Manor Lord in the Pokémon World

Chapter 197 Building a Pond

To build the pond, we naturally turned to Robin.

Fangzhou rode a Salamence soaring through the sky. After Salamence was promoted to Elite Four level, its speed was much faster than before.

Right now, no Pokémon in the manor moves faster than Salamence.

Wait, there's also Gardevoir's Teleportation...

Fangzhou felt a little down. He had always fantasized about evolving into Gardevoir so it could teleport him around...

These thoughts, like Gardevoir, have now temporarily gone to some faraway place.

It didn't take long for Robin's easily recognizable house to be below.

A noisy bird appeared ahead, flapping its wings and using its Wind skill on the scattered scraps of paper, empty cans, and withered leaves.

A small whirlwind was manipulated by it, swirling up the debris and moving it shakily before finally dumping it all into the old, large trash can next to it.

The chattering bird was already very familiar with the ark, and when it saw the ark coming, it immediately turned its head and called out into the house.

"Little Grey is here~ Little Grey is here~"

ark:???

That damn gray-haired guy.

Fang Zhou ruffled his hair a couple of times, fixing his style which had been messed up by the wind, and was about to go inside.

Robin came out of the house, carrying a mop.

Fangzhou asked curiously, "Robin, what's going on? Why is the entrance so messy?"

In his memory, Robin's doorway was always kept spotless.

Upon hearing Fangzhou's question, Robin immediately launched into a long-winded explanation.

"Don't even mention it, it makes me so angry! I don't know which bastard came and ransacked my garbage dump, making a mess everywhere. It took my noisy bird and me ages to clean it up."

"Bad thing! Bad thing!" The chattering bird perched on the shelf by the door, puffing out its chest and shouting angrily.

"Alright, come in. What brings you here? Is it because your estate is going to be expanded?"

Fangzhou followed him into the house, shook his head, and said, "The manor is very large, and it's not time to expand it yet. I'm thinking of digging a pond."

Fang Zhou gestured with his hand, "I want the really big kind!"

Robin nodded, understanding dawning on him. "They're already starting preparations for the autumn festivals."

Fang Zhou was taken aback. "An autumn festival?"

"Yeah," Robin said, rummaging through the pile of blueprints on the table. "We're digging a pond, isn't it for raising fish? Autumn is when the fish are at their fattest, and many festivals in town are related to fish, so it's very lively. We definitely need a good pond to make the most of those times."

As she spoke, she glanced at Fang Zhou with a hint of admiration in her eyes, "No wonder you're so amazing in your first year here, preparing for the autumn festival ahead of time. Speaking of which, you've won first place in both the spring and summer festivals now, haven't you?"

Fangzhou shook his head. "There was no Spring Sprout Festival. I had just arrived then."

Robin thought about it carefully and agreed. He nodded and said, "That's enough. With a little more effort, we'll soon be able to get the customization rights for the sixteenth holiday."

"Customization rights?"

Fangzhou was taken aback; it was the first time he had ever heard this term.

This time, it was Robin who was taken aback. "You didn't know about the sixteenth festival customization rights in Weibai Town?"

Fangzhou shook his head.

"There are four festivals in each of the four seasons, making a total of sixteen festivals a year. If someone can win first place in ten festivals, they will have the right to customize the last festival of the year. If no one can meet the requirements, then a banquet will be held, similar to the Spring Banquet."

"It seems you have a great chance now. If you can win a few more championships, you can decide which deity to worship and how the entire festival will be held."

Robin's eyes gleamed with longing. "This is the lifelong pursuit of every resident of Unwhite Town!"

"I see. I didn't think that far ahead. The pond was mainly built to make it easier to raise some water-type Pokémon." Fangzhou smiled and brought the topic back.

"Oh, right, in that case..." Robin pushed several different design drawings in front of him.

"However, the construction of the pond will take quite a while. From cleaning the ground, digging the pit, waterproofing, to finishing the edges and filling the pond with water, it will take at least ten days to complete. And the cost..."

She looked up at Fangzhou and made a gesture.

"It's much taller than the textile houses and ice cellars you built before. The earthwork is huge, and the waterproofing, bank reinforcement, and later landscaping all cost money."

Fangzhou nodded, already prepared.

Digging a large pit is easy, but building a sturdy, beautiful, and durable pond requires a complex process and is expected to cost a lot of money.

I never expected that building the manor would be like a bottomless pit, with each project putting more strain on my wallet than the last.

"Here are several different styles: some mimic natural lakes and marshes, some have waterfront platforms and railings, and some are divided into sections based on different water depths. This type might be more suitable for various water-type Pokémon. Which one do you want to build?"

Ark ultimately chose a design featuring a gentle slope, shallow waters, a separate deep water area, and a short, simple wooden boardwalk extending from it.

It looks natural and unpretentious, and it has all the necessary functions.

Having finalized the design and agreed on the price, Fangzhou prepared to take his leave.

"Wait a minute, you came on a Salamence, right? Give me a ride, I'll go with you and see where the pond is built."

"Okay, come on up."

The two rode back to the manor on a flying dragon.

Accompanied by Ark, Robin strolled slowly around the perimeter of the manor.

He would occasionally squint and look up to observe the sun's trajectory and the surrounding trees.

"It's too close to the house, and the humidity is too high, which is bad for the wood."

"This area is low-lying, so if there's a heavy rain in the summer, it could flood back into the area."

Squirtle excitedly followed at her feet, pointing here and there with its little paws, babbling its opinions.

Finally, Robin tapped the ground with his toe in a sheltered, sunny open space in the southeast corner of the manor: "This is it. It's convenient for construction, and it's not far from the river. Let's settle on this place."

"Okay." Fangzhou looked around and also thought the location was good.

"Then I'll send the construction team over first thing tomorrow morning." Robin patted the dust off his hands. "The first step is to clean the ground thoroughly, and then we'll start digging immediately."

The construction team arrived at dawn the next day.

A super-strong man was driving Robin's big truck, which was carrying three Sandslash Kings.

The pangolin took the lead, its sharp claws acting like an efficient bulldozer, quickly clearing away weeds, shrubs, and rocks from the designated area, raising clouds of dust.

The strongman was responsible for carrying large pieces of miscellaneous items and transporting them to a distant storage point.

Fangzhou and Squirtle squatted under the shade of a tree not far away, watching the Pokémon busily working.

As the massive crater gradually became visible, Fangzhou nudged Squirtle beside him with his elbow: "Squirtle, what kind of Water-type Pokémon do you think we should keep?"

Squirtle scratched its head, a blush appearing on its face.

If possible, it would like to keep a few Squirtle as wives.

The days passed by in a flurry of activity, and a few days later, another important event occurred.

The withered grass has matured!