Chapter 342: The Helplessness of an Office Worker

On the morning of July 22, the weather was clear, with not a cloud in the sky.

Today, Luo Mu rose early, fresh and spirited to welcome the arrival of a new day.

After all, today marked the first day of the trial operation for the farm's newly expanded milk delivery business.

For Luo Mu, the fact that the nine customers on this first day were willing to order Tapu Tapu Moumou fresh milk, even without him broadcasting his reputation, meant this trust absolutely had to be sustained.

Arriving at the pasture area.

After yesterday afternoon's high-intensity exercise, the Da Nai Guan were obviously still a bit groggy; not only were their eyelids fighting each other, but they also kept letting out yawns.

With the help of Oranguru, the drowsy Da Nai Guan were led to a newly constructed room on the edge of the pasture area.

Inside the room sat a rather exquisite rectangular machine, made from the finest food-grade materials, featuring five milking positions capable of milking five Da Nai Guan simultaneously.

This machine was the automatic milker that Luo Mu had specially custom-ordered from a manufacturer in Nianguang City.

Fortunately, a few days prior, Luo Mu had already taken the Da Nai Guan to experience the automatic milker, so they harbored no aversion whatsoever to having cup-like objects attached to their bodies.

If anything, even though they were still somewhat groggy, a sense of anticipation arose within their hearts.

With their nutritional intake, almost every morning they suffered from the distress of engorged udders.

If not for the fact that they hadn't yet learned how to operate the machine, Luo Mu wouldn't even be needed; they could operate the machine themselves to relieve the pressure.

As the machine began to run, emitting a faint humming sound, the Tapu Tapu Moumou fresh milk of the Da Nai Guan was continuously extracted, flowing through clean pipes that were cleaned after every use into a dust-proof milk bucket inside the machine.

Finally, via the machine's portioning function, it was injected into glass bottles prepared in advance, sealed with caps, and stamped with the date.

One had to admit that technology truly liberated labor.

If Luo Mu were to perform all these operations himself, he would have to get up at five o'clock in the morning, or even four, at the very least.

Since the total order from customers for Tapu Tapu Moumou fresh milk amounted to only about forty bottles, each around 750 milliliters, the majority of the Tapu Tapu Moumou fresh milk was still stored inside the machine, which featured refrigeration capabilities, awaiting Luo Mu's use in making various dairy products.

Once the five Da Nai Guan had successfully finished being milked, they let out a sound of relief and retreated to the side.

Subsequently, the Politoed and Poliwhirl, who had been waiting patiently on the side, coordinated with the machine's self-cleaning function and began cleaning the apparatus using Foam Beam.

After the cleaning was complete, two Skiddo mounts were immediately brought up to the milking machine; once the milkers were installed, they proceeded in the same manner to extract a small bucket of goat milk.

By the time Luo Mu and Oranguru brought today's cargo outside the dedicated milking room, the Corviknight, standing tall with chests puffed out, had already been waiting here for quite some time under the leadership of Dragonite.

Yesterday, Luo Mu had already notified Skarmory Skarmory Sanmao that nine Corviknight were needed for today, with Dragonite leading the team to deliver fresh Tapu Tapu Moumou fresh milk and goat milk via air to the nine households distributed throughout Pingdie Town.

Beside the nine Corviknight were placed black baskets that matched their jet-black metal armor quite well.

The baskets were also custom-made according to the size of the glass bottles, featuring specialized grooves to hold the bottles in place, preventing them from colliding and shattering during transport.

Once Luo Mu had placed the corresponding Tapu Tapu Moumou fresh milk and goat milk according to the different destinations of each Corviknight, the several Corviknight firmly grasped the black baskets, made of a special material that was not easily bent, and took off in an orderly sequence, flying toward their destinations.

Their posture was just like that of the Corviknight species in the Galar region grasping aerial taxis to soar through the sky.

At this moment, the time had quietly reached 6:40 in the morning.

"Boo-wuu~"

Dragonite waved goodbye to Luo Mu with a hint of regret; this time, it bore a heavy mission and truly could not perform its daily hug, so it would just have to hug to its heart's content after the work was completed.

As Dragonite's orange figure also vanished into the horizon, Luo Mu, gazing at the sky, touched his chest, feeling a rare sense of nervousness today.

