"Wh-what?! Your Highness, you want to raise magical beasts?"
Old Butler Alfred was utterly astonished upon hearing Draconis's plan.
"Don't be so nervous, Alfred, this is just an experiment." Draconis leisurely ate his breakfast from the plate.
Magikarp are resilient Pokémon; you can just find anyone to look after them, throw a few Berries into their pond each day, and they'll survive.
It won't take much time or resources at all.
During this time, if even one evolves into a Gyarados, then they've hit the jackpot.
Although Magikarp are not very useful, the Gyarados they evolve into are incredibly powerful beings.
Rain Dance can be used to water farmlands, and Hydro Pump can be used to repel strong enemies and defend territory.
They are a type of Pokémon that excels in both daily life and combat.
"Al-alright…" The Old Butler couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his forehead.
At Draconis's request, Alfred quickly found a girl suitable for the job and brought her before Draconis.
"Megan, fourteen years old, with previous experience caring for magical beasts in the Royal City," Alfred introduced to Draconis.
Draconis was quite surprised to hear this; he wondered if there was such a talent in his territory.
He looked her up and down, this freckle-faced girl, and asked, "You've cared for magical beasts before?"
Megan timidly nodded: "Yes, Your Highness Draconis, I used to be a slave in the Royal City, specifically responsible for caring for the magical beasts that worked for the Royal City."
Those magical beasts were captured by knights from outside and brought back specifically for labor; they were shackled and chained, and if they were ever caught Slack Off, the overseers would whip them severely.
Megan's job at the time was to care for these magical beasts, and unlike those who feared them, Megan only felt they were very pitiful.
"Alright then, if that's the case, this job is yours." With that, Draconis stood up, bringing Dratini with him, and said to them, "Let's go, the knights should have finished digging the pond by now."
"Yes!" Megan was somewhat afraid of a person of His Highness's noble status, and her speech unconsciously included honorifics.
Draconis noticed her reaction and couldn't help but smile, saying:
"Don't be nervous, Megan, there are no more slaves in this territory. This is just an ordinary job, and once we get through this winter and things stabilize, I will give you appropriate compensation."
"I-I know!" Megan's eyes were filled with adoration as she looked at Draconis: "Your Highness is a good person! Everyone talks about Your Highness during their breaks!"
"What do they talk about me?" Draconis was a little surprised.
"Everyone says that Your Highness is the most benevolent, kind, and people-loving King they have ever seen!" Megan replied.
Draconis: "..." This was a bit too exaggerated.
However, looking at the girl's adoring gaze, he could only offer an elegant smile.
Soon, they arrived at their destination.
The knights had already dug a large pond by the river and diverted water from the main river into it.
Under Draconis's command, Dratini skillfully flew into the river and, in a short while, used Thunder Wave to stun dozens of fish.
Every time one witnessed this scene, one couldn't help but exclaim—the resources of the Pokémon world are truly abundant!
As usual, Draconis handed the ordinary fish over to the residents of the territory for them to take home and eat. Any leftovers were frozen by Snover and stored in the warehouse.
As for the six Magikarp, he fished them out and placed them in this pond.
Although directly stocking fish in a newly dug pond might lead to fish fry dying off, Magikarp, being Pokémon, clearly did not fall into that category.
Not only that, they could also eat the sludge and microorganisms in the pond, serving to purify the water source.
The five Magikarp had just been placed in the pond, and in a short while, they woke up.
They stared with their dull, dead-fish eyes, swimming aimlessly in the water.
Besides this, Draconis also had people dig up some aquatic plants and algae to put into the pond.
He looked at the tilled field not far away.
This way, in the future, this pond might also be used to raise other Water-type Pokémon that could help with watering.
"Your Highness Draconis, are these red fish the magical beasts I need to care for?" Megan squatted by the pond, unable to resist asking.
"That's right." Draconis nodded: "They are called Magikarp, a very resilient magical beast; they will survive even in the dirtiest ponds."
In the dirtiest ponds... Megan paused slightly. She recalled her past life as a low-ranking slave and couldn't help but murmur to herself, "Just like me."
At this moment, looking at these silly, dazed magical beasts, a feeling of "shared suffering" welled up in Megan's heart.
Fish, oh fish, can I also live as resiliently as you? Megan thought.
The sadness was fleeting, and soon, Megan recovered.
His Highness Draconis had already abolished her slave status; now she was a free person!
Moreover, the wooden houses for winter were almost completed, and her life would surely get better slowly!
"Your Highness Draconis, I will definitely take good care of them!" Megan promised.
Draconis smiled and nodded: "Don't be so nervous, Magikarp are very easy to raise; they only need to eat mud and aquatic plants to survive. However, since we've decided to raise them, we can't just feed them these."
"So, your job is to divide the Berries into small pieces and come here every day to feed these Magikarp. In short, from now on, you are their feeder." Draconis said.
If "love," "affection," or "bonds" were to develop during the raising process, the probability of these Magikarp evolving into Gyarados would greatly increase.
"Understood! Your Highness Draconis!" Megan said.
"Keep up the good work!" Draconis encouraged.
If he weren't busy handling various affairs in the territory and lacked time, he would even want to raise a Magikarp himself.
After all, Gyarados is also a very powerful Pokémon.
But unfortunately, there are no Poké Balls in this era, so he had no way to carry a Magikarp that lives in water with him at all times.
*
Regarding helping to raise magical beasts, at first, Megan felt nothing beyond a sense of "shared suffering" for these "lowly-born" pitiful magical beasts.
Every day, following His Highness Draconis's instructions, after completing her daily Berry Gathering work, she would bring some Berries and Tree Berries to the pond to feed these Magikarp.
The Magikarp were dazed, but they didn't seem to be completely unaware.
As she came more often, these Magikarp would even come to the surface beforehand, waiting for her arrival!
This greatly surprised Megan.
At the same time, her heart also developed a sense of attachment because these Magikarp were waiting for her.
Gradually, Megan found these dazed fish increasingly adorable.
Although they couldn't speak, they were very good listeners.
Megan would often sit alone by the pond, telling the Magikarp about her past experiences in the Royal Palace.
"Fish, oh fish, what are you thinking?"
The Magikarp didn't answer, and couldn't answer; they continued to stare blankly.
Seeing the Magikarp staring blankly, Megan would also find herself staring blankly with them, clearing her mind together.
Gradually, she actually grew to like this feeling.