Elf: Re-employment of retired champion of Padiya

Chapter 790 Ancient Hermitage, Facing My Thoughts!
No matter which direction Luo Mu tried to detour from, that secluded paradise would always appear directly in front of him.

After trying several more times, I looked at the secluded place, which remained calm and undisturbed, as if it were untouched by the dust of the world.

Even the Queen of the Lace Crown sighed and advised Luo Mu, "It seems that the master there is determined to meet us."

"In that case, let's go in and take a look."

"That's all we can do."

Luo Mu nodded, following the suggestion given by the Queen of the Brilliant Crown, and put aside his stubbornness, which was determined to find out who would give up first.

He and the Lady Crown also tacitly avoided mentioning the option of directly teleporting using the Lady Crown's superpowers.

It may seem roundabout, but doing it this way would be like openly taking the Pokémon egg and then refusing to contribute.

After all, the person inside had a very important background, and Luo Mu didn't know which version of the person it was.

If you can avoid offending someone, then try your best not to.

It's just an invitation to go in for a visit.

The other party can't just throw you into ancient times without saying a word, can they?

After preparing mentally.

Luo Mu readily dismounted and, together with the Crowned Calypso, led the Snowstorm Horse and the Spirit Horse, along with Shemi and Victini, who were perched on their backs, slowly making their way in that direction.

As the distance closed, the scene before Luo Mu's eyes gradually became clearer.

The description of Jumu in my mind, along with the impressions deep in my memory, gradually overlapped seamlessly.

The simple yet rustic wooden house sits quietly in the wilderness.

Outside, a gentle breeze rustled through the knee-high grass, making a soft, whispering sound as the leaves brushed against each other.

A crystal-clear stream meanders through the area, its waters gurgling softly. The air is filled with a blend of scents of grass, damp earth, and delicate floral fragrance, a truly refreshing aroma.

When the bright light from outside shines down here, it seems to be distorted by something, adding a hazy, dim yellow feeling to the place.

"They're exactly the same," Luo Mu murmured unconsciously, his steps pausing slightly.

His gaze swept over the tent entrance not far away—

A dark curtain woven from some kind of plant fiber hung there, swaying gently in the breeze and revealing glimpses of the view inside the tent.

In the corner of the room were some pottery jars and mortars. Not far away, he even saw the simple clothes rack that Ju Mu had specifically mentioned, which left a deep impression on him when he played the game, and which was filled with uniform black dresses.

Just like A-du, she prepared many sets of clothes and capes of the same style and size to change into.

Every detail was exactly the same as what Jumu saw when he woke up and the scene he had described to himself not long ago, even the tranquility and peace that seemed to exist outside of time was exactly the same.

This is where Kiku got the Growlithe Pokémon egg.

It is probably the paradise that Luo Mu remembers as "Ancient Hermitage".

The Crowned King stood quietly to the side, its Podman hood seemingly tinged with a hazy glow in the strange light.

Its deep gaze swept across the land, as if it were observing.

The snowstorm horse snorted and pawed at the ground with its hooves.

Lingyouma, on the other hand, appeared more composed, even closing its eyes.

But you can tell from some small details that it is also using its other keen senses besides sight to perceive the area in front of it.

The two animals on their backs, Shemi and Bictini, also put aside their playful thoughts, turning their little heads back and forth, both curious and wary of this unfamiliar environment.

"Is he/she not here?"

Luo Mu's gaze fell on the black carved round table by the stream. No one was sitting there, waiting for him to say something like, "So you've finally given up?" There wasn't even any tea set on the table.

His brows furrowed, and his eyes were filled with doubt.

They've already blocked themselves like this, and then they say there's no one here. It just doesn't make sense.

Fortunately, the owner here did not keep him waiting long. In this place where even the chirping of insects was absent, the sound of the skirt rubbing against the grass and trees was particularly noticeable.

Following the direction from which the sound came, Luo Mu and the Crowned King looked in that direction together.

A woman dressed in an elegant black dress and wearing a wide-brimmed black hat, exuding an aura of detachment from the world, walked gracefully towards us.

"So you finally gave up?"

The other party did not come directly to them to communicate, but instead took a seat at the round table as if he were the host, and then spoke.

What she said was pretty much what Luo Mu had guessed.

