It was the late autumn season, and the fields of wheat had already ripened to maturity.
Looking out across the vast landscape, the endless wheat fields stretched far beyond the eye could see, like a boundless golden ocean adorning the earth.
Each ear of wheat was thick and heavy, the grains plump and full. Not only had their numbers more than doubled compared to before, even their size had grown far beyond any wheat they had ever seen in the past.
From the moment of sowing to the moment of harvest, only two short months had passed. To say this was a miracle was no exaggeration.
And without the slightest doubt, all of this was entirely due to the power of the Pokémon. These beings, who had once been regarded as detestable and dangerous "magical beast," had already long since become, in the eyes of the people, beloved Pokémon companions.
In truth, the daily lives of the common folk of Fruitvale Village could no longer be separated from these Pokémon. The conveniences they brought into life were simply too many to count.
Take the work in the fields for example: the Oddish worked tirelessly to clear away weeds, while the Bibarel dug canals and managed irrigation. The sight of the Bibarel opening their mouths to unleash water jets and irrigate the farmland had left the villagers utterly astounded.
Among the golden fields, Mike's figure could be seen moving swiftly, checking over the progress of the serfs as they harvested. While the acceleration of crop growth could indeed be left to the assistance of Pokémon, the harvesting of wheat still had to rely upon human labor.
From separating the ears of wheat to obtaining usable grain, the process was extremely complicated: threshing, cleaning, sorting, drying—every step had to be painstakingly done by the serfs themselves.
"Sir Mike, you've come!" said Buck, who was in the middle of drying grain under the sun. Upon seeing Mike approach, he quickly put down what he was doing and rushed forward to greet him. "Look, all of this grain is almost ready for delivery."
His face showed a trace of nervousness as he swallowed hard and forced the words out. "Sir Mike… if we accumulate enough merit points, we can really… truly be promoted as freemen?"
As head of the Ministry of Agriculture, Mike's responsibilities went beyond simply guiding the serfs in their planting. One of his most crucial duties was to tally the amount of grain harvested and calculate each serf's merit points.
If one managed to gather sufficient points, Mike could issue proof, which he would then submit to the officials in charge of the slave registries. These officials would annul the serf's status as a bonded slave, allowing them to ascend to the rank of freeman.
"Today, I can tell you with complete solemnity—our lord's words are absolutely true!"
"As long as you can hand in enough grain, you can immediately be promoted to the status of a freeman!"
Mike took a deep breath before speaking, his expression serious as he looked at the serf before him. This was something he had personally confirmed with Aven many times over.
"R-really?" Buck's voice trembled, his face showing uncontrollable excitement.
According to the standard that the lord had set, Buck had already secretly done the calculations more than once. Based on this year's harvest, the grain he had was more than enough to exchange for the required points—there would even be a large surplus!
"Of course it's true. Do you really think Lord Aven would need to lie to you about something like this?"
"Once you've paid the required amount to qualify for freeman status, any surplus grain is yours to handle. You may keep it as seed, eat it yourself, or sell it directly to Lord Aven."
"But keep this in mind: in Fruitvale Village, the private sale of grain is strictly forbidden. Whether you sell it to villagers in secret or to traveling merchants, it would be a violation of territorial law."
"If anyone dares to do so, not only will their profits be confiscated, but they may also face imprisonment."
Buck had already heard these policies countless times. He quickly nodded again and again, his face shining with anticipation.
He had already made up his mind. Once he became a freeman, he would sell all his surplus grain to Lord Aven, and then use the money to open a grilled-fish shop in town.
And then, as his gaze drifted toward the Oddish and Bidoof who were still busy drying the harvested wheat in the distance, he added silently in his heart: 'With the money I earn, I'll raise and train them… I'll become a real Trainer!'
…
Meanwhile, in the newly constructed castle, Aven was holding the very first high-level council meeting of his territory.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of Master Thomas, the lord's castle had finally been completed just before the onset of winter.
Inside the grand meeting hall of the castle, all the officials of the territory were gathered around a massive round table.
