Master Craftsman of the Elven World

Chapter 576 The Swordsman from Another Country. Not My Favorite Pokémon, Sealed Immediately.
Tao Dailang was controlled by the salt and could no longer move. The treasures he had stolen, the beautiful stones, fell out of his shell with a clatter.

The monkey and the chicken lost consciousness, and only the dog retained a sliver of consciousness, but it was powerless and watched the outcome before it in despair.

This is how it ended!

"Initially, Tao Dailang brought you all from a faraway place to this place in order to win the favor of the two old people."

"Being accommodating is the secret to gaining favor, but it also embarks on this journey to destruction because it is tired of the monotony of life."

"However, this unchanging period of suffering will continue indefinitely, for a long time, for a thousand years!"

“None of you three can escape either. Just as I said, once a life is taken, there is no turning back.”

Let's recite haiku!

The dog, pinned under the rubble, stared in fear at the trainer carrying the greatsword.

If I had known it would end like this, I would have been in a terrible situation.

If I had known I would encounter such terrifying humans!

Is this guy even human?!

The big dog lost all its spirit, drooped its head, and fainted. Whatever happened afterward was no longer relevant to it. In fact, it felt the same sense of relief as the pheasant.

In this situation, if I get killed, I won't have to worry about what happens after I die. Ah, that's perfect!
Wu Li: "They're all, all of them are gone! Egui Peng, Egui Peng defeated them!"

The siblings, hiding behind the cowardly lizard, looked at the completely destroyed Baoban Square. The earth was cracked, the mountains collapsed, and the buildings and trees were broken, almost leveled to the ground.

This is the root of fear for the three poisons and evil spirits!
"A demon! How could such a thing happen?!"

The old man's voice came from not far away. The siblings immediately turned around and saw their grandfather, Xuezhong, standing not far behind them!

"Are you two alright? I wanted to come straight over, but the battle up ahead was just too intense! Luckily, you had a powerful Pokémon protecting you!"

"No, actually this battle was one-sided. The Pokémon, carrying poison and malice, never gained the upper hand! Just like in the legends, the Evil Phantom wiped them all out!"

"However, what we see now differs from the legends! At least in the stories of our ancestors, there was no mention of the Egui Peng possessing such immense power, or of having as many as nine masks! Perhaps, in the true legends passed down from our ancestors, one person is truly missing?"

"Well, after all, even demons are hidden in history, so it's normal that there isn't a true master of demons, right?"

"Grandpa! You're really alright!" Danyu exclaimed excitedly, "We saw everyone in Emerald Town turn into... they were all cursed! Grandma looked like that too! It was so scary!"

Xuezhong sighed: "I know, I saw it. I was originally planning to go to the north to buy you fried noodles, but I ran into a bunch of scary guys on the way. When I got back to the village, I was also surrounded and chased by a group of people. I couldn't find you, so I had to find a place to hide."

"Then I saw the explosion here, so I rushed over immediately. I didn't expect to see you all here. That's great!"

"I heard everything that trainer said."

Wu Li noticed something strange about his grandfather's words and quickly asked, "What? Grandpa, you mean the legends left by our ancestors?"

"Does that mean, Grandpa, you also know that ghosts are actually on the side of justice, while Baoban is an evil fellow?"

Xuezhong nodded: "You're a very sensitive child. I've always felt that you might have sensed something, which is why you admire ghosts. Danyu has also put too much pressure on you, making you identify with the ghost's identity. But I didn't correct you because the ghost is not wrong."

"This is a story passed down through generations of our mask-making family. Our ancestors tried to tell the villagers the truth, but they were not trusted and were instead ostracized and persecuted."

"In the end, the ancestors could only keep this truth to themselves, secretly telling their descendants that they should just pass the story down."

Light Moss walked over:

"Even though they suffered persecution, your ancestors never thought of leaving this place because the north was their homeland, and it was hard to leave their homeland. Moreover, in ancient times, migrating to other places was very difficult, and it was impossible for one person to do it alone. If you had a Pokémon that followed you, then you could do it."

