Whether they are exotic beasts or magical beasts, being able to ride them into battle is itself a symbol of power. But reality is far from romantic.

  To truly control these creatures, passion alone is far from enough. One must have strength, methods, and a bit of luck.

  Judging from the overall strength of Black Flag Territory at present, very few are truly worthy of having mounts. Most warriors haven't even completed their bloodline awakening, let alone formed a contract or emotional bond with a magical beast.

  However, this is not an urgent matter. Draven is patient about it. He understands that these things belong to the next stage of the territory's development, and now is not the time to rush.

  Bran, on the other hand, has made some unexpected progress. After frequent interactions with the Frost Wolfman Kevin, he has begun to uncover some secrets of beast taming within the Frost Wolf clan.

  The Frost Wolf clan did not suddenly gain their wolf riders overnight. Generations ago, they started domesticating exotic wolf beasts. It is said that it all began when their chieftain successfully tamed a powerful giant wolf, one that could even challenge a peak-level leader.

  This giant wolf later bred within the Frost Wolf clan, and the bloodline of today's wolf riders can almost all be traced back to it.

  Any clansman who reaches the level of a bloodline warrior can select a wolf cub from the pack and attempt to cultivate a compatible mount.

  As long as the exotic beast acknowledges them, they can claim their own wolf rider. This aligns closely with what the Serpentmen say.

  Green Serpent once mentioned that their guardian giant python also originated from an exotic serpent egg accidentally hatched one generation ago. After successfully hatching and taming it, the Serpentmen have cultivated this guardian creature for generations.

  What Draven cares about most right now is: how to get a first-generation exotic beast that belongs to Black Flag Territory itself. Only with a first generation can subsequent populations be bred.

  He is not without options. For example, Ragnar.

  This companion demon wolf was bound to Draven himself through a bloodline ritual. Not only is it exceptionally capable, but it is also loyal to him to the bone.

  As for whether it has reproductive capability, Draven isn't sure yet. But judging from its appearance and anatomy, Ragnar does not lack the necessary organs.

  If he could find a few female wolves to mate with it— whether normal wolves or magical beasts— perhaps they could produce the first generation of wolf cubs.

  When this thought crossed his mind, he was momentarily stunned. There was still a bottle of pink aphrodisiac powder in his storage ring. At worst, he could double the dose.

  But soon he frowned again. The problem is that he and Ragnar are symbiotic beings— a shared soul, energy interconnected.

  If they really produced wolf pups, whose would the offspring be? Ragnar's? Or Draven's?

  He couldn't figure it out. The thought was somewhat frightening. Draven scratched the back of his head and shook it off.

  No matter, he would let Ragnar try first. Bran could be the backup plan.

  As for how the demi-humans originally came to be, that question still eluded him. Draven never believed those absurd myths about beastmen and elves interbreeding. But the actual process, he had no clue.

  He sighed and looked ahead again. Rather than pondering such things, it was better to check on the training progress of the Serpentmen.

  ...

  Gregor and Green Serpent watched the clansmen training in the square.

  A group of slender Serpentmen ran circles around the village. Under the sunlight, their blue-gray scales gleamed faintly.

  They lacked the explosive power of orcs but were extremely resilient. After running multiple laps around the village, few had fallen behind.

  At the rear of the formation, a large brown-black python silently slithered along the ground. Whenever someone slowed down or slacked off, its heavy tail would swing up without hesitation.

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  The struck Serpentman would immediately scream in pain, then accelerate and sprint.

  Gregor is currently the only warrior in the entire Serpentmen tribe able to extract systematic training methods from ancestral memories.

  His training includes running, load-bearing, formations, strength enhancement, and a complete set of other exercises. Even Draven, if he saw it in person, would have to nod in approval.

  However, Green Serpent doesn't quite understand these things. He worries more about the growth of the guardian snake.

  At present, only he and Gregor have the ability to hatch guardian snakes within the tribe. But for these young snakes to grow quickly into giant python-level combat units, daily feeding alone is insufficient.

  According to tribal tradition, guardian snakes grow faster by devouring the weak and elderly members of the tribe.

  Although he doesn't fully understand the reason behind this, Green Serpent has witnessed the effectiveness firsthand.

  Now the chieftain forbids such practices. Then how can their guardian snakes grow quickly?

