Inside a stone house in Village No. 2, Draven quietly stared at the potion recipe in his hands, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He understood clearly—the Serpent Ancestor had actually entrusted him with the secret to luring demons.

  "It seems it's time to go pressure that old fellow a bit," he muttered under his breath, a cold glint in his eyes.

  Although the recipe looked quite authentic, and the ingredients were all in stock within the village, Draven couldn't help but remain cautious. That old Serpent Ancestor was always secretive, surely keeping a backup plan or hiding some hidden trick in the formula. The territory had expert alchemists who could detect any deceit, and Draven trusted their sharp eyes wouldn't be fooled.

  Clutching the potion recipe, Draven walked toward Viola and Sylvia, who were inspecting the newly renovated drying house. The rainy season's dampness made drying mushrooms incredibly difficult; the air was thick with moisture, and occasional sunny days weren't enough to meet the villagers' needs.

  After harvesting, mushrooms rotted at an alarming speed. Watching piles of mushrooms spoil, the villagers could only helplessly turn their eyes toward their leader, Draven.

  Excited villagers rushed around picking mushrooms, and even the recently arrived three hundred female slaves eagerly joined the harvest. Whenever the rain lightened, almost no one stayed indoors—the whole village was bustling with mushroom pickers.

  Draven knew this situation couldn't continue. He had to find a way to improve the drying equipment. Fortunately, Viola was a fire fox mage skilled in fire magic—otherwise, where would they find enough charcoal to keep the drying going?

  So Viola and Sylvia teamed up to design a new magic array, engraved inside the stone house. This array could automatically absorb magical elements from the air and convert them into heat energy, which it then slowly released.

  The result was an eco-friendly drying house powered entirely by natural magic, ensuring the mushrooms' quality remained uncontaminated.

  With the array inscribed, the only thing left was to test it. Draven wasn't in a hurry to approve it immediately. He stood aside, watching Viola direct the villagers and slaves as they neatly arranged basket after basket of freshly picked mushrooms on the drying racks.

  The trial's outcome would affect many future matters. Not only mushrooms but also dried cassava, dried fish, dried fruit, and even the bathhouse Draven longed for could benefit from this drying technology.

  Viola told him the array still had great potential for improvement—perhaps one day it could regulate temperature to suit different drying needs.

  Finally, the last basket of mushrooms was arranged. Viola instructed everyone to leave and personally closed the heavy door.

  She took her staff from her waist and recited an ancient, complex incantation. Magical energy immediately gathered in the air, flowing slowly toward the drying house.

  Though Draven wasn't a mage and couldn't sense magic as precisely as Viola and Sylvia, he could clearly feel the power converging like a rising tide.

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  Viola's eyes narrowed slightly, her attention fully fixed on the magical patterns inside the drying house. The patterns looked like molten iron being poured into a complex mold, gradually filling every groove.

  As the magical energy increased, the temperature inside the drying house slowly rose, eventually stabilizing at a constant level. Viola gently closed her eyes, sensing the array's operation, a satisfied expression spreading across her face.

  After quite a while, Draven and Sylvia opened their eyes almost simultaneously. They exchanged a smile, and the air was filled with a joyous sense of success.

  "It worked! Draven, you really are a genius!" The little fox Viola clapped her hands excitedly, her eyes shining with admiration.

  Sylvia, standing nearby, also smiled with satisfaction. The werewolf leader's novel idea had inspired them greatly.

  As elves, they were used to using magic to improve life, but they hadn't expected this time it was a black wolf—Draven—who came up with such a method first.

  Draven basked happily in the admiring gazes around him. Pointing proudly at the drying house, he said with a smile,"Not bad. We should make several more of these. They'll be perfect for drying cassava, dried fish, dried fruit, and so on."

  Viola and Sylvia's eyes lit up upon hearing this, eager to start renovating more buildings. But before they could say more, Draven interrupted,"No rush. There's plenty of time. Let's take it slow."

  He grabbed both of them and, without hesitation, led them toward the leader's hall. Viola didn't mind, but Sylvia's face instantly flushed, her feline features full of shyness.

  She tried to pull away, but Draven's large hand held her firmly—resistance was futile. Sylvia understood this was intentional; the more she struggled, the tighter his grip became.

  Before Sylvia could say anything, they arrived at the leader's hall. Only then did Draven release her. Sylvia breathed a sigh of relief but also felt a twinge of disappointment.

  She glanced at her reddened palm and shot Draven a sharp glare. Draven, however, looked unfazed, chuckling mischievously.

  Before Sylvia could respond, Draven pulled out the potion recipe written on animal hide and said expectantly,"This is a potion formula that can attract magical beasts. Help me check if there's any problem with it."

  Though a bit reluctant, Sylvia accepted the hide since they were in the leader's hall. She rolled her eyes slightly and began reading aloud the names of the herbs on the recipe:"Purple Thorn, Horsetail Root, Sunfire Grass…"

  As she recited each ingredient, Sylvia's brow furrowed more and more. Viola came over, her expression full of puzzlement.

  "These ingredients don't seem related," Viola frowned,"but if mixed according to the proportions in the recipe, maybe it really will have the effect of attracting magical beasts as you said."

  The two examined the formula carefully and whispered a few words to each other. Finally, Sylvia, with a more authoritative tone, declared,"These ingredients are all available in the village. Once Viola and I try making it, we'll know how effective it is."

  With that, the two left, full of interest, leaving Draven alone in the hall. He sniffed his palm somewhat slyly.

  "What a tempting scent," he muttered to himself.

  With Sylvia and Viola's scrutiny, the authenticity of the potion recipe was quickly confirmed. When they sprinkled the prepared powder onto a small piece of fresh meat, even the normally uninterested Nightmare Horse couldn't help but stick out its dark tongue to gently lick it.

  Only after confirming that the Nightmare Horse showed no adverse reaction did Draven finally relax.

  He then ordered Viola to prepare several batches of the demon-luring potion ingredients. Since the Serpent Ancestor had gifted him this recipe, Draven naturally wanted the Serpent Ancestor to taste this surprising treat.

  The next day, the weather was gloomy but dry. Draven rode his Nightmare Horse to Village No. 3. The village chief, Green Serpent, greeted him warmly. Draven smiled and instructed him to summon the captains of the remaining thirteen hunting squads in the village.

  Meanwhile, the Serpent Ancestor hid in the shadows, quietly observing the village's activity, careful to avoid being noticed by Draven.

  Seeing the bloodline warrior-level snake men gather in the village chief's main house under Green Serpent's leadership, the Serpent Ancestor smiled slightly. His sleek black snake body coiled as he slid over to Gregor's stone house and began his usual instigation:"Looks like he doesn't fully trust you either, huh?"