"Wa-wait... my Lord, are you saying... this purple moss is..."

"Shadow Moss." Louis' tone was tinged with excitement, "It's an exceptionally rare magic plant. It can reinforce willpower, enhance the efficiency of Fighting Energy cohesion, and facilitate breakthroughs at bottlenecks... it's also an auxiliary resource coveted by many high-tier Fighting Energy practitioners."

"In fact, it can even be used to manufacture special fumigants, perception weapons, or mental interference devices."

Silence pervaded the surroundings.

Until Lambert rarely let out a "…Huh?"

Weir exclaimed in shock, "Did I just step on something valuable?"

"The ground is full of it," Louis shrugged, "If you want to take off your boots, now's the time."

The group burst into an uproar, even the battle-hardened Lambert couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "This place isn't just haunted, it's a freaking treasure trove, isn't it?"

"This stuff can help break through bottlenecks? Seriously?"

"I've been stuck at the initial elite stage for four years... If I had known, I would have brought a bag!"

"Can you smell that! The air is different! I feel my throat clearing, even the Fighting Energy clump from last month is warming up!"

"Calm down, buddy..."

The atmosphere shifted from shock to excitement, even fervor.

Everyone understood that such a level of magic plant would never make it to the hands of grassroots military personnel in other noble territories. It would only be refined for sale or reserved for the family's direct line.

But they were knights of the Red Tide Territory, the direct troops of Louis Calvin.

They knew that Louis was always a great Lord who would "eat the meat himself, let the knights drink the soup."

That's why these knights were so loyal to Louis, willing to lay down their lives for him.

And now, thinking that these mosses would eventually become their training fumigants, breakthrough aids, and perception-enhancing materials, they couldn't suppress their excitement.

Among the crowd, some knights even began frantically scanning the ground beneath their feet.

And just as their emotions were surging, nearly uncontrolled laughter and chatter...

Shadow Moss suddenly contracted, like a damp net being pulled tightly from within by some force.

The next second, several dark figures leaped out of the rock crevices...

Without any warning, no roars, just the slight tremor in the air and the disturbance of light were enough to instinctively alarm anyone.

"Enemy attack!!" Lambert was the first to raise his shield, the crimson Fighting Energy burst forth, causing the shield's light patterns to spread like fire.

And at that moment, everyone heard a sound, not through their ears, but a sudden mental noise resonating in their minds, like the whispers and thoughts of dozens of the deceased gnawing at their consciousness.

"Argh—!"

"My... head hurts...!"

Several knights closest to the source froze, their pupils contracted, weapons nearly slipping from their grasp, a momentary haze and confusion flashing across their faces.

Continuous spiritual disturbance had begun.

"Shhh——"

And just as they were on the verge of losing control, a blue mist sprayed out from the purifiers at their waists, enveloping their masks like icy fog!

This was the 'Calming Potion Mist' refined from Frost Leaf Vine, specifically designed as an emergency suppression solution for sources of contamination like Shadow Moss and mental spores.

With that familiar bitter-cool medicinal scent, the knights who had lost their focus instantly regained their clarity.

"Damn... I almost saw the hallucination of my father freezing to death just now..."

"Ha, are you a rookie?" A veteran knight next to him laughed, helping him up, "Compared to the Nest's mental pollution, this is nothing."

"Indeed, compared to the Nest, this is child's play."

Amidst their banter, the front-row knights quickly steadied themselves, resuming their Fighting Energy stances.

After all, these were elites who had survived the 'Battle of the Nest'!

Having fought insect corpses capable of polluting dreams and controlling the dead for days on end, they were long accustomed to such mental disturbances.

A few mere lizard beasts?

Don't be ridiculous.

"Red Fighting Energy Array, advance in a circle!" Lambert ordered once more.

Suddenly, the entire unit's Fighting Energy flared, forming a triangular assault formation in the narrow cavern.

Over twenty people spread like crimson flames beneath their feet, a wave of high-pressure Fighting Energy erupting with the knights at their core!

"Clang—!" Blades and swords were unsheathed, red light surging upwards.

Although these Soul-devouring Lizard Beasts had outstanding mental attacks and incredible stealth, in close combat...

"These deformed geckos can't even kick my horse's rump."

Before one of the lizard beasts could get close, it was slashed across the back scales by a knight's longsword, Fighting Energy burning through its body, erupting into a spray of scarlet blood mist.

It howled as it fell, but it wasn't dead, just writhing and convulsing on the ground.

"Stop." Louis raised his hand to halt them, "Don't kill, these creatures are useful."

"Control them, use the potion!"

"Understood!"

As he spoke, a knight immediately drew a special potion from his backpack, a concentrated extract of the Frost Leaf Vine, and shot it directly into the lizard beast's neck scales.

"Puff—"

The blue-green liquid seeped into the muscles and nerves.

In an instant, the lizard beast paused, then collapsed limply, its head lolling on the ground like a drunken man, its tail lazily swishing twice.

"...Uh, it looks just like a drunk." A knight clicked his tongue.

"That's the 'tipsy state'." Louis chuckled, "Nerve reactions dulled, mental perception blocked, completely losing its aggressiveness. We'll take it back and study its uses."

Thus, what could have been a brutal cave battle instead ended perfectly at the hands of these well-trained knights.

By controlling rather than killing.

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