After leaving Village No. 3, Draven mounted his Nightmare Horse and rode upstream along the great river. The water flowed slowly, its surface reflecting the fading glow of the evening clouds.

  Heading east, he soon arrived at the easternmost border of the Black Flag Territory.

  This time, his goal was to pay a planned visit to the neighboring Rhinoceros Man tribe.

  The Nightmare Horse skillfully leapt over a waterfall and galloped closely along the riverbank. Compared to the hilly central region, the eastern highlands were much flatter, with rivers crisscrossing and banks covered in lush green aquatic plants. Occasionally, small animals would leap among the reeds.

  In the distance, the forest grew thick and dense, vibrant with life—quite different from the undulating hills.

  Following the route given by Sethric, the leader of the Rhinoceros Man, Draven slowly advanced along the river.

  Before long, the landscape opened up, revealing a large and impressive village.

  Surrounding the village was a ring of tall, thick walls—completely different from the crude stone walls inside the Black Flag Territory.

  The stone walls in Village No. 1 were at most a foot thick and about two meters high, but this wall was over ten meters tall and more than a meter thick, solid enough to command respect.

  Draven couldn't help but admire the scale and craftsmanship, far beyond his expectations.

  His eyes scanned the surroundings as he silently adjusted his original plan. It seemed these Rhinoceros Men weren't just strong; they also knew how to build sturdy defenses.

  On the wall, several Rhinoceros Man guards stood lazily, their watch relaxed. Draven guided Nightmare Horse closer, almost flying above the village, yet they hadn't noticed his presence.

  The first to spot him was a guard near the village gate. Startled, the guard immediately took a battle stance and loudly shouted to call for backup, preparing to defend.

  Draven smiled slightly and controlled Nightmare Horse to land steadily before the gate. He jumped down from the saddle, stood tall, and showed his identity, clearly stating he had come to visit the neighbors.

  The Rhinoceros Men exchanged wary and suspicious looks. The lead bloodline warrior barked sharply,"Wait here!" and quickly rushed into the village's depths.

  The ground trembled lightly beneath Draven's feet. He smiled quietly and waited patiently for a response.

  After a short while, the atmosphere grew strange. Although the guards were well-armed and physically imposing, the rumbling growls from their stomachs betrayed a weakness, making their heroic image somewhat comical.

  Draven couldn't hold back a chuckle, which made him look forward to this visit even more.

  Soon, the ground's vibrations grew stronger. Draven looked up to see Sethric, the Rhinoceros Man leader, running slowly toward him with a large group of tribesmen. Sethric appeared anxious but moved sluggishly.

  Of course, this was because he hadn't activated his bloodline power. Even if he had, Draven was sure the Rhinoceros Men wouldn't match the speed of their Black Wolf clan.

  When Sethric saw Draven arrive alone, he was momentarily stunned. A flicker of hesitation passed through his cloudy bull-like eyes before he burst into hearty laughter, spreading his arms wide to warmly welcome the werewolf leader.

  After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Sethric led Draven into the village.

  The stone houses inside were neatly arranged with thick walls. Though mostly single-story buildings, they were built with care and had a solid, dignified appearance. Every stone was laid smoothly and tightly, and the village squares were paved with gravel, neat and sturdy.

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  None of the three villages inside the Black Flag Territory had been built with such meticulousness.

  Draven followed Sethric on a tour of the village, occasionally hearing the guards' stomachs growl, which lightened the mood somewhat.

  Seeing Draven's appreciation, pride flashed across Sethric's face. He patted his slightly graying belly and proudly declared,

  "As Rhinoceros Men, let alone anything else, our arm strength is definitely no problem!"

  Draven caught the cue and joked back, making Sethric laugh heartily.

  When the tour ended, Sethric brought Draven to the leader's main house.

  This building was the largest and tallest chieftain's residence Draven had ever seen. Though it couldn't compare to the lord's palace in Selene City, it was two or three times larger than the leader halls in other Black Flag Territory villages.

  Night had fallen, and Draven had purposely chosen this time for his visit.

  Sethric, somewhat embarrassed, signaled his subordinates to remove the cassava porridge and called for wine and meat to be served.

