Between the Ironblood Fortress and the Aspiration Mountain Range lay a wide stretch of barren wasteland.
Now, that wasteland was no longer empty—it was covered in dense, sprawling thickets of thorny vines, and every now and then, one could see Pokémon figures flitting between them.
The towering city walls of the Ironblood Fortress had become the best kind of protection, sealing off this barren land between the mountains and creating a contained zone.
"With this, the basic order here has finally been established."
Looking at the Pokémon moving about outside the knights' encampment, Aven nodded in satisfaction.
The Pokémon had already grown accustomed to the knights' presence. These knights regularly fed and cared for them, and now, man and Pokémon could coexist peacefully within this area.
"Rhy~"
In the distance, a herd of Rhyhorns could be seen charging across the plain.
Other Pokémon could also be spotted here and there—Mightyena, Luxray, and Staraptor swooped across the sky, their presence exuding an air of power and vigilance.
Compared to Fruitvale Village, the Ironblood Fortress had a much stronger foundation. The knights' Pokémon could easily take up guard duties, maintaining security across the newly developed region.
The Garchomp's tribe, too, was made up of several smaller subgroups of different species, allowing them to continuously welcome other Pokémon that wandered into the breeding grounds, steadily growing their collective strength.
…
"Earl Aven, are you leaving soon?" Kevin exhaled softly as he looked at the man before him.
"Yes," Aven nodded. "There are still many matters in the territory that require my attention. Winter is approaching fast, and I need to issue several instructions before then."
He let out a helpless sigh. Being a lord meant endless work and decisions—sometimes, the sheer number of responsibilities was enough to give him a headache. The first thing he'd need to do upon returning would be to push forward the construction of the administrative hall.
Kevin nodded thoughtfully. "In that case, I won't keep you here any longer. You can rest assured—we'll take good care of everything here. The Pokémon Breeding Zone here has been established; we'll make sure to maintain it properly."
Having spent the past weeks working alongside Aven, Kevin had already grasped the essentials of how to operate and manage a Pokémon Breeding Zone. In truth, building up the ranger defense line wasn't nearly as difficult as it had first seemed.
Of course, this was only the beginning. The real test would come when the harsh winter set in—that would reveal whether all their preparation had paid off.
For this reason, Aven decided to leave the Garchomp's tribe behind. With Garchomp leading the others, he was confident they could maintain stability among the Pokémon population here.
"Then I'll entrust Garchomp and the others to your care," Aven said. "When spring arrives next year, I'll return to bring them home."
He turned his gaze toward the distance, where Garchomp, Flygon, and other Pokémon were waiting silently.
Sensing Aven's eyes on them, Garchomp gave a solemn nod. Then, from behind it, several smaller Pokémon—Geodude, Trapinch, and other younglings—stepped out hesitantly.
Although Aven wanted to leave Garchomp and the others here, he planned to take these younger Pokémon back to the Pokémon Domain. They were still too weak to fight or defend themselves, and the territory offered a much safer environment for them to grow.
"Gooon~"
Flygon let out a series of low cries, seemingly instructing its little ones.
Trapinch was its unevolved form, which would later become Vibrava, and only then evolve fully into Flygon.
"Flygon," Aven said gently, "I'll take care of your Trapinch. When spring comes, I'll bring them back to you—so leave this to me."
Hearing Aven's reassurance, Flygon nodded firmly, then spread its wings and shot up into the sky, disappearing into the horizon.
It seemed Flygon didn't want to linger through the sadness of farewell—it simply left without looking back. The next time they met would be in the warmth of spring.
The other Pokémon in the area began to howl or croon softly, their eyes filled with reluctance and sorrow as they watched their companion soar away.
Aven tilted his head up, following Flygon's retreating figure with his eyes before turning back to give Garchomp a few final instructions. Then, gathering the young Pokémon, he led them out of the breeding zone.
…
Upon returning to the Ironblood Fortress, Aven made another visit to the Stone Tower. The entire structure was now heavily guarded, but unfortunately, Froslass had still been unable to reopen the portal to the Spirit World relic within.
With a faint trace of regret, Aven departed the fortress, leading his Pokémon and accompanying the transport convoy back to the border encampment.
By the time he arrived, the entire army was ready to depart. The wagons were lined up neatly, loaded with all kinds of supplies and materials.
Behind the wagons stood the serfs of the Ironblood Fortress. Though their clothing was worn and thin, their expressions had changed—no longer dull and lifeless, but instead filled with hope.
Outside the camp, a large number of civilians had also gathered, bringing their families with them. They, too, planned to move to the Pokémon Domain and start a new life there.
When Aven appeared, everyone immediately dropped to one knee in salute, their eyes filled with respect and excitement as they gazed at their lord.
"Stand up, all of you," Aven said with a smile, nodding slightly. Then, mounting his Luxray, he rode to the head of the convoy, raised his hand high, and called out, "Let's move out! Destination—Pokémon Domain!"
The journey from the northern frontier to the southeastern border of Aspiration City took three full days.
