While the snow had stopped, Draconis ordered Cleveland and two members of the Knights Order to escort several blacksmiths to the Aron-inhabited mine to investigate.
Watching them leave, Draconis silently prayed in his heart, hoping they would find the ore and clay they needed on this trip.
Old Butler Alfred, standing nearby, looked at Draconis and couldn't help but ask, "Has Your Highness made a decision?"
"Yes." Draconis nodded, "I want to stay here."
The road ahead was long, and war could break out at any time. Their location was remote enough that even if war erupted, they wouldn't become targets.
Therefore, for Draconis, staying here and developing quietly was the best option.
Although Old Butler Alfred was old, having been immersed in the royal family for many years, he could more or less see the current situation clearly.
"When the Blizzard ends, Your Highness should write a letter to His Majesty the King to report your safety! His Majesty must be very worried about you now." Alfred sighed and said.
"I will." And while he was at it, he would ask his father, the King, for a batch of skilled personnel to serve as citizens of his territory and help with work, Draconis thought.
This way, the problem of insufficient manpower could be solved.
A cold wind swept in, and Draconis told Alfred to go back and rest, while he himself took Dratini back to the wooden house.
Inside the wooden house, Minccino were cleaning with their tails. Their nature wouldn't allow a speck of dust in the room.
And Snivy stood silently on the table, and when it saw Draconis enter, it immediately cast its gaze over.
"Snivy..."
Snivy noticed that Draconis seemed to be constantly busy.
Moreover, it keenly observed that Draconis's expression before entering was one of deep worry.
But when he saw them, his face completely changed.
"Hey, hey, hey! You were cleaning when I left, why are you still cleaning when I'm back?" Draconis said with a smile.
"Minccino!" Seeing Draconis return, the Minccino were initially very happy.
But seeing the spot they had just cleaned get dirty by him, the Minccino immediately let out a shriek.
"Minccino!"
One Minccino couldn't help but jump down, pushing Draconis with its small paw, moving him aside, and then started a thorough cleaning with its tail. Only after that dirty spot was cleaned did their faces show a relieved expression.
"Minccino~" It's clean!
Draconis: "..."
However, on second thought, returning home to such a clean and tidy house indeed made one feel refreshed.
But Draconis did not stay at home for too long. He hurried back to drink a cup of hot tea, and then hurried off with Dratini for training.
It was still practicing Dragon Tail by striking a wooden stake with its tail.
However, this time, halfway through the practice, a rich purple light suddenly surged from Dratini's tail.
And then, it struck the scarred wooden stake with its tail.
Seeing this, Draconis was slightly stunned.
Was that move just now... Dragon Tail?
"Dratini, Encore!" Draconis said.
"Woof!" Dratini, while sensing the method of using the move that appeared in its mind, mobilized the energy in its body, and then struck out with its tail again.
"It really is Dragon Tail!"
Draconis observed the marks on the wood, and secretly analyzed: Although it has grasped Dragon Tail, the force is still not enough. We still need to continue to train Dratini's tail strength.
However, this was already a very big improvement for Dratini.
If calculated by game levels, Dratini needs to be Lv15 to learn Dragon Tail.
This also means that Dratini's evolution process is halfway there, another fifteen levels, and it can evolve into Dragonair.
However, reality is not a game after all, and the levels in the game can only be used as a reference.
"No matter what, we still have to do down-to-earth special training." Draconis thought to himself, then looked at Dratini and praised, "Well done, Dratini, you've improved again!"
"Woof~!"
"Since you've already learned Dragon Tail, let's stop here for today!" Draconis said with a smile.
Dratini had no objections; whatever Draconis told it to do now, it would do.
The man and the Pokémon returned to the wooden house. Draconis picked up Dratini and carefully examined its body.
"Hmm, it's grown a lot of muscle compared to before." Draconis thought.
Dratini's tail no longer felt weak and soft to the touch, but rather both soft and resilient. If Dratini tensed up, one could even clearly feel its hard tail muscles.
"Alright, lie down, I'll help you massage your muscles." Draconis patted Dratini.
Dratini immediately lay down obediently like a salted fish.
Draconis then began to gently massage Dratini.
Feeling those large hands constantly moving and kneading on its body, this sensation made Dratini involuntarily let out comfortable Growl.
During this time, as the Pokémon closest to Draconis, Dratini could more or less sense Draconis's emotions.
He was anxious, he was worried.
But Dratini didn't know how to comfort Draconis.
"Woof..." I wish I could grow up faster! That way it could help Draconis, Dratini thought naively.
This was the only way it could think of to Help Draconis.
On the desk, Snivy calmly observed the scene, a thoughtful expression in its eyes.
*
Cleveland and his group returned to the territory in the afternoon.
Draconis greeted everyone in the Lord's Hall.
Morik reported with some excitement:
"Your Highness Draconis, as you expected, it is a resource-rich mine. We not only found traces of clay and limestone there, but also a large amount of iron ore!"
"Is there a way to mine it?" Draconis immediately breathed a sigh of relief, then asked.
"Clay only needs to be dug with an iron shovel, and limestone can be picked up directly. The only problem is the iron ore, which requires specialized tools for mining." Morik thought carefully, then added, "There's also the issue of transporting these ores..."
There was a distance between the mine and this territory, and relying solely on human strength would likely be both time-consuming and labor-intensive.
Upon hearing this, Draconis fell into contemplation.
Currently, there were Pokémon in the territory that could pull carts, such as the two Bouffalant that had followed from the royal city.
Besides that, they also had carriages for storing materials.
"Let the Bouffalant handle the transportation!" Draconis said, "As for the carts... let's dismantle my carriage to transport the clay!"
"Your Highness?" The people present were slightly stunned.
If that were the case, what would His Highness do for travel?
Draconis shook his head and said, "Don't worry, I have hands and feet. For now, the clay matter is more important."
If they started firing bricks now, by next spring, they could store a large batch of bricks.
At that time, they could officially begin building houses, thereby accelerating the urbanization process of this territory.