Live Stream Treasure Appraisal: Your elf isn't thriving!

Chapter 630 A Rock Pokémon with pixel art style that can turn its prey into salted meat? There's been a misunderstanding!

Ye Yinchuan's words were like a branding iron thrown into an icy lake, instantly causing the live stream chat to boil over.

[Hey streamer, don't scare me! Is there a monster in this passage that can turn people into salt sculptures?!]

Wait, something's off about the art style of these ruins!

[I'm terrified, but why am I even more excited?! Quick! Let me see what kind of Pokémon can do something like this!]

Let's take it one step at a time.

Ye Yinchuan responded to the comments.

He did not stop.

The deeper you go, the stronger the smell of earth and salty fish becomes.

Along both sides of the passage, almost every few meters, you can see a dried "salt sculpture," some human, some Pokémon, each with a different posture, as if time had been paused at some point.

This corridor of death seems to have no end.

Finally, after another turn, the view ahead opened up.

A huge, almost circular natural cave appeared before everyone.

Countless huge stalactites hang from the dome of the cave, while in the center of the cave stands a small mountain made up of countless square, sugar cube-shaped white stones.

Under the soft light emitted by the wind sprite, the white stones refracted a crystal-clear luster.

It's a block of salt.

The entire cave resembles a giant natural salt mine.

On that salt mountain, a small, short figure sat motionless with his back to the crowd.

It looks like a tiny mushroom pieced together from reddish-brown rocks and white salt blocks.

The upper body is a reddish-brown rock layer resembling a mushroom cap.

The lower half is made of square, pure white salt blocks, like mushroom stems.

It sat there all alone, its small body appearing particularly desolate in the huge cave.

What is that?

[A mushroom? Or is it pixelated?]

Wait a minute, could this be the scary Pokémon the streamer was talking about? It looks—so silly, so cute!

Don't be fooled by appearances! The more harmless someone seems, the more dangerous they might be!

The viewers in the live stream were instantly drawn to this "little mushroom" that suddenly appeared with a rather peculiar art style.

Ye Yinchuan also stopped walking.

He didn't go forward immediately, but quietly observed the small figure from behind.

Seemingly sensing the movement behind it, the "little mushroom" trembled slightly.

It slowly turned around.

The moment it turned around, a cacophony of gasps and exclamations of "So cute!" filled the live stream.

Beneath its mushroom-shaped head were two small, square eyes.

Those eyes held no trace of ferocity or cruelty, but rather were filled with timidity, curiosity, and a sense of loneliness.

It looked at Ye Yinchuan, and at the unknown totems of various shapes floating behind him, its eyes revealing a hint of longing, yet also a fear of approaching.

"despair."

A soft sound.

It seemed to be trying to stand up, but because it was too nervous, it lost its footing and rolled down the salt mountain, rolling several times on the ground like a small cube before stopping.

It stood up again somewhat awkwardly, its eyes filled with grievance and helplessness.

[Pfft—Sorry, but I really couldn't help but laugh out loud!]

So clumsy, so cute! Did this little thing grow up eating cuteness?

[That's it? This is the killer who turned people into salt sculptures? I find it hard to believe.]

Faced with this adorable yet clumsy little guy, the previously terrifying atmosphere was instantly diluted by most of it.

Ye Yinchuan looked at it, and the solemnity on his face turned into a gentle smile.

He slowly squatted down.

"Hello, little one."

His voice echoed in the empty cave.

The "little mushroom" seemed to understand, its body trembling slightly, wanting to get closer yet shrinking back in fear.

[Host, what kind of Pokémon is this?]

Is it really the mastermind behind turning people and Pokémon into salt sculptures, as you claim?

The answer is neither yes nor no —

Ye Yinchuan paused, as if organizing his thoughts.

"We can call this Pokémon 'Salt Stone Pokémon'."

Ye Yinchuan began his on-site science popularization.

"Its attribute is pure rock. Its body is composed of rock layers on the upper part and highly pure natural rock salt on the lower part."

"It can spray salt particles to attack enemies. These salt particles can quickly dehydrate the opponent's body."

Upon hearing this, the viewers in the live stream began to waver again.

[It can steal moisture? Then—then those corpses outside—]

Could it really be that it did it? Even if it's cute, it's still terrifying!

This is terrifying to think about.

