Chapter 18: The Land of Shinkai and the Divine Capital

“An ardent fan of Arceus, known as Alpaca Brother, an ancient-line Zorua. He’s actually still alive after all this time—and hasn’t changed a bit? He must be over a hundred years old!”

“Hmm, but in the Pokémon world, there truly are some immortals who have lived on for various reasons. Has Wang Luo found a way to immortality? Or was he born immortal?”

This was also one of the questions all players once wondered about, because after Wang Luo lost to the protagonist in the ancient Shinkai era, he had, in a moment of despair, declared:

[One day, one day! I will unravel every mythic mystery of Shinkai’s Pokémon. And I will meet Arceus! No—I will make it submit to me! No matter how many years… decades… or centuries it takes, I will not relent!]

It was this very statement that led many to suspect Wang Luo had lived for an impossibly long time—and that he was acquainted with, and deeply familiar with, a human avatar suspected to be Arceus: Wusi. Though Wang Luo himself likely had no idea Wusi might be connected to Arceus.

Wang Luo and Wusi both bore striking resemblance to Zorua. Wang Luo might be Zorua’s ancestor, while Wusi’s identity remained elusive. If Wang Luo is an ancient-line Zorua, then Wusi is the primordial return of Zorua.

Perhaps the ancient Sinnoh people naturally had lifespans different from ordinary humans.

“I’m a craftsman from a nearby village, sent here by the villagers to deliver supplies. Of course, I do have some interest in the Shinkai ruins.”

Guang Tai set aside his swirling thoughts and began speaking seriously with the man. He brought Doudou to the front of the hut, tied the reins to a post, and the creature immediately curled into a ball and closed its eyes, as if preparing to rest.

“Your clothing isn’t typical of a village craftsman. Did you move here from another region? Who would settle in this forgotten land of Shinkai?”

Wang Luo smiled. Of course, outsiders’ attire differed entirely from villagers’. He then noticed Duanjianshao peeking out from Guang Tai’s back.

“Oh? A Pokémon I’ve never seen before.”

“Yoo~” Duanjianshao’s single eye flicked toward Wang Luo, showing sudden interest.

A traveling merchant!

This guy must have something valuable.

Wang Luo led Guang Tai into the largest wooden hut, where an old man and a Kadabra lived.

In the game, when the protagonist enters the Shinkai ruins area, they can use the mountain elder’s Kadabra to teleport home.

“Grandpa, the village sent over some supplies.”

Guang Tai heard Wang Luo call the mountain elder “Grandpa.” His first thought was that Wang Luo, clearly older than the man, was pretending to be youthful—though he knew it was an act, he couldn’t help smiling. But then he realized: Wang Luo’s age might not actually be younger than the old man’s.

What if this old man is also a descendant of ancient Sinnoh people?

No ordinary person would live near such ruins! If he’s a guardian of the ruins, he must have deep ties to them!

“Oh? Thank you, but I don’t recall seeing you before. Are you a new ruins researcher?”

“Oh my, a famous ruins research team from the Johto region already came here—left about two months ago, hehe. They seemed to be investigating a connection between the Alufu Ruins and this place, but in the end, they found nothing useful.”

The mountain elder shook his head, and Wang Luo introduced himself to Guang Tai:

“I’m Wang Luo, an unremarkable merchant passionate about history and myth. I came here seeking ancient knowledge, and now I temporarily serve as a guide for mountain climbing and ruin exploration.”

“But few researchers come here, mainly because it’s not a place one can reach alone. From late spring through the entire summer, blizzards never strike—this is the ideal time to enter. But once summer ends, distant villages might still glimpse autumn’s arrival—here, snow begins immediately.”

“Of course, I stay here because I love history and myth. I seek knowledge I wish to know, so I hope researchers will uncover something from these ruins—and obtain those rare insights.”

“After all, a merchant’s nature is to personally verify rare people, things, and events.”

“A skilled merchant understands how vital information is. If you can’t grasp the tide of this world, you’ll be eliminated by its brutal competition. So I must gather fresh intelligence here.”

Here, Wang Luo suddenly spread his hands and sighed, shaking his head in disappointment:

“But the results have been disappointing! I expected those researchers to uncover something, yet they found nothing. In my view, they simply weren’t chosen by the ruins. Ah, that’s just my personal thought.”

“Do you know ancient poetry?”

Wang Luo smiled, telling Guang Tai why he came here. His tone carried nostalgia:

“Some ancient poems were discovered in the Shinkai region. Every region has such things, right? Fragments from antiquity, their meanings unclear. But one poem particularly caught my attention—I only saw it long after it was found.”

“[Clear and solemn, filled with an indescribable power.]”