In truth, the distance shouldn't have required that much time—even accounting for the pace of the serfs and civilians traveling with them. But the road conditions in this world were terrible. There were hardly any proper roads—most of what people called "roads" were merely dirt paths, trampled into existence over generations.
Lords typically built solid roads only within their own territories. Very few were willing to invest in paving roads across borders.
To build a trade route connecting several different territories would require multiple lords to cooperate—a rare and difficult thing to achieve.
As a result, their progress was painfully slow. The wagons constantly had to stop and wait for the slower groups of serfs and civilians to catch up.
Aven couldn't help but frown. It seems the road construction project will need to be prioritized soon, he thought to himself.
In his upcoming plans, the Pokémon Domain's goods were to be exported throughout Aspiration City and beyond. For that to happen, a major trade route connecting the surrounding territories would be absolutely essential.
Still, Aven believed that with shared interests—and his influence as the Earl of the Pokémon Domain—it should be possible to convince the other lords to cooperate.
Finally, after several long days, the great convoy crossed into the lands of the Pokémon Domain.
The moment they entered, an entirely different scene spread before their eyes—one full of vitality and green life.
Even though it was late autumn, the grass across the land was still lush and verdant, a result of the tireless efforts of Pokémon like Gloom and Oddish.
Most of the farmland had already finished harvesting the wheat, but the farmers had wasted no time—they had already begun planting hardy winter crops.
Thanks to the aid of Grass-type Pokémon, these crops would continue to grow even through the cold months, ensuring a plentiful supply of food throughout the winter.
…
Upon returning, Aven led the convoy straight to Fruitvale Village, where all the serfs were to be settled first.
By now, the village had already established a complete system for managing serfs. His uncle Mike, the Head of Agriculture, was the main person in charge, overseeing both the farming efforts and the new "Serf Management Division."
Every serf would have their identity registered anew and be assigned specific plots of undeveloped land to cultivate. Once they accumulated enough contribution points through labor and service, they could apply to become free citizens.
The serfs already knew about this from Buck's stories, so when the officials began making arrangements, everyone cooperated eagerly, their faces filled with anticipation for the day they could finally earn their freedom.
After handing the serfs over to his uncle, Aven ordered the wagons carrying the thorny vines to be taken to the Pokémon Food Processing Factory.
At present, there were two major factories in operation—one in Fruitvale Village and another in Fairhaven Town. Between them, they provided jobs for most of the population in both areas.
The production of Pokémon food required berries as the most essential ingredient. Only by mixing these specially processed berries in various combinations could they create food that offered unique effects for Pokémon.
Of course, these were all general-purpose Pokémon foods. To produce the specialized kinds—formulated for specific Pokémon species—would require far more precise recipes and rarer materials.
After finishing all the arrangements, Aven led the Pokémon who had migrated from the Ironblood Fortress, along with the accompanying civilians, to Fairhaven Town.
Only Fairhaven Town had the capacity to completely absorb and accommodate all these new arrivals. After such a long period of careful development and management, the town had already transformed into something entirely different from before.
At this moment, outside the gates of Fairhaven Town, the main officials of the territory were already waiting. Phyllis stood among them, still dazed as she recalled the treasures that had been delivered to the territory.
Among them were the trade route maps and several detailed transaction records between multiple trade caravans and territories—documents that Aven had personally instructed to be handed over to her. Those materials reignited her confidence in opening up the commercial network of the Pokémon Domain to the wider region.
Phyllis firmly believed that before long, the Pokémon Domain's business would not only thrive within Aspiration City itself but would also spread outward into neighboring territories. For someone like her, who dreamed of becoming a great merchant, that was an unimaginably exciting prospect!
As she turned her gaze toward Fairhaven Town behind her, the purple-haired girl still found it hard to believe her own eyes. It had been less than a year since she came to the Pokémon Domain, yet the changes here had been nothing short of earth-shattering.
Especially after hearing the news that the Ironblood Fortress had fallen, she had been utterly stunned. That mighty fortress—one so powerful that it was thought nearly impregnable—had been defeated in a short time. The fact still felt unreal to her.
The other officials in the territory were equally dazed. This settlement, which had once been just a weak, remote border village, had now risen to become a force not inferior in strength or influence to the Ironblood Fortress itself.
Before long, Aven arrived at Fairhaven Town's west gate with the Pokémon and civilians. Once they reached this point, it meant that the civilians had finally reached their destination.
Next, they would be assigned housing within the residential district of the town. To help them better adapt to life in Fairhaven Town—and also to attract more newcomers—Aven had decided to grant them a full year of rent exemption.
Upon first arriving, they only needed to register at the Residential Management Office to receive a rent-free house for one year.
Of course, after that one-year grace period, they would need to start paying the standard rent—or, if they wished, they could directly purchase their homes to make them permanent residences.
Aven believed that in the near future, Fairhaven Town's real estate business would flourish, providing the territory with a stable and considerable source of income.
(End of Chapter)