"Let Simisear help make bricks?"
Hearing this, Lyon was slightly stunned.
Raven nodded. "Simisear is a Fire-type beast. She can spit out extremely hot flames from her mouth. So, I want to hire her to work for this territory."
"As a reward, I will provide her with more food and candy."
Having said that, Raven paused for a moment.
From the original owner's memory, he knew that in addition to the supplies he had brought on this trip, the old king had also prepared a large amount of gold coins for him.
In this ancient era without League currency, gold coins were the standard medium of exchange.
But for the current territory, no matter how many gold coins there were, they were useless. The territory had no taxes, so Raven had no way to distribute gold coins as rewards.
"I'll discuss this with Simisear," Lyon said, scratching his head.
"It's your duty," Raven nodded.
So Lyon resigned himself and returned to his cabin.
When Lyon opened the door, he saw several beasts, led by Simisear, waiting for his return at home.
He finally had a home!
An unprecedented feeling surged in Lyon's heart.
He personally cooked a very sumptuous dinner for them: fish soup, fruit, and bread.
After dinner, Lyon found Simisear and told her what Raven had said today.
"By the way, Simisear, His Highness Raven asked me to ask you if you're willing to work for this territory."
"Simisear?" Upon hearing this, a puzzled expression appeared on Simisear's face, as if she didn't understand what those words meant.
"His Highness Raven wants to hire you. He wants you to use your flames to help fire clay bricks. As a reward, he'll provide you with more food and candy."
Lyon scratched his head and said gently:
"Don't worry, if you don't want to do it, we won't go."
He didn't tell Simisear about the territory's difficulties, nor did he plead with her based on their bond, because that would put too much burden on her.
However, Simisear was a very intelligent Pokémon.
Even though Lyon didn't say it, she could feel it.
Because these past days, she had seen the situation of the territory with her own eyes.
"Simisear…"
Simisear turned her gaze toward Patrat standing beside her.
It was the people in this territory who had cured Patrat's illness. If she could help in return, she wouldn't mind.
After all, all she needed to do was breathe fire.
"Simisear!" Simisear nodded firmly.
"You agreed?" Lyon asked in surprise.
"Simisear!"
The next day, the work of firing bricks officially began with Simisear's help.
As lord of the territory, Raven made a point to visit the entire process of firing clay bricks.
Workers used wooden molds to shape processed clay into square bricks. After the bricks had dried, they were stacked neatly in the dome-shaped brick kiln built in advance.
Finally, it was Simisear's turn.
She opened her mouth, and with a roar of fire, a beam of blazing flames burst forth.
Time ticked by.
The flames swept across the entire kiln. Under the scorching heat of this high-temperature jet flame, the minerals in the clay underwent rapid changes. The bricks inside glowed red like molten metal, dazzling and beautiful.
Watching this scene, Blacksmith Morik let out a long breath.
He signaled Simisear to stop, then walked over to Raven and reported:
"Your Highness, the firing of the bricks has been preliminarily completed. All that remains is to wait for them to cool before the work is finished."
Cooling would take about one to two days.
Raven nodded. Time was the one thing they had plenty of.
He ordered everyone to disperse and return tomorrow to check the results.
As a reward for Simisear's help, Raven sent a large amount of food and candy to Lyon's cabin.
In front of the house, Simisear was stunned by the pile of sweets and fruits stacked before her.
She looked at the maid in disbelief: "Simisear?!" So many?!
The maid smiled and explained, "These are all sent to you by His Highness Raven. He said he is very grateful for your willingness to help."
"Simisear…" But isn't this too much?
Simisear froze for a moment.
Back in the wild, she had needed to spend so much effort just to find a few fruits.
And now, simply by breathing fire, she could get so much fruit and candy…
Simisear's face was full of disbelief.
So much food!
"His Highness Raven is a very kind prince," Lyon said with a smile. "Take it, Simisear. You deserve it."
"Simisear…" Moved, Simisear immediately resolved to work even harder for His Highness Raven.
Not only Simisear, but Patrat, Pidove, and Foongus also showed surprise on their faces.
Could helping humans really bring so much food?
Could they help too?
At that moment, something quietly changed in the hearts of these beasts.
Raven, however, was unaware of this.
That night, a snowstorm swept outside.
The biting cold wind howled past the windows, carrying thick snowflakes.
Listening to Aelif's report, Raven glanced at the scene outside.
Inside the cabin, five Minccino huddled by the window, little faces full of worry.
Even Snivy, who rarely showed emotion, revealed a trace of unease.
Only Dratini seemed unfazed, sleeping peacefully on Raven's coat.
"Your Highness, a snowstorm is coming," Aelif said worriedly.
Raven hummed in acknowledgment—he had seen it.
Fortunately, they had prepared: wooden houses to block wind and snow, stockpiles of food, and firewood for heating.
It was now mid-January—the coldest month of the year.
Raven pondered, then said: "Aelif, pass down the orders. Tell everyone to stay warm and avoid illness. When the snowstorm hits, suspend mining until it's over."
"There's still more than a month of winter left. Let's all endure a little longer."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Auspicious snow foretells a good harvest.
Looking out at the swirling snow, Raven couldn't help but wonder:
"Will next year's crops truly bring us a bountiful harvest?"