Xuezhong nodded: "Eguipeng and that legendary man also sailed across the sea. It is said that they came here from a very far place. Poké Balls did not exist in ancient times. Beishang was just a small village. Even now, there are not many modern devices. My family's old TV is still the antenna version."

"In ancient times, news from this place was even more isolated, and people knew almost nothing about the outside world."

Guangtai: "However, the news that the man possessed a precious, glittering mask spread from this small village to other places, which attracted covetousness."

"Why can a place that knows nothing about the outside world spread news to such distant places? The answer is that the festivals here are always very lively, and perhaps traveling merchants spread these stories to the outside world."

Xuezhong: "I don't know about that. Hmm, you're really strong! So, powerful trainer, are you really a legendary demon too?"

"Anyway, it seems you're definitely not the man in the story."

"If that man had such power, he couldn't have had his mask stolen by these three Pokémon. So, are you really, like Danyu said, an ancient spirit who has stayed in the present for revenge?"

"It is said that the Crystal Pool in the north has the power to call back the dead, and that one can see the dead by gazing at the water of the Crystal Pool. Perhaps, that is not just a made-up story or a baseless legend."

Grandpa Xuezhong is very sensitive to legends because his family holds fragments of historical truth. When it comes to Taijing, no one in this place knows it better than Xuezhong, a mask craftsman.

Lightmoy: "That legend is true, of course. It just requires specific, very demanding conditions to come true. And it's nighttime now, aren't ghosts, evil spirits, and the dead things that appear at night?"

"But where did the legend of the Crystal Pool come from? The conditions for fulfilling that legend shouldn't exist here."

Xuezhong was stunned; he had no idea about this either.

Yes, what is the origin of this story?

Even he, as a descendant of craftsmen, didn't understand!

However, this is not important.

Xuezhong sighed, his expression one of relief.

Looking at the villagers lying around the shattered square, Xuezhong's expression was very complicated.

"It's time to set the record straight. People in the past didn't believe our family's oral accounts, but now that they've experienced these terrible things firsthand, how can they not believe us?"

"This time, the demon defeated the real evil spirit and protected Beishang Township, just like in the past. If this evil spirit had not been defeated in the past, this village would probably have been destroyed long ago."

"People need to be grateful in order to live in the world. People in the past also knew how to be grateful, but they judged the ghosts from foreign lands as evil people based on their own opinions, while they were grateful to the Three Jewels who came from who-knows-where. This is a strange thing that is hard to understand."

Danyu clenched her fists: "Grandpa! You've never told us about this before. These people are going too far!"

Xuezhong: "Because if we speak out, we will also be persecuted and ostracized. For me, I am old and it doesn't matter, but for you, you can go to other faraway places and leave this land."

“Ah Li worships ghosts, but doesn’t he get bullied and gossiped about by the other kids? Dan Yu, you used to be like that too.”

Danyu: "Well, that's because I didn't know the truth about the history of the northward journey. I'm sorry, A-Li. It was wrong of me to say that you worshipped the evil side before."

The fact that her domineering older sister suddenly apologized to her left Wu Li looking utterly shocked.

"No, this is okay?"

Wu Li didn't know how to answer for a moment, but it was the first time she had heard her sister admit her mistake, and she felt it wasn't so bad.
But perhaps there won't be such an opportunity again in the future.

"Grandpa, when you were little, did you tell these stories to them and then get ostracized?"

Wu Li suddenly asked this question, and Xue Zhong fell silent.

Although Grandpa didn't answer, it seems this kind of thing has happened before.

The moss nodded slightly.

After all, Grandpa's hairstyle was the same as Wu Li's.
You can tell just by looking at their hairstyles!
"Now, I'm going to seal these four guys away."

Guangtai warned Xuezhong and the siblings: "Especially the evil spirit that controls them, the Pokémon named Momotaro, I will seal it here on the spot."

"Sealed in Baoban Plaza?"

Dan Yu was slightly taken aback: "No, since this place has been destroyed anyway, sealing them won't matter. Uh?! But you said you want to seal them! As a ghost, do you really have any spells?!"

She was still haunted by the deceptive curse from before, and her expression changed drastically: "Ah! So you do have spells too! Saying the curse was a lie was also a lie!"