As if he could see the comments on the screen, Ye Yinchuan continued to explain, "That's right, the reason those people and Pokémon outside turned into 'salt sculptures' is indeed related to the abilities of Salt Stone."

"But it is not the killer you imagine."

Ye Yinchuan's words were resolute, yet contained a twist.

He pointed to the small mountain behind Yanshibao, which was made up of countless salt blocks.

"Look there."

Following his direction, everyone looked and saw that there seemed to be something else embedded inside the salt mountain.

Some dried insects, some withered mushrooms, and even a few ancient fish that had also been dried into strips.

They were carefully placed among the salt blocks, like precious works of art.

"Saltstone's food consists of these insects and fungi. It uses a salt-spraying method to turn them into salted jerky," and then enjoys it slowly.

"But it has one characteristic: its memory is extremely poor."

Ye Yinchuan's voice became somewhat low.

"It often forgets where it hid the food, and it often forgets what happened yesterday."

"It is lonely."

Ye Yinchuan lowered his head and looked at the salt stone treasure that was curiously examining him with its big eyes.

"So it uses a very clumsy way to remember the things it considers important."

"For example—friends."

Ye Yinchuan's words silenced the entire live stream.

"Those people and Pokémon outside, they weren't killed by Saltstone. They just got lost and got trapped in this passage."

"Although Saltstone Treasure can share salt and food with them, it can only prolong their death."

"When life ends, the only thing it can do is to 'preserve' those moments in its own way."

"It turns them into salt sculptures that will never decay, hoping that it will never forget these friends who once appeared in its life but left in a hurry."

Ye Yinchuan's words opened up a completely different perspective for the audience.

The terrifying death corridor from before now appeared as a completely different scene in everyone's minds.

A lonely, forgetful little fellow guards a sorrowful memorial made up of the corpses of his "friends," day after day.

Just to fight against that damned oblivion.

[—My defenses have been broken.]

I take back what I said earlier about laughing at it. I'm sorry.

【Wait, how did you know that, streamer?】

[Is that hard to understand? The host already said that Salt Stone Treasure's food consists of insects and fungi, so there's no need for it to hunt humans!]

The atmosphere in the live stream took unexpected turns.

"As for how I know this—aside from some reasoning, I can sense Pokémon's emotions to a certain extent and hear their thoughts."

Ye Yinchuan gently picked up Yan Shibao.

Yan Shibao's body stiffened slightly, but she quickly relaxed and obediently rested her little head in Ye Yinchuan's arms.

It sensed an unprecedented, warm, and reassuring atmosphere.

Just then.

Boom—!

A loud bang suddenly came from deep within the cave, and the entire ground trembled!

The salt stone treasure in his arms was instantly awakened. It looked anxiously in the direction from which the sound came, filled with worry.

What happened? Was there an earthquake?

[Wait, that sound—it seems to be coming from over there!]

Ye Yinchuan patted the salt stone treasure reassuringly, put it down, then stood up and looked sharply at the other side of the cave.

A powerful aura, dozens of times stronger than that of the Salt Stone Treasure, rushed towards us!

"It seems there are other friends here."

Ye Yinchuan's eyes narrowed.

He showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, he led the Salt Stone Treasure and a group of unknown totems toward the newly appeared cave entrance.

Passing through the cave entrance, the sight before them was breathtaking.

This is an even more magnificent underground space.

The entire space resembles a giant square chessboard.

On the chessboard, there stood enormous figures, several meters tall, made of reddish-brown rocks and white salt blocks!

They are like enlarged versions of saltstone, but their body structure is much more complex.

Their bodies are made of stacked blocks, and their overall outline is in the shape of a four-legged beast. Like the Salt Stone Treasure, they have a natural pixel art style.

They stood motionless in this vast space, like an army that had been sleeping for hundreds of millions of years.

Salt Stone let out an anxious cry and took off running towards the group of huge figures.

And just as it got close...

One of the largest figures moved!

Its golden, geometric eyes locked onto Ye Yinchuan!

Is this the little guy's evolved form?

It seems to be treating the streamer like an intruder!

"That's right, this is the evolved form of Saltstone Treasure—Saltstone Fortress."

Ye Yinchuan's voice remained calm and steady.

"Their temperament is more composed and vigilant than that of the Saltstone Treasures. They are the guardians of this tribe."

The voice just fell.

The tall, leading salt rock formation moved!