“[The land of Shinkai and the Divine Capital share undeniable similarities.]”

“The poem mentions the Divine Capital’s land, so I believed this place might hold the ancient knowledge I seek. But at the time, I was still in Sinnoh. Oh, Shinkai is the ancient name for Sinnoh—you may not have heard that term before~”

“In Shinkai’s myths, ancient people received the lives of Pokémon, and in return, entrusted their own lives to them. Thus, humans and Pokémon forged bonds deeper than those of today. Every human action was intimately tied to Pokémon power.”

“The ancient ruins here preserve the legends of both Johto’s Alufu Ruins and Sinnoh’s Spear Pillar. That means, in ancient times, the people of Johto and Sinnoh had contact.”

“Long ago, a group of Sinnoh people migrated to this land. Missing their homeland, they built a temple here—the Shinkai Ruins.”

“Within this ruin, the deity worshipped is a Pokémon known as Arceus. Have you heard that name?”

“Yet no images related to Arceus remain. What a pity.”

Guang Tai listened carefully. Some of these lines matched the game’s dialogue almost exactly—as if he were walking through a scripted scene.

“Do you know ancient history? Let’s exchange information!”

Wang Luo smiled warmly, gazing at Guang Tai with anticipation. But Guang Tai didn’t know how to respond.

Right—what if I tell him Arceus’s base stats? He definitely doesn’t know that!

“I only know a little about ancient history. If you hope for valuable information from me, I’m afraid I’ll disappoint you. Though I once read ancient myth texts at the Waterway Library in Sinnoh, they were just stories.”

“I once read in ancient texts that Arceus was born from an egg in the void, created the universe with a thousand arms, and shone as its own light, illuminating the land of Sinnoh from the heavens.”

“The migrants also brought unique customs to Johto—special dance rituals to honor legendary Pokémon, expressing their mighty power through music and movement.”

Guang Tai recited the Pokédex entry, with no intention of revealing the truth about the Shinkai Ruins.

But since Wang Luo mentioned the ancient poetry—has he collected all of them?

In the game, the ancient poems aren’t required to complete the story. They’re collectible items unearthed across regions, meant to flesh out the world’s lore.

It’s been over a hundred years. Wang Luo already knows the conditions to meet Arceus. If he hasn’t met it yet, it’s only because Arceus doesn’t wish to be seen—so even if he gathered all conditions, he still couldn’t enter the Origin Temple, and must seek other ways.

Upon hearing Guang Tai’s reply, Wang Luo’s expression visibly sank.

“I see.”

Most of it was information he already knew. But the part about the special dance rituals did intrigue him.

He still needed to investigate Johto further.

And the Mijina Ruins in Sinnoh.

Wang Luo pondered, then quickly resumed his cheerful smile: “Then again, history and myth are fragmented. There are still many ruins in the world—not everyone possesses unique knowledge.”

“Still, thank you for the information. Even without concrete proof, hearing a new legend is a worthwhile result! I know of Johto’s dance customs, but I’ve never seen them. The researchers never mentioned them—they probably just considered them ordinary cultural traditions.”

“Ah, sometimes history and myth hide within such common traditions! Without careful study, you’ll miss them entirely!”

“And… have we met before?” Wang Luo suddenly grew distant, staring at Guang Tai as a thoughtful expression slowly formed:

“For some reason, as I spoke with you, I began to feel a strange sense of nostalgia.”

Guang Tai shook his head: “No, we’ve never met. I’ve only just arrived here. If we did meet before, perhaps we passed each other somewhere in Sinnoh?”

Guang Tai didn’t understand what Wang Luo meant. Wang Luo, however, didn’t press further—he nodded along with Guang Tai’s words: “Is that so? Ah, yes, perhaps we did cross paths somewhere long ago.”

“By the way, since you’re a craftsman, would you like to buy some rare materials? I’ve traveled nearly the entire Sinnoh land. I once belonged to a merchant guild—we always collected rare materials. I’ve got some excellent goods.”

Here it comes!

Guang Tai played along with Wang Luo, hoping to see if the man had any good materials.

“By the way, speaking of materials—I’ve got something mysterious here.” Wang Luo’s eyes flickered as if struck by an idea. He unslung his pack and pulled out a “Plate!”

“Though I merely found it among the mountains near the Shinkai Ruins.”

As he spoke, Wang Luo pulled from his pack a stone slab no larger than a palm.

The slab was deep red. One side was polished smooth and blank; the other bore faint, ancient inscriptions.

“This is an ancient stone slab of unknown origin. Similar ones were found in my homeland. When used by Pokémon, it seems to boost the power of certain type-based moves.”

“If you offer me 20,000, I’ll sell it to you—this is a special price!”

(End of Chapter)