Just as Draven stepped into the stone hut, a dark shadow lunged at his head with a claw. But he was ready. He raised a hand and caught the sharp claw mid-air.

  Inside the hut, Titus was roaring and charging at him. Judging by the sound, Draven couldn't help but mutter to himself—it was a bit lacking in intensity.

  With his strength, there was no need to transform just to deal with a freshly awakened bloodline warrior.

  Using only the power in his arms, Draven easily twisted the massive Titus off course and yanked him directly in front of him.

  He moved behind Titus, placed both hands firmly on his shoulders, and just like that, the newly awakened warrior was immobilized.

  Draven knocked Titus out with a swift blow. It was common for beastfolk to briefly lose consciousness after a bloodline awakening—likely some kind of protective mechanism.

  A bloodline warrior in the midst of awakening could attack anyone or anything that posed a potential threat. That's why it was crucial for someone to be on hand to suppress them immediately and prevent needless harm.

  Titus's bloodline awakening had come without warning—something rare among the kobolds. Even Titus himself probably didn't expect his bloodline to activate so suddenly.

  Draven turned the unconscious Titus over and positioned him into a more comfortable sleeping posture before taking a closer look at him.

  Calling him a "kobold" didn't quite feel accurate—he looked more like a wolf-dog-man. A true werewolf wouldn't make dog-like barking noises like he had.

  Transformed, Titus stood a little over two meters tall—shorter than both Draven and his Blackwolf kin. During their brief clash, Draven had clearly sensed that his strength wasn't all that impressive.

  He crouched and opened the creature's mouth for inspection, noticing even the fangs were far less sharp than those of a true werewolf.

  He was essentially a watered-down version of one—less powerful and less fearsome. Draven stood up, a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.

  Still, he didn't look down on this"wolf-dog-man." Every race had its own strengths and unique traits. That would all have to wait until Titus woke up.

  Draven stepped out of the stone hut and called loudly to the villagers who had gathered outside, still trying to encourage each other.

  He urged them to come see for themselves what a kobold bloodline warrior truly looked like.

  Apart from Titus, none of the others in this generation might ever awaken their bloodline. But that was okay. Draven still wanted to show them hope.

  Just because they couldn't, didn't mean their children wouldn't.

  The first to step forward was a female kobold. She had a gentle face and eyes filled with excitement and anticipation. There it was—Black Flag Territory's future.

  Draven chuckled softly when he saw her tenderly caressing Titus's thick arm with infatuation written all over her face.

  Over the next two days, Draven not only helped Titus get used to his newly awakened bloodline powers but also issued a third official prohibition to all villagers in Black Flag Territory.

  After banning the consumption of raw cassava and public defecation, the third rule was: No drinking unboiled water.

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  Lately, the rains had been falling off and on, and the stream near Village No. 2 was gradually turning murky.

  At first, Draven didn't think much of it, until he saw the young ones in the chieftain's hall gulping down raw water during a lesson—and then he realized how serious the issue was.

  It dawned on him that outside of the small group he directly influenced, most beastfolk still clung to ancient, unhygienic habits. And it wasn't just beastfolk.

  He'd even gone out of his way to ask Sylvia about drinking hot water and learned that in the World of Aurelia, hardly anyone had such a practice.

  Sylvia was confused about the prohibition. She didn't understand why the werewolf chieftain was so insistent. She admitted she had no idea what benefit hot water could possibly offer.

  Draven couldn't quite explain it either, but he figured—hey, drinking hot water can't hurt, and more often than not, it's probably good for you.

  Once a prohibition was issued, someone had to be responsible for supervising and enforcing it. That job fell to Titus, who had just awakened his bloodline.

  Dressed in a set of leather armor, Titus looked spirited and carried a confidence he had never shown before.

  With a leather whip in hand, he went door to door, walking through the streets to notify the villagers and urge everyone to comply with the new rule.

  This imposing demeanor not only earned him the villagers' respect but also attracted many envious glances.

  Indeed, since Titus's bloodline awakening, he had been officially appointed sheriff of Village No. 2. On the surface, he seemed rough and wild, but privately, he really had some skills.

  Before Chieftain Draven, he shed tears of gratitude, then turned and carried off a female kobold into the stone hut, completely ignoring the eyes around them.

  Afterwards, he proudly explained that he was just following the leader's example and keeping pace with him!

  Draven glanced at Alaric's predatory eyes and felt a sharp pang of resentment.

  What irritated him most were Liliana's eyes—they practically shone, filled with greed and desire.

  Draven muttered to himself that if things continued like this in the village, trouble was bound to happen.

  So on the third day, when the rain gradually stopped and the weather began to clear, the chieftain of Black Flag Territory gave the order and led a group of brightly dressed children into the nearby forest.

  These little ones ran and jumped excitedly—not only because they could finally leave the village to play, but also because of the new clothes they wore.

  After the umbrella, which Draven had angrily dismantled for its impracticality, the village now had a new invention: raincoats.

  Draven only gave a simple description of the raincoat's design, but the skillful Viola quickly made them using the village's stock of snake leather.

  Over the past two days, she had also led the female kobolds in producing a batch of raincoats. Watching the kids bounce about in their raincoats under the drizzle, Draven's face showed a satisfied smile.

  Who said beastfolk lacked creativity? Not only did they make raincoats, but the little fox girl even made rain boots! Though the boots were just simple snake leather wraps that could only keep their feet dry, it was still impressive.

  Draven called out loudly for Viola and the others to hurry and keep up with the group. The kids up front were full of energy and running fast; if they weren't watched carefully, they could easily get lost.

  The twenty or so children were split into several teams, each led by Viola, Sylvia, Alaric, and Ayla.

  As for Liliana? Draven simply put her in one of the children's groups to run along and keep her out of trouble.

  The four teams entered the forest near the village, and Draven occasionally crouched to pick some wild flowers and grasses.

  When he was ready, he called the four leaders over, handed each a reference sample, and explained in detail.

  "Remember this. Look carefully at these samples, find these, and don't touch those brightly colored, flashy ones!"

  Draven pointed at the mushrooms in his hand as he emphasized and explained. This was the surprise he had mentioned earlier.

  Nature always generously provides food—on the condition that you know how to tell it apart. Unfortunately, the beastfolk clearly lacked this skill.

  The appearance and taste of wild mushrooms discouraged them; many couldn't distinguish which were edible and which were deadly.

  Countless stories of poisoning and death from accidental ingestion had led them to completely shun mushrooms.

  Even the elves were no exception. But their lives were simple and carefree. Like Sylvia, they were content with eating some wild fruits and drinking honey.

  Draven repeatedly reminded the four leaders to memorize the look of the samples before signaling the teams to spread out and begin collecting.

  He followed behind them, inspecting the mushrooms they gathered to make sure no one picked the wrong ones.

  The mushrooms in this other world were not much different from those on Blue Star. Thanks to Bran and others' trial and error, Draven had already identified many edible species.

  Mushrooms couldn't fully replace staple foods, but at least they could enrich the villagers' meals.

  More importantly, this stuff suited the chieftain's own taste perfectly.