Elf: Starts with small diamonds, then mutates into Diancie.

But without exception, none of these soldiers had a single Pokémon by their side.

It seems that in this city, Pokémon are only something that the upper class can own.

"The more I look at it, the more I sense an inescapable stench of decay..."

Su Hao lowered his head slightly. Jack, who was beside him, could not see his expression, but he could hear Su Hao's low murmur, which he did not quite understand.

As they approached the city gate, sure enough, a large number of soldiers were gathered there and guarding it.

Su Hao was not flustered, nor was he worried that he would be unable to enter the Ice King City because he did not have identification.

Because... the moment he appeared before the group of soldiers, upon seeing Lucario beside him, the soldiers knelt down in unison without any resistance, as if the Beastmaster was a god-like being to them.

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The attached image shows the three starter Pokémon from the Johto region: Chikorita, Totodile, and Cyndaquil.

Chapter 459 As Lowly as Grass

They entered the Ice King's City without any hindrance; not a single soldier dared to step forward to check Su Hao's identification, nor did Jack.

After walking for a long time inside the inner city, Su Hao looked around and a look of surprise appeared in his eyes.

It was almost a complete ancient city structure, with markets, houses, and children playing, but he didn't see any private schools or academies for teaching and educating people.

The more Su Hao observed, the more he could discern the ruler's thoughts through various arrangements.

It seems that he only wanted absolute rule and didn't need disobedient people.

Su Hao turned his head to look at Jack, becoming more and more adept at playing the contemptuous expression that a Beastmaster should have. He believed that he had portrayed eighty percent of the contempt and arrogance of a Beastmaster.

Su Hao asked calmly, "What are you going to do next? Report the loss of the Radiant Petals to Priestess Yana?"

Jack gave a wry smile and spoke frankly to the Beastmaster, whose attitude was practically benevolent towards them: "This is all we lowly people can do. We only hope that Priestess Yana can give me some compensation for the loss of our brothers, since their families are not well-off either."

Su Hao frowned slightly, but Jack didn't see it because of the woolen hat. He continued to talk to himself, "The Xiong family's child will be eight years old this year. If they don't raise 10,000 Eris by then, they will be banished from the royal city and end up in those small tribes outside who are starving."

Su Hao knew what Jack meant by Eris; it was a type of currency in the Ice King's City.

Jack and his team of over a dozen burly men embarked on a long and arduous journey to a harsh and frigid land, a mission that would take nearly half a month. Their total reward was... one thousand Eris.

This was already an exceptionally generous reward from the priestess Yana... The normal daily wage in the Ice King's City was... 5 Eris.

Furthermore, they need to work at least twelve hours a day, with only one day off on the weekend.

Many people are willing to work on weekends to earn money, just to save enough to keep their children in the Ice Kingdom.

Even if they try their best to be frugal, they still need two to three Elixirs for unavoidable expenses.

It was like hell...

It would take many years of work to keep one's child in the Ice Kingdom and spare them the pain of separation.

He walked around the city for a while longer, and luckily he didn't run into any real monster tamers.

In the Ice King City, being a Beastmaster is an identity held by only a small number of people. This small number means that everyone knows each other inside and out. If a stranger like Su Hao were to meet him, his identity would probably be exposed.

Soon, led by Jack, who dared not ask Su Hao why he was following him, the two arrived at an old house that was much larger than the residences of ordinary people, but was already very rustic.

Jack walked to the front door of the old house. The iron ring used to knock on the door was covered with a thick layer of dust, indicating that no one had visited the place for some time.

Jack carefully knocked on the door 2.5 times with the iron ring. This was the code that Yana had requested. If the code was incorrect, Yana would neither see him nor pay him.

Jack was anxious about whether he could get a meager pension for his fallen brothers.

Soon, with the creaking sound of the old door being pushed open, a voice as beautiful as a nightingale's melody rang out.

"Jack, you're finally back!"

Su Hao could hear a hint of anxiety in the woman's voice, along with a faint sense of relief and joy.

Like the image in the Flower of Time, the woman wore a pale green, semi-transparent veil that reached her thighs, and her delicate and beautiful face was covered by a semi-transparent black veil with gold trim. She wore a green, fitted long dress, and on her wrists and ankles, she wore two rings that were clearly made of gold.

Since entrusting the caravan mission to Jack, Yana has been restless and waiting at home.

The Goddess of Abundance is in increasingly worse condition, and her clan has been unable to successfully recreate the Divine Reins due to the obstruction of the Ice King.

With great difficulty, she managed to contact the Jack caravan, which had received little attention, through some connections, and waited for their return for half a month.

For many months, I neither ate well nor slept well.

Now, Jack has finally returned, but... what's with this monster user in front of me, accompanied by a monster wearing restraints?!?

Yana's heart was in her throat. The thought that the plan had been exposed flashed through her mind, along with a sense of guilt for having conveyed her long-cherished wish to her parents, who had been dragged to the execution ground and had their heads chopped off.

If one person knows, then it means that all the Beastmasters, and even the Ice King, know.

Despite this desperate situation, Yana's resolve hardened once more... She couldn't be caught yet!