"This isn't a curse, it's a real sealing technique!" Lightmoy laughed heartily. "Don't confuse curses with sealing techniques. Even in Pokémon battles, these are two different types of moves!"

"The exotic gem brought by the dead man, the ghost's best friend in the story, comes from the distant Padia region. Long ago, a Pokémon trainer was invited by the King of Padia to suppress the Pokémon that destroyed the ancient kingdom."

"The tamer with magical powers used thirty-two sacred stakes to seal away the four Pokémon that destroyed the empire, and then suppressed them with a lid that suppressed their types."

"In legends from all over the world, there are sealing messengers who can use different spells, and even Pokémon."

"In the Kanto region, the Aura Hero has the magic to seal Pokémon with his staff; in the Sinnoh region, there is a magic that can seal evil spirits into a keystone; and in the Kalos region, someone once sealed a world-worshipping demon into a pot."

"In Mt. Tsukimi in northern Kanto, someone once tried to control a legendary Pokémon, but was instead sealed away by a Pokémon called Ho-Oh."

Wu Li: "If it's sealed, then we don't have to worry, right? Will this... be able to be unsealed?"

Guangtai: "Young man, you are very perceptive."

"The seal is not unbreakable, but the conditions for breaking it are extremely harsh."

"Only someone with a pure heart, free from all distractions and evil intentions, can break this seal. But don't worry, I will drive the stake in a place that ordinary people cannot find or enter."

There are exactly four of the Four Poisons.

There are also four calamities.

However, the four calamities inside the Poké Ball are currently discussing the matter of sealing them.

The Four Calamities' thoughts on these four were—

Yes, yes, seal it away like that!
Truly ingenious, truly ingenious!
Ha, the suffering we endured, now some of the same woes are finally experiencing it too! Feel the pain! We've served our sentences, but yours have only just begun!
Oil spilled!

Guangtai: "Sealing the evil spirits in such an obvious place as Baoban Square is to make these people remember history."

"When Momotarou attacked Emerald Town, I think someone must have witnessed Momotarou's activities."

"These horrific memories will stay with them for the rest of their lives."

"At the same time, if the people of Emerald Town do not want to be controlled by Peach Blossom again and become puppets of evil spirits, they must take the initiative to guard this seal carefully."

"Let it continue like this, until the end of the next millennium!"

"If anyone with malicious intent comes here and tries to break the seal, then the people of Emerald Town will have to risk their lives to atone for their sins and stop them."

"As for what happens next, whether they harbor malice, hatred, or fear towards me, or feel that I should take it away instead of leaving it here, whatever their thoughts are, it has nothing to do with me."

"Because this is the history that these people created and caused themselves. Do you remember what I told you? If you have a guilty conscience, you'll always be afraid of ghosts."

“And now, the evil spirit has truly arrived.” At the epicenter of the explosion, the Lightmoss had created a large crater with the Salt Stone Giant, and then retrieved a sacred stake.

The stakes weren't as big as the stakes used to seal the Four Calamities, but Momotaro wasn't a large Pokémon to begin with. For a small Mythical Pokémon, this size stake was sufficient!

The Shield Sword Monster, meanwhile, was playing with three strange orbs. It used its spiritual power to control the orbs and throw them out, subduing the three poisonous beasts.

Of course, this is not something to take with you on the road.

Instead, we need to use the Strange Sphere to seal their power, isolate them from external influences, and then find a suitable location to seal them up.

But what about that thing I mentioned before, maybe we could try it on these three guys?
In other words, using the Mythical Berry, unique to the Alola region, to remove their toxins?
Wasn't it said that it was an offering from the island's guardian deity? It seems that it can even remove the poison from Ultra Beasts. The trainer also said before that if you keep feeding the Poison Beasts Mystic Berry, you might be able to use the power of the island's guardian deity to wash away the poison attribute from them.

"The secondary attributes of the Three Poison Beasts—Fighting, Psychic, and Fairy—are very typical of the righteous attributes. But without the power of poison, they would probably really die."

"After all, having coexisted with the toxin for too long, the original personality no longer exists."

"However, it is indeed reasonable to test the Three Poison Beasts before treating Tao Dailang with the antidote."

