There is strength in numbers—this was a truth Draven had known since childhood. Besides, the mushrooms in this forest hadn't been disturbed for a long time; they grew thick and abundant, almost like a thick carpet spread across the ground.

  The village kids ran excitedly through the woods, their wicker baskets quickly filling to the brim—some even struggling to fit any more.

  They helped each other, neatly stacking the mushrooms in their baskets, faces glowing with the satisfaction of their first labor.

  Draven gathered everyone together, urging them to work as one to carry the baskets onto a flat, large rock. Standing there with a stern expression, he lifted a basket and slowly emptied the mushrooms onto the stone.

  "This is what I'm talking about," Draven said sharply, scanning the pile of mushrooms with keen eyes.

  "This one's no good. Who picked these red ones?"

  The kids immediately crowded around, their faces full of nervous anticipation. They surrounded the werewolf chieftain, watching him inspect their harvest.

  In truth, this inspection wasn't just about quantity or quality—it was more about deepening their understanding of mushrooms.

  It didn't matter if they didn't know the names of the mushrooms; what mattered was that they learned which ones were edible and which were absolutely off-limits.

  Viola and a few adults stood behind the kids, listening intently as Draven explained. Liliana, however, had just secretly tasted one of the mushrooms; it had almost no flavor. She spit out the remnants and frowned tightly.

  "Are these strange mushrooms really safe to eat?" Liliana whispered doubtfully.

  She had cautiously nibbled a few bites, finding the taste bland and somewhat bitter, which made her wrinkle her nose in distaste.

  Seeing that everyone was paying close attention, Draven continued to explain carefully how to distinguish safe mushrooms from dangerous ones. Once the sorting was done, he mercilessly stomped on the inedible mushrooms with decisive and firm steps.

  "Load up the mushrooms—we're heading back to the village."

  Back in the village, the chieftain's hall was already filled with a rich aroma. In fact, even before they set out, Draven had the villagers prepare two large pots inside the hall.

  One was for him and the kids, and the other, larger one, was for the villagers. The pots were already simmering with wild chicken and dried meat, filling the air with tempting, steaming fragrance.

  Draven walked over, stirred the soup with a ladle, and nodded in satisfaction. Viola led a group of villagers in bringing basket after basket of harvested mushrooms into the hall.

  They carefully washed every mushroom and sliced them meticulously, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

  While busy, Viola explained the morning's foraging results to the villagers, sharing her insights and knowledge. Before long, several large baskets of mushrooms had been cleaned, sliced, and neatly piled beside the pots.

  Draven personally selected some mushrooms to put into his own pot; the rest went into the larger one. As the mushrooms entered the thick broth, a unique fragrance quickly spread throughout the hall.

  Liliana, smelling the aroma, couldn't help but swallow. Suddenly, she realized she might have misjudged the werewolf chieftain—the scent was unexpectedly tempting.

  Quietly and stealthily, Liliana tried to sneak a spoonful from the big pot. But suddenly, she felt a sharp grip on the back of her neck and was effortlessly lifted off the ground from behind.

  Draven immediately hoisted the barely 1.5-meter-tall Liliana up and casually snatched the ladle from her hand.

  "Cook it a bit longer. No eating before it's ready!"

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  He set down the struggling Liliana and turned to address everyone loudly.

  The rain had finally stopped. As the savory aroma wafted out of the chieftain's hall, more and more villagers were drawn over. Draven told them to go home and grab bowls—everyone would get a steaming bowl of mushroom hotpot soon.

  After about half an hour, Draven stirred the soup again, sniffed it carefully, and confirmed it was just right.

  He nodded and was about to speak, but Liliana beat him to it—letting out a sharp cry as she snatched the ladle away.

  After Liliana had filled a large bowl brimming with mushroom soup, Draven finally smiled helplessly and gestured for Viola and the other villagers to start serving food to the kids first.

  He knew these little ones were eager to eat, but rules had to be respected. Soon, the chief's hall was filled with sounds of surprise and praise.

  The mushroom hotpot had completely won over every person in Village No. 2. The villagers had never tasted anything like it—rich in flavor, fragrant, and even carrying a hint of wildness.

