Although just kids, they were quite cunning and didn't reveal their secret, simply asking Eddie and Yehken to stay put.
They didn't want to compete with the older students. Being small and less powerful, and with demonic insects lurking around, they were more at risk on the ground.
So, these clever little ones decided to enlist Eddie and his fellow newcomers.
They noticed that Eddie, Yehken, and Hessian didn't know how to identify herbs and were essentially along for the ride.
Led by a ten-year-old girl, they approached Eddie to propose a partnership.
If it were just about hunting demonic creatures or collecting demonic crystals, Eddie wouldn't have bothered with them.
But when it came to gathering herbs, especially when he didn't even know what Black-Ear Withered Heart Orchids looked like, what other choice did he have?
"Found it, well done!" exclaimed a female student, who first used her Snow Wolf beast to scatter the demonic insects before excitedly harvesting a plant from a crevice.
Her success was thanks to a little jumping mouse that had no combat ability but had managed to find three Black-Ear Withered Heart Orchids with its nimble hops.
Initially, Eddie thought the orchids would be easy to spot, growing over a meter tall and mixed with Rat-Spot Flyaway Grass, creating a bewildering blend.
But he soon realized this wasn't the case.
The Black-Ear Withered Heart Orchids were tiny, barely two inches tall, and hidden deep in rock crevices.
Even finding one among a pile of rocks was challenging.
"You can't just pick any plant; these aren't Black-Ear Withered Heart Orchids or Rat-Spot Flyaway Grass, not even Silver Shattered Leaf Stink Flowers. They're not even medicinal plants!"
Hessian, imitating others, gathered every plant he saw in the Demon Realm.
Thinking to cover all bases, he hoped to find some orchids among them and leave the sorting headache to the medical unit.
However, a long-haired girl saw his collection and couldn't help but chuckle, as if watching a gorilla struggling to peel a banana.
"Not even one?" Hessian was a bit indignant.
"If they were everywhere, why would they send us to collect them? And if you don't use the correct method, even if you find them, they're useless. Take your time to learn. I'll gather more, so the poisoned soldiers won't suffer because of your failure to collect the herbs!" the long-haired girl said with a laugh, leaving Hessian feeling quite embarrassed as he quickly discarded his weeds.
Eddie didn't distract himself with herb gathering.
He knew he had much to learn in that area.
For now, preventing any accidents was his priority.
He saw the cooperation with the children, led by little Princess Beibei, as a successful herb-gathering strategy.
The eagle-eyed man didn't specify that they had to gather the herbs personally, and team collaboration was within the rules.
Otherwise, why would he ask for teams of five? Eddie guessed it was also meant to train teamwork.
"Newcomers, you have much to learn!" a smug boy said to Yehken as he picked a plant from under his feet and walked away proudly.
He used a Long-Legged Spider beast to accurately detect the plants. He wasn't much better than Eddie and Yehken, having found only two orchids so far.
A girl dressed as a rogue was even more dramatic.
While everyone else was still searching under rocks, she had already opened her scroll and, enveloped in white light, teleported back.
Clearly, she had gathered enough Black-Ear Withered Heart Orchids.
"If you really can't recognize the herbs, you can let your beasts help. Their sense of smell and vision are usually more acute than humans!" The long-haired girl, noticing Eddie scanning the surroundings with his keen eyes and staying on guard for demonic ambushes, found it a bit odd.
However, she was happy to have free bodyguards so she could focus on gathering herbs.
She couldn't help but offer some advice to Yehken, who seemed more honest: "Black-Ear Withered Heart Orchids usually don't hide too deep. They need to absorb the energy of the demonic moon, so don't bother searching in deep, waterlogged areas. Second, be aware of demonic insects. They generally avoid the highly toxic Black-Ear Withered Heart Orchids but are indifferent to Rat-Spot Flyaway Grass. Third is..."
Following the girl's advice, Yehken finally managed to find one orchid.
It was growing in a shallow crevice, not submerged, and no insects were visible.
It seemed to match all the criteria for a Black-Ear Withered Heart Orchid.