Lightmoss approved of Aegislash's idea, which was an improvement on her previous ideas!

"I think it would be best to use Jiji as the test subject for the antidote. Hmm, why? Probably because its Special Defense is the highest, making it more resistant to non-physical damage."

If Peach Boy can restore the detoxifying properties of "Peach Fruit", then its Poison Puppet ability might be directly changed to an ability like "Healing Heart"!

But for Tao Dailang, this might be worse than death.

"However, if one gains a healing heart, one might truly earn everyone's heartfelt love and respect."

The sacred salt was also left in the pit, and the attributes that countered Momotaro were Ghost, Psychic, Dark, and [Ground]!
Lightmoss looked around and spotted a Pokémon of the corresponding type. Its hunting lance suddenly swung!
"When you arrive in the north, first savor the taste of the soil."

The hunt begins!
A white light enveloped the group of Pokémon, and then the little guys understood the Lightmoss's needs and ran over in a flurry!

Pangolin!
The most common sight in Kitakami Township is the army of rats, which can be seen in various areas. Sandshrew is a Ground-type Pokémon, and Ground-type Pokémon have a little trick.
That is the "sa ling," one of the three types of nails commonly known as ground nails.

A Ground-type move that throws spikes at the opponent's feet. It deals damage to the opponent's Pokémon that switches in.

Spikes can stack up to 3 times, and can deal up to one-quarter of the maximum HP damage to the Pokémon that enters the battle!
In the legendary era of Arceus's Green Washing, the move "Scattering Water" actually dealt damage, with a power of 40, inflicting a 3-turn Fragment status on the target.

A Pokémon in a fragmented state takes 25 damage at the end of each action.

"The first stake, like a tombstone, was driven into this spot."

After placing the ground-attribute cover, Lightmoss planted the first holy stake!

"The remaining stakes, along with the three poisonous beasts, were sealed away in the Paradise Wasteland, deep within the lake of the Vine Flower Plain, and in the Eternal Forest, respectively."

"Waaaaah! A ghost! An evil ghost!"

"What's going on? Was it just a nightmare?"

Around Baoban Square, the villagers who had been knocked unconscious by the explosion finally regained consciousness. In the instant they woke up, their minds were still stuck on a terrifying moment, but after realizing that they were alright, they felt that it was just a nightmare or a fantasy.

However, the excruciating pain was real, and cries of agony rang out one after another. But for the humans of this world, this injury was not fatal.

Most of the impact of the explosion was absorbed by their Pokémon. As for the Pokémon themselves, the poison from the Peach Blossom actually enhanced their physical abilities, so they were not seriously injured.

"My body was strengthened by the toxin, so my injuries were very minor. Is this a blessing in disguise? But after the toxin disappears, my body's functions will gradually return to normal."

Xuezhong woke up the villagers who were still unconscious, especially one of the bald men:
"Administrator, wake up."

The administrator seemed still shaken: "Oh dear Xue, Xuezhong! You're not an evil spirit, are you? You haven't turned into an evil spirit, have you!"

Xuezhong shook his head: "Of course I'm a human being."

"Did you see something? Something terrible just happened."

"That's it, not a nightmare! Why is everyone gathered here? Right, I remember it was like this..." The administrator said with lingering fear, "Emerald Town! At first, a lot of people poured out from the Northbound Center. They were dancing strange dances and shouting eerie words like 'geibei geibei,' and they attacked us!"

Xuezhong: "Was it an attack, or were you taken into custody?"

The administrator nodded: "It's the Kitakami Oni-men! Muramasa, the leader of the Kitakami Oni-men, who was supposed to be in charge of the Masked Festival and handling the festival celebrations in Kitakami Center! And, and Raikiri! Those two guys led a group to attack Green Town! And, and there's a terrifying, laughing demon floating in the sky that looks like a peach!"

"No, think about it carefully, is that a demon, a Pokémon, or some kind of ghost? It must be a demon that came out of the legends of the Northland!"

Xuezhong shook his head: "Calm down, it's not that kind of thing. What controls you is not the ghost in the village legends, but a real evil spirit hidden in history."

