Chapter 8: Building A Wooden House
The candlelight illuminated the entire tent.
Lei Wen sat at the table, savoring the fish soup brought by the maid.
Dratini curled up nearby, heartily devouring the fish.
The fish soup in the bowl was steaming, the soup was delicious, the fish was tender, and a sip made the whole body feel warm.
Lei Wen soon filled his stomach.
He looked at the sheepskin scroll depicting the Map of Unova laid out before him, trying his best to deduce his current location.
Based on Aindook’s location and the route provided by the Old Butler Elif, they were most likely in the northeastern part of the Unova Region.
However, Lei Wen didn’t know the more specific location.
He crossed his arms and sat at the table, silently contemplating while reviewing the detailed information of the citizens in his territory.
“Your Highness Lei Wen, Ryan, the acting commander of the Knight Order, requests an audience!” the maid’s voice interrupted Lei Wen’s thoughts.
Lei Wen snapped back to attention and said, “Let him in.”
That rascal Ryan quickly ran in from outside.
“Your Highness Lei Wen, we have finished investigating the environment around the camp!”
“Continue,” Lei Wen nodded.
Ryan: “Knight Order members have discovered traces of many Small Monsters in the nearby Forest. So far, those Small Monsters pose no threat to us, but for some reason, we haven’t encountered a single Large Monster these past two days…”
“Perhaps they are hibernating?” the Old Butler Elif couldn’t help but guess, as he knew that some Large Monsters had the habit of hibernating.
Hibernation? Ursaring? Lei Wen mused thoughtfully.
“Then I don’t know,” Ryan paused, then added, “We’ll investigate further into the Forest when it’s light tomorrow.”
If they found traces of Large Monsters, they would have to prepare in advance.
Lei Wen nodded, looking at the Charcoal burning in the brazier, he asked, “Elif, how much Charcoal is left?”
Elif: “We’ve consumed a lot of Charcoal on our journey. The current amount is only enough for us to use for another month. Some Commoners have already started voluntarily going into the Forest to find Dead Branches and Wood for firewood.”
“A month?” Lei Wen frowned. If this continued, those Commoners would be in danger.
His tent was made of fine leather, capable of resisting wind, snow, and cold to a certain extent.
But the Commoners’ tents were not.
It wasn’t the coldest time yet. In another month, the temperature would drop to its lowest.
Without wood for heating, many people in the territory would freeze to death.
What should be done?
Lei Wen frowned. At this moment, he suddenly realized that any decision he made would affect the fate of these seventy-eight people.
After a moment of thought, Lei Wen suddenly remembered the Retainers with special skills his Old King had arranged for him.
“Elif, send for the Carpenter.”
“Understood, Your Highness.”
Elif got up and left. After a short while, he returned to the tent with a burly middle-aged man.
Looking at the sturdy man before him, Lei Wen inquired:
“If you were given enough manpower and Tools, how long would it take you to build a Wooden House?”
This Territory was adjacent to a vast Forest, with abundant Wood resources.
The Carpenter Tucker honestly replied, “From collecting materials to cutting them into Wooden Boards, and then assembling the House, it would take me about a month by myself. This is just a basic small Wooden House; a larger Wooden House would take even longer.”
“Over a month?” Lei Wen pondered briefly, then asked, “What if everyone in the entire Territory helped?”
“Then it would only take a few days to complete a small Wooden House!” Tucker said.
“In that case, I’ll leave it to you.” Lei Wen looked at the few people: “Ryan, temporarily halt reconnaissance tomorrow. You will lead everyone to help Uncle Tucker chop Wood.”
“Yes!” Ryan understood the importance of the matter and immediately agreed.
Lei Wen: “Elif, give the order. Starting tomorrow, everyone in the Camp, except for the injured, must go out to work. Go Fishing, gather Berries, and help collect Wood. Tell everyone that as long as they get through this winter, everything will be alright!”
“Understood, Your Highness Lei Wen,” Elif nodded gently.
Lei Wen paused, then added, “Also, Ryan, I have something I need to ask of you. While chopping Wood, I hope you can search the vicinity for any Monster that can breathe fire… Pokémon.”
“Monster that can breathe fire?” Ryan was taken aback.
Lei Wen nodded. Wood was a consumable, and it would eventually burn out as fuel.
But Fire-type Pokémon were different. As long as they were provided with Food, they could mobilize the Energy within their bodies to use moves like Flamethrower to start fires for warmth.
If it were Pokémon like Charmander, Rapidash, Magmar, or Magby, they could provide warmth for humans with their flames and high temperatures, even without Wood.
More importantly, with the Power of Fire-type Pokémon, they could fire Cement and Bricks, thus building stronger, safer, and more reliable Houses.
Seeing Lei Wen’s expression, Ryan suddenly had an unbelievable guess. He recalled what he had seen during the day and couldn’t help but ask:
“Your Highness Lei Wen, do you intend to use those monsters that breathe fire?!”
“To be precise, it’s to borrow the Power of the 【Monster】.”
“Borrow the power of monsters?” everyone was stunned.
Lei Wen turned his gaze to Dratini and slowly said, “From my observation, monsters are not uncontrollable beings. They are intelligent, possess wisdom, and can even understand human language—Dratini, come here.”
Dratini, having just drunk a bowl of fish soup, heard Lei Wen’s call and, to everyone’s astonishment, happily flew into his embrace.
So obedient!
“Does Your Highness Lei Wen mean to forcefully enslave them?” Tucker asked, looking at Dratini.
As far as he knew, there were many people in the Royal City who specialized in capturing weak Monsters, putting Shackles on them, and coercing them to work with whips.
If a Monster disobeyed, it would be met with a severe whipping.
“No, not enslavement, but a more intimate relationship,” Lei Wen shook his head. “Like this monster named Dratini, or perhaps I can use an example you’ll understand better.”
Lei Wen paused and continued, “Like my Father King and Victini.”
Everyone in Aindook knew that their King had used the Power of that monster named 【Victini】 to defeat the enemy country and establish the Aindook Kingdom in his youth.
And that Victini still lived in the Royal City with the King to this day.
