[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-master-craftsman-in-the-world-of-elves":3,"chapter-master-craftsman-in-the-world-of-elves-master-craftsman-in-the-world-of-elves-chapter-258":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Master Craftsman in the World of Elves",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2256849,4402,"Chapter 258: Flying Without Fear of Thunder, Digging Without Fear of Earthquakes","master-craftsman-in-the-world-of-elves-chapter-258",258,"\u003Cp>The underground of the Ancient City was labyrinthine, even more treacherous than in the game, but guided by powerful psychic energy, the quicksand here automatically receded—as if the sand itself had been granted “spirit and wisdom”—a sight that left the workers, researchers, and psychics who followed in awe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elder Ju held a map and, using an advanced detector, had roughly mapped the structure of part of the upper region of the Ancient City, allowing them to advance in the right direction; still, the workers had prepared escape ropes in case they got lost, so they could return to the second level at any time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These ancients really were ridiculous—building such a complicated maze? Who were they trying to keep out? This wasn’t even a fortress, it was their home! If they accidentally stepped out to use the toilet, they’d probably get lost right inside their own house!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elder Ju grumbled as he stared at the structural diagram revealed by the detector.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, beneath their feet, there were sometimes quicksand pits that required careful detours—otherwise, they’d be swallowed whole; if someone fell in, they’d vanish into the ancient labyrinth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During this time, Guang Tai saw something incredible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he had seen the Ancient City in dreams and even learned parts of its architectural style, this was his first time entering its interior; at the end of the solid stone walls, within rooms crowned by elegant stone pillars, the style of every wall suddenly shifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rather than carved patterns, the walls seemed to depict giants with arms wrapped tightly around their chests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Obtained Craft Style: Ancient Giant Style.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Description: This craft style was acquired from the deepest heart of the truly glorious Ancient City—on the walls, colossal humanoid figures are sealed, honoring the ancient Giant King.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Effect: Fear +50%, Intimidation +30%; artifacts crafted in Giant Style can subtly unsettle the mind.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A city that worshipped the ancient Giant King. No matter what, Regigigas must have left something behind here, prompting the ancients to carve the image of the legendary giant onto the walls and turn it into something so terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a psychic surge suddenly emanated from ahead; in Guang Tai’s perception, something familiar was moving in the darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s “Symbolic Birds”!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey! Everyone, hide!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elder Ju ordered those around him, then whispered to Guang Tai:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We encountered them before when clearing the other tower—these Symbolic Birds originally lived inside the ancient city; after the tower was cleared, they fled to the wild scenic zones outside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you meet them inside the ancient city, they attack without warning—I suffered badly back then!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But they have fixed patrol routes. If we clean this area thoroughly and make them sense the environmental change, they’ll leave—then we’ll be safe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone hid in another room, avoiding the Symbolic Birds’ patrol path, yet in the darkness, other Pokémon still quietly watched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Weepmask, Blackgator—these were native inhabitants of the upper layers of the Ancient City; deeper within lay the domain of Death Caskets, guarding the relics left by the ancient king.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the exploration of the Ancient City, this was merely a minor interruption—the exploration proceeded smoothly, and the ancient psychic energy gradually intensified, growing stronger the deeper they went.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Count the personnel—no one fell into the quicksand. Good. The survey of this level is complete. Thanks a lot, kid!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of Elder Ju’s workers held a device that had been mapping their route since they entered, simultaneously exploring deeper terrain—now, the survey of the third level was fully complete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Proceeding to the fourth level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Psychic intrusion has been halted. You are now immune to the negative state of psychic energy depletion!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guang Tai felt a psychic tremor—as if the ancient psychic ocean had been enraged, and something deep within the Ancient City was radiating waves outward!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait!” Guang Tai halted everyone’s advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? What’s wrong?” Elder Ju was confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No! The psychic energy is fluctuating—something’s coming from the deepest part! It’s the Symbolic Birds!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The psychic, Cai Ren, also sensed the psychic disturbance—the Psychic-type Pokémon were rapidly returning, as if trying to expel something terrible!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They began flying erratically across the third level, quickly spotting Elder Ju’s group, who were still mapping the floor!