"Blood wine! Fresh blood wine, cheap!"

  "Tasty and refreshing blood wine, want a cup?"

  Liliana stood in front of the tavern, shouting until her voice was hoarse, but her face still shone with excitement. Her eyes were lively, and her clear voice cut through the noisy slum streets.

  Draven approached and took the horn cup she handed him, then tilted his head back and gulped it down.

  "Not bad," he said, pulling a silver coin from his waist and flicking it into Liliana's lap.

  "A tip for you."

  Liliana squinted happily, saying "Thank you, Lord Leader" several times. Draven casually ruffled her hair, messing it up.

  She didn't mind at all, instead giggling as she ran back into the tavern, carefully stuffing the coin into a small pocket sewn onto her beast-hide clothes.

  That pocket was sewn by Viola, specifically for her to keep money. It was already bulging, bouncing as she walked, making her shouting even more energetic.

  Draven glanced back and shook his head with a light smile, then showed a hint of apology to Angelica:

  "She just likes to join the fun, making you worry."

  Angelica waved her hand and smiled,

  "It's fine. Having her around actually improved business quite a bit. She's got a gift for gab, drawing a lot of attention."

  Her gaze followed Liliana weaving through the tavern, soft and warm.

  Liliana had already told her that her two younger brothers were doing well over in the Black Flag Territory—not only was someone feeding them, but they also had female slaves to help dress and wash them, and even a teacher to teach them literacy.

  Draven had Liliana stay at the tavern for supervision—safe, and good for her to get some experience.

  "Let's go. First, we'll check out that new stone house."

  The house was already purchased, and the keys were in hand. Not checking it out would leave him uneasy. Plus, if they planned to move in, the place had to be cleaned—otherwise the dust would choke anyone.

  They pulled out the beast-hide deed, which marked the location of the stone house. Though the map was crude, they knew the slum well enough to find it by terrain and memory.

  In no time, they stood before the new stone house. The neighborhood was decent.

  Rurik pulled out the key from the succubus merchant's office, inserted it into the lock, and twisted it twice. A click, and the door opened.

  Inside, the light was dim; the air mixed with dust and mildew made them wrinkle their noses. But structurally, the house was fine—the floor was rough stone slabs, the walls had cracks but no collapse, and the stone arch overhead was sturdy.

  "At least no one's lived here," Draven said casually. "There's a lot of dust, but it's way better than living in a shack."

  He looked around. The house could fit three people without being cramped. It was much roomier than their old stone house, and in one corner lay two wooden planks and some torn cloth—left by the previous visitor.

  "When I leave, this will be perfect for your family of three," Draven patted Rurik's shoulder. "Don't give up the old house yet—keep it for when I come back to sleep."

  Rurik nodded, looking a little embarrassed but said nothing. It was definitely time to move.

  Especially in summer, that old stone house felt like a steamer at night. Thinking of those two hungry rabbit girls at home made him smile wryly.

  Draven noticed the change in his expression, shook his head with a smile, then opened the door wide and whispered,

  "Step back, I'll clear it out."

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  He summoned his bloodline power. A heavy force rose from his feet, swirling like a whirlwind inside the house. He controlled it steadily; the energy swept the room, kicking up a cloud of dust, then pushed it fiercely out the door.

  A storm of dirt and dust erupted from the house, sweeping away years of accumulated filth.

  "Much better now," Draven nodded and stepped inside, brushing dust off his hands and signaling Rurik to follow.

  They pulled a piece of beast-hide from the storage ring and spread it on the floor, sitting down.

  Draven wasn't in Selene City just to buy a house; the main reason was to compile a business report.

  He handed the alcohol stored in the ring to Rurik, then waited for the report.

  Rurik immediately opened the accounts he had prepared:

  "Overall, it's been okay. The income for the first half of the month was 20 gold coins. The second half, because of the festival, sold especially fast at night, bringing the total to nearly 60 gold coins."

  "On the night of the festival alone, we made almost 30 gold coins in just a few hours."

  Draven said, "So, the Black Flag Tavern's monthly income is about 80 gold coins?"

  Rurik: "It's the rainy season now, so there are fewer people coming and going in the city. Business is inevitably affected somewhat. I only joined in the second half of the month."

