Chapter 339: Arrive! Corviknight Delivery Personnel!

July 21st, sunny.

The moist air after the rain was dispelled by the re-rising sun; hot and dry weather remained the dominant hue of these seventh and eighth months.

Inside the farm, before Luo Mu, twelve Corviknight including Skarmory Sanmao stood in neat formation, their crimson pupils revealing an air of high spirits.

Today was their graduation ceremony, and Luo Mu had made ample preparations for it, specifically spending a heavy sum to purchase a batch of extremely high-quality Metal Coats as graduation rewards for the Corviknight.

At this moment, Pokémon like Oranguru, Dragonite, Serperior, and Mimikyu, those possessing four flexible limbs or vines, were individually applying the coating evenly onto the Corviknight's jet-black armor.

It had to be said, as a starter bird, this kind of Pokémon, Corviknight, not only had an incredibly reasonable type combination but also looked unbelievably handsome.

No man could completely reject that set of heavy, pitch-black metal armor on a Corviknight; that texture, refined enough to reflect light, even capable perhaps of reflecting certain light-based moves, was enough to send Luo Mu into a state of pure ecstasy several times over.

It could be said that as a Steel-type Pokémon, Corviknight's heroic temperament was truly perfect.

The Metal Coat that Luo Mu and the others were currently applying to the Corviknight was a resource beneficial to Steel-type Pokémon, and it was also an evolution item for Onix and Scyther.

However, compared to the solid increase in base stats after Onix evolved into Steelix, the relationship between Scyther and its evolved form Scizor was more akin to the Digivolution from next door.

The total amount of base stats did not change; it was merely redistributed, while Scyther's Flying type transformed into the Steel type.

This kind of evolution always felt a bit strange.

But as the final evolved form of Rookidee and Corvisquire, in the absence of Mega Evolution currently, the Metal Coat was not being used to make them evolve.

While serving as an evolution item, the Metal Coat was also a held item.

Applying the Metal Coat onto a Steel-type Pokémon's body could not only increase the steel content within their bodies, enhancing their mass and hardness, but also make it easier for Steel-type Pokémon to mobilize Steel-type energy and absorb Steel-type energy to become stronger.

It could be said there were many benefits; the only drawback was probably that it burned money.

At the very least, purchasing one portion of Metal Coat cost far more than simply providing food and drink for Pokémon, so generally, only pay-to-win trainers would purchase Metal Coats in large quantities.

There was also a very interesting phenomenon.

In the game, whether it was Onix or Scyther, as long as they held one portion of Metal Coat and underwent a link trade, they could evolve into Steelix and Scizor.

But in reality, considering Onix's size and the coverage rate of the Metal Coat application, the cost for Onix's evolution would far exceed the cost for Scyther's evolution; moreover, to ensure the evolved Steelix had no issues with the hardness of its body's metal layer, one could not cut corners.

Luo Mu's usage of the Metal Coat was simply to apply it, making the Corviknight's steel feathers tougher and slightly enhancing the reflective ability of those Corviknight with the "Mirror Armor" ability, that was all.

Although there were basically no Impidimp, Morgrem, or Grimmsnarl appearing near Flatbed Town, improving the Corviknight's physical strength would allow them to deliver goods better, and serving as a reward to encourage their morale, Luo Mu felt this expenditure was quite necessary.

After the application was completed, the Metal Coat seemed to be completely absorbed by the Corviknight's bodies, causing that jet-black armor to emit a soul-piercing cold glow, making no one doubt its sturdiness and the sharpness of its tips.

Looking at the group of heroic and spirited Corviknight before him, Luo Mu patted Skarmory Sanmao's rock-hard wingspan and revealed a broad smile: "From now on, you are all officially employed staff of the farm."

"Work hard, and you'll have food, drink, and supplies!"

Luo Mu was not drawing a pie in the sky; he was making a sincere promise.

"Gah-ha—!!"

As if attracted by the bright future displayed in Luo Mu's words, Skarmory Sanmao excitedly spread its wings, letting out a call that was sharper and hoarser than during its Corvisquire period.

Skarmory Sanmao gently rubbed its head against Luo Mu's raised right hand, its eyes filled with gratitude.

Those Corviknight who still retained the cunning from their Corvisquire days naturally knew that their neighbors living in the same forest, the Talonflame, were very envious of their treatment.

Even though under the inspiration of the Moltres boss the Talonflame leader had completed its evolution, its clan still had not produced a second new Talonflame to this day.

If not for Luo Mu providing so much work, and also providing so many nutritious Berries and Tapu Moumou Milk, who knew if their clan could produce even one Corviknight by next year.

