Chapter 361: Meeting Dr. Laventon

Huo La lifted the warm tea bowl, the porcelain's heat on his fingertips barely eased a bit of the fatigue surrounding his body.

He slowly set the bowl down, his voice still hoarse, his expression still bearing lingering listlessness, and said softly, "Ah, so that means Dr. Laventon has been rescued."

The Ya Ke Nuo Mu will of trial, though it left no scar on him, drained his mind; that endless trying and repeated failure impacted his spirit far more than physical fatigue.

He raised his eyes toward Xiao Zhao beside him, his gaze still a little dazed, and asked softly, "So where are we now?"

"In the temporary base in the Obsidian Fieldlands," Xiao Zhao said with a smile, nodding, voice gentle, "It's been almost a week since I brought you here after you passed out."

"The base in the Obsidian Fieldlands?" Huo La was slightly startled, brows lightly furrowed, clearly not fully processing, fragments of before his blackout still lingering—he had entrusted Ming Yao and Shan Kui to go to the GalaxyTeamBase, then was utterly consumed by fatigue.

"That's right." Xiao Zhao explained patiently, tone with some relief, "Ming Yao left the same day as you ordered, rode nonstop to the GalaxyTeamBase, and returned by the next evening."

"He told Captain Majamu everything that happened to you during this time, as well as our trial at Heart-Equal Lake where we obtained the Stone Tablet and the CrimsonChain, and Captain Majamu, after hearing, immediately decided to set up a temporary coordination base in the Obsidian Fieldlands, using it as a foothold to find the final Pokémon King, facilitating everyone's movements."

Huo La listened quietly, his fingertips lightly tapping the table, and after a moment of contemplation, slowly nodded.

Captain Majamu's decision was thorough; the Obsidian Fieldlands are open terrain and the hidden place of the final Pokémon King, so establishing a base here truly saves a lot of travel and allows a more efficient search.

He was pondering, when the tent's curtain was gently lifted, and a particularly conspicuous figure slipped inside.

A hat of an odd style, not exactly handsome but showing a few touches of elegance, its brim slightly tilted, entered before the silhouette, followed closely by Dr. Laventon's smiling, slightly gaunt yet still spirited face.

"Huo La, you finally woke up!" Dr. Laventon, upon entering, hurried forward, his tone full of joy, his gaze scanning Huo La up and down, "I heard from Xiao Zhao that you were unconscious for several days; it really worried me, but luckily you're not seriously injured."

Huo La looked at Dr. Laventon, a faint smile gradually appearing on his face, his fatigue seeming to ease a bit: "Doctor, I'm glad you're okay; I was just too tired, a few days of rest will restore me."

"All right, all right," Dr. Laventon nodded repeatedly, his gaze lingering a moment longer on Huo La's face, confirming his complexion was poor but no serious issue; then, shifting tone, curiosity flickering in his eyes, he said softly, "By the way, Huo La, I heard from Ming Yao and Xiao Zhao that during the trial at Heart-Equal Lake you obtained a Red CrimsonChain capable of binding the Time‑Space Dual Gods; could I see it?"

Huo La, hearing that, pondered briefly, did not refuse, turned to Xiao Zhao and said softly, "Xiao Zhao, could you bring me my backpack?"

Xiao Zhao immediately nodded, hurried to the tent corner, picked up Huo La's backpack and handed it over.

Huo La took the backpack, opened the zipper, and carefully extracted the CrimsonChain—still faintly gleaming, its patterns clearly visible, cool to the touch, and a vague sense of the great power it contained could be felt.

He gently handed the chain to Dr. Laventon.

Dr. Laventon quickly extended both hands, solemnly receiving the chain, his fingertips gently tracing each pattern from top to bottom, his expression growing solemn; then he slowly nodded, saying confidently, "The material… looks the same as the Origin Ore."

"Origin Ore?" Huo La was slightly startled, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes; he had never linked the chain with Origin Ore before.

Dr. Laventon gently placed the CrimsonChain on the table, then reached behind to his coat pocket, his fingertips searching for a moment; a faint grateful smile appeared on his face as he slowly set the item beside the chain on the table.

Huo La's gaze fell on that object, his pupils suddenly contracting, his expression instantly turning grave as he blurted, "Origin Sphere!"

It was a round Pokeball that glowed with a reddish sheen, its surface swirling with incomprehensible ancient patterns, precisely the legendary Origin Sphere capable of capturing mythic Pokémon.

Dr. Laventon pulled a chair over, sat at the table, picked up the teapot, poured himself a cup of warm tea, sipped gently, his tone tinged with emotion as he said softly, "Indeed, this is the Origin Sphere. This sphere might be the culmination of my life's research."

Huo La's eyes remained fixed on the Origin Sphere on the table, his expression complex, his voice carrying doubt and gravity as he slowly said, "Doctor… this Pokeball…"

Dr. Laventon set down his tea cup, the emotion on his face fading, replaced by a hint of solemnity; he spoke slowly, his tone calm yet tinged with helplessness, "After Captain Majamu and the others rescued me, they told me a lot, and indeed as you guessed, it was Wang Luo who kidnapped me; his purpose, from start to finish, was this Origin Sphere."

Huo La, hearing that, clearly was stunned, his gaze still fixed on the Origin Sphere, brows knit, his voice even more puzzled, "Then why is this Origin Sphere here? He went to great lengths to kidnap you to make the sphere; there's no reason he'd let it go so easily."

"To be honest, I don't know either," Dr. Laventon said, raising a hand to scratch his odd hat, confusion filling his eyes, his tone a bit bewildered, "Wang Luo made me work day and night to craft this Origin Sphere, then after looking at it, turning it over for a moment, he gave the sphere back to me, only saying, 'You might need it,' and then turned and ran away without a word more."

He paused, his confusion deepening, murmuring softly as if to himself or to Huo La and Xiao Zhao, "I still can't figure out what Wang Luo wants. The Three Bandit Sisters cooperate with him, he specifically kidnapped me, forced me to make this Origin Sphere, yet after it was completed he didn't want it, and so easily left it to me, to give you—it's just too strange."

Huo La fell silent, his fingertips lightly tapping the table, his gaze fixed on the Origin Sphere and the CrimsonChain, lost in thought.

Wang Luo's actions were indeed odd; if he truly wanted the Origin Sphere, there'd be no need to hand it over after it was made; yet if he didn't want it, why go through the trouble of kidnapping Dr. Laventon and expending effort to create this culminating Origin Sphere.

Xiao Zhao also furrowed her brows, saying softly, "Could Wang Luo have another scheme? Perhaps this Origin Sphere has some hidden danger, or he deliberately left the sphere to us to use us for something?"