The Duke nodded slightly at the leader, fulfilling his promise not to harm them.
Then he turned around and walked back in the direction of the forest.
After taking a dozen steps, a series of fine, intermittent ultrasonic vibrations came from behind him.
Probably speaking, but he couldn't understand.
Then there was a more subtle sound, as if those little people were dispersing back to various plants, resuming their interrupted gathering work.
The Duke didn't look back; he crossed the edge of the slope and re-entered the shadows of the Twisted Forest.
The sound of his footsteps crunched on the layer of dead leaves, sharp and monotonous, echoing with each step in the deathly quiet forest.
The gathering window still had one last section, and the low vegetation belt between the forest and the hills might still yield Nightmare Dust, but he decided not to gather any more.
The Duke didn't want to linger here too long, not wanting to bring extra trouble upon himself out of greed.
