Tang Dynasty: Starting with Dimo, he was targeted by Li Shimin.

Chapter 5 The Door God and the Little Otter

The next morning.

Lin Luo, unusually, did not sleep until late morning.

It wasn't that he wanted to get up early, but that he was woken up by the noise outside the shop.

He pushed open the front door and looked—

Goodness, there were more than a dozen people lined up at the entrance.

There were peddlers carrying loads on their shoulders, merchants dressed in silk, and several middle-aged men in official robes.

Everyone craned their necks to peer into the store, whispering among themselves.

"Is this the shop? The one where Duke Cheng got swatted away by a duck yesterday?"

"I heard that duck can grow bigger than a city gate!"

"What exactly does this store sell?"

Lin Luo: "…………"

He silently closed the door.

(´ཀ`」∠) Cheng Yaojin has such a big mouth.

·

After an incense stick has burned.

Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Gong visited again.

This time, Cheng Yaojin also had a duck sitting on his butt—

To be precise, it was DuckGigi who jumped up and sat there by himself.

Because Cheng Yaojin opened his vault a crack last night after returning home, letting Yajiji go in to sleep.

From then on, Duck Gigi decided that Cheng Yaojin was its best friend in this life.

"Quack quack!" Duck Gigi lay contentedly on Cheng Yaojin's broad shoulder, occasionally rubbing his face with its flat beak.

Cheng Yaojin wasn't annoyed at having his face covered in saliva; instead, he chuckled.

"Shopkeeper! This duck is so easy to raise! It gets overjoyed just by showing it some gold!"

Lin Luo glanced at DuckGigi and saw that it had a gold chain around its neck—clearly, Cheng Yaojin had put it on it.

His lips twitched.

Well, the money-loving duck has met a wealthy owner; it's a match made in heaven.

"Shopkeeper," Yuchi Gong spoke, his tone much more serious than Cheng Yaojin's.

"After returning yesterday, the two of us have been thinking about something."

"These sprites... especially those like Aquamarine that can spray water, if there were enough of them, could they be used to irrigate fields?"

Lin Luo raised an eyebrow slightly.

He didn't rush to answer, but instead picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip.

"Please have a seat."

He pointed to the only two chairs in the shop—the kind of low chairs he had a carpenter make a few days ago specifically for taking a nap.

The two dukes, with their imposing figures, sat down, and the chairs creaked with a worrying sound.

"Let me tell you something first," Lin Luo said, putting down his teacup.

"I need to calculate the cost of your raffle yesterday."

"Each draw costs ten taels of silver. Duke Cheng, you drew fifty times yesterday, reaching the minimum, for a total of five hundred taels."

Cheng Yaojin didn't hesitate much when he heard the price.

Yesterday, watching Duck Gigi happily rolling around on a gold ingot in the vault, he felt that the money was well spent.

But Yuchi Gong was quietly doing some calculations—

Five hundred taels of silver.

What does this mean?

The annual salary of a first-rank official in the Tang Dynasty, when converted to cash, amounted to no more than three hundred strings of cash.

One string of cash could buy about ten bushels of grain at the current prices in Chang'an.

In other words, the cost for Cheng Yaojin to draw a duck named Jiji...

This is equivalent to the entire income of a high-ranking official for nearly two years without eating or drinking.

This price...

Even though Yuchi Gong was the richest man in Chang'an, he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.

But then again, considering the abilities DuckJiJi has demonstrated—the ability to grow to enormous size, the ability to understand human speech, and the ability to fly—

This is already enough to be called a celestial beast.

Trading two years' salary for a mythical beast doesn't seem like a bad deal, does it?

Moreover, their purpose in coming here wasn't just to buy a pet to play with—

It was because of the drought.

"Shopkeeper, can I draw this spirit too?" Yuchi Gong asked impatiently.

Seeing that his brother already has a giant duckling!

He wanted one too! Otherwise, he could already picture Cheng Yaojin showing it off in front of him.

He never thought about money, because he had never lacked money, and no one was richer than him.

"Of course," Lin Luo replied.

Generally, anyone can come here to draw Pokémon, unless that person has impure motives for obtaining the Pokémon, or intends to harm it.

That would cross Lin Luo's bottom line.

Lin Luo pushed the Star Mirror in front of Yuchi Gong.

Yuchi Gong excitedly rubbed his hands together and then placed them on the surface with a practiced air.

The Star Mirror lit up with golden light, and the illusory image of the elf began to rotate—

First time: Four "Thank you for your patronage" tokens, two fruit fragments.

Yuchi Gong didn't care and continued.

Second time: five "Thank you for your patronage" stickers and one cocoa fruit.

carry on.

Third time: Three "Thank you for your patronage" tokens, and four fruit fragments.

continue!

The fourth time—

Yuchi Gong took a deep breath and placed his hand firmly on the mirror.

The golden light spun, then gradually slowed down...

"Buzz—"

A beam of azure light rose from the center of the mirror!

