Chapter 165: Patisserie Miel

Though the gluttonous worm in its stomach was already urging the Meowstic to quickly taste the dessert before it, it had not forgotten its duty as a server.

The Meowstic swiftly located the cabinet where Luo Mu had just retrieved the cutlery; a faint blue light tinged its eyes, proof that it was finely controlling its psychic powers.

The cabinet opened automatically, teacups flew out steadily, and the cutlery on the dining table began to move on its own, slicing the cake into bite-sized pieces before pouring Luo Mu a cup of honey lemon water.

Without any action required from Luo Mu, the Meowstic handled everything in perfect order.

Luo Mu glanced at it with considerable wonder; besides admiring the Meowstic's professionalism, he also felt some envy for its psychic ability, which obeyed his commands as effortlessly as an extension of his own arm, proving incredibly convenient.

Luo Mu did not know whether he possessed the talent to awaken psychic powers, but such abilities were truly convenient, capable of accomplishing many incredible feats in this real world, including long-distance instant teleportation like Mewtwo's, akin to a divine miracle.

If he could successfully pass the review, Pokémon capable of using psychic powers would rank much higher in Luo Mu's heart when he attended the Pokémon Butler Academy, for the power of this attribute was simply too convenient.

Gazing at the Meowstic, which leisurely controlled the knife and fork to slice food before letting it fly automatically into its mouth, Luo Mu momentarily fantasized about a decadent life where clothes were put on him and food was fed to him.

After the delightful dessert time, Luo Mu looked at the Meowstic wiping the corners of its mouth and asked curiously, "From your perspective as a server, could you critique the taste of the dessert?"

"Meow."

The Meowstic paused its movements, emitting a short sound as it fell into thought.

Luo Mu looked at the Meowstic with anticipation; he wanted to obtain evaluations of his cooking from the perspectives of different people and Pokémon, for he was well aware of his own limitations and knew there was a world of difference between himself and those pastry chefs and cooks who specialized in this craft.

Whether the evaluation was good or bad, he would absorb it and use it to enrich himself, just as he did when acting as a Trainer.

After pondering for a while, the Meowstic manifested its spiritual energy, outlining characters in mid-air.

【Excellent ingredients, but filled with artisanal rigidity, lacking slightly in spiritual essence.】

Upon reading the characters, Luo Mu was not surprised by this; he had a clear understanding of his own talent in this aspect and knew he could not compare to those wholly devoted to this craft. The critique of "artisanal rigidity" was indeed incisive; his production process always adhered to suitable ratios without ever improvising freely, resulting in stable flavors but lacking a touch of innovation and novelty.

The Meowstic's evaluation was basically not much different from Master Master Haidai's, as both mentioned that Luo Mu's ingredients were excellent.

How could he not know the ingredients were excellent? They were all painstakingly cultivated by him and his Pokémon; these crops were nourished daily by the Grassy Terrain, and their absorbed nutrients likely surpassed even what Luo Mu himself consumed.

Humans being inferior to plants—such was the case.

After eating and drinking their fill, the Meowstic did not show any bias toward Luo Mu due to his hospitality; instead, it controlled a pen to write a conclusion on that assessment paper—

【This household environment is comfortable and the atmosphere relaxed, possessing a vast farm where various Pokémon form an inseparable, warm family. Farm owner Luo Mu treats his Pokémon like close kin, capable of providing the finest workplace environment for graduates. Based on the above, the evaluation is: Excellent.】

Having finished writing the conclusion, the Meowstic exhaled a sigh of relief; for it, this somewhat unique farm had allowed it to witness many novel scenes, and it presumed its juniors would surely be very happy working here.

The Meowstic did not announce the results on the spot, nor did Luo Mu ask aloud.

After seeing off the Meowstic, whose face now bore an extra hint of a smile, Luo Mu was washing the dishes when a soft object suddenly landed on his shoulder.

It was Shuang Nai Xian.

Seeing Shuang Nai Xian wearing an expression of urgency, Luo Mu revealed a faint smile and said softly, "Don't rush; after I finish tidying up here, we will go to Cortondo Town."

Seeing Shuang Nai Xian suddenly become excited, Luo Mu shook his head helplessly; this child had been looking forward to this day for a long time, and he wondered into which variety of Alcremie Shuang Nai Xian would eventually evolve.

After finishing the cleanup, Luo Mu took Shuang Nai Xian first to Thunderfall Lake, where he found the Dragonite and Hakamo currently accompanying the Dragonite Leader in "acting."

They sat upright on the shore of Thunderfall Lake, cooperating with the illusory "her" in the Dragonite Leader's eyes to engage in interaction with no physical object present, a test of acting skills indeed.

Mewtwo had mentioned that the phantom of that Trainer in the Dragonite Leader's eyes could only be seen by the Dragonite Leader itself; it was neither something with physical form nor energy, but simply Mewtwo using psychic powers to make certain alterations to the Dragonite's brain, enabling it to visually hallucinate the person it most wished to see.

Only this person could pull the Dragonite Leader out of its state of utter despair; this was the current consensus among Luo Mu and his Pokémon, and until a solution was found, they could only accompany the Dragonite Leader in its acting.

Luo Mu temporarily summoned the Dragonite from the gently smiling Dragonite Leader and the Hakamo; for a rapid round trip to Cortondo Town, the Dragonite's mobility was an indispensable condition.

After also entrusting Luxray to guard the farm well while he was away, Luo Mu glanced at the other side where Moltres, Politoed, and Swampert were still expending energy sparring, then boarded the Dragonite with peace of mind and flew up into the sky.

Cortondo Town.

Upon entering the small town, feeling the leisure and tranquility it brought to every Trainer in the Paldea region, washing away their tension as a starting town, he momentarily felt his entire body relax.

"Milcery!"

Shuang Nai Xian curiously observed the surrounding environment and the passing crowds; to it, everything in Cortondo Town was so novel.

Walking along the stone-paved roads, Luo Mu surveyed the surrounding buildings; just as in his memory, they were almost all constructed from stone, possessing great distinctive character.

Luo Mu remembered that not far from the outskirts of Cortondo Town, there was a place called the Olive Big Farm, which produced Cortondo's famous specialty, olives; during the corresponding season, an Olive Harvest Festival was held there. Unfortunately, that time had not yet arrived, otherwise Luo Mu would definitely have brought Oinkologne over to witness it.

Luo Mu's destination was a shop located in this Cortondo Town, renowned far and wide: Patisserie Miel, a dessert shop established by Gym Leader Ms. Marnie, which enjoyed great fame in Cortondo Town and attracted an endless stream of customers.

"Just walk toward where the foot traffic is heaviest, and you will surely find Patisserie Miel."

This was the consensus of everyone in Cortondo Town.

On the way to Patisserie Miel, Luo Mu was still introducing the surrounding environment and shops to Shuang Nai Xian.

Who would have expected that when passing a building very familiar to Luo Mu, the person squatting at the entrance of that building in a daze would cause Luo Mu to startle slightly.

(End of Chapter)