For the villagers and slaves, this was not just a celebration of the gods' blessings, but a celebration that they had survived the damp, cold, and lifeless rainy season.

  They had lived through it and could continue to drink, dance, and sing. For this group of subhumans who were almost impossible to awaken their bloodlines, whether the magic was strong or weak had long ceased to matter. What they cared about more was where the next piece of meat would come from and whether there would be wine to drink tonight.

  Draven did not join the noisy festivities. He sat in his stone house, with songs and laughter ringing outside the window, while inside the room was immersed in a different kind of warmth.

  In the corner of the stone house grew several strange magical plants, soft blue light flowing from the edges of their leaves, casting a dreamy glow on the walls and ceiling.

  Viola lay on his back, her breath uneven, her ears flushed red, yet she still clung tightly to his hand.

  "You're going to Selene City again tomorrow, right?" Her voice trembled slightly, sounding like a playful whine.

  She held on as if if she let go, he would fly away.

  Liliana sat nearby, her eyes shining strangely. Watching Viola's flushed cheeks and slightly parted lips, for some reason, she suddenly found her a bit beautiful.

  She quietly leaned over and kissed Viola on the cheek.

  Viola's eyes widened in surprise, then she gave a weak smile.

  "My turn!" Liliana smirked mischievously.

  Draven glanced at her and thought, can't they give me ten minutes to rest?

  Draven could feel the changes brought by the ritual more clearly than anyone.

  Although no breakthroughs had been triggered, the magic in the air was much stronger than before, and even a high-level werewolf like him could sense a subtle improvement.

  Maybe it wouldn't be long before Viola could awaken her bloodline a second time.

  Seeing Draven silent, Liliana smiled even brighter. With a nimble slide, she slipped down like a slippery eel.

  ...

  The morning sunlight filtered through thin clouds into the room, and the air still held the chaotic traces of last night. Viola leaned against the bedside, her eyes full of expectation and surprise.

  She hadn't expected Draven to really agree to take her to Selene City.

  "Really? You're taking me with you?"

  "Of course." Draven nodded."I should have taken you there long ago."

  Viola jumped up happily, showing no signs of fatigue from the previous night's exertions. She energetically packed her little bundle, her face full of anticipation.

  She was originally the foxfire tribe's most eager member to seek refuge in Selene City but had never truly set foot there. She had regarded that city as the last hope for the entire tribe, and now she would finally see it with her own eyes.

  Naturally, Liliana was not going to be left behind and immediately pestered Draven to take her along.

  Fortunately, Nightmare Horse's strength had greatly improved, carrying three people was no longer a burden. It was faster and steadier in flight, no longer jarring as before.

  Draven entrusted the village affairs to Titus, specially instructing him to guard the gates well.

  Since the ritual ended, his connection with the village had become strange. Even when far away, he could sense immediately if someone invaded.

  Nightmare Horse rose with flames, emitting an excited low whinny as if announcing the end of the rainy season.

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  From high above, the road connecting Village No. 2 and No. 3 was basically completed; on the side of Village No. 1, the forest near the canyon entrance had also retreated considerably.

  The entire Black Flag Territory was slowly improving, moving toward a more stable and prosperous future.

  As the leader, Draven naturally could not fall behind.

  This trip to Selene City was not only to deliver supplies to Rurik but also to personally ask Selene what conditions must be met to be promoted from leader to true lord?

  Though still one step away from the peak of leadership, Draven never liked last-minute preparations. He always planned ahead, giving fate no chance for surprises.

  Nightmare Horse galloped with flames, the wind roaring in their ears. This time, they even arrived an hour or two earlier than expected.

  Draven guessed it was about three or four in the afternoon.

  Selene City was unusually quiet. The hunting teams hadn't returned yet, the streets were nearly empty of vendors, only a few magic rats rummaged through scattered bread crumbs in the corners.

  Despite this, Viola's face was full of wonder as she looked around, as if every brick and every door held some secret.

  When Nightmare Horse flew over the mountains and through the clouds, she suddenly realized that their initial distance from Selene City hadn't been far at all.

  She gave Draven a half-angry, half-smiling glare and mumbled,"You were lying to me back then, weren't you?"

  "He's such a big liar!" Liliana chimed in from the side.