Unlike the golden light Cheng Yaojin emitted before, this time it was a clear blue, like a pool of living water.

In the blue light, the silhouette of an elf slowly emerged—

Its small size makes it look...like an otter?

·

"I didn't expect it to appear on the fourth try," Lin Luo said, glancing at the Star Mirror with slight surprise.

"Good luck. This is a small mouse otter, a water-type."

He carried the elf out of the backyard.

Under the expectant gazes of the two dukes—

A small, furry otter was perched on the counter.

It was about the size of two palms, and its entire body was covered with a layer of short, fine, bluish-gray fur.

Its belly was light white, round and bulging, as if it had just eaten a full meal.

A flat tail draped behind it, with the tip slightly upturned.

Two small, dark, beady eyes rolled around, sizing up everyone in front of them.

What's cutest is its two little paws—

She was holding a small pebble that she had somehow found, and carefully placing it on her belly.

Then it patted itself with its paw, making a crisp "slap slap" sound.

He looked at everyone with a serious expression, as if to say, "Look how amazing I am."

"squeak!"

Yuchi Gong looked at the little one and was speechless for a moment.

He had expected to draw a powerful one like Aquamarine—

After all, Shui Lanlan's water cannon could send Cheng Yaojin flying dozens of feet.

result……

He looked down at his towering, iron-like body.

He then looked at the tiny otter in his palm, which couldn't even fill his hand.

silent.

"Pfft—!! Hahahahahaha!!"

Cheng Yaojin was the first to break down.

"Black-faced charcoal head!! You, the dignified Duke of E, have been married to... a tiny little mouse?! Hahahaha—"

"Quack quack quack quack!!" Even the duck Jiji was laughing and flapping its wings on Cheng Yaojin's shoulder.

Yuchi Gong's face was so black it could drip ink.

"Shopkeeper... are you sure this... is also a spirit beast?"

"Don't let its small size fool you," Lin Luo said calmly.

"The Shrike is a Water-type Pokémon, and its evolution path is Shrike → Swallowtail → Curly-bearded Giant Otter."

"After its full evolution, the Curly-Bearded Giant Otter can reach a height of two meters and weigh over one hundred kilograms. Its entire body is covered with thick, waterproof mane, and it has two long, curly whiskers on its chin, making it look like a majestic water general."

"Furthermore, its special ability is called 'Torrent'—the lower its health, the stronger its water-type moves become. It becomes even more ferocious in dire situations."

When Yuchi Gong heard the phrase "the more desperate the situation, the fiercer he becomes," his expression clearly changed.

this--

Isn't he a perfect reflection of Yuchi Gong?!

When he followed Li Shimin in conquering the world, he became more and more courageous when the situation became desperate!

"Rapid currents..." Yuchi Gong murmured, repeating himself as he looked down at the little otter in his palm.

The little otter tilted its head and looked up at him, its black bean eyes reflecting the towering figure of Yuchi Gong.

Then it lifted the small pebble on its belly and handed it to Yuchi Gong.

"squeak?"

It's as if to say, "This is for you."

Yuchi Gong was stunned for a moment.

He took the small pebble, which was still warm from his body.

Suddenly I laughed.

"Okay, I'll accept you."

He carefully cradled the little otter in his palm—

This man, who could punch through a city gate, was moving more lightly than if he were holding a newborn chick.

Cheng Yaojin watched in stunned silence.

In all his years, this was the first time he had ever seen Yuchi Gong so gentle.

"Ahem," Cheng Yaojin cleared his throat, leaned closer to Lin Luo, and asked in a low voice,

"Shopkeeper, um... my duck Gigi and his little mouse... who's stronger?"

Lin Luo glanced at him.

These two really can't change their habit of comparing everything.

"Elves can indeed battle each other, and battles are also a way to train elves to become stronger," Lin Luo said.

"However, strength depends not only on the Pokémon itself, but also on the type matchups."

"Attribute... counter?" The two of them looked at each other with curiosity.

Lin Luo didn't take out a form to read; instead, he did something simple—

He took a cocoa fruit from beside the display case and placed it on the ground.

"Dimo, come here."

Dimo drifted lazily over from the backyard.

Lin Luo glanced at the little otter on the counter again: "Little guy, you come too."

The little otter jumped off the counter and squatted down next to the cocoa fruit with a curious look on its face.

Dimo stretched out a small paw, and a small ball of golden light condensed at the tip of his finger—and gently touched the cocoa fruit.

The cocoa beans remained completely still.

"Light attributes are generally ineffective against normal attributes," Lin Luo said.

Then the little otter came over, opened its small mouth, and spat out a small stream of water—"whoosh"—which poured onto the cocoa pod.

The cocoa pods were splashed and rolled around several times.

"Water-type Pokémon are strong against Fire-type, but weak against Grass-type. In other words, there are strength-reinforcing and weakness-resisting relationships between Pokémon."

