"Phew, that puts my mind at ease," Mira said as she finally let out a sigh of relief from hearing Aven's positive response.
In truth, Mira had always viewed the position of city lord very lightly. From the very beginning, she had considered letting Aven take over as the new lord. Therefore, whether it was Aven's plan to abolish the serf system or to reclaim the powers held by the lords, she had no objections at all.
Of course, she still worried that Aspiration City might fall into chaos because of this. After all, the entanglements among the nobles were extremely complex. If war were to break out, it would be an absolute disaster for the common people. War inevitably brought casualties, something she did not wish to see, and neither did Azelf. If the matter could be resolved peacefully, that was what she most wanted.
And now, as those lords exchanged the powers in their hands for positions as officials within the Pokémon League, this potential conflict was finally resolved in a relatively peaceful manner.
"Mm, in that case, there's no problem," Aven said.
"However, if these lords wish to become officials of the Pokémon League, they must naturally abide by the rules of the Pokémon League!"
"During this period, we'll integrate the circumstances of both the Pokémon League and Aspiration City to further refine the League's system and formally establish it."
Aven's words served as the final verdict, setting everything in stone. With his declaration, the modern Pokémon League system officially stepped onto the stage of history. From this point onward, the Pokémon League would continue to advance into other regions of the Sinnoh Continent, eventually bringing the entire continent under its administration and forming a massive power that existed for the sake of the Pokémon League itself.
"Uxie, your power has grown stronger again."
Within Lake Valor, Azelf and Uxie floated face to face, waves of psychic energy continuously emanating from their bodies.
"Yes. During this period, I've gained so much in the Pokémon Domain," Uxie replied.
"Aven… he truly is an incredible person. He is the one most filled with wisdom among all those I have ever seen."
Uxie happily circled around Azelf. "I really, really like Aven—especially when I'm learning knowledge with him."
Watching Uxie's cheerful, Azelf couldn't help but glance toward the direction of the Pokémon Domain in the distance. "Yes… he possesses the potential to become a king—kind-hearted and full of wisdom."
Two months passed in the blink of an eye.
After staying for so long, Eva reluctantly prepared to depart and return to Wisdomhall City. Fortunately, before she left, Aven allowed her to take a large number of books with her, enabling her to continue studying even after returning to Wisdomhall City.
At the same time, she had learned a great deal during her stay in the Pokémon Domain, including fertilizer formulation methods and various techniques for training Pokémon moves. With these potion recipes and training methods, Eva could establish a Pokémon Breeding House in Wisdomhall City.
In addition, relying on her own abilities, Eva had also captured several Pokémon, including a Bellossom that knew the move Grassy Terrain and a Bibarel that knew the move Rototiller.
Wisdomhall City lay close to the northern part of Sinnoh, where the climate was extremely cold and agriculture was severely underdeveloped, leading to frequent famines. Even the past lords of Wisdomhall City, despite relying on their knowledge and wisdom, had never been able to fully resolve these issues.
Now, with the help of these two Pokémon, she could attempt to reclaim more farmland within Wisdomhall City and begin planting wheat. She could try to liberate labor, establish factories, and allow the common people to create greater value. If possible, she truly wished she could bring the land-reclamation team from the Pokémon Domain back to Wisdomhall City with her, which would completely solve the farming problem.
However, the cooperation between Wisdomhall City and Aspiration City had only just begun. Going forward, the Pokémon Domain would provide even more assistance to Wisdomhall City, helping it establish the Pokémon League. This cooperation could take many forms.
"Prince Aven, once I return to Wisdomhall City, I will begin promoting the Pokémon League system," Eva said, anticipation shining in her eyes.
The Pokémon Domain had already proven the feasibility of this system through concrete results. In the future, the aristocratic system would be completely replaced by the Pokémon League system, even though many difficulties still remained at present.
"Mm. I'll also work as soon as possible to open up the road between Aspiration City and Wisdomhall City, strengthening exchanges between the two regions," Aven promised.
Now, with the establishment of Azure Town, maritime trade for the Pokémon Domain was about to begin. Although Wisdomhall City lay on the other side of the sea, the two territories could still be connected via maritime routes.
Furthermore, Aspiration City had already opened a passage to Meteor City. Due to its unique geographical location and rich mineral resources, Meteor City had long maintained connections with many other cities.
Next, the Pokémon League would use Meteor City as a center to spread outward, continuously opening roads between Meteor City and other cities, eventually extending all the way to Wisdomhall City and forming a long-distance land transportation network.
To get rich, one must first build roads—this was a universal truth in any world. With this long-distance transportation network, the territories along the route could all join in the Pokémon League's reforms, growing stronger through commercial trade.
Under such circumstances, this would have an enormous propagating effect on the development of the Pokémon League, continuously influencing the world and ultimately turning the entire Sinnoh Region into a part of the Pokémon League—much like the future Sinnoh League itself.
After seeing Eva off, Aven headed to Azure Town.
Azure Town had now been fully established and, like Fairhaven Town, had been divided into several distinct zones. However, compared to Fairhaven Town, Azure Town primarily focused on maritime trade and had no plans to establish a Trainer District.
Especially in the area closest to the sea, a dock had already been constructed. At this moment, two ironwood ships had just entered the water and were quietly moored there.
After the ironwood ships successfully completed their trial runs, Daly began leading craftsmen to continuously produce more of them. To manufacture a greater number of ironwood ships, Aven had already begun constructing a shipyard, which would soon see even more workers into production.
Before long, countless ironwood ships would be sailing back and forth along the coastline, ushering in an era of maritime trade.
"Your Highness, the construction of Azure Town has been completed," Mayor Daly came to report.
After all his efforts during this period, Azure Town had finally taken on the appearance he envisioned, brimming with a strong commercial atmosphere.
"Mm, very good. Continue making preparations for navigation," Aven said.
"It's May now—the weather is neither cold nor hot, the temperature is moderate, and the sea is relatively calm. It's the perfect time to set sail."
"Next, I plan to board an ironwood ship and sail around the Sinnoh to find safe maritime trade routes."
Aven gazed out at the vast blue sea before him. After so much preparation, the day to begin maritime trade had finally arrived.
In addition, there were still several matters at hand that required him to travel to other territories of the Sinnoh Region, including the matter of Darkrai. According to the memories he had obtained from the Black-Robed Grand Sorcerer, Darkrai had been discovered near Canalvein City. Therefore, Aven decided to make a trip there to search for more clues.
Moreover, where Darkrai appeared, there was a strong possibility that Cresselia's traces could also be found. Perhaps he might once again come into contact with a legendary Pokémon.
(End of Chapter)