Compared to the small, cramped meetings they had once held in the farm's study, the number of officials had now expanded to nearly one hundred.
A considerable portion of these were knights who had retired or had been injured. Once cast aside and forgotten, they had now found new purpose and vitality within this territory.
Thanks to the growth of the population and the flourishing development of the land, Fruitvale Village now had many new departments, each responsible for overseeing different aspects of governance.
For the first time, the territory was starting to resemble the form that Aven had envisioned. Unlike before, he no longer had to personally handle every matter himself.
Now, once a policy or proposal was issued, it would be broken down and distributed to the appropriate department, and then assigned further by the department heads to their subordinates.
At present, Fruitvale Village had nine official departments: the City Hall, the Knight Order, the Treasury, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Construction, the Trainer Administration, the Apothecary Administration, the Pokémon Management Ministry, and the Ranger Order.
"Let us begin. Each department, report on your current progress," Aven said, raising the cup of nutritious berry juice in his hand. "We'll start with the Treasury."
"Yes, Lord Aven." The treasurer, Phyllis, rose to her feet and offered a formal bow before retrieving her prepared notes on the recent financial records.
With the collapse of the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild, the trade system of the entire City of Aspiration had undergone tremendous changes. As the clear victor in that upheaval, Fruitvale Village had naturally gained the lion's share of spoils.
Thanks to this, the territory's income had skyrocketed. Construction projects were proceeding at an accelerated pace, and the flow of merchants constantly brought resources and goods from all corners of the land into Fruitvale Village.
"Very well done. Winter is nearly upon us—we must prepare thoroughly for the coming Pokémon tides. I'll leave the matter of supplies in your hands."
"Also, the buying and selling of wild Pokémon must continue to be strictly stamped out. I want us to establish a blacklist policy. Any territory that participates in the trade of Pokémon should be entered onto this list."
As Aven spoke, he made his stance clear. The fall of the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild—the largest trading guild in Aspiration City—did not mean the entire business of magical beast trade had disappeared.
According to their intelligence, the Ironblood Fortress had already taken full control of the Guild's operations. In that territory, the taming and selling of magical beast would surely continue.
"Blacklist policy?" Phyllis was briefly startled before quickly realizing the implication.
Now that the southeastern corner's territory had become an indispensable hub in trade, being placed on such a blacklist would mean losing access to commerce with Fruitvale Village. The deterrent power of such a policy was immense.
"Ministry of Agriculture—how are things progressing?" After getting a clear picture of the finances, Aven turned his gaze to Uncle.
"Yes, Lord Aven." Mike, looking every bit the composed official, bowed respectfully before unrolling his prepared parchment. With excitement, he began to report on this year's harvest.
Though many had already expected this year to be bountiful, hearing the numbers directly from Mike still left the officials stunned.
Especially the knights—many of whom had served in other territories—they understood well what harvests looked like elsewhere. What they were hearing now was almost beyond imagination.
The yield of the southeastern border territory this year was more than ten times that of other lands. In fact, when compared to the eastern marches—a barren land bordering the Black Forest—the harvest of Aven's domain might well exceed that of the entire eastern region combined!
And this was from merely two months of growth. If wheat could be matured and harvested every two months, then never again would Aspiration City have to fear shortages of food!
"It is mainly thanks to the serfs' enthusiasm, along with the help of fertilizer and the assistance of the Pokémon. I believe this outcome is not unexpected," Mike said with a wide smile, recalling the scenes he had witnessed in the fields.
"An excellent achievement, but we must continue to push forward."
"Remember, it is not only the people of this land that we must feed, but also all of the Pokémon who live here as well."
At his words, the room instantly grew solemn. Every face grew serious, and heads nodded firmly.
Fruitvale Village now possessed tremendous Pokémon strength, but the consumption required to sustain them was equally astonishing. As the clearing of the Black Forest continued, this consumption would only grow.
Seeing the gravity on everyone's faces, Aven continued: "Uncle Mike, with the wheat harvest nearly complete, the most important matter now is the promotion of the freemen."