"After you were knocked down, you must have vaguely sensed something, right? That's what that person told me. He left some memories in your consciousness. Although I don't quite understand what kind of power it is, I think it's called superpower?"

"Superpowers! You mean those people from other places who are rumored to have supernatural powers?" The administrator's expression changed, but he quickly found the answer in his memory.
"Yes, indeed! Now that you mention it, I remember! Vaguely, when I was controlled by the evil spirit, I seemed to see a masked, radiant figure, like a child, wielding a stick and defeating it."

"Dog, rooster, monkey? Hey, isn't that the Three Treasures?"

“Sanbaoban are the followers of evil spirits!” A girl’s voice came from the side. Xuezhong turned his head and saw two young men wearing demon masks.

The administrator's face changed drastically: "Whoa! Don't come any closer! Kitakami Oni-Faced Group! Raikiri! Why are you attacking the villagers!"

"What a joke! I was controlled by a demon back then!" The two young girls who came here were Kotetsu, who was knocked unconscious and dragged away by the Scaled Dragon during the battle, and then woke up, and Raikiri, who was knocked down in Green Town and then regained consciousness.

Kotetsu: "We have seen the masked demon from Oniyama, radiating a luminous mask, and we have defeated the true evil spirit that hides in history and controls us!"

"That evil spirit was shaped like a peach; it could throw out sticky, poisonous cakes and manipulate our minds. We fought back, but we failed."

"Muramasa and Kunitsuna were also controlled by that guy, right? They should be training in different places!"

The members of the Kitakami Oni-gumi are all experts, equivalent to elite trainers. If you just throw sticky rice cakes, they won't be able to eat them because they are wearing masks.

Therefore, they were forcibly bound by Tao Dailang with evil poison chains and then fed to him.

“A whole bunch of controlled guys took off my mask and stuffed that purple sticky rice cake into my mouth. It tasted very sweet, but afterwards it was just too cloying.”

Kotetsu clutched his head: "It's like I took some kind of enhancement drug. My head hurts so much!"

Xuezhong: "."

He witnessed the little girl being knocked down by a single punch from the scaled dragon, so the old man really wanted to complain.
Your headache isn't from the demon's poison, but from being punched in the head by a Kommo-o. But it doesn't really matter, that Pokémon meant well. It's okay to put all the blame on the demon.

With the explanation from the Northbound Ghost Mask Group, combined with the scenes the administrator had witnessed and his own personal experience, he understood everything.

"A demon, a demon hiding in history! History has been turned upside down!"

"Xue Xuezhong, what you told us before...it's true!"

Xuezhong: "A swordsman and a man from a foreign land, and a Pokémon that is as childlike as the one who is to be called Evil Phantom. She can use various masks to change her appearance and modify her own power."

"The ancient people of the village feared them, which is why they called them ghosts. Sanboban also came from another place, to steal the precious mask. But perhaps just like the real demons hiding in the corners of history, the legend of the foreign swordsmen has also disappeared."

"I still don't know whether he is human or undead. But what is certain is that our village was saved by the Evil Spirit and the swordsman from another country."

"They have been waiting for this day to vanquish the evil spirit, until that creature finally couldn't resist showing itself here. The evil spirit can control people's desires, and it is said that it came here because it was tired of the unchanging life in its homeland."

"If that evil spirit hadn't been defeated by the Fiend, our village would probably have been destroyed long ago, turning into a land of puppets. Wherever it went, it would turn the humans and Pokémon of that place into puppets in order to gain favor."

"According to the true legend told by the swordsman from another country, before coming to Kitakami Village, it had also controlled Pokémon such as Lapras and Grimtar that we had never heard of before."

"As long as evil spirits exist, we cannot live in peace."

The administrator's face turned deathly pale, then instantly turned ashen.

Xuezhong shook his head: "I know that the truth of history is not important to you. The community center is a building that was only recently completed. You did it to develop tourism. But even if you are profit-driven, for the sake of the village, I think you can no longer worship Pokémon like Sanboban."

"They are far too dangerous! This place seems to have the same energy called Taijing as the distant foreign land. Although I don't understand this thing, I learned from the foreign swordsmen that this energy can cause incredible phenomena. The legend of the dead in the Crystal Pool and the resurrection of the treasure companion this time are all caused by Taijing."

