Manor Lord of the Elf World

Chapter 184 The Feast at Hongmen, Unlocking the Steam Engine, Future Plans!
In the Grand Arena, Melanie and Alex bowed to the audience before leaving with their respective Pokémon.

"Is this the end?"

Many viewers couldn't help but feel a little regretful as they watched this scene.

But soon, the gate on the left side of the arena reopened.

Following them was a line of soldiers dressed in steel armor, carrying swords, and marching in perfect unison.

Beside them followed a group of giant Pokémon, Aggron, which resembled monsters, their bodies covered in hard armor and their heads covered in silver armor!

The neat and orderly formation made it immediately clear that this team was extraordinary!
"That's Aggron! The Pokémon that guards Raven City! I've seen it featured in the newspaper!"

Someone recognized Boss Dora's identity.

Just as everyone was stunned, the gate on the other side of the arena opened.

Emerging from among them was another column of soldiers.

Unlike before, this group of soldiers were not accompanied by Aggron, but by a Pokémon with a sky-blue body and fluffy, soft, white wings like cotton.

"That is……"

"Qixi Bluebird!"

"The evolved form of the Blue Swaboon! It's even been featured in the newspapers!"

However, the audience was somewhat puzzled as they looked at the two lines below.

Is Your Majesty demonstrating the formidable power of the Pokémon army in Raven City?
The next second, the two Pokémon armies in the arena moved.

Dozens of bluebirds uttered melodious and sweet calls. In an instant, a powerful purple energy began to gather from their mouths, then transformed into a ball of light that shot straight into the sky.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, a thunderclap boomed in the originally clear sky, followed by a continuous spread of purple light that covered the entire sky in the blink of an eye.

The sky suddenly changed color!

Countless enormous purple meteors, burning with fiery tails, fell from the sky.

The audience's pupils constricted as they gazed at the terrifying, apocalyptic scene.

"That is……!"

As the meteors drew closer, some people instinctively wanted to get up and run away.

However, at that moment, the dozens of Bossdora below marched forward in unison, their strong limbs moving in unison.

They raised their heads and looked up at the sky. Milky white light flew from their mouths and gathered, eventually condensing into a thick beam of light that shot out with a roar!

"Boom!"

A series of loud bangs echoed through the sky.

The meteors that fell out of nowhere were all crushed by the sweeping cannon beam!

In an instant, the strange phenomenon in the sky slowly dissipated.

Only a stunned and fearful audience remained.

The lords sitting at the very front had eyes filled with fear.

The performance they just witnessed made each of them clearly feel the threat of death.

Gross's gaze was shocked, and his body trembled slightly.

He dared not think.

If, if these moves were used on the battlefield...

Their proud soldiers would probably be crushed in an instant!

At this moment, Gross and the others could no longer muster even a thought of resistance.

After a brief period of shock and fear, the rest of the audience finally came to their senses.

They erupted in thunderous cheers, their eyes burning with fervor.

Outside the crowd, seeing that he had achieved his goal, Raven couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth into a smile.

In that case, he will not participate in the upcoming exhibition matches.

Given Kyurem's current strength, this outcome is simply too unfair.

“Let’s go, we should get ready for dinner,” Raven said to Elif.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The exhibition match proved to be a great success.

It fulfills the spiritual needs of the residents within the territory, allowing them to enjoy a thrilling Pokémon show match at the Grand Arena after work.

The money they spend on tickets can then be used to maintain the venue or as prize money for trainers who participate in the arena performances, thus creating a perfect cycle.

After returning to the castle, Raven opened the panel.

As expected, the exhibition match brought him nearly 100,000 satisfaction ratings.

"In this way, we can officially unlock the steam engine and usher in the Industrial Age," Raven thought to himself.

Once the steam engine is produced and the problems of power and energy are solved, they will be able to build factories and provide jobs for the refugees and unemployed in their territory.

In addition, there's a steam train that needs to be unlocked...

Once the railway is laid, the goods produced in the factory can be sold to other territories in this way.

In this way, production and trade in Raven City can be expanded to the greatest extent.

