Chapter 534: The Mareep Ranch and Wool

"This is a Skarmory—"

With a face full of shock, Sasha covered her mouth, her gaze darting back and forth between the Skarmory and Luo Mu.

The Skarmory, clad in jet-black armor capable of reflecting light, stood in stark contrast to the snow-white world around it, representing the extreme of an entirely different color!

Black and white; whichever met the other was incredibly conspicuous.

Moreover, Sasha realized that just moments ago, Luo Mu had summoned these Skarmory down with nothing more than a single whistle!

This meant the rumors circulating in town were true! "In the neighboring Pingdie Town, there is a farm so lavish it uses Skarmory to deliver goods."

She had heard such rumors more than once, yet now she was witnessing their truth with her own eyes.

"So cool."

Gazing at these Skarmory, Sasha felt immensely envious.

After all, even though Skarmory themselves are not a species of Pokémon that fears the cold, to ensure their flock has sufficient food sources, they would still choose to migrate to warmer, resource-rich places before winter arrives, only flying back when spring comes the following year.

It seems Miss Joy was right; since there are abundant supplies allowing these Skarmory to live in this icy, snowy environment, it implies that Luo Mu has the ability to resolve the crisis currently facing her family's ranch.

Watching those Skarmory skillfully grab the eco-baskets filled with supplies and soar into the sky, waiting for their side to depart.

After spacing out for a moment, Sasha's movements became even more agile, and before long, she and Luo Mu had loaded the supplies onto the bed of the pickup truck.

It was only when Luo Mu, at Sasha's invitation, took the passenger seat and two Eevees wearing scarves jumped into the truck one after another that she noticed their presence.

"It's an Eevee; so cute, and one of them has a different color too!"

Even though she had been helping at the ranch since childhood, possessing more experience and a steadier personality than her peers, Sasha, as a girl, still greatly loved such cute things.

She grew increasingly envious of Luo Mu; in the past, she had also wanted to raise an Eevee, but her father had shut her down with, "Rather than raising an Eevee, you should raise the Mareep within the ranch."

"These two are twin sisters; the brown one is the older sister, and the silver-white one is the younger sister."

Seeing that Sasha genuinely liked the Eevee sisters, Luo Mu simply gave her a brief introduction.

Then, he patted the Volcarona in his arms and introduced it as well.

"Also, this is a Volcarona; holding it feels very warm."

Twin sister Eevees, with one being shiny, plus a Volcarona!

Sasha felt she couldn't even light a fire properly; glancing at the Volcarona looking over here, she forced a strained smile at the corner of her mouth, "It's actually a Volcarona? I thought it was just a plush pillow."

The rumbling sound of the engine reached her ears, and for a moment, Sasha felt that even her beloved pickup truck had lost its charm.

Shiny twin sister Eevees, and an adorable Volcarona! Darn it, I'm so jealous.

To prevent herself from overthinking, Sasha simply stepped on the accelerator, driving the pickup truck toward Sheep Town.

As for the Skarmory in the sky, they needed no signal from Luo Mu and consciously followed the pickup truck, forming a peculiar sight.

Along the way, they even drew the attentive gazes of many people from other farms and ranches.

Sheep Town was not far from Pingdie Town; considered a neighboring town, the drive took roughly one hour.

Sitting in the pickup truck, with nothing to do but hug the Volcarona and pet the Eevee sisters, Luo Mu recalled the cause of this operation.

Due to the weather growing increasingly cold, the Oranguru had early on proposed the idea of preparing some cold-weather clothing for the Pokémon on the farm that were not cold-resistant.

When mentioning cold protection, it invariably referred to clothing such as sweaters or down jackets.

Just as Luo Mu was pondering which channel to source goods from, Joy Lin, who routinely gave him lessons in the afternoons, mentioned a town where one of her distant cousins worked, which might have the supplies Luo Mu needed.

However, the other party currently only accepted barter transactions.

Naturally, Luo Mu would not let this opportunity slip, so he inquired in detail about the relevant matters.

As its name suggests, Sheep Town was a place where most households operated ranches, jointly raising the Pokémon known as Mareep.

The town's primary source of income was selling Mareep wool.

Regarding Mareep wool, Luo Mu had long heard of its fame.

Clothing made from this fluffy and soft wool was not only comfortable to wear but also possessed the miraculous effect of being warm in winter and cool in summer.

Therefore, Mareep wool was extremely suitable for making clothing.

Furthermore, as long as this species of Pokémon received adequate nutrition, their body hair would continuously grow longer; even if all their wool was sheared off in summer, it would take only a week to return to its original state.

