The rain fell like it was pouring straight from the sky, drenching the ground and turning it into puddles everywhere. Draven sat on the doorstep, staring worriedly outside, yet feeling a bit relieved at the same time.

  What he was relieved about was that before the heavy rain arrived, he had finally managed to get everyone in Village No. 1 moved into the newly built stone caves—at least no one got soaked.

  But what troubled him was that with this damned weather, there was nowhere to go, and on top of that, Martha was clinging to him, not letting him leave.

  It had been three whole days. Three entire days! Do you know how I've spent these past three days?

  From behind came Martha's sweet, coquettish voice.

  How could a deer person possibly beat a werewolf? Not today, I refuse to believe that.

  The rain only began to ease in the afternoon. The house was quiet, and Martha was curled up sound asleep under the covers. Draven stood up, tightened his belt, and curled the corner of his mouth in a smirk.

  His belt had loosened over the past few days. How much weight had he actually lost?

  He bent down to kiss Martha lightly, then quietly slipped out the door and mounted his Nightmare Horse. He needed to go back to find Viola and eat something good to recover.

  When he reached the big river, he pulled on the reins, stopping Nightmare Horse mid-air, looking down at the river surface from above.

  The river was still rushing swiftly. Squinting, he estimated the water level—thankfully, it wasn't at its fullest.

  Over the years, he had kept track of the water levels every rainy season, so he knew the numbers well. Once this rain stopped, the rainy season would basically be over.

  Then the houses, walls, roads, and bridges would all have to be rebuilt quickly.

  At the same time, Alaric finally breathed a sigh of relief. They were running low on food. Draven's plan couldn't be interrupted. Alaric leaned on the doorframe for a moment, then shouted,"Let's go!"

  He had to take advantage of the light rain to quickly lead people out hunting. Once the skies cleared, the demi-human world would suddenly become lively again. Everyone knew the hardest part was over.

  The coming summer would be hot, but at least it wouldn't be raining. Hunting would be easier, and food would be easier to find. As long as they worked hard, they shouldn't starve before winter.

  As for those demi-humans who hadn't made it through the rainy season, no one really cared.

  Except Selene.

  Looking at the numbers recorded on the beast hides, her eyes darkened. She had done her best. But every rainy season, quite a few people still quietly starved to death.

  Even the weak and elderly among their succubus clan were not spared.

  Lydia leaned against the wall and softly said,"The old and weak just can't make it. It's normal, don't dwell on it too much."

  Selene shook her head. Of course she knew that, but knowing or not, watching those people die still hurt. The problem wasn't that they were old—it was that they didn't have enough to eat.

  She sighed, her mind filled with scenes of this failure. Her second attempt at imitating Black Flag Territory's methods had still failed.

  The fishpond was filled with rainwater, and all the fish had long since fled. The newly planted cassava was washed away, its roots exposed. The fruit trees transplanted into the orchard had been beaten down all over the ground.

  Worse still, many of the beasts she had painstakingly tamed had died of fright on the night she exerted her lordly pressure.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Her subordinates said they died from fright, and she nearly smashed her chair hearing that.

  Selene dropped the beast hide and walked to the palace entrance, glancing northward. She wanted to know if Black Flag Territory had also been badly battered by this rain.

  Of course there was some impact, but it wasn't severe. Over the past few days, everyone had been holed up inside, so they naturally ate more and their food stores ran down faster.

  But other than that, there were basically no major problems. The farmland was originally raised into ridges, a design that helped both retain moisture and drain water.

  Except for a few crops that were washed away or soaked by the rain, most were not seriously affected.

  When Draven rushed back to Village No. 1, Viola was busy with a few female slaves tending to the cassava field. The roots of the vines were exposed. She squatted down carefully, re-burying the roots.

  The fish pond was still stable. That spot was naturally a low-lying area, and Draven had prepared drainage in advance. On the first day of the rain, when Draven wasn't home, Liliana transformed into a giant bear and rushed to open the floodgate.

