Chapter 40: Chop Chop Chop Chop—Woodcutter

June 25, the weather was clear.

As planned yesterday, go to the outer forest to gather firewood.

High-quality wood is used for carving sculptures, while ordinary wood is burned for fuel—the workshop’s supply is running low.

Guang Tai took the stone sculpture of Double-Edge Sheath and the Lilyroot Doll, slung the firewood rack over his back, and picked up the axe.

“Yowuu (⊙╰X╯⊙)~”

Double-Edge Sheath swayed its ribbons toward the Lilyroot Doll and floated after Guang Tai.

At night, the Lilyroot Doll rarely entered the house—even when Guang Tai invited her in, she said the soil made her more comfortable, and being indoors robbed her of that feeling.

Guang Tai knew it was the knowledge he had infused into this land at work: the effect of the Lush Land made the area teem with vitality, so for the Lilyroot Doll, who loved soil, staying outside felt far more natural than being inside.

“Thanks for watching the house today!”

Guang Tai had written out his plan yesterday and informed both Pokémon last night; the Lilyroot Doll lifted her skirt and strained to wave, her three leaf-tufts swaying in the wind.

“Bai~”

Be back soon!

There were no other wild Pokémon nearby, so there was no need to worry about attacks—only Geodudes ever came to his house, but after the tilling season ended, they stayed in the village.

Besides, even if a Pokémon appeared, the Lilyroot Doll’s Sunny Day + Solar Beam was more than enough to drive it off.

The Lilyroot Doll clenched her skirt like a fist!

His current state was perfect—he feared no opponent!

After Guang Tai and the two Pokémon entered the forest, the Pokémon that had been trailing the Lilyroot Doll quietly left the workshop and swiftly slipped into the forest.

The Lilyroot Doll turned her head in confusion.

There it was again—that strange feeling of being watched. Huh? Gone already?

Beyond the nearby snowmelt stream, they entered the outer forest where sunlight fractured through the canopy.

This was merely the edge of the Divine Capital Forest’s influence—no powerful Pokémon dwelled here, and villagers often came to chop wood, though it was still too far for them, so they chose closer forest plots.

But Guang Tai saw no abandoned logging sites from the village—perhaps they lay in another direction.

“Let’s cut trees around here.”

Thinking this, he found a hidden spot and buried half of the Lilyroot Doll sculpture at the root base of a thick tree.

Only half was buried.

The sculpture Guang Tai buried could rapidly rejuvenate trees.

Besides, trees in this world grew fast anyway.

As the sculpture activated, Guang Tai distinctly sensed an odd vitality radiating from some trees—a feeling hard to describe, but he guessed it was because crafting the “Symbolic Stone Tablet” had greatly enhanced his mental power, allowing him to perceive these subtle environmental shifts.

Trees possessed life too, so when they underwent vitality changes, he could feel it.

The surrounding forest seemed to rustle, as if a breeze had passed through.

“.Like it’s trying to speak. Oh—let’s try the telepathy training One Tree mentioned, even though it’s daytime.”

Guang Tai stared intently at a tree.

His focus gradually sharpened—he seemed to hear the forest’s voice—but in that fleeting moment, his attention slipped, and the strange sensation vanished.

“Huh? It actually worked?”

It was just ordinary concentration, Guang Tai mused.

Was the mental boost from the Symbolic Stone Tablet actually a beginner’s talent for telepathy?

Guang Tai spoke aloud to the tree, making Double-Edge Sheath’s two eyes squint in confusion—they sharpened their blades, eager to test their swordsmanship by cutting wood.

“Alright, let’s begin. Double-Edge Sheath, use Iaijutsu! Chop down those thick branches!”

“Yowuu~!”

White light flared along both blades of Double-Edge Sheath; Iaijutsu struck twice in an instant, severing a thick tree branch in one motion!

The branch crashed to the ground with a thud; both consciousnesses of Double-Edge Sheath felt incredibly cool in that moment.

Sure, it was just cutting wood—but two things happened!

The two blades suddenly glared at each other, emitting “Yowup!” and “Yowuu!” sounds!

Left blade: I cut the fastest just now!

Right blade: No, I cut faster!

