Chapter 52: Observations in Borb City

Although Mini Dragon was everywhere in the big pot lake in the game, in this Paldea region, Dragonite as an ultra-rare Pokémon was incredibly eye-catching.

Luo Mu, who had once been chased by passersby demanding photos with Dragonite, chose to avoid this trouble at its source.

Water Sprout was also uncommon in Paldea, but rampant in Johto; though it had Huitoulv , it wasn’t high.

Since there was still time before the agreed noon, Luo Mu wandered through Borb City with Water Sprout.

It was rare to visit another city—perhaps he could find something suitable to buy and take back.

Borb City was divided into three tiers, connected by massive elevators, and its pleasant environment attracted many tourists.

Thus, the elevators were often packed, requiring long queues to board.

Luo Mu had already landed Dragonite near the second tier in the wild, so he didn’t need to squeeze into the elevators.

As he passed by, he still glanced inside the elevator—still a long line of people, and just looking made him feel suffocated.

Yet among the tourists, one person stood out.

From behind, the person seemed to wear a white chef’s uniform—probably a chef from some restaurant in Borb City, where the culinary industry was highly developed.

But the most striking feature was the person’s pure golden hair; such a vivid gold was rare in Paldea—was this person an immigrant from another region?

A flash of insight crossed Luo Mu’s mind, but he just barely missed grasping it.

Without further thought, Luo Mu put the matter out of his mind and decided to take Water Sprout to visit the nearby famous antique market!

With the system on his side, maybe he could become a treasure-hunting master and strike it rich overnight?

“Customer, you have excellent taste—this is a royal chamber pot once used by the royal family of the Paldean Empire, two thousand years ago, with extremely high collectible value!”

“Seeing you’re a connoisseur, I’ll make a big sacrifice and make friends with you—how about this price?”

The middle-aged vendor, with a single-line mustache, beamed and held up three fingers, his face radiating “if you buy this, you’ve won.”

Luo Mu, having shopped for a while, knew exactly what the vendor’s “three” meant.

30,000 Alliance Coins.

Why don’t you just rob a bank?!

And the thought that this thing might be a chamber pot made Luo Mu’s hand tremble slightly as he held the “antique.”

Luo Mu asked in his mind: “Is this real or fake?”

【Ding! Fake】

“Of course...” Luo Mu released a barely perceptible sigh of relief—thankfully it wasn’t a real used chamber pot, or he’d rather die; he’d have Water Sprout use Water Gun to scrub his hands raw.

The vendor had been watching Luo Mu’s expressions and movements, rapidly judging whether this customer was worth fleecing.

First, the Pokémon accompanying this young man was Water Sprout, native to Johto, far from Paldea.

Though Water Sprout existed sporadically in Paldea, the vendor assumed this boy was a tourist—perfect to fleece.

Just as the vendor prepared to press harder to land this “naive” tourist, Luo Mu gently placed the “chamber pot” back on the stall, said “I’ll look at other stalls,” and turned away.

Water Sprout glanced at the bewildered vendor, sensed ill intent, made a face at him, then trotted after Luo Mu.

“Huh...?”

The vendor stood frozen, disbelief rising in his chest.

This customer didn’t even haggle—he just left.

Was it because he’d bought the old man’s chamber pot for 30 Alliance Coins, aged it slightly, and raised the price a bit?

Should’ve charged less—I’ll tell the next customer it’s 20,000 Alliance Coins.

Luo Mu, walking away, had no idea how dark the vendor’s heart was—he merely muttered in his mind: “How long have we been wandering?”

He’d hoped to find a hidden gem like a novel protagonist, but after all that walking, he’d only touched a chamber pot.

He found a secluded corner, his hands still feeling grimy from the “chamber pot,” crouched down, and had Water Sprout use Water Gun to wash them.

As he washed, Luo Mu complained: “There’s probably not a single real item sold in this antique market!”

【Behind you, fifty meters, an antique shop is selling a chipped teapot】

Luo Mu: “?”

His hand froze mid-wash—he turned to see, extending from the corner, a clearly visible antique shop.

What a coincidence?

A chipped teapot—he remembered it was the item needed for Ghost-type Pokémon Lamentea (authentic) to evolve into Dreadpot (authentic). Due to collectors, authentic teapots cost far more than fakes.

But both types brewed rich, fragrant tea; the authentic one was merely slightly superior in flavor.

He dried his hands, pulled out his phone, searched the prices of chipped and cracked teapots, and blurted out: “Holy shit.”

Cracked teapot: 7,500 Alliance Coins (estimated)

Chipped teapot: 150,000 Alliance Coins (estimated)

A twenty-fold difference—have people gone mad?

After a moment’s hesitation, Luo Mu rubbed his hands together like a beggar, picked up Water Sprout, and whispered in its ear.

“Oo-lu-lu!”

Water Sprout nodded thoughtfully, declared confidently to Luo Mu: “Leave it to me!”

Seeing Water Sprout so reliable, Luo Mu could barely contain his grin.

“Woo-hoo!”

In and out of the antique shop took barely ten minutes—Luo Mu pretended indifference, letting Water Sprout carry the small wooden box containing the teapot out of the store.

Only when they were far enough away did Luo Mu, heart pounding, take the wooden box from Water Sprout.

This was a 150,000 Alliance Coin treasure—he had to guard it carefully!

Luo Mu hugged the wooden box, crouched down, and praised Water Sprout, patting its head: “Thanks to you, we pulled this off so smoothly.”

“Oo-lu-lu!”

Water Sprout puffed out its chest, beaming with pride.

Their plan was simple: enter the shop, insist Water Sprout wanted the teapot the shopkeeper thought was cracked—the chipped one.

Everything went perfectly; Water Sprout’s acting was superb, and Luo Mu bought the chipped teapot for just 7,600 Alliance Coins.

“Just this one find made today’s trip to Borb City worth it.” Luo Mu smiled, checked the time, and murmured: “Time’s about right—I should head to Master Haidai’s Chinese restaurant.”