Chapter 76: Bonfire Party
The night sky enveloped the earth, a brilliant galaxy overhead.
The reunited people gathered in the center of the territory, surrounding a large bonfire, with unconcealable smiles on their faces.
“Hey, everyone, come and help! These are fish caught by Prince Lei Wen’s Pokémon for us!”
A young man carried a basket of fresh and plump fish.
The chatting crowd stood up one after another, stepping forward to help with gutting the fish, skewering them, smearing them with oil, sprinkling them with salt, and roasting them over the blazing bonfire.
In a short while, an enticing aroma of roasting spread in all directions.
“Wow, it smells so good!”
“They look delicious!”
Several children couldn’t help but swallow their saliva as they looked at the golden-brown roasted fish.
The adults around chatted with each other, recounting their experiences over the past few days.
For the Pokémon living in this territory, this was the first time they had participated in such a lively bonfire party.
A group of Pokémon were also infected by the lively atmosphere. They chased each other around the bonfire, singing and dancing, looking so harmonious.
Lei Wen and Geralt watched the scene from behind.
At this moment, even Lei Wen, who had experienced many hardships, couldn’t help but feel surprised and delighted when faced with this situation.
The number of his human citizens had suddenly surged from 78 to 299.
With so many people, many of his plans could officially begin to be implemented, and the progress of developing this territory would be greatly accelerated.
Geralt, standing beside him, looked at the unfamiliar Pokémon moving among the crowd and couldn’t help but ask, “Your Highness, what’s going on with those Pokémon?”
Lei Wen explained, “They are currently members of this territory as well.”
Geralt was slightly taken aback, but he quickly understood the key point.
“Your Highness is utilizing the power of Pokémon?”
Lei Wen hummed in affirmation, nodding. “Different Pokémon possess different powers. If utilized properly, they will bring us great help, just like the Pokémon by your side.”
Saying this, Lei Wen looked at the Axew standing to the side. “Will it fight alongside you?”
Geralt nodded.
Ever since this Pokémon began to follow him, it had gone wherever he went.
In times of danger, it would also fight alongside him.
“Axew,” Lei Wen said.
Geralt was slightly startled.
“Its name,” Lei Wen said with a smile.
Geralt looked at the Pokémon beside him and murmured, “Axew…”
Axew tilted its head and looked over.
Just then, Ryan ran over excitedly from the other side.
“Lord Geralt, I’m so glad you’re alright!”
Seeing Ryan, Geralt’s expression softened slightly. He had already learned about Ryan’s performance during this period from Lei Wen.
A hint of admiration flashed in Geralt’s eyes, and he nodded. “Ryan, you’ve done very well during this time.”
Ryan grinned, “It’s all my duty!”
“Prince Lei Wen, everyone’s accommodations have been arranged,” Elif said, coming over to report.
With so many people suddenly joining, there weren’t enough wooden houses in the territory, so everyone had to temporarily stay in the tents they had before.
Lei Wen nodded. “In that case, let everyone enjoy this bonfire party. Other matters can wait until tomorrow!”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Elif replied.
Lei Wen stroked Minccino’s head, glanced at the yawning Snivy beside him, and after bidding farewell to everyone, he left with a few Pokémon.
After Lei Wen left, Elif looked at Geralt and smiled at him. “Lord Geralt, please get some rest!”
Geralt nodded slightly. Although he was tired, he did not rest. Instead, he found Ryan and began to ask him about everything that had happened during this period.
“Oh my!” Thinking back to those days, Ryan couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. “At first, I thought we were all going to die. After all, there were so few of us, no shelter, and not enough food.”
“But unexpectedly, Prince Lei Wen led us to find this place. Not only that, but he also led us to build houses, gather berries, and fish… Thanks to Prince Lei Wen, we were able to safely get through this winter, and everyone survived!”
“Not only that, but Prince Lei Wen also found many Pokémon and let them join the territory to help us!”
Pansear, Potter, Sandshrew, Snowrunt…
Speaking of this, admiration appeared in Ryan’s eyes.
Geralt listened to these words in silence.
He closed his eyes, feeling a surge of emotion. His Highness had truly grown up!
The bonfire leaped, and humans and Pokémon celebrated this moment together.
In early April of the 149th year of the Kingdom Calendar, humans and Pokémon began a slow integration here.
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The next morning, Lei Wen woke up early. While Poffin was still fast asleep, he, along with Dratini and Snivy, headed to the temporary tent that served as the meeting hall.
Elif, Geralt, Ryan, Anna, Ai Wen, and others were already waiting there.
Seeing Lei Wen arrive, Elif was the first to step forward and report on the situation of the new residents.
“Prince Lei Wen, I’ve just finished counting. The commoners brought by Lord Geralt number 221 people so far.”
Lei Wen nodded thoughtfully and then asked, “What was their reaction to the Pokémon in the territory?”
“At first, everyone was very afraid, but perhaps others have already told them about these Pokémon, so now they are starting to try to accept it,” Elif replied.
“That’s good,” Lei Wen said with relief.
The arrival of so many commoners was a good thing, but with it came a tenfold increase in food consumption.
“Is there enough food in the silo?” Lei Wen asked.
“Reporting to Your Highness, our current food reserves may not be enough,” Elif shook his head. “But fortunately, Lord Geralt also brought a lot of supplies.”
“Black bread, white bread, ham, smoked meat, pickled fish, beef jerky, almonds, figs, wine, beer, honey wine, oats, cheese, wheat, spices… These should be enough for everyone to eat. Moreover, the rye, wheat, and potatoes in the farmland are about to ripen and can be harvested in another week.”
Hearing this, Lei Wen was somewhat surprised. He looked up at Geralt and asked, “How did you get through that winter?”
Geralt replied, “Many of the carriages carrying supplies were lost due to the blizzard. After encountering those commoners, I led them to find the carriages with food. After that, we also bought a lot of food from the villagers of that village using gold coins.”
“Village?” Lei Wen just remembered this. He turned to Ai Wen and said, “Thank you for your hard work this time, Ai Wen.”
Ai Wen scratched his head sheepishly, “It’s all my duty!”
“Do you remember what the village was called?” Lei Wen asked.
Ai Wen shook his head. “People called it Nameless Village. It was a very small village, with only over twenty households. However, I learned some news from the villagers.”
“It seems we are located on the border of the Kingdom, in the northern part of the Unova Region, very far from the Royal City!”
