The intelligence related to the mission given by the Black Sail only contained some information about the Desert Lizardmen.

As for what kinds of demons are in this place, and their strengths, it remains unknown.

The Wizard Apprentices need to survive in this unfamiliar place, facing some unknown enemies.

Although they had learned a lot of knowledge on Academy Island, they would inevitably encounter enemies they know nothing about in the future, and couldn't possibly have clear information about their foes in every battle.

Fighting enemies with unknown information tests one's ability to adapt on the spot even more.

Duke walked over and carefully studied the sandworm's corpse on the ground, gaining some understanding of this creature's body strength and weight.

He speculated that this creature's combat power should be roughly equivalent to a Great Knight, but because it can move swiftly and freely underground, it remains quite a significant threat.

If Duke didn't have a high perception ability for the Earth Element, it is highly likely that Anli would have been successfully attacked by this sandworm.

Everyone realized that the seemingly peaceful desert before them actually hid many unknown dangers.

Simon took out a piece of parchment and a quill, drawing a map of the places they had passed since the beginning.

The role of the map in the desert is not significant, as the positions of the dunes can shift.

It's very possible that a recently recorded location could look entirely different in the blink of an eye.

Simon's map didn't record the terrain, but marked the directions and distances.

Using the direction of the sun as a reference, he drew a simple map.

The group didn't linger long and continued to move forward.

Being in the vast desert, with the sun constantly scorching above them, they couldn't find even a place to shade.

Duke and the others were already sweating profusely, their body fluids depleting rapidly, their sweat evaporating soon after it emerged. In some parts of their bodies, white crystalline formations could even be seen.

They understood that this was the first hurdle of the assessment, surviving in such a harsh environment initially.

Many Wizard Apprentices might not even pass this stage, missing the chance to see the Desert Lizardmen, and would be forever buried in this endless wasteland.

Duke and the others walked for four hours straight, during which they encountered several sandworm attacks, all of which were detected in advance by Duke's perception ability, thus avoiding injuries or casualties.

Their view consisted of almost the same scenery all the time, as if they were treading in place.

Finally, Duke saw a small clump of vegetation growing under a sand dune ahead, the hint of green was particularly striking in this place.

"This is Meat Stone Grass, a common plant in the desert, extremely drought-resistant and a relatively rare magic potion material."

Upon approaching it, Anli immediately recognized the plant.

On the surface, the Meat Stone Grass appeared to be some thick-leaved weed, but its roots were greyish-white and remarkably hard.

These roots are a rare magic potion material, supposedly worth one Level 1 Magic Stone per gram.

A single Meat Stone Grass has roots weighing at least over a hundred grams, worth over a hundred magic stones.

"Let's collect it first and split it at the selling price after we get out," Simon suggested.

Duke naturally had no objections, as it wasn't something of great value.

Simon had been a longtime friend with the trio, and there was no disagreement about the distribution, they had always handled it this way before.

Duke couldn't help but think, if temporary groups encountered such a situation, they might end up fighting over this single Meat Stone Grass.

"We might be getting closer to the water source." Duke carefully sensed, and the water elements in the sand beneath were becoming more concentrated.

Though this concentration was only relative, it was still very thin compared to the starting point.

Duke could sense the water element density beneath the earth, allowing him to infer the general direction of the water source.

The presence of this Meat Stone Grass also confirmed this point, and the group continued to move forward, picking up speed.

Now they only wanted to find a place that could provide some shade from the sun, as the heat was becoming unbearable.

An hour later, an oasis came into view, with lush vegetation and tall trees growing there.

Duke and the others didn't rush forward but hid behind a sand dune on the spot.

The oasis in the desert would inevitably attract various forms of life, among which there were likely some dangerous demons.

They needed to investigate the situation inside first.

Abel said, "I'll go, I have Eagle Eye."

Eagle Eye is a reconnaissance type of secondary magic, capable of conjuring a magically formed eagle, invisible to everyone except the caster unless verified by special means.

Magic energies fluctuated around Abel's body, and then his eyes gleamed with a faint blue light as he remained still, his vision reaching above the oasis.

The oasis wasn't large, and Abel soon figured out the situation inside.

He spoke, "The oasis center is a lake, with some demons active in the woods along the lake's edge, appearing quite formidable. Besides that, I also spotted two Desert Lizardmen."

The Desert Lizardmen image had already been depicted on the parchment, these humanoid creatures standing two meters tall, with slender forms, looked peculiarly like spindles.

The intelligence brought by Abel immediately made the group vigilant, as it was known from the parchment that an adult Desert Lizardman's power equals a First-class Wizard Apprentice, also possessing casting abilities.

"Continue observing, see what they're up to," Duke whispered.

Abel nodded, and continued with Eagle Eye to observe the situation below.

The two Desert Lizardmen appeared to be resting, lying in the woods by the lake, with no demons daring to approach them.

They wore simple leather armor and wielded scimitars, looking quite shabby.

Now near sunset, as if rested, they rose and left the lakeside, seemingly preparing to leave the oasis.

"What's the range of your Eagle Eye?" Duke asked.

"A maximum of one kilometer," Abel replied.

Duke pondered for a moment, then took out a Basic Magic Recovery Potion for Abel, saying, "Keep observing, we'll follow at the maximum distance. If I'm not mistaken, they might be heading back to their tribe."

Desert Lizardmen live in tribal communities, meaning seeing those two represents a near certainty of a Desert Lizardmen tribe nearby.

It's very likely that the two are returning to their tribe, giving Duke and his group a chance to complete one of the assessment missions.

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