"This one... and that one, well, you probably have your reasons for dressing like that. Don't let my appearance fool you, I personally respect other people's interests."

The other party's gaze fell on Luo Mu, then on the Rachelon who hadn't taken off its Pogaman clothes, and then lingered for a moment on the Spirit Horse and the Snowstorm Horse, as well as on Shaymi and Victini.

Luo Mu's mind stirred slightly as he caught a glimpse of a faint smile playing on her lips beneath the brim of her hat.

However, because the other party was so unfathomable, even Luo Mu, who had crammed a lot of psychology knowledge from Joey Rin, couldn't figure out why she was laughing.

"Then we won't be polite."

The Queen of the Lace Crowns remained even more composed than Luo Mu, showing no shame whatsoever in feeling that wearing this outfit was something to be ashamed of.

He took Luo Mu's hand and stepped into the ancient hermitage, where the boundary between it and the outside world was very clear, and sat down opposite him.

Only the Queen of the Crowns made the discovery.

The moment it led Luo Mu into this place, the ambiguous boundary between time and space rippled for a moment.

A sense of understanding arose in its heart, but it did not choose to express it directly in words.

“I am Wusi, a person who lives in this ancient hermitage and has been forgotten by history.”

"Judging from your expressions, you must have learned of my existence from that person?"

Wu Si raised her hands, which were covered with white lace gloves that reached her elbows, and gently joined her fingers together, then supported her softly shaped chin.

That gaze, seemingly imbued with the weight of countless years, calmly fell upon Luo Mu.

"So it seems you are the one chosen by that being."

Upon hearing the other person identify themselves as Wu Si, Luo Mu was surprised to find that he actually felt relieved.

However, the "that being" the other party mentioned made him somewhat suspicious.

The "existence" that Wu Si spoke of is indeed it.
But compared to the obvious answer, Luo Mu was more concerned about something else.

What does "the chosen one" mean?

he asked.

Wu Si did not answer his question, but instead shouted into the tent.

"Xiao Lian, prepare some hot tea to serve the guests."

"Tos~"

A slightly high-pitched Pokémon cry came from inside the tent, seemingly in response to Wusi.

A moment later, the curtain moved slightly, and a slender arm covered with pink raindrop patterns brushed it aside.

The "Little Love" that Wu Si had mentioned floated out, her figure elegant and strange.

It has a soft pink upper body, which contrasts sharply with the white clouds that wrap around its lower body. Its long, brown, python-like tail nimbly coils around a pink brick, on which sits a pot of steaming fragrant tea and several teacups, with a heart-shaped pattern at the tip of the tail appearing and disappearing in the steam.

Its huge yellow eyes looked gently at Luo Mu, its bar-shaped pupils slightly contracting as if it were sizing up the guest.

Her white hair swayed gently with her movements, and the pointed brows on her forehead and the white hair hanging down by her ears added to her mysterious aura.

Behind Luo Mu, the Snowstorm Horse and the Spirit Nether Horse, who had been looking down and wondering if the grass was edible, also raised their heads and looked at the pink figure with slight wariness.

They won't mistake this scent!

It's definitely a legendary Pokémon on par with them!
Luo Mu's expression also changed slightly.

He naturally knew the details of the Pokémon that floated over with tea.

Just like there are five Heavenly Kings in total.

The three cloud gods in the Unova region's legends actually include a fourth cloud god.

That's the one pouring tea for herself right now—Juanlianyun!

It is a Pokémon known as the God of Spring!

The opponent's type is Fairy and Flying, making it one of only two Pokémon species with this type combination.

The other is Pokkis and Pokkigu.

Staring at Juan Yun, who was skillfully pouring tea for him, Luo Mu looked hesitant, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

This tea.

Will I fall into a deep sleep immediately after drinking it, just like Jumu?

And when you wake up again, you'll have been trafficked to the ancient park, right?

At this moment, Wu Si seemed to see through Luo Mu's thoughts and covered her mouth with a light laugh: "It's just ordinary hot tea, there's no need to be so alarmed."

"Besides, that gentleman didn't faint because he drank tea. I just need to send him back to the right era, so I need to let him fall asleep first."

"OK then."

Luo Mu nodded slightly, exchanged a glance with the Queen of the Brilliant Crown, and after receiving a reassuring look from her, finally picked up his teacup.

