The serpentfolk no longer had any right to live in Village No. 2. That area now belonged to the Black Flag Territory—it was Draven's domain entirely.
Hadn't the serpentfolk always favored that piece of land to the north of the original Black Flag Territory territory?
Well, Draven decided to grant their wish.
Green Serpent and Gregor were appointed as the new leaders and tasked with guiding the remaining serpentfolk to relocate to the northern side of the Great River, where they would establish Black Flag Territory No. 3.
Since the new village hadn't been built yet, they had to camp in the wilderness for the time being. Draven personally selected the site: a raised highland with open terrain, easy to defend.
He rode his Nightmare Horse to the top of the hill, surveying the landscape with a commanding view. That horse made patrolling the territory incredibly efficient—fast, quiet, and hard to detect.
At Draven's command, workers leveled the hilltop and constructed sturdy stone walls around it. With the natural advantage of the elevation, the new village would be far easier to defend and much harder to attack.
Now, the three Black Flag Territory villages formed a triangle, maintaining close contact with one another.
If any one village encountered trouble, the other two could quickly come to its aid—creating a natural defensive network.
This layout was part of Draven's carefully planned design, meant to make the Black Flag Territory's defense system more robust.
As for Village No. 2, Draven decided to keep some of the houses intact, while roughly a quarter of them would be demolished.
His plan was to repurpose the cleared space into breeding and cultivation zones.
The breeding zone was straightforward: Viola had brought rabbits, goats, and other animals. They needed space to grow, and this would be their designated area.
The cultivation zone, on the other hand, would not be used for food crops—Draven had other plans for that. Instead, this zone would be dedicated to growing magical herbs.
Magical herbs were a vital resource for the village—used to improve combat ability and overall living quality.
To prevent contamination, the cultivation zone would also include a dedicated compost pit, not just a latrine, but a place to store organic fertilizer.
Although Draven wasn't entirely sure how much benefit natural fertilizer would bring to magical herbs, he still did everything he could to create the best possible growing conditions.
Overall, Village No. 2 now met the basic living needs of the villagers, but clearly there was still much room for improvement—especially in infrastructure and convenience.
Draven planned to continue making enhancements.
One important detail: the villagers' food and daily supplies were distributed centrally by Viola, with help from Alaric and Ayla.
They provided regular distributions to ensure everyone's basic needs were met.
However, that didn't mean the villagers could only live off rations.
The village had various jobs and tasks, offering people opportunities to earn rewards.
For example, Rurik's hunting team, Viola's cooks and general helpers, and Big Bear's woodworking and masonry crews.
Villagers could choose their jobs based on ability and interest, gradually building up wealth of their own.
Draven believed that, with time and effort, those who were once slaves would learn to become self-sufficient.
Only the elderly, infirm, or truly incapable would continue to rely on rations.
Eventually, the ration system would be phased out, and the village would become a truly free and self-governed community.
Since Village No. 2 was protected by tall stone walls, Draven didn't assign too many guards.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Instead, he had the kobold Titus choose twenty of his own kind to form a patrol team.
They guarded the walls and maintained order within the village.
For broader surveillance, that duty fell to the Ghost-faced Owl, which nested outside the village and kept a constant watch on the northern region, alert to any signs of danger.
As for Liliana, she was now a free agent.
Draven couldn't really control her—her continued presence in the village was already something of a fluke.
Still, Draven wasn't about to let such a "bulldozer" go to waste.
Sometimes, she even made a handy tool for entertaining or scaring the kids.
If she got out of hand, Viola would step in.
Liliana relied heavily on her. The last time, she had only dared to break out after Viola asked her to—an act that got her beaten black and blue by Black Snake.
Ragnar still handled gatekeeping duties, though this time his post had been moved to the top of the wall.
The Nightmare Horse, for all its speed, wasn't much of a fighter, so it spent most of its time making rounds in the breeding zone.
And finally, the Serpent Ancestor—a truly dangerous individual.
Draven kept him under strict control, requiring him to stay nearby at all times, even at night. He had to remain stationed just outside Draven's door.
Draven knew full well: the Serpent Ancestor would always be a potential threat—and could never be given the chance to act on it.
Even with the binding power of a forced contract, Draven didn't dare let his guard down.
