After finishing the map, Draven finally concluded his day's work.

  Although today's encounters were tense, nothing truly went wrong, and he had actually gained quite a bit.

  Experiences like this made him feel that only in Viola's embrace could he find real comfort.

  On the way back, Draven saw Viola busy feeding her little animals.

  A dozen wild rabbits hopped and bounded around her, eating happily. Yes, there were already more than a dozen.

  Ever since that night when he talked about raising animals, Viola seemed bewitched by the idea. She had become obsessed with expanding their livestock.

  If Draven hadn't stopped her in time, she probably would've tried to bring home a wild boar.

  The thought made Draven chuckle. After all, Viola was a bloodline warrior too.

  Though her fox clan specialized in fire magic, catching rabbits was no challenge for her.

  Still, animal husbandry wasn't as simple as it sounded. Take wild chickens, for instance—raising them was easy; feeding them was the hard part.

  For now, they had only started with rabbits.

  Beside their bed was a pot of Serenity Bloom, a magical herb Draven had dug out from the Ghost-faced Owl's nest.

  Viola recognized it and said it could enhance mental strength, and would become even more effective once it bloomed.

  So, she placed it on the nightstand and tended to it carefully.

  Yes, they now had a bed—and even a cabinet.

  The furniture was simple, but functional.

  Looking at all these changes, Draven felt a flicker of satisfaction in his heart.

  Speaking of changes, the biggest improvement around the Black Flag Territory's base was that the weeds outside the stone wall had been completely cleared by the slaves.

  Now, there was an open space nearly a hundred paces wide between the wall and the edge of the forest.

  Draven planned to cultivate part of this area and try growing crops to help solve their food supply issue.

  A crimson triangular flag had been hoisted atop the wall beside the main gate.

  On it was a black, stylized wolf head—the symbol of the Black Flag Territory.

  As for the bearfolk, they were full of brute strength—simple-minded but easily prone to conflict with other slaves.

  Augustus had called out four specific slaves for a reason.

  Village construction needed not only population and resources, but also skills—in other words, craftsmen.

  He had to start training his own.

  He decided to begin with carpenters and stonemasons.

  So, he assigned Big Bear, Little Bear, Big Ox, and Little Ox to find suitable trees.

  Yes, for the sake of convenience, Augustus had simply renamed them.

  Under Draven's guidance, Big Bear's team began learning basic carpentry.

  Their work was rough and clumsy, but functional. Their beds, for example, were just a few wooden beams cobbled together—barely holding up.

  In addition, they were preparing wood and stone materials.

  Draven planned to build as many houses as possible before winter arrived. More shelters meant greater stability.

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  The hunting teams continued their previous routine—Bran and Rurik each led a group, alternating daily.

  Though the harvests weren't abundant, it was enough for daily needs and to dry some meat for storage.

  Then there was Viola's animal husbandry, which required little investment, had a short cycle, and promised high returns.

  Although it was too early for harvests, it was at least more reliable than pure hunting.

  However, raising animals brought new troubles.

  The little ones were just too mischievous—they stole things.

  Ultimately, it was because they were too young and lacked discipline.

  If Arnold, the black wolf cub, hadn't secretly gone to tell Viola, her rabbit-raising plan might have been ruined before it even started.

  As a result, Alaric took full responsibility.

  Viola chased him furiously across the village, a spear in her hand.

  Draven peeked over and saw that the number of rabbits had clearly increased.

  Viola had already rebuilt a new rabbit hutch beside the stone house with help from the little ones.

  Just by looking at the size of the hutch, he could tell the little fox girl had big ambitions.

  Recently, aside from rabbits, Viola had also started planning to raise wild chickens.

  Suddenly, the chieftain's figure appeared, and all the little ones immediately rushed over in excitement.

  They knew whenever the chieftain returned, he'd definitely bring something tasty.

  Draven chuckled and pulled out a handful of berries from his storage ring, handing them out to the little ones gathered around him.

  Their eyes lit up instantly, and they scrambled to grab the treats, the scene bursting into cheerful chaos.

  Just then, Arnold's gaze was drawn to the serpent coiled lazily around Draven's shoulder. He blinked curiously and asked, "What's that thing? Can we eat it?"

