Chapter 4: Setting Up Camp
“Your Highness Prince Lei Wen, the tents have been set up!”
Outside the carriage, a knight came to report the situation.
Lei Wen nodded and got out of the carriage, holding the blanket in which Dratini was hiding.
The group finally chose to set up a temporary camp on the edge of the forest by the riverside.
As Lei Wen got out of the carriage, he saw everyone around him bustling with activity.
Some were clearing the snow from the ground, some were setting up tents, some were taking care of the sick, and some were starting fires for warmth. The knights holding weapons were responsible for scouting the surrounding environment to prevent danger.
Seeing this scene, Lei Wen slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, and the anxiety in his heart finally eased a little.
He returned to his tent. The tent was not large and had golden royal patterns printed on the outside, indicating it was a royal tent.
The interior space of the tent was about twenty square meters. Although not large, it was considered very luxurious compared to the tents of commoners.
When Lei Wen entered, the maid had already prepared hot tea. Lei Wen took a sip and immediately felt the coldness all over his body dissipate.
He took Dratini out of the blanket and then placed the remaining half cup of hot tea by its mouth, “Drink up, warm yourself up.”
“Wuu…”
Dratini looked at the human in front of him with its big, watery eyes for a few moments before lowering its head and drinking the remaining half cup of hot water into its belly from Lei Wen’s hand.
Dratini felt its entire body warm up.
This made it unable to help but let out a happy growl.
“Wuu~!”
Lei Wen looked at it with a chuckle and said, “Go back to sleep for a while!”
Dratini was very obedient and honestly returned to the blanket.
The old butler, Elif, stood by with a list in his hand. The way Prince Lei Wen interacted with that monster reminded him of the King and Victini.
“Elif, report on our remaining supplies.”
“Yes, Your Highness Prince Lei Wen.” Elif nodded and then placed the list in front of Lei Wen.
It clearly recorded all the supply situations in the camp.
Lei Wen looked down.
【Black Bread, White Bread, Ham, Smoked Meat, Pickled Fish, Beef Jerky, Almonds, Figs, Wine, Beer, Honey Wine, Oats, Cheese, Wheat, Spices, and some Salt.】
As Lei Wen had expected, these were all foods with a long shelf life and easy to store.
Their reserves were still plentiful, and if eaten sparingly, they would be enough for everyone in the camp to get through the cold winter.
Lei Wen continued to look down.
In addition to food, the old king had also prepared various daily necessities, tools, crop seeds, and various herbs for him.
For example, soap, combs, and a large amount of clothing, etc.
The tools included farming implements like shovels, hammers, axes, and sickles. Combined with the farmers in the caravan, it seemed the old king wanted his son to be able to grow some of his own favorite food.
As for the crop seeds…
To Lei Wen’s surprise, the variety of crop seeds was very rich.
Cabbage, carrots, flax grains, oat grains, onion seeds, rye seeds, wheat grains, and so on.
The stored food was ultimately limited, and one day it would run out. Then, it would be time for these seeds to be useful.
It was now necessary to ensure that these crop seeds were preserved well.
“How are these crop seeds being stored?” Lei Wen asked.
Elif replied, “I just checked, and all the seeds are preserved perfectly.”
“That’s good.” Lei Wen nodded, a sigh of relief escaping his heart.
Lei Wen’s gaze then shifted back to the food items above.
Dried meat, ham, pickled fish, smoked meat…
As is widely known, the source of meat in the Pokémon World has always been a mystery.
Although the anime initially revealed that ordinary animals also existed in this world, the setting was later changed to include some Pokémon being consumed by humans.
For example, Slowpoke tails, Basculin, and others.
However… consuming Pokémon, intelligent beings, was something Lei Wen could hardly accept.
After all, from the very beginning, he had been exposed to the concept of “Pokémon are partners, family.”
Thinking of this, Lei Wen searched through the original owner’s memories.
Soon, he found the answer.
According to the original owner’s memories, ordinary animals also exist in this world.
For instance, common chickens, cows, sheep, and fish. Some humans also raise these livestock to obtain resources like meat, eggs, and milk.
But unlike Pokémon, the production capacity of these ordinary animals is very limited.
For example, an ordinary cow can only produce about five kilograms of milk per day, while a Miltank can produce twenty liters of milk, and Miltank’s milk is more nutritious.
In comparison to Pokémon, ordinary animals have no advantage and can only serve as food on the tables of humans and Pokémon.
Furthermore, their stamina is no match for Pokémon.
Of course, according to the original owner’s memories, Lei Wen discovered that only some ordinary animals exist in this world, such as chickens, cows, and sheep, but fierce beasts like tigers and black bears are absent.
That’s good news, right?
Elif’s face was filled with worry.
Lei Wen noticed his expression and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Elif slowly let out a sigh and said, “While you were resting in the carriage earlier, I counted the number of people in the camp. So far, only 78 of us remain.”
There were over five hundred people when they departed from Aindook, and now only this many remain…
The old butler’s face was filled with grief.
No one could be more aware of the team’s personnel situation than Lei Wen.
He pondered for a long time and, using his panel, checked the status of each commoner.
Butler, maid, knight, farmer, alchemist, physician, carpenter, blacksmith, gardener, barber, cook, commoner, slave…
Among these, there were twenty commoners and thirty-five slaves.
Oh right, and two enslaved Explosion Head Water Buffaloes.
Lei Wen observed them on the way. The two Explosion Head Water Buffaloes were gentle in nature, perhaps having been enslaved for so long that they had become docile and unaggressive.
Besides that, Lei Wen also noticed that many people were sick.
Some had frostbite, some had high fevers, and some even had fractures.
At this point, Elif also spoke about the matter and finally asked:
“Your Highness Prince Lei Wen, what should we do?”
Lei Wen couldn’t help but feel a headache. He rubbed his temples, “What else can we do?”
“Have the doctors examine them. I saw there are quite a few herbs in the warehouse, take them all out and use them!”
Elif was slightly stunned, “But those were prepared for Your Highness…”
Lei Wen shook his head, and his gaze fell upon his golden finger panel. On the Territory tab, it had indeed changed.
【Lord’s Name: Lei Wen】
【Territory: Small （Unnamed）】
【Citizens （Humans）: 78 people （Click to view details）】
【Citizens （Pokémon）: 3 individuals （Click to view details）】
【Popularity: 2 （precarious）】
【Satisfaction: 0】
【Technology: None （Unlock new technologies with Satisfaction）】
For a territory to develop, sufficient population is an essential condition.
Moreover, he couldn’t just watch those people die, and he was incapable of doing so.
Lei Wen thoughtfully said, “After they recover, I will have many things for them to do.”
It seemed they would have to stay here for a long time.
Lei Wen could use this small piece of land to test the functions of his golden finger.
As the lord of this land, he needed citizens to work for him to develop the territory.
Therefore, all of you, get well quickly and come work for me!
