The Nightmare Horse galloped through the air, wind roaring past their ears. Draven sat astride the horse, suddenly furrowing his brow.

  Last time we went to Selene City, it seemed we didn't have a fixed place to stay at all. He glanced back at Liliana sitting behind him — the little girl was leaning against him, her eyes shining bright, completely unafraid of flying.

  He didn't mind staying rough for one night by himself, but Liliana was a child; there was no way he could just shove her into that shabby little stone hut. Just thinking about it made him uneasy.

  Rurik should know I'm coming today, right? There has to be some preparation? Draven rubbed his chin, feeling a little anxious.

  Suddenly, Draven realized how cramped he had felt sleeping alone in that little hut last time. Now with Liliana added, it would be even worse.

  He wasn't sure if Rurik was still living there — after all, he now had a family to take care of.

  If Rurik was still holed up in the old place, even if he didn't feel wronged, Draven as the leader would lose face. Bran and the others had already moved into spacious new houses; he couldn't just leave Rurik alone in that broken stone hut.

  But what Draven didn't know was that Rurik didn't feel any hardship at all right now.

  Sunlight streamed through the thin gauzy curtains into the stone house, carrying a faint floral fragrance in the air. Rurik had just woken up, sweating under the heat trapped in the bed.

  He carefully climbed out of bed and slowly untangled the four arms and legs wrapped around him.

  Two bunny girls clung tightly to him on either side, holding him close. Their skin was as smooth as water, soft and fragrant. He bent down and kissed each of their faces, a smile curling at his lips.

  "I'm going out to take care of some business. You guys keep sleeping," he said quietly.

  "Just sleep a little longer…" one of the voices was sickly sweet, like a coquettish plea.

  Rurik was close to giving in, but he gritted his teeth to stay firm and hurriedly got dressed. He glanced at the two bunny girls tangled on the bed — weren't they hot? It was midday, yet they still clung so closely.

  Muttering to himself, he pushed the door open. The sunlight hit his face, waking him up a bit more.

  Today, he planned to go find some parchment and some good wood. He had already decided to make a practical yet beautiful lantern stand — a way to curry favor with Selene. Rurik wasn't a fool; he knew not to waste this opportunity.

  Just then, Draven arrived at Selene City with Liliana.

  The sound of hooves echoed repeatedly on the ground before the stone house. Dust billowed as man and horse came to a steady stop at the doorstep.

  "You're making lanterns?" Draven frowned at Rurik, noticing several freshly shaved pieces of parchment on the ground and a wooden frame that looked half-finished.

  "Chief! You're here!" Rurik jumped up from the floor — he had been so focused on his work he hadn't realized Draven and company were near.

  "Got lucky this time — clear skies all the way, arrived in the city before dark," Draven dismounted and scanned the house casually, asking, "Where's Angelica?"

  "They went out to sell. Business at the Tavern is good; they left as soon as dawn broke," Rurik said with a smile as he took the reins, moving briskly.

  The Nightmare Horse snorted in response. Liliana jumped down from the saddle — her short legs stumbled a bit on the ground but she quickly recovered and crouched down curiously fiddling with the wooden frame.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  "Them?" Draven caught the plural in Rurik's words.

  "Not bad, kid," Draven nudged Rurik's shoulder with his elbow, grinning slyly. "Looks like you're living pretty well."

  "I'll bring you some good stuff later to help you recover — you won't last long in that shape," Draven said mock-seriously, then patted Rurik's shoulder and went inside.

  The house was small but neatly arranged. Draven frowned. "Can this place fit them all?"

  Rurik replied, "Just two bunny girls, they don't take up much space. But with you bringing Liliana, yeah, it's kind of cramped."

  Draven knew Rurik was used to hard times before, so he hadn't thought much about it. But now things were different — their status had changed, and it was time to improve their living conditions.

  "How much have you earned in the past half month?" Draven suddenly asked.

  "Bring it all along — we're going to buy a house!"

  "Stop standing there dazed, grab the money. While it's still daylight, let's go to the lord's manor and get the paperwork done."

