Chapter 350: The Truth Behind the Haunting, Lei Guan Wang?

On the morning of July 30, Luo Mu received a phone call from the Galar region.

The content of the call was an invitation from Hearing Nimo and the others to explore the ruins of Crown Academy, as well as a plea for help regarding the haunting incident in Freezington Village.

This was because, during the call, Hearing Nimo and the others described in detail their terrifying memories of the Freezington haunting, along with Peony's tearful plea for help; despite commanding a large group of heavy Steel-type Pokémon, he remained completely powerless against the haunted village.

Mudan stated outright that if the haunting incident could not be resolved, she would likely have to take an extended leave of absence to stay in the Crown Tundra and figure something out, meaning she probably wouldn't be able to return to Paldea to attend Grape Academy until the matter was settled.

After all, although Mudan expressed disdain for Peony both in her actions and words, he was still her father, and more importantly, her sister Scharia was still here.

Of course, Mudan did not mean to use this as a reason to threaten Luo Mu into coming to help.

It was just as the final sentence of the conversation had been.

"We look forward to your arrival; after resolving the haunting incident, we can explore the ruins together, but this does not mean you must accept our rather abrupt request—the choice is entirely yours."

If the plea for help failed, Hearing Nimo and the others would choose to temporarily remain in the Crown Tundra for the sake of their companion Mudan, searching for a solution.

To be honest, after finishing the call, Luo Mu stared blankly for quite a while before snapping out of it.

Yesterday, after returning to the farm laden with bags and packages and distributing gifts to each Pokémon one by one, the Pokémon had been so unusually excited and emotional that he had fallen asleep very late.

Early this morning, while he was sleeping soundly, a sudden call to summon help had come through.

Even though there were only two days left until Grape Academy opened its doors, Hearing Nimo and the others claimed that the village where they were staying in the Crown Tundra was haunted and wanted to resolve the haunting incident.

Crown Tundra, Freezington Village, haunting.

These three seemingly unrelated nouns acted like a guiding light for Luo Mu, allowing him to instantly perceive the truth of that incident.

It was just like the Pokémon Luo Mu had previously considered, whose abilities matched the farm so perfectly that possessing even one of them would bring enough power to make the farm truly abundant.

Tapu Tapu Moumou, Landorus, and the protagonist of this haunting incident, Lei Guan Wang.

Lei Guan Wang, a Psychic and Grass-type Pokémon.

Legend has it that in the ancient times of the Galar region, Lei Guan Wang ruled over Galar as the legendary king.

It is said to possess high intelligence, even capable of knowing everything of the past, present, and future, as if wielding a triple future sight; placed in the neighboring Fate universe, it would undoubtedly qualify for a Grand Caster position.

Behind the title of Legendary King, Lei Guan Wang also hides another title that has gradually become unknown to the world—

The King of Abundance.

The source of this title stems from Lei Guan Wang's unique power.

It possesses the ability to heal minds and cause vegetation to sprout. It is said that when it raises its left hand, fields become fertile and crops abundant; when it raises its right hand, hundreds of flowers bloom and green grass covers the land.

If Tapu Tapu Moumou, the island guardian of the Alola region, can grow a seed into a towering tree laden with berries within a few breaths, then as a legendary Pokémon even superior to Tapu Tapu Moumou, Lei Guan Wang's power should only be stronger.

Of course, all of this presupposes that Lei Guan Wang's two beloved horses have not rebelled and that it still holds the Reins of Unity, the item that binds the king and its two horses into one.

That's right, just as Luo Mu had thought before.

Lei Guan Wang's current situation is probably not very good; after all, it is the king of legend, not the king who still reigns over the Crown Tundra and the Galar region today.

Lei Guan Wang possesses a special ability to draw power from faith, but if it loses that faith, Lei Guan Wang will become weak.

The true culprit behind the Freezington Village haunting incident is likely Lei Guan Wang itself, hiding in the shadows, its power so diminished that it can only possess humans using Psychic powers to attempt speech, now forgotten by the world and stripped of all faith-based strength.

Even the two legendary horses it once tamed have probably left it, galloping and neighing freely throughout the Crown Tundra.

Judging from Hearing Nimo and the others' descriptions, whether due to the weakening of its power or because the person possessed by Lei Guan Wang was not so "compatible," it could only utter vague words like those spoken in a dream.

