Chapter 356: Lei Guan Wang Capture Plan: Luo Mu Has Flipped the Cart

In fact, Peony had wanted to complain about this for a long time.

Why was the belly beneath Luo Mu's clothes slightly protruding, just like that of a pregnant woman several months along?

Although it was highly unlikely for a man to be pregnant, could he really have gained so much weight in just a single night spent outside?

Peony clearly remembered that sometimes, when he brought Houndour's father to Luo Mu's farm to play, Luo Mu would lift his shirt to wipe away sweat right after finishing farm work, revealing a tough, powerful, and firm abdomen.

There was no way that could turn into a small potbelly overnight.

It was only when a small creature with dazed eyes suddenly popped out from Luo Mu's collar that Peony finally breathed a sigh of relief.

So it was a Pokémon.

But the next moment, the smile on Peony's face vanished instantly.

Since Luo Mu was already the center of attention for all six of them, when that unknown Pokémon stretched its head out yawning as if just waking up, they naturally all turned their gazes toward it simultaneously without needing to coordinate.

No one knew whether their gazes had scorched that Pokémon, or if perhaps one of them happened to be just a tiny bit terrifying in that Pokémon's eyes.

"Moooo-guuu!"

Almost instantly, a terrifying cry comparable to ultrasonic waves echoed beside their ears; the fireplace burning with flames trembled slightly, and the glass cup containing half a cup of hot water began to shake, its interior constantly rippling as if it were about to shatter at any moment.

Klara covered her ears with a look of endurance, Peony wore a face full of terror, while Marnie, Chairman Rose, and the father-daughter duo of Sordward and Shielbert fell backward onto the ground in perfect synchronization, covering their ears and displaying inexplicable expressions as if they were about to pass away at any moment.

Only Nessa, though struggling greatly to endure this wailing, had stars in her eyes as she examined Cosmog with a gaze full of curiosity.

In Peony's view, the look in Nessa's eyes was just like those lustful perverts spotting sexy dancers in a bar; at the very least, it wasn't much different.

Fortunately, this sonic attack lasted only a dozen or so seconds before Luo Mu, who already had experience from the first time and would absolutely not be defeated by the same move twice, pulled out a Poffin to stop it.

Covering his ears, Luo Mu looked at Cosmog, who was holding the Poffin with two nebula-like arms and narrowing its eyes to happily gnaw on it, his own face filled with lingering fear.

Thankfully, he had prepared in advance, but even so, the Poffin's lack of portability meant it still took him over ten seconds to take out the Poffin box, open it, and randomly grab a Poffin to stuff into Cosmog's mouth.

Perhaps later he could prepare some portable food to soothe Cosmog's emotions.

Luo Mu remembered that in the anime, Ash's Cosmog seemed to really like eating a type of candy called Jin Pingtang?

He roughly remembered the production method too, because earlier, while acting as an oral translator accompanying Shuang Nai Xian to flip through the Complete Dessert Guide, he had seen the relevant recipe.

It seemed to require a special kind of rotating pot.

First, heat rock sugar and water to make syrup, adding large-grained white sugar during the process, then rotate it in the spinning pot for one or two weeks; only then could this time-consuming and labor-intensive dessert be made.

If there was a chance, he would try making some once they returned to the farm.

Thinking of this, Luo Mu looked at the group, whose hearts were still pounding violently as they worked to calm their racing heartbeats.

"Its name is Cosmog; it is a Pokémon entrusted to my care by the King of Abundance."

"Mogu~"

As if hearing its own name, Cosmog opened its yellow eyes and responded happily.

"It's fine."

The few of them shook their heads, not minding such trivial details.

Nessa, Marnie, Klara, and Shielbert, the four girls, wanted to get closer to look but were afraid of startling Cosmog, so they could only maintain a certain distance while gazing at it with starry eyes.

"... So cute! Is its name Cosmog? It looks just like a shining nebula in the universe!"

All four wore expressions of admiration, clearly captivated by Cosmog's adorable appearance and its clumsy, endearing manner while eating.

Even Marnie, who was used to seeing the cute Eevee, could not resist Cosmog's charm.

