Chapter 236: Establishing the Salt House, Master Luo the Water-Balancer

After bidding farewell to Mu Dan, Luo Mu went straight to the Director's office and explained Mu Dan's situation to Ge Ci, who was indeed still inside.

Upon hearing that Mu Dan was actually the daughter of the former Champion and the niece of the current Chairman of the Galar region, even Ge Ci displayed a look of surprise.

She quickly pulled up Mu Dan's records, only to find not a single trace of relevant information on them.

If the goal was to satisfy Mu Dan's wish to not be disturbed by anyone and to attend school quietly, one could only conclude that the Galar region must have helped cover this up.

Although somewhat skeptical, Ge Ci still ordered her staff to suppress the matter regarding Mu Dan, cutting off the fuse that could lead to deteriorating relations between the two regions.

Putting down the phone, Ge Ci frowned and looked at Luo Mu, asking in confusion, "That child... does Mu Dan really intend to swallow this grievance?"

Luo Mu nodded: "She said that although some unpleasant things happened, she still likes the atmosphere of Orange Academy; not only does she not want to affect the relationship between the two regions, but she even more so does not want this matter to reach her father's ears."

Ge Ci grew even more puzzled: "Why?"

"If my father, who spoils his children excessively, finds out about this, he will definitely come to Orange Academy at all costs and go crazy; this time I will truly die of social embarrassment, so please do not let things escalate to that point."

"Although Uncle's relationship with Father is bad, in reality, he privately has a good relationship with us sisters; Uncle is a thorough capitalist, and his methods would be even more troublesome."

Luo Mu paused suspiciously for a moment, then said awkwardly, "Those were Mu Dan's exact words."

Ge Ci: "..."

Alright, it seems that one of the reasons Mu Dan came to attend classes at Orange Academy was that she wanted to stay away from her somewhat erratic father.

"I understand; I will suppress this matter. I will find other reasons to expel those few who bullied her, including the teachers who knew but did not report it."

"Good, then I'll trouble you, Chairman."

Luo Mu nodded, turned around, and left the Director's office.

Just after leaving the Director's office, Luo Mu saw Mu Dan squatting nearby, boredly fiddling with her beloved Eevee backpack.

Seeing Luo Mu come out, Mu Dan's eyes, hidden behind her glasses, first lit up, but then she hesitated again; she wanted to ask Luo Mu what the result was, but for a long time, she couldn't bring herself to speak.

In her anxiety, a flush of red rose on Mu Dan's snow-white cheeks, though it wasn't very obvious under the slightly dim lighting.

Knowing that this Miss was prone to social anxiety, Luo Mu smiled and said, "Chairman Ge Ci has agreed to suppress the matter; those students who bullied you and the teachers who condoned them will also receive their due punishment, though it will be under a different pretext. Do you have any issues with that?"

"Mm."

Mu Dan nodded, emitting a response as faint as a mosquito's hum.

She felt this was good enough; she could continue her leisurely campus life, the bad guys received punishment, and the alliances of both regions wouldn't have their relationship worsen because of her.

Most importantly, she didn't need to worry about her father specially running over to cause her to die of social embarrassment.

"Thank you for your help, Teacher; I'll head back to the dormitory now."

Mu Dan bowed slightly; she already wanted to return to the dormitory to play video games with Eevee to soothe her exhausted soul.

After all, today Mu Dan had communicated with people an amount equivalent to half a year's worth of conversation in one go; that was truly impressive, and she must reward herself for it.

Mu Dan thought proudly in her heart.

"Ah, good, be careful on your way back."

Watching Mu Dan, whose mood had inexplicably become high-spirited, Luo Mu nodded; the security within Orange Academy was already very good, not to mention that it was currently the period of Ge Ci's "Rat Extermination Plan," so describing it as having alliance agents and police officers everywhere would not be an exaggeration.

As Mu Dan's back gradually receded into the distance, Luo Mu finally withdrew his gaze, a look of emotion on his face, thinking in his heart: "Father is Peony, and Uncle is Rose? This background is in no way inferior to Nimohe Sect and Pai, no wonder she could become one of the protagonist team members in the game."

By the time he returned to the farm, it was already approaching ten o'clock at night.

Luo Mu happened to bump into the Machamp construction team finishing work and heading home; from them, he heard that the Salt House should be completed within these two days, which made Luo Mu feel a moment of excitement.

This meant he could collect the rock salt produced by the friction of the Nacli and use or sell it himself.

The rock salt normally produced by Nacli is a byproduct of the same grade as the cotton fluff produced by Bai Bai Pengpeng and the others; even though the selling price is many times higher than ordinary rock salt, it is still sought after by the public.

The reason is very simple; it is not only because the rock salt produced by Nacli can heal Pokémon injuries.

Its taste is also much better than ordinary salt; in situations where high-end restaurants can use Nacli's rock salt, they will absolutely not use ordinary salt, and some restaurants have even spread rumors that long-term consumption of Nacli's rock salt can improve the constitution and immunity of both humans and Pokémon.