No matter how powerful I am, I can't possibly throw myself into some godforsaken era right in front of the Rachelon King, like the protagonist in the Legend of Arceus game.

The tea has a pleasant aroma, and upon tasting it, a mellow and sweet aftertaste lingers in the mouth.

Luo Mu searched his memory and discovered that this was the first time he had ever drunk this unknown tea.

But that's not the point.

His gaze unconsciously drifted to the pink "brick" that was being used as a tray, with an old teapot steaming from its spout on top of it.

This, this, this—

This is truly a legendary item in the Pokémon world—the Alpaca Slab!
How is this any different from the act of using a legendary martial arts manual to press down a table leg in martial arts novels?
Perhaps Luo Mu's gaze at the stone slab was too intense, because Wu Si couldn't help but raise her hand and wave it in front of Luo Mu.

Once Luo Mu's attention was focused on her, she chuckled and said, "Judging from your reaction, you seem to know what this is?"

Luo Mu nodded and stopped looking at the stone slab.

After all, no matter how much he coveted it, it belonged to Wu Si, and he couldn't control what Wu Si used the stone slab for.

Upon receiving his reply, Wu Si's smile widened even further.

"Actually, at first I only used this as a cutting board."

"But since you know its value so well, it wouldn't be a problem to give it to you later... oh, I should say lend it to you temporarily."

"Anyway, you can't live forever, so let's just consider it a longer-term lease. I'll come back to collect it myself a hundred years from now."

Putting aside Wu Si's rather classic lines and theories about immortality, Luo Mu wasn't overwhelmed by this unexpected surprise and didn't rush to nod in agreement.

So he calmly asked, "Then, what is the price?"

“It’s not really a price to pay.” Wu Si waved his hand. “After all, once you hatched that elf egg, that responsibility and mission fell on your shoulders.”

"I simply gave the 'extra reward' based on my personal preference."

Before Luo Mu could speak, the Queen of the Brilliant Crown, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.

"What exactly do you mean by duties and missions?"

It lifted the hood that had been covering its face, revealing the imposing aura that once belonged to a king. The Rachelon's gaze toward Us took on a sharper and more oppressive quality.

But no matter how imposing he appeared on the surface, the Queen of the Rachel was actually quite uncertain inside.

Because it couldn't quite see through the true nature of the woman in front of it who called herself Wusi.

Furthermore, on this land, its ability to foresee the future has been severely, even unprecedentedly, suppressed.

This also meant that it could only try to use its aura to pry some information out of Wu Si for Luo Mu.

Compared to the imposing presence of the Crested King, and the restless tail wagging by the Cloud of Longing, Wu Si seemed completely oblivious, picking up his teacup and taking an elegant sip.

Even if you ask me that, I can't give you an answer.

"After all, I'm just a middleman."

Wu Si put down his teacup and looked past the Brilliant King towards Luo Mu.

"You carried that hatched child with you, didn't you?"

Although it was a question, Wu Si's tone was quite certain.

Because she knew very well that Luo Mu could only meet her like this if he brought the "King's" child with him.

"Yes, I'll take it with me."

Luo Mu nodded slightly, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the Poké Ball containing Arcanine.

Wu Si didn't inquire about the purpose of the Poké Ball, but instead raised his hand in a gesture of invitation: "Call that child out. Perfect timing, I'd like to see it too."

Luo Mu didn't hesitate for long and released Arcanine from its Poké Ball right in front of Wu Si.

His idea is simple.

You may have tried to avoid it before, but now that you've already stepped into this situation, why be timid and hesitant in your actions?
Meanwhile, at the strong request of a "mother" who seemed somewhat worried as she saw everything through a Poké Ball, Luo Mu also released Moltres.

For a while.

Apart from Arcanine, almost all the Pokémon present were legendary or mythical Pokémon.

After releasing the Firebird, Luo Mu noticed that Wu Si's gaze towards him seemed to have changed again.

As for the specific changes, Luo Mu didn't know because the other party was too unfathomable.

In short.

When Wusi saw the majestic figure of the Arcanine, a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips.

She didn't go over to pet the Growlithe, but instead stood up from the chair, crossed her arms, and nodded in satisfaction.

"You've done a great job of developing it to this level in such a short time."

"In that case, it should be eligible to inherit its father's 'throne'."

(End of this chapter)