  The Rhinoceros Man attendants hesitated slightly, their expressions showing some reluctance.

  Although clearly reluctant, he still responded with a grunt, signaling his subordinates to comply. Not long after, the sharp, frantic neighing of the Nightmare Horse suddenly pierced the evening calm from the village entrance.

  Draven was startled and immediately turned to look at Sethric. The latter's face changed drastically, clearly caught off guard.

  A few seconds later, Sethric seemed to realize what was happening. He shouted as he rushed out, his voice filled with urgency and anger:"Bastards! That's the guest's mount— it must not be eaten!"

  Draven widened his eyes, filled with confusion and helplessness. He never expected the Rhinoceros Men to have such a strange custom—to consider a guest's mount as food.

  This detail gave him a new understanding of Rhinoceros Man culture.

  He quickly followed outside and saw several Rhinoceros Men brandishing weapons, aiming at the Nightmare Horse soaring in mid-air.

  The Nightmare Horse struggled desperately, as if crying out for help. Though it was Draven's mount and the leader's steed of their tribe, it had almost no combat power, relying only on frightened neighs to express its helplessness.

  Draven shook his head helplessly, watching Sethric swiftly disperse the armed tribesmen while soothing the Nightmare Horse, guiding it to retreat to a safe place outside the village to avoid the commotion.

  The Nightmare Horse bolted away like a frightened wild beast, running far off.

  Sethric stood there, his honest expression turning awkward. He smiled wryly and said apologetically,"Sorry, they didn't realize the situation just now and scared your mount."

  Draven smiled bitterly and waved it off without saying much. This incident deepened his understanding of the Rhinoceros Men's food scarcity and their cautious customs.

  Back inside the village stone house, it wasn't long before several Rhinoceros Men carried in a steaming basin of roasted meat and a large jar of wine.

  Sethric opened the wine jar, a look of fascination on his face. He carefully poured Draven a large bowl of the wine, treating it like a precious treasure.

  Draven leaned in and smelled it— the wine gave off a strong fruity aroma, clearly monkey wine produced by the Golden Monkey tribe.

  At that moment, Draven formed a new judgment. Previously, when the old Golden Monkey chief said their relationship was just so-so, Draven hadn't given it much thought.

  But now, at least Sethric would never admit that the relationship was merely average. The fact that he received monkey wine showed that the ties between the two tribes were more complicated than they appeared on the surface.

  Sethric praised the monkey wine enthusiastically, as if it were a rare gem. Draven took a sip and shook his head lightly.

  For him, the monkey wine made by his own tribe's small octopus through special processes already far surpassed this original local wine in taste.

  So he took two jars of blood wine from his storage bracelet and handed them to Sethric. The deep red liquid shimmered with a cold gleam under the light.

  Sethric's cloudy ox-like eyes immediately brightened, clearly attracted by the blood wine before him. He still vividly remembered the taste from a few days ago— unforgettable.

  He carefully sealed the monkey wine and set it aside, eagerly opening the blood wine and greedily inhaling its aroma.

  "This is the taste!" Sethric said with satisfaction.

  The two began drinking while eating the roasted meat. Draven knew well that this time he would not open his blood wine stash so freely as before; he only brought out a little to prevent Sethric from drinking too much.

  Draven came this time with high expectations and did not want to ruin the atmosphere.

  Between bites and sips of blood wine, Draven finally spoke of the main matter.

  "Sethric, to be honest with you, I didn't come just to visit a neighbor."

  Sethric's gaze grew wary. He knew very well that Draven wouldn't come to the village just to drink and chat.

  In fact, last time in Black Flag Territory, Sethric had deliberately used alcohol to cover his escape. Small tribes like theirs feared most getting caught in pointless conflicts and battles.

  They knew that one reckless act by the powerful could destroy their ancestral bloodline and homeland.

  In Sethric's eyes, Black Flag Territory had already joined the ranks of the strong, its strength so great that he could no longer ignore it.

  Facing such a formidable opponent, even Sethric, who considered himself clever, couldn't help but feel uneasy and vigilant.

  He understood well that against true power, the wisdom of the weak sometimes counted for nothing.