Aspiration City Castle.
Lady Mira sat upright at her desk, reviewing government documents.
With summer's arrival, many issues had surfaced in the territory, all needing her attention.
She brushed aside a strand of white hair and subconsciously reached for a fruit from the bowl beside her.
But her hand grasped only empty air, and she paused in surprise.
Glancing at the now-empty fruit bowl, she remembered that she had recently issued a ban on the direct use of Cherubi's, and had consequently stopped eating them herself, despite once being fond of them.
Her eyes then turned to the glass of juice on her other side. She took a sip and couldn't help but smile, her eyes curling like crescent moons.
This special juice had been specially crafted by Aven—it was not only delicious but also excellent for relieving fatigue and calming the mind.
Knock knock knock—
Just then, the door to the study was knocked on.
She responded gently, "Come in."
Upon receiving permission, the door opened and Richard entered.
In the past, the duty of protecting the lord had always fallen to Chief Knight Kevin.
But now that Kevin had been promoted to Commander of the Aspiration City Knights, the responsibility had passed to Sheriff Richard.
"Your Highness, news has arrived from the eastern territories," Richard said solemnly.
"The eastern territory?" Mira nodded slightly, and Aven's figure immediately came to mind.
She took the document and quickly read through it—only to be stunned. It really was news about Aven.
"Earl Aven attacked Keystone Town…"
Mira read the report carefully, and soon her expression turned troubled.
Although she had already anticipated that Aven would come into conflict with Marquis Hormay, she hadn't expected the confrontation to arrive so soon—or to be so intense.
"Richard, what do you think?" she asked after some thought, turning to the sheriff.
This matter was undoubtedly a major event within the territory. Both Aven and Marquis Hormay were highly important to the domain.
If a direct conflict broke out between the two, regardless of who won, it would not be good news for Aspiration City.
As the city's ruler, her first priority was stability. If both parties could simply guard their borders peacefully, that would be ideal.
"Actually… this might not be a bad thing for Aspiration City," Richard said.
"Recently, with the backing of the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild, the power of Ironblood Fortress has been progressing a little too rapidly."
"Originally, we had two marquises in Aspiration City who could check each other, but Marquis Salt is too carefree, and has gradually lost the ability to restrain Marquis Hormay."
"Earl Aven, on the other hand, is different—and now, he has the strength to confront Marquis Hormay. We can fully rely on him to act as a counterbalance."
Richard glanced somewhat helplessly at the woman before him. In some ways, she was a capable lord—but at other times, she didn't seem like one at all.
"Mm, what you said makes a lot of sense," Mira nodded. "Later, have someone summon Kevin and Johnson. I need your advice."
After Richard left, Mira slowly let out a deep breath. Truth be told, she didn't like Marquis Hormay, nor did she favor the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild—but both were indispensable to Aspiration City.
The Ironblood Fortress guarded the northern frontier against the magical beasts of the Aspiration Mountains, and the military strength held by the Ironblood Marquis made it impossible for Aspiration City to act recklessly.
She looked at the pile of documents on her desk with a headache and walked over to sit by the window, closing her eyes to meditate.
Faint spiritual waves continuously radiated from her body, transmitting toward the direction of Lake Valor.
…
Another two days passed.
During this time, Aven remained on alert for an attack from the Ironblood Knights.
According to the latest information he received, the knights had finally withdrawn after two days of stationing at the border.
Thus, the threat from Ironblood Fortress was temporarily lifted. Of course, he still needed to remain vigilant against future overt or covert threats.
With their departure, the alert status in Keystone Town was also lifted.
In the square outside the merchant guild headquarters, a large number of supplies had already been gathered and could now be transported to Fruitvale Village.
In the days to come, it was easy to imagine that carriages would travel back and forth daily between Fruitvale Village and Keystone Town, continuously transporting resources.
Aven suspected the officials in Fruitvale Village were about to get extremely busy—receiving the wealth plundered from the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild, settling the large number of serfs… He wasn't even sure if the temporary wooden shelters had been fully set up yet.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but want to return to Fruitvale Village as soon as possible. His mind was now filled with plans, and with this newfound gold, he could finally continue his grand farming endeavor!
"Lord Aven, you're leaving so soon?"