It could be said that Mareep were essentially walking wool-producing machines.

Because the yield was high, although Mareep wool had excellent effects, it could not be said to command a high price.

Even so, the lives of the townspeople in all of Sheep Town, while not particularly wealthy, were at least free from worry about food and clothing.

Sasha's family Mareep ranch was one of them.

However, unforeseen events can strike at any time.

Due to an accident not long ago, various supplies Sasha's family ranch had prepared for winter, including food prepared for the Mareep, had all vanished without a trace.

After an investigation by the police station in Sheep Town, the culprit was identified as wild Pokémon.

Setting aside whether or not the wild Pokémon, who had run off who-knows-where, could be made to return the supplies, Sasha's family could not just sit idly by and watch the Mareep in the ranch consume their remaining stores and go hungry without doing anything.

But now that winter had arrived, it was already very difficult to gather sufficient quantities of supplies, and prices had more or less increased compared to before winter.

Even if they bought enough supplies, it was certain that the ranch would have worked for nothing this year.

Although the police station and the town mayor had provided their ranch with some support supplies, that was merely a drop in the bucket, only enough to quench thirst momentarily.

Finally, with no other options, Sasha's family tried to use "Mareep wool from before winter" to conduct a barter trade in exchange for supplies.

To stay warm, Mareep would often experience a period of rapid wool growth before winter arrived.

The wool during this time was both fluffy and warm, qualifying as one of the super warm clothing materials limited to the winter season.

Although waiting another month would allow this wool to fetch a better price.

After consideration, Sasha's family still felt that the Mareep were most important and chose to use this wool for barter trade.

And Luo Mu's target was also this wool.

Compared to the tough wool of the Wooloo, which was extremely rare in the Paldea region, this type of Mareep wool better fit his needs.

Coincidentally, the one thing the farm currently lacked least was supplies.

With Regice, that legendary Pokémon capable of natural refrigeration, Luo Mu, who suffered from no small fear of supply shortages, had stockpiled quite a bit of provisions.

Adding in some common specialty products from the farm, Luo Mu felt it was entirely acceptable to use them to exchange for Mareep wool before winter set in.

After discussing matters with Oranguru and Calyrex, Luo Mu made the final decision; he contacted Nurse Joy of Wool Town through Nurse Joy Rin, then got in touch with Sasha's family, finally expressing his desire for a barter trade.

The reason Luo Mu personally brought the supplies was his intention to complete the transaction while also touching the wool with his own hands to verify its quality; although Oranguru had confirmed the "samples" sent by the other party were of excellent quality, Luo Mu felt he needed to follow up personally to be at ease.

For this purpose, he had even specifically asked Oranguru to teach him how to distinguish between good and bad wool quality.

After an hour-long drive, the outline of Wool Town finally appeared before the drowsy Luo Mu.

"Eevee-bu-yi!"

The Eevee sisters instantly became lively, scrambling over one another to climb onto Luo Mu's shoulders and gaze at the distant town.

It was their first time arriving at this place by riding in a vehicle!

Everything seemed incredibly novel to them.

Compared to Pingdie Town, which was small in name but actually decent in scale, Wool Town did not have many buildings; Luo Mu estimated there were probably around a hundred households.

Although the population was small, Wool Town covered a vast area; behind the single-family homes featuring the architectural style of the Paldea region lay pastures enclosed by fences.

However, no traces of green grass could be seen in the pastures anymore; only thick piles of accumulated snow remained there.

Passing by certain households, dog-like Pokémon such as Fidough, Dachsbun, or Rockruff would often rush out, bark symbolically a few times at the pickup truck driven by Sasha, and then quickly scurry back into their warm little dens.

Luo Mu thought these dog-type Pokémon were likely raised by Wool Town residents to guard their homes or specifically to herd sheep.

Rather than the passing pickup truck, it was the Corviknights carrying the cargo that attracted considerable attention from the residents.

Sasha politely answered the townsfolk who asked, explaining that these Corviknights were transporting goods for the barter trade.

Seeing the surprised expressions on the faces of the uncles and aunties upon hearing this answer, Sasha felt a hint of secret delight.

Now she wasn't the only one shocked, hehe.

Sasha's home and pasture were located on the edge of Wool Town; after driving for quite a while upon entering the town, they finally arrived.

Sasha's parents had been standing in the cold wind waiting for quite some time.

After greeting Luo Mu, their first question was inevitably about the origins of the Corviknights following behind him.

Sasha could only patiently explain the situation to her parents once again.

