Black Hearted Mage

Chapter 312 Polly's Advice

Caesars lowered his voice and told Sean and Polly the news of the alchemical bomb hidden on the cellar door. The two looked at each other and immediately realized that the exit of the secret passage must be in the cellar.

"My Lord Earl, what should we do? They will definitely come again!"

Butler Sean clenched his fists and spoke anxiously. There were only twelve guards left in the castle, and even with the grooms and cooks, they couldn't stop the people in the secret passage.

"Don't worry, Sean! I'm just waiting for them to fall into my trap!" Caesars stroked the elven dagger at his waist, a dangerous glint in his eyes. These were just small fry, exploring the path; the real big fish lay hidden behind the scenes. He suddenly grinned, revealing his white teeth. "Since Earl Soren has taken my wealth, I will make him return it with interest!"

Polly dropped the rag in her hand, and she and Sean gasped in unison. The new lord's words left them perplexed—this territory, this castle, even every gold coin in the treasury, had legally belonged to Earl Soren.

"My Lord, these were originally Earl Sauron's wealth!" Polly said with some confusion.

"He is from the Saint Laurent Empire, just a fake earl. As long as he dares to come, all his wealth will be mine, even his life belongs to me. You will be scared when you hear about the bad things that Earl Soren has done. The fact that he lives in this world is a sin!" Caesar said seriously.

"What bad thing is it?"

Polly blinked her large, curious eyes, leaned forward with her hands on the table, and the ends of her brown hair swayed slightly with her movements.

Looking at the inquisitive young woman before him, Caesars couldn't help but think of his sister, Emily. They were of similar age, sharing the same innocent expression. He sighed and ruffled Polly's hair. "Don't ask about these things, child. They're too dark. They'll keep you awake all night, and you might even wake up screaming in nightmares!"

As he spoke, he lowered his head and rummaged through his storage ring. The magical patterns on the ring shimmered in the sunlight. With a slight magical fluctuation, three or four exquisite potion boxes appeared on the table. The potion bottles were affixed with unique labels, and the liquids inside reflected different colors in the sunlight.

"Here, this is a little gift I brought back from Greystone Castle." Caesars pushed the potion box toward Polly. "These are all alchemical potions specially for Wind Warriors. I specially sorted them out yesterday."

Polly tilted her head to examine Caesars for a moment, a sly smile playing on her lips. She unceremoniously took the potion box into her arms and tucked it neatly into her storage ring. "Then I'll take it!" she said cheerfully, the small bell in her hair jingling as she moved.

Caesars turned, his slender fingers tracing several magical lines in the air. Gray magical light swirled between his fingertips, gradually forming a complex pattern on the ground. This was a simple early warning array; any movement of the heavy object pressing against the wooden cellar door would be instantly detected by him from the castle.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in the city of Hailanza, a mansion built of off-white stone stood quietly in a corner of the noble district. Though small in scale, it bore the traces of time.

In the study, a white-haired old noble sat in a carved oak chair. Bookshelves lined the walls, filled with ancient tomes. The flames in the fireplace danced, casting the old man's shadow on the walls. He listened intently to the butler's report, taking in news from across Roland Continent. His wrinkled fingers tapped rhythmically on the armrest, his eyes flickering with thought.

"Count, there's one more important thing. It's the magical message we just received." The old butler bowed slightly, his skinny fingers trembling as he unfolded a parchment scroll gleaming with a faint blue light. "The castle's three secret passages—the one beneath the stone statue in the east garden—have their entrance completely blocked by rocks. The one in the west living room is filled with water, even overflowing the secret door. And the last one, the exit hidden in the cellar…" He paused, his voice low. "The exit isn't blocked, but the cellar door is held down by a single piece of magic steel, weighing tens of thousands of pounds. It's not something an ordinary person can move!"

"The entrances to the three secret passages are extremely secret. Even the servants in the castle may not know about them. How could they all be exposed?" The old earl frowned, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the intricate carvings on the armrests of the chair, and a trace of uneasiness flashed in his eyes.

