Black Hearted Mage

Chapter 136 Group of Snakes

Using magic to dig a mine wasn't as easy as Caesars had imagined. After casting Dark Impact over thirty times, he had to pause and wait for the billowing dust to dissipate. If he allowed the dust to spread without paying attention and continued casting spells, he would lose control of the spell's precise impact.

From the early afternoon until the crimson-red sunset slowly set in the west, the entire excavation process was a long and arduous one. During this time, an entire precious elemental crystal was consumed, along with over twenty high-grade magic crystals. Yet, even with all this effort, the tunnel finally opened was only a little over sixty meters long.

Fortunately, there was a natural passage ahead, the width and height of which were enough for one person to walk in easily.

Caesars walked out of the mine and went to the resting place. He looked at Rodman beside him and said, "Rodman, you can go in and mine now. I need to rest for a while!"

Although Caesars hadn't consumed much of his magic power during the excavation, his intense concentration on precisely controlling the placement of his spells had resulted in a significant loss of his spiritual power. Right now, he desperately needed a good rest.

Hearing this, Rodman shook his head repeatedly and responded with a worried look on his face, "I won't go into this dark cave alone. What if I run into another Sharp Viper? Let's wait until you've recovered and rested, then we can go in together!"

"All right!"

Caesars didn't venture deeper into the tunnel to explore. He needed to rest first. He had no idea what lay hidden deep within. He pulled a comfortable recliner from his interspatial ring and set out a delicate tea set. He leisurely brewed a pot of fragrant tea and placed some delicious pastries aside.

The black snake's belly was bulging, clearly having just enjoyed a hearty meal—the two-headed shar-pee viper had already been devoured. The snake seemed completely satisfied, not even wanting to stir, lazily lying on the ground, resting.

Kaisas took out the fire crystal brought out by the black demon snake. It was quite large, more than half a foot in size. It was crystal clear, pure and flawless, with almost no impurities to be found.

"Rodman, come and take a look at this fire crystal. It's a little different. There are no lines that can be split into standard sizes!" Caesar shouted to his companions while carefully looking at the fire crystal.

You should know that, under normal circumstances, standard magic crystals are of fixed size. This is because during the formation process, the internal structure of the magic crystal has already taken on a crystalline form. If you encounter a large piece of magic crystal, there is no need for tedious cutting. Simply tap it a few times and it will naturally split into standard-sized magic crystals.

Hearing Caesar's call, Rodman hurried forward and said anxiously, "Could this be the extremely rare crystal of the fire element? Quick, quick, let me take a good look!"

Rodman picked up the glowing fire crystal, as if holding a burning flame in his hand. Then he took out a few moonstones from his pocket. These moonstones emitted a bright and soft light, like silver stars twinkling in the night sky.

Rodman placed the fire crystal over the light, adjusting the angle so that the light hit its surface from the side. This side light is the standard light commonly used for gem identification and can better show the stone's texture and flaws.

"It looks like a whole piece of natural formation, and there isn't even a tiny straight line on the surface. Hmm... let me try knocking it a few more times!" Rodman muttered to himself.

He immediately reached for the dagger at his waist, but after a moment's thought, he changed his mind. After all, if he struck the hard metal dagger with a fire crystal, the surface of the crystal could easily crack. If this happened, the fire element contained within would leak out continuously. Even if he could immediately place it in the space ring, it would be difficult to prevent the fire elemental energy from escaping.

Rodman took out a piece of wood instead of a knife and began to gently strike the fire crystal with it. One, two, three times... Each blow was done with extreme caution, fearing that excessive force would damage the fire crystal. However, surprisingly, despite the multiple blows, the fire crystal remained as strong as ever, not breaking into standard pieces at all.

"Haha, just as expected, this is definitely a genuine fire element crystal. And based on my experience, the fire element energy gathered inside it is at least ten times that of ordinary fire crystals. Caesar, there must be rich reserves of fire crystal veins inside!" Rodman could not hide his inner excitement and excitement, his eyes flashing with joy.

At this moment, he seemed to have seen the fire crystals piled up like mountains, and he no longer had to go out and take risks again and again for gold coins and cultivation resources. Thinking of this, Rodman couldn't help but feel eager to try.

"Rodman, don't you find it strange? The Fire Elemental Crystal should be in the very center of the vein. How did the Black Demonic Snake get it?"

"Yeah, why didn't I think of that! Caesars, let me go in and take a look first."

Rodman also began to feel strange, but he was still worried about encountering a Shar-Skin Viper. He took out his animal hide leggings and put them on. Then he took out the repellent potion and carefully applied it to himself. Then, holding the moonstone in one hand and the dagger in the other, he walked towards the cave entrance.

"Rodman, you're not wearing leather gloves!" Caesar reminded.

"I was so anxious that I forgot about it the moment I turned around!"

Rodman smiled a little embarrassedly, quickly put on his composite leather gloves, and entered the cave that filled him with hope.

Kaisas put away the fire element crystal and took out the gray-white soul gem, which could accelerate the recovery of his soul power. He held the soul gem in one hand and the magic crystal in the other, meditating quietly in the night.

About ten minutes later, a panicked figure with a terrified face rushed out of the cave. It was Rodman, who wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead as he ran.

When he ran closer, he could clearly see Rodman's terrified face. He gasped for breath and stammered, "Caesars...inside...inside is full of Flame Vipers! They are densely packed together, all lying on the Fire Crystal Veins. The scene is simply too terrifying. Just one look at it gives me goosebumps all over my body!" After saying these words, Rodman seemed to recall the scene he had just seen, and shuddered involuntarily.

