Chapter 1: The Artifact Craftsman of the Sinjoh Ruins

Johto Region, the mountainous area northeast of the Lake of Rage.

Near the Sinjoh Ruins.

On the map of the Pokémon world, this place is described as "a blizzard zone where ancient legends intersect, blocked by walls of ice and snow."

June 6th, early summer.

Event: Rainy weather will occur in some locations.

On a hillside far from the village, there stands an abandoned workshop.

The structure of the building is a mix of brick and wood; the wooden walls outside have long since rotted, moss covers the stones, and the hillside outside the workshop is filled with loose rocks and dense weeds.

The old-fashioned clock in the house has stopped, the brick-built stove is ice-cold, and a somewhat sloppy hand-drawn map hangs on the wall, marking many locations with very fresh notes.

Rainwater wets the windows.

Guang Tai wakes up to the sound of pattering rain, and what enters his field of vision is an unfamiliar ceiling.

Memories begin to organize themselves in his mind, and soon, the ins and outs of everything are cleared up.

This is the world of Pokémon.

Pokémon, a group of magical creatures living in this world with incredible powers, exist everywhere. Humans in this world also possess various wondrous technologies. Thus, with magical creatures and magical humans, this world has become magical as well.

With the progress of the era, the elemental powers of Pokémon have gradually been applied to human production and life, and this has existed since ancient times.

The excessive memories cause Guang Tai's head to ache. He recalls that the original owner originally worked in the Sinnoh region, but due to family reasons, he inherited a severe mental illness from his mother. His mother passed away long ago due to the illness, and his father died in recent years after being attacked by wild, ferocious Pokémon.

"Are Pokémon dangerous creatures?"

Because of these reasons, the original owner had decided to stop working and returned to the "hometown" his father had spoken of, and this workshop was found according to the notes left by his father, only it seemed to have been abandoned for many years when he found it.

The original owner was an "Artifact Craftsman."

In the Pokémon worldview, artifact craftsmen have appeared in every generation of games. For example, the old man in the Shoal Cave of the Hoenn region is a Shell Bell craftsman, Mr. Kurt in the Johto region is a Poké Ball craftsman, and Elder Sabi in the Kitakami region is a Mask craftsman.

While "artifacts" in the common sense refer to items used in battle, if the concept is broadened, then ordinary household utensils and work implements can also be considered a type of artifact.

An artifact craftsman is naturally a craftsman who collects materials and creates brand-new artifacts. This includes Poké Ball craftsmen, treasure craftsmen, woodcarving craftsmen, stone carving craftsmen, glass craftsmen, etc., as well as professions like artifact merchants and material merchants.

Whether searching for natural artifacts or raw materials for artificial ones, one needs to be active in the wild frequently. However, the rewards for experiencing danger are not much. At least in this current era, artifact craftsmen are becoming the dust of history; perhaps transitioning into material merchants is the destination for the future.

Soon, the research results of organizations like the Devon Corporation, Silph Co., and the Aether Foundation, along with their assembly-line products, will completely cover the artifact craftsman industry.

After waking up, he inevitably feels a bit hungry.

"A bit hungry... Since things have come to this, let's eat an Oran Berry first."

The Oran Berry, bright yellow throughout and shaped like a pear, is a type of Berry in the Pokémon world. Its effect when held is different from when used directly. When used directly, it restores 1/2 of the maximum HP of one Pokémon in the party.

At the same time, it is also a raw material used to make the "Full Restore" item.

Looking at the computer that hasn't been turned off, Guang Tai begins to browse the online legacy left by the original owner. On the product page of the online shop, most are imitation antique crafts and sculptures.

Carving craft is a skill passed down in the original owner's family, and because of this, the original owner was skilled at making some artifacts related to carving and grinding, but most were ornaments, such as... stone carvings at the entrance of Gyms.

While Guang Tai is browsing the shop page, he suddenly receives a new email.

Is it... a customer?

The power of science is truly great!

This is what should be said at a time like this, right!

Even though it is in a recognized hidden area, it can still connect to most parts of the Pokémon world; this is the convenience brought by the development of the era.

Perhaps because ruins researchers occasionally come by, a signal station was established here for convenience. Of course, the communication methods of the Pokémon world are somewhat high-tech; for example, those Rangers can talk to headquarters no matter how remote the mountains are, or even across one or two large regions.

Guang Tai clicks on the email to see that it is a consultation email.

"The content says it's seeking an artifact that can strengthen a Pokémon's durability. A customer introduced by Mr. Kurt... Right, Father was acquainted with Mr. Kurt."