  Rurik jumped up immediately, hastily tidying up the unfinished lantern work and getting ready to follow.

  Draven glanced at the pile of stuff and noticed the huge wooden lantern frame nearby that hadn't been assembled yet. "Why make it so big? That Tavern isn't that big of a place."

  Rurik rolled up the parchment while explaining, "The Tavern's lanterns are already done. This one's meant to be a gift for Lady Selene."

  Draven said, "Leave it be. Don't waste materials. I'll handle it tomorrow!"

  In his heart, Draven was actually quite pleased with Rurik's idea. A werewolf taking the initiative to give gifts meant he was thinking ahead. He patted Rurik's shoulder and signaled to set off.

  The three of them walked toward the lord's manor. Along the way, Rurik explained everything.

  Apparently, a customer casually mentioned that the Tavern's lighting was too dim at night, which gave him the idea to make a large lantern—and also one to give to the lord to leave a good impression.

  Draven nodded thoughtfully. He began to think that whenever they made something presentable, it wouldn't hurt to send some to the lord's manor. Since they were living on succubus territory, getting on good terms with the lord could only be beneficial.

  Liliana looked around left and right along the way, full of curiosity about everything in Selene City. Sometimes she suddenly wanted to rush into a Tavern. Draven had to hold her hand tightly, or else she'd disappear in a blink.

  A few minutes later, they arrived at the Black Flag Tavern.

  In front of the stall stood two strikingly similar bunny girls, scantily dressed, moving with coquettish grace and sweet smiles, yet their natural innocence made it impossible to treat them lightly.

  Draven looked at them, then at Rurik, his expression turning odd. This kid really liked this type?

  He tugged at the corner of his mouth and half-jokingly muttered, "Black wolf with white rabbits — that's quite the combination."

  Rurik smiled awkwardly, scratched the back of his head, and explained sheepishly, "Katia is Angelica's helper."

  Draven didn't ask further and turned to survey the Tavern. Business seemed much better than last time he came—not only were there more varieties of drinks, but even new snacks had been added.

  He pointed at a mushroom cold dish on the table and asked, "Who made this?"

  "Angelica. She recently learned some seasoning skills. The customers really like it." Rurik said proudly.

  "Not bad." Draven nodded, then pulled out a piece of beast skin from his storage ring and handed it to Angelica, who was busy at the counter.

  "This is a letter from Tibbit and Riven for you."

  The letter had been specially arranged earlier by Viola at his request. Angelica devoted all her attention to building up Black Flag Territory. Even if she never said it aloud, Draven knew she thought about her two little brothers every day.

  Angelica's eyes lit up as soon as she heard it was a letter from her brothers. She immediately wiped her hands, carefully took the beast skin, and held it in her palm to read.

  Her eyes were a little red, but her face was full of a happy smile. Draven didn't disturb her and instead turned to the other bunny girl.

  "You're Katia? Any family?"

  Katia shook her head and whispered, "No, it's just me."

  "Alright." Draven nodded. "From now on, just stay here at Black Flag. Don't worry about anything else, just work steadily."

  He wasn't the type to look down on people just because of humble origins.

  He casually placed Liliana behind the counter to stay with Angelica. "Don't run off. Rurik and I still have some things to handle."

  Liliana nodded, already too fascinated by the various snacks and trinkets in the Tavern to move. After making sure everything was settled, Draven called for Rurik to hurry.

  In Selene City, all houses belonged to the lord. Non-humanoids didn't have the right to build houses. If some fool built a house privately, the lord's manor wouldn't stop them—but once it was finished, it automatically became the manor's property.

  Over time, no one dared do such foolish things anymore. So the only way to have a place to live in the city was to register and buy or exchange through the lord's manor.

  Their old broken stone house was acquired by trading a whole low-level magical beast. Back then, the first beast they hunted was snatched away, and Draven was even forced to kneel to someone.

  On the way to the lord's manor, Draven's thoughts suddenly returned to those hard times.

  Thinking about how they now had a new home and could set up new property in Selene City, Draven straightened his back involuntarily and a faint smile appeared on his face.