Chapter 74: The Joey Sisters
In the prison beneath the Castle of the Sword of Earth.
A guard in armor walked in from outside and opened a prison door with a metal key.
“Hey, you two, come out!” the guard shouted inside.
Two girls, wearing black hoods and appearing to be around seventeen or eighteen years old, were huddled in a corner.
Hearing the guard’s voice, they couldn’t help but look up.
“Sister…” one of the girls clutched the other girl’s hand.
The other girl squeezed her hand reassuringly, then asked:
“Excuse me, has something happened?”
The guard looked at the two girls. If one looked closely, one could see that the two girls were identical from their height to their appearance, even their faces, as if they were cast from the same mold.
They were cursed individuals; because their appearances were identical, any children born from a union with them would also be indistinguishable. It was said that those who approached them would bring misfortune.
The guard quickly averted his gaze and turned, saying, “His Majesty the King has ordered that starting today, you will be going to Prince Lei Wen’s fiefdom with everyone else!”
Prince Lei Wen?
The two girls blinked slightly.
They exchanged glances, then obediently stood up and followed the guard out of the prison.
After passing through a secret passage, everything in front of them suddenly opened up.
This was a forest located on the outskirts of the Royal City.
Many people were already gathered here, waiting.
Among the crowd were many monsters, bound by reins, pulling carts laden with goods. However, they were covered, so the girls couldn’t see clearly.
“Sister…” one girl said worriedly.
“Don’t be scared, Xiao Chun,” the older girl said softly.
She adjusted her sister’s black hood, casting her face in shadow and making it impossible to discern their features.
This was a convoy of about eight hundred people, and with the enslaved monsters, the total number was close to a thousand.
With such a large group, they wouldn’t be conspicuous even within it.
At this moment, all personnel were assembled, and the entire convoy began to depart.
“Prince Lei Wen…” Qiao Yilin murmured the name in her heart.
Although her heart was filled with dread for the future, Qiao Yilin, as the elder sister, did not show it.
She and her sister, Qiao Yichun, were originally from a remote village.
Their mother fell in love with a young man from the village, but on the day they were born, their mother lost her life during a difficult childbirth.
This in itself was not unusual, but as they grew older… when the villagers saw their appearances, which were identical to their mother’s, their faces immediately showed expressions of terror.
They even uttered words like “curse” and “ill omen.”
After that… they were driven out of the village and drifted to the Royal City. However, being penniless, Qiao Yilin stole a few loaves of bread from a bakery to feed her sister.
Then, they were sent to prison.
“…”
Qiao Yilin and Qiao Yichun silently followed at the end of the procession. As everyone assembled, the entire convoy began to move towards the unknown future.
The destinies of countless people converged here, awaiting them was a future shrouded in mist.
On the majestic Castle of the Sword of Earth, the Old King stood alone on a terrace, gazing at the dark convoy in the forest.
This was the last thing he could do for his youngest son.
Perhaps, this was also the last time he would see Victini.
“Sigh!”
The Old King let out a sorrowful sigh. He gazed downwards until the convoy completely disappeared at the horizon and was no longer visible. Only then did he turn around, his aged and hunched figure slowly vanishing into the dim castle.
*
Another clear and sunny day. Lei Wen sat in the Lord’s Hall, listening to Elif report on the progress of various tasks in the territory.
“Your Highness Prince Lei Wen, the mill you commissioned has been completed. Once the wheat ripens in some time, everyone in the territory can use it to grind flour!” Elif said with anticipation.
Witnessing the ripening of crops firsthand like a farmer and processing them into food was something he had never experienced before in the Royal City.
“Mm, I understand,” Lei Wen nodded slightly.
It was now April. With the diligent care of Snivy, Snowrunt, and a host of other Grass Type Pokémon, the wheat, which should have ripened in May, was already starting to turn yellow.
In a few more days, it should be ready for harvest.
The mill was a watermill, utilizing the flow of river water to drive millstones, thus enabling grinding.
“How is Elena doing?” Lei Wen asked again.
“Elena has already planned the initial layout of the town. Here is the blueprint; she asked me to convey that construction of houses can begin,” Elif handed over a simple blueprint.
Lei Wen glanced at it and nodded, “Then let’s proceed with construction according to this layout!”
The primary materials for building houses in the Middle Ages were stone, wood, bricks, and mortar.
In these days, the territory had already produced a considerable amount of building materials, enough to build a small town to accommodate them.
“Yes, Your Highness Prince Lei Wen!” Elif nodded and then took the blueprint to carry out the task.
Lei Wen leaned back in his chair and casually opened the Territory Panel, surprised to find that the territory’s Satisfaction had accumulated to 500.
He had directly unlocked the technology for Advanced Herbalism.
In the next second, a large number of potion recipes appeared in Lei Wen’s mind.
【 Great Potion 】, 【 Super Potion 】, 【 Silver Spray 】, 【 Gold Spray 】…
Compared to the potion recipes provided by Basic Herbalism, these advanced potions were clearly more practical.
Great Potions and Super Potions were more effective than ordinary medicines, while Silver Spray and Gold Spray could release a peculiar scent, very effective for driving away wild Pokémon.
Lei Wen scanned them briefly and noticed that among all the herbs needed for Silver Spray and Gold Spray, there was one that grew on the leaves atop Cherubi’s head.
Wasn’t that convenient?
Lila had several Cherubi.
Lei Wen took out a feather pen and wrote down these potion recipes, planning to give them to Lila when he had the chance.
After finishing this, Lei Wen began to ponder other matters within the territory.
After this period of interaction, the Sandshrew seemed to have grown fond of this life where it helped humans till the land, and humans provided it with food.
If nothing unexpected happened, the Sandshrew would remain here, working alongside the farmers.
The brick-firing work by Pansear was also proceeding very smoothly. Although it was hard work now, once the miners excavated coal, a proper Brick Kiln could be built to fire bricks in another way.
However, the only problem was that the underground of the Mine was inhabited by many dangerous Pokémon.
Although protected by Anna and Zorua, the miners only dared to mine on the surface.
With their current strength, they were not yet capable of mining underground.
“Sigh!” Lei Wen couldn’t help but sigh.
Although a large group of Pokémon had gathered in the territory, very few were truly capable of fighting.
“I wonder how Potter is doing…”
