Chapter 546: Seems Like I've Become Famous

"Waaah!!!"

Luo Mu's footsteps were truly too light, and coupled with the man being completely focused on gazing into the farm, he was naturally startled, feeling as though his heart were about to leap out of his chest.

The Sirfetch'd beside him, bearing a "V"-shaped mark on its forehead and lacking the bulk of an ordinary duck, mirrored the action with perfect synchronization.

Only that plant stem of fine color remained cradled in its wing, which it used like a hand, with absolutely no risk of it falling onto the snowy ground.

Once he recovered his senses, the man, still shaken, patted his chest and said with a hint of complaint in his voice, "Really now, did you intend to scare people on purpose?"

"Kamo, kamo!"

The Sirfetch'd chimed in with a few cries of its own, but the moment the Luxray turned to look directly at it, it immediately fell silent and shrank cowardly behind the man.

"My apologies." Offering an apology that lacked sufficient sincerity, Luo Mu dragged the conversation back to the main point, "So, what are you doing here, constantly peering inside? Could it be that you're a thief?"

Luo Mu's words brought the man to a sudden realization; seemingly aware that his behavior indeed appeared somewhat sneaky, he retorted with a lack of confidence.

"I-I'm no thief!"

"I was just wondering how to find the owner of this farm without trespassing."

"Just now, I heard a few people dressed as reporters say that a vicious Houndoom frequently appears in this vicinity, with eyes that look as if it has personally devoured dozens of people!"

As he attempted to explain, the man seemed to think of something, shivered, and then looked left and right to ensure that the ferocious Houndoom had not spawned in his immediate surroundings.

Otherwise, he would have no choice but to leave the Sirfetch'd behind as an extra meal for that Houndoom so that he himself could make a run for it.

The Sirfetch'd hiding behind the man sneezed several times in succession, thinking it had caught a cold simply because its feathers weren't thick enough.

Hearing the man's explanation, Luo Mu and the Luxray exchanged a glance, their expressions somewhat strange.

It was mainly that holding back laughter was proving difficult.

Indeed.

Ever since annexing the leader of the Houndoom pack, one of the two major groups entrenched on the rear mountain—a battle-hardened Houndoom with rather fierce eyes—the area had expanded considerably, yet the surroundings of the farm had become even quieter than before.

That previous batch of reporters who attempted to sneak into the farm had also been scared shitless by the Houndoom; no matter what was said, they were unwilling to approach the farm's fence.

Usually, if the Luxray wasn't present and those two little ones, Feng Su Gou and the Twist Dog, were patrolling instead, there was a higher probability that they would personally guide others in—

Hmm, Luo Mu might hesitate slightly regarding the Twist Dog, but regarding Feng Su Gou, Luo Mu dared to guarantee it.

This fellow really acted just like a Husky usually.

Cutting off his train of thought, Luo Mu, still suppressing his laughter, asked again, "Then do you have some business with the farm owner?"

The man paused, sized Luo Mu up with some suspicion, and countered, "And who are you? Why have you been prying into these matters from the very beginning?"

"Isn't your question the strange one?"

Luo Mu walked around the man, pulled a key from his thick padded jacket, and opened the farm gate, which served merely a decorative purpose compared to the wooden fences nearby that one could easily vault over with a little effort.

Then, turning around to smile at the stunned man, he said, "Aren't you looking for me?"

"Milfy~" (Here are some refreshments, please enjoy~) The Shuang Nai Xian, adorned with blueberry decorations and styled in a milky snow-salt fashion, placed steaming hot teacups and some pastries it had made before the slightly restrained man and the Sirfetch'd, smiled as it waved to them, and then turned to leave.

Meanwhile, Luo Mu, having changed into light casual home wear, with Victini perched on his head curiously observing the Sirfetch'd's V-shaped mark and holding a Volcarona in his arms, stirred the liquid in his mug with a spoon and casually asked, "So, Mr. Doyle, what is the purpose of your special visit to the farm?"

Luo Mu's gaze swept between Doyle and the Sirfetch'd.

Doyle did not answer the question immediately; instead, he stared at the apple pie placed before him, took a deep breath as if in ecstasy, and then pointed at the apple pie to speak.

"For this."

Luo Mu raised an eyebrow.

"Apple pie?"

Doyle nodded solemnly.

"Apple pie!"

"Explain in detail."

Luo Mu nodded lightly, accepting Doyle's answer, and waited for him to elaborate on what he meant by "for the apple pie."

"While I explain, may I taste it?"

Doyle asked tentatively.

"As you wish; this was prepared to treat you."

Luo Mu naturally had no objection.

Upon hearing this.

Doyle eagerly picked up the cutlery nearby, cut off a small piece of apple pie, closed his eyes, and began to savor it.

