Chapter 121: Victim

In the afternoon, before setting off, Luo Mu flipped through his phone aimlessly, precisely locating the message Terry had sent among a pile of notifications.

After reading it, Luo Mu gasped sharply, blurting out, "Holy crap!"

What exactly had Terry done to sell Wooloo cotton fluff, worth 6,000 League Coins per jin, at such an exorbitant price?

【"Dear Mr. Luo Mu, the auction for the Wooloo cotton fluff has concluded very smoothly. This auction attracted many interested bidders, and the fluff was successfully sold at a price exceeding the market rate. Below are the specific details."】

【"In the first round, one jin of fluff was auctioned with a starting bid of 4,000 League Coins and a final price of 7,500 League Coins. In the second round, one jin of fluff had a starting bid of 4,000 League Coins and sold for 9,000 League Coins. Thanks to the small-batch auctions heating up the atmosphere, please do not be surprised by the following amounts."】

【"In the third round, three jin of fluff were auctioned with a starting bid of 15,000 League Coins for three jin, selling for 33,900 League Coins. In the final round, five jin of fluff had a starting bid of 30,000 League Coins for five jin, selling for 73,000 League Coins. The total auction amount is 123,400 League Coins, which has been transferred to your account; please check."】

This was exactly double the 60,000 League Coins Luo Mu had initially expected; even if Wooloo cotton fluff was slightly rarer in the Paldea region, such excessive profits shouldn't be possible.

Thinking of this, Luo Mu called Terry, worried that because he had saved the man earlier without accepting any reward, Terry might have secretly added some of his own money to the bid on this occasion.

As a result, Terry actually sent him a video of the auction scene, in which the bidders, dressed in suits and leather shoes, were arguing until their faces were red and necks bulging, nearly coming to blows.

Terry also sent a rather proud message: "The person in charge of the garment manufacturing factory behind the Ordi Clothing Store also came to bid; they were the ones who bought the five jin of fluff."

Luo Mu looked confused and typed a reply: "But... with the money from the doubled auction prices, couldn't they just air-freight cotton fluff from the Galar region?"

Terry replied instantly: "Then you are mistaken; they were willing to pay a high price specifically because it was Wooloo cotton fluff produced locally in Paldea, plus a little help from my side..."

Luo Mu: "Help?"

On the other end in Ziqin Town, Terry froze while holding his phone, cursing himself inwardly for slipping up, and hurriedly tried to make amends: "They also specially hired a professional appraiser, who concluded that the quality of the fluff was excellent. They even wanted your contact information for in-depth cooperation, but I refused."

Luo Mu typed quickly: "You did well!"

The Wooloo cotton fluff he sold was all naturally shed by them; actively picking it would consume the nutrients the Wooloo needed for growth, and trading the health of his farm Pokémon for money would go against his original intentions.

He had saved up these ten jin of fluff for a long time and had absolutely no capacity to guarantee supply, so refusing to give them any opportunity from the start was the best decision.

On the other side, upon receiving the message, Terry's eyes lit up; he had been praised by his benefactor!

Although excited internally, on the surface he still replied with reserved modesty: "This is what I should do."

After ending the conversation with Terry, Luo Mu double-checked to ensure he hadn't left anything behind: "Equipment is packed, generated trash is cleaned up, and the Poké Balls for Meng Ya Lu, Hakuron, and the others are on me; no problems!"

Accompanied by a gust of wind pressing down the vegetation on the ground, Luo Mu took off riding his Dragonite.

After sweeping over Casseroya Lake, at Luo Mu's signal, Dragonite did not fly to the higher altitudes more suitable for rapid flight, but instead maintained an appropriate flying height.

At this altitude, even Luo Mu could observe the ground conditions with the naked eye, making it quite suitable for searching for traces of Pokémon.

That's right, he still hadn't given up hope, thinking that perhaps he might encounter Pokémon suitable for his farm on the return journey.

As a result, he didn't see many Pokémon, but instead, in the wilderness of West Province Area Two, some distance from Casseroya Lake, he spotted a student lying soaked in a puddle, seemingly unconscious.

As for why Luo Mu was certain the person was a student, it was naturally because of the Naranja Academy uniform they were wearing.

Under Luo Mu's command, Dragonite landed quickly, rescuing the face-down student from the puddle; Luo Mu first reached out to feel beneath the student's nose, and after sensing carefully for a moment, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Fortunately, there was still breath.

Finding an open flat area, Luo Mu carefully set the student down, first giving him a rough up-and-down glance.

Male, slightly older than Hearing Hearing Nimo and the others, his short flaxen hair was made dirty by the muddy ground, and his Naranja Academy uniform was even worse, covered in mud and sewage, looking extremely wretched.

But these were not the worst parts; when lifting him to move a short distance, Luo Mu could clearly feel that his body was abnormally limp, as if there was a problem with the bones in some area.

The youth's breathing was somewhat weak, and there were no obvious external injuries.

Combining these factors, Luo Mu judged that the youth had likely been attacked by some wild Pokémon with immense strength.

In a flash of lightning, Luo Mu made a decision.

First releasing his Florges, Luo Mu said with a serious expression: "Trouble you to use Floral Healing first to stabilize his physical condition."

Seeing the youth in such a weak state, Florges also felt very distressed and, without a second word, used the Floral Healing move to stabilize the boy's condition.

At the same time, Luo Mu surveyed the surrounding environment; because it had just rained, the ground was very moist, making it relatively easy to find the culprit's footprints.

More than ten meters away from the puddle, on a small path leading to a certain forest, Luo Mu discovered the youth's somewhat messy shoe prints and a circular footprint.

Frowning, Luo Mu squatted down, and after observing carefully, drew a conclusion: "It's the footprint of a bear-type Pokémon; it looks like a Beartic, but this area is either the Asado Desert or Casseroya Lake, which doesn't match the living conditions for a Beartic."

"Could it be an Ursaring? But Ursaring prefer using their claws to attack, and their footprints aren't this round."

Unable to figure out who the culprit was, Luo Mu simply gave up.

After all, now was not the time to dwell on the culprit's true identity; knowing the youth was most likely attacked by a powerful bear-type Pokémon, the next step was to take him to the nearest hospital for treatment.

The nearest town was Ziqin Town; Luo Mu remembered there was a suitable hospital there that should be able to treat the youth.

Having made his decision, Luo Mu immediately carefully lifted the boy onto Dragonite's back, instructing Dragonite to fly as steadily and quickly as possible, while Florges used the Floral Healing move to maintain the boy's condition, preventing his injuries from worsening.

(End of Chapter)