Inside the study, Phyllis found herself unable to calm down for a long while.
She had never expected that Lord Aven's true target would actually be the lords standing behind the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild.
Perhaps, just as Lord Aven had said, this was indeed a war without a drop of blood — yet the final outcome would be just as cruel as any battlefield.
And now that this war had already begun, Fruitvale Village was destined to claim victory under Lord Aven's leadership.
She could already imagine it — once this battle came to an end, the entire City of Aspiration would be shaken to its core!
"Phyllis is willing to swear her life in loyalty to Lord Aven!"
Taking a deep breath, Phyllis fought to suppress the excitement surging in her chest. She lightly lifted the hem of her purple dress with both hands, and bowed deeply in salute.
"Mm. From here on, I'll still need you to continue managing the territory's finances," Aven replied evenly.
"As for the grain acquisition… it cannot stop. Having ample reserves of food is never a bad thing.
"In addition to that, the price of grain within the territory must be kept stable. And when selling grain to the common people, I need you to verify their identities.
"Only citizens registered as residents of our territory may purchase this grain. Furthermore, I will soon enact a new law — it will prohibit our commoners from casually reselling grain.
"Also… this is a good opportunity for you to conduct a population census. Every civilian who comes to purchase grain must be carefully registered.
"And in the days ahead, there will certainly be many free people streaming into our lands. You must also record their information. As long as they are willing to join Fruitvale Village, they too can enjoy the same rights and benefits as our commoners.
"Later, I'll have Peter assist with patrol duties. In the near future, there will surely be some disorder in the territory — but as long as we stabilize things, this will become an enormous boon for our development."
Aven laid out his instructions in an orderly manner, one after another.
Phyllis listened intently at his side, recording everything down without missing a word. The faint flush on her cheeks was not from embarrassment, but from the thrill of seeing such a clear, decisive plan.
Before this, she had never truly considered the benefits of stabilizing prices. But now, after Lord Aven's explanation, she suddenly realized the truth.
When prices rise, the ones hit the hardest are the commoners. A sudden tenfold surge in grain prices is something no ordinary peasant family could possibly bear.
Under such circumstances, the moment people hear that in the southeastern corner of the realm, there is a territory where grain prices remain steady — it is inevitable that waves of commoners will rush there.
And population… for a territory, population is the very engine of growth.
Phyllis believed that if Fruitvale Village could absorb a large portion of these migrating people, the territory's development speed would skyrocket. With enough population, countless industries could begin to flourish.
"Lord Aven… if there really is a massive influx of commoners, can the territory support them all?" Phyllis hesitated before asking.
Although the village's grain stockpiles were sufficient to last until early winter, an influx of outsiders would bring many unpredictable factors. Too many mouths to feed could still drag Fruitvale Village down.
"That is indeed a problem," Aven nodded. "Although we can't raise the price of grain, we can control the amount that's sold.
"We'll calculate the bare minimum of daily rations per person to ensure survival. At the same time, we can accept labor in exchange for grain — wages paid directly in food.
"Besides that, I intend to use this period to begin developing the Black Coast Forest and the Black Coast. I'm certain it can provide a great number of jobs. And the Black Forest's resources are abundant.
"I've already compiled a resource catalog for the Black Coast Forest. Some of the resources can be used to prepare potions or to make Pokémon food, which can also ease food pressures."
Aven handed her a notebook.
When Phyllis opened it, she found not only the names of resources but also illustrated drawings, making them easy for pioneers to identify.
Right now, the common folk in the territory already lived difficult lives. In such conditions, creating more jobs would be extremely valuable — it would relieve their hardships and simultaneously create value for the territory.
"Yes, Lord Aven, I will make sure the purchase and sale of grain are managed properly," Phyllis replied, still jotting notes with growing excitement.
She could see clearly now that Lord Aven had prepared a thorough plan for this trade war. That knowledge brought her peace of mind… and also lit a fire of ambition in her heart. She was determined to help Lord Aven manage the territory's finances to the best of her ability.
…
In the lord's castle at Keystone Town.
The study was a mess, littered with crumpled pieces of paper.
Viscount Kilton stood by the window, gripping the railing with white-knuckled hands. Dark circles shadowed his eyes.
Ever since they lost the beast trade, no merchant had come to this land for a long time. The territory's finances had been severely reduced.