Just as Yehken was silently rejoicing, little Princess Beibei swooped down on her Bronze Level II Swallow-Eared Falcon, exclaiming, "Idiot, throw it away!"
The long-haired girl also realized the mistake and shouted in alarm, "Oh no, that's Bait Juice Lure Grass! Its juice attracts a large number of demonic insects. Throw it away!"
Yehken noticed a faint fishy smell in the air, different from the odorless liquid of the Black-Ear Withered Heart Orchids.
Looking around, he realized he was suddenly surrounded by a swarm of menacing demonic insects. Frightened, he quickly discarded the plant.
When he realized he hadn't thrown it far enough and the insects were still swarming towards him, he picked it up again and ran, leading the insect tide away. A
fter discarding the plant at a safe distance and trying to escape the swarm, he found himself trapped.
With the help of Hessian and the Li brothers, and support from Eddie's Grey Wolf, they finally broke free from the insects and returned to Eddie, exhausted and battered.
Yehken was mostly just scared, but Hessian collapsed on the ground, too tired to move even as insects crawled over him.
Eddie had only sent Grey Wolf to assist and didn't intervene personally.
These low-level insects were something Yehken and the others could handle, and it was a good opportunity for them to train.
Little Princess Beibei looked dizzy and lectured them like a grown-up, "If you don't know how to gather herbs, don't pick randomly. This is the Demon Realm. My mother says—ah, I mean, my mom says—in the Demon Realm, you can't take anything lightly."
Hearing a six- or seven-year-old kid lecturing them, Yehken and the others exchanged glances, not sure whether to laugh or cry.
The leader of the five kids, a little girl, flew down and advised, "Don't move, everyone. We found hundreds of Black-Ear Balls clustered together. They should bloom in about an hour. Once we collect them, we'll have the freshest and most effective Black-Ear Withered Heart Orchids. Just be patient and conserve your energy. When the time comes, focus on protecting us while we gather. Beibei, summon your beast to heal them first. Let's keep looking around to see if there are more Black-Ear Balls."
"Where are these Black-Ear Balls?" asked the long-haired girl in surprise.
"Princess Beibei, I can't believe someone among you can recognize Black-Ear Balls. I've been studying medicine for three years, and I still can't confidently distinguish between Black-Ear Balls and Rat-Spot Lumps—they look so similar! Are you sure you can recognize them?"
"We all can!" declared little Princess Beibei proudly. Eddie secretly marveled, realizing these kids must be from royal families, either princesses or princes.
As princesses and princes, they chose not to attend the royal Upward Academy but instead joined the Death Class at Ivy Academy. No wonder the royal families of Dragonrise Continent have maintained their power for thousands of years.
Just from their educational approach, it's clear how strict they are in training their successors.
Raised in such harsh environments, these princes and princesses are destined to become the most outstanding rulers.
It's not without reason that the three great royal families rank above the four major clans.
Princess Beibei and a little boy, probably a prince, summoned their unique beasts to heal Yehken and Hessian.
Eddie noticed that both kids didn't have Grimoires, but they were proficient in summoning...
"The Blood Moon of the Demon Realm is directly overhead; stronger demonic insects will come out to hunt. Anyone who has gathered enough herbs should leave immediately," the Black Armored Eagle-Eyed Man announced, riding his Ironclad Beast.
He warned the students sternly, "Our mission requires only ten herbs. Greed often leads to failure, and you may even perish in the Demon Realm. I do not encourage overreaching. Those who have met the mission requirements should leave now!"
Hearing his warning, nearly all the students opened their scrolls and teleported away.
Only a few hesitated, having not gathered enough herbs yet.
Realizing their predicament as the demonic insects increased and their companions left, they eventually decided to return.
Two overconfident boys continued their search until the Eagle-Eyed Man's scolding scared them away, leaving only Eddie and his group behind.
The long-haired girl looked at Eddie and Yehken and then at Princess Beibei, who was still circling in the sky.
She said resolutely, "I can stay and help you gather the Black-Ear Balls, but I'm not a combat major, so you must ensure my safety. If you promise never to abandon a companion under any circumstances, I'll stay."