  Draven scratched his chin and smiled innocently, holding one girl's hand in each of his own.

  He asked Viola,"So, do you regret it now?"

  Viola turned her head, pretending to be angry, and ignored him.

  Draven chuckled lightly, speaking without any reservation, as if teasing publicly."Regret it? Then don't have scratched me so hard last night—I almost got my back torn up by you."

  Viola instantly blushed and hurriedly reached out to cover his mouth."Nonsense! It was only a little red scratch, that's all!"

  Liliana giggled nearby, her laughter clear and tinkling like silver bells, clearly very amused. It was the first time she had seen Sister Viola show such shyness.

  After arriving at Selene City, the first thing was naturally to find Rurik.

  But that guy was still sleeping in, completely unaware they had arrived. Meanwhile, Angelica and Katia had already gotten up early, busy in the tavern preparing for its reopening in the evening.

  The bunny-girl team had grown again.

  Last time there were four; this time it had doubled to eight. Angelica led them one by one to introduce themselves to Draven. Except for Katia, the other six were all newly recruited helpers.

  Two of them Draven had met before on other occasions and only gave a slight nod in greeting. But those six new bunny-girls immediately recognized the werewolf leader. Their eyes burned with admiration, as if they were seeing a legendary hero.

  Viola covered her mouth to stifle a laugh, but Liliana pouted with a clearly displeased expression.

  She stepped forward beside Draven, puffed up her chest, and struck a pose that said,"Don't even think about messing with my man."

  But she held it for less than two seconds before retreating, clutching Draven's arm tightly and glaring warily at the bunny-girls.

  Her reaction amused everyone. The bunny-girls laughed and shook their chest ornaments, a sight so entertaining that Draven couldn't even look away.

  Just as he was enjoying the moment, a faint pain suddenly came from his side. Without looking back, he knew it was Viola's hand pinching him.

  Viola was always soft but thorny; Draven was long used to this trick from her.

  At that moment, the noise at the door finally woke Rurik up.

  Rubbing his messy hair, he walked out with his eyes still half-closed. Hearing familiar voices, he brightened instantly and almost lunged at Draven.

  Draven then smiled and said,"Did you know Bran is about to become a father?"

  Hearing this, Rurik was both happy and a little jealous.

  Although they weren't blood brothers, their bond was stronger than brothers. He was genuinely happy for Bran but also secretly jealous—after all, they were about the same age, so why was Bran the first to reach this milestone?

  Rurik rubbed his waist and vowed silently that he'd better hurry up!

  After some laughter and chatting, Draven took some wine from his storage ring and replenished Rurik's stock.

  This time he brought not only the usual beers and spirits but also a grape wine brewed by the Monkey Tribe, which he had specially gone to their territory to trade for yesterday. He casually mentioned his recent cooperation with the Rhinoceros Man.

  Perhaps the old chief Goldmanes was already trying to find out about this.

  But Draven was wrong about this.

  He didn't know that after every sacrificial ritual, Sethric always headed over to the Monkey Tribe. After the ritual, they had little food left and would quietly scavenge meals from the monkeys.

  The Monkey Tribe was used to this but this time things seemed different. The old chief Goldmanes was unusually generous today.

  As soon as Sethric arrived, Goldmanes waved for his people to bring out all the melons, fruits, and drinks—no longer pretending they had no food at home.

  Sethric looked a bit stunned, his mouth barely able to close.

  "You're being unusually polite today?" He scratched the back of his head awkwardly."You used to hide the food as soon as I came over. What's changed…"

  Goldmanes laughed heartily, beckoned him to sit, and casually asked,"I heard you've been getting along quite well with the Black Flag Territory recently?"

  Sethric blinked and immediately understood. The old monkey was asking for a favor this time.

  But he didn't call it out and instead grabbed a fruit to chew on, nodding as he spoke,"It's going alright. Our cooperation has been smooth."

  As he spoke, he even began to detail the transactions with Draven, leaving no small detail out, as if he were Black Flag Territory's trusted insider.

  Goldmanes grew more interested the more he heard, his smile deepening.

  Sethric spoke proudly, stuffing his mouth with food, completely unaware that he had become an unwitting spokesperson for the Black Flag Territory.