Chapter 348: Mission

Xiao Zhao listened attentively, subconsciously counting on his fingers, his brow slightly furrowed; after a moment his eyes widened, he looked up at Bin Lian, his tone full of doubt: "Eleven plus six… that only makes seventeen stone tablets, still missing the final one. Where did the remaining one go?"

Bin Lian heard that, gently shook his head, his tone tinged with helplessness: "I don't know. In the scriptures of the Snow Peak Temple there is no record of the final stone tablet—not a single word, as if it vanished into thin air."

"Ah…" Xiao Zhao couldn't help but let out a low sigh, his face full of disappointment.

Huo La didn't dwell on the missing tablet; he immediately looked at Bin Lian, his voice calm as he urged: "Field Master Bin Lian, no need to worry about that one; please continue telling us the whereabouts of the remaining tablets."

Bin Lian glanced at Huo La, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes—clearly admiring Huo La's steady composure that doesn't cling to emptiness—then continued: "Among the six tablets, the Ice Pillar Stone Tablet is already in my possession; more precisely, it's in the hands of the Snow Rock King Ice Rock Monster. How to obtain it needs no further explanation, right?"

Huo La's eyes brightened slightly, and he nodded at once; the Snow Rock King Ice Rock Monster was indeed one of his core objectives in coming to Chunbai Dongtu.

"Don't worry, the Ice Rock Monster cannot fly; it dwells year‑round in the dense ice layers, hibernating, and its temperament isn't violent. If you go to its habitat, you can deal with it; obtaining the tablet isn't hard." Seeing this, Bin Lian thoughtfully explained the Ice Rock Monster's habits to Huo La, sparing him extra investigation.

Huo La nodded again.

"The other five tablets—one of them lies in a cave at the center of Heart-Equal Lake, exactly the one I just mentioned, the one jointly held by those three Legendary Pokémon. But that cave… I've lived this long and have never opened it in my memory; ordinary people simply can't get in."

"Heart-Equal Lake cave…" Huo La's mind raced through fragmented memories, and he couldn't help murmuring softly, slowly uttering three names: "God of Wisdom—You Ke Xi; God of Emotion—Ai Mu Li Duo; God of Will—Ya Ke Nuo Mu."

"Huh? What?" Shan Kui didn't catch Huo La's muttering, leaned over puzzled; Xiao Zhao and Bin Lian also turned to look, curiosity in their eyes as well.

Huo La regained his composure, gave no concealment, and slowly began to explain: "In later records, Heart-Equal Lake still exists, and the cave at its center has already been opened. It is said that three Pokémon of the Psychic Realm, personally created by Arceus, reside there—a trinity, each fulfilling its role, representing wisdom, emotion, and will respectively. It is these that grant humans and Pokémon the wisdom to think, the empathy to feel, and the resolve to persevere."

The three, upon hearing, suddenly understood and all nodded in agreement.

"That makes sense, no wonder the scriptures note they never separate and guard a single stone tablet together," Bin Lian mused, then steered the conversation back, continuing to detail the clues for the remaining tablets: "Another four tablets—one lies in the perilous forest of the Obsidian Fieldlands; the specific Pokémon King that holds it isn't detailed in the scriptures, and I'm not sure either."

"One tablet is held by a Pokémon deep within the Volcano Depth, but that Pokémon stays dormant in the volcano's interior year‑round, rarely showing itself; locating it is quite difficult."

"One tablet is linked to the moon; its exact habitat and guardian Pokémon are likewise not recorded in detail."

"The final tablet is in the hands of that Ancient Tribe I mentioned, but that tribe has been reclusive for many years; their whereabouts are hard to trace, so seeking them would be rather difficult."

Huo La listened quietly, bowed his head to ponder for a moment, and realized that Bin Lian's information corresponded with the clues Wang Luo had originally provided; the two sources corroborated each other, and the route became clear.

He lifted his gaze to Bin Lian, his tone steady and with a hint of certainty, and said: "Field Master Bin Lian, the tablet of the Ancient Tribe I spoke of—I have already obtained it from Wu Si; the moon‑related tablet—I have also successfully acquired it from Ke Lei Se Li Ya."

"So now the only tablets I still need to find are those in the Heart-Equal Lake cave, the Volcano Depth, and the perilous forest of the Obsidian Fieldlands, plus the Ice Pillar Stone Tablet held by the Snow Rock King Ice Rock Monster—a total of four."

"So then…" Bin Lian rose slowly, raised his hand and gently patted Huo La's shoulder, his voice carrying a touch of reassurance, "You've been toiling until late night; you and Xiao Zhao should rest well, regain your strength. Tomorrow at dawn I'll take you to find the Snow Rock King Ice Rock Monster."

As his words faded, he turned to Shan Kui beside him, his tone deepening a few degrees: "Shan Kui, come with me for a moment; I have something to tell you."

Shan Kui pursed her lips, muttering unwillingly, "What's the deal, all secretive…," she complained aloud, yet she slowly rose, gathered her hem, and followed Bin Lian out of the warm room; the cold wind outside instantly wrapped the air in chill, making her shiver slightly.

Reaching the ice pillar not far from the house, after confirming that those inside couldn't hear, Shan Kui turned, frowned at Bin Lian, her tone edged with irritation: "What on earth is this, dragging me out to speak? Can't we talk inside?"

Bin Lian gave her a casual glance, got straight to the point, his tone blunt: "He passed your Trial?"

"Of course." Shan Kui lifted her chin, a subtle note of approval in her voice, then sighed, her tone softening, "He even outright defeated my Super-Armor Rampaging Rhino; his strength is solid, his temperament steady, so naturally he passed."

Bin Lian nodded slightly, then asked another question, his gaze growing solemn: "How did you all end up going to the lower levels of the Snow Peak Temple? That place isn't accessible to ordinary people."

Mentioning this, Shan Kui's casual demeanor vanished entirely, her tone gaining solemnity: "He heard a voice coming from deep within the temple—it was Regigigas calling him; otherwise we wouldn't have rashly descended."

"Is that so…" Bin Lian murmured softly, a hint of relief flashing in his eyes, along with a generational sigh, "So if he truly gathers all the tablets and successfully opens the stone gate to see Regigigas, the mission our ancestors have guarded at the Snow Peak Temple for generations could finally end."

"Indeed." Shan Kui also sighed, looking up toward the snow‑covered silhouette of the temple in the distance, her gaze complex, "We've guarded it for so many years; never imagined this mission that's lasted countless generations would end in our generation."

"Regardless, since Regigigas personally chose him, we'll give him our full support to help him gather the tablets quickly." Bin Lian's tone was firm; after speaking he turned to Shan Kui, reminding her, "You should hurry back to your camp and retrieve the tablet from the Warrior Eagle King's grasp."

Shan Kui paused, a bit puzzled: "Is it really that urgent? I was thinking of waiting until the Ice Rock Monster is dealt with before going for it."

"Urgent?" Bin Lian chuckled lowly, "Once the Snow Rock King Ice Rock Monster matter is settled and we have the Ice Pillar Stone Tablet, one of us must go with him, set out together, and find the remaining tablets as quickly as possible—no delays."