Worse still, because Keystone Town had betrayed them, the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild — when they moved to blockade Fruitvale Village — had directly included Keystone Town in the blockade as well.
Although Keystone Town's agriculture was still relatively developed, grain prices within the territory kept rising regardless, throwing the city into chaos.
Some commoners, unable to bear the soaring prices, began to flee, escaping to other territories.
"Lord Kilton, most of these people have fled to Fruitvale Village," the treasurer reported. "I hear that over there, grain prices have stayed extremely low, not rising at all despite the price surges elsewhere."
"Fruitvale Village is still stubbornly holding out?" Viscount Kilton let out a long sigh, a faint glimmer of regret in his voice.
After a moment's silence, he shook his head slowly. "Let them leave. Keystone Town can't feed that many people anyway."
The treasurer's face changed at these words. Population was critical to any territory. But thinking about Keystone Town's finances, he too could only sigh.
As grain prices rose, population loss became a problem everywhere.
Some lords, desperate to keep their people, gritted their teeth and kept prices low. Others sealed their borders entirely, forbidding anyone from leaving.
The negative effects of the price surge were revealing themselves everywhere — even in the Northern Territory, home to the Ironblood Fortress, similar issues had begun to appear.
Every lord was now scrambling for ways to keep their population. While they still purchased grain at high prices from outside, the price within their own lands began to dip slightly.
Of course, stopping the flow of commoners entirely was impossible. Inevitably, more and more people drifted toward the southeastern corner of the realm, forming waves of refugees, large and small.
…
Meanwhile, inside Fruitvale Village.
Thanks to the stable prices, most locals had no idea what was happening outside.
But as more refugees from other lands poured in, the villagers finally began to hear what was going on beyond their borders.
"You're saying… outside, the price of grain has gone completely crazy?"
One commoner stared in bewilderment at the bag of grain in his hands — the price here hadn't changed at all.
"Don't you get it yet?" another villager explained. "It's obvious that Lord Aven bought up huge quantities of grain at high prices, then sold it to us at low prices!"
"Hey, just last winter, didn't Lord Aven buy our unripe berries at a high price?"
"If not for him, we would have had almost no income at the start of winter last year, let alone survived the whole season."
Another man let out a long sigh. He had only just heard the news, but with a single turn of thought, he understood immediately. If such a thing happened in Lord Aven's territory, it was no surprise at all!
"What? Lord Aven's buying grain at high prices and selling it cheaply to us?" The first man didn't know why, but his nose suddenly felt sore.
As life gradually stabilized, the villagers had stopped thinking much about why they could live so peacefully.
But now, with just this reminder, they realized — there was no such thing as "naturally" stable lives. It was only because Lord Aven was holding everything up for them.
"M-me…" The man's face flushed red. Then he suddenly clenched his jaw. "What can I do for Lord Aven?"
"I don't know either… but I heard that many commoners from other territories are flooding in. Maybe we can help keep order in the village," another suggested. "Whenever there's famine, it's always the time when order collapses — they'll need more people to help maintain it."
"Alright, alright. I'll drop this grain at home and go with you to the militia right away." The first man nodded, clutching the bag tighter as he ran toward his house.
These grains… they were bought with great difficulty by Lord Aven. To them, it was a symbol of his protection.
Lord Aven had been supporting them all this time — now, they had to protect this hard-won home for him!
…
At the village gate, Uncle Texi was shouting at the top of his voice:
"Hey! You outsiders, all of you stay put outside the village!"
Around him, many locals had gathered on their own. Some carried farm tools, others had brought Pokémon from their farms, like Gloom or Oddish, to block the incoming crowd from other territories.
If they let these people flood into the village, everything would descend into chaos. At a time like this, order was more important than anything!
"So… if we just follow instructions, we'll really get food?" someone in ragged clothes shouted from outside.
Others clutched shriveled coin pouches and pleaded, "I have money! Please, sell us some grain!"
The crowd outside was a mix — some were true refugees, others had simply fled territories where grain prices had become unbearable.
It was a headache for the villagers trying to maintain order.
Awoo! Awoo!
The sound of Mightyenas howling rose from outside, finally quieting the restless crowd.
Glancing fearfully at the Mightyena, the outsiders allowed the patrolmen to lead them toward a grassy area outside the village.
There, makeshift tents had already been set up. With so many ragged figures milling about, the area now looked like a full-fledged refugee camp.
(End of Chapter)