Yana's gaze sharpened, and she looked at Jack with a disappointed expression. It seemed that Jack had betrayed her; she had even planned to mention the reward again.

"Maniura!" Yanara called out loudly into the house.

The next moment, a dark gray phantom rushed out of the inner room, and surprisingly, it was not wearing any restraints.

The Weavile moved like the wind, its claws wreathed in dark purple energy, and launched a sneak attack aimed directly at Su Hao's throat!

Su Hao was also taken aback by Yana's sudden hostility, but he didn't react. Lucario, carrying the incredibly heavy training equipment that had suppressed half of its speed and strength, went to meet it.

In an instant, Lucario's right fist fell with starlight, and his fists, coated with a metallic sheen, blocked the attack on a vital spot. Immediately afterward, he threw a punch with his left fist, and Weavile cried out in pain as it was sent flying several meters away.

Su Hao stopped Lucario from spinning its Aura Missile, which was about to teleport and instantly defeat Weavile. He looked at Yana, who was pursing her lips and had no intention of giving in, and said helplessly, "I haven't even said anything yet, why did you attack me directly?"

Yana gritted her teeth, prepared to never reveal the truth about the God of Abundance's current weakness, no matter how cruelly she was treated: "No matter what you do to me, I will not say a word to you traitors!"

Su Hao's lips twitched slightly, and he instantly understood why Yana had attacked him.

He felt that he had come to see himself as an ally of the monster tamers in the Ice King's Castle.

Su Hao gave Lucario a look, and Lucario understood and took off the weight training equipment.

Amidst the horrified expression on Mallowa's face—as if she had just fought a monster—and the crisp sound of alloy hitting the ground, Su Hao smiled and said, "Is it possible that I'm like you?"

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The three starter Pokémon in the Hoenn region are Torchic, Mudkip, and Treecko.

Chapter 460

"Not a restraint device...?"

"You can control Pokémon without restraints... are you...?!"

Yana's voice suddenly rose, startling Jack, who was confused and didn't understand what was going on.

What did he hear? This person can control a magical beast without restraints...? Dreamy? Priestess Yana is probably referring to a magical beast, right? Is that some kind of affectionate nickname?

Su Hao did not answer, enjoying the thrill of being the riddle solver, smiling but not opening his mouth at all.

Yana gritted her teeth and looked at Lucario, whose eyes clearly shone with intelligence, unlike those unawakened magical beasts that were still in a state of chaos.

Furthermore, if the commotion here were to become any louder, it might attract the beast tamers who were in cahoots with the Ice King. So she could only reluctantly say, "If you have no hostility... come in."

After saying that, she slammed the somewhat old door shut with Mavira following her, and then gestured for Su Hao and Jack to follow her into the house.

Su Hao blinked, then followed Lucario inside with an air of confidence.

Jack hesitated for a long time.

Both Yana, who commanded the magical beast with the red crown, and the bipedal magical beast frightened him somewhat.

However, considering how well Su Hao, the Beast Master, had treated him, if he really wanted to die, he could have simply refrained from doing so back when he was with the Pig Beast. He shouldn't have gone to such lengths to stage this whole thing and kill himself.

Thinking of this, Jack felt his legs, which had been feeling weak and trembling, regain some strength, and he immediately followed after them step by step.

Yana led the two towards a quieter, more secluded room in the house. On the way, she glanced at Jack and hesitated, asking, "...Where are your brothers?"

She remembered that the last time Jack's caravan went out, there were more than a dozen people. Even if it was just Jack who came to hand in the mission, wouldn't his brothers be waiting outside to share Eris?

Moreover... she had some doubts from the beginning: why were neither Jack nor that handsome man who looked like her carrying anything?

Where are the radiant petals she entrusted to find?

If it weren't for the fact that her every move was under the strict surveillance of the Ice King, and that she didn't have many spies in her own home, after all, he probably thought that a single descendant priestess like her couldn't cause any trouble, right?

However, if he wanted to leave the city, he would definitely be stopped by the Ice King's subordinates, making it impossible for him to find the Radiant Petals to make the Divine Reins.

As the God of Abundance grew weaker day by day, she grew increasingly anxious.

Upon hearing this, Jack's expression instantly fell. He remained silent for a moment, stammering, unsure how to explain to Yana.

Su Hao caught a glimpse of his struggling expression out of the corner of his eye, sighed softly, and explained to Yana, "I encountered their caravan on my way to the Ice King's City. At that time... they were attacked by Pokémon that you call the Pig Monsters, but which I call Ivory Boars. Except for Jack, they all died there."

Yana's pupils contracted slightly, and her expression visibly turned one of self-reproach, along with a hint of relief: "Then... what about the Radiant Petals?"

"Lost in that chaos."

"Is that so...?"

Yana lowered her head, her hair obscuring her eyes, and her veil covering her face, making it impossible to see her expression.

But in Su Hao's eyes, Yana's aura first emanated immense self-blame, and then, before she could adjust, it quickly turned into sadness because of the Radiant Petals.

Seeing the two people walking silently with their heads down on either side, Su Hao and Lucario exchanged a glance and sighed in unison.