Draven walked over to the two unconscious magical beasts and instructed Titus and Ade to first administer medicine to keep them asleep. If they woke up, give them more medicine, then let them continue sleeping. They would deal with them after the next full moon festival.

  Standing aside, Draven pointed at the dead magical stag and said to the two,"Be careful with your movements. Don't waste this deer."

  This was no ordinary prey—his deer-whip liquor relied entirely on its blood.

  The blood vessels of the sleeping beasts were carefully cut open, and the warm blood was gently poured into separate clay jars.

  This blood was the most essential ingredient for brewing blood wine. Besides the blood, their magical cores, pelts, bones, and meat were all valuable materials.

  Each type of magical beast required a different processing method; it wasn't a one-size-fits-all. Draven kept a close eye while teaching Titus how to identify and handle each part. Titus was the young man he wanted to train intensively.

  In contrast, Ade was much more experienced and didn't need any reminders—he could cleanly process the entire beast on his own.

  Draven watched and couldn't help but sigh, noting the difference between the Black Flag Territory and the large clans.

  He patted Titus on the shoulder and said seriously,"Follow Ade closely and learn well."

  Liliana, having nothing better to do, also came over. Although she was a druid who always preached respect for nature and cherishing life, the sight of magical beast flesh and blood made saliva drip unconsciously from the corners of her mouth.

  Draven helplessly used his tongue to wipe the drool off her lips.

  He then turned to a pile of intestines and picked out a still-intact urinary bladder, emptied it of urine, and rubbed it on the ground a few times.

  Next, he picked some leftover scraps from the nearby pile of pelts and stuffed them inside the bladder.

  A few minutes later, a bulging leather ball was ready.

  Liliana's eyes lit up. Excited like a child, she cheered and snatched it up. She ran to the training ground on the other side, waving at several kids who were on a break."Come on, let's play ball!"

  A group of children immediately gathered around and started playing with her.

  She was like the leader of the pack, shouting the loudest and kicking the hardest. The ball flew all over the grassy field, and the children's laughter rolled out in waves.

  Not far away, Linda frowned with a cold expression. She had planned to talk to Draven—training the kids couldn't be so casual—but seeing this scene, she had to stop in her tracks.

  She lowered her head and gave a formal salute, standing straight. Draven, who had been watching Liliana and the others play, felt a tickle in the sole of his foot and also wanted to join in kicking the ball a few times.

  This magical beast's urinary bladder was much tougher than the one he had made from a wild boar before and not easy to burst.

  But Linda's sudden salute made him feel uneasy.

  He instinctively glanced back—no one was behind him. Just as he was about to relax, a familiar and impatient voice came from above.

  "You sure are free, huh?"

  Draven froze and slowly looked up. Selene had landed right in front of him!

  Why was she here? Draven bowed his head in greeting, feeling a bit embarrassed.

  The place where she had stung him with a bee needle still ached faintly—a real injustice.

  Selene glanced coldly at him and said,"Take me to the pond."

  As a lord, she naturally knew the importance of Draven's breeding and planting operations. She had thought it unnecessary to come in person before, but she couldn't let it go, so she came today.

  Stolen story; please report.

  But seeing Draven's lazy demeanor, a surge of anger immediately flared up inside her, and she couldn't even bother to say a kind word.

  Draven guessed roughly why she came when he heard about the pond. Secretly amused:"Stealing knowledge, huh? Serves you right."

  But his face remained expressionless, and he lowered his posture respectfully as he led the way. He looked only a little more dignified than the village's Green Serpent.

  Meanwhile, Liliana stepped on the ball, which burst, sending leather scraps flying everywhere.

  "That bad woman is here again!" she grit her teeth and turned to rush toward the back of the village. She planned to stir up the nest of Violet Carpenter Bees so Selene could also experience being stung all over!

  The popping sound caught Draven's attention. Seeing Liliana run off, his heart sank, knowing trouble was coming.

  He couldn't care about Selene and immediately sprinted after her. If those two women started a fight, would the Black Flag Territory even survive?

  He grabbed Liliana from behind and tucked her under his arm. Liliana kicked and punched angrily, struggling in his arms.

  "Let me go! I'm gonna—"

  Before she could finish, Draven clamped his hand over her mouth. If she said the rest...