  The floodgate was sealed with a metal grate, the gaps so small that no fish could escape. Draven had been meticulous, which gave Viola some peace of mind.

  The orchard also suffered no major problems. The treants had personally selected, transported, and replanted the fruit trees. Their roots were firmly set; aside from some fallen fruit, none of the trees had fallen. The losses were minimal.

  No matter how hard it rained, Viola never let her livestock go hungry. She insisted on feeding every animal, checking them, and cleaning the pens. Recently, however, she was a bit troubled because Draven's personal clothes had all been thrown into the pens.

  She needed his scent.

  Not only her, but a group of rabbits and goats also seemed accustomed to that smell. She worried that without fresh clothes, the scent in the pens would fade, making the rabbits uneasy and affecting their productivity.

  Just as she was fretting, the rain finally stopped and Draven returned.

  The moment Liliana saw him, she threw herself into his arms, grabbing his hand eagerly and pulling him into the house.

  Once inside, she almost immediately stripped him completely naked.

  Draven smiled wryly, preparing himself for this sudden enthusiastic reception. But before he could react, Viola burst in, grabbed the clothes he had taken off, and ran straight toward the pens.

  Draven was dumbfounded. Standing there naked in the house, a chill ran over him. Was he the master of the house, or just a scent container for these animals?

  As soon as the door closed, Liliana turned around with a mischievous grin, locking it and showing a hint of sly satisfaction.

  "Don't just stand there, I'm not waiting anymore~" Today she wasn't here to slack off, but to warm Draven up.

  In fact, those rabbits and goats had long adapted to being penned. Viola just worried a bit too much. Only when she hung Draven's clothes again in front of the pen's door would she truly feel at ease.

  Sure enough, the rabbit hutch now had several new litters of baby bunnies—pink, soft, huddled and nudging each other in the corner.

  Viola bent down and gently stroked a little bunny's head, her eyes softening. She reminded the female slaves to take good care of them, her mood much better than in the morning.

  She lifted her skirt and walked briskly toward the house. From afar, strange noises came from inside—Liliana's odd cries, like she was riding something.

  Viola smiled faintly.

  She was used to those sounds by now, but every time she heard them, it still gave her an indescribable feeling. Liliana was just too quick; she had beaten her to it again.

  Viola gently pushed open the door and sure enough saw Liliana riding excitedly. A Ghost-faced Owl perched on a dead branch outside the window, motionless, as if it had seen this scene too many times and was unimpressed.

  Viola's gaze focused solely on Draven. His body was solid and muscular, still damp as if just returned from a battlefield. She bit her lip, feeling her knees go weak.

  Draven had originally planned to come back and recuperate, but now it looked like he'd be losing out again.

  By evening, Draven finally drank the meat broth that Viola had carefully cooked. Steam rose from the pot, the broth piping hot. He took a large sip and felt warmth spread through his body.

  Summer should have been hot and humid, yet he still shivered a little. Just as he put down his bowl and chopsticks, the Ghost-faced Owl suddenly hooted a few times.

  Draven was startled, then immediately realized—it had advanced.

  This Ghost-faced Owl was the magical beast he had been with the longest, and now it had finally entered the mid-level beast ranks. He felt an indescribable joy.

  He leaned in for a closer look and saw that the creature showed almost no reaction to the advancement. Before, it had been like a wooden statue, used as decoration in the corner of the room; now, aside from a slight aura fluctuation, it looked almost the same.

  Without a contract and relying only on the Beast Ring, they could no longer communicate directly like before.

  Draven had no choice but to look at Liliana, signaling her for help.

  Liliana's cheeks flushed red with pride. She pointed to her face, demanding Draven kiss her, then laughing as she grabbed the Ghost-faced Owl's wings and pulled it outside.

  Outside, Liliana transformed again into a giant bear and murmured softly to the Ghost-faced Owl, as if testing its reaction.

  The Ghost-faced Owl blinked and took a half step back.

  Liliana shifted back to human form, smirked, and gave it a merciless kick."No real progress."