Viscount Kilton looked at Aven, who was preparing to depart, his expression somewhat downcast.
Although the Ironblood Knights had withdrawn, the threat still loomed large for him.
Now that his betrayal was known, with the temperament of the Ironblood Marquis, he would not be spared. If he couldn't strike openly, he would definitely resort to underhanded means.
"Yes, Fruitvale Village needs me to return and take charge."
"I know what you're worried about. Since I promised to protect you, I won't go back on my word."
"For now, you only need to focus on growing Berries and wheat properly—I will provide your protection."
Aven nodded calmly. Although he didn't have much fondness for the Viscount who once took part in the attack on Fruitvale Village, now that the man had fulfilled his end of the deal, Aven would uphold his.
During this time, the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild's influence in Keystone Town had been purged once again.
Although most of their officials had already been publicly executed, many others had managed to escape judgment.
With Ralts' ability, it was easy to distinguish the good from the bad among the beast hunters and merchants.
Those whose crimes did not merit death would be taken back to the prison in Fruitvale Village to await further judgment.
"Alright, I understand." Viscount Kilton nodded.
Now that the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild had been destroyed, and he had issued a decree banning the arbitrary hunting of magical beasts, the beast trade in Keystone Town had effectively been eradicated.
From now on, development would rely solely on the cultivation of berries and wheat.
Fortunately, the town's knight order remained largely intact, and the massive profits once earned from beast trading would be enough to sustain the territory's daily operations.
But making further progress seemed impossible now—Keystone Town's future development would be completely dependent on Fruitvale Village.
The next day, having cleared out the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild, Aven departed satisfied, leading his Pokémon back home.
Of course, to fulfill his promise, he left the Raticate tribe behind to settle in the Black Forest. Keystone Town would be responsible for providing them food.
This area of the Black Forest was already slated to be incorporated into Aven's territory, so establishing a long-term presence for the Raticate tribe here was only logical.
Moreover, the tribe would continue to absorb wild Rattata from the forest, gradually expanding their numbers.
Although Raticates weren't usually well-liked, in the recent battle, the Raticate leader had led the tribe alongside the Nidoking tribe in attacking the eastern district, playing a key role.
As long as the Raticate leader could keep the tribe in line and food was sufficient, they could be quite docile. In Aven's previous life, many Trainers had successfully raised Raticate.
Riding on the back of Torterra, Aven felt completely different than when he had first come. Still, he urged Torterra to move faster—he couldn't wait to inspect his spoils of war.
Traveling through the Black Forest, he soon arrived at the southeastern border. His territory extended into the forest like a wedge, surrounded on three sides by trees.
Near Fruitvale Village, the vast land outside had changed dramatically. Many people were busy clearing debris from the soil.
These were likely the serfs sent ahead to prepare the land.
Further out, temporary wooden shelters had been erected across the grasslands, with movement visible inside—probably the families of the serfs.
These people had been born into servitude, their identity etched into their very bones. They lived in a haze, with no hope, no light in their lives—their only drive was survival.
As private property of the lords, their entire existence could be freely controlled. Lords exploited them in every way, squeezing out every last drop of value before their deaths.
The slave masters' whips and ropes had bent them to submission. This submission had sunk deep into their souls, leaving them without dignity or hope.
Every time Aven, a modern man, saw this, he couldn't help but sigh.
His first instinct was to abolish their slave like status and completely eliminate the institution of slavery, returning them their human rights.
But reason told him that doing so would violate the laws and systems of this era. If he abolished serfdom outright, he would disrupt the societal balance and threaten the existing order.
As a lord, he indeed had the authority to create or revoke laws, but he also had to consider the consequences of doing so.
After careful thought, he gave up on the idea of freeing all serfs with a single decree. Instead, he decided to give them the opportunity to earn their freedom.
In this world, there were historical precedents of serfs earning their freedom by achieving great merit.
He would simply lower the bar for those achievements—thus creating many more chances for serfs to escape slavery.
This way, the system would remain intact, and other nobles wouldn't see it as a threat. At worst, they'd view him as a soft-hearted fool—and he already had that reputation anyway.
At the same time, his plan would give serfs hope and motivation, encouraging them to work harder for the territory's development.
When the time was right in the future, he would fully abolish slavery—then everything would fall into place naturally.
(End of Chapter)