With a slight thought from Raven, the steam engine technology was officially unlocked.

A wealth of information and data related to steam technology immediately flooded Raven's mind.

However, he was in no hurry to make it, because he had something else to do before that.

At night, the castle was brightly lit.

Raven sat at the head of a huge wooden table, on which was laid out an incredibly lavish dinner.

Sweet and fluffy white bread, golden-brown roast chicken, tender and juicy steak, white wine made by farmers, and fresh vegetable salad...

Among the dishes were rows of silver candlesticks, the candles burning quietly, their flickering flames illuminating the inscrutable faces of the surrounding lords.

The air was filled with a steaming aroma, but none of the lords present had any appetite.

They couldn't help but turn their gaze to the youngest king in the kingdom's history, who sat at the head of the long table.

"Why aren't you eating?" Raven's gaze swept over the crowd before him.

Upon hearing this, the lords picked up their utensils, but the delicious food and wine they usually enjoyed tasted bland to them at this moment.

Raven found it somewhat amusing; he didn't seem that scary after all.

Taking a sip of white wine, Raven stopped keeping them in suspense and slowly began to speak:

"The war is over. What are your thoughts on the future development of the kingdom?"

Upon hearing this, everyone who was eating stopped and began to ponder Raven's meaning.

After a long silence, Sharon, the lord of Twin Dragons City, tentatively spoke:

"Should the primary focus be on treating refugees and allowing them to recuperate?"

Raven nodded slightly: "That's right, at this stage, there are still many civilians losing their lives due to hunger and cold."

"I know that you may think that commoners are lowly and insignificant, and that if they die, they die, and new commoners will be born anyway. But from today onwards, I hope you will remember one thing: it is because there are enough commoners that you can be called lords."

"They produce food for us, make carpets, and even the clothes we wear every day are the result of their hard work."

Everyone seemed to be deep in thought upon hearing this.

"Does His Majesty mean that without commoners, we are nothing?" someone asked. Raven looked at the man, a middle-aged man who appeared to be in his fifties.

As a benevolent king, Raven is generally very patient with his subordinates.

He began to explain, "That's not the case. The relationship between commoners and monarchs is like that of a boat and water."

"Only when the common people are well-fed and warmly clothed can the kingdom be stable. If the common people face hunger and cold every day, sooner or later the kingdom will be engulfed in war."

Everyone present was intelligent, and upon hearing this, they immediately understood.

Your Majesty is trying to fight for the rights of the common people!

Some people were dumbfounded. As members of the ruling class, they were well aware that doing so would inevitably affect the interests of the aristocratic class.

The influence that nobles can have on a country is far greater than that of commoners.

If they gather together...

"Your Majesty, you mustn't!" some lords who favored Raven exclaimed immediately.

Gross remained silent and did not interrupt.

Sharon and the others also looked astonished.

“Only in this way can the kingdom go further.” Raven smiled slightly. “As for the others…”

Raven raised his hand, and the next second, a chilling aura swept through the entire restaurant, the extreme cold causing everyone to shiver involuntarily.

From the shadows behind Raven, Kyurem's massive figure slowly emerged and stood behind him.

Raven picked up a piece of steak with his fork and asked:

"Elif, is the national treasury almost empty?"

"Your Majesty, the various projects in the city have cost a great deal of money recently, and the national treasury is almost completely depleted," Elif replied.

"Mm." Raven nodded gently.

This seemingly unintentional "hmm" instantly stirred up a huge uproar in the hearts of many lords.

"His Majesty……"

Even Gross was taken aback at this moment.

His Majesty is planning to take a bite out of the nobles' class benefits!
What should they do?
What can they do?
The lords felt their men were going numb.

“However, the reason I called you all here today is not for this matter,” Raven said again.

Upon hearing this, a thought immediately crossed everyone's mind—

Here they come, it's their turn!

"I need your cooperation to carry out reforms," ​​Raven slowly revealed his true purpose.

To date, lords within the kingdom possess immense power within their own territories.

