When Aven returned to the castle, he didn't allow himself a moment's rest. Instead, he immediately summoned all the officials.
Fessen, Phyllis, his Uncle Mike, and Matthew, along with the other department heads, had long been prepared. Each of them held a rolled-up parchment in hand.
"Lord Aven," Fessen reported as soon as the meeting began, "all the serfs and commoners who arrived in the Pokémon Domain have been properly settled."
He then handed Aven a detailed record of all affairs that had taken place during his absence — a thick report containing everything that had occurred within the domain.
"You've worked hard during my absence," Aven said, accepting the document and opening it to examine carefully.
Over the past half month, all matters within the territory had proceeded according to his plans. The Safari Zone, the town of Fairhaven, and the land reclamation projects were all continuing in perfect order.
Of course, the finer details would still have to be personally reported by the heads of each department. As Aven read through the administrative reports, the remaining officials arrived one after another and took their seats at the large round table, each in their assigned position.
"Now then," Aven said, sipping a bit of berry juice out of habit before glancing toward the group, "let's hear a report on the recent situation from each department."
Normally, the first to speak would be Phyllis, the head of the Finance Department. After all, the financial state of the territory was directly tied to its development. Only by understanding the fiscal situation could the next phase of expansion be properly planned.
However, this time, it was Matthew, the leader of the rangers who was the first to rise. He left his seat and suddenly dropped to one knee. "Lord Aven, I have something to report."
Seeing Matthew kneeling, both Sutter and Peter raised their heads, their expressions thoughtful.
"Speak," Aven said calmly.
"Lord Aven, I wish to plead on behalf of my former comrades."
As soon as he said that, Sutter and Peter exchanged glances, their faces showing that they had expected this.
"In the Battle of the Ironblood Fortress," Matthew began, his tone solemn, "the Ironblood Knights, as subordinates of the Ironblood Marquis, indeed committed grave wrongs. But later, during the final stages of the conflict, they recognized the marquis's true nature and played a critical role in pacifying the fortress."
"I beg Lord Aven to pardon their crimes, to allow them to retain their knighthood. They are willing to swear loyalty to you and dedicate their blades to the Pokémon Domain."
Matthew bowed his head deeply. As the former vice-captain of the Ironblood Knights, he could not bear to see his old companions destroyed.
He knew that, as prisoners of war, even though some Ironblood Knights had later turned against their bloodthirsty master, the best outcome for them would be demotion to commoner status — and they would never again be knights.
Now, he was asking Aven to give them another chance. Those knights were not mere soldiers; they were elite warriors, born for the code of chivalry. Being knights was their true calling.
"The Ironblood Knights…" Aven murmured thoughtfully before turning his gaze to Sutter and Peter.
The two men exchanged a brief look, then stood up. "Lord Aven," Sutter said, "during the final suppression of the rebellion, several of the Ironblood Knights indeed cast off their armor and saved many civilians."
Matthew looked at the two with gratitude in his eyes. "Lord Aven, I am willing to lead those knights to defend the borders of the Black Forest!"
"In that case," Aven said after a moment, "I can grant them a chance."
"However, before that, they must first face a proper trial. If they are proven innocent of any crimes, I will allow them to keep their knighthood and join your ranger division."
He nodded slightly. "The Pokémon Domain does indeed lack manpower. And with Kirlia's abilities, no one will be able to hide their guilt. Naturally, all other Ironblood Knights will also receive a fair trial."
"Thank you, Lord Aven!" Matthew said joyfully, bowing deeply again before returning to his seat.
Next, it was Phyllis's turn to give her report.
Due to Aven's new Pokémon Breeding Zone initiative, the orders for Pokémon potions and Pokémon food had surged dramatically.
Lords from the eastern and northern domains of Aspiration City had all sent traders to negotiate. The merchant convoys and caravans traveling to and from the Pokémon Domain hadn't stopped for a single day.
After the successful siege of Ironblood Fortress, all the noble territories had replenished their treasuries with spoils of war. And to survive the coming winter, they began using this wealth to purchase vast amounts of food.
As a result, most of that gold flowed straight into the Pokémon Domain, greatly strengthening its financial foundation. With this newfound wealth, Phyllis had already begun stockpiling the resources necessary to survive the winter.
"Good," Aven nodded. "It seems our financial situation has completely stabilized."
With money in hand, many of his pending plans could finally be set into motion.
He then turned his gaze toward Fessen. "How is the talent recruitment project going?"
Talent was valuable in any era. Although Fairhaven Town's workshop district had expanded significantly, it still lacked enough craftsmen to fill it.