Only after all the arrangements had been put into place did Village No. 2 truly begin to operate. The villagers gradually settled in, and the whole settlement slowly regained its vitality.
Lights began to glow inside the houses, laughter echoed from the yards, children ran back and forth, and the air was filled with the scent of firewood and earth—everything seemed to be returning to normal.
But Rurik stood out with his gloom.
He constantly wandered around with his head hanging low, especially near Draven, as if restless and uneasy.
He couldn't explain why, but ever since they returned from Selene City, the chief's attitude toward him had clearly cooled.
What made him feel even worse was that he hadn't even been assigned gatekeeping duty this time.
Someone else got the job.
Rurik had always seen himself as Draven's right-hand man—maybe even his most trusted follower.
Now, he felt pushed to the sidelines, and the feeling gnawed at him, darkening his mood.
Of course, Draven didn't tell him the truth.
The reason he was giving Rurik the cold shoulder was because of his poor performance in Selene.
During that operation, Rurik hadn't met expectations—and his failures had opened a window for the enemy.
Draven had been bitterly disappointed.
Yet behind the apparent indifference, Draven actually had a new plan for Rurik.
Now that he had the Nightmare Horse, their range of action had expanded greatly, and Draven's strategies had become more flexible.
Beastfolk often suffered from poor transportation and isolated information networks, but the speed and stamina of the Nightmare Horse had solved part of that problem.
In Selene City, the Black Flag Territory still held a small property—a stone hut the three of them had scraped together for years to afford.
Draven intended to station Rurik there permanently.
On one hand, Rurik could gather intelligence in the city, keeping an eye on developments in Selene and beyond, ensuring that the Black Flag Territory wouldn't fall behind the times.
On the other, he could manage and expand their external trade channels.
The bloodwine and monkey wine produced by the Black Flag Territory, along with future potions and livestock, would all need to be traded for resources to support the village's growth.
Someone might ask: "The Nightmare Horse is only about the size of an ordinary horse—how much cargo could it possibly carry?"
Well, that brings up the storage ring Draven had taken from the Red Snake leader of the serpentfolk.
Though the ring wasn't filled with any magical treasures, the ring itself was a treasure.
With an interior space of over three square meters, it could temporarily hold a great amount of goods.
Draven hadn't yet worked out all the logistics, but the ring would undoubtedly improve their transport efficiency.
For now, though, Draven still kept Rurik close—partly to train him.
He had no intention of telling Rurik the plan just yet.
If Rurik knew the truth, it would ruin the whole point.
After all, the idiot had blown Selene's chance to truly understand Draven—it was time to teach him a lesson.
With the joy of relocation and the recent threats neutralized, Draven could finally relax.
In a rare moment, he decided to cook personally, busying himself in the large house he shared with Viola.
An enormous double-handled iron pot hung over the hearth.
Inside, a fragrant fish soup was gently bubbling.
The flames weren't roaring, but they were hot enough to keep the soup steaming, releasing waves of mouthwatering aroma.
Draven carefully added the final seasoning.
In that instant, the flavor reached its peak, and the entire house was filled with an irresistible scent.
Tonight, the whole village would be eating the same dish, but none of the other households could match the richness of Draven's version.
Rurik and a few close companions sat around the hearth, men and women alike sneaking glances at the soup, mouths watering.
Aside from Draven and Rurik, most of them had never even considered fish to be edible—let alone imagined it could taste so good.
Liliana, especially, was fixated on the pot. Her eyes sparkled, completely glued to the soup.
She had never tasted anything so enticing. The fish churned and sizzled in the broth, releasing an aroma that made her crave it desperately.
Draven smiled, scooping out a bowl of hot soup and handing it to Viola himself.
Alaric, nimble as ever, copied Draven's motions and filled a bowl for Ayla.
But before he could serve himself, Liliana had already snatched the ladle away.
Kobold Titus stood at the end of the line, moving carefully and respectfully.
Yet when he finally tasted the broth and bit into the tender fish, he instantly forgot his manners, wearing a look of bliss.
While everyone else ate with noisy slurps and still yearned for more, Draven felt something was still missing.
To him, the food in this world was just too limited—it could never fully satisfy his picky palate.