  Devouring ordinary wild beasts does nothing to help the guardian serpents grow. To trigger their mutation, these small prey are absolutely insufficient. But if they were fed magical beasts, those creatures are too precious to waste so easily.

  Green Serpent watched the clan members running continuously in the training ground. If a real fight broke out, how long could these people hold out? Could they even hold out at all?

  His pupils slightly contracted, but inwardly he couldn't help but speculate: if war really started, the consequences would likely be unimaginable.

  In truth, Green Serpent lacked much backbone and wasn't enthusiastic about this training. He thought his mind was still sharp and that he didn't need to waste all his energy on running and formations.

  Compared to these, he preferred to delve into the world of poisons— that was where his true interest lay.

  He had to admit, the ancient manuals Draven gave him were indeed fascinating. Green Serpent had already begun to imitate the formulas from the manuals, gradually compiling the various poison recipes left behind by the ancestors of the Serpentmen.

  Although these tasks were assigned by the chief, he took them particularly seriously, even with a bit of excitement.

  He understood that to do better and rise higher in the Black Flag Territory, brute force alone was not enough.

  One must have something others don't. One must have means.

  Green Serpent no longer cared about the trivial training details Gregor obsessed over. He knew his position and goals were completely different. Today, he had one important task— to go to Village No. 2 and bring back those hundred or so Serpentman female slaves.

  He pondered whether he should let Gregor go select these female slaves first. After all, Gregor had been promoted to chief now, and his status was different. Green Serpent felt a vague unease.

  Since Gregor's promotion to chief, he felt his own position as village head was precarious.

  Although Gregor seemed utterly uninterested in the village head role and looked indifferent toward power, the other clan members' attitudes toward Gregor had clearly started to change.

  Green Serpent couldn't understand why Gregor had earned such deep trust from Draven. But he knew perhaps from the start, he never had the qualifications to compete with Gregor.

  Especially after learning that the little black snake beside Gregor was none other than the legendary Serpent Ancestor itself, Green Serpent completely gave up any thoughts of rivalry.

  To him, simply continuing to enjoy the benefits granted by the chief was enough. Whether he remained village head or not no longer mattered.

  Green Serpent had thought over many things. The only progress was that he began to consider how to create greater value for himself, how to find a foothold in this situation.

  After all, with the mark of submission branded on him, he no longer had the chance to regain freedom. To live better, he had to exchange for more value.

  Flattering alone was not enough. Of course, this didn't stop him from kowtowing and expressing loyalty whenever he met Draven.

  Draven waved his hand gently, sending Green Serpent to find Viola and bring back all the Serpentman female slaves, specifically instructing that once returned, these slaves would be managed entirely by Gregor and Green Serpent was not to interfere.

  Green Serpent agreed meekly. Although he felt somewhat disappointed, he quickly thought: at least he could help continue the Serpentman bloodline.

  "If it weren't for me, Green Serpent, this Serpentman clan would have gone extinct long ago!" Thinking this, his mood brightened considerably, and his steps became lighter.

  Watching Green Serpent proudly hurry to Village No. 2 to collect the female slaves, Draven sighed quietly.

  Placing Gregor in Village No. 3 somewhat wasted his talents, but unfortunately, there were too few suitable personnel at the moment to choose from.

  On the training ground, Draven saw the succubus Linda sparring bare-handed in pairs with the younger recruits.

  He shook his head slightly; this training method was still too primitive and utterly outdated.

  He called Linda into the chief's hall. Seeing her puzzled look, Draven briefly introduced the physical training methods he had learned from his previous life, selecting some simple and practical exercises to teach her.

  Linda listened very carefully.

  That night, Draven sat around the table eating with his family, while Linda stayed in her stone hut writing and sketching furiously.

  Though the training methods Draven taught during the day were novel, there was indeed much worth borrowing from them.

  After personally testing the methods, Linda was even more certain that these trainings could make them stronger. She also knew that Selene had instructed her to report promptly if any discoveries were made.

  She carefully recorded everything on animal skin parchments, then tied them to the leg of the Night Raven, preparing to send them to Selene.

  Draven was fully aware of Linda's identity— she was a spy— but he didn't mind.

  When Titus hurriedly came to report some news, Draven just smiled and waved him off, saying,"Sooner or later, we're all family. No need to rush."