All of this is the reason why the rock salt is popular; although the first-stage Nacli do not produce much salt per day, after raising them to maturity, the second-stage Naclstack and the third-stage Garganacl can even produce a greater quantity of rock salt with better effects.

Describing Nacli as a money-printing machine can be said to be very apt.

Looking forward to the time when the Salt House would be completed, Luo Mu handed the already cleaned lunchbox to Oranguru, interacted with the Pokémon for a while, and then returned to his own room to sink into dreamland.

April 7th, weekend.

After Luo Mu fed the fish fry raised in Thunder Lake... no, now they had grown a size larger, departing from the category of fish fry, and were expected to grow into plump large fish satisfying his stomach in a few months.

He went to observe the state of the Secret Herbs again; there were no major changes in the short term, but one could see from their appearance the bursting vitality of these Secret Herbs, meaning there was at least no possibility of them withering.

"Mimikyu~~"

At this moment, Mimikyu suddenly jumped out from the shadow of the plants; the shadowy arm, which it used as a hand and commanded as effortlessly as its own limb, tugged at Luo Mu's pant leg, signaling him to follow it.

"Mimikyu? Aren't you over there observing the construction team building the Salt House?"

At first, Luo Mu was somewhat puzzled, but he soon understood Mimikyu's meaning.

The Salt House was completed!

Just as Luo Mu reached this conclusion, the mobile phone in his pocket rang; after answering the call, the contractor's hearty voice came through.

It was indeed news of the Salt House's completion.

Bringing Mimikyu, he quickly arrived near the Salt House; at this time, besides the construction personnel of the Machamp team, quite a few Pokémon had gathered here, curiously sizing up the completed Salt House.

Among them, the Nacli were undoubtedly the most excited, because the appearance of the Salt House was not much different from the houses they lived in at the Eli Farm, which completely dispelled the slight sense of unease they still harbored after just arriving in an unfamiliar environment.

The overall appearance of the Salt House was like a huge rock that had been neatly cut, simulating the caves where wild Nacli often reside, making it a type of architecture that fits their wild growth environment.

The opening of the house's main door was designed to be a full two and a half meters in height, with a width of nearly three meters, using a curtain to serve as the door usually.

This was a suggestion proposed by Luo Mu; since the Nacli would definitely evolve into Garganacl in the future, rather than rebuilding the Salt House at that time, it was better to make proper preparations from the start.

Entering the Salt House, the first thing that met the eye was a layer of "flooring" that looked somewhat strange.

The surface of the floor had some small diamond-shaped structures; the way they were arranged densely was simply enough to make someone with trypophobia ecstatic.

Seeing that Luo Mu didn't speak and was observing the floor, the contractor thought he didn't know the effect of this flooring, so he immediately introduced it: "These gaps can effectively collect the rock salt produced by the Nacli rubbing their bodies due to movement; when recovery is needed, one only needs to lift the floor like this and take out the box installed underneath."

As if afraid Luo Mu wouldn't understand clearly, the contractor even specially demonstrated once how to operate it.

Since the other party was so enthusiastic, Luo Mu felt too embarrassed to say that he was already very clear about the operation method and make the other party feel awkward; pretending to look like he didn't understand, he learned the process, paid off the balance, and then saw the contractor and his construction team off.

Not to mention, the Salt House's construction cost wasn't cheap; it nearly matched the selling price of a single Da Nai Guan, and these past few days of spending had pushed Luo Mu's savings back below the three hundred thousand mark.

Fortunately, whether it was the Salt Stone Treasures, the Ride Pony, or the by-products from Bai Bai Pengpeng and the others, they all accumulated continuously over time.

Plus, a month had already passed since the new batch of crops was planted in the farming zone, and with the catalysis of the grass field, another harvest would arrive around May.

There were plenty of opportunities to make money; by then, he could just push forward with the farm's infrastructure plans all at once.

"Yanyan! Yanyan!"

Just as Luo Mu sank into deep thought, several anxious cries came from outside the Salt House, startling him into realizing the Salt Stone Treasures hadn't entered the building to experience it yet; with an face full of apology, he hurriedly ushered the Salt Stone Treasures inside.

Sure enough, upon entering the Salt House, the Salt Stone Treasures all wore smiles as if they had returned home, their emotions more relaxed than ever before; seizing the opportunity, Luo Mu poured a bag of fresh soil into a stone bowl nearby for them to enjoy.

The Salt Stone Treasures immediately let out cheers of joy, their three small bodies crowding around the stone bowl, which was several times larger than them, frantically consuming the soil; it was clear they were very satisfied with this food.

Watching the happy expressions of the Salt Stone Treasures, a smile also surfaced on Luo Mu's face, and as if remembering something, he suddenly muttered to himself:

"Rock-type Pokémon food generally consists of soil, ores, and normal Pokémon food; although it can be bought directly, since I'm going to Xuezha Town tomorrow anyway, I'll look for a chance to explore the nearby mines then and see if I can achieve self-sufficiency."

