This was Lucien's first day living in the castle.
At first, he wasn't quite used to it. But when he saw his Pokémon racing happily around the spacious interior, Lucien adapted quickly.
The space was huge, even Kyurem could stretch out comfortably.
The maids had thoughtfully used Mareep wool and cloth to sew many special Pokémon nests sized for Dragonite, Serperior, Minccino, Golett, and even one extremely large nest for Kyurem.
Whenever they were tired, they could curl up inside and rest.
However, Dragonite and Minccino clearly preferred squeezing into Lucien's own bed rather than sleeping in their personal nests.
"From today onward, this is our new home!" Lucien grinned, speaking to his Pokémon.
"Mini…!"
The Minccino squad, however, stared at the enormous castle in despair.
Aaaaaah! "This house is way too big! Cleaning this is going to kill us!"
Their five tiny faces were filled with trauma.
Lucien chuckled, immediately understanding.
"Relax, the castle has its own dedicated cleaning staff. If you really want to help, just take care of this room."
Hearing this, the five Minccino perked up instantly.
"Mii~!"
Lucien stepped onto the terrace and looked at the crowd below.
Today was the official opening of the castle, his cooks, maids, and knights had already moved in.
The entire castle had become fully operational.
Bright sky, clear water, Lucien was in excellent spirits.
From today onward, they finally had a real home.
But something else mattered more to him.
He brought a few Pokémon downstairs to the castle's rear garden.
There lay a vast ecological park, meadows, flowerbeds, tall trees, even an artificial lake. Everything a Pokémon might need to live comfortably.
This was designed exactly according to Lucien's wishes, a place to raise the Pokémon he loved, a place where his Dragonite and Serperior could rest and play anytime.
Lucien felt genuinely satisfied.
Just then, footsteps approached behind him.
"Your Highness Lucien, so you were here!" Elif said with a smile. "The castle is so big, it wasn't easy to find you."
Lucien turned around.
Elif continued, "Your Highness, please come. Everyone is waiting for you in the throne room."
Lucien nodded. "I know."
He let his Pokémon run around the garden while he and Elif walked to the throne room.
Geralt, Ryan, Elif, Anna, the tax collector, and several others were already assembled, standing in two orderly rows, waiting for their lord.
When Lucien entered, everyone turned toward him.
"Your Highness!"
Lucien nodded slightly, walking toward the leader's seat.
"Let's begin. Report your current matters," Lucien said.
Elif stepped forward first.
"The crops across the territory have been harvested. This year is a bountiful one. Seeds have been saved, grain stored as you instructed. I believe we won't face the fear of scarcity this winter."
Lucien nodded.
"Good. Winter will arrive after autumn. Make sure everyone is prepared. And don't forget, we must also help the magical beasts in the territory stock up and get ready, so we can all get through winter together."
"Yes, Your Highness," Elif said.
Lucien turned to Anna.
"Anna, is the school's teaching progressing smoothly?"
Anna laughed softly.
"Yes! I've already taught all the basic trainer knowledge to the students."
"Excellent." Lucien exhaled softly.
"I've had those lessons compiled into proper textbooks. You can collect them from the Royal Workshop and distribute them to the new trainers."
"Yes, Your Highness," Anna nodded, then suddenly remembered something.
"By the way, there still isn't a dedicated area for magical beats battles at the school. Those kids battle anywhere they feel like it, and the school grounds are constantly getting destroyed."
Right now, while they were novice trainers, the damage wasn't too severe.
But once they grew stronger, the destruction would escalate rapidly.
Lucien frowned slightly, this indeed was a problem.
Then, combining ideas from modern gyms and League arenas, inspiration struck.
"In that case," Lucien said calmly, "let's build a specialized magical beasts battle arena in the territory."
A colosseum-style structure, trainers could battle freely, spar formally, and even host public matches.
They could charge entrance fees for spectators, too.
It would generate income, provide entertainment for the citizens, and gradually spread the culture of trainer battles, all while paving the way for the future.
"The arena?" Anna paused for a moment, slightly taken aback.
"Yes. Elif, you will handle the arrangements for this," Lucien said.
"Yes, Your Highness." Elif nodded.
Next, it was the Royal Workshop's turn.
A craftsman responsible for printing books stepped forward.
"Your Highness, as you instructed, we have begun re-editing several ancient books and collections using movable-type printing. Once the library is completed, these books can be placed inside."
"Good. You have worked hard," Lucien said with a satisfied nod.
The library was one of Lucien's most important strategies for attracting scholars from other regions.
He had already published the announcement in the newspapers, and he believed that it wouldn't be long before scholars from across the kingdom would hear about Raven City.
Once those scholars personally witnessed a public library filled with newly printed books, they would likely choose to stay in this rising "City of Knowledge."
Lucien then turned his attention to Geralt.
"Geralt, how is the training of the knights progressing?"
Geralt stepped forward, performing a respectful knight's salute before reporting.
"Your Highness, thanks to the training methods you provided, the special training of our soldiers is progressing very smoothly."
"To date, some of the army's Aron have evolved into Lairon. A number of Swablu have evolved into Altaria and have already mastered the move Draco Meteor."
"So fast?" Lucien was genuinely surprised.
The results of the unified, intensive training were better than he had expected.
But after thinking it through, this speed made sense.
The training methods provided by Lucien's system were extremely scientific and comprehensive.
The soldiers trained day and night in addition to patrolling. Their partnered Pokémon trained alongside them with equal dedication.
With both partners and Pokémon pushing each other forward every day, evolving was the natural result.
...
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