Chapter 48: Ore
Taking advantage of the lull in the snow, Lei Wen ordered Cliff to summon Cleveland and two members of the Knight Order, instructing them to escort several blacksmiths to the mine where the Cranidos resided for an investigation.
Watching them depart, Lei Wen silently prayed that they would find the ore and clay they needed.
Old Butler Elif, observing Lei Wen’s demeanor, couldn’t help but ask, “Your Highness has made a decision?”
“Yes,” Lei Wen nodded. “I think I’ll stay here.”
The road ahead is long, and the war may break out at any time. Their location is remote enough that even if war erupts, they won’t be targets.
Therefore, for Lei Wen, staying here to develop in secret is the best choice.
Although Old Butler Elif was old, having been immersed in the royal family for many years, he could more or less see the current situation clearly.
“After the blizzard ends, Your Highness should write a letter to His Majesty the King to report your safety! His Majesty must be very worried about you now,” Elif sighed and said.
“I will.” And also ask his Father King for a group of technical talents to serve as his citizens and help with the work, Lei Wen thought.
This way, the problem of insufficient manpower could be solved.
A cold wind blew, and Lei Wen told Elif to go back and rest, while he himself returned to the wooden house with Dratini.
Inside the wooden house, Poffin were cleaning with their tails; being fastidious, they did not allow even a speck of dust to remain in the room.
Snivy stood silently on the table, and upon seeing Lei Wen enter, it immediately turned its gaze towards him.
“Snivy…”
Snivy realized that Lei Wen seemed to be very busy all the time.
Moreover, it keenly noticed that Lei Wen’s expression before entering was one of deep thought.
But when he saw them, his expression completely changed.
“Hey, hey, hey! You were cleaning when I left, why are you still cleaning when I’m back?” Lei Wen said with a smile.
“Poffin!” The Poffin were initially very happy to see Lei Wen return.
But upon seeing that the area they had just cleaned was dirtied by him, the Poffin let out a scream.
“Poffin!”
One Poffin couldn’t help but jump down, nudging Lei Wen with its small paws, pushing him aside, and then began to defog with its tail until the dirty spot was cleaned. Only then did they show expressions of relief.
“Poffin~” It’s clean now!
Lei Wen: “…”
However, it was true that seeing such a clean and tidy house upon returning home would indeed make one feel refreshed in body and mind.
But Lei Wen did not stay home for long; he quickly returned, drank a cup of hot tea, and then hurried off with Dratini for training.
It was still practicing Dragon Tail by whipping wooden stakes with its tail.
However, this time, halfway through the practice, a dense purple glow suddenly surged from Dratini’s tail.
Then, with one sweep of its tail, it struck the scarred wooden stake.
Seeing this, Lei Wen was slightly stunned.
Was that move… Dragon Tail?
“Dratini, do it again!” Lei Wen said.
“Wooo!” Dratini, feeling the method of using the move appear in its mind, channeled the energy within its body and swung its tail out again.
“It really is Dragon Tail!”
Lei Wen observed the marks on the wood and analyzed to himself: Although it has learned Dragon Tail, the power is still not enough. He still needs to continue training Dratini’s tail strength.
However, this is already a very big improvement for Dratini.
If calculated according to the levels in the game, Dratini would need Lv15 to learn Dragon Tail.
This means that Dratini’s evolution process is halfway complete, and after another fifteen levels, it can evolve into Dragonair.
However, reality is not a game; the levels in the game can only be used as a reference.
“Regardless, I still need to train diligently,” Lei Wen thought to himself as he looked at Dratini and said, “Well done, Dratini, you’ve improved again!”
“Wooo~!”
“Since you’ve learned Dragon Tail, that’s all for today!” Lei Wen said with a smile.
Dratini had no objections; it would do whatever Lei Wen asked of it now.
The person and Pokémon returned to the wooden house, and Lei Wen picked up Dratini, carefully examining its body.
“Hmm, it has grown quite a bit of muscle compared to when it first started,” Lei Wen thought.
Dratini’s tail no longer felt weak and soft to the touch; instead, it was both soft and resilient. If Dratini tensed up, one could even clearly feel its hard tail muscles.
“Alright, lie down, I’ll give your muscles a massage,” Lei Wen patted Dratini.
Dratini immediately lay down obediently like a salted fish.
Lei Wen then began to gently massage Dratini.
Feeling the large hands moving and kneading all over its body, this sensation made Dratini emit comfortable growls.
During this time, as the Pokémon closest to Lei Wen, Dratini could sense Lei Wen’s emotions to some extent.
He was anxious and worried.
But Dratini didn’t know how to comfort Lei Wen.
“Wooo…” I wish I could grow up quickly! Then I could help Lei Wen, Dratini thought naively.
This was the only way it could think of to help Lei Wen.
On the desk, Snivy calmly observed this scene, a thoughtful expression in its eyes.
＊
Cleveland and his party returned to the territory in the afternoon.
Lei Wen greeted them in the Lord’s Hall.
Morik reported excitedly:
“Prince Lei Wen, just as you predicted, it is a rich mineral deposit! We not only found traces of clay and limestone there, but also a large amount of iron ore!”
“Is there a way to mine it?” Lei Wen’s heart immediately relaxed, and he asked.
“Clay can be excavated with just an iron shovel, and limestone can be picked up directly. The only problem is the iron ore, which requires specialized tools for mining,” Morik thought carefully and added, “And the transportation of these ores…”
There was a distance between the mine and this territory, and relying solely on human power would likely be time-consuming and strenuous.
Hearing this, Lei Wen fell into thought.
Currently, there were Pokémon in the territory capable of pulling carts, such as the two Explosion Head Water Buffalos that followed from the Royal City.
In addition, they had carriages for storing supplies.
“Let the Explosion Head Water Buffalos transport it!” Lei Wen said. “As for the carriage… I’ll have my carriage disassembled for transporting the clay!”
“Your Highness?” The few people present were slightly taken aback.
If that were the case, what would His Highness do for travel?
Lei Wen shook his head and said, “Don’t worry, I have hands and feet. For now, the matter of clay is more important.”
If they started firing bricks from now on, by next spring, they would be able to store a large batch of bricks.
At that time, they could officially begin constructing houses, thereby accelerating the urbanization process of this territory.