Unlike now, where a specification of twelve Corviknight in total could be called a regional overlord in the wild; even if their strength was weaker than the enemy, they would not lose in momentum.

The other eleven Corviknight also voiced out together; that sound, as if fingernails were frantically scratching across a classroom blackboard, made Luo Mu and even Serperior and the others put on masks of pain.

Fortunately, nowadays these Corviknight, who equated to about half the farm's population, knew propriety; their excitement came quickly and left quickly, and carrying many buckets of Tapu Moumou Milk generously gifted by Luo Mu as wages, they flew back toward the forest where they lived.

Watching the Corviknight depart, Luo Mu sighed: "So fast."

He hadn't expected that this July would be nearing its end in just a few more days.

Oranguru also nodded in agreement.

Not only was the Pokémon Marathon, which concerned whether they could open up sales channels all at once, about to begin, but the time for Orange Academy to start school was also approaching; by then, to handle matters for both the academy and the farm, the young master would surely become busy again.

As an excellent butler, he must, while doing his own duties well, share some of the pressure for the young master.

Serperior shook the tip of its tail; it wasn't very interested in seasonal changes, but if one had to say, it would still feel somewhat irritable as winter gradually approached.

After all, not only would the weather become cold then, but often there would be no warm sunbaths to enjoy.

Dragonite scratched its head, planning to fly back to Thunder Cry Lake to share with its mother, the Dragonite Leader, that the graduation ceremony had officially ended, and along the way find Auntie Hakaseyu and the others to play the little game of "Who Can Sleep Longer in the Sky."

Mimikyu leisurely came to Luo Mu's side; beneath its ragged cloth, it extended Shadow Claw with its sharpness retracted, climbed skillfully onto Luo Mu's shoulder, and stopped there just like Ash's Pikachu.

Luo Mu was also puzzled; he didn't know since when, aside from his own shadow, Mimikyu had grown to like occupying this position.

However, sometimes it would yield to Victini and Shuang Nai Xian and the others.

Mimikyu's weight was very light, posing absolutely no pressure on Luo Mu, let alone causing any uneven shoulders.

Since it liked it, Luo Mu didn't mind having a cute ragdoll staying on his shoulder.

Who said Mimikyu wasn't as cute as Pikachu!?

In the afternoon, Luo Mu slowly spread out several letters he had collected from the mailbox outside the farm onto the table.

Feng Su Gou and Luxray were lying at Luo Mu's feet taking a noon nap; to tell the truth, if not for the air conditioner keeping running, Luo Mu felt he would probably get heat rash from being pressed against by these two big, fluffy creatures.

Although having both a cat and a dog seemed to others to be something greatly envied, in reality, the glamour was all for outsiders to see; the bitterness inside was known only to Luo Mu himself.

Take these three big fellows, for example: Luxray, Feng Su Gou, and Meng Lei Gu.

Their fur purity was nearly one hundred percent, and they all possessed manes that served as symbols of dominance.

In winter, to ward off the cold, their fur would grow to varying degrees; come summer, to dissipate heat, this fur would begin to shed.

Every day, Luo Mu would spend a considerable amount of time holding a comb to groom them one by one, brushing away the loose shedding fur.

If he showed even the slightest slackness, these three big fellows would definitely become walking dandelions; even Bai Bai Pengpeng and the others, who regularly produced cotton that then shed, would feel ashamed in comparison.

Compared to these three big fellows, the fur of Mawile and Vulpix counted as shedding very little.

As a Mythical Pokémon, Victini seemed not to shed much fur, but as for why Luxray, a dignified Champion-level Pokémon, would still shed fur... this thing didn't necessarily have a connection with strength, did it?

Luo Mu deeply understood this principle.

If one wants to cuddle with something fluffy, this degree of forbearance is absolutely necessary.

After spreading out several letters, Luo Mu looked toward the Oranguru beside him.

The Oranguru nodded slightly, skillfully using its psychic powers to open the envelopes, and while inputting the information within into a tablet for recording, it also opened a mini-program for a Pingdie Town map that the Oranguru had made itself, automatically drafting a delivery route based on the information.

That's right; these incoming letters were basically customers attracted during the past few days when Luo Mu had been handing out flyers at random in Pingdie Town.

After tasting the Tapu Tapu Moumou fresh milk provided as a "sample," these few residents praised the flavor endlessly, each expressing their intention to try ordering a few bottles first.

Name: Marda

Request: Order three bottles of fresh Tapu Tapu Moumou milk every morning; please ensure delivery before seven o'clock.

Residential Address: Apartment Building 112A, Yingji Street, beside the Pingdie Town Comprehensive Agricultural and Trade Market.

