Chapter 269: Wang Luo's News

When Huo La opened his eyes again, the first thing he saw was the familiar wooden‑beam ceiling of his own room in Zhuqing Village, with a soft animal‑skin blanket covering him; evidently, after his unconsciousness, Gangshi had deliberately brought him back here.

He tried to prop himself up to sit, but a dense, throbbing ache spread through his whole body, as if his bones had been taken apart and reassembled, and even the strength to lift his hand was nearly gone.

"Awake," a voice neither salty nor sweet suddenly rang in the room, carrying its usual coolness.

Huo La's heart startled, and he snapped his head toward the source of the voice. Sitting on the wooden chair by the table was a person whose yellow hair, usually neatly bound by a hat, now fell over his shoulders—Wang Luo.

He held a steaming cup of tea in his hand, his fingertips resting on the rim, looking at him with a half‑smile, half‑grimace.

"How did you get into my house?" Huo La gritted his teeth, forced himself to sit up on the bedside, and as his back pressed against the headboard, pain made him gasp a cold breath.

Wang Luo set the tea cup down, the porcelain cup striking the wooden table with a crisp, light sound. He lifted his eyes to Huo La, his eyebrows slightly raised: "Why am I at your place? That's a good question."

He didn't answer immediately, but stared steadily at Huo La, his gaze carrying a hint of inquiry. After a moment, he slowly spoke, his tone adding an imperceptible weight: "Do you know how long you've been unconscious this time?"

Huo La rubbed his swollen temples, the lingering sting of energy absorption still in his mind, and tentatively probed: "Two days?"

"Two days?" Wang Luo scoffed, then slowly rose and stepped toward Huo La's bedside.

His steps were light, yet carried an inexplicable Intimidation, "It's seven days! Huo La, you've been unconscious for a full seven days and nights."

"Seven days?!" Huo La's eyes widened abruptly, the color draining from his face instantly.

He had thought it would be at most a day or two of sleep, never expecting it to last so long; no wonder his whole body ached as if it had fallen apart.

"Alright, now that you're awake, let's discuss serious matters," Wang Luo leaned forward, his gaze locked onto Huo La's eyes, his tone shedding some casualness and gaining weight.

Huo La forced his aching body upright, meeting his stare, his expression tightening: "Go ahead. You can stay here alone; it seems the Galaxy Team is rather trusting of you."

"Heh heh," Wang Luo twitched the corner of his mouth, letting out two dry laughs, a barely perceptible hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.

The Galaxy Team only reluctantly allowed him to meet Huo La alone; it wasn't trust, merely a favor to Chairman Yin Ren of the Ginkgo Guild, plus his repeated guarantees, even revealing parts of his private dealings with Huo La, to secure this one‑on‑one chance.

He gathered his thoughts and went straight to the point: "Let's talk business. During the seven days you were unconscious, the remaining Pokémon Kings within the jurisdictions of the Pearl Team and the Diamond Team have shown, to varying degrees, signs of energy turbulence, similar to the earlier situations with the Axe Mantis King and the Mysterious Antler Deer King. Zhu Bei and Gangshi have been coming to Zhuqing Village daily to probe for news about you, but since you've remained unconscious, they've had to grit their teeth and try to suppress the situation themselves, with results likely far from satisfactory."

"All of them have problems..." Huo La's gaze darkened, his fingertips absent‑mindedly rubbing his palm, and he let out a soft sigh, "I had some foreknowledge of this, more or less."

Wang Luo was unsurprised, merely nodding lightly: "So now you're awake, the news spreads, and Gangshi and Zhu Bei will probably rush over to find you before long."

"That bit of news doesn't warrant you staying here waiting for me to wake," Huo La raised an eyebrow, his tone probing, "Tell me something else; you came specially, surely not just to deliver news."

Wang Luo's eyes flashed with a hint of approval, clearly having anticipated his insight: "I was just giving you a heads‑up. I deliberately waited here for you because there's something I must tell you in person."

Huo La's heart stirred, and he instantly guessed the key: "Is it about the whereabouts of the remaining Stone Tablet...?"

"Hmm," Wang Luo nodded slowly, his gaze sweeping over Huo La's pallid complexion and fatigue‑laden expression, his tone adding a hint of hesitation, "But given your current severely depleted vitality, even if I told you, you'd likely lack the strength to set out."

Huo La lowered his eyes, pondered briefly, then lifted his gaze, now clear: "So these Stone Tablets are either in the hands of powerful Pokémon or hidden in extremely special perilous places, not easily obtainable."

"You're indeed perceptive," Wang Luo sincerely remarked, then turned serious, "That's right, just as you guessed. Through the Ginkgo Guild's channels, I've traced the whereabouts of three Stone Tablets—the Rock Plate, the Steel Stone Board, and the Fairy Plate."

He paused, then added, "Only the Fairy Plate's location is fully confirmed; the other two are merely ancient legends circulating in the Hisui Region, and whether they truly exist or where they're hidden still requires you to verify personally. Moreover... both locations are inhabited by wild, powerful Pokémon Kings, whose strength shouldn't be underestimated."

"Rock, Steel, Fairy..." Huo La murmured the three keywords softly, no trace of fear in his eyes, "Whether perilous terrain or mighty beasts, I can't avoid these places. Just tell me directly, where exactly are they?"

"Fine." Wang Luo stopped prevaricating, speaking in a deep voice, "According to ancient texts passed down in Hisui and reports from Ginkgo Guild informants, the Rock Plate is a treasured relic guarded for generations by the Three Bee Tribe in a treacherous forest. That tribe dwells in the dense woods deep within Hisui; the bee population is massive, and the bee queen is exceptionally ferocious, guarding its territory and the treasure with extreme severity."

"As for the Steel Stone Board," he paused briefly, his tone adding a hint of mystery, "legend says it's hidden deep within the Volcano Crater near a lava battlefield, controlled by an unidentified mysterious Pokémon. That crater constantly erupts lava, the surrounding environment is harsh, ordinary Pokémon dare not approach, and no one has ever seen the true form of that mysterious Pokémon."

"Three Bee Tribe... the mysterious Pokémon of the Volcano Crater..." Huo La repeated the two pieces of information, noting them silently, then lifted his eyes, "I'll go verify. Tell me about the Fairy Plate—what's the situation?"

Wang Luo smiled, his tone becoming nuanced: "The Fairy Plate, huh... Regarding the method of acquisition, it doesn't require a death‑match with a powerful Pokémon, nor does it need you to brave a dangerous secret realm. If you call it easy, it's indeed easier than the first two. But if you call it hard, it might be even more..."

A flicker of confusion crossed Huo La's eyes: "Oh?"

"Sigh," Wang Luo let out a light sigh, his tone growing heavier, "The Fairy Plate is in the hands of a woman named Wusi. Her very existence is a mystery—no one knows her origins, no one understands her strength, and no one can say whether she's friend or foe. All I discovered is that she lives in a place called the Ancient Hidden Residence; that location is extremely secluded, and even our Ginkgo Guild only knows its approximate whereabouts."