In Selene City, releasing one's aura so blatantly was almost the same as directly provoking the Lord.

  What no one knew was that Selene herself was nearby.

  As a succubus, she was naturally gifted at hiding; as long as there were shadows, she could blend in effortlessly.

  At this moment, Selene was standing in one such shadow. She hadn't even bothered to conceal her presence deliberately, yet none of the surrounding beastkin had noticed a thing.

  She frowned slightly, completely unable to figure out what kind of game Draven was playing.

  Before stepping into the Public House, Draven had used the vassal mark to summon Valeria.

  At that time, Valeria had been attending to Selene in the rear garden. The searing heat from the center of her forehead clearly told her—her master was calling.

  But she didn't dare act without permission, and had to quietly request guidance from Selene, who sat calmly in the pavilion.

  Though Selene said nothing about waiting for that black wolf's audience, it didn't mean she wasn't simmering with irritation inside.

  Especially since he had the audacity to summon someone from her side—and it was Valeria!

  Did he think she didn't know what disgusting things he had forced Valeria to do before?

  Was this an intentional provocation against the succubus race? Or a direct slap in her face?

  In that moment, Selene nearly lost her composure entirely.

  Suppressing the confusion and agitation swirling in her heart, she coldly ordered Valeria to lead the way. She threw on a large cloak to conceal herself—a rare moment of caution within her own territory.

  But she hadn't expected that the black wolf would choose a Tauren-run Public House as the meeting place.

  Even more surprising was that, just as she reached the entrance, she was spotted by Rurik—who immediately turned and ran inside.

  Selene instantly grew wary. Something was off. She halted Valeria and pulled her into the shadows to wait and observe.

  What followed unfolded just as she suspected—noise erupted from within the Public House, and beastkin, drunk and stumbling, began rushing out in a frenzy.

  The tension in Selene's lips eased slightly, but her eyes grew colder, tinged with suspicion. She glanced at Valeria.

  Valeria understood the unspoken command and gave a small nod before stepping out from the shadows.

  Just then, Tauren representative Aureon also arrived, leading a team of minotaur warriors. At the front was the low-tier chieftain who had previously been inside the Public House.

  The moment Aureon saw Valeria, he halted abruptly and immediately clasped his fist in respectful salute.

  Valeria offered a small bow in return, her gaze sweeping over Aureon and noting the subtle tension in his expression. She then made a polite gesture.

  "Aureon, my Lord has sent me to look into the disturbance."

  Aureon nodded. With such a commotion at the Public House, it was reasonable for Selene to dispatch someone to investigate.

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  But the group of patrol guards outside? That was odd. They'd been blocked at the door by a black-furred werewolf and still hadn't gone in.

  Aureon frowned. His doubts were piling up.

  He had only recently taken over his brother Torvald's position, and now trouble was already brewing. It wasn't good for his credibility within the tribe.

  Just as he was about to attend to other matters, one of his men had come running to report that someone was causing trouble at the Public House. He had no choice but to personally come.

  Even halfway there, he could already feel the powerful aura flaring from within.

  Aureon paused mid-step but forced himself to press forward. One high-tier chieftain was already difficult enough to deal with—now it had become three?

  As for why the patrol couldn't get in—that was Rurik's doing. The main act hadn't arrived yet. He couldn't let these nobodies ruin the plan.

  Rurik was a member of the Seventh Patrol himself. Flashing his badge was all it took to block the others.

  Only when he saw the Tauren arrive did Rurik finally step aside—and discreetly exchanged a glance with Valeria.

  She gave the subtlest of nods, then followed Aureon inside.

  The moment they stepped through the doors, they saw Liliana sitting on a table—crying her heart out.

  Liliana was still chewing on a piece of roasted meat when Aureon and his group entered.

  For the sake of a few gold coins, she didn't even bother swallowing. She immediately opened her mouth and burst into loud, sharp, ear-piercing sobs.

  As Aureon stepped inside, the first thing he saw was this bizarre scene—and his eyelid twitched involuntarily. The entire Tauren-run Public House was in chaos.

  A massive demonic wolf stood nearby, with an Eyebrow-Patterned King Serpent coiled behind it, exuding a powerful aura. The two beasts' oppressive presence tangled in the air, as if a clash could break out at any moment.

  And the black-furred werewolf chieftain standing to the side wasn't bothering to suppress his own pressure either—his body radiated overwhelming power.

  In this atmosphere, Liliana's crying had become the least noticeable thing in the room.

  Aureon composed himself, tried to appear humble, and stepped forward."My lord, may I ask what offense the Tauren Public House has committed against you?"

  Draven gnawed lazily on a lamb leg, not in the mood to waste words. He simply gestured toward Liliana, who was still putting on her dramatic performance."See for yourself."

  Only then did Aureon notice the filth smeared on the young girl's body. His face instantly stiffened. Without hesitation, he pulled out a heavy coin pouch and offered it with both hands, apologizing nonstop:

  "Our sincerest apologies. One of our own must've acted inappropriately—this was our fault entirely. Please, accept this compensation as a token of goodwill from the Tauren."

  As soon as those words left his mouth, the Tauren warriors behind him immediately showed visible displeasure.

  Even Draven couldn't help but reappraise the Tauren standing in front of him.

  There were plenty of rumors about this man in the city. The eldest son of the Tauren chief, disliked within his own tribe, with little real power.

  Draven, once too low in rank to ever interact with him, now found himself intrigued.

  This was the first Tauren he'd met who spoke so courteously and acted so restrained. Even among all beastkin, such calm and measured behavior was rare.

  Yet to most beastkin, such a personality simply meant weakness. No wonder his standing within the tribe was so awkward.

  Draven's gaze swept over him."You're Aureon?"

  At least this black-furred chieftain hadn't struck first and asked questions later—which meant there was still room to talk.

  But before Aureon could respond, Draven abruptly shifted the subject:"Whether or not to accept your apology isn't up to me. You'll have to ask her. Do you even realize who your Tauren have offended?"

  "Even if Selene herself showed up today, she'd still owe her an explanation!"

  Aureon's head snapped up, eyes fixed on the young girl whose sobs had just ceased—only to be replaced by a smug little smile.

  His heart clenched. He couldn't even tell what race she belonged to—which only made him more cautious.

  Despite possessing high-tier chieftain strength himself, Aureon bowed deeply, placed a fist over his chest, and said solemnly,

  "If there has been any offense, the Tauren are willing to make amends. We humbly beg your forgiveness."

  Draven cast a glance at the dissatisfied faces of the warriors behind Aureon, finding the situation more entertaining by the second.

  Liliana, however, couldn't be bothered with Aureon. She turned her head away with a huff.

  Aureon looked visibly awkward and was just about to say something more when a voice roared behind him:

  "Young Chieftain, stop bowing to them!"

  "They're clearly here to stir up trouble! What‘lord'? That's just some brat!"

  Aureon tried to stop him, but it was too late.

  The black werewolf let out a cold chuckle.

  The next second, at Draven's command, Ragnar let out a bone-chilling howl and began stomping forward, step by heavy step, straight toward the group of Tauren.