Guang Tai's memories surge. Mr. Kurt of the Johto region is a famous Poké Ball craftsman, and his craftsmanship is worthy of being called master-level. It is not strange that the original owner's parents were old acquaintances with Mr. Kurt; Mr. Kurt has acquaintances in many regions. This is probably the connections of a master.

Introducing some customers to him is also taking care of his business for the sake of old friends.

As an artifact craftsman, his work naturally involves customizing artifacts that customers need, while also appraising the quality of some artifacts and repairing damaged ones. The development of the internet has made offline customization much more convenient.

And because business is hard to do, online consultation is also an important business.

"If seeking durability, is it an evolved or unevolved Pokémon?"

"If it is an unevolved Pokémon, then I recommend you use an 'Eviolite'."

Guang Tai quickly types out a reply to the customer, but to Guang Tai's surprise, the message sent back by the other party is just "?".

"What is an Eviolite?" the customer sends a message, carrying intense confusion.

Hmm? Don't know what an Eviolite is?

Guang Tai is slightly stunned, then types out an answer: "It is a type of stone that can significantly increase the defense of unevolved Pokémon. The color is light purple."

"?"

"There is such a stone? I have never heard of it..."

The customer's reaction makes Guang Tai start to ponder, so Guang Tai asks the customer's profession, whether they are a professional battler or a Trainer registered with the League. However, the answer he gets makes Guang Tai jump in surprise.

"Ah, because saying it directly in an email seems impolite, actually, I am a Bug-type Gym Leader."

"Because the Bug type has many weaknesses, I have been thinking about how to make the Bug type stronger, so I started researching artifacts."

A Bug-type Gym Leader... Wait, Kanto and Johto, plus Hoenn and Sinnoh, there is only one Bug-type Gym Leader across four regions!

It is... Bugsy, the Gym Leader of Azalea Town! He is the youngest genius Gym Leader!

"Hmm, a Gym Leader doesn't know about Eviolite? What is the current era?"

Guang Tai is somewhat surprised, then quickly recalls that the original owner seems to have one!

But the original owner... Right, the original owner didn't recognize that Eviolite either, thinking it was jade!

Old, neglected memories surge. Guang Tai describes the function of the Eviolite to Bugsy in detail, then asks him to wait a moment.

Guang Tai walks to the deepest part of the workshop, where there is a sturdy oak door; inside is the workshop's warehouse and basement.

The original owner hasn't been back for long, and many artifacts are piled up on the old shelves in the basement, not yet sorted or classified.

Entering the basement, there are piled materials everywhere, stones and wood. Aside from common materials dropped by Pokémon, there are many imitation antique crafts and some antiques picked up from various places.

Guang Tai rummages through the antiques and soon finds his target. A dull, light purple stone is embedded in an ancient sword, and below it is a label reading "Jade-Inlaid Ancient Treasure Sword."

The surface of the gemstone is slightly rough.

As for the ancient sword carrying the jade, the soil seems to have completely combined with it. It is unknown how many years it has been buried underground. The blade is stuck in the scabbard, perhaps rusted? And the patterns on the surface are also blurred.

Memories surface: this ancient sword was discovered in an ancient ruin before. That was probably in the northwestern part of Mt. Moon, near the Indigo Plateau. In the past, many small kingdoms existed in that area, but now they have all turned into ruins and dust, with only one country still existing.

Guang Tai reaches out, takes the ancient sword, and carefully examines the jade on it.

Just as this thought arises, many thoughts suddenly surge into Guang Tai's mind!

Those messy, surging thoughts disrupt the original content of his thinking and reorganize themselves into incredible information.

【Precious Material: "Rough Natural Eviolite"!】

【Obtained Knowledge: 1】

【Ancient Treasure Hunter: Can more easily find and come into contact with hidden rare minerals, fossils, and ancient objects/materials. After contact, can see their information.】

【Obtained Craft Quantity: 1】

【Unique Grinding Craft (C-). Evaluation: Years of exercise have forged decent grinding skills. Now, any rock, mineral, ancient object, or tool ground or repaired by you will have better appearance and practicality than the original, and the functions and effects it can exert will also be improved.】

【Through craft production, can obtain the item "Eviolite".】

"Huh? This is...!"

Guang Tai is stunned for a good while, then suddenly realizes... this, perhaps, is his golden finger!

After transmigrating, he hadn't realized the issue of a golden finger. Was it because it needed "work" to unlock?

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 2 =====