Chapter 463: What Exactly Did the Diglett Say?

Next.

Luo Mu handed the hand-drawn map he had prepared to the Leader.

The Leader took the map, glanced at it roughly, and then looked at Luo Mu with a face full of surprise.

"Although this isn't the first time, I still can't figure out how you, Boss, managed to prepare such a detailed ruin map that clearly marks even the locations and trigger mechanisms of the traps."

"This isn't scientific!"

In fact, under Luo Mu's direction, the Leader had already conducted one excavation of an underground tomb.

Originally, he still had some doubts about what Luo Mu provided; not daring to entrust his life and fortune to him, he explored step by step with extreme caution.

And the result?

Every path encountered, every trap, and even every possible guardian Pokémon were exactly as predicted! Later, he simply gave up thinking and followed the optimal route directly; with almost no combat occurring, he successfully brought back thirty Paldean Ancient Gold Coins! This time, if Luo Mu hadn't said there would be unavoidable battles, he would have set out alone long ago.

Facing the Leader's wailing, Luo Mu just smiled and said, "This is very scientific; there, there, we don't believe in superstitions."

"It's just a trade secret, so I can't reveal it."

How sharp was the Leader? He didn't believe a word of Luo Mu's nonsense, but he also had no intention of digging deeper or feeling compelled to find the truth.

As a mere employee, why worry about so much? As long as Luo Mu could provide stable maps, bring him income, and not make him do those heaven-struck, filthy things that mess up other people's tomb ruins, then there was no big problem! Holding the map, the Leader browsed it carefully, trying to imprint a general impression in his mind so that he wouldn't be left completely in the dark if the map slipped from his hands.

A moment later.

With confidence bolstered, he picked up the eager Ash beside him and shouted to Luo Mu, "Then we're off."

Luo Mu nodded to him, waved his hand, and said, "Come back early; I'll watch the camp."

"Also, Ash, don't be impulsive or reckless; listen to the Leader's commands for everything!"

Hearing the responses from the two, Luo Mu watched their retreating figures, not particularly worried.

Not to mention the map provided by the System, which marked even every stumbling stone at every turn with crystal clarity, allowing him to know exactly how many dangerous factors lay in the cave leading underground.

This time, just like yesterday, he had sent Mimikyu along; if a danger arose that threatened them and they could not resist, Mimikyu would intervene.

As always, training was training, but whether it was his temporary employees or Ash, whom the trusting Hanako had entrusted to him, Luo Mu would take responsibility and ensure their safety.

As for them, they only needed to work for him while he slacked off.

It was simply a win-win... no, a win-win-win!

"Jingle jingle~"

At this moment, a sound suddenly rang out above Luo Mu's head.

Raising his hand to grab Greavard down and placing it on his palm, Luo Mu saw its expression and couldn't help but laugh softly, "Don't rush; even at their fastest, they won't be out until tomorrow morning."

"During this time, we'll just move around nearby and find some wild Pokémon to practice with."

"Your savings of seventy-six Paldean Ancient Gold Coins will increase."

Meanwhile.

In the Paldea region, near Cortondo.

Within a "wild" mine where humans had not yet established mature mining and transportation routes.

Lei Guan Wang and his beloved horses strolled through this pitch-black mine shaft, occasionally using powerful psychic power to penetrate the thick rock barriers and judge the mineral deposits within.

During this period, Lei Guan Wang had visited most of the mines near Cortondo; quite a few contained mineral deposits that satisfied him, but the majority of those had already been contracted by humans.

Since leaving Galar and coming to Paldea with Luo Mu, he had not stubbornly insisted on his own views but instead maintained his curiosity for learning about new things.

He had even learned from Oranguru how to use the so-called "rotom phone," understanding quite a few modern matters.

It didn't matter if those mineral deposits were mined; he could simply spend money to buy them, and as for these other deposits he had found, given the progress of those humans, they probably wouldn't be developed for another hundred years.

Although there was still some distance to go before reaching the required amount of materials, it was already significant progress.

Next.

It depended on how well Luo Mu got along with the craftsmen over there, and then they just needed to find the "One-Eyed Giant."

Thinking this, Lei Guan Wang planned to finish inspecting the mine before him, then prepare to slowly enjoy the scenery along the way in Paldea with his beloved horses and return to the farm.

Another half hour passed.

They were about to reach the deepest part of the mine shaft; to go any further would require excavation work.

Just as Lei Guan Wang was about to withdraw his mental energy and turn back.

"Eh?"

As if noticing something, Lei Guan Wang suddenly let out a light exclamation.

"?"

Alert for surprise attacks from other Pokémon, Snowshoe Horse and Shadowy Horse both looked toward Lei Guan Wang and snorted.

