Though the hunt was over, things were far from finished. Two insect swarms were stationed at the canyon entrance, each guarding and monitoring separately.
Outside the village, a bonfire was lit, and the snake people and Black Wolf tribe slaves sat around it. The lord had rewarded them with meat and wine; everyone could eat and drink their fill, but sleeping was forbidden.
The bloody smell hadn't fully dissipated yet, so they had to stay vigilant until dawn. Luckily, the rain stopped in the afternoon; otherwise, this night would have been miserable.
Even so, the demi-humans still wore smiles on their faces. The cassava wine diluted with water and leftover scraps from the hunt were enough to keep their spirits high for a while.
Inside the village chief's large house, the scene was lively in a different way. Tables were filled with blood wine and monkey liquor, and anyone willing had a jar in hand.
Except for Liliana, who insisted on joining the fun, the women were busy in the drying room.
Viola used the spatial bracelet Sylvia had sent her to store the dried meat, which saved a lot of trouble.
She urged the female slaves to speed up while occasionally checking the movements inside the Eyebrow-Patterned King Serpent's belly.
Draven had said they had quite a haul. From morning until now, Viola didn't feel tired at all, nor did the female slaves helping her.
Viola was much more generous than the lord, letting the female slaves eat their fill of dried meat. Although it was just simply soaked in saltwater, this was a rare treat of meat for them.
They worked busily until dawn before the hunted beasts were considered dealt with. Of course, only the meat had been cut into portions; the pelts and innards still had to be cleaned slowly.
Pelts were easier to handle—they would be brought back to Village No. 2 and slowly processed by villagers and female slaves.
But looking at the piles of innards, the wet, hot rainy season made them emit a foul smell.
Draven frowned as Viola pulled him over to the pile of innards.
He suggested they just let the Eyebrow-Patterned King Serpent swallow them—too troublesome to handle otherwise.
But Viola was always frugal and reluctant to throw them away, shaking his arm to make him think of another solution.
What else could he do? Even if the serpent swallowed the innards, it would spit them out and still be unmanageable. Some things simply had to be discarded.
They had the female slaves first remove the liver, heart, spleen, lungs, and kidneys.
As for the stomach and intestines—forget it. There was very little actually edible. Even feeding it to the Eyebrow-Patterned King Serpent, the serpent's head displayed a human-like contempt before it swiftly slithered away.
Draven was helpless and had to step in personally. He had the female slaves carry the stinky pile of innards on beast hides to the pond by Village No. 1, along with Viola and the others.
He patiently taught them the skills of cleaning and dissecting innards. Liliana watched for a while but then covered her nose and ran away.
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The fish in the pond, however, seemed very happy—the undigested remains of the beasts became their feast.
All the inedible parts were fed to the fish. They worked like this until noon, and finally, the pile of innards was cleaned up.
Draven felt like he himself was about to be reeked by the stench. He picked out some decent parts and personally cooked them, taking the opportunity to teach Viola how to prepare innards.
That earned him a passionate, warm kiss from Viola. Draven licked his lips, thinking that this wet kiss really had a somewhat special flavor.
The snake people had already withdrawn, and after a short rest, most of the Black Wolf slaves returned to hunting.
The village gradually resumed its noise and busyness, leaving only quiet and fatigue hanging over the place.
Martha had long prepared the bathwater. Just as Draven lay down in the tub, before he could even relax, the slippery Liliana slipped in beside him.
Draven's expression changed immediately, and he quickly turned his head, shouting to Viola,"Who can stand this?"
Fortunately, Liliana was tired too and didn't cause any more trouble. After taking a bath, she went straight to bed and didn't want to deal with anything. It wasn't until nightfall that Viola gently woke her up.
Draven glanced at Liliana still sound asleep, pinched her nose lightly, but couldn't wake her.
Just as he sat down at the table, Viola brought over the dishes. The table was still covered with various innards, but thankfully there was a plate of grilled kidneys of different sizes.
Draven barely felt any appetite. Before he had eaten much, Bran walked in with a pitiful expression.
Draven invited him to sit, but before Bran could speak, he heard Bran mumbling that one of his wolf women was pregnant, and it was no longer suitable for her to keep living in the tent.
Draven was stunned for a moment, then his face lit up with joy. He patted Bran's shoulder, praising him for his achievement. Among the three brothers, Bran was unexpectedly the first to become a father.
After casting an apologetic glance at Martha, he urged Bran to quickly bring the wolf woman in.
This was fantastic news for Draven. He couldn't eat and hurried Martha to prepare everything.
Everyone was extremely excited, except Draven—he still didn't know that a new life was also growing in the south.
He regarded the little one in the wolf woman's belly as the first descendant among Black Flag Territory's management.
Even the sleeping Liliana was awakened. Hearing that the wolf woman was pregnant, she insisted on pressing her ear to the belly to listen for movement.
Draven accidentally caught a trace of disappointment in Viola's eyes. Her smile stiffened slightly—it was clear there would be no peace for her tonight.
Sure enough, as soon as they got to the stone house, Viola clung to him. Draven declined, saying he hadn't eaten enough today.
With seductive eyes and a soft breath, Viola whispered,"Eat me~"
If only he had brought that plate of big kidneys back! The werewolf leader could only endure the painful yet satisfying situation.
After finishing their chores, Viola and Liliana left, and Draven lay on the bed with a dazed look.
"It's gone. Really gone…"
Staring out at the sky brightening through the skylight, Draven struggled to get up.
Martha hadn't returned last night; she had to stay in Village No. 1 to guard the Gold-Devouring Demon Ant.
Draven didn't want to favor one over the other, so he let her continue staying in the tent.
He brought some clean water and quickly washed himself, Viola, and Liliana. Holding one of them, he closed his eyes, but soon opened them again—the sky was already bright.
Liliana was sleeping on him, and he gently moved her aside.
Viola was already busy preparing breakfast. He walked over, wrapped his arm around her waist, and kissed her.
Draven went to the door and twisted his creaky old waist, feeling like a rusty hinge. He glanced back at Viola, who blushed and pretended not to notice.
"Let me rest for a couple of days!" He took a few bites of breakfast, then mounted his Nightmare Horse—it was time to talk with the Rhinoceros Man.
The canyon had already been cleared, but building the walls still depended on them. This was also part of the plan to integrate Rhinoceros Man into Black Flag Territory.
Enjoying the cool morning breeze, Draven was in good spirits and soon arrived at Village No. 1. Inside the tent, he saw Martha, whose enchanting gaze and long legs made his heart race.
Draven straightened his back and cleared his throat properly, thinking:"I'm scared, better get out of here quickly!"
After giving a brief update, he hurriedly left when faced with her resentful look.
No matter how powerful the blood elves' secret arts were, they needed to rest sometimes.
Especially their secret arts that had been practiced night after night—Draven was starting to find it hard to cope…