It raised a huge arm made of rock and aimed it at Ye Yinchuan.

Buzz!

In the air, countless salts frantically gathered and compressed in its palm.

In the blink of an eye, white salt bombs, each the size of a basketball and gleaming with a dangerous light, appeared out of thin air, ready to be launched at any moment!

Each salt bomb contains the terrifying power to instantly reduce an armored vehicle to scrap metal!

Just then, the little salt stone treasure scrambled to its feet, making anxious "click, click" sounds, as if trying to explain something.

Saltstone lowered its head, and the hostility in its eyes gradually dissipated, replaced by a sense of guilt after the misunderstanding.

He met Yan Shilei's gaze and slowly stepped forward.

"We meant no harm; we were just passing through."

Saltstone slowly nodded to Ye Yinchuan, indicating its understanding and apology. Then, it turned around and made a low, rumbling sound, like the friction of earth, towards its sleeping companions behind it.

As if receiving a command, those massive salt rock formations awoke from their slumber and moved in unison to the sides, making way for a path leading deeper into the cave.

[Is this... an invitation for the streamer to come in?]

Wow, this group of big cubes looks quite ceremonial, and they even seem to be very polite.

Led by Xiao Yanshibao, Ye Yinchuan entered the tribe's "restaurant".

It was a drier area, with the ground covered in fine salt grains.

The leader of the salt-stone mounds stretched out his huge rocky arms and carefully took out some "treasured" food from a pile of salt blocks, placing it in front of Ye Yinchuan.

Some were unknown ancient insects preserved in salt until they resembled amber.

There are also some brightly colored mushrooms that have been air-dried and have a fine layer of salt frost on their surface.

This is the most lavish hospitality they can offer.

[Uh—host, is this really edible?]

[This is extreme! Salt-baked giant moths?]

Although I know it's well-intentioned, I just can't bring myself to eat it because of its appearance.

Viewers in the live stream, upon seeing these "special delicacies," unanimously expressed their reluctance.

Ye Yinchuan showed no sign of disdain. He could sense that these salt stones were offering their most precious possessions as an expression of apology and gratitude.

He smiled and picked up a dried mushroom from the pile of food.

"Click."

With a soft pop, the mushroom enters the mouth, and the salty flavor explodes on the taste buds, followed by an indescribable, unique umami aroma.

"It tastes great," Ye Yinchuan exclaimed sincerely. "It's full of mineral flavor, very unique."

Seeing that Ye Yinchuan readily accepted their hospitality, the lead salt stone beast revealed obvious goodwill and affection in its eyes.

Its clumsy body seemed to have relaxed quite a bit.

"As a return gift." Ye Yinchuan put down the mushrooms in his hand and took out a few tree fruits from his backpack. They were plump in color and looked very juicy.

"These tree fruits are rich in various minerals that their bodies need, which should be very helpful for their growth," he explained to the viewers in the live stream.

Curious, Little Salt Stone Treasure took an orange tree fruit from Ye Yinchuan's hand.

It had never seen anything like it before.

In its world, all food is salty and dry.

It tentatively rubbed against it with its body, then opened its little mouth and gently took a bite.

"despair!"

Little Salt Stone's body suddenly stiffened!

In an instant, a light called "surprise" shone in its dull, square eyes!

A unique, sweet, sour, and refreshing flavor explodes in your mouth!

It swallowed the whole fruit in a few bites, then stared longingly at Ye Yinchuan, its small body happily bouncing around in place.

Haha, look how hungry the kid is!

[This is probably the first time you've tried sweets, and your reaction is so real!]

Seeing this, Yan Shilei, the leader, also became curious and took one from Ye Yinchuan's hand.

As that entirely new flavor spread through its ancient palate, its massive form momentarily froze.

It savored the moment quietly, its golden eyes gleaming with an unprecedented brilliance.

It's as if a heart that has been sealed away for millions of years has been infused with new vitality by this small tree fruit.

However, just as it swallowed the entire fruit.

An unexpected change occurred!

Buzz—! ! !

A dazzling white light suddenly burst forth from the body of the leader, Salt Stone!

Light of Evolution!

[Evolved with just one berry? Streamer, is that elixir of immortality?]

[Witness history! The streamer has once again facilitated the evolution of a rare Pokémon during his live stream!]

The entire cave was illuminated as brightly as day by this dazzling light of evolution!