"Back then, the reason that man brought Egui Peng and foreign swordsmen here was probably because we have something called Taijing here, but we locals have no idea what it is."

"Furthermore, I also learned about the Three Treasures Companion. No, you should have vaguely seen it too!"

"It's a great dog. The village says that worshipping it will make people gentle and improve their relationships. In reality, it abuses its power and becomes ferocious. It's a brutal guy who can easily lose his temper."

“The wish-fulfilling ape, worshipping it will give people the feeling of increased talent and wealth, but in reality it abuses its wisdom and is keen on sneak attacks and scheming.”

"Chicken, worshipping it is said to bring good luck and smooth sailing in everything. In reality, it abuses its charm to become seductive, making people and Pokémon fall head over heels for it, and this guy is male."

"No matter which one it is, it has absolutely nothing to do with the good fortune we hope for. It is said that the 'immortal peach' can make people happy, but the result is evil spirits and poisons that can control people's minds. It is indeed happiness, but don't you find it terrifying?"

"Should we still venerate such a Pokémon?"

Xuezhong poured out all the pent-up frustration he had accumulated over the decades, and the girls from the Kitakami Oni-men group, having personally been controlled by the evil spirits, were also in a state of uncontrollable rage and wholeheartedly agreed with Xuezhong's words:

"That's right! We've always found it strange. Aren't those three guys' masks just too ridiculous!"

"Although I liked it when I was young, I liked the demon mask even more when I grew up, which is why the Kitakami Demon Mask Group was formed. I never expected that I would end up becoming a servant of the demon."

The administrator opened his mouth, but history didn't really matter to him. He was just focused on developing the village, and the so-called historical legends were just to make outsiders more willing to come here for tourism.

After all, places with legends are worth visiting, so he set up road signs and other markers in various areas, launched the "Six Elections in the North and East," built community centers, and increased the visibility of rural areas, believing that this would not be inferior to big cities.

but now
Administrator: "The legend has been turned upside down. The Baoban statue is destroyed, and the square is completely shattered. Wasn't all the previous publicity wasted? Even if Baoban did something bad, isn't the adorable statue innocent?"

"Without the statues, tourists won't come to take pictures, right? These are the tourist attractions in our area."

"That's a statue of a demon! It's good that it's broken! Aren't you being controlled too?" Raicher, the biggest victim, immediately retorted angrily upon hearing the administrator's words:
"It's because of those old legends in the village that things have turned out this terrible! It's all the fault of our ancestors!"

At the same time, he looked at Grandpa Xuezhong:
"By the way, Grandpa Xuezhong, where is that evil spirit?"

"That's exactly what I wanted to tell you," Xue Zhong said, closing his eyes slightly. "The swordsman from the foreign land, along with the evil spirit of Guishan, sealed the real evil spirit named Tao Dailang. It is now sealed in this square, secured by eight sacred pillars. It is said that this powerful seal will last for a full thousand years."

"Those supernatural powers aren't fake either. In other regions, it seems there really are humans who can use magical spells, and even the undead! And there are quite a few of them. I've learned many interesting stories from foreign swordsmen. Raikiri and Kotetsu, if you feel your strength is too weak, or your world is too narrow, leave the village and go out into the world to broaden your horizons!"

“I think the reason why false legends circulate in the village is because people know nothing about the outside world. Now the administrator is actively making changes, and he is right at least in this respect. So don’t blame him too much.”

"However, regarding the sculpture, could we consider revising the story? I will record this entire event. If a statue of the Evil Spirit could be erected in another place, perhaps the adorable Evil Spirit would attract more tourists!"

"A righteous demon who uses nine masks, I think that's what they call Kamen Rider!"

"The seal... it's sealed in Baoban Square?!" The administrator's face turned ashen, but recalling his own experiences in Emerald Town, he was speechless for a moment, unsure of what to say.

Perhaps it's no longer possible to make money using the Treasure Companion, but upon closer inspection, the Nine-Mask Evil Spirit seems like it could be made into nine statues.
Place it in nine locations?

Hmm, it seems like there are more tourist attractions to check off your list, right?
(End of this chapter)