Manor Lord of the Elf World

Chapter 243 Visiting Raven City

Walking on the streets of Raven City, looking at the clean and tidy red brick streets under their feet and the bustling scene around them, almost everyone in the Carlos delegation breathed heavily.

Suddenly, someone noticed several lithe figures flitting across the sky above the street in the distance.

These were not ordinary birds, but large avian magical beasts with exquisite and sturdy metal cockpits fixed to their backs, inside which sat ordinary civilians.

With the flapping of the beast's wings, the strange cockpits smoothly swept across the sky.

"What...what is that?" a young craftsman exclaimed in surprise, pointing to the air. "A magical beast...can be used as a carriage to carry people? And it's so docile and stable?"

“That’s a Pokémon flying taxi.” Raven said calmly, as if he were talking about something completely ordinary.

"In Raven City, whether commoners or nobles, anyone can travel to various parts of the city by taking these vehicles for a small fee, which is both fast and safe."

AZ looked up at the Pokémon flying taxis shuttling across the sky, and the flower petal on her shoulder also looked up, the petals of the Eternal Flower trembling gently.

He had seen Galar's raptor Pokémon tamed into weapons of war, and wild bird Pokémon attacking people with their claws, but he had never seen anyone so trusted, treated kindly, and treated as an equal.

Unova... has already pushed the power of Pokémon to its limit!

The group set off from Flying Cloud City in the evening, and now that they have arrived in Raven City, it is getting dark.

Before everyone could recover from the shock of the Pokémon flying taxi, dusk had fallen, and the entire city gradually darkened.

The next second, the glass lamps on both sides of the street, on the windowsills of buildings, and on the pillars of the square suddenly lit up.

The warm white light dispelled the gloom; there was no open flame, no smoke, just a quiet, steady glow that illuminated the entire city as if it were daytime.

"A lamp? This is a lamp?" Upon seeing this, Karen took a step forward, his white beard trembling slightly. "Without kerosene, without candles... how can it light up by itself?"

"It's an electric light, powered by electricity and Pokémon power." Raven raised his hand and pointed to the power generation facilities that were faintly visible in the distance of the city.

"Electric light..." Karen felt a tremor in her heart at another word she had never heard before.

Raven said with a smile, "In United States, the night is no longer dark and fearful. Even ordinary people have electric lights in their homes. With light, children can study peacefully at night, and craftsmen can continue to work at night."

Carlos's craftsmen felt a chill run down their spines.

In their homeland, only the mansions of nobles had lights that burned all night long. Commoners could only rely on dim oil lamps to get through the night, and slaves were not even allowed to have a lamp. They could only huddle in the darkness to endure the long nights.

In this city before us, light is so cheap that everyone can have it!
Some people couldn't help but show envy in their eyes.

At that moment, a thought couldn't help but pop into their minds—how wonderful it would be if they could live here too!
"Alright, it's getting late, everyone. Go and get some rest. Tomorrow, I'll send someone to show you around Raven City," Raven said softly.

He looked at Elif, who had received the message, and gestured for him to take Carlos and the others to their lodgings to rest.

"Everyone, please follow me!" Elif stepped forward with a smile.

The group nodded, looking around with curiosity as they walked along the red brick street.

The road beneath their feet was smooth and flat, without mud, without garbage, and without the suffocating scenes they were familiar with.

There were no chains, no whip marks, no slaves crawling on their knees, and no violent shouts of masters reprimanding their servants.

As evening fell, the shops in Raven City did not close for the day; instead, they presented a different, bustling scene.

In a roadside barbecue restaurant, the waiter greets customers with a smile, while the duckbill dragon beside him obediently helps grill the meat with flames.

On the ridge of the field, the farmer and the strongman walked home side by side, carrying farm tools and chatting.

Even the city's porters patted each other on the shoulder and shared a piece of bread with Haoli during their breaks.

A craftsman who had come with the delegation and had grown up in the Carlos mines trembled as he looked at what he saw.

In Carlos... artisans like them were nothing more than the private property of the royal family, slaves of the nobles, their lives as worthless as grass.

He gazed at the ordinary people walking freely in Raven City, their faces beaming with smiles.

Here... even the most ordinary people can eat their fill, dress warmly, and live with dignity... there are no slaves, no oppression, and everyone can walk with their heads held high.

They toiled day and night, chiseling stones, felling trees, and forging metal, only to be met with beatings and hunger.