"Lord Aven," Fessen replied, "I have followed your orders and begun recruiting craftsmen on a large scale. So far, the ones most eager to join us are apothecaries — I've already placed them under Master Olai's management."
"As for other craftsmen such as stonemasons and bricklayers, Master Thomas has gathered quite a few. However, recruiting blacksmiths has proven difficult. Most blacksmiths are valued and protected by their own lords."
"Still, among the commoners brought back from Ironblood Fortress, there are some skilled artisans. I've already begun identifying them. They should provide strong reinforcement for our workshop district."
Aven nodded in approval. Among all tradesmen, the blacksmiths were the ones he desired most — only with their help could large-scale Poké Ball production begin.
The framework for the Pokémon League had already been laid. As one of its key symbols, Poké Balls needed to appear soon on the world's stage. Their creation would greatly strengthen the League's foundation.
However, capable blacksmiths were extremely scarce in this world. Without modern tools or machinery, crafting Poké Balls from apricorns was difficult beyond measure, requiring near-superhuman precision and expertise.
The blacksmiths the Pokémon Domain had recruited so far only knew basic forging techniques — still far from his expectations.
Yet, with proper training, they might one day reach the standard he needed. The problem was that there were no true masters who could teach them advanced forging skills.
His Rhydon certainly had the strength and mastery over heat and metal to forge Poké Balls with ease, but such instinctive expertise couldn't be passed down to humans.
Aven sighed quietly. "For now, we can only hope that among the people from Ironblood Fortress, there's at least one true master blacksmith."
"Lord Aven," Matthew suddenly said, "I might be able to help. Back when I served in the Ironblood Knights, I worked closely with several blacksmiths. I should be able to recognize them."
"Good," Aven nodded. "Then I'll leave that to you. A master blacksmith is vital to the territory."
He then turned to Uncle Mike. "How is the situation with the agriculture?"
In this era, agriculture remained the cornerstone of any domain. For most people, survival was still the primary concern.
The greatest obstacle to population growth was low crop yield. A town of a few thousand required the surrounding dozens of villages to feed it — and even then, production was barely sufficient.
Each village, with only a few hundred people, even if fully engaged in farming, could only produce enough to sustain an equal number of urban residents. Agricultural productivity was abysmally low.
Such inefficiency severely restricted the development of any domain. Only by solving the issue of hunger could human labor be freed from the fields and redirected toward construction and industry.
Aven's solution was simple — let Pokémon assist in farming.
With their help, one person's output could feed thousands. By using as few farmers as possible to feed the many, more manpower could be shifted to the workshops to drive industrial production.
"Lord Aven," Mike began, "the autumn harvest is nearly complete. Thanks to this year's yields, many serfs have successfully earned their freedom and been relocated to Fairhaven Town."
He hesitated slightly before continuing, "However, what should we do with the new serfs who have just arrived? Normally, they'd be assigned to land reclamation, but with winter approaching, that might not be practical."
"Indeed, it's hard to grow regular crops in winter," Aven admitted with a faint smile. "But not impossible. Some cold-resistant berries actually thrive better in the cold."
In past winters, the peasants and serfs of every territory would stockpile food early and hide in their cellars until spring.
Not only did the freezing climate make farming impossible, but there was also the danger of winter beast tides — all of which made agriculture unthinkable during those months.
But from Aven's perspective, that meant wasting an enormous amount of labor. For over three months, the populace essentially had no work and thus no income, which made them poorer and weaker every winter.
Not this time. Aven didn't plan to let the people of the Pokémon Domain idle away the winter. The territory's order would continue unbroken.
"Cold-resistant berries?" Mike blinked in surprise.
The other officials exchanged glances as well — they had also realized that their lord had no intention of letting the workshops or farms fall silent even during the harsh winter.
"That's right," Aven confirmed. "This winter, life in the Pokémon Domain will go on as usual."
"With the rangers' defensive line and the knights' protection, I can ensure the safety of the entire domain throughout the season."
"This must be made known to everyone," he added, his voice firm. "Especially you, Phyllis — allocate part of the budget to ensure the people can live properly through the winter."
The officials looked at each other, their expressions serious. They all understood what this meant — it would be a major challenge for every department.
"Alright," Aven said, after pausing a moment. "We'll discuss the detailed arrangements later. For now, there's one more matter I want to announce."
He took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping across the room. "In addition to our nine existing departments, I plan to establish a new one — the Ministry of Education."
(End of Chapter)