Once winter snow begins to fall, it's hard for it to stop.
In the early morning, the snowfall had lessened, but flakes still continued drifting down from the sky.
At this moment, villagers were moving busily through the orchard, clearing the snow under Aven's direction.
Although confusion showed on their faces, their hands moved with meticulous care.
In the past, villagers wouldn't even think of stepping outside in the winter, let alone clearing snow from the orchard.
But early this morning, Aven had gone door to door, asking everyone to come out and help remove the snow from the orchard. He claimed it would help increase the yield in the coming year.
Over at his Uncle Mike's Farm, Aven and Uncle Mike were also clearing snow off the berry trees' branches.
"After a snowfall, it's important to clear the snow from the branches in time to prevent them from bending or breaking under the weight," Aven explained to Uncle Mike.
"If a branch is already broken, you have to disinfect and sterilize the wound to protect it from decay or viral infection and help the tree recover."
Uncle Mike nodded at first, then frowned in confusion. He understood the first part, but sterilizing and disinfecting? Could berry trees get poisoned too? Was a virus some kind of potent toxin?
Faced with Mike's questions, Aven scratched his head in frustration. The explanation was too complicated, so he simply told him to follow the instructions.
"Alright, now that the snow is cleared, the next steps are orchard smoking and irrigation before the ground freezes," Aven said, clapping the snow off his gloves and exhaling deeply.
After clearing the snow, the orchard needed to be warmed up using smoke, which would help drive off the cold and prevent frost damage.
Before the ground froze, the trees also needed to be watered thoroughly. This would not only support the trees' growth but also help maintain a stable soil temperature through the winter, reducing cold damage.
Technically, the process should also include whitewashing the tree trunks, but Aven didn't have any limewater for that at the moment, so he had to skip that step for now.
At that same time, Johnson was feeling very uneasy.
He had just received a reply from the Lady — and with it, confirmation that Abyssal Beasts had appeared.
The moment the Abyssal Beast tide surfaced, the battle for Aspiration City's survival had already begun.
He had to find Aven immediately. Remembering the lady's orders, Johnson left his temporary lodgings without delay.
Over at the knights' temporary camp, the knights were still going through their daily training. When they saw Johnson, they looked at him with anticipation.
Ever since learning that Aven could teach their Rhyhorns the Rock Slide move, the knights had been eager.
If not for Aspiration City's planned involvement in the matter — allowing them to learn the move at minimal cost — they would've gone to Aven on their own already.
"Sir Johnson, any word from His Highness?" Knight Commander Hunter stepped forward and asked.
Johnson nodded gravely. "Don't worry about Rock Slide for now. The most important thing for all of you is to focus on improving your strength."
After a pause, he added solemnly, "Be prepared. A battle may be coming soon."
Hunter's expression turned serious as he nodded firmly.
Leaving the knight camp, Johnson and his guards rushed toward the farm.
"Sir Johnson, you came all this way — is something wrong at the frontlines?" Aven asked seriously when he saw the out-of-breath official.
"Yes. The Abyssal Beasts have appeared."
Although he had been mentally preparing to head to the frontlines, hearing the news still made Aven's eyes narrow in focus. In a low voice, he asked, "When do we leave?"
"No need to rush. The snow hasn't stopped yet. The beasts in the Black Forest aren't likely to come out so easily.
Besides, the frontlines aren't far from here — we can reach them in a day. Let's wait until the snow melts."
Johnson relayed the lady's orders, then his expression turned grave as he lowered his voice.
"Before that, I need to discuss the matter of the Rock Slide technique with you on behalf of Aspiration City."
"You already know that Aspiration City's knights primarily ride Rhyhorns, and Rock Slide is a game-changing move. It would greatly enhance the knight corps' combat effectiveness."
"Her Highness hopes to obtain the method for learning Rock Slide from you. You may name your price — if it's within our means, we'll agree to it."
Aven blinked in surprise. He quickly realized that Leon's Rhyhorn must've demonstrated the Rock Slide move, drawing the knights' attention. Apparently, that first business deal had served as great advertising.
Seeing Aven deep in thought, Johnson waited patiently. The Lady had promised generous terms, so he was confident.
But in the next moment, Johnson froze.
Aven nodded lightly and said, "I can give the method for learning Rock Slide to her Highness. No conditions necessary."
"No conditions?" Johnson was stunned. "You're really giving the method to her Highness without asking for anything in return?"
Facing the incredulous financial officer, Aven nodded again with sincerity.
Johnson opened his mouth in disbelief. While this was unquestionably a good thing for Aspiration City, it still felt too unreal. The Rock Slide technique was extremely valuable — and Aven was just giving it away?
"Her Highness and all of Aspiration City will remember your contribution," Johnson said earnestly, taking a deep breath, genuinely moved.
If only more people in Aspiration City were as selfless as Aven, the city would surely grow stronger!
Even Hunter thought he had misheard.
Aven was really giving them the Rock Slide technique for free?
"This is the learning method for Rock Slide," Johnson said with a smile, handing the paper to Hunter. "Aven has no reason to deceive us."
Nodding, Commander Hunter accepted the paper and began reading carefully. The more he read, the more excited he became.
Although the knight order had already had several Rhydons master the Rock Slide move, not a single Rhyhorn had done so — until now.
Having spent much time alongside Vice-captain Todd, Hunter had learned a lot about Rock Slide. As he recalled Todd's explanations, he could tell the method on the paper was genuine.
"I'll have the knights begin training immediately. We'll master Rock Slide before the battle begins!" Hunter said with a deep breath, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.
Johnson nodded and turned to leave, heading back to his residence to report to the Lady and send the Rock Slide method back — so even more Rhyhorns could begin training.
(End of Chapter)
(TN: I think I mess up with the knight ranks the machine translation keep changing it up)