Chapter 93: Efficiency

"Little brat, your efficiency really exceeds my expectations." Yin Popo stepped on the pedal and boarded the small island where the hotel stands, her cane thudding heavily on the still‑soft ground as she watched Huo La approach, the wrinkles on her face easing a bit, "Only two days' work and you've cleared all those annoying Agate Jellyfish completely?"

Yesterday, as soon as Huo La set foot on the island, he immediately sent the video of the negotiations with the Poison Sting Jellyfish King to Xiao Gang.

He specifically instructed to mute the dialogue audio and split it into two parts.

One part was sent to Yin Popo, containing only the footage of the jellyfish swarm withdrawing; the other part was sent to Dr. Zheng Hui.

It was precisely because of this "result video" that Yin Popo was eager to go ashore herself to inspect.

Huo La spread his hands, his tone carrying a hint of casual pride: "That's natural. Considering the One Million Bounty, if the work were slower, how could I honestly take your money?"

Yin Popo squinted, her gaze sweeping over the calm, unruffled sea— the once dense, ghostly blue glow had vanished without a trace, not even a hint of a jellyfish shadow could be seen.

She still felt uneasy and asked, "Are you sure they won't come back? If my hotel is only half built and that swarm of jellyfish reappears to cause trouble, the loss would be huge."

"Rest assured," Huo La pounded his chest, swearing, "As long as this place still belongs to you for a day, we will absolutely not set foot here again. If they do return, I will take full responsibility and take not a single cent."

In his mind, however, he silently cursed: once the League arrives, this place will immediately cease to belong to you, and whether the jellyfish return will no longer be up to you.

"Hahaha, good little brat!"

Coaxed by his guarantee, Yin Popo broke into a grin, immediately pulled two sheets of paper from her cloth bag and slipped them into Huo La's hand, "Here, this is a year‑long accommodation voucher for all the chain hotels under my name, valid for a free stay at any of them; this is an unsigned check from the Pokemon League, One Million and one cent, no less, you can cash it yourself at the bank."

Huo La took the check, his fingertips feeling the paper grain, then held it up to the sunlight to verify it wasn't forged, before carefully slipping it into his inner pocket and securing it close to his body.

He looked up at Yin Popo, his tone "sincere": "Yin Popo, you can now rest assured and let the construction crew resume work. I'll stay on the island these two days to keep watch, ensuring nothing goes wrong."

"Alright, alright! So reliable!" Yin Popo laughed broadly, immediately pulling out her phone to call the construction crew, urging them to hurry and bring the equipment onto the island, "When my hotel is finished, the first viewing room will be yours!"

Inside the makeshift tent on the island, the light was dim, with only an emergency lamp glowing, casting shadows on the ground that flickered intermittently.

Miao Miao curled on the folding chair, claws gripping the edge, watching Huo La carefully place the check into the waterproof bag, couldn't help teasing: "Little brat, I increasingly think you'd be perfect for our Rocket Team. One Million, you say 'done' and it's done, scamming people without any psychological burden, even more skilled than us! Meow~"

"Correct your wording," Huo La said without looking up, while shoving the waterproof bag deeper into his backpack, calmly retorting, "I'm not scamming; I merely fulfilled my agreement with Yin Popo to the letter."

He paused, then looked at the skeptical Miao Miao, his tone resolute: "Think about it—what does Yin Popo's bounty task state? 'Resolve the trouble of Agate Jellyfish and Poison Sting Jellyfish,' which simply means making the jellyfish swarm leave the construction zone. Have they withdrawn now? Is the sea clear? I've fulfilled every point she demanded, so how can it be called a scam?"

As for the League later designating this area as a Baohu Qu, completely ruining Yin Popo's construction plan—that's a decision of the League's ecological department, the result of Dr. Zheng Hui and Professor Oak's promotion, and has nothing to do with him as a "task executor" who "only handles jellyfish removal."

Miao Miao tilted its head, thought about it, seemed indeed logical, yet still felt something was off, though it couldn't articulate.

It flicked its tail, decided not to dwell, pawing its chest: "Anyway, don't forget my thirty percent! Three hundred thousand, not a cent less! Meow~"

"Got it, what's the hurry." Huo La rolled his eyes, walked to the tent entrance, pulled back the curtain, and looked toward the distant sea. That little Agate Jellyfish was still swimming not far away, its ghostly blue light flickering like a signal.

"When Dr. Zheng Hui and the League arrive, and the Baohu Qu issue is confirmed okay, we'll leave immediately and cash the check at the Pokemon Bank."

