Chapter 52: Observations in Alfornada City

Although Mini Dragons were everywhere in the Great Crater Lake within the game, here in the Paldea region, a Dragonite was simply too eye-catching as an ultra-rare Pokémon.

Having previously experienced being surrounded and blocked by passersby demanding photos with his Dragonite, Luo Mu chose to avoid this trouble from the source.

While Poliwags were not common in the Paldea region either, they were extremely abundant in the Kanto region; although they drew glances, the rate was not high.

Since there was still some time before the agreed-upon noon, Luo Mu wandered around Alfornada City with his Poliwag.

Having finally made it to another city, he might as well see if there was anything suitable to buy and take back.

Alfornada City was divided into three tiers, connected by massive elevators traveling between the lower and upper levels; coupled with the city's pleasant environment, this attracted many tourists.

Therefore, the area before these elevators was often packed, requiring one to queue just to ride.

Since Luo Mu had originally landed his Dragonite in the wild near the second tier, he did not need to squeeze onto these elevators.

As he passed by, Luo Mu curiously glanced inside the elevator; a queue still stretched like a long dragon, and just looking at it felt suffocating.

However, among the crowd of tourists, one person stood out remarkably.

From the back, the individual seemed to be wearing a white chef's uniform, likely a chef from some restaurant in Alfornada City, where the culinary industry was also highly developed.

But that person's most striking feature had to be their golden-yellow hair; such pure blonde hair was quite rare in the Paldea region—were they someone who had settled here from another region?

A flash of inspiration struck Luo Mu's mind, yet he ultimately fell just short and failed to grasp it.

Without overthinking it, Luo Mu put the matter out of his mind and planned to take his Poliwag to stroll through the nearby, fairly famous antique market!

With the System at his side, perhaps he could transform into a master of finding bargains and become overnight rich?

"Customer, you have excellent taste! This is a royal-exclusive chamber pot used by the Paldean Empire's royal family 2,000 years ago; its collection value is extremely high!"

"Seeing that you, customer, are also someone who knows quality, I'll bleed a little to make a friend with you; how about this price?"

The middle-aged vendor, sporting a toothbrush mustache, spoke with animated eyebrows and danced his hands to form a "3," his face full of the expression that whoever bought this item would be gaining a profit.

Having browsed for quite some time, Luo Mu knew very well what the vendor's "3" referred to in terms of money.

30,000 League Coins.

Why don't you just go rob someone?!

Moreover, the moment he thought this thing might actually be a chamber pot, Luo Mu's hand holding this "antique" began to tremble slightly.

Luo Mu asked in his mind: "Is this thing real or fake?"

【Ding! Fake】

"As expected..." Luo Mu let out a breath with an imperceptible motion; thankfully, it wasn't a genuinely used chamber pot, otherwise he would have wanted to die, forcing his nearby Poliwag to use Water Gun to wash a layer of skin off his hands.

The vendor had been closely watching Luo Mu's expressions and movements, rapidly judging in his heart whether this person was worth swindling.

First, the Pokémon accompanying this young man was a Poliwag, a species unique to the Kanto region, which was slightly distant from the Paldea region.

Although Poliwags were scattered throughout the Paldea region as well, the vendor leaned toward the belief that this young man was a tourist visiting Alfornada City; such young people were the easiest to fleece.

Just as the vendor planned to press his advantage and secure this "naive and sweet" tourist, Luo Man gently placed the "chamber pot" back onto the vendor's stall, left a remark that he would look at other stalls, and turned to leave.

The Poliwag glanced at the completely bewildered vendor; its intuition told it that this person was up to no good, so after making a funny face at him, it followed Luo Mu's footsteps and departed.

"Ah...?"

Left behind, the vendor stood dumbfounded on the spot, an incredulous feeling rising in his heart.

This customer hadn't even haggled; they had just left like that.

Was it because he wanted to earn a bit more money, so he had artificially aged this old man's chamber pot, which he bought for 30 League Coins, and raised the price just a little?

If only I had known to earn less; when the next customer comes, I'll say 20,000 League Coins.

Luo Mu, who had turned and walked away, did not know the vendor's heart was so black; he merely complained in his mind: "Have we browsed everywhere front and back?"

He had even hoped to try picking up a bargain like a novel protagonist, yet who would have known he would browse in vain for so long only to end up with a hand full of filth.

Casually finding a secluded corner, feeling extremely uncomfortable with the hands that had touched that "chamber pot," Luo Mu squatted down and had his Poliwag use Water Gun to create a stream of water to wash his hands.

While washing his hands, Luo Mu complained: "I'm afraid there isn't even a single genuine item being sold in this antique market!"

【In an antique shop 50 meters behind you, a damaged teapot is currently for sale】

Luo Mu: "?"

His hand-washing motion stalled; Luo Mu looked behind him, only to see that extending backward from the corner, an antique shop stood prominently.

Could it be this coincidental?

A damaged teapot—he recalled it was the item required for a Ghost-type Pokémon, Polteageist (Authentic Form), to evolve into Sinistcha (Authentic Form); due to some collectors, authentic teapots were priced much higher than counterfeit ones.

However, both types of teapots could brew fragrant and rich tea; the authentic teapot was merely slightly superior in taste compared to the counterfeit one.

After wiping his hands clean, Luo Mu took out his phone to search for the prices of a damaged teapot versus a cracked teapot, upon which a "Holy crap!" slipped out of his mouth.

Cracked Teapot: 7,500 League Coins (Estimated)

Damaged Teapot: 150,000 League Coins (Estimated)

A full twenty-fold difference; have people gone mad nowadays?

Hesitating for a moment, Luo Mu rubbed his hands together like a fly, then picked up his Poliwag and whispered something into its ear.

"Wululu!"

The Poliwag nodded thoughtfully and voiced to Luo Mu that everything was left to it!

Seeing his Poliwag being so reliable, Luo Mu could barely contain his smile.

"Wuhu!"

Entering the antique shop and leaving took no more than ten minutes; Luo Mu, pretending to be indifferent, had his Poliwag carry the small wooden box containing the teapot as they exited the shop.

Only after they had moved far enough away did Luo Mu, clutching his wildly pounding little heart, take the small wooden box from his Poliwag.

Inside was a valuable item worth 150,000 League Coins; it absolutely had to be kept safely!

Luo Mu hugged the small wooden box to his chest, squatted down with an expression of praise, and patted his Poliwag's head: "Thanks to you, we were so successful."

"Wululu!"

The Poliwag straightened its chest, its face full of pride.

Their plan was simple: after entering the shop, have Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou insist on wanting that damaged teapot which the shopkeeper considered broken.

Everything went extremely smoothly; Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou's acting was superb, and Luo Mu acquired the damaged teapot for only 7,600 Alliance Coins.

"Just obtaining this one item makes today's trip to Bottle City worthwhile," said Luo Mu with a broad smile, stopping his head-patting, glancing at the time, and murmuring, "It's about time; I should go to Master Master Haidai's Chinese Restaurant to meet him."