Time truly flew while reading. The sky had already darkened, so Eva did not decline Aven's invitation of food further and followed him out of the study, heading toward the castle by the Fair River.
The castle stood right next to the Safari Zone, a Pokémon Breeding Zone that is more of a private garden of its lord.
From the castle balcony, one could directly observe the situation within the breeding area.
At this moment, by the large lake beside the Pokémon Breeding House, large numbers of Marill were happily playing about.
Aside from these Marill, many Chansey also lived on the grassy shores of the lake.
At the same time, a faint, unique fragrance enveloped the area, drifting into the castle with the gentle breeze.
"A rather peculiar scent—it smells quite pleasant," she said as she stretched her arms. She had stayed up late reading the previous night, and the cool wind helped clear her mind considerably.
Just then, she suddenly noticed Pokémon silhouettes gradually appearing in the castle garden. After arriving in the backyard, these Pokémon began to train.
The earliest to arrive were Rhyperior and Heatran. She had already heard about these two Pokémon from Uxie, but seeing them in person was still difficult to believe.
In addition, there were Pokémon such as Lilligant, Froslass, and Gardevoir. In just a few short years, Aven had managed to raise all of them to such an incredible level.
But after recalling the information from the Pokémon Breeding House and the books, she fell silent once more. Pokémon breeding had been given a completely different meaning within Pokémon Domain—it was entirely unlike knight training.
Before long, Aven also walked out of the castle, holding Pokémon food and distributing it to the Pokémon in the garden.
"Princess Eva, it's time to come down for breakfast," Aven suddenly called as he turned his head toward the balcony.
Hearing his words, Eva quickly responded. After tidying up her room, she opened the door and immediately saw an Oddish in the distance, busily cleaning.
Eva was actually quite surprised that there wasn't a single servant in the castle. It seemed as though every task here could be handled by Pokémon instead. Yet she found this feeling rather pleasant.
"Prince Aven, what are you planning to do?" After breakfast, seeing Aven carrying a backpack and preparing to head toward the Pokémon Breeding Zone, Eva asked curiously.
"I'm going to light some Sea Incense for the Marill," Aven explained with a smile. "This kind of incense can enhance Marill's reproductive ability."
Interest immediately appeared on Eva's face. After asking for Aven's permission, she followed him to the Pokémon Breeding Zone.
When the Marill saw Aven arrive, excitement instantly appeared on their faces. With the help of the Sea Incense over this period of time, many Marill had already laid Pokémon Eggs.
"So many Pokémon Eggs… These incense sticks can actually enhance Pokémon reproduction!" Eva exclaimed in astonishment once more. Aven truly knew so much.
"These are all part of a Pokémon Breeder's knowledge. If you want to learn more, perhaps you could sit in on the Pokémon Breeder courses I'll be opening next," Aven said.
Eva gladly accepted Aven's invitation. She had long wanted to audit the courses at the Trainer Academy, as they would allow her to learn more about Pokémon and Trainers.
The development of Pokémon Domain continued in an orderly manner.
During this period, Eva and Uxie stayed by Aven's side, constantly absorbing knowledge.
Beyond Pokémon-related knowledge, they also witnessed the development of Pokémon Domain during this time.
In just two short years, Pokémon Domain had grown from a remote borderland into the most prosperous city of Aspiration City, allowing them to see Aven's talent in territorial governance.
Industries related to Trainers and Pokémon were indeed treasure troves. Eva casually calculated the fiscal revenue of Pokémon Domain and was utterly shocked.
Furthermore, the reforms in agriculture had completely liberated labor from the fields and redirected it into various factories, greatly increasing the income of the populace.
Prince Aven's set of economic theories truly gave her a refreshing feeling. Gold coins stored in a treasury would forever remain just gold coins, but if they could circulate, they could generate far greater value.
She had heard this theory from the Pokémon Domain's financial officer, Phyllis, who had verified it through actual results. Eva herself keenly sensed the benefits of this approach.
City Hall was the place Eva spent the most time in, aside from the Trainer Academy. Here, she constantly heard systems that seemed unreasonable at first glance, yet carried immense significance.
Throughout Pokémon Domain, there was not a single enfeoffed noble, yet City Hall functioned like a massive machine, transmitting orders layer by layer and handling all territorial affairs with impeccable order.