  They quickly realized that this mushroom hotpot might become a brand-new staple in their daily lives. Some villagers immediately began asking Viola about other ways to cook mushrooms.

  Fortunately, the night before, Draven had taught Viola, the little fox girl, all the recipes for these mushrooms. Viola responded gracefully, smiling patiently as she answered everyone's questions.

  Once the food was brought to the table, everyone ate with great enthusiasm, laughter and chatter filling the hall. The kids had gathered plenty of mushrooms, and the supply in the pot didn't seem to diminish too quickly.

  After everyone was full, the villagers were pleasantly surprised to find the rain had stopped and the sun was beginning to show its face. So they invited one another and prepared to go back to the forest to collect even more mushrooms.

  Draven watched all this happily, silently rejoicing:"This is how it's done. Finding new ways to survive is how the village will gradually develop."

  He arranged for Alaric and a few other strong men to guard the village entrance in the evening and help the villagers sort the mushrooms they collected that day.

  Draven knew very well that the villagers, having just eaten mushroom hotpot for the first time, must not be poisoned because they didn't recognize the mushrooms.

  To help them better identify mushrooms, Draven personally made a simple illustrated guidebook with a leather cover, depicting various common edible and inedible mushrooms.

  Though the guidebook was simple, the content was practical and the drawings detailed, making it easy for villagers to recognize mushrooms.

  He believed that with this guidebook, after some exploration, the villagers would quickly understand the characteristics of mushrooms and how to safely consume them.

  After finishing the illustrations, he handed the original copy to Alaric to have several copies made as backups.

  Originally, Draven planned to keep the guidebook safely stored, but then decided to print more copies so that more villagers could make use of it.

  Besides the chief's hall, there was a small storage room nearby in the village. It was filled with various notes and materials Draven had accumulated over the years—a sort of primitive library for Black Flag Territory.

  However, aside from Viola and Sylvia, other villagers showed little interest in this storage room. But Viola told Draven that Arnold, a little pup from the Black Wolf clan, occasionally went there to browse through the materials.

  Draven thought about it and decided to take things slowly; these kinds of knowledge would eventually be discovered by someone over time. Stretching at the doorway, Draven began planning for tomorrow.

  If the weather was good, he planned to make a trip to Selene City. Rurik was alone in the city, and Draven couldn't help but feel uneasy.

  In his eyes, whether it was Rurik or Bran, they were still just kids who hadn't matured, lacking experience and training. Now that the new ingredient was unlocked, dinner would naturally continue to be a mushroom feast.

  Mushroom cream soup, stir-fried mushrooms, grilled mushrooms, braised mushrooms, even mushrooms fried with meat—Draven tried every cooking method he could think of.

  His cooking skills were excellent; every dish he made was fragrant and mouthwatering. Even Sylvia, who usually ate little, had several extra bowls.

  Not to mention the little foodie Liliana, who ate with a face full of satisfaction.

  Viola focused more on cooking techniques, helping out and, while eating, humbly asking Draven about various details.

  This full mushroom feast finally satisfied Draven's cravings greatly. He looked at everyone with a contented smile.

  At night, he held Viola close and told her about his plan to go to Selene City the next day. Though it was just a short trip of one or two days, the little fox girl couldn't hide her reluctance and was unusually affectionate.

  Since she had seriously studied and practiced repeatedly, her combat ability had improved a lot. Meanwhile, Draven's bloodline power had also grown stronger, enabling him to withstand the early shocks and grow braver with every battle.

  Early the next morning, Draven watched Viola's rosy face as she carefully adjusted his clothes. Gareth, the blood elf, truly had an extraordinary way of applying bloodline power—it not only replenished energy and boosted strength but also made people glow with vitality.

  Viola's skin grew better day by day, warming Draven's heart. He lowered his head and planted a hearty kiss on her flawless face.

  After packing, he mounted Nightmare Horse and set off toward Village No. 1, accompanied by Titus.

  This time, Bran was coming along to Selene City with Draven. They had agreed earlier that Titus would replace Bran to guard Village No. 1.

  They were brothers, and Draven didn't want to be partial. He also hoped Bran could get out more and broaden his horizons, to experience the taste of life as a"bunny girl."