Although the Flame Viper is not large in size, it is a mid-level, low-level Fire-type Magical Beast. This type of Magical Beast is not commonly seen and is a relatively unique swarming creature. Normally, it does not require much food and prefers to sleep in places with abundant fire elements.

After hearing Rodman's description, Caesars frowned and asked, "Rodman, if that's the case, has the Fire Crystal Minerals been absorbed by these Flame Vipers? Could it be that the energy contained in the Fire Elemental Crystals is too powerful, so they've ignored it?"

Rodman took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. Then, shaking his head, he replied, "Oh, forget it! There aren't many fire crystals left! As for the fire elemental crystals, I haven't seen a single one. The entire mine is filled with flaming vipers, so many that it's almost terrifying!"

"Rodman, let's go in and take a look tomorrow. We have to wait until the Black Demon Snake's stomach is deflated. If there really are that many Flame Vipers, then only it can get the Fire Elemental Crystal!"

Facing a large number of Flame Vipers, Kaesus had no better solution. Casting spells on the Fire Crystal Vein was not a good idea. Once the spell hit the vein, it was very likely to cause a fire elemental explosion.

"All right!"

Rodman took out a piece of animal skin, spread it flat on the ground, and then lay down.

To the east of the dormant volcano, hundreds of miles away from the hot springs, a group of well-equipped mercenaries were traveling in the darkness. From their conversations, it was known that some of them had been to the hot springs before.

The next morning, after a night's rest, Kaisas felt refreshed. Perhaps due to the high temperature here, the black snake's belly was noticeably deflated.

After a simple wash, Caesars kicked the black snake lightly.

"Saint Paul, go to the cave and find some rocks like yesterday. Catch some more snakes. I'm going to store some food for you!"

The golden-eyed black devil snake loved to eat snakes, and smaller ones were also on its menu. It understood the word "food," raised its sleek black body, and rubbed its head against Caesars a few times.

"Don't try to please Master Caesar here, just get to work!"

The black snake hissed with joy, twisting its body and moving quickly towards the cave entrance. Rodman quickly stood up, stuffed the animal skin scroll into his space ring, grabbed the moonstone, and followed Caesars.

"Rodman, don't take the moonstone. I'm going to give you darkvision. The moonstone can only illuminate a few meters away, which will affect our ability to see far away!"

After entering the passage blasted by magic, the temperature could be felt rising slowly, the coolness of the early morning transforming into warmth. With the arrival of several buff spells, the black demon snake seemed to have gained a boost as well, leaping forward like a spring.

As a veteran mercenary, Rodman's cognition has been overturned by the Black Snake's strange way of moving forward.

"Kaisas, you've got a spring!"

"A spring is a spring. A snake that can keep watch at night is a good snake. You don't have to worry about sleeping at night. Rodman, after hearing what you said, I suddenly think that Spring is a good name. When that old guy the Pope dies, I'll give the Black Demon Snake a new name. Spring, what a good name, it's easy to say!"

Rodman rolled his eyes. He was like the snake he was. He could change the name so casually. It just felt a little unreliable.

As the two men and the snake continued to dig deeper, a large number of fire vipers appeared in front of them, densely packed together, almost covering the entire vein. The fire crystals could not be seen at all, only the crimson vipers.

Caesars and Rodman stopped, unable to move forward. The golden-eyed black snake continued to leap, hissing sharply and with a strong warning.

The flaming vipers in front of the black demon snake parted like a tide, revealing a path leading directly to the fire crystal vein. That rich ore vein was now revealed to Caesars. The surface fire crystals were almost gone, and the fire elemental crystals in the center were also scarce.

Without the protection of the outer layer of fire crystals, the core elemental crystals are also slowly releasing fire elements. They are gradually getting smaller, and many fire element crystals have been consumed.

"Rodman, we're too late. The fire crystal veins are almost gone!"

The black magic snake crawled on a piece of fire element crystal. The crystal was a bit big, estimated to be about one meter, and it was impossible for it to get out.

"This place must have been a rich mine in the past. The diameter of that fire element crystal should be over one meter. According to the minimum ratio of magic crystal ore, the fire crystal ore layer should be over ten meters!"

Rodman was both excited and disappointed. The rich ore had been completely absorbed by the Flame Viper, leaving only a few fire element crystals.

"Rodman, stop sighing. I'll go pick up some fire element crystals. If the snakes show signs of unrest, you should escape first!" Caesars said as he observed the snakes.

"Kassas, you'd better be careful, there are too many Flame Vipers!" Rodman quickly warned.

Caesar nodded and slowly walked forward. Although he was immune to snake venom, the thought of being bitten by so many snakes made his scalp tingle. Watching Caesar's back, Rodman suddenly felt a chill on his back and he quietly retreated a dozen steps.

The flame vipers closest to Caesars sensed the intruders and immediately raised their heads, hissing in warning. The black demon snake leaped up like a spring, hissing at its most powerful, and the mine instantly fell silent. The black demon snake landed beside the vipers, its deadly jaws wide open, biting one and lashing it fiercely against the solid rock.

The crackling sound of whipping was unusually clear in the silent mine, and several Flame Vipers fled outside in panic. Caesars glanced behind him, but Rodman had already disappeared.

"Saint Paul, stop now! This snake is about to break. Take me to the red stone!"

Caesars activated a protective spell, allowing surging magical energy to surge through his body, thus intimidating the Flame Viper. He then produced the Death Staff, channeling magic power into the magic patterns on the staff's top. The four small metal snakes that served as ornaments began to glow strangely.

The snake group became agitated, and the Flame Vipers fled frantically out of the mine like a crimson tide.