"Count, the secret passage in the cellar seems to have remained undiscovered." The old butler breathed a sigh of relief, his voice hoarse. "The debris piled at the entrance—those empty wine barrels, rotten wooden boxes, and moldy curtains—are all intact. Thick cobwebs still cover the secret door. The spies report that there are only sixteen people stationed in the castle, mostly ordinary guards and servants."

The old earl's eyes suddenly became sharp, and he rapped his knuckles on the table. "Don't forget, there's still a great magician!" His voice was as cold as ice. "He killed all the priests sent by the church!"

"Count, haven't you already thought of how to deal with him?" The old butler bowed slightly, his movements impeccably elegant, a meaningful smile appearing on his wrinkled face, and he reminded him at the right time.

"Yes, it's time to put those treasures I've treasured for years to good use!"

The old nobleman slowly rose from his carved armchair, his bony fingers gently stroking the window frame. He gazed at the dark clouds rolling outside, a sneer of confidence playing on his lips. Over the years, every magical artifact he had secretly prepared, every secret contract, had been for this moment—whether facing the self-important archmage or those stubborn paladins, he was completely confident of his victory.

The territory faced a sudden crisis, and Caesars could not sit idly by. He keenly sensed that even if Earl Soren himself would not come, he would certainly send elite troops. Beneath every stone of this towering castle, perhaps, lay hidden secrets; and within those deep cellars and hidden chambers, perhaps even staggering treasures that Earl Soren hadn't been able to take with him.

Caesars didn't plan to search again. Given Earl Soren's cunning character, the things he hid would be difficult to find. Even if he demolished the castle and dug deep, he might not be able to find them.

There's an old saying on Roland Continent: "One person hides, a thousand people search." It means that if one person hides something, a thousand people may not be able to find it.

After breakfast, Caesars strolled to the castle's library. Sunlight streamed in through the tall stained-glass windows, casting dappled shadows on the oak floor. Six walnut bookshelves towered to the ceiling. Despite the age, they remained as sturdy as ever. The neatly arranged books exuded the faint scent of parchment and ink.

He casually browsed the gold-embossed titles on the spines of the books, and finally pulled out an ancient leather-bound book. In the corner of the library were several armchairs covered in crimson velvet. Caesars chose the one closest to the window and sat down, intending to spend the entire morning like this.

Caesars had a bad habit—he always liked to recline halfway, whether reading or meditating. Just as he adjusted his posture, preparing to lean back against the soft sofa, he suddenly caught a glimpse of something hidden in the gap between the armrest and the seat. Curious, he reached into the narrow gap and his fingertips touched an unusually smooth object.

When he pulled it out, he discovered it was a seashell gleaming with a faint blue luster. The surface of this shell, roughly the size of his palm, was as smooth as a mirror, evidently meticulously polished. The two shells fit together perfectly, gleaming like a gem in the sunlight. Caesars's fingers gently brushed the surface, feeling a strange, warm touch.

This wasn't the first time he'd seen such an object. He'd once seen a similar shell on the Duke's ebony desk while visiting him at Duke Solomon's mansion. It was placed solemnly in a crystal box, surrounded by several other valuable items.

Caesars casually tossed the heavy book onto the sofa beside him with a muffled "pop." He frowned, concentrating on fiddling with the mysterious blue shell in his hand. His slender fingers traced the shell's surface, trying to find the mechanism to open it, but the shell was so tightly sealed, like a perfectly formed sapphire, that there was no place to apply force.

"strangeness…"

Kaisas muttered to himself, a faint glimmer of magic emanating from his fingertips. However, when the magic touched the shell's surface, it bounced off completely like a drop of water sliding off a lotus leaf. This discovery made him raise an eyebrow in surprise—materials that could completely block magic were rare.

"Polly!"

