Humans in the Devourer Plane are not much different in appearance from humans in other planes, so the Duke does not have to worry about the locals noticing anything unusual about him based on looks alone.

The style of clothing in this plane is also diverse, and even in his current attire, there isn't any issue. His robe is not issued by the Black Sail, and it doesn't bear their emblem.

As for language, the Duke had already become proficient over this period, so there's no problem with communication.

The Duke only needs to keep a low profile, and even if he resides in the indigenous cities for a period, it would be difficult to expose his problems.

The only easy way he could be exposed is that the Awakened natives here can absorb the energy of other life forms to enhance their strength after killing them.

However, the Duke does not have this innate ability, which is his only easily exposed point.

As for the magic abilities like the Sand Guardian, they can be used freely, and these abilities do not differ much from the abilities of the Awakened in the Devourer Plane.

Here, after the Awakened awaken their devouring ability, they naturally possess all sorts of peculiar abilities that can also continually grow.

The dense, twisted Decomposition Forest seemed endless, with the Duke's figure rapidly and cautiously shuttling through it.

Based on the general location previously provided by Brandon and his own judgment of the terrain, he headed straight north.

After a few days, the forest's density began to lessen, with the twisted giant trees gradually replaced by taller and relatively normal ancient trees. The ground shifted from deep black humus to hard soil interspersed with gray-white rocks, and the light brightened somewhat.

The Duke knew he was nearing the northern edge of the forest.

To the surrounding natives, the Decomposition Forest is extremely dangerous. Only powerful Awakened dare venture deep into the forest, while most natives only dare to operate on the forest's outskirts.

Just as he prepared to find a concealed spot to rest and plan the next route, a faint, deliberately lowered conversation drifted downwind, accompanied by the subtle sound of dry branches being stepped on.

The Duke instantly froze, blending into the tree trunk's shadow, his breathing slowed to nearly a halt, as spiritual power quietly spread out like an invisible spider web.

Three figures appeared at the edge of his spiritual power perception, dressed in rough hunter outfits made from some kind of tough beast hide, covered with dark brown cloaks, their faces smeared with gray-green mud and plant sap for disguise.

Each one carried a longbow on their back, and bone or stone daggers hung from their waists, their movements agile, their eyes sharp, clearly seasoned forest hunters.

However, these three were merely stronger ordinary people; their life aura wasn't very strong, just at the level of an Official Knight.

They spoke the Devourer Plane's common language, with a heavy local accent.

"Why is Master Lu Wen bringing so many troops here, and also making us keep an eye out for people acting abnormally?" a hunter with a scarred face said in a low voice.

"Who cares, it's probably just stuff between those Awakened lords, nothing to do with us," another short, sturdy hunter spat disdainfully. "That Lu Wen isn't a good guy either, bullying us while working under the Lord. And to think he's from Ximu Town, spit!"

"Lower your voice, don't say that, if Lu Wen hears you, you'll be in trouble. He's an Awakened, naturally different," the third hunter, looking slightly older, advised, clearly very wary of Lu Wen.

"What are you afraid of..." The short, sturdy hunter continued to grumble without restraint.

The Duke, hidden in the shadows, listened all the while. These people spoke quickly, but thanks to his level 4 proficiency in the Linkwa Language, he had no difficulty understanding, gleaning quite a bit of information.

First, the nearest town on the outskirts of the forest is called Ximu Town, which is a relatively small town inhabited largely by ordinary people.

However, its geographical location is favorable, being a necessary passage to the Decomposition Forest, thus often visited by merchants and the Awakened who enter the forest.

Due to the constant flow of people through Ximu Town, it is located on a trade route, and many merchants stop here to purchase goods from the Decomposition Forest.

These three hunters were native to Ximu Town, having grown up there and become quite skilled, though they were not Awakened.

Ximu Town belongs to the Akate Territory, located on the fringes of this territory. The lord comes from the ancient and powerful Awakened family, the Leighton Clan.

The lord here is not a traditional noble lord but rather a common type of power seen on the Buren Continent, occupying a piece of land and gradually developing into a force over time.

The information the Duke had acquired earlier included this; there are no kingdoms in the area surrounding the Decomposition Forest, and there are many such lords, as well as various city-states, all independent forces.

Such a distribution of power is advantageous for the Duke, as he does not have to worry about identity checks.

There is no strict household registration system here, and the systems of various forces are independent, with a large number of fluid populations.

The Duke can completely disguise himself as a Wandering Awakened, with no one suspecting his identity, as this is a common occurrence here, as long as he does not expose any traces himself.

As for the Lu Wen mentioned by the three hunters, he was an Awakened under Lord Leighton, who led troops to seal off this side of the Decomposition Forest in recent days, mainly blocking the entrance to Ximu Town, prohibiting anyone from entering or exiting.

And these three hunters, because they were quite strong among ordinary people and familiar with this forest, were sent here by Lu Wen to monitor and scout some situations.

However, these three seemed to be just messing around, having found a comfortable spot to chat and rest, with no intention of actually carrying out their tasks.

The Duke listened for a while as they talked about trivial matters with little substance.

He didn't disturb them and quietly left.

Upon learning that the entrance ahead was blocked, the Duke naturally decided not to exit from there but to take a detour.

He arrived at a point several kilometers away from the entrance, where a cliff awaited, with turbulent water rushing below.

The bottom of the canyon roared with the murky, swift waters, raising white foam as it crashed against the rugged black rocks on both banks.

This was a long canyon; only the entrance there connected to the Decomposition Forest. If not entering through there, it would take hundreds of kilometers to find the next entrance.

The canyon was over a thousand meters wide, a distance ordinary people, or even many Awakened, could not cross, creating a natural protective barrier.

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