The Night Shadow Grass is entirely black-purple in color and generally appears quite small, much like a wildflower by the roadside, easily overlooked if not inspected closely.
Duke placed this Night Shadow Grass into the Space Ring, finally completing one of the five potion materials listed on the parchment.
As he walked, he also paid attention to the surrounding terrain, drawing a simple map in his mind of the places he passed.
Over an hour later, Duke found the Blood Moon Grass, whose root part is the potion material Blood Moon Root.
Duke dug out the entire plant and separated the root part by cutting it away.
The root must be submitted as a task item, but he can keep the other parts, which are considered potion materials.
Duke had already dug up several herbs along the way, all stored in the Space Ring.
He regretted not learning more about potion-making; he knew too few herbs.
Additionally, the Space Ring wasn’t large enough—only capable of holding as much as a larger box.
Still, he was satisfied with his harvest. On the first day, he’d completed two items; once he found the Starlight Vine, he could choose to rest easy.
At least the basic task requirement was fulfilled; other potion materials would depend on luck and weren’t obligatory.
Duke remembered that the Starlight Vine typically grows near the edges of cliffs or at the foot of mountains.
He glanced around and headed toward a nearby mountain, hoping for some luck.
By midday, the sun hung high, and the weather grew increasingly hot.
Duke munched on some dried food as he walked, casually forming a small water bubble and swallowing it whole to quench his thirst.
"Having casting abilities is truly convenient," Duke thought to himself.
At least he didn’t need to worry about water sources anymore; he could create pure water himself, ensuring absolute safety without fear of poison or contamination, giving peace of mind.
As Duke was walking, he suddenly stopped and quickly hid behind a tree, asking, "Who’s there?"
He learned from the shadow insects’ information that someone was hiding behind a tree ahead, seemingly waiting for him to approach.
A moment later, someone emerged from behind the tree. Meeting Duke’s gaze, they both realized they knew each other.
It was Went, part of Simon’s small group, from a wizard family.
Went smiled awkwardly and said, "Oh, it’s you. I thought it was an enemy, I was about to strike."
Duke remained vigilant, saying, "I thought so too."
The two of them fell silent for an instant, seemingly unsure what to say.
Suddenly, Went suggested, "I’ve already caught up with Simon and the others, they’re on the other side. Let me take you there; it’s safer together."
Duke frowned and took a step back, saying, "Tell Simon I’ll find you all later. I just discovered a possible potion material site; I need to investigate further."
After saying this, he cautiously retreated, distancing himself from Went.
Went simply watched him with a smile, making no moves.
After Duke had completely left, Went’s face turned cold with thought, "I didn’t expect this one to be so cautious."
Duke didn’t choose to go with Went for a simple reason: his intuition told him something was off about Went.
On the island, they couldn’t use the Wizard’s Mark, so he couldn’t communicate with Simon to confirm his location.
But Duke was sure that Simon wasn’t with Went.
Simon would never let Went act alone if they had met; he would ensure they moved together.
Went’s earlier actions clearly indicated Simon wasn’t nearby.
After leaving, Duke summoned more shadow insects with his magic power, expanding the alert range.
The Starlight Vine wasn’t easy to find. Duke searched the vicinity of the mountains all afternoon and still didn’t find any trace of it.
Until dusk, Duke planned to return to the lake when he unexpectedly ran into Simon and his group.
Simon had four people with him, surprising Duke because, aside from his old companions Abel and Anli, Went was also present.
"Could it be that my earlier feeling was wrong?" Duke wondered.
Seeing Duke, Simon was delighted and said, "Duke! It’s so good to see you’re alright! We haven’t found the others yet; it’s just the few of us who have met."
He said this with some worry because they’d seen quite a few wizard apprentice corpses along the way.
These corpses were either killed by magical creatures or by other people.
Duke said, "I’m glad you’re all fine. By the way, when did you meet?"
He asked casually, noticing Went’s expression noticeably changed.
Simon didn’t notice this and answered naturally, "I caught up with Abel and Anli last night; we just met Went."
"Oh, just met..." Duke said, glancing at Went, whose expression had grown cooler.
Duke said nothing, feeling more guarded towards Went.
They met hours ago, and Went claimed Simon was nearby, yet Simon now said they just met. Clearly, something was wrong with Went.
"It’s getting dark; we need to find a place to spend the night." Simon said, walking forward, chatting with Duke.
After chatting a bit, Duke learned that Simon and the others had managed to regroup last night thanks to a unique demonized item.
The item was called the Activated Triangle Plate, a modular demonized item divided into three parts.
Simon, Abel, and Anli each held a piece, allowing them to sense each other’s location and distance as long as they weren’t extremely far apart.
Luckily, they were deployed close to each other, so it didn’t take them long to meet up last night.
With the three of them together, neither magical creatures nor wizard apprentices dared attack them.
The Activated Triangle Plate was typically only held by those trusting each other, as being able to sense each other’s location at all times wasn’t ideal otherwise.
Considering whether to mention Went, Duke was asked by Simon, "Duke, what materials are you still missing?"
"I only need the Starlight Vine to complete the three items," Duke replied.
"Starlight Vine? Anli picked one today; you can submit it for the task. We don’t have that task requirement," Simon said.
Anli nodded in agreement, "That’s right, here’s for you, Duke. Now your task is complete."
She said and took a long green vine from her Space Ring, dotted with sparkling points like diamonds.
That’s how the Starlight Vine got its name.