Chapter 124

Staying in the starry sky with invisible barriers around you is really like facing a wall.

The immortals obviously couldn't stay idle either.

The deer spirit of Cut Moon said, "I still do not get it!"

The gray-black red-crowned crane, Rishan, said, "You don't understand, right? That's right, I don't understand either."

Takumi, the chatty one, had also been silent for a day and was now on the verge of breaking down: "What the hell? What kind of riddler are you still doing here?!"

Zie Yue and Li Shan looked at each other and sighed, "If we had known that there was such a powerful figure in Liyue Port, we would not have delivered food to someone else's door like this!"

Takumi was still very angry: "I think Qixing only dares to treat me like this because they have the backing and wings of this person! When I return to Liyue, I will definitely investigate the cause of the emperor's death. If I can't get away from that person and Qixing, I will never tolerate it…"

The words trailed off.

A stream of light broke through the blockade and landed in front of the three immortals. It was actually a strange device. Takumi's projection slowly walked out of the device and said, "Let's stay here for a while. This illustrated book can connect to the seven kingdoms on earth. Teyvat web surfing, find out?" After saying that, the figure specially used to convey messages disappeared.

"Damn it!!" Takumi flapped his wings and said angrily, "Why is there only one device?"

On the other side, the moon-cutting deer head and Lishan's bird head had already moved towards the illustrated picture with great interest.

…

Early the next morning.

Liyue Port, one of the 23 most prosperous port trading cities on the Teyvat continent, had begun a new day of operation. The Pokémon Center was built next to the Pokémon House store. A group of nurses and ladies were holding a swearing-in meeting. There were over a hundred of them, each equipped with assistant Pokémon such as Chansey or Blissey.

A doctor named Azhi, wearing a white coat, was the leader of these nurses. He was also the leader of the medical rescue team for this trainer competition. Ah Zhi was originally an herb collector at Qingce Village. She was one of the lucky ones to come to the eco-region. Once, when she went to the ecological zone to collect herbs, she accidentally formed a contract with a Chansey. Moreover, Azhi's Chansey quickly evolved into a Blissey, and now Blissey's level had reached 35. It only needed an opportunity to evolve further.

The Liyue Area Pokémon Alliance, headed by Ningguang, quickly discovered newly emerging talents like Ah Zhi. Therefore, the former Qingce Village herbal collector now held a public official position and was also the leader of the medical team for the Trainer Competition. Ah Zhi vividly illustrated the transformation of an ordinary person's destiny due to the age of Pokémon.

After joining the alliance, Ningguang further helped Ah Zhi grow. A week ago, Azhi successfully adopted the second Pokémon, Audino, from the Fairy Home. In the Jackalola Islands in the Unova area, Audino was Miss Joy's standard assistant there. Their job content was the same as that of Chansey, taking care of sick Pokémon and helping Miss Joy.

Ah Zhi also had a plan for her third Pokémon. If this competition ended successfully, Lord Ningguang promised her that she would ask Club Manager Takumi for help in finding a Happiny.

"Blissey, Audino, and Happiny." Azhi was full of enthusiasm for her future work as part of the medical team. "After the tournament, my Pokémon Medical Team will be almost ready! I, Ah Zhi, want to become the chief Pokémon doctor famous in Liyue!"

…

In the suburbs of Liyue Port, next to the original Qianyan Army station, a new Pokémon Guard headquarters had been established. Early in the morning, Deputy Director Hong Yi summoned all the guards for a mobilization and swearing-in meeting. At the feet of each guard sat a neatly placed Growlithe. Hong Yi's Growlithe had even evolved into an Arcanine. It was impossible for him to afford the Fire Stone needed for evolution, but this was Ningguang's investment in her confidant, providing at least tens of millions of Mora's worth of evolution items in the form of merit point rewards.

Hong Yi's duty was to ensure that there were no security problems at this trainers' conference. The evolved Arcanine had a base stat of 555, which made Hong Yi capable of competing for rankings in the second set of rules! Under Ningguang's guidance, Hong Yi contracted two more Pokémon—a Luxio, which possessed high combat power even without evolving, and a Lillipup, whose final evolution form, Stoutland, boasted a base stat of 500.

