For the nobles of Aspiration City, the gray mist was indeed extremely difficult to deal with, but if one were to look at it from another perspective—were magical beasts really that much easier to handle? After all, they themselves were natural competitors in the struggle for survival.
If they were to allow these magical beasts to freely enter their territories, then for the lands under their rule it would undoubtedly be a fatal blow. Deep down, they truly did not have the confidence that these magical beasts could ever genuinely coexist in harmony with humans.
"Why not?"
"Have you all already forgotten about the Pokémon Breeding Zones in the Pokémon Domain?"
"The facts have already proven that such a thing is not impossible. The only condition is that you are willing to try—and more importantly, willing to pay the price necessary to make it happen!"
At this moment, Berrin suddenly stood up. His voice trembled with excitement as he spoke aloud, "In fact, in the towns of Keystone and Casston, and even in my own Brambleford Village, we have already begun attempting this very thing!"
"As for the results, you can see them for yourselves if you come to my territory. As long as we are sincere and treat them with genuine care, they truly can coexist with us peacefully and harmoniously!"
"And by relying on the Breeding Zones, we can cultivate even more trainers, thereby promoting the growth of Breeding Houses. With that, not only will our territories grow stronger in terms of raw strength, but our finances will also flourish and become increasingly stable!"
Following that, Berrin directly began explaining the theories and ideas he had learned from Aven, presenting them thoroughly before all the nobles present. For a moment, everyone was struck into thoughtful silence—perhaps… this really was possible?
Regarding matters within the Pokémon Domain, they had long since heard many reports, and they all knew well that it was precisely the Breeding Houses that had been gradually pushing the trade and trafficking of magical beasts further and further into decline.
If they could establish Breeding Zones of their own, it would be equivalent to having a steady and reliable source of magical beasts. From then on, they would no longer need to rely on the dangerous and unstable trade of buying and selling wild magical beasts.
If they could truly achieve such a step, then any amount of cost and effort they expended would all be worth it. After all, the expenditure required to establish such zones would not be significantly greater than the massive costs they already spent directly purchasing magical beasts. And what's more, it would be far more stable and sustainable.
After only a few years of careful operation, they could even use these Breeding Zones to make profits. Combined with Breeding Houses, they could develop a complete and self-sufficient Pokémon industry chain.
But the problem was that if they wanted to actually establish Breeding Zones, the conditions required were simply far too harsh. And the most critical and difficult step of all was the establishment of an entirely new order. That step alone was unimaginably difficult.
"If that is the case, can you truly be certain that you will be able to provide for and feed all of those magical beasts?"
"You must understand, we are talking about all of the magical beasts within the entire Black Forest! Even if we were to exhaust the entirety of our territory's food supplies, we still would not be able to feed them all!"
"When the time comes and there is no longer a sufficient source of food, these magical beast tribes will once again begin to invade human lands. The Winter Beast Tide itself was born precisely from such circumstances!"
"And then there is the matter of territory. If we wish to build these Breeding Zones, then we will need to surrender vast tracts of our lands to these magical beasts. Can you truly guarantee that these lands will still belong to us at that time?"
Another noble voiced his own thoughts, and indeed, these concerns mirrored the views of the overwhelming majority of nobles present. They felt uncertain, insecure, and thus were unwilling to attempt something so risky.
The establishment of such a new order—surely only the Pokémon Domain could achieve something like that. They themselves had no idea how such an order could be established, so rather than blindly attempt and risk everything, it was better to simply continue resisting the magical beasts as they always had.
"The problem of food can actually be solved quite easily!"
"And as for territory, it is not as insurmountable as you may think…"
At that very moment, a calm yet firm voice suddenly rang out from within the chamber.
All of the nobles in the council room were stunned. They quickly turned their gazes toward the doorway, only to see a white-robed figure standing there.
"Earl Aven, you've finally arrived." Earl Ruize immediately stood up, smiling warmly at him.
