Every time Aven returned to Fruitvale Village, there would always be something new and different about it.
Upon arriving back in the village this time, he immediately summoned the officials to gather, intending to learn about the recent situation in Fruitvale Village in detail.
The first to give her report was Phyllis, her face brimming with excitement. With the steady ripening of more and more berries, the potion business had become active once again, and the village's finances had already begun to improve.
Next, she went on to give an update about the situation on the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild's side. The frantic purchasing of grain was still ongoing, but recently the grain prices had indeed dropped quite a bit.
In such circumstances, more and more grain had begun flowing into the market. Clearly, some of the lords within the Ironblood Alliance had already begun secretly selling their stockpiled grain.
After suffering heavy losses from the suppression of berry and potion prices in the past, the Ironblood Alliance was no longer a perfectly united front. They, too, were now worried that grain prices might follow the same path as berries—continuing to fall sharply.
If not for the fact that they all knew Fruitvale Village's grain cultivation had only just begun and could not possibly take them by surprise with a massive harvest the way berries once had, they would probably already have chosen to openly dump all of their surplus grain onto the market.
In addition, some territories that had previously feared the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild's influence had now begun to ignore both the Guild's and Ironblood Fortress's threats, starting trade exchanges directly with Fruitvale Village.
This change further improved Fruitvale Village's financial situation, and the grain flowing in from these territories also greatly eased the village's own grain shortage crisis.
"Right now, the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild must be having quite a headache, right?" Phyllis's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly.
Recently, because some lords were secretly selling grain, the price kept dropping. That drop then encouraged even more lords to sell, creating a self-perpetuating cycle of falling prices.
From Phyllis's sources, she knew that in order to stabilize the grain price, the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild was forcibly trying to hold it up. In fact, much of the grain that had entered the market was ending up being bought by the Guild itself.
Clearly, the Guild understood that if grain prices kept falling, the value of the stock they held would plummet, which would in turn further strain their already pressured finances.
"They're probably counting on winter to arrive. When food supplies grow scarce then, prices will surely rise again." Aven gave a slight nod, then turned to look at Uncle Mike beside him, inquiring about the state of crop planting.
"Right now, much of the good farmland has already been planted with wheat."
"The serfs' enthusiasm for farming is extremely high, and the amount of farmland they've opened up far exceeds my expectations."
Mike began reporting on the land reclamation in Fruitvale Village. Speaking of the almost frenzied vigor of the serfs, he couldn't help but show some surprise on his face.
To escape their status as serfs, these people were truly willing to work themselves to the bone. Beyond their original allotment, each of them had opened up more farmland than before.
According to the system Aven had put in place, any land the serfs reclaimed beyond what had originally been assigned to them only needed to be reported to the administrators, and the grain produced from that land would also count toward their merit points.
As long as they accumulated enough merit, their entire family could be freed from serfdom. Naturally, every serf wanted to achieve this within a single year—they no longer wished to wait another year if they could help it!
Of course, in this process one had to mention the relationship between these serfs and the Pokémon. Compared to ordinary commoners, serfs were actually more accepting of Pokémon!
It was precisely with the help of these Pokémon that the serfs were able to open up so much farmland—far beyond what they could have achieved with their own physical strength alone.
"Mm, you've done very well."
"Looks like before this winter arrives, many serfs will have successfully freed themselves from bondage."
A smile also appeared on Aven's face. "Aside from that, the fertilizing work must not stop. In the coming days, I'll also have Vileplume and Tangrowth assist with sowing and accelerating crop growth."
Upon hearing this, Uncle Mike immediately nodded. After this period of learning and adapting, he had already become capable of making proper use of fertilizer combined with Pokémon abilities to grow crops.
"Right, the Safari Zone has also opened up a lot of farmland. When you have time, Uncle Mike, you should go have a look there too."
"The Bibarel that has mastered the move Rototiller will be working with you on crop planting in the coming days."
When Aven mentioned this Bibarel, Mike's eyes lit up. Recently, he had been trying to earn this Pokémon's recognition.
With Aven's ongoing promotion of harmonious coexistence between humans and Pokémon—and the idea that humans should properly make use of Pokémon abilities when working—Mike felt that as the Head of Agriculture, having this Bibarel's help would be an incredible boon!
In the time that followed, Sutter, Jorah, Mado, and the other officials all gave detailed reports on their own responsibilities. The land reclamation in Black Coast Forest was still progressing in an orderly fashion.
"Thomas, how's the town construction plan coming along?" At that moment, Aven suddenly turned toward the master architect standing at the back of the group and asked.