In contrast, the well-traveled Chairman Rose wanted to approach and observe Cosmog closely, but Shielbert held tightly onto his collar, forcing him to sit aggrievedly in place, muttering something about "a Pokémon never seen before."

After the novelty brought by Cosmog faded slightly, and with Luo Mu's permission, Nessa and the others received some Poffins cut into small pieces from Luo Mu and tried feeding them to Cosmog, who was sitting on Luo Mu's lap.

At this time, Luo Mu continued speaking about what he had witnessed the previous night.

"Just as I said before, the King of Abundance, Lei Guan Wang, truly exists; the reason it frequently appears in Freezington is to find someone to whom it can entrust Cosmog."

"Because its current condition is somewhat terrible, it has even become so weak that it can only communicate with us by possessing others... This is also why it feels unable to care for Cosmog itself and is seeking someone to entrust it to."

After gently feeding Cosmog a piece of Poffin, Klara withdrew her slightly moist fingers; listening to Luo Mu's words, the smile hanging on her face faded slightly.

She sighed with emotion: "Although I don't know exactly what kind of existence the King of Abundance is, it truly loves Cosmog very much."

After coming into contact with the adorable Cosmog and deeply understanding how innocent and naive it was, Nessa, who now realized from a side perspective just how well Lei Guan Wang had protected it, also nodded gently.

"Willing to endure the pain of separation itself just to ensure Cosmog finds stability; how magnificent."

Marnie touched her chin, lost in thought: "I recall that in the Galar region, legends of the King of Abundance have almost completely disappeared; only here in Freezington are there a few fragmented words, which are even used as a tourism promotion."

Temporarily returning to seriousness, Chairman Rose leaned against the wall, crossed his arms, and said: "It is said that the King of Abundance once ruled over the land of Galar as the Legendary King... but this legend was long ago branded as false history by the Wang Zu of Galar and entirely burned away within the annals of history."

"It is only now, with the Wang Zu in decline, that Freezington can conduct tourism business under the banner of the King of Abundance..."

"However, in order to investigate the ruins within the Snowslide Slope, I did not continue to delve deeper into the related legends of the King of Abundance."

Ever since entering the Wang Guan Snowfield to conduct investigations and making progress regarding the ruins, Chairman Rose had temporarily abandoned the investigation of the other two legends, throwing himself entirely into the study of the ruins.

He was not very knowledgeable about the King of Abundance either.

Chairman Rose's response was within Luo Mu's expectations; after pondering for a moment, he looked at Cosmog in his arms, which had reacted upon hearing the name Lei Guan Wang.

Luo Mu spoke up to make a request: "Can everyone help me gather some information in Freezington?"

"Such as whether the villagers still remember the King of Abundance, whether they still recall its legends, whether they believe the King of Abundance truly exists, and whether there are still any books recording information related to the King of Abundance..."

Just as decided earlier, Luo Mu believed that to get Lei Guan Wang to take the first step, they first had to let it know its current situation.

Only if Lei Guan Wang had the intention to change the status quo could the subsequent plans be implemented smoothly.

Luo Mu was not worried about this point; after all, judging by the decisiveness Lei Guan Wang displayed last night, he believed it was not the kind of king who was obsessed with the past or indecisive.

Regarding the matter Luo Mu requested, the four students naturally agreed immediately, while the daughter-obsessed Chairman Rose and sister-obsessed Shielbert followed Marnie's lead so closely that she nearly couldn't keep a straight face.

Coincidentally, because no "ghosts" had ravaged the village last night, the villagers of Freezington had gradually begun moving about outside again.

The group left the house together, each approaching villagers active outside, and soon regrouped inside the house carrying a wealth of information.

Marnie: "Although I couldn't bring myself to strike up conversations with villagers to ask about history... I searched relevant historical literature websites for the Galar region and confirmed that the history of the King of Abundance has been lost in the river of time; moreover, many tourists hold the majority opinion that Freezington's history regarding the King of Abundance is fabricated."

Klara: "A villager in the farmland said that if the King of Abundance truly existed, then why is cultivating crops in Freezington currently so difficult?"

Pippa: "The information basically matches what they said, though a villager sold me a bag of radish seeds."

