Manor Lord of the Elf World

Chapter 216 Bicycles vs. Pokémon Battles

"Drip!"

Accompanied by a melodious whistle, the steam train that departed from Shuanglong City slowly came to a stop at Raven City Station.

Sharon and his butler Crane mingled among the tourists as they stepped off the train, their faces filled with curiosity as they looked around at the scenery.

"It's been a long time since I've been here, and quite a few things have changed here!" Sharon said with great interest.

Crane was also looking around, but he was looking at the passengers getting off the steam train.

Since the train originated from their city of Ssangyong, the vast majority of the passengers were ordinary citizens of Ssangyong.

Looking at the faces of those ordinary people, filled with anticipation and hope for tomorrow, Kran couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

He still remembered that a few years ago, the residents of the territory always had a numb expression on their faces.

They toiled all day in their territories, serving the great nobles or tilling the fields. This hopeless existence, with no prospect of a future, made them feel like walking corpses, living aimlessly in this world.

Now, since His Majesty Raven ascended to the throne of the kingdom, people's lives have undergone earth-shattering changes.

These ordinary people are living better and better lives, which has brought much more hope to their once numb faces.

They are no longer confined to one place; they are free to do what they like, and can even go to factories built in various places to get a well-paid job.

With money, these ordinary people could freely travel to other cities by steam train, where they could settle down, travel, or visit friends.

"call!"

Crane was genuinely happy for these commoners and slaves.

No… their United Kingdom no longer has slaves.

“Kran?” Sharon raised an eyebrow as he looked at the expression on his old friend’s face.

“Lord Sharon, I was just thinking that people’s lives are really getting better and better,” Crane replied.

"Of course." As the mayor of Shuanglong City, no one knows this better than Xia Lun.

He could clearly sense that both Twin Dragons City and other parts of the Unified Kingdom were becoming prosperous and bustling at a visible speed.

“Perhaps those commoners are right,” Sharon said with deep emotion. “His Majesty Raven was sent down from heaven by a god to save them.”

"My lord, I didn't expect you to believe this too." Crane was both amused and exasperated. In his view, this was just a fantasy fabricated by commoners to praise His Majesty Raven's achievements.

"Why don't you believe me?" Sharon gently shook his head: "You haven't seen the former King Raven..."

As he spoke, Sharon pretended to recall something and slowly said, "When I visited the King in Eindook, I saw His Majesty Raven in the Earth Sword Castle."

"He was completely different back then... It must have been God who couldn't bear to see what was happening on this land, so He bestowed upon His Majesty Raven wisdom, allowing him to lead us to create a prosperous and flourishing nation."

From Sharon's perspective, at least, he prefers the current kingdom to the one he knew before.

Unova... everyone united, regardless of their status, whether human or Pokémon, His Majesty Raven truly achieved universal harmony.

Such achievements will likely still be praised even thousands of years from now.

However, those things were none of their concern.

More than anything else, Sharon now wants to enjoy everything that His Majesty Raven has brought them.

They couldn't afford to waste this opportunity to come to Raven City.

Instead of wasting time here, why not head into the city as soon as possible and check out the newly opened Pokémon restaurant, and then head to the Grand Arena to watch a thrilling Pokémon battle performance?

What a wonderful and happy life!

Sharon and his companion arrived quietly and left quietly, without going to the castle to disturb His Majesty Raven.

Raven wasn't entirely unaware of all this, as he had heard from some guards that Mayor Sharon of Twin Dragons City had come to Raven City.

At first, Raven was quite surprised, thinking they had something important to do. But after hearing from his subordinates that they had just taken the train to Raven City, had a meal, and watched a few Pokémon battles, he was speechless.

It seems that even the former lords and nobles could not resist being attracted by these novel things.

That's it!

Raven ignored him and instead looked down at a document he had just drafted on his desk.

Orders and documents concerning the construction of new urban areas in various regions

Raven recalled the letters that had arrived from other cities that morning.

Those guys...

They were so resistant and unwilling when the reforms were first implemented, but now they're taking the initiative.

However, this suited him perfectly.

Currently, apart from Raven City, all other cities are in a very old and backward stage of urban development.

If these places want to develop, they must undergo new expansion on the existing foundation.

Whether it's Pokémon Centers, tourism, or train stations... some infrastructure needs to be improved.

"Send these documents to other cities." Raven handed the orders to his subordinates.

The subordinate hurriedly left with the documents.

Just then, Elif walked in from outside.

"Your Majesty, the bicycle you had designed has been successfully manufactured by our craftsmen," Elif reported.

"Oh?" Hearing this, Raven immediately became interested: "Take me to see!"

"Yes!"

Led by Elif, the two arrived at the castle, where a vehicle that Raven knew all too well—a bicycle—was parked.

“Your Majesty, I would be happy to give this bicycle a try!” Elif said.

"Can you ride?" Raven asked.

Ariff shook his head honestly: "Your Majesty, no."

But he had seen those craftsmen ride quite simply, so he figured it shouldn't be too difficult.

Raven: "...Never mind, I can do it myself."

Elif is getting old, and if he accidentally bumps or falls, there will be no one to help him with his official duties.

Having not ridden for a long time, Raven was a little rusty at first, but he quickly got used to it.

With both feet on the pedals and a gentle push, the bicycle begins to move slowly forward.

Upon seeing this, the guards stationed around the castle all looked over curiously.

"Move, move!"

"Wow, this is amazing! I think it's called a bicycle? It looks so much faster than walking!" "If I had one too, wouldn't it be so much more convenient to commute to work from home?"

“Of course.” Raven nodded with a smile after hearing what the guards said.

Seeing that their whispering had been discovered by His Majesty Raven, the guards immediately stood at attention: "Your Majesty!"