Seeing his ecstatic expression, anyone unaware might think he was eating something unsavory; the Sirfetch'd's reaction was much the same as Doyle's.

"Yes, although there are differences in technique and style, it is indeed that flavor!"

After tasting a few bites, Doyle's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed excitedly in a voice he could not suppress.

"Milfy!"

The Shuang Nai Xian, who happened to be arriving with a fresh pot of hot tea upon hearing this remark, immediately set down the teapot, placed its hands on its hips, and looked angrily at Doyle.

What did he mean there were differences in technique!? Was the apple pie it made not delicious!?

"My apologies, my apologies."

Seemingly realizing that his words were ambiguous, Doyle hurriedly apologized to the Shuang Nai Xian.

However, in one aspect, he was quite stubborn.

"The apple pie you made is indeed quite delicious, but there objectively exists a gap in style and craftsmanship compared to Chairman Zhi Mi."

Doyle spoke bluntly.

At this, the Shuang Nai Xian made no further sound.

It remembered the person named Zhi Mi; not long ago, before the snow had fallen, he had prepared a grand meal within the farm, and the Zuo De Tian Pin he had produced, which it had also tasted, was indeed slightly superior to its own.

"Zhi Mi?"

Luo Mu murmured this name and looked toward Doyle.

"Do you know Chairman Zhi Mi?"

"Not really; I'm just an ordinary diner captivated by Master Zhi Mi's gourmet cuisine."

Doyle gave a wry smile, shook his head, rummaged in his backpack, and pulled out several photographs without a single crease or fold, handing them to Luo Mu.

Luo Mu took the photos and flipped through them; seeing the restaurant's rather stylish decor in the pictures, he suddenly realized and said, "Chairman Zhi Mi's restaurant?"

"Mm." Doyle nodded lightly, took the photos back from Luo Mu's hands, his gaze drifting slightly vacant, "It was on a snowy night; news spread among us diners that Chef Zhi Mi, who had been missing for nearly a month, was reopening his shop, and I happened to have reserved a table for the very day the restaurant reopened."

"Stop!"

Seeing that Doyle was about to start his story from the Big Bang of the universe, Luo Mu hurriedly interrupted his wandering train of thought.

"Get to the point."

"Oh." Doyle nodded, honestly laying out the entire reason why he had run all the way to the farm.

He was born in a rural town in the Kalos region, into a family that never worried about food or drink.

The work in their family was also very simple: growing leeks.

Delicious leeks could serve as garnish for many dishes; those lucky enough to undergo mutation could even be sold at high prices as items to the neighboring Galar region, and occasionally, the bottom root stalks of the leeks had a chance to transform into the rare item "Big Root."

This was the foundation of Doyle's family's security against hunger and thirst.

Doyle himself lacked the talent to become a Trainer; after partnering with the Farfetch'd his family had prepared for him as his starter Pokémon, his only hobby in life became tasting various gourmet foods, with the goal of becoming a renowned gourmet critic.

Having eaten once at Chairman Zhi Mi's restaurant a year prior, he had already made an advance reservation, hoping to taste the food again.

As the reserved time approached, the other party suddenly closed down; at the time, he thought his reservation was unfortunately going to be voided, but in the end, he unexpectedly became one of the first lucky ones to taste the new menu after Chairman Zhi's restaurant reopened.

This tasting experience was beyond what Doyle and his Farfetch'd could describe with words; they only felt that if they could eat such delicious cuisine once more in their lifetimes, they would die with no regrets.

That was truly a feast for the taste buds woven from top-tier skills and ingredients.

Doyle clearly remembered just how massive a sensation that single feast for the taste buds had caused at the time.

Countless media outlets across the Kalos region competed to report on the "Mega Evolution" of Chairman Zhi's restaurant; since then, the reputation of Chairman Zhi's restaurant fermented further, with reservations already booked out five or six years in advance! Gourmet critics from all over the world, vying for a dining slot in the near future, had even begun attempting to purchase slots at high prices.

At the time, Doyle felt quite regretful; if only he had made a reservation immediately after tasting, perhaps he would have been able to taste such delicious cuisine again within a year.

This terrifying speed of progress sparked considerable discussion in a short period, because Chairman Zhi's restaurant menu would detail the sourcing location for every single ingredient and spice.

It was only after many gourmet critics took out some of Chairman Zhi's restaurant's past menus and compared them with the current menu that they discovered the anomaly.

Just like the raw materials for the apple pie served as a "dessert": no longer were apples from Kalos's largest orchard selected, nor were the specially selected Kitakami apples, traditionally known as the "King of Apples."

Instead, they came from an obscure "Luo Mu Farm" in the Paldea region.

After discovering this difference, many people carefully browsed the menu again and, aside from dishes with changed styles, found that the raw materials for quite a few dishes had been swapped, all originating from this very farm.

