A few hours later, the expedition team arrived at the first potential Colorful Cloud Grass habitat.
The towering pines were noticeably sparser here, replaced by vast, shimmering stretches of colored clouds that made the clearing look like a terrestrial fairyland. However, this was no fairy tale. The metallic sheen on the ground came entirely from the dense, overgrown leaves of the Colorful Cloud Grass.
When the crisp wind blew, the sea of colored clouds foliage surged like turbulent ocean waves—a truly magnificent sight.
The lead wizard carefully observed the perimeter. Compared to the survey from three years ago, the environment had undergone some dangerous, subtle changes. He frowned deeply.
"The Colorful Cloud Grass is thriving, but unfortunately, the territory has been claimed by a herd of Double-headed Demon Bulls," the lead wizard said. "And there are quite a few of them."
Dozens of the massive, twin-horned beasts roamed through the silver fields. These heavily mutated Double-headed Demon Bulls were notoriously foul-tempered, capable of exhaling different magical elements simultaneously from their mouths. Their scaled hides were highly resistant to magic , making them incredibly troublesome magical creatures—far more lethal than the Lantern Monster Apes they had encountered earlier.
The herd of Double-headed Demon Bulls within the Colorful Cloud Grass soon noticed the expedition team and began to stir restlessly. It didn't take long for the aggressive beasts to grow impatient with the intruders.
With a deafening, echoing bellow, the massive Double-headed Demon Bull leader issued a stark warning. Visible frost billowed from the mouths of both its heads, instantly plunging the surrounding temperature to freezing.
"Let's move out," the lead wizard ordered, quickly waving a hand. "This herd isn't worth provoking. Taking them by force will undoubtedly result in casualties. We'll check the next habitat."
The woodland terrain was rugged and notoriously difficult to traverse. They traveled from dawn straight through to noon.
The Land Strider Bird Damian was riding was already showing signs of fatigue, but the Two-legged Pack Beasts in the center of the formation were still full of energy. As biological modifications created by Wizards, these pack animals possessed exceptional stamina and required very little care, making them perfect for grueling, long-distance expeditions.
After riding a bit further, Damian spotted a strange, ancient pine tree looming not far from their path. Where the dense canopy met the trunk, peculiar white bark patterns spiraled outward.
Squinting closer, Damian realized those white markings formed the distinct shape of a wrinkled human face.
A Face Pine? Damian's expression shifted as he recognized the rare flora. He remembered seeing a description of one in his copy of the Illustrated Guide to Magical Creatures.
Face Pines didn't start their life cycles as magical plants; they mutated from ordinary, ancient evergreens. When a tree reached a specific, ancient threshold, it occasionally developed these white-patterned faces, gaining a crude sentience and ceasing to be mundane wood.
Most importantly, the facial bark was an incredibly rare potion ingredient. It was a highly sought-after substitute in advanced Beauty-Nurturing Potions used to halt facial aging and erase wrinkles.
The lead wizard noticed the Face Pine a moment later, a rare smile breaking his stern expression. "Stumbling across a Face Pine during daylight... it seems our luck is finally turning."
The predatory trees entered a deep dormancy during the day, drastically reducing their aggression. If they had stumbled into its branches after dusk, it would have been a deadly encounter.
Quartermaster Al dutifully pulled a small knife from his robes and handed it over.
The lead wizard took the blade, glancing back at the team. "Keep your eyes peeled and cover me."
He approached the ancient trunk and carefully plunged the small knife into the edge of the white-patterned face. Despite it being a tree, thick, bright red blood instantly oozed from the fresh cut.
The dormant face immediately snapped its wooden eyes open. Full of sudden, terrifying rage, it let out a piercing, ear-splitting shriek. Its heavy branches began to glow with a sickly light, thrashing violently as the tree prepared to cast magic.
The other wizards quickly cast magic to interfere with and entangle the glowing branches.
The lead wizard was a blur of motion. With three precise strokes, he carved the white-patterned face cleanly from the trunk. The moment the face was detached, the massive pine began to wither rapidly.
