The development of the Black Coast Forest was proceeding in an orderly and well-organized manner.
After so much time spent clearing the area, the entire reclamation project had finally reached its final stage.
At the same time, the Ministry of Construction of the Pokémon Domain had long since entered the Black Coast Forest and finalized the location of the future coastal town.
Now that the Pokémon Domain had completely annexed the entire Black Coast Forest, its overall size had doubled. It could fully support the establishment of a second town.
This coastal town was planned to be built near the Fair River, which would strengthen communication between the new coastal town and Fairhaven Town. The river's waterway would also greatly speed up the transportation of resources between the two places.
Another major consideration was the construction of a harbor. Fortunately, there was a sheltered bay right at the mouth of the Fair River as it entered the sea—an ideal place to build a port.
On the construction site, Minister Thomas and the craftsmen had already begun building the town in full swing. Among the workers, one could even see the figures of several Geodude and Onix.
After considerable effort over this period, the Ministry of Construction had successfully recruited some Geodude and Onix from the Coastal Mountains, persuading them to join the Pokémon Domain's construction team.
Under the mutually agreed conditions, they worked on the site in exchange for large quantities of Pokémon food and medicine for their groups. Thus, the two sides now existed in a cooperative relationship.
Thomas didn't object to this at all—in fact, he was eager and determined to bring all of the Geodude and Onix into the Ministry of Construction.
He couldn't help it. Geodude and Onix were simply too perfect for construction work. With their participation, construction efficiency had increased severalfold, and they could even perform tasks that many craftsmen couldn't accomplish.
During this period of time, Aven had been staying at the Black Coast. Not far from the future coastal town was the Water-type Pokémon Breeding Area.
After continuous excavation efforts, the Bibarel had successfully carved out a proper river channel. The waters of the Fair River flowed down the newly formed path, gushing over the cliff face and crashing into the sea below, forming a waterfall.
In the seawater below, large groups of Magikarp and Bidoof gathered, desperately trying to swim upstream against the waterfall, struggling against the fierce torrent.
Naturally, almost all of the Magikarp and Bidoof were washed away in just a short time—only some of the stronger Bibarel could persist long enough to reach the middle of the waterfall before also being forced back down.
Although using the "rapid-current training method" was extremely harsh, they continued to persist so that they could successfully undergo their metamorphosis.
At the bottom of the waterfall, the coastal patrol knights were stationed there. Whenever they noticed an injured Magikarp or Bidoof, they would immediately rush forward to treat it.
Through this constant interaction, the relationship between the knights and the Pokémon had grown increasingly close. At this point, quite a number of knights had already gained the recognition of the Magikarp.
"But it's a pity that we still haven't made any progress with shipbuilding."
"Are we really going to rely only on Gyarados and Tentacruel to replace actual ships?"
Aven frowned as he pondered. Gyarados and Tentacruel could certainly carry people and cargo, but their capacity was still extremely limited, and long-distance freight transport was impossible.
Right now, it seemed that he only had two paths to acquire a proper cargo ship: one was to obtain one from Meteor City, and the other was to build one in Marina City itself.
Marina City did have basic knowledge for building fishing boats. In that case, the fishing boats must be improved upon—made stronger and more durable so that they could withstand the violent storms of the open sea.
While Aven stood by the shore thinking, Phyllis appeared from afar, wearing a flowing violet dress. She stopped a short distance away, quietly watching Aven's back.
"Lilli~"
Lilligant turned her head at the sound of Phyllis approaching.
She did not have a particularly good impression of this human woman—but she also understood that the territory's current development could not proceed without her involvement.
"Garde~ voir~"
Gardevoir, however, looked much calmer.
Through sensing emotional energy, she was confident that His Highness Aven felt nothing special toward this woman.
"Lass~"
Froslass drifted up beside Phyllis, still treating her as a potential threat.
"Phyllis, what brings you here?" Aven turned around.
Only then did Phyllis approach. With a hesitant expression, she said, "Your Highness Aven, my father wishes to meet you."
"Your father? Viscount Daly?" Aven reacted immediately. "Where is he now? Take me to him."
Aven still had a strong impression of Viscount Daly. He had cured the man's illness back then, and he had also obtained the Life Orb from him.
But most unforgettable of all was the Darkrai statue hidden in the viscount's secret chamber. The Daly family came from another land—and they did not worship Uxie, but Darkrai!
After successfully capturing Darkrai, Aven had originally wanted to speak with Viscount Daly. Now that the other party had come to him first, this was indeed a meeting he needed to have.
Following Phyllis, Aven arrived at her residence in Fairhaven Town. As the Pokémon Domain's treasurer, Phyllis lived in the Trainer District, one of the safest places in the territory.
Inside the home, Viscount Daly sat calmly in the reception hall, while Sir Enzo paced back and forth restlessly.
"Father… do we really have to do this?" Sir Enzo hesitated.
Viscount Daly nodded steadily. "There is no need to persuade me. I've already made my decision and your sister fully supports it."
Hearing this, Enzo collapsed powerlessly into a chair, muttering, "Insane… they've both gone insane… a noble title, how can they just give up a noble title?!"
(End of Chapter)