Yet, he also believed that Dragonite and the Corviknight, having undergone training and passed his tests, would be able to successfully complete this first delivery mission.

In the azure firmament, Dragonite easily flapped the small dragon wings on its back, while circulating winds surrounded its sides, as if guarding their monarch.

Its gaze dropped downward; aside from the nine Corviknight flying in a "V" formation, Dragonite's attention was largely distributed over the land outside Pingdie Town, searching for pink figures.

According to Luo Mu, as bird Pokémon possessing intelligent thinking abilities, Corviknight were naturally very suited for delivery and aerial transport work.

Their steel claws could firmly grasp transported objects; they could even easily fly over a hundred kilometers while carrying carriages weighing hundreds of jin.

Corviknight were moreover masters at memorizing aerial routes; once they had been to a place, they would almost never forget it.

However, the reason why Corviknight taxi and delivery services failed to become popular at all in the Paldea region, and were even usurped in status by Bombirdier, was largely due to an evolutionary line of a certain Pokémon species inhabiting Paldea—

Rookidee, Corvisquire, and Corviknight.

Especially the Corviknight among them, which could even swing a massive hammer on the ground to knock rocks flying and accurately hit Corviknight in the air.

Their distribution in the wilds of the Paldea region was the true reason why Corviknight delivery and aerial taxi work could not be utilized.

Even at high altitudes, Dragonite possessed sharp eyesight inferior to no bird; its job today was to check whether any clans of this species existed in the vicinity of Pingdie Town.

Fortunately, today they seemed to have obtained the favor of the Goddess of Luck, as none of those pink figures, which were like ghosts and gods to Corviknight, appeared near Pingdie Town.

But Dragonite dared not be the slightest bit negligent.

If one asked why, it was because Dragonite vaguely remembered that while floating in the sky taking a noon nap, it seemed to have seen pink figures carrying hammers in the wild mountains or certain ruins.

When all nine Corviknight had thoroughly flown into the area of Pingdie Town and scattered each toward their own destinations.

Only then did Dragonite flap its dragon wings to identify the auras left in the air by the nine Corviknight, and under the guidance of the wind, flew toward the delivery direction of the Corviknight it was most worried about.

Pingdie Town, No. 145 Renmin Road.

Unlike apartment buildings that were like pigeon coops, the residents living here had generations of ancestors who had lived in Pingdie Town.

They had purchased the land at the most favorable prices and lived within a residential district composed of "single-family houses" uniformly constructed under the planning of the previous town mayor.

Zheng Xing, twenty-nine years old this year, male, was an office worker.

Just like the growth trajectory of most ordinary people, or perhaps it was the blessing of his name.

Zheng Xing had spent a happy childhood that was both normal and lucky.

After entering society and starting work, he met his current wife, Xiang Ri, fell in love, and got married; this single-family house was also left behind by his parents, and with no pressure, he and his wife gave birth to their child, Xiang Ri Kui, who was now five years old.

But recently, Zheng Xing's lucky BUFF seemed to have expired; his virtuous wife, who stayed home full-time, had developed grievances against him for some inexplicable reason, and only after Zheng Xing's repeated questioning did she pour out her dissatisfaction.

It turned out that their five-year-old Xiang Ri Kui, among the girls at school, could not compare to her peers in either height or build; her thin and small appearance looked as if she were suffering from malnutrition, even causing the school teachers to visit their home repeatedly, suspecting whether the couple was secretly abusing the child.

After his wife Xiang Ri inquired with the mothers of other children, she discovered that the others had actually spent a large sum of money to order the freshest Tapu Tapu Moumou fresh milk from the neighboring Zhuotai City, delivered via cold chain.

The others also loudly promoted that the nutritional value between fresh Tapu Tapu Moumou fresh milk and Tapu Tapu Moumou fresh milk that had been stored for several days was worlds apart.

Like the final straw that broke the camel's back, his wife Xiang Ri, who had always been secretly anxious, expressed some ambiguous grievances to her husband upon his return from work for the first time.

Broadly speaking, it was about why their family could not even afford fresh Tapu Tapu Moumou fresh milk to supplement their child's nutrition, and could only buy refrigerated products from the supermarket without knowing how many days they had been sitting there.