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whoa, we’re spotted!? Don’t these guys follow their patrol routes?!” Elder Ju reacted instantly—he tossed his briefcase aside and pulled a Poké Ball from his belt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since we’re found, I’m done playing nice!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cai Ren was stunned: “Fight? Here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elder Ju: “Of course! Don’t be stupid—how else do you make wild Pokémon leave except by beating them into submission? That’s common sense! These ancient guardians won’t reason with you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go, Garchomp!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, it’s not that—we haven’t done anything! The ancient psychic energy is just agitated!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cai Ren didn’t understand; they’d cleared other parts of the castle before—though strong psychic energy remained, the ancient spirit never reacted to modern intruders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could someone else have done something here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Elder Ju, are there other entrances to the Ancient Castle? I mean, besides the ones we know?” Guang Tai asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the game, the Ancient City had only two entrances: one to the east guarded by Darmanitan, the other to the west by an ancient tower—both were buried parts of the ancient city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah! Of course there are more! We cleared the western gatehouse too, but this city is enormous—we’ve also explored the east and north… Wait, you mean someone else has penetrated the depths and angered these guardians?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elder Ju realized: “But that’s impossible! We’ve been stuck in quicksand the whole time, and the guardians at the other entrances were all driven out—they’re now tourist attractions!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And even though we cleared the upper layers, the lower levels are still buried—those Symbolic Birds couldn’t possibly dig through quicksand to attack tourists!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, I think they really can.” Guang Tai stared at a patch of quicksand before him—it hissed and erupted like a geyser, and a swarm of Symbolic Birds burst forth!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To us, quicksand is a trap. To these ancient guardians, it’s a shortcut.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guang Tai raised his hand!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Psychic Cleanse!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Psychic energy spread outward—the Symbolic Birds all froze, glancing at each other, then at Guang Tai.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We are the ancient, mighty guardians!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh? You have psychic ability?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You cleansed our inner rage!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, but we’re still the ancient guardians!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, your psychic power is useless!” Elder Ju scoffed!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had made the Symbolic Birds pause, maybe even calmed their anger—but their posture still screamed readiness to attack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guang Tai pulled out a Riolu doll—the Symbolic Birds paused again, then resumed their assault!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, no choice. I don’t know what command the ancient psychic energy gave them. But their fury is gone—this is purely an issue of obedience now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cai Ren: “Right. The ancient spirit—the spirits are lingering, commanding them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing it was useless, Guang Tai prepared to use the special item he’d obtained in the Arrow Forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Elder Ju waved his hand!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elder Ju: “Ah! I don’t understand any of this—does some ghost down here still give orders? I don’t want to mess with magic stuff—I just want to sleep tonight! Fine, since psychic power didn’t work, let’s fight already!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Garchomp, use Iron Head!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Garchomp, known as “True Earth Dragon,” was Elder Ju’s starter partner—the Pokémon that had climbed with him from the valley to his current position, sharing deep synergy and formidable strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Garchomp shot forward at blinding speed, its steel-hard forehead slamming into a Symbolic Bird and sending it flying!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Critical hit!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Metal Claw!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Garchomp’s claws glowed silver; the Symbolic Birds countered with Phantom Light!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Countless beams of Phantom Light were torn apart by Metal Claw—but the Symbolic Birds were too numerous; now, Elder Ju’s workers proved their worth!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One after another, Pokémon were thrown out: Golem, Rockruff, Machop, Carvanha, Piplup, Steelix, Pidgey, Murkrow!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The workers’ greatest strength was sheer numbers—when it came to human wave tactics, the Fanba City team feared no one!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third level’s end became a full-scale brawl—Phantom Light, Cannon Shot, Air Slash, Arm Thrust, Water Gun, Cross Chop, Psychic Surge—all flew wildly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wahaha! Right! You two, go find that ancient spirit!” Elder Ju turned to Guang Tai and Cai Ren. “We’ll hold off these guardians—according to your guess, someone’s messing around down here, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m pissed—I had to ruin my night like this! Just get moving!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, let’s go—my second Pokémon! Oh, and bring the device! Don’t worry—even if you break it, the data transmits in real time!