold!"

Upon hearing this, Kaisas' eyes widened and he raised his voice in response, "Don't underestimate these high-grade herbs! If you want to refine a powerful potion, you must have these high-quality herbs as raw materials. Otherwise, it's impossible to successfully refine a high-quality and powerful potion. You've experienced many ups and downs, so how come you don't even know this common sense? Moreover, I almost lost my life to digging up that extremely precious golden ginseng!"

At this moment, the spy chief, who had been sitting silently nearby, suddenly pricked up his ears. For people of their age, a potent life potion held an irresistible allure. After all, as time passed, bodily functions gradually declined. A potent life potion could significantly increase their vitality and energy.

At that moment, Kasiki, who had been outside getting some fresh air, returned to the living room and witnessed a scene she would never forget. The powerful Duke Solomon actually smiled obsequiously at Caesars, his hands clenching and unclenching awkwardly, as if he were expecting something.

Kaisas took out a golden ginseng that was as thick as his forearm. However, the ginseng was missing a piece and still had traces of being gnawed.

"Why is there only two-thirds of this golden ginseng left?" Duke Solomon was a little disappointed that the golden ginseng was incomplete.

"A piece of my ginseng was eaten by an iron boar. The boar's tusks were more than a foot long. I almost lost my life at its hands!" Kaisas said, holding the golden ginseng.

"Boy, you want me to eat what the wild boar left?"

"My Lord Duke, if you don't want it, I'll take it to Huofeng City to set up a stall. I should be able to sell it for three or four hundred thousand gold coins!"

Kaisas didn't want to say more. He put the golden ginseng away directly and put the high-grade herbs into the space ring.

"Kaisas, are there no intact golden ginseng left?"

"Your Excellency, do you think this is a carrot that you can just pick up casually? Trade is about fairness. Since you don't want to buy, let's not discuss the sale of golden ginseng!"

Caesars slowly stood up, his tall and straight figure particularly eye-catching. Without hesitation, he took firm steps and walked straight towards the castle gate. At this moment, he was completely confident.

He also had several intact golden ginseng stalks hidden on his person, treasures he had obtained through countless hardships. However, he knew that the elderly Duke Solomon would be interested in this half golden ginseng stalk and would be willing to pay a high price for it. After all, this rare herb was truly too hard to come by.

Recalling his adventures with Liv at the edge of the Endless Forest, Caesars couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion. They'd trudged through nearly a thousand miles, sleeping in the open air and encountering numerous dangers and challenges. Yet, despite their dedication, they'd only managed to find four or five golden ginseng plants. Such a rare quantity far surpassed the realm of ordinary rare herbs; it was truly truly world-scarce.

At this moment, a shout suddenly came from behind: "Caesar, stop! I didn't say I don't want to buy it. Since there is no intact one, I can only buy your half!" The voice came from Duke Solomon, who was looking at Caesar with a smile on his face, his eyes flashing with excitement.

Seeing this, the spy chief sitting nearby quickly gave a thumbs-up, expressing his appreciation and support for Duke Solomon's decision. For Solomon, successfully acquiring this half root of golden ginseng meant he could refine a powerful life-saving elixir. With this miraculous potion, not only would he be able to guarantee his own safety, but he would also be providing a powerful lifeline for the old emperor. This would make their iron triangle even more unbreakable.

The transaction went very smoothly, with magic crystals, gold coins, and aged fire maple wine all available.

"Your Excellency, there's something I can't understand. Your territory clearly has a large number of fire maple trees, and you brew a lot of fire maple wine, so why isn't there any in your business?"

"Kaisas, let me tell you something!" the spy chief said, "When it comes to the quality of the Fire Maple Wine on the Roland Continent, the Solomon family is second to none. Their Fire Maple Wine is sold at high prices to the royal family and some of the great nobles in the imperial capital. To highlight the wine's nobility, they would rather let it rot in the cellar than sell it to the public!"

Caesar secretly complained that these nobles of the Roland Empire were too selfish.

"My Lord Duke, please let me keep several hundred barrels of Fire Maple Wine every year!"

"It's not impossible, but can you get some Monroe flowers?" Duke Solomon asked tentatively.

"Monroe flower? That thing only grows in the middle of the Endless Forest. I can't go there. Besides, even if you get the Monroe flower, you can't refine the ultimate life potion. I don't have the alchemical formula, and there's no alchemist who can refine the ultimate potion!"

Caesar felt that these people were too greedy. They couldn't even get the golden ginseng, but they actually started to hope for the Monroe flower.

"I heard that Monroe flowers can be eaten directly!"

Duke Solomon suddenly said this, and Caesars was not surprised. This knowledge of herbal medicine had been in the Ludwig School of Magic thousands of years ago.

"Both Monroe Flowers and Taro Fruits can be eaten directly, but the prerequisite is that you must have a physique higher than that of a Paladin!"

"What will happen if you eat the Monroe Flower directly without a physique above that of a Paladin?" Solomon asked anxiously.

"Then you can only lie in the coffin. Monroe flowers are even higher in rank than golden ginseng. There are records of people eating golden ginseng directly in history books. You must have seen it, right?"

