Just as the meal was ready, the Dorian brothers burst into the stone house, panting heavily, their faces brimming with uncontrollable excitement and joy.

  Draven immediately knew they must have brought good news this time. Without saying much, he quickly handed each of them a cup of water to help them catch their breath.

  Rurik stood nearby, his face full of anticipation and eagerness. Draven glanced at him and gave his leg a light kick."Stop dawdling and get going with the food delivery!"

  Rurik grumbled under his breath, reluctant but still grabbed the pots and pans, slowly heading out.

  Angelica and the others usually stayed at the Tavern, and it was always him who cooked and brought food over. This time, Draven simply didn't want Rurik involved, so he sent him away.

  The Dorian brothers steadied themselves, their smiles growing wider.

  "They've gotten cocky; they're easy to find."

  "They're active in the western forest, showing up frequently lately!"

  The three deerfolk spoke in turn, their voices full of excitement and hope, as if they could catch the enemies at any moment.

  But Draven only nodded calmly, his eyes steady, saying nothing more. He signaled for them to eat quickly and rest afterward.

  As Draven's trusted right-hand man, Rurik had grown up with him and knew better than to talk back now. The three Dorian brothers had only just pledged allegiance and dared not slack off even a little.

  Holding large bowls, the brothers ate ravenously, occasionally exchanging glances, all thinking: what would the chief plan next? How badly they wanted to rush in and take revenge themselves!

  "Remember what you promised me?" Draven knocked on the table.

  The three deerfolk remained silent, heads down, eating.

  After dinner, Draven told them to return and prepare their gear, to meet at the city gate early the next morning. His tone was firm; no one doubted this was not open to discussion.

  The Dorian brothers looked confused and conflicted. They wanted to ask why they had to return to Black Flag Territory before avenging their enemies—to spy on Bronan's movements, but they held back.

  Watching their low whispers and fading backs, Draven smiled faintly.

  Then he walked into Black Flag Tavern, telling Martha to go prepare first. The deer siblings had lived in Selene City for some time; they deserved a proper farewell.

  Martha nodded and, before leaving, secretly glanced at Draven. Her gaze was sharp, like a hook, making Draven's heart tighten. He wondered if she was trying to hint something to him.

  As he watched Martha's long, straight legs walk farther away, he rubbed his nose, honestly feeling a stir inside.

  The deerfolk's tails were short, and every time she took a step, it swayed left and right like a small ornament—charming in its own way.

  Reluctantly, Draven withdrew his gaze—only to meet Liliana's resentful eyes.

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  Before she could shout"pervert," he quickly reached out and rubbed the little horns on her head. That trick worked perfectly; Liliana immediately showed an expression of delight.

  That night, Draven went nowhere. He stayed at Black Flag Tavern to help out, soaking in the lively atmosphere firsthand.

  Business was especially good. Unless it rained, once the weather warmed up, many of the demi-humans couldn't stand the stifling heat of the stone house and liked to come out for some fresh air.

  Angelica and the others were really good at attracting customers, easily selling over a hundred drinks in one night.

  Draven did some quick calculations and realized that blood wine was selling far better than monkey wine.

  This wasn't surprising—after all, for the same quantity, blood wine's effects were more direct and noticeable for demi-humans. Even if the wine was mixed or blended, it was still more popular.

  He thought maybe the price of monkey wine should be adjusted; it couldn't keep selling like this.

  Over in Black Flag Territory, the cassava wine, regular monkey wine, and the batch of grape wine entrusted to the monkey folk should be arriving soon.

  By then, Black Flag Tavern would be able to sell some cask-stored wines.

  Draven calculated in his mind that pricing a cask of ordinary wine at twenty-five copper coins seemed about right.

  Accounting for the cost of the cask, selling at this price would net at least fifteen copper coins profit per cask—and if the casks could be reused, the profits would be even higher.

  Taking advantage of a quiet moment in business, Draven shared his plan with Angelica and Katia,

  asking them for ideas since they were more sensitive to market trends, prices, and understood customer psychology better.

  The two sisters exchanged a look and felt there was no need to lower the price of monkey wine.

  "The more people drink it, the more they'll appreciate monkey wine's unique qualities," Angelica said firmly.

  Katia agreed,"Yeah, Angelica's right! Chief, twenty-five copper coins for a cask is too cheap. I think at least thirty copper coins is the starting point."

  Draven didn't argue and decided to leave all the tavern business management to them, focusing himself on procurement and collecting payments.

  After gaining the chief's approval, Angelica and Katia were extremely happy.

  They were content with their current life—no one dared to bully them anymore, and Rurik treated them with great care. Especially last night...

  The two bunny girls both licked their soft pink lips, showing satisfied smiles.

  As night deepened, the streets grew quiet, and business at the tavern slowed down. At that moment, Rurik came over to help Angelica and the others clean up the stall.

  Back at the stone house, Draven led Nightmare Horse and patted Rurik on the shoulder.

  "You don't need to escort me tomorrow. Get some good rest."

  Rurik nodded somewhat disappointed—not because he didn't want to part, but because he was frustrated at being unable to participate in tomorrow's operation.

  He knew the chief's temper too well—Bronan definitely wouldn't escape this time.

  Then, leading Nightmare Horse and carrying Liliana, they headed to the new house. Since buying the new place, this was their first night there.

  And the last—after tomorrow, Rurik and the others would move in.

  Draven scratched his head, noticing that the two animal skins laid out in the room were placed quite far apart, leaving a noticeable gap between them.

  He solemnly warned Liliana,"Don't come running over to my side."

  Liliana hugged a big bag of coins, smiling and rolling her eyes. The bag was sewn by Angelica and stuffed full of the money she had worked hard to earn.

  To make it look like more, she foolishly exchanged two silver coins for more copper ones. The rattling sound of the bag and the little girl's sparkling eyes showed she wasn't tired at all.

  The next morning, she stubbornly clung to Draven, refusing to get up.

  What was stranger was that, despite the skins being laid so far apart, she somehow crawled over to him without him noticing. And wasn't it hot lying so close together?

  Helpless, Draven simply wiped her face and placed her on Nightmare Horse's back.

  At the city gate, Liliana finally opened her eyes. Seeing they were about to leave the city, she pouted, full of reluctance.

  Only two days away from Selene City, and she already hated to leave. The main reason was, of course, that she could make money in the city—and for money-loving Liliana, that was too tempting.

  Outside the gate, Martha and her brother were already waiting. The four of them all carried medium-sized bundles of animal skin packs, ready to set off at any moment.

  Draven didn't say much, only signaling them to go ahead with his eyes.

  He leisurely led Nightmare Horse, slowly walking toward the outskirts. The road outside the city was uneven, strewn with gravel and potholes in places.

  But Draven was unhurried, and Nightmare Horse stepped steadily, occasionally kicking up little puffs of dust.