“Well, even split into two consciousnesses, your otaku personalities haven’t changed,” Guang Tai muttered silently, then continued:

“Stop fighting, Double-Edge Sheath—your split consciousnesses will reunite after evolution. Keep using Iaijutsu!”

“Yowup! (⊙)╰!”

“Yowuu! (⊙)╰!”

The two blades acknowledged each other, then immediately glared again!

Left blade: That was calling me—I’m the original!

Right blade: No, it was calling me—I’m the original!

“You both did great!” Guang Tai winced.

Fortunately, both blades agreed work was the priority, so they began silently competing, obeying Guang Tai’s orders as their blades danced, relentlessly chopping branches.

Chop chop chop chop—woodcutter! Double-speed logging!

Guang Tai directed Double-Edge Sheath to fell thick branches; for trees with slender trunks, he ordered them to cut the entire trunk outright.

After a busy morning, they gathered enough wood—thankfully, the Sheath sculpture helped: though the 5% logging boost seemed small, extending the logging time revealed a noticeable efficiency gain.

The forest rustled as the Lilyroot Doll sculpture continuously emitted vitality; Guang Tai realized his knowledge could transform this land into a Lush Land—paired with the Lilyroot Doll sculpture, trees would keep regrowing, creating a self-renewing forest.

Normally, a key point in logging was frequently switching locations—overharvesting one area damaged tree growth, causing ecological degradation and fragmentation.

But in the Pokémon world, forests regenerated so quickly that ordinary logging likely had no real impact on tree growth.

“Near Olivine City in the Johto region, there’s a famous charcoal shop—they have Gyarados, and charcoal craftsmen harvest premium wood from the sacred oak grove dedicated to Celebi, and the water stays clean, the air fresh—unbelievable.”

“The charcoal shop’s subplot—chasing Gyarados—is also in the game.”

“Come to think of it, I’ve burned a lot of wood lately—this time I’ll make ‘charcoal.’ It might not match that Gyarados charcoal shop, but it should help me master fire-related craftsmanship.”

As Guang Tai and Double-Edge Sheath entered the forest’s depths, the emerald Pokémon reappeared beside the Lilyroot Doll sculpture, watching silently.

She glowed with a bright shimmer, curiously pulled the sculpture from the ground, and examined it repeatedly.

It could make trees regrow again?

She blinked, her eyes brimming with intense curiosity!

That human was truly amazing!

Johto region, Olivine City.

Da Wu immediately noticed the new update on the workshop’s website—he opened it quickly, only to find the new listings were just small sculptures.

Though the stone sculptures had special effects listed, they looked like pure nonsense.

Stone sculptures? Well, based on current information, the craftsman’s family craft was indeed carving.

Da Wu visited Mr. Steel; the Hoenn Champion was unfamiliar to him, but when Da Wu inquired about the craftsman, Mr. Steel instantly understood his purpose.

“Oh, him? Last time A Bi came asking about this, I never expected even the Hoenn Champion would come looking for him.”

Mr. Steel was puzzled—in his memory, Guang Tai’s skills had never been notable, just an ordinary craftsman; besides, A Bi and others had asked about stones, not the craftsman himself.

Huh, when did this kid turn into a materials merchant?

But gaining attention was good—maybe once these people got to know him, they’d become regular customers; for many craftsmen without fame or unique skills, income relied entirely on loyal patrons.

“His family specialized in carving—skilled in both wood and stone carving. This craft originated in Johto, but his family later moved far away to Sinnoh to develop. A few years ago, I heard his father passed away; I don’t know where he is now, but rumors say he returned near Johto.”

Mr. Steel recalled; for a craftsman to relocate to another region was perfectly normal.

Johto had famous sculptors too—Liu Bo of Cianwood City was a renowned ice sculptor; trying to outdo him in sculpture was a fantasy, and Sinnoh, which adored all forms of carving, was a logical place to develop.

“Thank you.”

Da Wu obtained the information he needed, then left Mr. Steel’s home and headed to the Olivine Gym to visit Gym Leader A Bi.

After Da Wu left, Mr. Steel, curious, wanted to check Guang Tai’s online workshop—he was eager to see how Guang Tai’s skills had improved—but he was terrible with internet content, so he had to ask his granddaughter:

“Chihui! Help Grandpa check this online shop—I don’t know how to use it!”

(End of Chapter)