The Qianyan Army troops next door had also risen early for training. The soldiers of the Qianyan Army occasionally glanced at the Pokémon military police lined up in the neighboring training grounds, their faces full of envy and desire. Now, the strongest force directly under Liyue's Seven Stars was undoubtedly the Pokémon Guard. Only the most elite soldiers of the Qianyan Army, after passing various assessments, selections, and interviews, had the opportunity to become Pokémon military police and adopt a Growlithe.

Now on the market, it was strictly prohibited to export and sell Growlithe. Any illegal trade would be severely cracked down upon.

Hong Yi's old boss, the head coach of the Qianyan Army, met with Hong Yi and took the time to come over, punching Hong Yi lightly on the chest, smiling and sighing, "You boy. Lord Ningguang values you so much. In this competition, you risk your life to ensure that order inside and outside Liyue Port remains stable, do you understand?"

Hong Yi's serious face responded, "If something goes wrong, I will be fired!" The head coach looked at Hong Yi's Pokémon Guard police robe with deep envy in his eyes. "Go for it! Recently, Liyue Port has seen a sharp increase in visitors and outsiders. The burden on your shoulders is heavy!"

…

As Tou Fengyan, the head coach of Qianyan Army, said, starting this week, millions of tourists and foreigners began to arrive in Liyue Port. By morning, around seven o'clock, the streets of Liyue Port were already bustling, and some main roads even experienced congestion that typically only occurred during celebrations.

Takumi was not at the research institute that morning. After a meeting with the Kamisato siblings last night, he had fallen asleep at the main store. Opening the store door, the Pokémon Center next door was already bustling with activity. Trainers were everywhere, taking Poké Balls to the Pokémon Center for healing or doing scans in preparation for the competition. Some trainers from Mondstadt needed to register and enjoy the temporary residence service at the Pokémon Center's hotel for a low price.

The Pokémon Center provided free treatment and functioned as a hotel. In some regions in the original work, Pokémon Centers were also merged with stores, with public computers, online rooms, and training halls. Takumi's design for the Liyue Pokémon Center was grand, and Ningguang demolished many shops and residences in the area to accommodate it. Soon, the Pokémon Center would become another landmark building in Liyue Port, alongside Qunyu Pavilion.

In the back of the store's restaurant, Takumi took a sip from a cup of hot soy milk and tore open the egg yolk-filled steamed bun happily. "Not bad. Your cooking skills have soared recently."

After receiving Takumi's sincere compliment, Cresselia, who was wearing a cook's outfit across the table, laughed happily. "If Takumi likes it, that's all that matters."

Takumi looked at Jirachi hanging on him with interest. The mythical Pokémon were unique. The first to come, Cresselia, was obsessed with cooking and housework. Jirachi had accompanied Cresselia, but after a long sleep, it had barely woken up and became the second. The third, Meloetta, was a Melody Pokémon, and though it was a Melody Pokémon, it had a down-to-earth personality and was a bit of a workaholic, much like the master carver. The youngest, Lugia, had been sent to Daozhu to help Xiao Palace and grow independently in the ocean, living a semi-free life.

"Owner," came the voice of Meloetta, who was helping to direct guests at the front desk. "Tianquan Ningguang is visiting."

After a while, Ningguang entered and sat down at the dining table without hesitation, enjoying breakfast with Takumi. "The customer flow has exploded just after opening. You must have noticed that Liyue Port has been overcrowded recently," Ningguang teased.

Takumi said with a smile, "Indeed. The total number of participants is over 600,000. Anyone with a registered Pokémon at the Pokémon Centers in Mondstadt or Liyue can register for the competition online. However, the audition process is now quite bloated, and it will take time to select the elite trainers for the knockout round."

"The population in Mondstadt and Liyue is more extensive than I had imagined," Takumi sighed.

A game is, after all, a game. Its size is limited, and it's impossible to fully represent all the towns and populations in Liyue and Mondstadt. Furthermore, martial arts had always existed in Teyvat. Though Liyue seemed prosperous, there were dangers beneath the surface. Therefore, many ordinary people had impressive physical abilities, comparable even to those with Visions.

"Yes, 600,000 participants," Ningguang said. Even she couldn't believe the number.