He hadn't planned to stay long; if Yin Popo realized she'd been "set up," she might cause trouble.

Getting the money and leaving is the safest choice.

"What about Bilan? Meow~" Miao Miao asked again, still impressed by that little girl who always stared at Huo La.

Hearing Miao Miao mention Bilan, Huo La was startled, but he changed the subject: "Alright, stop nagging, take a rest. Later if anything happens, we'll need you to relay messages to that little Agate Jellyfish."

Miao Miao pursed its lips, said nothing, curled up and closed its eyes, secretly calculating how many cans of premium cat food to buy after getting the three hundred thousand—whether Yin Popo would come after it was none of Miao's business; after all, Miao was just an ordinary Pokemon!

Without waiting for Yin Popo to continue her rant, Kikuko didn't even lift an eyelid, just lightly waved her hand.

Two League guards behind her immediately stepped forward, one on each side, restraining the still‑shouting Yin Popo, and efficiently lifted her toward the fast boat on the shore—every movement steady, yet exuding undeniable authority.

After dealing with the trouble, Kikuko finally turned her gaze to Huo La, her eyes lingering on his face for a moment before moving past him to land on Bilan nearby.

Bilan looked around curiously, and being fixed by that sharp gaze, she instantly became a bit self‑conscious and stood upright.

"Stinky kid," Kikuko suddenly said, tone laced with teasing, "Who's that little girl? Your girlfriend? Your eyesight is at least better than your father's back then."

"Uh… Grandma! Please don't say that!" Huo La flushed, quickly waved his hands.

Kikuko gave Huo La a half‑smile, glanced once, said nothing more, just waved her hand: "Go bother your business. I know you're involved in the Super Ancient Ruins research, and I also want to rest, so let that little girl chat with me for a while."

Huo La felt relieved, quickly gave Bilan a pleading look, then turned to slip away—dealing with his own grandmother was far more nerve‑wracking than negotiating with the Poison Sting Jellyfish King.

He had only taken two steps when Dr. Zheng Hui grabbed his arm.

Dr. Zheng Hui's eyes sparkled, his tone urgent: "Huo La! Tell me, is that Poison Sting Jellyfish King really as big as a building? Is it a Super Ancient Pokemon left behind?"

Huo La shook his head, pointing to the unfinished hotel framework nearby: "I talked with it; it said it's only lived a hundred years, not a Super Ancient Pokemon. But its size is definitely not small, at least not shorter than this hotel under construction."

He paused, offering his speculation: "I suspect it's exhibiting Atavism, which is why it grew so large. Don't worry, later we'll summon it to meet you, and you can observe it yourself."

"Great!" Dr. Zheng Hui exclaimed, rubbing his hands, "I'll go prepare the observation equipment; let's meet at the dock later!"

Saying that, he grabbed his notebook, hurriedly ran toward the staff's temporary tent, his steps swift as wind.

As soon as Dr. Zheng Hui left, Professor Oak sauntered over, lifted his hand to pat Huo La's shoulder, tone a bit "embarrassed": "Kid, you did well this time, I heard you earned hundreds of thousands?"

Huo La's heart lurched, immediately putting on a bitter face: "Professor Oak, please stop teasing. Your research funds are all reimbursed by the League, how could you be short of this money?"

"Ahem," Professor Oak cleared his throat, eyes drifting elsewhere, lowering his voice: "The League covers research expenses, but not 'connections' fees. You know, the Baohu Qu paperwork needs to be expedited, and we have to soothe the construction crew's morale, everything costs money…" He said, winking.

Huo La was speechless, thinking this was a "favor"?? He grimly counted fingers: "Doctor, I really don't have much! One Million Bounty, thirty percent for translation is three hundred thousand, Bilan's share at least twenty thousand, Xiao Gang's help also deserves a token… With your opening, I'm afraid I'll be left starving."

"Young man, keeping money on your person is too conspicuous, not safe." Professor Oak said slowly, "How about this: you give me three hundred thousand. As for that translating Miao Miao… the League can pay its reward! But it must stay here for a few days to help communicate with the jellyfish swarm; you can handle that, right?"

Huo La's eyes lit up instantly—Miao Miao's three hundred thousand could be covered by the League? What a windfall! He immediately dropped his sour expression, flashing a mischievous grin: "Hehe, Professor Oak, you're 'shearing' the League's wool like that, isn't that a bit improper?"

"Do you want to?" Professor Oak raised an eyebrow.

"Do it! Must do it!" Huo La said without hesitation, turning and rushing toward Miao Miao, "I'm going to negotiate with it right now! I'll make sure it stays willingly!"