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cai Ren picked up the measuring device; Guang Tai nodded to Elder Ju, and they followed the surge of psychic energy deeper—into the fourth level, where the quicksand vanished, and Guang Tai and Cai Ren stepped inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this level, everything was pitch black; even the torches inside the ancient city seemed to have their own will. Guang Tai had always wanted to complain: whether in anime or game, entering ruins always had lights magically turn on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Torterra, use Flash!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Torterra crashed down with a rumble, its back tree glowing brilliantly; Cai Ren stared, stunned: “That’s not an ordinary Torterra.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Regional form,” Guang Tai replied casually, then gazed ahead—now illuminated by the flash. In the fourth level, the psychic disturbance was far stronger; even Cai Ren, a weak psychic, felt the sense of sacred violation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Guang Tai sensed another force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A force, awakened by the ancient psychic tide, slumbering between the fourth and fifth levels—the power of a hidden god from a distant age!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m starting the survey!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cai Ren operated the device; soon, parts of the fourth level’s paths were mapped—but immediately, a powerful electromagnetic surge surged through the ground, briefly disabling the device.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The earth rumbled—immense power was building, ready to erupt!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, deep within the fourth level of the Ancient City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This surge has emerged—a radiant, sunlike heat. This energy directly leads to the final chamber—the hidden Volcarona deep within the Ancient City.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ve probed many times, but never with such intensity—as if the ancient spirits are resonating with someone. This resonance forms a ‘wave’ that clearly shows us the path forward.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As a historian and archaeologist, I’ve stayed in the Ancient City this long just to wait for this moment—to capture the ancient god and present it to Commander Kishin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep in the fourth level, Plasma Team members dressed as classical knights, along with an elderly sage in a long robe, watched the device’s signals and the path it revealed with growing excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How deep is the Ancient City? How vast? How many rooms? How many guardians?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even after years of study, no one could give a definitive answer—making one wonder: what was this city truly built for?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord Yorges, a second surge detected!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Plasma grunt pointed to a new waveform on the device, shocked—there was another presence!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides Volcarona, there’s another powerful force here? We never noticed it before?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This energy signature is enormous—could Volcarona have escaped?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Split into two teams—one here, the other, follow me—to the deepest part of the Ancient City!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yorges gave the order; the Plasma Team elites instantly divided, moving in two directions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Guang Tai’s side—after witnessing the dust storm stirred by the ancient city’s depths—what appeared before them was—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A colossal, orange, muscular ancient god, half its body hovering above the clouds, possessing a vast, dark-brown tail that brought fertility to the land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Land Yun ! From its expression, it was clear that this ancient deity, who had always disliked conflict and preferred to mediate, was now in the worst possible mood! The surging ancient spirit crashed against its consciousness, plunging it into blind frenzy!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mind Shatter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guang Tai raised his hand and launched a Psychic attack—but the Psychic energy vanished abruptly before reaching Land Yun !\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was not only because the ancient spirit was especially potent at the fourth layer, but also due to another critical factor—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were the objects that had automatically appeared around Land Yun  since its emergence—Stealth Rock!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Blocked.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the first attack was stopped, Land Yun  was fully aware of what had just happened!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enraged, it launched its own assault!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With both Ground and Flying types, dubbed “Flight immune to thunder, Burrow immune to earthquakes,” this Pokémon was an absolute powerhouse in double battles, hailed as the first Bug King without the Bug type, and one of the foremost representatives of Intimidate and U-turn—its mighty Ground waves could make any Pokémon tremble, yet—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guang Tai pulled out the Arrowwood Branch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire ancient city’s earth energy converged, while Tu Tai Gui supplied the Grass-type power—in the instant Land Yun  prepared to attack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Biu!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A straight, emerald-green arrow shot upward, striking Land Yun  down from midair!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cai Ren: “Huh? What’s that?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guang Tai: “It’s a wand given by the forest.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2114,"2026-06-19T14:14:17.420Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","637eac67946b557298a06a3a04035d6283695db3f5380a385850c448adfe6aff","master-craftsman-in-the-world-of-elves-chapter-259","master-craftsman-in-the-world-of-elves-chapter-257",312,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmaster-craftsman-in-the-world-of-elves-cover.jpg"]