Chapter 55: Spring
With winter’s departure and spring’s arrival, as the snow melts from the land, all things begin to awaken, and the people within the territory start to bustle once more.
Lei Wen summoned everyone to the Lord’s Hall to discuss the various affairs of the territory.
The first challenge that arrived was a food crisis.
“Your Highness Prince Lei Wen, the food in the territory has been almost entirely eaten by everyone…” the Old Butler Elif said with a worried expression.
The blizzard, which lasted for nearly two months, had consumed almost all of their food, and now there was very little left in the silos.
It was now March, and there were still two months until the crops in the fields would be ripe.
This meant that they might go hungry for a while.
Lei Wen frowned, thought calmly for a moment, and then said:
“Tell everyone to conserve food as much as possible, and I will have Dratini continue to fish in the river in my free time.”
However, simply electro-fishing wouldn’t solve the problem, as it would cause severe damage to the ecosystem.
Even though resources were abundant in this era, if they continued like this, even the richest resources would eventually be depleted.
It was better to have a steady, long-term supply. Lei Wen couldn’t help but start considering the feasibility of excavating fish ponds within the territory and starting a fish-raising plan.
However, the only fortunate thing was that it was spring, and this fertile land held countless possibilities.
Pausing, Lei Wen added, “Also, have the Gathering Team continue to go out and gather wild goods like Berries, wood ear mushrooms, and hazelnuts. If they find ordinary animals like Wild Chickens, they can also set traps to capture them for raising.”
Fish, Berries, wild goods, Eggs, chicken meat, and the Fruit from Snowrunt… these would be just enough to fill their stomachs.
“Yes, Your Highness!” Elif responded.
Lei Wen then turned his gaze to the carpenters, blacksmiths, and residents who were temporarily acting as miners within the territory.
“I will continue to rely on all of you for excavating Clay to fire Bricks. Additionally, work at the Logging Camp must continue; we need to build the Mill as soon as possible,” he said.
With a Mill, they could grind the harvested Wheat into Flour to make Bread and other foods, and even use the Power of the flowing water to irrigate the Farmland.
“Yes, Your Highness Prince Lei Wen!” the carpenter Tucker and the blacksmith Morik, among others, agreed in unison.
“Your Highness Prince Lei Wen!” several Farmers spoke up at the appropriate moment.
Lei Wen looked at them.
“Spring has arrived, so the remaining Wheat seeds and Potato seeds, as well as seeds for Cabbage, Carrot, and Oats, can also be sown!” the Farmers reported.
I almost forgot about that! Lei Wen nodded, “In that case, let’s start today!”
Reclaiming Farmland, Tilling the soil… there was still a lot of work waiting for them before Sowing.
Having received their tasks, the people hurried away to carry out their respective duties.
Lei Wen then turned his gaze to the Knight Order.
Spring had arrived, and perhaps due to the gradually warming temperatures, many more wild Pokémon had appeared on the land.
Some of them had even become active around the territory.
For example, Budew in the Grass, Swanna and Tympole on the River Surface, and Burmy hanging from trees.
But fortunately, after this winter, the attitude of the residents towards Monsters had changed. Now, upon seeing these Monsters, they were no longer as fearful as before.
Some residents even dared to approach those Monsters.
However, even so, they could not relax their vigilance.
After all, not all Pokémon were friendly to humans; there were undoubtedly dangerous ones among them.
Lei Wen thought for a moment and then said, “The Patrol work around the territory cannot be relaxed. If you encounter aggressive Monsters, remember to prioritize your own safety and the safety of others immediately.”
“Yes!” the members of the Knight Order nodded one after another.
“Also,” Lei Wen shifted his gaze to Ryan, Cleveland, and Christina, “many unknown Monsters have appeared in the forest. I need you three to set out again and record them.”
“O-okay!” Christina quickly replied.
Lei Wen smiled and said, “This time, you don’t need to go that far. Just sketching the Monsters inhabiting the forests and Plains around the territory will suffice.”
“Understood!” Christina hugged her sketchbook tightly.
Lei Wen nodded and then said, “Alright, everyone, go about your business!”
The group gradually left, but one young knight remained.
Lei Wen looked up at him and raised an eyebrow, “Is there something else?”
“Y-Your Highness!” the young knight couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t we going to the Fiefdom?”
Lei Wen appeared to be thinking, “With our current food reserves, I’m afraid we won’t be able to reach that Fiefdom. What’s wrong? Do you have family or friends there?”
The young knight quickly shook his head, “No, I just… I just can’t bear to leave here. If we all leave, these houses we worked so hard to build will be abandoned.”
Moreover, some Commoners no longer wished to leave.
They felt that life here was quite good, and even if that other territory was richer, it had nothing to do with them.
Here, there were no Slaves and no wars; everyone worked together to build their home.
Hearing the young knight’s words, Lei Wen smiled and said, “I have my own decisions regarding this matter, but no matter what, we must first overcome the current Food Crisis. Other matters can be discussed later.”
“Yes!”
The young knight performed a standard knightly salute and then left the Tent to go on Patrol in the vicinity.
Suddenly, only Lei Wen, Dratini, and Snivy remained in the Tent.
Looking at the accumulated Berry seeds before him, Lei Wen took a deep breath and said to Snivy, “It’s time.”
“Fuji?” Snivy seemed startled and couldn’t react immediately.
“What I promised you before – to sow these Berry seeds and create a home where you can survive.”
As Lei Wen spoke, he looked at the surrounding Map that Christina had drawn.
Finally, he chose an empty space south of the territory to plant these Berry trees.
Berries, an incredibly incredible resource in the Pokémon World.
They had a fast growth cycle and a short maturation period, often ready for harvest every two or three days.
With these Berries, they could start Raising more Pokémon.
Potter, Combee, Deerling… Lei Wen silently formulated his next plans in his mind.
Just then, a panicked voice suddenly came from outside.
Immediately afterward, a Farmer rushed in and reported:
“Y-Your Highness! A Monster is causing destruction in the Farmland! Its speed is too great; the Knight Order members can’t catch it!”
What?
Hearing this, Lei Wen’s brows furrowed immediately.
The crops in the Farmland were related to their very survival; there could be no mistakes.
With this thought, Lei Wen immediately stood up and said, “Take me to see!”
“As you command, Your Highness!”