"Fire beats grass, which beats water, which beats fire, like a circle. And light, ice, earth, and mechanical attributes... each have their own counter-chains."

"Before going to war, you need to figure out what the enemy's attributes are, otherwise you're just throwing your lives away."

Lin Luo glanced at Cheng Yaojin as he spoke.

Cheng Yaojin was nodding earnestly.

He was so focused that he forgot to close his mouth.

Yuchi Gong was already making plans in his mind:

Water overcomes fire, fire overcomes grass, grass overcomes water...

This logic is remarkably similar to the military strategy of "using one's strengths to attack the enemy's weaknesses"!

Using cavalry to counter infantry, using bows and crossbows to counter cavalry, and using shield formations to counter bows and crossbows—isn't that the same principle?

"You two dukes," Lin Luo said calmly, taking a sip of tea.

"I know what you're thinking."

"Water-type Pokémon can create water, and droughts are causing water shortages, so you want to use Pokémon to solve the drought."

The two exchanged a glance and did not deny it.

"This idea isn't impossible," Lin Luo said, putting down his teacup.

"But you need to understand one thing—a single little otter can't irrigate several acres. Even if it's a blue otter, it can't irrigate much in a day."

"To truly alleviate the drought in Gyeonggi Province, you don't need one or two water-type spirits, but many."

"And right now, I'm the only shop in the entire Tang Dynasty that offers this lottery. It costs ten taels of silver per draw, and there's no guarantee you'll win a water-related item."

"At this rate, you might not have collected enough Pokémon even when the drought ends."

A bucket of cold water was poured over them, and the expressions of both dukes became serious.

Lin Luo is telling the truth.

This price is unaffordable not only for ordinary people, but even for high-ranking officials in the imperial court.

Even if we were to submit it to the imperial court as a new type of "water conservancy equipment" and purchase it using the national treasury—

With the drought raging and the national treasury already strained, where would we find the extra money to hold a lottery?

There was silence for a moment.

"Well...shopkeeper," Yuchi Gong said, holding the little otter, his expression serious.

"Do you have any other ideas?"

Lin Luo fell silent.

Of course he knew there was a way—

The Sleeping Owl Sanctuary's fruit system allows you to continuously attract water-type spirits to gather around the sanctuary by placing water-type spirit fruits in it.

It's equivalent to an infinitely refreshed "water-type spirit spawn point".

But the problem is-

He doesn't have any Water-type Spirit Fruits at the moment.

The system's daily check-in rewards are mostly cocoa berries and magic dust; occasionally, a magic fruit pops up, which is considered a stroke of luck.

You can only accumulate Spirit Fruits by drawing fragments through lotteries or waiting for system mission rewards.

"I don't have any at the moment," Lin Luo said honestly.

"But it's not entirely hopeless. I need some time."

He looked at the two of them:

"If you really want the elves to help solve the drought—"

"We can't rely on just me."

"You must let His Majesty know about this."

Both of them were startled at the same time.

"I'm not asking you to go and say it now," Lin Luo added.

"I'm telling you to think it over carefully before you speak. Because once this matter is brought before the Emperor, it won't just be a matter for a few of us anymore."

"Then more people will know about elves, more people will want elves, and more people will come to me."

Lin Luo paused, glancing at the onlookers still peering in from outside the door.

"As for me... I don't really like crowds."

After saying that, he picked up the teacup again and slowly took a sip.

But both dukes understood—

His words were not a rejection.

It's telling them: once you start, there's no turning back.

"Don't worry, shopkeeper." Yuchi Gong stood up and clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"We two will carefully consider this matter."

"But before that—"

He looked down at the little otter gnawing on a pebble in his palm, and his expression softened considerably.

"Let me raise this little guy properly first."

"Squeak!" The little otter happily kicked its short legs.

Cheng Yaojin watched this scene with a sour look on his face.

He pulled the duckling off his shoulder and hugged it tightly.

"Hmph, don't be so smug, you black charcoal head. My duckling can grow bigger! Your little mouse can only warm your hands at best!"

"Quack quack!" Duck Gigi puffed out its chest in agreement.

"Squeak?" The little otter tilted its head and glanced at Duck Gigi.

Then--

It opened its little mouth and spat a small stream of water at Duck Gigi.

"Sizzle—"

A water droplet landed right on Duck Gigi's forehead.

Duck Gigi's tuft of feathers instantly flattened, and all the feathers on its body bristled.

It stared at the little otter with an incredulous look on its face.

"Gagagagagagaga!!!"

Duck Gigi flapped its wings frantically and rushed forward to fight the little otter.

The little otter nimbly flipped over and jumped onto Yuchi Gong's shoulder, revealing a smug little expression.

"Squeak~"

The shop instantly erupted into chaos—no, more like ducks and otters.

Lin Luo leaned against the counter, watching the two dukes bickering while each holding their own elf.

His lips twitched.

Well, things might not be so quiet anymore.

But at least...

This scene is quite interesting.

……