Had the King made some new discovery?

Although Lei Guan Wang had retired from his identity as the "Legendary King of Galar," the two Legendary Horses still liked to address him this way.

This had nothing to do with Lei Guan Wang's status; it was simply that they felt Lei Guan Wang was the "King" in their hearts.

Regarding this, Lei Guan Wang could only accept it helplessly.

Noticing the curious eyes of his two beloved horses, Lei Guan Wang smiled, raised his hand slightly, and said, "I've found something interesting."

As soon as he spoke.

A brilliant azure light burst forth, the space in front of Lei Guan Wang distorted, and a suit of armor, still stained with soil, looking extremely dilapidated as if freshly unearthed, appeared out of thin air.

This was Lei Guan Wang using psychic power to teleport it up from a hundred meters underground.

It could be considered an extended application of the spatial distortion technique of "Teleport"; at least for Lei Guan Wang, it was quite simple.

The armor appeared to be nearly golden in color, with red patterns.

However, due to the passage of a very long time, it was rusting everywhere and looked unusable.

"There seem to be some mental fluctuations emerging from this suit of armor."

As the former King of Galar, Lei Guan Wang naturally knew about defensive equipment such as "cuirasses" and "armor."

It was just that Lei Guan Wang had never seen this kind of protective gear before; it looked somewhat marvelous, and if one had to associate it with something specific...

Yes.

It was just like the armor on Cangyan Cangyan Rengui's body, except the atmosphere and residual energy were completely opposite.

Very interesting.

"It seems to be called... a souvenir?"

"I'll take it back to show my friend; perhaps he will be interested."

Lei Guan Wang made a decision, summoned Spectrier and Glastrier, and walked toward the exit.

As for that suit of armor, like a ghost, it was carried by Lei Guan Wang's telekinesis, floating behind it.

Xuezha Town was some distance away from Pingdie Town; walking back would probably take a day or two!

"Mm, Blizzard is barely mastered, while Magic Shine is somewhat lacking; I'll find some relevant books and training materials to review."

"You two performed well; you are gradually developing the tacit understanding needed for double battles."

Luo Mu praised the Ninetales sitting obediently before him and the Snover; the prototype of the Snow Team was beginning to take shape.

If they encountered fellow trainers using weather teams, the double hail from Snover and Ninetales would be enough to contest the weather against a single weather setter on the opposing side, not to mention that the defense-and-offense combo of Aurora Veil and Blizzard was both simple and brutally effective, an difficulty level so low that even my grandmother in Los Angeles could use it to reach Master rank.

Facing Luo Mu's praise.

Ninetales seemed to have acquired a bit of an idol complex; it merely nodded with reserved dignity, letting out a slightly affected cry.

It was no longer the whining monster of its childhood; now it had switched to the affected route.

This gave Luo Mu a sense of melancholy loss, as if his little padded jacket had transformed into a cold, aloof young lady.

Snover's method of expressing emotions was much simpler and clearer.

It happily hugged Luo Mu's thigh and was about to pick the berries growing on its own body to feed Luo Mu.

In the end, those few berries all ended up in Greavard's mouth.

This little fellow had also been working quite hard recently, especially after hearing Luo Mu's speculation.

He had said that the reason Gholdengo were extremely rare in the world might not only be due to the difficulty of gathering enough Galarica Coins, but could also involve other factors.

At least throughout history, the evolution method of Gholdengo was no secret, and there were certainly people wealthy enough to acquire Galarica Coins, individuals whose riches could rival nations.

Even so, records of Gholdengo remained extremely scarce, to the point where they were once considered an urban legend.

Why was this?

Luo Mu guessed that this might be related to Greavard.

Although in the game one only needed to collect the coins to evolve Greavard into Gholdengo, reality might differ.

For instance, Greavard's strength.

Could it be that only Greavard with sufficient strength, whose physiques had been tempered to an excellent degree, possessed the qualification to evolve into Gholdengo? Just like how only certain Poliwag evolve into Politoed, or how only certain Slowpoke evolve into Slowking... Upon hearing this guess, Greavard immediately became anxious.

It no longer slept in its treasure chest or sampled Shuang Nai Xian's desserts, instead pestering Luo Mu to whip and train it.

Luo Mu had never seen anyone request this so proactively, so naturally he obliged.

The cost was that Greavard lay sprawled on Luo Mu's head, so exhausted it barely had the strength to eat berries.

Seeing that dusk was approaching, Luo Mu timely halted the training and, using the tent left by the Leader, began preparing dinner for Dragonite, Ninetales, Snover, and Greavard.

At this moment, the Leader and Xiao Zhi were probably gnawing on dried rations inside that super-miniature ruin.