It was very clear now that Earl Ruize had long since been aware that Aven would attend this meeting—in fact, it might very well have been Earl Ruize himself who had deliberately invited him to come.
"Earl Aven!"
The other nobles, seeing this, hurriedly rose to their feet and offered him the proper noble courtesies.
"Forgive me for arriving late," Aven said with a slight smile, walking calmly toward the empty seat prepared for him—the first seat to the left of Earl Ruize.
It was obvious that the seats on both the left and right hand of Earl Ruize had been deliberately left empty for Aven. Such a position in the council chamber was not only one of honor, but one that held absolute authority in discussion.
"I wonder then, Earl Aven, regarding the food problem you mentioned—how exactly do you propose to resolve it?"
The moment Aven had seated himself, the eldest son of Earl Ruize could not contain his impatience and asked this question immediately.
"When it comes to grain and food supplies, tell me—where do you think has the most right now?" Aven suddenly asked with a faint smile.
The young heir was taken aback, hesitating for a moment before replying, "Could it be… Earl Aven's Pokémon Domain?"
They all knew of the bountiful harvests in the Pokémon Domain, so naturally, it seemed logical to assume that the greatest abundance of food was found there.
"Wrong. It is not the Pokémon Domain," Aven shook his head lightly. "Have you all forgotten about the Ironblood Fortress?"
"The president of the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild chose to commit suicide, attempting to wipe away all his debts. But in the end, the Ironblood Fortress inherited everything that belonged to the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild."
Hearing Aven's words, all of those present were once again dumbfounded. None of them had thought of this matter beforehand.
But then again—what did this have to do with solving the problem of food supplies?
When they mentioned the Pokémon Domain, their first thought had been that perhaps the Pokémon Domain was willing to provide food.
But as for the Ironblood Fortress—they had never considered it, because in their minds, the Ironblood Fortress was practically an enemy power. How could they possibly provide food to them?
And then there was still the matter of territory…
At this point, everyone's expressions suddenly shifted, their faces darkening as they realized what Aven was truly implying.
"If they refuse to give it to us, then does that mean we cannot simply take it?"
"Yes, since they have inherited everything from the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild, then naturally that must also include the debts it owed!"
"Not only that—the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild even sent out assassins to kill me. That matter has yet to be settled!"
"And furthermore, although the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild and the Ironblood Fortress are officially separate entities, the truth of their relationship is something that everyone here already knows."
"They only refrained from acting openly because of the Ironblood Fortress's strength, not because they were innocent. But tell me—do you truly think that I, Aven, would be afraid of the Ironblood Fortress?"
Aven's gaze swept over every noble present. The corners of his lips curled upward in a cold smile. His words were no less than a direct declaration of war against the Ironblood Fortress itself!
In an instant, the entire chamber fell into a deathly silence. Even Earl Ruize was visibly taken aback—he had clearly not expected Aven to go so far.
"Earl Aven… do you truly intend to declare war against the Ironblood Fortress?"
Aven suddenly sneered, shaking his head. "I have no intention of declaring war against the Ironblood Fortress. All I wish is to thoroughly investigate the matter of the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild's assassination attempt on me."
"Moreover, I do not mind taking this opportunity to help all those nobles and merchants who were dragged down by the enormous debts of the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild, and to reclaim justice on their behalf."
"When the time comes, once I enter the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild, any of its assets or wealth that I discover, I will not keep a single coin. I will return it all, in full, to their rightful creditors. Every single person here can stand as my witness!"
Hearing his words, all of the nobles present widened their eyes in astonishment. To enter the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild, to investigate the assassination, and to redistribute its wealth to settle debts?
At first hearing, such a plan seemed to have no inherent problems. But the one problem was this—wasn't the headquarters of the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild located within the Ironblood Fortress itself? They did not believe for a second that Marquis Hormay would willingly allow Earl Aven to simply walk in unopposed!
(End of Chapter)