Before Oren fell into a deep sleep, almost every month, Night Raven City would send people to Mist Forest to collect materials like Ghost Pattern Flowers.
"Mist Forest..."
When Sauron mentioned Mist Forest, Lady Rafe's face showed a hint of hesitation.
Around them, others also had a glint of fear in their eyes.
"What's going on?" Sauron wondered.
"Most recently, undead creatures have appeared in Mist Forest!"
Lady Rafe took a deep breath and said, "Even before the people of White Valley occupied Night Raven City, Frost scholar had sent people to Mist Forest."
"As a result, everyone went but never returned!"
"And a hunter who luckily escaped claimed to have encountered undead creatures in Mist Forest, and all his companions died in Mist Forest."
"Undead creatures?"
A flash of light appeared in Sauron's eyes.
If it were before, he might have snorted disdainfully upon hearing that undead creatures appeared in Mist Forest. However, now, from the Necromancer Codex, Sauron knew that undead creatures were indeed real.
When ordinary beings die, their souls leave the body.
The souls of ordinary people usually become Void Spirits, unable to exist in the world for long and will scatter like ashes in the sunlight.
But if a Void Spirit absorbs death energy, it can become an undead creature.
Although undead creatures are considered weak compared to Void Spirits in the eyes of wizards, they can still survive for a long time in places like graveyards.
They even possess some special abilities.
However, even so, undead creatures are still very weak. If what appeared in Mist Forest really killed all the people sent by Frost, Sauron was sure it wasn't undead creatures.
At least, it could be ghosts or wraiths!
"Are Ghost Pattern Flowers the only missing material for preparing Night Raven elixirs?" After a moment, Sauron asked.
"For now, yes," Lady Rafe nodded.
"Good, I understand."
Sauron nodded, his thoughts flashing. Perhaps he should go to Mist Forest soon to investigate.
Those sent by Frost to Mist Forest were only ordinary people.
They might be killed by spiritual entities, but Sauron was different. As an intermediate-level Knight, the aura emanating from him alone would be enough to make undead creatures strategically withdraw.
"Is there anything else?" Sauron raised his head and asked.
People shook their heads, except for Lady Nilan, who hesitated.
Seeing that she wasn't speaking, Sauron didn't pay attention and signaled everyone to leave. He was about to leave as well.
"Sauron Young Master."
Just as Sauron was about to leave the hall, Lady Nilan caught up and said softly, "Could I take a little of your time?"
Sauron contemplated for a moment and slightly nodded.
Like Lady Rafe, Lady Nilan was also one of Oren's three wives. She was around twenty-five years old, in the prime of her life, and was as beautiful as a rose, once favored by Oren.
"What is it? Lady Nilan," Sauron asked.
Although she was Oren's woman, in this world, there were different rules. For nobles, except for the main wife, all other women were just playthings.
In some open places, nobles might even exchange female companions with each other. So, Lady Rafe and the others were not considered important to Oren.
Even in Oren's eyes, they were not as valuable as loyal subordinates like Kylo Knight.
They were very respectful in front of Sauron. They knew who the master of this castle was, and if Oren never returned, Sauron had the right to deal with them according to Taal duchy's laws.
Whether it was driving them out of Night Raven City or accepting them by his side...
"Yes, Sauron Young Master."
A flattering smile appeared on Nilan's face, and she whispered, "I heard that since you returned this time, you haven't had a personal maid by your side. So, I'd like to introduce someone to you."
"She's my niece, just turned fourteen this year."
"If it's possible, I'd like to introduce her to work at Raven Fortress."
Hearing Nilan's words, Sauron understood.
"Sure, no problem."
Sauron nodded. For commoners, working in a castle and serving a noble was definitely a sought-after job.
"Thank you, Sauron Young Master." Nilan nodded repeatedly.
After that, Sauron no longer paid attention to her, turned around, and returned to his room.
"It looks like I need to go to Mist Forest as soon as possible!"
A contemplative expression appeared on Sauron's face as he thought. Data appeared in front of him.
[Night Raven Breathing Technique LV7 (25/100)]
Although he had returned to Night Raven City, the progress of cultivating the Breathing Technique was not too fast due to the lack of Night Raven elixirs.
Therefore, Sauron needed to go to Mist Forest to quickly get some Ghost Pattern Grass.
With enough Night Raven elixirs, he could accelerate the progress of the Breathing Technique and cultivate life seed to advance to the high-level Knight realm.
After that, Sauron shook his head and checked the progress of the Darkness Ritual.
After days of meditation, the Darkness Ritual had not yet broken through to Level 1, but it wasn't too far from condensing a rune.
In the blink of an eye, another day passed.
The morning sun rose from the east, emitting bright rays of light. In front of Night Raven City, Sauron had already gathered a team of soldiers, ready to set out.
"Sauron Young Master, are we sure about going to Mist Forest?"
Beside him, Kylo Knight looked hesitant. He seemed a bit wary of Mist Forest, which was rumored to have wandering spirits.
"Don't worry, Kylo Uncle."
Sauron shook his head and said, "Conrad Knight will also accompany us this time. Even if there are truly undead creatures, it won't be a big deal."
Hearing that Conrad would be accompanying them, Kylo Knight felt a bit more relieved.
After a while, a robust silhouette walked out of the city gate. It was Steelheart Knight Conrad. His attendants quickly brought a black horse for him.
Although Sauron wasn't too nervous about the undead creatures rumored in Mist Forest, having Conrad accompany them added an extra layer of security. If undead creatures did appear, Conrad, as a high-level Knight, was more than capable of dealing with them.
"Let's go, set off!"
Seeing Conrad had arrived, Sauron waved his hand, announcing the departure of the team. The grand procession moved toward Mist Forest.
Before long, they arrived at the outskirts of a forest.
This was Mist Forest, also belonging to the Swain family's territory. When Oren was around, Mist Forest had been treated as a resource point. Whenever there was a shortage of materials like Dry Hand Vine or Ghost Pattern Flowers, people were sent to Mist Forest for collection.