Realizing she was being unreasonable and that her behavior had placed psychological pressure on her husband, who worked hard to support the family, Hinata felt overcome with guilt; wiping away tears, she suggested that perhaps she too should go work at a pasture in the suburbs to earn some money and help with household expenses.

This left Masayuki silent, while also filling him with a sense of powerlessness.

Sunflower was currently in her growth phase, requiring one bottle of Tapu Tapu Moumou fresh milk daily as an essential expense; while such milk cost about 500 League Coins in local supermarkets, ordering from the neighboring Table City plus transportation costs meant the price per bottle would be at least 1,000 League Coins.

This nearly doubled their monthly expenses, a heavy burden for a small family supported solely by Masayuki's income, yet he truly could not bear to send his wife, who already shouldered all household duties and ferried their child, out to work.

That was until a few days ago, on his way home from work, when he encountered someone who looked strangely familiar handing out flyers while accompanied by a Pokémon resembling a gorilla.

Although young Masayuki had once dreamed of becoming a Trainer, that dream had long since faded, and his starter Pokémon, a Quilava, had now become his wife's assistant in the kitchen.

Only during his leisure moments would Masayuki crack open a can of beer, play old videotapes with a nostalgic smile, and watch the heated Pokémon battles between Trainers.

Masayuki was certain he had seen that young man somewhere before, but the fatigue from work had left his mind rusted and sluggish after hours, unable to recall where he had met him; he simply stood there, rooted to the spot.

By the time Masayuki came to his senses, the other party was already smiling as they handed him a flyer.

For some reason, even though the other person was doing nothing more than a odd job handing out flyers, Masayuki found their smile dazzlingly bright, almost blinding; after taking the flyer, he fled as if burned.

That confidence was a radiant sun that the current Masayuki could not face.

Upon returning home, Masayuki realized he was still clutching the flyer; acting on some inexplicable impulse, he did not toss it into the trash bin but instead unfolded it to read.

When he noticed the slogan, Masayuki froze, his expression turning to one of surprise.

It was unmistakably a flyer advertising a milk delivery service, claiming to use fresh Tapu Tapu Moumou milk squeezed daily and delivered that very morning, with a price within Masayuki's means.

Perhaps wanting to take a gamble, he chose to send his residential address and order letter to the address listed on the flyer.

Subsequently, time passed, and soon the agreed-upon delivery time arrived.

Today, Masayuki had rarely risen so early, while his wife and daughter were still fast asleep.

In the darkened living room, Masayuki paced anxiously around the table, walking with extreme caution for fear of waking his sleeping wife and child.

It was not until the old clock hanging on the wall stopped at 6:55 in the morning that a rhythmic knocking sound came promptly from outside the door.

As if he had been waiting for his savior, Masayuki scrambled to the door on all fours, gently opened it, and revealed a smile filled with anticipation: "Good morning."

Masayuki's gaze fell upon the knocker, his words catching in his throat, his expression momentarily stunned.

What was it that he saw?

A Dragonite of unparalleled clumsiness and a Corviknight that looked incredibly valiant, bearing three claw marks across its chest!

In the Dragonite's hands, within a black basket, were the two bottles of Tapu Tapu Moumou fresh milk that Masayuki had ordered!

One bottle for his wife Hinata, who managed the household and cared for their child, and one for his daughter Sunflower, who was currently growing.

As a former aspiring Trainer now turned office worker, Masayuki recognized quite a few Pokémon, with the exception of the white-furred gorilla beside that young man from the other day.

The two Pokémon before him were unmistakably the Dragon-type Pokémon Dragonite, whose rarity was off the charts and whose name was synonymous with power.

And Corviknight, clad in jet-black armor that seemed to reflect a soul-chilling glint under the sunlight, perfectly striking the hidden XP deep within Masayuki's heart.

Both Pokémon were beings that were both powerful and handsome, the kind of strong Pokémon Masayuki had once dreamed of possessing during his days as a Trainer.

Good heavens, had he fallen behind the times?

Now there were actually people using Pokémon like Dragonite and Corviknight, which combined both looks and strength, to deliver Tapu Tapu Moumou fresh milk?!

(End of Chapter)