Hearing Nimo: "An old grandmother asked me in return, if the King of Abundance truly exists, why did he not appear to save the people of Galar when the meteor fell and the Dark Night descended?"

Peony: "After exchanging words with a few students who returned to Freezington Village for their holidays, I vaguely recalled the history lessons I learned back when I was attending school."

"The teacher said that historically, Galar had always been ruled and dominated by the Wang Zu, from among whom emerged two legendary heroes who used a sword and shield to drive away the Dark Night and save the Galar region."

"The so-called legendary king of Freezington Village, the King of Abundance, the king who once ruled the Galar region, was merely a legend fabricated to attract tourists."

Compared to the oral accounts of the five, Peony was far more direct.

He took out a book, exchanged from the village chief using his own treasured fine wine, its pages covered in dust and already yellowed, and handed it to Luo Mu.

"I flipped through it on the way back; it records some content related to the King of Abundance. Its authenticity cannot be confirmed for now, but since you, my soul friend, have seen the King of Abundance, this book is likely genuine."

Luo Mu nodded slightly, accepted the book handed over by Peony, and under Cosmog's curious gaze, opened the pages and began to read.

A moment later, Luo Mu closed the book, slowly exhaling a mouthful of turbid air: "The content recorded in this book should be the complete and true legend."

Luo Mu passed the book to Hearing Nimo and the others, letting them continue reading.

Quite a while later, after everyone had finished reading the contents within the book, the room was momentarily filled with an atmosphere of silence.

It was not until Peony, unable to hold back, frowned and spoke with a trembling voice: "If the contents in the book are all true... then what about the history I learned since childhood?"

Marnie pushed up her glasses and said in a heavy voice: "If the fact that the Wang Zu of Galar once ruled the Galar region generation after generation is false, and the King of Abundance truly exists... then might there not also be hidden circumstances regarding the Dark Night and the heroes of the sword and shield?"

As if recalling something, a trace of disgust appeared on Peony's face, and he spoke: "I once had dealings with those few remaining members of the Wang Zu, especially the two called... Sordward, Shieldbert, or whatever they were; they were full of the foul stench of arrogant nobility."

"My detestable older brother, however, accepted everyone indiscriminately and mixed very well with them—hmph, let's not mention it!"

"Seeing it now, those people seem capable of doing things like tampering with history."

If Peony and Marnie, as natives born and raised in the Galar region, felt shocked by the conflict in history and saw their lifelong instilled perceptions shatter,

then Peony, due to his hatred of the Galar Wang Zu plus his displaced anger toward his brother, directly chose to unconditionally believe the words of his soul friend and believe in the legend of the King of Abundance.

Hearing Nimo, Pippa, and Penny, the three who currently reside in Paldea, held even more preconceived notions, choosing to believe their teacher's account, and one after another began to speak out against the injustice done to Lei Guan Wang.

"The book clearly states that because Lei Guan Wang brought abundance, caused flowers, grass, and trees to bloom, and brought rebirth to the land so people lived prosperous lives, yet now they have forgotten him; this is simply too excessive!"

Looking at the several people filled with righteous indignation, Luo Mu, holding Cosmog, also felt somewhat emotional for a moment.

According to the records in the book, the people of the Galar region witnessed the divine miracles created by Lei Guan Wang, actively approached to worship him, and requested him to become the King of Galar.

But now they have directly forgotten Lei Guan Wang, and some despicable villains have even usurped his identity and achievements; this is truly...

Even a clay figure has a temper; the reason Lei Guan Wang has not reacted is most likely because he has been kept in the dark.

Luo Mu remembered that the Pokémon Dex in the Shield version contained such a record regarding Lei Guan Wang.

【It is said that in a single night, it transferred a vast forest and the creatures inhabiting it to another location.】

【It is said that it used its ability to see all events of the past and future to save the creatures of the forest from the crisis of the falling meteor.】

The falling meteor, no matter how one thinks about it, seems to be related to Eternatus coming from outer space.

It is even highly probable that the forest and creatures transferred by Lei Guan Wang were exactly at the location where the meteor carrying Eternatus was about to fall.