If one were to ask who matches best with Lei Guan Wang—

The figure of a middle-aged man whom he knew but had never formally met instantly surfaced in Luo Mu's mind.

That man's name was Peony, precisely the person mentioned by Hearing Nimo and the others who had not yet been possessed by Lei Guan Wang.

"Mew~ Mew~"

The little fox with ice-blue fur lay across Luo Mu's thighs, all four paws pointing skyward, exposing its soft little belly.

Having just eaten breakfast, its little belly was slightly bulging, showing that its master had eaten quite a lot this morning.

Luo Mu, distracted, skillfully scratched under the Vulpix's chin with a petting technique so practiced it had become instinct, applying just the right amount of pressure to make it so comfortable that it emitted soft, quiet moans.

Usually, the little Vulpix only had its fur licked by its mother or occasionally rolled around in the snow; how could it withstand the cunning techniques specially developed by humans targeting small creatures like them?

The uniquely dexterous five fingers of humans fully massaged the Vulpix's most comfortable areas, making the already soft and cute creature feel as if it were melting into a puddle of liquid.

It was only when the Vulpix's soft little tongue licked his fingertips, bringing a cool, icy sensation, that—

Luo Mu, who had been staring blankly as if deep in thought, finally snapped out of it, withdrawing from his own world to look apologetically at the Vulpix, which was watching him with concern.

Luo Mu said apologetically, "Sorry, I accidentally zoned out."

Luo Mu thought the Vulpix was reminding him because he had stopped petting it due to his distraction.

Just as he reached out to resume petting the Vulpix, unexpectedly, the Vulpix agilely jumped down from his legs, avoiding Luo Mu's touch, leaving only a few strands of white fur stuck to Luo Mu's black capri pants.

"Mew!"

The Vulpix's lively big eyes met Luo Mu's gaze as it let out a soft chirp, indicating that what it was worried about was not such a trivial matter.

Meeting the Vulpix's almond-shaped eyes, which graduated from blue to white, Luo Mu suddenly felt as if this little creature had seen right through him.

Seemingly sighing with emotion, Luo Mu chuckled, bent down, and picked up the Vulpix: "I didn't expect you little guy to be so perceptive."

"Mew~!"

This time, the Vulpix did not dodge, allowing Luo Mu to lift it up.

It held its little head high, as if proud of Luo Mu's compliment, its brows and eyes full of adorable cleverness.

Although it would choose to hide when facing strangers, once the Vulpix became familiar with people or Pokémon, it would let down its guard and reveal its true nature.

The timid Vulpix from the cave in the snowy mountains of Blueberry Academy was ultimately gone forever.

After indulging in a proper moment of nostalgia, Luo Mu gently tapped the Vulpix's nose tip and scolded with a smile, "You mischievous little thing."

Perhaps it was precisely that mysterious intuition brought about by having once been a semi-wild Pokémon combined with its young age that allowed the Vulpix to see that Luo Mu seemed to be hiding some trouble in his heart.

Since a group of students who respected him had called for help, and although he already had a plan in mind, Luo Mu still asked the Vulpix, "Do you want to go play in the snow mountains?"

Upon hearing "snow mountains," the Vulpix's eyes lit up.

In its little head, the image of the snow mountains where it was born, along with the figures of its mother and clan members, immediately surfaced.

Was Luo Mu planning to take it back home to visit relatives?

Sensing the vast difference between the snow mountain in Vulpix's mind and the one he had in mind, Luo Mu helplessly explained, "It's not the snow mountain where you once lived, but a larger one, a vast snowfield possessing countless snow mountains."

Although Vulpix felt a bit disappointed that it wasn't the snow mountain it had imagined, children, after all, are always more interested in novel things.

Upon hearing that Luo Mu was going to take it to play in the snow mountains, excitement surfaced in Emperor Yan Di's eyes, and it nodded vigorously.

"Miu-wu, miu-wu!" (Going to play, going to play!)

Stroking Vulpix's little head, Luo Mu hesitated no longer and smiled, saying, "Is that so? Then let's go."

Although he had confirmed his acceptance of Hearing Hearing Nimo and the others' request for backup, Luo Mu did not set off immediately.

Firstly, as far as he knew, Lei Guan Wang was inherently a very kind Pokémon; even when forgotten, it had never harbored resentment toward humans, making it nearly impossible for it to pose any threat to Hearing Hearing Nimo and the others.