Within seconds, the once-lush evergreen was completely dead, leaving behind nothing but brittle wood fit only for charcoal. The severed face in the lead wizard's hand immediately stopped bleeding. Its furious expression froze in place, transforming into what looked like a wooden face carving.
The lead wizard looked back at Madam Jill's twin granddaughters, seemingly wanting to ask for their opinion.
The more cheerful younger sister, Lilith, immediately caught his meaning. "We found this as a team, so we split the profits evenly."
"This is a substantial cut of bark," she continued, eyeing the carving. "If we divide it into twenty-four portions, everyone will get enough raw material to brew a few batches of Beauty-Nurturing Potion."
"If anyone has no use for their share, I'll buy it off you right now," Lilith offered smoothly. "One hundred Kingdom Gold Coins per gram."
"Alternatively, if anyone wants to buy the advanced Beauty-Nurturing Potion recipe to brew it themselves, you can come to me. The market price is eight hundred Kingdom Gold Coins. Be warned, the recipe comes with trading restrictions—you'll have to sign a magically binding contract promising not to resell it."
The twin witches were physically identical, but their personalities were night and day. Vivian, the elder twin, was fiercely taciturn. Damian hadn't heard her utter a single word since their initial introductions back at the staging ground.
Lilith, on the other hand, was cheerful, highly communicative, and always looking for an angle to make a profit.
The lead wizard nodded in agreement. Using his silver knife, he meticulously divided the magical bark into twenty-four equal pieces and distributed them among the camp.
Damian received a little over twenty grams for his share. Since a single batch of the potion only required a few grams to brew, he had enough material for several attempts.
Damian had no intention of selling his cut; he wanted to try brewing the Beauty-Nurturing Potion himself. Since he didn't actually know the complex brewing process, he planned to buy it directly from Lilith.
"Miss Lilith," Damian called out, walking over. "I'd like to purchase a copy of that potion recipe."
"Not a problem at all," Lilith replied. With Kingdom Gold Coins practically flowing into her pockets, her smile grew noticeably wider.
...
Unfortunately, after encountering the Face Pine, the expedition's luck ran dry. The subsequent Colorful Cloud Grass habitats they scouted in the afternoon were entirely overrun by powerful, territorial magical beasts.
As dusk began to settle over the dense canopy, the expedition team abandoned the search and found a defensible clearing to set up camp.
The campfire artifact was again placed in the center of the perimeter, warding off the biting chill of the Winter Forest.
The endlessly hardworking Quartermaster Al located a freshwater stream near the camp's edge. Tonight's dinner menu featured a hearty fish soup and freshly baked Roasted Buns.
Al expertly minced the venison, mixing it with an array of various seasonings before wrapping the savory filling inside thin, rectangular pockets of dough.
Using magic, he constructed a sturdy, meter-high tandoor pit. He released magical flames at the bottom that could burn continuously. Al carefully stuck the buns to the walls of the pit, occasionally sprinkling them with salt water to prevent burning.
Damian happily bit into one of the finished buns. The thin, cracker-like crust was perfectly crisp with just the right amount of salt. As he chewed, the rich, savory meat juices exploded in his mouth, flooding his taste buds with the fragrant venison filling.
After devouring several of them in a row, he took a slow sip of the hot fish soup to cleanse his palate.
"Al's cooking is honestly exceptional," Link remarked, sitting cross-legged beside Damian.
"These buns are incredible," Damian agreed with a nod, happily reaching for another.
After dinner, Damian retreated to his bedroll to practice his standard, rune-based magical meditation exercises.
Even with his supply of potions to keep him alert keeping him alert, he knew he couldn't go without proper rest forever. Still, he was deeply hesitant to close his eyes, terrified that he would be violently yanked back into the misty Mist World.
But since he was scheduled for the second watch later that night, he had no choice but to get some rest.
Drawing a small vial from his robes, Damian downed a measured dose of sleep-aid Potion. Thanks to the potion's potent magical properties, he would only need two hours of undisturbed rest to fully replenish his physical and mental energy.
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