  "I estimate that next time you come to the city, even if it's not the night of the festival, just normal business could still bring in another thirty gold coins." Rurik said seriously, his eyes showing a mix of hope and caution.

  Draven: "Not bad at all. How about letting Angelica find you another bunny girl? Your stall is getting quite big now."

  After saying this, he pulled out several pieces of parchment from his storage ring, as if suddenly remembering something important.

  "Here, some good stuff for you." Draven handed the parchments to Rurik, his eyes full of mischief.

  Rurik: He took the parchments with a puzzled look, spreading them out to glance over. Then he froze, as if stuck to the spot.

  "Wait, you can do this too?" The corner of his mouth twitched, and his cheeks flushed rapidly, as if he had just secretly peeked at a temple priestess bathing.

  Draven grinned triumphantly, like a kid who had just pulled off a prank, exactly the same expression Rurik and Bran had at that moment.

  Rurik forced his gaze away from the parchments, his ears burning hot. He hurriedly stuffed them back into his storage ring, handling them cautiously as if afraid they might fly away.

  "Don't rush to study them now. Look over them with Angelica later," Draven coughed, reminding him, but the smile on his face was impossible to hide.

  "Thanks, Boss," Rurik said with a complicated expression. After all, these were extremely important. He understood that the leader giving him this was both a sign of trust and a heavy responsibility.

  The parchments contained special cultivation techniques left by the blood elf Gareth—not just ordinary solo methods, but group techniques that could be practiced together.

  Draven hadn't distributed all of Gareth's secrets, keeping some hidden. Gareth's tricks were too many and some content too explosive; Draven feared his subordinates might misuse them.

  After Rurik hid the parchments, he quickly pulled out a thick stack of parchments from his own storage ring and neatly handed them to Draven.

  "These are the intelligence reports I've recorded over the past half month. They cover the main developments in Selene City."

  Draven took them, flipped through roughly, feeling the weight of the stack—clearly Rurik had put a lot of effort into it. He didn't rush to read in detail but raised his head and said,

  "Start with the most important."

  "Alright." Rurik nodded and began reporting:

  "The biggest news is that the lord of Selene City has officially accepted the succubus tribe from the south. Apparently, quite a few have come, bringing wealth and merchants."

  "And the deputy mayor you asked me to watch—she presided over the opening ceremony of the new succubus trading company a few days ago."

  "Also, I heard the lord is arranging to form his own merchant caravan, planning to expand Selene City's goods outward."

  Rurik paused, his expression turning subtle.

  "But there's a rumor, that Lydia and the deputy mayor don't get along well. Some people say they even had disputes behind the scenes, but I can't confirm if that's true."

  Draven raised an eyebrow, listening intently. The changes in Selene City were faster than he expected.

  Black Flag Territory was far from the mainstream, so without reports like these, he wouldn't have learned this so quickly.

  "Good intelligence gathering," Draven said as he casually rolled up the parchments.

  Rurik: "There's also the matter of recruiting personnel; progress hasn't been great…"

  Draven chuckled and patted his shoulder, "You've already found two bunny girls, haven't you? Don't stress too much."

  Rurik blushed when teased, "Not all bunny girls. Recently, I also met three bloodline warriors from the deerfolk."

  He glanced at Draven cautiously. "They want to join us, but their conditions are a bit special. It needs your decision."

  He quickly explained the situation and demands of the Dorian brothers. Upon hearing the name Bronan, Draven's pupils contracted sharply, and his face immediately darkened.

  Draven: "Bronan?" That familiar anger surged from his stomach to his head, even his eyebrows knitted tightly.

  That name was all too familiar. The scene of being forced to kneel was still like a thorn in his heart. He hadn't forgotten.

  "Do you know where they are living now?" Draven asked in a low voice.

  "Yes," Rurik nodded.

  He had been waiting for this day for a long time. He knew the leader asking meant he was serious.

  His hatred for Bronan was no less than Draven's. That day, standing by and watching the leader forced to kneel, he had wanted to rush in and fight desperately. But he had to hold back because they weren't strong enough yet.

  "Don't be impulsive. Take me there first," Draven said, his tone softening a little, but coldness still gleaming in his eyes.

  He worried Rurik might have been set up. The story sounded unreliable—would three deerfolk really dare to target Bronan?

  To be honest, even as a mid-level leader now, Draven would have to think carefully before taking on this old enemy.