Perhaps it was precisely because saving countless living beings exhausted his power that Lei Guan Wang lacked the strength to come out and fight Eternatus, and even fell into slumber due to the decline of his power, which led to the Galar Wang Zu being able to steal his glory and achievements.

After awakening, Lei Guan Wang was confused as to why his believers had disappeared; his weakened power caused Snowy and Shadowy, whom he had once tamed with strength, to leave him one after another; amidst this confusion, Lei Guan Wang encountered Cosmog, and because the benevolent king lacked the power to raise Cosmog, he entrusted it to Luo Mu...

How can a single word 'tragic' possibly summarize this?

Although these are all pieced together by Luo Mu based on existing intelligence and what he knows, this is indeed highly probable to be the truth of the matter.

"Teacher, is there anything we can do to help the King of Abundance, to help Lei Guan Wang?"

Unable to help but heave a heavy sigh, Luo Mu looked up at Hearing Nimo and the others who were also grieving over Lei Guan Wang's plight and asking the question; after pondering for a moment, he finally spoke: "In order to let Lei Guan Wang reunite with Cosmog without worry, I have a plan."

"Peony, I would like to ask you to take Hearing Nimo, Pippa, and Penny to plant that bag of radish seeds Pippa obtained in the farmlands within Snowslide Slope and the Ancient Cemetery; this is very important, so I will have Comfey accompany you."

"Marnie and Peony, I will go with you to that ruin in Snowslide Slope; if we just stay in the village, Lei Guan Wang will most likely not appear; even if I go to search for him, he will probably detect me one step ahead and then teleport far away from me."

Luo Mu never expected that there would be a day when he would be trapped by his own doing.

Although Lei Guan Wang, who had accepted Victini's infinite energy for a brief recharge, was still weak, he could at least perform long-distance teleportation.

The most powerful aspect of Psychic-type Pokémon is their excellent perception ability relying on psychic powers; even if I locate Lei Guan Wang's position using the system, Luo Mu dares to guarantee that as soon as I approach him, he will most likely choose to teleport and slip away.

Just like now, although he knows clearly that Lei Guan Wang is somewhere on a snow-covered cliff overlooking the scenery of Freezington Village, he cannot ride Dragonite to go find him.

In this case, the only option is to find a way to lure Lei Guan Wang out and let him come to see me voluntarily.

Having Peony take Hearing Nimo and the others to plant radishes was also Luo Mu considering their safety; otherwise, he would definitely have brought Peony, this exploration expert, with him when entering the ruins over in Snowslide Slope.

After all, the tempers of Snowy and Shadowy are quite irritable; if it were not for Peony, this former Steel-type Champion, being present, Luo Mu would absolutely have done everything step by step himself and would never have let Hearing Nimo and the others venture into danger.

Since Hearing Nimo and the others originally wanted to contribute their share for Lei Guan Wang, they agreed to Luo Mu's arrangement with almost no hesitation.

As for Peony and his two daughters, who felt confused due to the conflict in history, they had no objections to this; a moment later, the several people, having made their preparations, each set off to act.

Outside Freezington Village, Luo Mu sequentially activated two Poké Balls; besides Comfey, the figure of Luxray also appeared upon the snowy ground.

Gently stroking Luxray's mane, Luo Mu softly entrusted him and the Comfey on his head: "You must protect them well; I have also given the Tera Orb to Pippa; if necessary, you can remind him to Terastallize for you."

"Meow-raw!" "Comfey~"

Comfey responded cheerfully, and Luxray also nodded steadily; under Luo Mu's gaze, they followed the team led by Peony and walked in the direction of the Ancient Cemetery.

If one were to ask who Luo Mu trusts the most among his Pokémon, Luxray would certainly be the first Pokémon Luo Mu thinks of, which is why he entrusted the task of protecting Hearing Nimo, Pippa, and Penny to him.

After the figures over there completely disappeared from sight, Luo Mu turned his head to look at Peony, who was fully armed and wearing cold-weather gear: "Trouble you to take me to that ruin within Snowslide Slope."

"Okay..."

Peony nodded nervously.

In terms of age, she was only a few years older than Penny and a few years younger than Luo Mu; although she verbally disdained her father Peony, in reality, the sense of security she felt while moving within the Crown Tundra was all brought by Peony.