  Selene's temper was always difficult to deal with—she was not someone you could just brush off casually.

  Draven, still holding the struggling Liliana, ran over to find Viola. He tossed Liliana into Viola's arms, threw out a quick"watch her well," then hurried off.

  Selene hadn't left yet—how could he dare to leave things to chance?

  Viola cradled Liliana gently and coaxed her softly for a while before Liliana finally stopped struggling, though she still stomped her foot in displeasure.

  "Sis Viola, why are you helping that bad woman?" she asked, fuming.

  "You know, Selene isn't a bad woman," Viola replied with a smile, a mysterious glint in her eyes.

  "She…" Liliana was too angry to finish her sentence.

  Viola leaned close to her ear and whispered something.

  Liliana's eyes instantly widened, her entire face flushed from her ears down to her neck, and her mouth stayed open.

  Judging by her reaction, whatever Viola said was definitely not something proper.

  After handing Liliana to Viola, Draven hurried back to Selene and started leading the way.

  "Is this how you usually manage your partner?" Selene sneered as they walked, her tone mocking, as if talking to a fool.

  Draven raised a hand to rub his nose, knowing full well it wasn't the time to talk back, so he swallowed his retort.

  Reasoning with a woman was useless—especially one much stronger than you. Draven silently told himself to stay calm.

  He said nothing, and Selene snorted, walking ahead on her own.

  Draven followed quietly, but his eyes didn't obediently watch the ground; instead, he sneaked glances at her figure. Lost in thought, he was completely distracted.

  Suddenly Selene stopped and coldly glanced at him sideways."Like what you see?"

  Draven nearly tripped, hurriedly biting his tongue. The sharp pain immediately snapped him back to reality.

  He had almost been caught under her charm again. Selene's talent was no joke.

  Her lips curled into a slight smile, but her tone turned cold:"If you dare to sneak another look, I'll gouge your eyes out."

  She turned and continued walking. She could feel Draven's mental state strengthening. He had just broken free from her charm on his own.

  This werewolf leader was growing faster than she expected.

  Draven tasted blood in his mouth and still felt shaken. He had truly almost fallen under her spell again.

  That wicked woman—yet he couldn't help but steal a few more glances behind her back. Just a few looks—what's the harm? It's not like he was losing any flesh.

  Since Serenity Bloom blossomed, he and Ghost-faced Owl had divided the petals under Viola's guidance.

  Ghost-faced Owl had directly entered an advanced state, perched on the tree like a frozen ornament for Liliana.

  Draven himself had also improved greatly in mental power. Now he could escape Selene's charm, so naturally he dared to push his luck more.

  Besides, that thrill of sneaking a look was truly intoxicating.

  Selene continued walking, clearly sensing his faint, sticky gaze trailing behind her.

  Strangely, her heart skipped a beat, and her breathing became a little unsteady—but she couldn't put a name to the feeling.

  She could have easily let Draven lead the way, but somehow, she never said so.

  They walked until they reached the pond. Selene finally pushed aside those tangled thoughts and focused on the aquatic plants before her.

  Squinting, she wore a thoughtful expression. The pond near Lydia and the others didn't seem to have this kind of water grass.

  She crouched to take a closer look but didn't ask Draven about it. She filed the detail away in her mind—Selene wasn't about to quietly ask him questions. She was a lord, not a student.

  She walked over to see the female slaves fertilizing the orchard and cassava fields, carrying buckets of manure. The smell was unpleasant.

  She covered her nose, glanced briefly, and nodded slightly. Remember this—using manure as fertilizer, right?

  Then she entered the pens and immediately noticed the livestock had multiplied many times since last time.

  Her brows furrowed tightly, clearly calculating if something she hadn't noticed was behind this.

  Her gaze then landed on the animal hides hanging by the pen doors.

  Selene's perception was sharp, and she instantly sensed all the hides carried Draven's aura. Her eyes brightened.

  These filthy skins weren't just hung up casually, were they? Maybe they had some purpose?

  She suddenly stopped and fixed her eyes on one of them. Selene reached out and picked it up—turns out it was a still unwashed pair of triangular briefs.

  She actually raised it to look at it and even brought it close to her nose for a gentle sniff.

  Draven stood nearby, watching with a creeping chill down his spine, his face frozen.