The people here work and rest together with monsters... no, with Pokémon, respecting and relying on each other... Is this the human world or heaven?

They once thought that the world should be a place with strict class distinctions, where people are divided into noble and lowly, and Pokémon are either slaves or enemies.

But Raven City utterly shattered the rules they had believed in their entire lives.

AZ stood quietly among the crowd, his gaze sweeping over every peaceful smiling face, over the unchained streets, over the lights that burned all night, and over the flying taxis that took off and landed freely in the air.

He was the king of Carlos, wielding the power of life and death, possessing countless slaves, building magnificent palaces, and forging the ultimate weapon that could destroy everything.

He thought that was power, that was strength.

But only now did he realize that a country's true strength does not lie in how many weapons it has or how many slaves it has.

Rather, it is about ensuring that every citizen can live with dignity, every Pokémon can be treated with kindness, and every inch of land can be filled with peace and hope.

The flower petals gently landed in his palm, brushing against his cool fingertips with their tender petals.

AZ looked down at the Pokémon that had accompanied him through catastrophe and despair, then looked up at the city of miracles. His hoarse voice was filled with unprecedented trembling and remorse.

"Were we... wrong?"

Raven stood beside him and said softly, "There is no right or wrong. Besides, Kalos's land is still here, and its people are still here. As long as we are willing to let go of destruction and oppression, learn to coexist with Pokémon, and learn to give our people freedom and dignity, Kalos can become like that too."

In a secluded corner unnoticed, the Zygarde Core lay silently suspended on the roof of a house, transmitting all of this back to the depths of the End Cave.

Inside the cave, the massive Zygarde slowly opened its eyes.

The faint green light emanating from its body was no longer the intimidating power of order, but rather a gentler one.

It has protected this land for thousands of years, witnessed too many wars caused by greed and hatred, too many tragedies of humans and Pokémon fighting each other, and countless destructions caused by negative energy.

It has always believed that humans are the source of the disruption of order.

But Raven defied all expectations with his actions.

Humans and Pokémon do not have to be enemies.

They can become partners, become family, and work together to build a land full of light and hope.

This is the true order that the earth should possess.

This is the "order" it has always longed for.

*
As night deepened, the lights of Raven City fell like a galaxy, bathing the entire city in a dazzling and warm glow. Elif led the Carlos delegation through the crisscrossing streets towards the embassy district.

The scenery along the way challenged Carlos and his companions' understanding at every step.

As they passed through a neighborhood where ordinary people lived, they could clearly see the scene inside the house through the half-open wooden door.

In the small house of over 80 square meters, the lights were bright, and a family of three was sitting together around a wooden table.

A dozing Growlithe was lying next to the father, the mother held a needle and thread with a Skitty at her feet, and even the child sitting on a small stool writing had a sleepy Pichu perched on his shoulder.
There is no strict hierarchy, no barrier between tools and their owners, only a warm and comforting companionship.

An elderly craftsman from the village of Carlos watched with tears in his eyes, filled with envy.

Noticing the looks on everyone's faces, Eriff stopped and explained gently:
"In our Unova Kingdom, Pokémon are never just tools. They lend a hand when we're working, serve as pillows when we're tired, and stand up for us in times of crisis. People and Pokémon depend on each other for survival, and that's how we make life meaningful."

These words struck Az and many ministers like a heavy hammer blow.

They once thought that the power of monsters should be used to forge weapons, to consolidate royal power, and to crush enemies.

But at this moment, these powers are being used in the most ordinary daily routines: guarding homes, driving away pests, and spending time with children.

This is a way of life he had never imagined, transforming "power" into "warmth".

Continuing on, we arrived at the embassy district. It was a row of neat wooden courtyards, much simpler than the luxurious side halls of the royal palace, but with bright and clean windows and flowers and plants growing in the courtyards.

"Gentlemen, this is the accommodation prepared by the Union for our distinguished guests who have traveled from afar," Elif said with a smile as he pushed open the courtyard gate.

“Your meals and daily life will be taken care of by dedicated staff. Tomorrow morning, a guide will take you to visit the farmland, workshops and clinics of the Union State. Please get some rest.”

Karen quickly stepped forward to express her gratitude: "Thank you, Lord Eriff, and thank you, His Majesty Raven, for your hospitality."

As the group entered the courtyard and settled their luggage, a series of light footsteps suddenly came from outside.

Upon opening the door, one sees a maid carrying a food box, followed by a Heracross.

The Hercules helped the agronomist push the food box slowly as they walked over.