Chairman Zhi even stated publicly that the apple raw materials now used in his restaurant were superior and more delicious than the "specially selected Kitakami apples."

It could be said that this obscure farm became thoroughly famous from that moment on.

Well-informed Doyle also dug out the menu he had kept as a souvenir from Chairman Zhi's restaurant; comparing it with the old menu, sure enough, he also discovered the differences.

Deciding to go all in, he simply bought a ticket for the earliest flight and flew straight to the Paldea region.

After wandering around for several days, he got lucky and passed by a dessert shop named Patisserie Lei Mu, where he learned the specific location from the young lady who was the shop manager, ultimately finding his way here.

And Doyle had only one request.

He wanted to personally taste the apples that Chairman Zhi claimed were even more delicious than the "specially selected Kitakami apples."

He had been fortunate enough to snatch up a box of "specially selected Kitakami apples"; the slightly sour yet sweet-aftertaste, juicy, and tender texture of the flesh had left quite a Shen Ke De Yin on him, so as long as he tasted them personally, he could determine whether Chairman Zhi's words were true or false.

"Please let me taste one apple, and I'll do anything!"

Doyle looked at Luo Mu with a face full of pleading.

Luo Mu: "."

There was really no need to be so solemn about it.

Leaving aside the fact that the farm had suddenly and inexplicably become famous.

Compared to Kitakami Village, which played the game of hunger marketing so skillfully, he had no interest in leading monkeys around, and he certainly wouldn't reject money delivered right to his door.

As long as the farm could sustain it and the Pokémon wouldn't be too exhausted, he would satisfy order requirements as much as possible.

After all, the future grand goal of building an "Ecological Dome" belonging to the farm still didn't know how much money it would burn through.

Naturally, the more funds, the better.

However, in Doyle's particular case, there was no need to charge money.

Thinking this, Luo Mu stood up directly.

His gaze landed on the Farfetch'd beside Doyle; he smiled meaningfully, making the Farfetch'd inexplicably feel as if its duck feathers were about to stand on end.

"Since you've traveled all this way, consider the apples my treat for you to taste."

"However, the apples freshly picked from the trees need to be supplied to Chairman Zhi's restaurant; the farm has a preservation cold storage; would apples stored inside be acceptable?"

"No problem!"

Doyle nodded excitedly, feeling that Luo Mu was truly a good person.

The Paldea region wasn't bad either; everyone was very kind, providing him, an outsider, with quite a lot of help.

A little while later.

Luo Mu placed several large, round red apples, their skins still bearing crystal-clear water droplets, onto a fruit platter; without cutting them, he served them directly to Doyle.

And then—

After Doyle took a bite with a solemnity akin to a pilgrimage, a reaction similar to Chairman Zhi's on that day occurred.

It was just that Doyle's reaction was far more exaggerated than Chairman Zhi's.

"Wuwawa—"

"It really is even more delicious than the specially selected Kitakami apples!"

Looking at Doyle, who was crying so hard that tears and snot were smeared all over his face, Luo Mu felt somewhat speechless for a rare change.

Although he had sensed it from the very beginning, was this person perhaps a little too emotional? With the help of a few wet wipes handed over by the Oranguru, Doyle finally managed to tidy himself up enough to be seen in public.

His emotions also stabilized, and just like the Spring Onion Duck, he puffed out his cheeks like a hamster, carefully savoring the apple in an exaggerated manner.

Perhaps anyone aspiring to become a gourmet must be like this to describe vivid tasting impressions of dishes.

Luo Mu sighed with some emotion.

After Doyle and the Spring Onion Duck finished tasting the last apple, they unsurprisingly made a new request.

"Can you sell me a crate of apples? I want to take some back for my parents to taste!"

"I will pay any price, as long as it is within my power!"

Luo Mu was not surprised by Doyle's request; it had always been this way, with many guests visiting the farm wanting to take some crops back with them before leaving, more or less.

Let alone someone like Doyle who wanted to pay money to buy them.

But just as Luo Mu had considered earlier, in Doyle's case, there was no need to charge money.

Hearing Luo Mu say he wouldn't take money, Doyle was stunned for a second, thinking Luo Mu refused to sell, and said somewhat cautiously, "Then half a crate... or even two apples would work!"

Doyle thought with pain in his heart that with only two apples, he could only give one to his parents upon returning, leaving himself and the Spring Onion Duck to share the other.

"No, the reason I'm not taking money is because there are other things I want."

Luo Mu shook his head, his gaze lingering first on the Spring Onion Duck, then meeting Doyle's eyes in mid-air.

Doyle looked at Luo Mu, confused; if he didn't want money, then what did Luo Mu want? Luo Mu had no intention of beating around the bush and stated directly, "For a crate of apples, exchange them for some spring onions and large radishes."

Doyle: Σ(д|||) (End of Chapter)