"Yehken, you're in charge of protecting her," Eddie called to Princess Beibei, "Come down, something's off in the air!"
"It might be Black-Winged Insects, descend quickly!" The leading girl, Princess Qiming, said, her face changing as she led the descent.
The Black Armored Eagle-Eyed Man rode furiously towards them, shouting, "What are you doing? Why haven't you left?"
"We haven't completed our task," Hessian stammered, almost in tears.
"In five minutes, this valley will be swarming with Black-Winged Insects and blood-sucking mosquitoes. You can't possibly wait for the Black-Ear Balls to bloom. Failing the task is just one setback, but dying here means eternal failure. Life is full of defeats, but you need to be alive to succeed. Everyone, go back now—eh?"
The Eagle-Eyed Man's expression turned cold as he growled, "Summon your Grimoires, everyone get under the shields. Don't use the teleport scrolls yet; the air fluctuations are very strange! Stay here, I'll check what's causing such unrest among the demonic insects." He rode his Ironclad Beast towards the other side of the valley.
Eddie watched his back, sensing something ominous.
Although his keen eyes couldn't detect anything abnormal, something terrible was bound to happen.
Were the demonic soldiers aware of the herb-gathering team?
Or was a terrifying demonic insect approaching?
As the sky darkened, black-winged insects and mosquitoes swarmed like clouds.
Princess Qiming quickly summoned her Grimoire, and the five children coordinated seamlessly, hiding inside the shield with their beasts.
Princess Qiming then summoned a common Level Four Flame Axe Puppet and gestured for the long-haired girl to join them. She hurriedly squeezed in, cradling Princess Beibei in her arms.
As the princesses and princes watched Hessian fumble awkwardly, taking forever to summon his Grimoire, they grew increasingly impatient, stamping their feet in frustration.
Yehken and the Li brothers were already used to Hessian's clumsiness.
His slow summoning was the reason his Grimoire contract was even worse than an average warrior's.
Often, before he could summon his Grimoire, he would be beaten up by others. "Look how awesome I am!" Hessian finally managed to summon his Grimoire and boasted proudly.
"You guys, don't worry about me. Stay put; something strange is approaching!" Eddie stood amid the swarming black-winged insects and blood-sucking mosquitoes, his vital energy surging, causing the Ashen Demon Blade's purple flames to rise high, burning all approaching insects to ashes.
More insects swarmed like dark clouds, but Yehken and the others could only see two towering flames in front of them: one from Eddie's Ashen Demon Blade and the other from Grey Wolf's demonic black flames.
Eddie performed the Yin-Yang Dual Fish 'Circular Slash' he had mastered during the New Year tournament at the Yue family.
The Ashen Demon Blade slowly rotated, scorching all nearby demonic insects. A one-meter radius around him became a vacuum zone for the insects. No insect dared approach!
Grey Wolf's black flames grew increasingly intense, eventually exploding with a roar, engulfing the surroundings.
Its terrifying demonic aura and hellish black flames not only scorched nearby insects but also exerted a pressure similar to that of a Demon King, causing the weaker insects to scatter in fear.
Hessian's Ironskin Rhino was so terrified that it collapsed.
Not just the beasts, but Hessian, Yehken, and the Li brothers also felt their hearts skip a beat, almost seeing a Demon King when they looked at Grey Wolf.
Eddie was also surprised; Grey Wolf was starting to unleash the power of the evil demonic energy it had absorbed from Demon King Hasin.
Although it had only absorbed Hasin's evil energy, it was still a significant force.
Could this hostile environment stimulate Grey Wolf's potential, allowing it to evolve or undergo a transformation? Eddie's heart leaped with joy at this unexpected surprise.
As Grey Wolf's black flames burned fiercely and its body reshaped and evolved amidst the flames, the ground trembled violently, shaking the entire valley as if something was about to burst from underground.
"What on earth is that thing?" Eddie wondered, alarmed by the intense vibrations.
The emerging demonic creature's tremors were far too great. Was it an otherworldly Godzilla?
As Grey Wolf's flames accelerated and its body continued to perfect itself, possibly stimulated by the presence of the giant demonic creature, its evolution process seemed to speed up even more.