"This is dinner prepared for everyone." The maid smiled and opened the food box, which was steaming hot and contained roasted meat, vegetables, and several bowls of fragrant soup.

AZ looked at the bowl of soup, while the flower petals beside her gently sniffed and made soft chirping sounds.

In Carlos, the royal banquets, though lavish, never possessed such a warm, homely atmosphere, while for the common people, even a full stomach was a luxury.

Seeing everyone staring at Heracross, the maid smiled and introduced, "This is Heracross. It's strong and obedient. It helps me carry ingredients and water the vegetable garden. It's my good helper!"

Hercules seemed to understand the praise; it squinted its eyes and a happy expression appeared on its face.

The old minister Karen was deeply moved.

In this place, the symbiosis between humans and Pokémon is not just empty talk.

It is taking root and sprouting in every street, every household, and every ordinary moment in Raven City.

As night deepened, the lights of Raven City remained bright.

The members of Carlos's delegation sat around the dining table, enjoying a steaming hot dinner.

Looking at the scene before him, AZ looked up at the brightly lit city outside the window and whispered to Karen and the craftsmen beside him:

"Tomorrow... let's go see the farmland in Unova and see how the people here work and live with Pokémon."

Karen nodded emphatically, his eyes filled with determination: "Yes, Your Majesty."

*
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, the streets of Raven City were already awakening.

There were no shouts from soldiers in the early morning in the royal city of Carlos, no whippings from slaves forced to work.

Instead, there were the clear chirping of Pokémon, the gentle calls of vendors, and the laughter and greetings of passersby.

Elif was already waiting outside the embassy, ​​followed by several officials in charge of agriculture, construction, industry and people's livelihood respectively. Each official was accompanied by a gentle and cooperative Pokémon.

"Everyone's schedule for today has been arranged. Let's first head to the Unova Central Farm outside the city to see how crops are harvested in abundance with the help of Pokémon." Elif raised his hand in an inviting gesture, his tone relaxed and natural.

The Carlos delegation had barely slept all night, and their eyes, far from showing fatigue, were filled with an eager light.

After a quick breakfast, they followed Elif on the road to the outskirts of the city.

This time, Raven specially arranged several steam-powered vehicles. Without horses pulling them, they relied solely on boilers and gears to smoothly carry everyone forward, once again astonishing Carlos and his companions who were used to the bumpy rides of horse-drawn carriages.

In less than half an hour, an endless expanse of golden farmland appeared before our eyes.

A breeze blows, the wheat fields ripple like waves, and a fragrant aroma fills the air. Along the field ridges, countless Pokémon work in perfect harmony with the farmers.

The land cloud floats in mid-air, gently spreading its power to keep the soil fertile and loose.

The Cold Water Ape stood in the field, spitting out water sprays from its mouth, precisely sprinkling water onto every inch of the parched earth.

Even the tiny walking grass is working hard to take root in the soil, purify the air, and help crops grow better.

Without scolding or chains, people and Pokémon bent down side by side, wiping away sweat together, and smiling as they looked at the soon-to-be-harvested wheat fields.

“In Carlos, we need hundreds of serfs to work day and night just to barely feed a small town, and we often suffer from natural disasters that result in no harvest…” Karen stroked his beard, his voice trembling uncontrollably, “But here, just a few dozen farmers, plus these Pokémon, are able to protect such vast fields…”

An old official who had once been in charge of supervising farming in Carlos instantly had tears in his eyes.

He had seen too many slaves whipped to death for being unable to till the land, too many fields lying fallow because no one was tending them, and too many people collapsing by the roadside due to famine.

In the United States, hunger seems like a distant, unattainable thing; abundance and security are written on every inch of the land.

"The Kingdom of the United States no longer uses slaves for farming," the official in charge of agriculture explained with a smile.

"Pokémon understand the land better than humans and are better at cultivating crops. If we respect them and treat them well, they will do their best to repay this land."

"Furthermore, thanks to the power of Grass-type Pokémon, the growth cycle of these crops will be greatly shortened. Wheat that originally took several months to mature can now be harvested in just one to two months."

"One to two months?!" The old minister Karen exclaimed in shock, "How is that possible?!"

This is completely beyond their comprehension and common sense!

However, the official just smiled and said, "That's the power of Pokémon! With them, we'll never have to worry about going hungry again."

“Unbelievable…this is absolutely incredible!” Karen murmured, and the craftsmen behind him wore the same expression.

(End of this chapter)