(Elder, this is the situation. A Sableye have already discovered our presence.)
At the very center of the Diamond Domain, a Carbink without any jewels anxiously reported the situation to the elder Carbink before it, its expression filled with urgency.
"Bink, Bink!"
(We should leave immediately and take the tribe to another place!)
The elder Carbink raised a hand to signal the jewelless Carbink to calm down, its gaze then settling on the only human present at the scene.
That aged yet kindly voice echoed directly within Silas's heart.
"Human, thank you for saving my people. Here, I represent the Diamond Domain in expressing our gratitude to you."
The elder Carbink slightly bowed toward Silas in thanks, its voice carrying a trace of apology. "I am truly sorry, but we are unable to host you at this moment."
"It's fine!"
Silas waved his hand casually, his expression unchanged. "You're planning to leave, aren't you?"
He clearly understood the predator–prey relationship between Carbink and Sableye. If they did not relocate, the more than thirty Carbink before him would all end up in Sableye's stomachs.
The reason he asked was simply to receive a definite answer.
"Yes. A Sableye have discovered us, so we have no choice but to relocate."
The elder Carbink gave a clear response, feeling deeply apologetic that it could not properly entertain its benefactor.
"Have you thought about where you want to move to?" Silas asked again.
"..."
Obviously, the Carbink had not thought it through yet.
They had only arrived here not long ago, and the underground mini-kingdom had not even finished laying its foundation.
Without the energy supply provided by the Diamond Domain, it would be very difficult for the Carbink to stand against Sableye.
They were unwilling to abandon this home, yet the circumstances left them with no alternative.
"I actually know a good place. There are no Sableye causing trouble there."
Silas began recommending his own ranch, intending to lure this group of Carbink back with him.
If they could settle down at the ranch, then whenever he took his Pokémon out, there would be an entire squad of bodyguards watching over the ranch for him.
Correspondingly, the Carbink would no longer need to worry about Sableye attacks. Just the battle-hardened Noibat alone was something Sableye could not possibly deal with.
Dare to show up?
Its hide would get ripped clean off.
It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Silas's proposal caused the elder Carbink to freeze for a moment, remaining silent for a long time.
Having lived for many years, it had once served as the elder in their Diamond Domain.
Compared to the innocent and naïve Carbink around it, it understood humans far better.
Their glittering bodies were extremely valuable in human society.
Silas naturally understood the elder Carbink's reaction. What he had just said was basically the equivalent of telling a woman, "My place is pretty big—wanna come over?"
Anyone with eyes could tell that sounded suspicious.
However, Silas had a way to prove himself. He reached into his spatial satchel and took out the "meal payment" Pyroar had given him before he left.
A Flame Orb the size of a fist.
This was a gift the Carbink had brought to Route 12 for Pyroar, the local overlord.
[Flame Orb: A orb that contains extremely pure Fire-type energy. It can release extraordinarily high heat. Carrying it for a long time will cause a burn status.]
"This orb was given to me by Pyroar. Now you should be able to believe me, right?"
"Bink."
(That's the orb we gave to Boss Pyroar.)
A wave of commotion spread through the Carbink group. A human acknowledged by Boss Pyroar was someone worthy of trust.
"Human, relocation is a major matter. Please allow us some time to think it over."
"No problem." Silas nodded, putting the Flame Orb away. "I'll come back again tomorrow."
A group of Carbink escorted Silas out of the cave. When they left, the backs of the Mudsdale now carried many pitch-black stones.
"Bink, Bink..."
"That's enough, that's enough. These are more than enough for paving a road."
At the cave entrance, Silas bade farewell to the Carbink and reminded them to be careful of Sableye.
Only then, amid the Carbink's warm send-off, did Silas lead the three Mudsdale away at a steady pace, returning to the ranch.
A crowd of Pokémon happily rushed out to welcome them back. Minccino leapt onto Silas's shoulder, its little paw pointing at the black stones on Mudsdale's backs.
"Min?"
He picked up Minccino and gave it a good, thorough rub, not forgetting to gently pat Flabébé as well.
"These are extremely hard stones formed from solidified underground magma. Even Mudsdale stepping on them won't crack them."
"Min!"
The tiny Minccino was utterly shocked. Even the Mudsdale brothers couldn't break them—just how hard were these black stones?!
After sending away the gathered little Pokémon, Silas and the three Mudsdale began paving the road section by section, starting from the ranch gate.
Before paving, a reasonable route had to be planned first.
All the weeds and loose soil on the ground needed to be cleared away. Minccino,Cyclizar, and the Meowth eagerly volunteered to help.
Seeing their enthusiasm, Silas handed the task over to them, while he called over one of the Mudsdale.
"Mudsdale, later use Heavy Slam to compact the ground they've cleared."
"Mud!"
Mudsdale let out a loud neigh and began moving under Silas's direction.
Its four thick, boot-like hooves stomped in alternating steps, producing deep, muffled thump-thump sounds.
Under Mudsdale's trampling, the soft ground became firm and level, and a road clearly distinct from the surrounding terrain gradually appeared.
"Min~"
(Mudsdale is amazing!)
Minccino's eyes sparkled as it cheered from the side.
The Meowth felt the same. The Pokémon on the ranch were all incredible—if they wanted to keep up, they had to work even harder.
The Alolan Meowth reached into the spatial satchel, but its paws came up empty.
…Huh? The dorayaki were all gone.
Burly Mareep was itching to help as well, but it was held back by another Mareep, preventing it from disturbing Mudsdale's work.
For a road to last a long time, a proper base layer was essential.
After laying down a 15-centimeter layer of crushed stone and smoothing it with an additional 5-centimeter layer of sand, all three Mudsdale were brought in to compact the road together.
Next, wooden planks were laid along both sides of the road, and ropes were used to mark dividing lines, ensuring everything was neat and orderly.
Finally, different pieces of obsidian were used to fill the surface—large slabs formed the main structure and created varied patterns, while smaller stones filled the gaps.
Once the entire road was laid, Silas reminded the Mudsdale, "Use a bit less strength now. Just embed the stones into the base layer."
"Mud!"
The Mudsdale nodded vigorously, indicating they understood.
The three Mudsdale brothers released only the bare minimum of their strength, gently hammering the obsidian into the base layer bit by bit. The entire process was remarkably delicate—their control over strength surpassed that of most Pokémon.
"It looks great!"
Silas didn't forget to praise their efforts, and he also had Kangaskhan help fill the gaps with clay made by the Mudsdale.
The clay they produced was even sturdier than cement sold on the market, making it perfect for filling the seams.
After that, the Mudsdale used Heavy Slam once more to compact everything, causing the clay to sink and further reinforce the overall structure.
Just constructing the single road from the ranch gate to the ranch house took more than two full hours.
Standing in front of the ranch house, Silas put his hands on his hips and watched Minccino and the others hopping and bouncing along the obsidian road, a fond, aunt-like smile spreading across his face.
As long as the Pokémon liked it, he could rest easy.
After taking a short break, just as Silas called out to the Mudsdale to prepare for paving the second road—
From afar, he heard the cheerful cries of three Noibat. They flapped their wings rapidly as they flew toward the ranch, heading straight for Silas together.
(End of Chapter)