Fortunately, according to her younger sister Marnie's private account, the Luo Mu before her was no inferior to Peony, and was even a powerful Trainer who had defeated a legendary bird.

The tension in Peony's heart was dispelled somewhat; like Marnie, she squeezed slightly closer to Luo Mu and directly began leading the way for him.

At this moment, atop the cliff, Lei Guan Wang, who was gazing at Freezington Village with a distant look, not knowing what he was thinking, suddenly discovered Luo Mu walking out of the village, along with the figure of Cosmog held in his arms.

Lei Guan Wang frowned slightly and murmured in a low voice: "This direction is..."

In the Snow-Covered Valley, before the ruins of a dilapidated gate, the only remnant of a site almost entirely buried under thick snow and rendered nearly unrecognizable.

Pointing at the ancient, weathered gate adorned with archaic patterns, Xiakeya spoke with a hint of pride she herself hadn't noticed: "Originally, this place was completely covered by perennial snow; it was my idiot father who, relying on his experience, found the correct location, cleared the snow, and discovered this gate."

Compared to when they first set out, Xiakeya's tension had vanished completely.

Her gaze fell upon the two Pokémon surrounding herself, her sister, and Luo Mu, surprise still swirling in her eyes.

The ruins lay at the deepest part of the Snow-Covered Valley, where countless powerful wild Pokémon resided; every time she and her father, Peony, entered this place, they had to make thorough preparations before daring to depart.

Apart from having herself lead the way and having Mudan record the route, Luo Mu had deployed only Swampert and Cangyan Cangyan Rengui, yet they protected both her and her sister, as well as himself and Cosmog.

What shocked Xiakeya most was Swampert's performance when they encountered a powerful Aggron suddenly bathed in an erupting Max Raid beam mid-journey, completing its Dynamax transformation.

That Aggron, whose massive size rivaled tall buildings, was utterly powerless against Swampert's terrifying strength, knocked out of its Dynamax state within a few moves.

Mudan, who had also been brought here several times by Peony, pointed to a cave not far away and said, "The veins of Water Stones and Ice Stones we discovered are inside there. However, Teacher, you probably aren't interested in that now, are you?"

"You guessed correctly."

Luo Mu flashed Mudan a broad smile, took Cosmog from the arms of Cangyan Cangyan Rengui, who had been helping him babysit, and walked straight toward the closed, archaic gate with the two girls.

"I recall you mentioning, Xiakeya, that you and Peony tried many methods but couldn't open the gate, correct?"

Xiakeya nodded, making no attempt to hide the fact that Peony had once tried forcing the gate open: "The gate is extremely sturdy, made of an unknown material; even my idiot father's Copperajah couldn't kick it open."

"Without finding the right method, it's nearly impossible to open; that's where we're currently stuck."

Mudan took out her laptop and began analyzing photos of the gate taken during their previous visit, hoping to find a way to open it from those meaningless-looking patterns.

"Naturally, there is a method."

Luo Mu had no intention of hiding it and planned to state the method he knew directly; only thus could he let Lei Guan Wang, who was secretly watching him, know that he truly could enter the Bingshan Ruins.

At that time, Lei Guan Wang should appear to stop him.

It was precisely because his own strength permitted it, ensuring absolutely no danger would arise, that Luo Mu had thought of this slightly "despicable" method.

"We just need to return to that Binghe we passed earlier and catch a Geom—"

"Mogu~"

Before he could finish, Cosmog in Luo Mu's arms seemed to discover something and let out a cheerful cry; a very peculiar Psychic energy accumulated within its body began to surge...

The next instant, Cosmog activated Teleport on the group.

Luo Mu, Mudan, Xiakeya, Cangyan Cangyan Rengui, and Swampert, along with Cosmog itself, all vanished from their spot in thin air.

However, mere seconds later, Lei Guan Wang's figure materialized outside the Bingshan Ruins.

Its brows were tightly furrowed, its face etched with anxiety: "When did that child learn Teleport? It even managed to bypass the Bingshan Ruins' countermeasures against Psychic-type Pokémon using Teleport. This is terrible."

With my current power, I still cannot break the seal and enter the interior!

(End of Chapter)