"This is… the Marina City report? And it's actually a subordinate city hall of Pokémon Domain?" Eva suddenly realized she had discovered a blind spot.
After further investigation, shock appeared on her face. Prince Aven had actually reclaimed all the power held by the nobles of Marina City, allowing them to retain only their titles.
Moreover, a system that she believed would inevitably provoke resistance throughout Marina City had actually been implemented smoothly. Now, all authority within Marina City had been unified, and the Pokémon League system was being enforced.
"A centralized form of governance… This kind of system is indeed much easier to implement, and it's completely different from the current system," Eva thought to herself.
But was Aven truly not worried? After all, this was tantamount to making an enemy of nobles across the entire world. Whether they were nobles of Aspiration City or of other regions on the continent, none would accept such a system.
She could imagine that once nobles from other territories learned what had happened in Marina City, they would all rise in resistance. Under such circumstances, could Pokémon Domain really withstand it?
Yet when she sought out Aven to ask about this matter, she found his expression remarkably calm. He simply said evenly, "This is the inevitable choice of the times, and also the choice of the vast majority of people in this world."
At first, Eva found Aven's words difficult to understand—until she thought of the Trainers she had encountered during this period. The vast majority of them were ordinary commoners, yet they now wielded considerable power.
If all these commoner Trainers firmly stood on Aven's side to overthrow noble rule, it would undoubtedly become the most powerful force in the world—one that even all the nobles combined could never stop.
"That's right. The power of commoner Trainers has long become an indispensable force in this world."
"Or rather, the power of commoners has always been indispensable in any era. Even those nobles themselves rely on commoners to build and sustain their territories."
"And as these commoners all become Trainers, their voice will rise. When they collectively begin to say 'no' to the nobles, how much power do you think the nobles will have left?"
"This is the inevitable choice of the times. The number of Trainers will only continue to grow. One day, the noble system will be completely overturned, and a new system belonging to Trainers will be established."
"Right now, I'm striving toward that direction. Only in this way can the Trainer system be fully implemented."
"You also know that if the power of Trainers lacks restraint, it will inevitably lead to chaos. Only within the framework of the Pokémon League can the Trainer system develop steadily."
Aven looked solemnly at the Lord of Wisdomhall City before him. In a sense, she was also among the highest-ranking nobles of the Sinnoh Region, and his words were undoubtedly challenging her authority.
Yet just as he had anticipated, anger did not appear on Eva's face. Instead, she calmly began to ponder and analyze Aven's words, maintaining absolute rationality.
Moreover, after observing her during this period, Aven judged that the Lord of Wisdomhall City could hardly be considered a qualified noble. Her thirst for knowledge far outweighed her attachment to the power she held.
Thus, by speaking these words now, he was also testing her stance. After all, she had expressed more than once her desire to implement the Trainer system in Wisdomhall City.
If she truly wished to promote the Trainer system in Wisdomhall City, she would have to join the Pokémon League. And the true Pokémon League itself was a framework of power, complete with its own institutional system.
The Pokémon League system and the noble system were fundamentally incompatible. Therefore, Eva had to make a choice—whether to stand on the side of the nobles or on the side of the Trainers.
At this moment, Eva was also looking at Aven. She naturally understood some of the reasons behind his words to her, yet she still fell into silence. Her thoughts were in turmoil, and for the time being, she was unable to make a decision.
"When you have time, you can go and take a look at Marina City. Perhaps then you'll have your answer," Aven said with a smile as he patted Eva's shoulder. The fact that she did not make a choice was, in fact, the best answer possible.
At present, Marina City had basically completed its reform under the Pokémon League system. All noble authority had been reclaimed, and the Pokémon League branch and City Hall jointly governed the entire city.
Under such circumstances, the League's policies could be transmitted swiftly, and the League-based territorial system was advancing rapidly.
Large areas of farmland were being cultivated with the help of Pokémon, liberating vast amounts of labor. Meanwhile, as numerous factories were established in Marina City, commoners began to continuously pour into industrial work.
The construction of Pokémon Breeding Zones, Pokémon Breeding Houses, Pokémon Centers, and Pokémon Gyms was all proceeding in an orderly fashion. In some aspects, development was even faster than in Pokémon Domain itself—this was the advantage of centralized authority.
(End of Chapter)