Upon hearing this, Sasha's father, Zeru, displayed an expression of sudden realization and eagerly invited Luo Mu to come inside immediately for a cup of hot tea, after which he would take Luo Mu to the warehouse to inspect the wool.

Luo Mu smiled, politely declining Zeru's invitation, and showed the Volcarona cradled in his arms, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, but in truth, I do not feel cold."

Since Luo Mu had said so, Zeru naturally did not insist, instead following Luo Mu's lead by saying, "In that case, let us go to the warehouse first."

Immediately after, he turned to his wife, whispering instructions for her to remember to bring hot tea and teacups directly to the warehouse once she finished receiving the supplies from those Corviknights.

Judging by the supplies held by that flock of Corviknights, Zeru knew that as long as the transaction went smoothly, the difficulties for the recent period would be overcome.

For a major client like Luo Mu, who provided aid in times of need, he himself might go without hot tea, but his family could not fail to prepare it.

After repeated urging, Zeru led Luo Mu around Sasha's house, entering the scope of their family pasture through a fenced entrance on the other side.

At a glance, Luo Mu estimated that the size of Sasha's family pasture was roughly equivalent to Kiawe's pasture in the Sun and Moon anime.

Although light snow was falling outside, a flock of Mareep clad in thick wool wandered through the snow, occasionally lowering their heads to nudge at the accumulation, attempting to find grass roots hidden beneath the snow.

It was evident that they were indeed showing signs of hunger.

Noticing Luo Mu's gaze, Zeru offered an embarrassed smile and explained, "Just in case, we have had to reduce the food provided to the Mareep and others over the past few days; fortunately, you have arrived, so now they will not have to go hungry."

"It's nothing; it is merely a mutual exchange between us."

Luo Mu remained noncommittal on the matter.

To him, he could not claim to have helped Zeru's family; both parties were simply conducting an ordinary transaction, each taking what they needed.

He needed wool, and Zeru's family needed supplies; their interests aligned perfectly.

At this moment, the Eevee sisters, who were drawing plum blossoms on the snowy ground, seemed to discover something; after bidding farewell to Luo Mu, they happily ran over in that direction.

Luo Mu looked over and discovered that among the flock of Mareep, several pink figures were faintly visible.

Of course, those were not shiny Mareep, but rather Flaaffy, the evolved form of Mareep.

Unlike Mareep, many parts of Flaaffy's body had become completely bald, thus exposing their pink skin.

By the time they evolved again into Ampharos, they would not have a single hair left on their bodies, only regrowing some after Mega Evolution.

Once bald, they could no longer produce wool; managing these Flaaffy and Ampharos that could no longer generate value was a headache for many pastures.

Abandonment was certainly out of the question; whether gifting them to passing Trainers or letting them change professions to provide electricity for the pasture, solutions were always more numerous than difficulties.

The fact that this pasture still retained quite a few Flaaffy surprised Luo Mu slightly.

"They are Mareep that Sasha cared for since childhood and later evolved; we have developed some affection for them, so keeping them at the pasture causes no trouble."

Zeru, who had no objection to the Eevee sisters playing within the pasture, explained the origins of the Flaaffy.

Then, the two of them walked all the way to the warehouse where the wool was stored.

Mareep had very little body odor, so their wool did not carry the strong smell typical of ordinary sheep wool.

Luo Mu casually grabbed a handful of wool inside the warehouse, carefully observing its luster and color under the light, rubbing the wool between his fingertips to feel its elasticity and texture.

The Volcarona also curiously played with a clump of wool, its eyes full of interest.

A moment later, Luo Mu, having exhausted his amateur skills, displayed a satisfied smile and said, "The quality is very good."

"It is best that you are satisfied."

Zeru responded with an even more sincere smile.

"By the way, perhaps I am being too nosy, but regarding the intended use of this wool—"

"Most of it will be made into clothing to keep the farm's Pokémon warm, while a small portion is intended to be crafted into some decorative items."

This was no secret, so Luo Mu answered directly.

Upon hearing this, Zeru's eyes lit up, and he asked, "In that case, have you contacted a factory to process the wool?"

"If you do not mind, I know a few reliable processors and can provide you with their contact information."

What Luo Mu purchased was merely "Yang Mao De Pin" as raw material; to turn it into various garments and textiles, detailed processing was still required.

Judging by Luo Mu's demeanor, this was likely his first time buying such a large quantity of raw materials, so Zelu, who had been selling wool for decades, naturally intended to provide the best possible service.

Setting aside this current barter transaction, as long as Luo Mu was satisfied with the quality of the wool, he might just have secured another major client for his own ranch.

(End of Chapter)