Date: July 22

Name: Zheng Xing

Request: Order two bottles of fresh Tapu Tapu Moumou milk every morning.

Residential Address: No. 145 Renmin Road, Pingdie Town.

Date: July 22

Name: Elson

Request: Order two bottles of fresh Tapu Tapu Moumou milk and one bottle of fresh goat milk every morning.

Residential Address: No. 011 Renmin Road, Pingdie Town.

Date: July 22

There were a full nine customers attracted by the flyers and samples, though most of them only intended to try ordering a few bottles first, and besides the Tapu Tapu Moumou fresh milk, some had also ordered the goat milk produced by the mount little sheep.

Regarding the pricing, the set price of 550 League Coins for a bottle of fresh Tapu Tapu Moumou milk seemed to bring these residents great surprise.

In their view, being able to purchase fresh Tapu Tapu Moumou milk at such a favorable price seemed like a very cost-effective matter.

The goat milk from the mount little sheep ultimately lacked the reputation of the Tapu Tapu Moumou fresh milk; Luo Mu's pricing of 450 League Coins caused many people to give up after watching and waiting, with only those who knew that the quality of the mount little sheep's goat milk was actually not much inferior to the Tapu Tapu Moumou fresh milk choosing to order.

Just like that customer named Elson; he seemed to work at some testing and analysis institution, so his knowledge in this area was fairly good, and he intended to try the goat milk.

Because this was the first delivery, in order to pursue having absolutely no unexpected situations or mistakes, Luo Mu was here with the Oranguru, solemnly recording the information one by one and planning out the route, preparing to let the Corviknight and the others memorize it tomorrow morning.

As for whether the Corviknight and the others could memorize the route or not—

Leaving aside the fact that during this period, under the devilish special training of the Dragonite and the Dragonite leader, the Corviknight and the others might know Pingdie Town even better than Luo Mu did.

Just based on the high intelligence of the Corviknight and the others, which counts as high even among Pokémon, along with the cunning minds brought by their crow prototypes, Luo Mu was not worried about this aspect in the slightest.

All he needed to do now was complete the preparatory work, and then successfully fulfill the first order of the farm's milk subscription business.

After planning the route, the Oranguru stroked its chin and asked, "Young Master, regarding that plan you mentioned earlier about using promotional activities to attract customers, would it be convenient for you to explain it again?"

Luo Mu was drinking flower tea brewed from the dried pale pink flowers that bloom in spring on the wooden antlers atop the Meng Ya Lu's head; while carefully savoring the heart-refreshing floral fragrance, Luo Mu nodded slightly.

Placing the teacup on the table, he slowly began to recount his thoughts.

"Promotional activities... essentially involve using a plan where we concede a small profit to accumulate a base group of customers."

"For now, it would be roughly: if one subscribes for a full month, three months, or even half a year, we waive the delivery fee, or perhaps give away a few extra bottles of Tapu Tapu Moumou fresh milk, goat milk, or various dairy products."

"The gifted goat milk and dairy products are actually a form of invisible promotion; for guests who taste the deliciousness, there is a high probability it will spark their desire to order these gifted items."

"As for whether waiving the delivery fee and gifting dairy products will affect profits or not, to be honest, it's just a matter of earning a little more or earning a little less; I think accumulating a good reputation is far more important."

"There's no need to launch these activities right now; launching them during the Pokémon Marathon Tournament will yield the greatest promotional effect."

Listening intently to Luo Mu's proposal, a trace of surprise flashed in Emperor Yan Di's eyes.

He truly hadn't expected the Young Master to consider things so comprehensively, and even propose such an innovative plan.

He really had to look at him with new eyes.

"Leave the creation of the promotional posters to me; is it no problem to produce the final version according to this plan you mentioned, Young Master?"

The Oranguru slowly waved its fan, communicating with Luo Mu via telepathy.

At this moment, it was just like that Zhuge Wolong who held the wisdom bead in hand, filled with the aura of a strategist who never miscalculated.

"Then I'll trouble you," Luo Mu said, nodding slightly; while internally sighing at the reliability of the Oranguru butler, he smoothly rose up under the drowsy gazes of the Luxray and Feng Su Gou, "In that case, I'll go attend to other matters now."

Things like accepting Nurse Joy's private tutoring, and overseeing the Dragonite's cultivation of the Extreme Speed secret manual; during this period, one could say there wasn't a single moment of idleness.

"Leave it to me."

The Oranguru also stood up, using psychic powers to gather the tea sets neatly, and controlled a cloth to wipe the table, keeping it clean and tidy.

(End of Chapter)