Raven stopped after riding around once, nodded to everyone, and then focused on studying the bicycle.

Yes, bicycles are more convenient for short distances than steam trains, making them ideal for people who don't have a Pokémon to ride.

As urban development progressed, Raven City grew larger and larger, and it took quite a while to walk from one side of the city to the other.

In this situation, having a bicycle would be much more convenient, and in your spare time, you can ride a bicycle and leisurely stroll around the city.

"Great, now we can start mass production of bicycles and officially sell them to the public."

Raven said to Elif as he walked toward the castle.

Elif, who was following behind him, nodded upon hearing this and said, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Raven nodded slightly.

Now, it's time to move on to the next step of the plan.

The United Kingdom is currently developing very smoothly, and both public support and satisfaction have reached an unprecedented level.

In this situation, Raven is preparing to formally implement a unified currency throughout the country.

The old monetary system was too outdated. Gold, silver and copper coins were limited in resources, and if the quantity was large, they were not suitable for carrying around.

In this situation, modern printed banknotes are often more convenient.

Moreover, the banking system will also be formally established.

Raven returned to his study, sat at his desk, closed his eyes, and pondered the various systems, refining them and applying them to the current United Kingdom.

First, there is the difficulty in implementing the new currency.

As industry develops and the economy expands, the precious metal standard gradually becomes insufficient to meet demand, and they must begin to explore more flexible monetary issuance mechanisms.

The people of the United Kingdom are already accustomed to the old monetary system, so introducing a new currency would be extremely difficult for them to accept.

Secondly, there's the issue of exchange rates between gold coins and paper money. How much paper money should one gold coin be exchanged for to make it more affordable and acceptable to ordinary people?
Finally, there's the issue of the banks.

Before the war broke out, Raven had established a bank in his territory where residents could store their currency, and it received a lot of support, but it was far too rudimentary.

"Yes, the banking system also needs to be improved," Raven thought to himself.

He was completely clueless about finance, but fortunately, he had a cheat code.

During this period, the people in his territory provided him with a great deal of satisfaction.

With a slight thought, Raven automatically displayed the tech tree panel in front of him.

Raven flipped through the industrial-age technologies, his gaze eventually settling on a new branch of technology.

[Currency reform], [Central Bank]

[Currency Reform: Providing technology for monetary system reform; exchange requirement: 8 satisfaction points.]

[Central Bank: A specialized institution responsible for managing the money supply and the financial system; exchange requires 15 units of currency.]

Current satisfaction levels are more than sufficient to unlock both of these technologies.

With a slight thought, Raven's mind was flooded with a wealth of knowledge and theories about finance.

"So this is how it can be done..."

Raven's eyes lit up, and he immediately picked up a quill and began writing on the paper.

*
"Wow, is this Sanyo City? It looks amazing!"

Xiaochun, who had always lived in a small town like Tangcao Town, stood in front of the city gate of Sanyo City, looking up at the magnificent city, feeling extremely shocked.

After several days of arduous travel, she and the Detective Mouse finally crossed the forest and successfully arrived in Sanyo City.

Not only that, she also caught a new Pokémon!

Xiaochun recalled Heracross, who had deliberately run into her Poké Ball just to eat sweets, and felt a mix of amusement and exasperation.

However, now doesn't seem like the time to think about these things!
Upon arriving in a new city, the first thing she does is go to the Pokémon Center to rest, and then go out to the Friends Shop and other places to buy supplies for her journey.

And of course, there's the gym challenge!
The travel brochure distributed by the Trainers Association says that there is a gym in Sanyo City!

Only by choosing a gym and defeating its leader can you obtain a badge from them.

"Heracross, let's do our best!" Xiaochun clenched her fists, full of fighting spirit.

The mouse also clenched its fist and replied, "Tantan!"

"Let's go! We're going to the Pokémon Center!"

Xiaochun, carrying a tinder mouse, asked a passerby for directions to the Pokémon Center and then headed straight there.

Koharu's eyes widened as she saw the pink-haired figure in the Pokémon Center lobby.

"Miss Joey?!"

Hearing her voice, Miss Joey turned her head in confusion: "Huh? You know me?"

"Yes, yes!" Xiaochun nodded repeatedly, "We met in Tangcao Town before! We just didn't expect that you would arrive in Sanyao City before us!"

Upon hearing this, Miss Joy's face immediately lit up with a smile. She gently shook her head and explained:
"That's not me! My older sister, Qiao Yixue, works in Tangcao Town. I'm Qiao Yiyue. Although we look exactly alike, we're not the same person!"

"Huh?" Xiaochun was stunned.

"Pfft, you country bumpkin, what's the big deal? Every Pokémon Center has a Nurse Joy who looks exactly the same. Isn't that common knowledge that every trainer should know?"

A mocking voice came from the side.

Xiaochun turned her head and saw a young man dressed in expensive clothes, looking at her with disdain.

"You're the country bumpkin!" Xiaochun said, getting a little angry.

"What? You're not convinced?" The noble youth took out a Poké Ball studded with gems. "Since that's the case, then I'll be merciful and have a Pokémon battle with you! It'll show you, you country bumpkin, what a real trainer is!"

"Fine, let's fight then, who's afraid of who?" Xiaochun was also getting angry. This guy was really going too far! He called her a country bumpkin right off the bat!

Miss Joey watched this scene with a helpless expression.

She wanted to speak up and stop them, but looking at the two of them, she knew that no matter what she said, she wouldn't be able to make them stop.

In order not to let them disturb the other trainers in the Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy spoke softly:
"Gentlemen, please go to the backyard of the Pokémon Center. There is a special area there for trainers to conduct Pokémon battles."

"Thank you for your help, Miss Joey!" Xiaochun bowed to Miss Joey.

(End of this chapter)