Chapter 71

The first night in the ecological zone, late at night.

This is the deepest part of the forest, considered the coastline.

On the beach, gentle waves lap against the shore.

The starry sky above is filled with countless stars.

Two tents were set up, and soon the campfire lit up the surroundings.

In the dense jungle, many powerful Pokémon observed with bright eyes, but after a glance at the Lugia cub playing in the water with Lapras on the shallow beach, those eyes quickly disappeared.

A mythical beast?

Even if it's just a child, authority is authority and cannot be defied.

The aroma of roasting meat filled the air.

Venti had made a rare trip back to Mondstadt and brought a jar of dandelion wine that had been buried by the winds for centuries to share with Takumi and Mr. Morax.

Two earthly gods, plus the Pokémon House's store manager.

The atmosphere was as harmonious as three old friends reuniting after a long time apart.

Venti: "Hey… I watched the exploration video in the group chat today. Most of these folks are Vision-wielding warriors, but they're quite restrained. They only use their Vision abilities if their lives are in danger."

Takumi spread his hands.

"I didn't set any rule against it."

"They completely misunderstood!"

"Using one's Vision or personal bravery is a perfectly reasonable and legitimate approach."

"Even if someone uses energy cubes as bait to attract wild Pokémon, as long as the Pokémon willingly joins and is captured by a Poké Ball, I have no issue with it."

Venti smirked and laughed.

"Great! Hearing this from you means I'll start using the power of the Wind God to capture Pokémon tomorrow!"

Takumi tilted his head.

"Wild Pokémon… Well, if that's what you want, Barbatos, you can tame as many as you like. I won't impose restrictions on Teyvat's governance."

The gods naturally had high standards. After attempting to tame and train a few wild Pokémon, they soon realized that most of them did not quite meet their expectations.

Zhongli seemed to be reflecting on this, glancing toward a nearby reef where his Kubfu was practicing its martial skills under the moonlight.

"This ecological area isn't large," Zhongli remarked.

"But it's rich in species!"

"However… I haven't found any Pokémon with the same resolve and spirit as my Kubfu."

Takumi raised his eyebrows. "Old man, if you're looking for one with the temperament of Kubfu and the potential of a second-tier legendary, I advise you to let it go."

"Kubfu is like a human martial artist, keen on training, striving for self-improvement. It even has a unique breathing technique passed down through its lineage, allowing it to keep training and feeling accomplished!"

"When it's ready, it can even ascend to divine status!"

Zhongli nodded.

"In terms of universal reason…"

"This type of Pokémon is indeed among the rarest."

Having eaten and drunk his fill and strengthened his bond with the gods of Wind and Rock, Takumi stood up and stretched.

"It's time to return to the world of code."

He smiled at Venti and Zhongli.

"In a few days, there'll be some exciting new Pokémon games available in the Pokédex."

"When you two need something to pass the time, give them a try!"

He left Venti and Morax by the seaside camp in the ecological zone, warming themself by the fire.

The Next Day.

The morning sun shone brightly.

Yoimiya woke up early, opened the hotel window, stretched, and yawned as she looked out at the rising sun.

"Today, I'll go to the Qixing responsible for this Lantern Festival and collect the remaining payment for the fireworks."

"Then, I can finally explore Liyue at ease!"

Suddenly, Yoimiya froze.

On the windowsill, a large, khaki-colored insect was crawling by.

She felt a chill run down her spine. The creature had distinct segmented armor, horns on its head, and seven pairs of pink legs under its body.

"Kabuto~"

It greeted Yoimiya softly.

"Come back, Kabuto!"

The voice came from the room next to Yoimiya's. A woman in adventurer attire leaned out of her window, calling out.

Yoimiya stared in disbelief as the large, brown bug was enveloped in a red light and disappeared.

"Hey, there!"

The female adventurer nodded at Yoimiya, pocketing a shrinking Poké Ball.

"My name's Zhichiong, recently called back urgently from the Chasm."

Just then, several adventurers gathered on the street below the hotel, calling out to Zhichiong at her window.

"Zhichiong, come on! Sister Lan is waiting for us!"

"This is the Liyue branch's first environmental protection team mission. We need to make a good impression!"

"Yesterday, two teams from Mondstadt handled several incidents and supposedly earned quite a few merit points…"

Elsewhere.

Qianyan Army and the Ministry of Civil Affairs had been busy since early morning.

The Qianyan Army's garrison was nearly empty as soldiers were dispatched throughout the city to handle Pokémon disturbances.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs worked continuously to process complaints and reports from citizens and merchants.

Hongyi personally led a team to the scene of an incident.

"Help, Captain Hongyi! This Mankey's temper is terrible! If I feed it even a few less energy cubes, it'll tear things apart!"

"I can't handle it anymore! Please, take it away!"

A Liyue soldier looked like he was about to kneel, pleading with Hongyi. His home had been completely destroyed.

Amid the ruins, a Mankey was screeching furiously.

The evolved form of Mankey is Primeape.

After listening patiently, Hongyi learned that the soldier had lured the Mankey with energy cubes, but then failed to keep it fed as promised.

No wonder it was acting out in frustration.

"Alright, are you sure you want to abandon this Mankey? In that case, please sign this contract. The Qianyan Army will subdue it and release it back into the ecological zone."

The soldier signed with tears in his eyes. "Yes, yes! Please, just take it away!"

Hongyi commanded his level 10 Growlithe, along with two Qianyan Army Raticate and a Gliscor, to easily subdue the level 8 Mankey.

Onlookers gathered at the scene.

The outer perimeter, maintained by the Qianyan Army, couldn't help but cast envious glances at their colleagues in the Coordination Bureau, who were handling incidents directly.