The story of nobles eating golden ginseng directly is a household name in the Roland Empire, occurring six or seven thousand years ago. A wandering mercenary encountered golden ginseng at the edge of the Endless Forest. Naturally, he dug it up and took it to Fire Maple City to sell, where it was purchased by a noble at a high price.

The emperor of the time learned about the golden ginseng and asked the lucky nobleman for it. Of course, the nobleman didn't want to hand over the golden ginseng, so he ate it and died.

"Is it not possible to eat less Monroe flowers?" Duke Solomon still did not give up and asked Caesars again.

"Your Excellency, I'm not a pharmacist, much less a master alchemist, and I don't own any Monroe flowers. I can't answer your question!"

"Kaisas, you're familiar with the Thorn Flower Merchants. Can you help us buy some top-quality, powerful life potions?"

"Your Excellency, I'm just a snake breeder and have no say. You all know the rules of the Thorn Flower Trading Company. They use the best potions themselves and only sell the lower quality ones. Your request is purely to embarrass me!"

Kaisas has a high-quality and powerful life potion on him, but the elven elders have repeatedly warned that the potion can only be used by himself and must never be given to others, let alone sold.

The notes of the ancestor Caesars also vividly describe human desire. When they obtain one thing, they immediately crave something else, their desires seemingly endless. Duke Solomon is like this now. Having just acquired the golden ginseng, he's already dreaming of Monroe flowers, and even wants a high-quality, potent life potion.

"Kaisas, I'm just asking casually!"

As the Grand Duke of the Roland Empire, Solomon certainly knew the rules of the Thorn Flower Trading Company, and no one could change it.

"Kaesas, I have a question. The elves have such a long lifespan, why are they unwilling to sell life potions in large quantities?" the spy chief suddenly asked.

"Lord Carlos, Lord Duke, and Miss Kaschi, this is your misunderstanding of life potions. Elves don't take life potions to prolong their lives. Life potions are used as auxiliary treatments. Life potions and healing potions are used together to speed up healing and recovery. Also, the growth cycle of golden ginseng is very slow, taking hundreds of years to grow. There are indeed many golden ginsengs in the Endless Forest, but most of them have been eaten by monsters, and the ones that can be found are even rarer!"

The three people present pondered for a moment, then nodded in unison. The Endless Forest was extremely mysterious and vast, teeming with magical beasts. If golden ginseng were everywhere, it wouldn't be considered a rare herb.

"Kaisas, I understand you want magic crystals and fire maple wine, but why do you want tens of thousands of gold coins?"

"Lord Carlos, do you really think I have tens of millions of gold coins? I'm just an errand boy, and I've already used up all my own gold coins. I'm a high-level magician, and the magic crystals I need to consume every day should be hundreds of gold coins. After winter is over, I'm going to set up a stall in Fire Maple City!"

Caesar sighed, then stood up and walked towards the castle gate.

"Solomon, do you believe what this guy said?" After a long time, the spy chief suddenly asked.

"I don't believe it. This kid might be short of gold coins, but he definitely won't be short of magic crystals. He got tens of millions of gold coins in Fire Maple City, and the Thorn Flower Trading Company doesn't know the exact number. After exchanging them for magic crystals, wouldn't he keep some for himself?"

While Duke Solomon was speaking, Caesars quietly returned to the Bano family. At this moment, he was racking his brains to figure out how to get rid of Viscount Bruce without causing an uproar.

After careful consideration, he realized it wouldn't be easy. The Viscount's mansion had over twenty guards, plus numerous servants, maids, and grooms, totaling perhaps twenty to thirty. To silently kill Bruce in bed under the eyes of so many, they would have to enter the small castle.

The sun was shining brightly, and the breeze was gentle. Caesars sat leisurely on a comfortable lounge chair in the yard, enjoying the warm sunshine. He closed his eyes slightly, seemingly resting comfortably, but in fact his mind was working rapidly, constantly pondering various possible solutions.

Time passed minute by minute, and Caesars was always immersed in his own thoughts, unaware of everything around him.

Not far away, Rad was engrossed in teaching several students. The old man appeared to treat everyone equally, but he harbored hidden motives. Especially when it came to explaining things to the lovely little Nivea, he patiently and thoroughly explained them.

When Rad was speaking enthusiastically, he suddenly stopped and waved to the students, indicating that today's class was over and they could go home. After hearing this, the students packed up their things, said goodbye to Rad and left one after another.

Little Nivea was from the Bano family. She hurriedly followed Rad, heading straight for Caesars, who was basking in the sun. As they approached, Rad spoke first, "Caesars, your black snake sneaked into the Viscount's mansion and hasn't returned yet!"

Hearing this, Caesars slowly opened his eyes and responded nonchalantly: "Oh, it's okay. This guy is a high-level magical beast, and the guards of the Viscount's Mansion can't kill it." After that, he closed his eyes again and continued to think about the plan that had just been interrupted.

"Kaisas, don't sleep, the black snake is back!"

Little Nivea suddenly shouted, and Caesars immediately sat up. He thought of a way to kill Bruce.