This was Thomas's first time attending an Fruitvale Village officials' meeting since pledging allegiance. Hearing his name, he quickly stepped forward, bowed, and replied, "Lord Aven, I have already completed the site selection work."
"According to your instructions, I believe the stretch of wasteland between Stonefall Village and Fruitvale Village is very suitable for building the new town. The soil there is hard and not good for farming, which means we can save ourselves many construction problems."
Thomas then took out a map he had long prepared, pointing out in detail the exact spot he had chosen for the town, while also showing several alternative sites that could also be considered.
"This really is an excellent location—it won't waste any farmland," Mike agreed approvingly.
Phyllis also nodded. Land that was easy to build on meant significant savings in construction costs, and for a territory whose finances were not yet truly abundant, that was very good news.
"Mm, you've worked hard."
"Then we'll go with this location for the town."
"Later, we can discuss the detailed layout of the town."
Aven carefully studied the marked location on the map, finding that it was indeed one of the sites he had been most interested in himself.
First, the ground there was very flat, which made it convenient for modern-style, large-scale town construction. Moreover, it was close to the Safari Zone, allowing better use of the facilities there.
Once the site was decided, the meeting was essentially concluded. The officials left one after another, with only Master Thomas remaining behind at Aven's request.
Aven smiled and gestured for him to sit at the table. Pushing the map back toward him, Aven said, "I want to establish a garbage dump some distance away from the new town. See if you can find a suitable location."
"Garbage dump? From the name, I take it that's a place specifically for piling up refuse?" Thomas asked with some confusion.
"That's right. I need your help to set up a location specifically for waste disposal. Find somewhere open, so transporting garbage there will be convenient."
"Yes, my lord." Thomas's face took on a thoughtful look as his eyes scanned over the map. The dump needed to be far enough from the town so the smell wouldn't affect residents, but not so far as to make transporting waste impractical.
Finally, his gaze settled on a hollow backed by a low mountain. The spot was rocky ground, and the mountain behind could shield it from strong seasonal winds, helping to prevent odors from drifting too far.
"Mm, this place is good. Let's set the garbage dump there," Aven agreed after hearing Thomas's explanation.
"This will be one of your top-priority construction projects for now."
"I'd also like the garbage dump to be enclosed. You can build a small wall around it so the site is completely sealed off."
Aven briefly outlined his reasoning: in the future, a Muk would be living there, perhaps along with other Poison-type Pokémon. If ordinary citizens wandered in, it would be very dangerous.
"I understand, Lord Aven." Thomas still felt puzzled about Aven's decision, but as a wise master builder, he knew it was not his place to question—only to carry out the lord's orders.
"Good. This garbage dump is important. In addition, I'll need you to establish several garbage collection points within the town." Aven went on to refine his waste management plan.
"Garbage collection points?"
"Yes. Places dedicated to gathering refuse. Here's a rough sketch."
Thomas accepted the quick drawing from Aven. It depicted a simple shed-like structure, inside which several wooden barrels were placed.
"This shed will be the garbage house, and those barrels are garbage bins," Aven explained with a smile.
"My lord, are you intending to gather all the waste together in these bins, then transport it to the garbage dump?" Thomas quickly grasped the idea.
A spark of understanding lit in his eyes—he immediately realized the benefit. As long as all the town's refuse was regularly moved to the dump, the town's hygiene would improve drastically.
"Exactly. That's the plan."
"I'll also distribute garbage bins to every household."
"They can keep their waste in the bin at home, then take it to the nearest garbage house. After that, sanitation workers will transport the garbage from the collection points to the dump for centralized processing."
"Furthermore, I'll be issuing an ordinance requiring compliance. From then on, within the town, no one will be allowed to litter—trash must be thrown into the roadside garbage bins."
Aven continued, "You just need to organize the manpower to implement this. If you're short on people, select some from among the commoners. I imagine most of them will be glad to join the construction teams."
"As you command," Thomas said, then hesitated before adding, "Lord Aven, I truly am short-handed right now."
"If possible, I'd like to write a few letters to the craftsmen I know and invite them to Fruitvale Village. They each have their own specialties—carpenters, masons, artisans…"
"Of course!" Aven's eyes lit up. "You can bring them all here. I'll give full financial support for wages. If they're especially skilled, they can even become territory officials."
"Thank you, Lord Aven. I'll send letters to my friends right away!" Thomas replied happily.
With grain prices rising, life had become difficult for craftsmen too. Among the commoners who had sought refuge in Fruitvale Village recently, many were out-of-work artisans.
In times like these, few lords were willing to spend money on construction, leaving many craftsmen unemployed. Thomas was confident his friends would not refuse Fruitvale Village's invitation.
(End of Chapter)