The real threats were rather the culprits behind the missing crops incident—the truly runaway Spirit Rider and Snow Rider—and the several legendary giants frozen within the ruins they wished to explore.

But regarding threats of this magnitude, given Peony's strength, which allowed him to forcibly claim the championship even in the hyper-competitive trainer environment of the Galar region, Luo Mu honestly felt that if it were just dealing with a single entity, Peony should have ways to cope.

Secondly, having considered everything, Luo Mu even utilized the Hint System, which he normally wouldn't consult lest it ruin the joy of life, and from there received a notification that Freezington Village faced no danger for the time being.

In other words, the situation was not so critical that Luo Mu had to depart immediately to save the day; rather than rushing there hastily, it was better to settle all the farm's affairs properly before setting out.

Given Dragonite's flight speed, reaching the Galar region under full-speed flight would take only a few hours, so time was not that pressing.

If not for the fact that Hearing Hearing Nimo and the others' voices over the phone betrayed a frightened exhaustion and trembling, Luo Mu would have even considered simply taking a boat for a few days to leisurely drift over to the Galar region.

Then he could tour several famous locations in the Galar region, witness Dynamax Pokémon firsthand in the Wild Area, and only then head to the station in Postwick to purchase train tickets to the Crown Tundra.

The Crown Tundra was the summer resort for this midsummer.

No, perhaps that place was a bit too cold.

Letting Vulpix temporarily return to the Ice Spirit Hut to avoid the morning sun, Luo Mu first confirmed whether today's milk delivery business was proceeding smoothly.

Ever since promoting the farm's fresh milk and goat milk subscription service at the marathon event in Hulbury, orders had multiplied like snowflakes dancing in a snowy night.

Apart from customers merely trying it out of novelty, more customers genuinely needed fresh Tapu Tapu Moumou milk and goat milk.

Customers who also felt the cost-performance ratio was quite good, after trying it once or twice, successively sent letters and made phone calls expressing their desire to sign up for long-term milk delivery services.

Most subscribed month by month, while a smaller portion opted for several months, half a year, or a year; maintaining these clients and turning them into the farm's stable regular customers was the goal.

Regarding the quality of the milk and goat milk, Luo Mu was confident; as for delivery, Dragonite had gradually let go, allowing Corviknight and the others to handle deliveries according to the routes, while it merely kept watch for any appearance of the Tinkaton family nearby.

This also proved that Corviknight and the others were now qualified sky delivery couriers!

As the Corviknights returned to the farm one after another, Luo Mu served them freshly made ice cream to beat the heat, while his gaze fell upon Moltres, which was flying boredly in the sky and had lacked presence recently.

Since the battle in the Orange Islands concluded, Moltres and its two good brothers... or good sisters?

Due to their superior performance in combating the three legendary birds, they finally gained the qualification to further command the forces of nature.

In the past, although as legendary spirits they could consciously draw upon natural power to enhance themselves, increase combat effectiveness, and improve endurance...

That, compared to the three legendary birds whose very existence was closely tied to the climate, was ultimately shallow.

But now it was different; Moltres possessed the qualification to use abilities similar to those of the three legendary birds. Although it could not become a new legendary bird, relying on its control over natural forces to influence the climate within a specific range should be no problem.

Just as described in the Pokédex, it was the legendary bird Pokémon said to fly from the southern lands alongside spring.

Wherever Moltres appeared, even a snow country could enter spring ahead of schedule.

But... that was limited to whether Moltres had mastered this ability.

Although Moltres now seemed to be drifting in the sky taking a nap, mimicking Dragonite...

In reality, it was currently sensing the abundant natural forces in the sky, increasing its control over natural power in hopes of enhancing its ability to control the climate.

Luo Mu, having matters to instruct Moltres about, shouted several times from the ground, but the Moltres above did not respond.

Wondering if Moltres was too deeply engrossed in cultivation, after some thought, Luo Mu called over Skarmory Sanmao, who was enjoying ice cream nearby, and directly mounted its back.

Under Skarmory Sanmao's peculiar expression, Luo Mu gripped its feathers tightly to avoid slipping off due to the smooth armor.

Then, as Skarmory Sanmao spread its jet-black wings, which reflected light even under the sun, it carried Luo Mu up into the sky to Moltres's side.

But the moment he saw Moltres up close, Luo Mu fell silent.

Because, at this moment, Moltres had adopted an extremely difficult posture and was directly taking a second nap in the sky above the farm...

(End of Chapter)