Chapter 291: Fishing

Wang Luo pulled a Fire Folding Device from his bosom, twisted it lightly with his fingertip, and sparks suddenly ignited; the faint firelight dispelled the surrounding darkness, stretching his silhouette long on the rock wall.

He raised his hand, brushed aside the remaining vines at the cave entrance again, and without hesitation stepped into the Cave; though the light of the Fire Folding Device was weak, it was enough to illuminate the few steps ahead.

The moment he entered the Cave, a foul stench mingling humus and exotic beast musk slammed into his nostrils, making him instinctively frown.

Immediately after, a deep, heavy roar came from deep within the Cave, vibrating the rock wall with a tingling sensation, carrying a thick aura of hostility and resentment that instantly filled the entire Cave.

Wang Luo held the Fire Folding Device steadily, while his other hand casually fanned away the pervasive stench before him; his face showed no fear, only a mocking smile as he said, "Kyurem… interesting? A breath that has accumulated a thousand years of foul odor—aside from being refracted a bit by the Adamant Orb, what else can it do?"

His tone was light and disdainful, showing he didn't regard Kyurem at all.

As his words faded, he followed the earlier golden light and stepped onto the Stone Platform deep within the Cave—the flickering glow came from a Multi-horn Jewel placed on the platform.

The Jewel was overall a dim, luminous white, its edges riddled with tiny cracks; the brilliance it should have shone had been eroded by time, leaving only a faint halo that barely lingered—it was the Adamant Orb.

"Thousands of years have passed, and even this Adamant Orb has grown dim; Kyurem, you've been sealed for far too long," Wang Luo bent down, his fingertip lightly brushing the cracks on the Orb's surface, his tone carrying a hint of casual lament.

Another deep roar sounded, this time the hostility within it was stronger, with a clear edge of anger, as if wounded by Wang Luo's words; the airflow inside the Cave grew increasingly turbulent, and the light of the Fire Folding Device flickered violently.

"Heh, getting angry at me?" Wang Luo straightened up, snorted a laugh, as if talking to himself yet confronting the hidden Divine Beast, "If I weren't here, you'd probably not even have the ability now to tear open the Main World and let even a trace of breath out."

He paused, gazing at the increasingly dense darkness deep in the Cave; his tone softened but still carried an unchallengeable authority: "Heh, what's the hurry? The time hasn't come yet…"

"Rooaar!!!" The fierce roar erupted again; this time the sound shook stone fragments loose from the rock wall, and the hostility nearly swallowed the light of the Fire Folding Device, full of urgency and rage.

"Heh, fool." Wang Luo's expression suddenly turned cold, the mockery in his eyes becoming icy indifference, "You… I don't care for you. Even if the Space-Time Trio gathered, to me they're merely optional."

He lifted his gaze toward the darkness deep in the Cave, his tone brimming with arrogance, "I'm different from those guys; they think that having a Divine Beast by their side lets them rule their own worlds, but they don't know that the only one who can truly control the world is Arceus."

When Arceus was mentioned, a flash of burning obsession crossed his eyes, then he fell into a brief contemplation: "Especially after I returned to this world, this time… everything seems the same, yet also different."

His words carried a vague melancholy, but were instantly replaced by a firmer ambition—this temporal variable might be his best chance to seize control of Arceus.

The light of the Fire Folding Device gradually waned, but the halo of the Adamant Orb flickered briefly, intertwining with the hostility of Kyurem deep in the Cave; the atmosphere inside grew increasingly eerie and tense.

Wang Luo stared at the Adamant Orb in his arms, his fingertip tracing the cracks on its surface; the previously cold, indifferent face suddenly curved into a meaningful smile, a grin that concealed his amusement at the variable.

He securely slipped the Orb into his inner pocket, murmuring softly, "It's almost ready; though there are variables, everything is within reach."

As his words faded, he no longer lingered, turned his body, raised the nearly spent Fire Folding Device, and followed the path he came from out of the Cave.

Meanwhile, the sea breeze at Qunqing Coast carried a salty, damp scent, brushing the hair of everyone present.

The sea surface glittered, sunlight scattering tiny golden glints across the water, while Huo La crouched at the shore, holding a fishing rod, his expression so focused as if everything around him were irrelevant.

"Huo La, how long are you going to keep fishing?" Xiao Zhao's voice came, tinged with a hint of helplessness, "Field Master A Mang has already sent the Water Droplet Stone Tablet, and the Mystic Tail Darkfish King has been repaired; we can set off to Blowing Fire Island at any time."

"Wait, wait, wait a little longer." Huo La didn't lift his head, his gaze fixed stubbornly on the float on the sea surface, his tone full of obstinacy.

As soon as his words ended, a flash of brilliance crossed his eyes; he thrust the fishing rod hard, the line tightened, and a wholly crimson, sparkling with tiny fish‑scale glints Magikarp leapt violently from the sea, its body agile yet a bit frantic.

The claw‑tailed scorpion that had been coiled beside Huo La instantly reacted, its tail sting shot out, a tiny Poison Needle accurately fired, striking the Magikarp's side.

The Magikarp winced, emitting a faint whine, its body stalled, then it fell heavily back into the sea, splashing a spray of water.

Huo La watched the sea calm again, sighed helplessly, raised his hand and cast the fishing rod once more; the line, with dried fish bait, dropped steadily into the sea, stirring a shallow ripple.

Ming Yao stood nearby, his brows tightly knit, his tone full of confusion and urgency: "Huo La, you've been fishing here for almost a day; plus yesterday's suppression and absorption of Interdimensional Energy from the Mystic Tail Darkfish King, we've already delayed two days. Though the matter of Blowing Fire Island isn't urgent, we can't keep postponing."

Only then did Huo La slowly lift his eyes to look at Ming Yao, after a moment of silence he spoke slowly, yet never set down the fishing rod, his fingertip still gently adjusting the line tension: "Wait a bit longer; after all, there is no existing Pokémon King on Blowing Fire Island, and the sole king candidate has been hit by Interdimensional Energy, but from the reports, it's only a slight anomaly with no life‑threatening danger, so there's no need to rush."

He paused, his gaze returning to the sea, his tone now steadier with a barely perceptible hint of anticipation: "On the contrary, my fishing right now is of utmost importance. I'm after the Golden Magikarp; perhaps the key to saving the world lies within it."

Xiao Zhao, hearing this, a flicker of doubt crossed his eyes: "Golden Magikarp? What's that? A Magikarp made of gold?"

"It's a legendary rare Shiny form of Magikarp, its whole body covered in golden‑yellow scales," Huo La explained slowly, his obsession becoming more evident, "I need it to prove some of my conjectures and matters."