Caesars dashed down the stairs in two steps, his boots clacking against the marble steps. In the garden, Polly was practicing her perfect thrusts with a rapier, her brown ponytail swishing gracefully through the air. Hearing the call, she swiftly sheathed her sword and turned, a few freshly fallen rose petals still clinging to her training uniform.

"My Lord Earl, what's wrong?"

Polly wiped the sweat from her forehead. Her eyes lit up when she laid eyes on the blue shell in Caesar's hand. "Oh my god! It's a deep-sea gem shell!" she exclaimed, sprinting forward and casually stabbing her training rapier into the nearby flowerbed.

Caesars shook the shell in his hand. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, refracting a dreamy blue halo. "Do you recognize this?"

"Of course!" Polly carefully took the shell, her fingers gently tracing the delicate lines on its surface. "This kind of shellfish grows deep in the polar ice, and it takes at least two hundred years to grow to this size. Look at the color, the texture..." She held the shell up to the sunlight, a faint rainbow-like sheen flowing through its interior. "Before they were processed, they looked like ordinary rocks, and were much larger than they are now."

"So what is this used for?" Caesars asked, his eyes fixed on the magical shell in Polly's hand.

"Nobles often use it to collect magical portraits." Polly flipped the shell over and suddenly pressed twice. The shell made a soft click, but quickly closed again. "But this one looks like it's been specially treated... Wait, this pattern..." Her finger stopped at a barely visible mark on the edge of the shell. "That's the Saint Laurent emblem!"

"Are the Gem Shells sold by the Highland Ogres?"

Polly shook her head, her golden hair gleaming in the sunlight. "Ogres can only do rough processing. This kind of fine processing requires a very professional craftsman, and finally an alchemist will perform magical processing, and finally it will be sent to the Fire Maple City auction..."

"This one needs to be pressed three times in a row, but usually just two will do!"

Polly carefully opened the jeweled shell once again. The inner surface shone with a sapphire-like sheen, revealing two magical portraits. On the left was a handsome young noble, dressed in a dark blue velvet gown embroidered with gold thread and a ruby ​​brooch pinned to his collar. His every gesture exuded elegance. On the right was a valiant female warrior, clad in gilded embossed armor intricately engraved with the Saint Laurent emblem. She wielded a cold, three-foot-long sword, its blade faintly etched with ancient inscriptions. The figures in the portraits seemed poised to leap forth at any moment.

Caesars tapped the noble's portrait with his knuckles and said, "Look at this gorgeous fleur-de-lis family crest. It's definitely Earl Soren in his youth. But this woman's equipment..." He narrowed his eyes and looked at the female warrior's shining golden armor. "The armor is quite impressive, but the sword is a little too long!"

Before he could finish his words, a head with shaggy brown hair suddenly popped out from the side. Polly stood on tiptoe, her nose almost touching the magical portrait. "My Lord, you may not know this, but this is Ethel, the current Saint of the Church of Saint Laurent. She holds the Holy Sword. According to canon law, a Saint must remain a chaste woman for life..." She lowered her voice. "The Saint's status in the hearts of believers is second only to that of the elderly Pope. It's said that during every sermon, believers would squeeze through the church doors just to touch the corner of her robe."

Polly winked slyly and continued in an inflammatory tone, "If we can 'invite' the Saint to your territory, it will be like pulling out the backbone of the Church of Saint Laurent!"

Just as Caesars was about to ask further questions, Polly raised her index finger to her lips and said, "Wait a minute, Count. Even better, the former Patriarch Depero is the Saint's mentor." She gestured excitedly, "If you invite him to your territory, those devout priests will surely flock to you like migratory birds!"

"Polly, the most interesting thing is... the former Patriarch you mentioned is hiding in Violet City right now!"

Caesars stroked the edge of the jewel shell, a playful smile on his face.

Polly's eyes lit up at that, like a fox spotting its prey. She deliberately dragged out her voice, "Just invite the Patriarch and the Saint to the Roland Empire, preferably within your jurisdiction... By then, those old charlatans in the Saint Roland Church will be so angry they'll tear up the Holy Scripture!"