Fortunately, he had prepared some delicious food for Mimikyu and hidden it inside its rag doll, so Mimikyu shouldn't go hungry.

The next day.

Around ten in the morning.

The Leader, covered in gray dust, along with Xiao Zhi and Pikachu, emerged from the cave.

Seeing their state, Luo Mu once again celebrated his wise decision to delegate this task to others.

Stepping forward, Luo Mu asked curiously, "How did it go?"

The Leader rubbed his nose, laughed heartily, and opened the satchel he had been clutching tightly in his hand, "I have not disgraced my mission; we found a total of twenty-three Galarica Coins inside the ruin!"

Luo Mu raised an eyebrow; confident as he was, he was not surprised by this number.

The system had already hinted to him how many Galarica Coins were inside; if he hadn't been too lazy to go down himself, he wouldn't have hired the Leader.

"Now we've collected one-tenth; aren't you happy?"

Taking the satchel handed over by the Leader, Luo Mu didn't even count the contents before skillfully tossing the excited Greavard inside.

They now possessed ninety-nine Galarica Coins; if they worked hard, they might be able to collect them all by the end of the year! Afterwards, Luo Mu told the Leader, "I will transfer the relevant amount to your card later."

The Leader chuckled, "Boss, you're generous!"

Luo Mu then looked at Xiao Zhi and Pikachu, asking teasingly, "How about it? Was it a thrilling fight?"

Xiao Zhi and Pikachu nodded vigorously, saying excitedly, "Totodile and Phanpy both evolved, becoming Croconaw and Donphan!"

"Big Brother Luo Mu, let me tell you, the one inside was amazing..."

Luo Mu was thus forced to listen as Xiao Zhi, using various interjections, depicted an adventure story that Luo Mu couldn't quite sync his brainwaves with—in simple terms, he couldn't really understand it.

After Xiao Zhi finally quieted down.

Luo Mu took out a change of clothes, told him to take Pikachu to a nearby stream for a bath, and then looked at the Leader, who was packing up the camping gear, saying with a smile, "Contact me again when you have a new target!"

After all, he could only receive system hints when near the location of the ruin, and mapping the area based on detailed hints also required time.

Xiao Zhi hurriedly finished his bath, exchanged farewells with the Leader, and then Luo Mu summoned Dragonite, carrying Xiao Zhi and Pikachu as they flew toward Pingdie Town.

An hour later, Dragonite successfully landed in the farm.

Xiao Zhi immediately happily took the Poké Balls of Donphan and Croconaw to find his partner and announce the good news.

Meanwhile, Luo Mu was intercepted by Regice, who had rarely left the ice cellar, and was led inside.

Of course.

Regice did not take Luo Mu to the ice cellar with the intention of turning him into a human popsicle.

But rather—

The Alolan Sandslash couple's Pokémon Egg was already on the verge of hatching.

To be honest, Luo Mu knew little about preparing for the delivery of Ice-type Pokémon; the reason Regice had sought him out was to have him act as a mediator and lubricant for their relations.

The experienced Abomasnow couple wished to offer some suitable advice to the Sandslash couple.

But the current Sandslash couple was in a state of extreme nervousness, not yet trusting the Abomasnow couple, who had arrived at the farm less than a month ago, to that degree.

After all, this was a habit from their time as semi-wild Pokémon, and Luo Mu found it difficult to forcibly correct, so he went directly with Regice to the ice cellar.

Upon seeing Luo Mu's arrival, not only did the Abomasnow couple visibly relax, but the Sandslash couple did as well.

Towards Luo Mu, they all held immense trust.

Luo Mu had brought them a life they once found hard to even imagine; these things, they had neither ignored nor forgotten.

With that, the following matters became easy to handle.

With Luo Mu's intervention, the atmosphere between both parties was no longer tense and confrontational.

Following the Abomasnow couple's advice, the Sandslash couple adjusted the environment, striving to provide the safest and most comfortable surroundings for the new life about to be born from the constantly flickering Pokémon Egg.

It was approximately three o'clock in the afternoon.

The light flickering from the Pokémon Egg finally reached its limit; in an instant, brilliance erupted, and a new life arrived in this gentle world.

Above ground, many Pokémon on the farm, as if sensing something, simultaneously looked toward the direction of the ice cellar.

Just as the newborn Sandshrew was about to let out its first cry, likely due to excessive excitement, several Pokémon present simultaneously uttered cries of surprise and joy.

These cries happened to completely drown out the Sandshrew's first sound.

This left Luo Mu, who was taking photos while simultaneously recording video and audio, utterly dumbfounded.

No way.

What exactly did the Sandshrew say!? (End of Chapter)