  Draven replied in a deliberately mysterious tone, laced with a warning, "That's a magical beast—highly venomous. Touch it carelessly, and you might end up dead."

  The children scattered immediately, fear plastered across their faces, leaving only Viola standing there, pouting in displeasure as she eyed him.

  "Is it really a magical beast? A leader-class one?" she asked, glancing skeptically at the serpent draped across Draven's shoulder.

  Draven smiled and gently removed the Eyebrow-Patterned King Serpent from his shoulders.

  This snake, though astonishingly swift while hunting, was usually as sluggish as a corpse.

  Seeing Viola still doubtful, Draven gave a quick demonstration of the serpent's speed.

  It zipped through the air like a blur, a ghostly streak too fast for the eye to follow.

  The little fox girl's jaw dropped in disbelief. She couldn't reconcile this lightning-fast creature with the lazy snake she'd seen a moment ago.

  Draven took the chance to smugly lick his lips. "With this Eyebrow-Patterned King Serpent, Ragnar will have a lot less on his shoulders."

  His plan was to place the serpent at the entrance to the underground chamber, giving it a nest and letting it guard by day and hunt by night.

  Through a few exchanges, Draven had learned the serpent's dietary habits. It didn't eat much—after a hearty meal, it could go days without feeding.

  More impressively, the serpent had a unique ability: two independent spaces within its body.

  One for storing prey, the other for digestion.

  So long as the prey was kept in the storage chamber, even if unconscious, it could survive for several days.

  But once moved to the digestion chamber, it would be broken down instantly.

  This internal structure was the secret to the serpent's deadly hunting skill.

  Draven explained all this to Viola, who nodded and then left to get back to her work.

  She was in charge of dozens of slaves, currently busy clearing out the remaining weeds outside the stone wall.

  Once the area was cleared, they began stockpiling firewood for the coming winter.

  Meanwhile, Draven returned to the main house, planning to transcribe two copies of the forest map—one for each of the two hunting teams.

  Any additional details would have to be filled in by Bran and Rurik themselves.

  Just as he was about to finish, Bran's loud voice rang out from outside.

  "Chief, come quick! We caught another one of your favorite wild mountain goats!"

  Draven rolled his eyes, knowing full well that the goat wasn't going to end up on his dinner plate.

  Viola had already built half of the goat pen.

  If he wanted more of that fatty kidney meat, he'd have to be patient.

  He called Bran over and asked him to fetch Rurik, who was training the slaves.

  The three of them sat on small stools by the fire pit, the mood relaxed but focused.

  Draven handed over the freshly copied maps.

  Bran clapped his hands excitedly. "Excellent! Now we can finally get to work!"

  But Draven quickly warned, "Don't celebrate too soon. The forest is dangerous."

  He then recounted his earlier encounter with the Eyebrow-Patterned King Serpent and cautioned them to remain alert.

  Bran and Rurik turned pale at the tale—clearly spooked.

  They had heard of the serpent's reputation before: the undisputed king of its kind.

  Other snakes fled at the mere scent of it.

  Hearing that Draven had managed to tame it, both men were wide-eyed with excitement.

  What they didn't know was that Draven had used a forced contract.

  He always claimed it was a bond of submission.

  After witnessing the serpent's abilities, Bran and Rurik both expressed a desire to have magical beasts of their own.

  Draven could only offer a helpless smile. "Among the beastkin, only a few races can tame magical creatures, and even then, the kinds they can raise are very limited."

  He gave an example: "Remember the Crocodilefolk we encountered? The massive crocodiles they raise are a kind of exotic beast."

  For most races, that kind of capability was out of reach.

  In fact, the bonded beasts of the Black Wolf Tribe were already considered a rare bloodline trait.

  Draven looked at the lazy Eyebrow-Patterned King Serpent again, a glimmer of anticipation in his eyes.

  "Let's all work hard and reach the chieftain level as soon as we can," he said.

  "When that day comes, our tribe's bonded beasts will be our strongest allies."

  His words lit a fire in Bran and Rurik, who both nodded firmly, full of determination.