They owned the estate land, controlled the allotted land cultivated by serfs, who were required to pay rent and perform labor. In addition, they had rights such as collecting taxes and minting coins.

Now, Raven intends to nationalize the land ownership held by these lords and then distribute it to the commoners.

The lord system also needs some reform.

Reorganizing relatively closed human settlements into villages, towns, and cities according to their size would make them easier to manage.

The names of each territory and city will be changed. For example, Flying Cloud Territory will be changed to Flying Cloud City, and Twin Dragon Territory will be changed to Twin Dragon City. The current lords of each territory will act as acting mayors and will be promoted to the permanent mayor in the future based on their governance.

In addition, each city, town, and village needs to establish a dedicated Pokémon Center, school, police station, and breeding house.

Pokémon Centers are used to treat Pokémon, while breeding houses are used to house and care for wild Pokémon. They can also provide starter Pokémon for school-aged children in a city.

Both of these are fundamental conditions for promoting trainer culture in the future.

The schools are used to select talent for the kingdom and teach trainers about Pokémon.

Police stations are used to maintain the stability of a city, and the police officers there need to be equipped with special Pokémon to assist in solving cases.

Take the famous Growlithe dog, for example.

The mayor's job is to manage and develop the city. In some ways, it is not much different from that of a lord, except that some powers are separated and replaced by specialized agencies.

Raven explained his plans to everyone present, paused, and then continued:

"I will send experienced people to help you with the reforms and provide you with ideas on how humans and Pokémon can live together. Do you have any other thoughts?"

Upon hearing this, many lords couldn't help but reveal a wry smile.

They looked at Kyurem behind Raven.

What else could they possibly be thinking?
Gross closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and thought, "So be it. We're just giving up some power. At least they're still alive."

More importantly, they can still continue to serve as "lords," only with a different title.

Seeing this, Raven smiled slightly.

"This world is not just inhabited by humans, and Pokémon are not only used for battle. They can also play a greater role in life, and with their existence, our lives will be better."

Sharon nodded in agreement.

He had witnessed this firsthand.

Grass-type Pokémon help farmers take care of their crops, making them grow faster and better.

Water-type Pokémon can help water plants, and some Pokémon can even use Rain Dance to change the weather, so that humans will no longer be helpless in the face of drought.

Having said everything that needed to be said, and seeing how cooperative the lords were, Raven chuckled and nodded.

"Everyone, please get some rest tonight. The war is over, and next year will be a brand new year for us."

Upon hearing this, the tense atmosphere in the restaurant gradually relaxed.

Since there's no way to resist, all we can do is lie down and enjoy it.

After watching performances all day, they were indeed hungry.

To be honest, the food here at His Majesty Raven's place is really quite good.

Raven had finished his dinner. He stood up and said to Elif, "Elif, please take good care of our guests."

Ariff replied respectfully, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Raven left the restaurant and returned to his bedroom. He was quite tired after a busy day.

The Pokémon were already waiting here, and when they saw Raven return, the Dragonite immediately rushed over happily.

Raven patted its head, then sat down at his desk. The Burning Bug crawled under the desk and enthusiastically warmed Raven's feet with its body.

Dragonite secretly learned a trick from the maids: it used its chubby dragon claws to massage Raven's shoulders. The maids said that this would help His Majesty relieve fatigue and stress.

"Huh?" Dragonite asked.

Raven was quite surprised: "Where did you learn that?"

Dragonite proudly roared, "Roar!"

Raven: "..."

Well, Dragonite's massage skills weren't very good, sometimes light and sometimes heavy, but in order not to damage the child's self-confidence, Raven didn't say anything.

He drew the principles and blueprints of the steam engine on paper, intending to hand them over to the craftsmen in the royal workshops for study.

After all the work was finished, Raven rubbed his temples, looking a little tired.

Whew... Being a king is so tiring.

I wish I could travel to the modern Pokémon world, where I wouldn't have to think about anything or consider anything, and just like Ash, travel the world with my Pokémon to see all the sights. How wonderful that would be!

(End of this chapter)