"If they eat better, the quality of the rock salt they produce will also be better."

This was never a losing proposition to begin with, not to mention that Luo Mu would do his best to let his Pokémon live better lives.

Making money had to be done while ensuring the physical and mental well-being of his Pokémon; he had no hobby of exploiting his own Pokémon.

Leaving the Salt House and bidding farewell to the Salt Stone Treasures, who were happily playing a stacking game inside, Luo Mu retrieved a set of equipment from the warehouse, along with a cleaned bucket and some glass bottles originally purchased for storing honey.

That's right, Luo Mu was now heading to the ranch zone to milk the Ride Ponies and the others.

Along the way, he happened to encounter the Serperior, who had just finished inspecting the farming zone; with its Vine Whip helping, Luo Mu, carrying this large pile of items, instantly felt much lighter.

The Serperior's serpentine body wound forward, its posture elegant and noble; it was clear it had its aura firmly under control.

Gazing at the Serperior's figure, Luo Mu suddenly spoke: "Between you and Moltres, is the relationship not very good?"

"Gah-lok."

The Serperior's body stiffened; it turned its head away and snorted. How could the relationship be bad? Luo Mu was clearly overthinking it.

"Ho."

Luo Mu raised an eyebrow; he would just take it as such, even though Mimikyu had already told him about the conflict between the Serperior and Moltres that occurred before he returned.

Pretending to be casual, Luo Mu spoke to the Serperior again: "Since your relationship isn't bad, I want to ask you for a favor."

"It is currently living in the birdhouse built for it under the eaves; as you know, this small western-style house is actually quite old, and various parts aren't very sturdy. If you have time after milking later, go and reinforce Moltres's birdhouse for it."

A trace of disbelief flashed between the Serperior's eyes; ask it to swallow its pride and reinforce Moltres's birdhouse?

Wouldn't that mean it inexplicably ranked one level below Moltres!?

Regarding the understanding of the Serperior's personality within this farm, Luo Mu considered himself number one; he was also very clear that the Serperior possessed the arrogance common to its species, along with the kindness now hidden beneath its outwardly proud shell, brought about by its experiences during its Snivy period.

Whether it was saving the drowning Hearing Hearing Nimo without the slightest hesitation earlier or its actions during the operation to rescue the kidnapped children, one could see that the Serperior was actually very kind at heart, but this kindness was concealed by its sharp, arrogant outer shell.

The reason for its poor relationship with Moltres was nothing more than the fact that it had been a little jealousy monster since its Snivy days, coupled with its fear that new members would divide the share of "love" belonging to it.

In reality, Moltres had no such intention at all; apart from Feng Su Gou, eating, and battling, it rarely thought about other things.

Therefore, facing the Serperior's inexplicable hostility, Moltres, finding it very baffling, chose to confront it head-on.

The method to resolve their grudge was simple; after returning the book borrowed by Nurse Joy of Pingdie Town, Luo Mu had also read quite a few psychology books and understood the solution to this kind of problem.

He only needed to let the Serperior know that the share of attention belonging to it could not be snatched away by anyone.

Easier said than done; since returning to the farm and hearing the cause of the incident from Mimikyu, Luo Mu had been thinking about how to make the Serperior regain its sense of security, discarding many drafts.

Finally, today, he had found an opportunity.

"You are an important existence who accompanied me all the way to grow to this step; the six of you are all irreplaceable to me, and this will never change."

"Moltres has only been on the farm for a little over two months; the gap in your statuses in my heart shouldn't need me to say more, right?"

These words were slightly ambiguous and vague, deliberately leaving room for the Serperior to imagine; relying on its usual personality of liking to overthink, it should produce excellent results.

In fact, the Serperior did indeed hesitate, the tip of its tail wavering in conflict; easily satisfied, it instantly gained a sense of security and even began to fret that its hostility toward Moltres was somewhat too inexplicable.

A moment later, the Serperior's face turned slightly red; it lifted its head to look elsewhere, striking a pose and expression often used by tsundere characters, and snorted to indicate that since it was like this, it would generously accept the task of reinforcing Moltres's birdhouse.

At the same time, the Serperior was secretly overjoyed in its heart; after all, who else was one of the special six?

Taking in all of the Serperior's expressions, Luo Mu revealed a smile of a plan successfully executed.

Of course, resolving the conflict between the Serperior and Moltres required more than just handling the Serperior; in reality, Luo Mu had already properly arranged things on Moltres's side as well.

By then, Moltres would think the Serperior was coming to help reinforce its birdhouse out of remorse, releasing goodwill; since it never intended to conflict with the Serperior in the first place, it naturally wouldn't say anything unnecessary.

Naturally, there was no possibility of the Serperior's cover being blown either.

As expected of him; not only did he keep the water level even, but he also skillfully used words to resolve the conflict.

(End of Chapter)