"There should be a large number of serfs who qualify this time, yes? Be certain to keep precise records of merit points. Anyone eligible for promotion must have it completed as soon as possible."
Mike nodded quickly, his own expression earnest. In fact, some serfs had already been promoted. The very first, he recalled clearly, had been none other than Buck.
"Thomas, how is the construction of the residential districts in town progressing?" Aven turned his gaze to the Minister of Construction.
Master Thomas stepped forward, handing over a carefully drawn blueprint. "Lord Aven, this is the current progress report on the town's development."
Unfolding the blueprint, Aven saw the town's outline neatly mapped. As he had instructed, the settlement was divided into four districts: east, west, south, and north.
In the southern district, rows upon rows of residential houses had already been completed. Broad roads cut through the blocks, separating the houses into tidy neighborhoods, each clearly marked with numbers.
Compared to the apartment-style housing of the future world, these stone houses—built from piled rock—were crude. But thanks to the assistance of Rock-type Pokémon, the process of construction had been greatly simplified.
At the current pace, a stone house could be completed in half a day. Once a bed and table were moved in, it was fully livable.
"Well done. These residences should be more than sufficient for the people of the town," Aven nodded approvingly.
Though he would have liked to build more modern apartment complexes—three or four-story structures would have been ideal but the current level of industry simply made that impossible. With no cement, let alone reinforced concrete, he had to settle for now with the sturdier stone houses.
Even so, with the strength of Pokémon to aid construction, these stone dwellings were vastly superior to the old wooden huts of the peasants. Moreover, the careful urban planning improved living conditions immensely.
In the near future, the residential district would also be outfitted with markets, hospitals, schools, and other facilities, which would raise the happiness of the people even further.
His gaze then shifted to the western and northern districts. The west was designated as the commercial district, while the north would become the workshop and industry zone. Their basic frameworks had already been established, though much remained to be done in terms of detailed planning.
As for the eastern district—it was currently empty. This would become the Trainer's Quarter, and would also be the key focus of the town's future development. Aven himself would personally oversee its construction.
"Sutter," Aven called, turning toward the knight. "With this new town rising, the heart of the territory will inevitably shift here. You must be prepared to fortify its defenses."
The knight order had grown enormously in size. It now included retired knights, injured knights, large patrol units, and of course, a vast number of Pokémon.
"Rest assured, Lord Aven—this land will be protected by us!"
"Not only the knights, patrolmen, and rangers, but also the Pokémon themselves!"
"We are ready to fight for the sake of this territory. This is our home—no one will be permitted to harm it."
In that moment, Knight Captain Sutter, Trainer Administration Minister Peter, Pokémon Management Minister Link, and Ranger Order Captain Matthew all stood up together.
"Yes, that is right. And do not forget," Aven added with satisfaction, nodding firmly, "all of you are not only officials of your departments—you are all Pokémon Trainers."
Whether in other lands the Trainer's profession was recognized or not, here in the southeastern territory it had already taken root. Here, the first shoots of the future Pokémon League were sprouting.
"Yes, Lord Aven!"
At his words, everyone in the hall rose to their feet.
Pokémon were the first and greatest productive force of the land. Aven had emphasized this countless times, and every single one of them understood it from the depths of their hearts.
"You have all done wonderfully. But this is not the time to grow complacent."
"With the rise of this new town, the focus of all future construction will inevitably move here."
"I hope all of you will dedicate yourselves fully to your duties, and greet this new town with renewed vigor."
Aven now stood as well, his eyes sweeping across the room, his expression grave and resolute.
"From this day forward, this town shall be known as Fairhaven Town, a town that will be safe, fair and pure for all people and Pokémon. And this southeastern border territory shall be called the Pokémon Domain!"
The name Pokémon Domain symbolized the harmony of humans and Pokémon living side by side. And Fairhaven Town represented a new beginning—the dawn of a new age in the Pokémon world, a new chapter that would start right here.
(End of Chapter)