Pokémon: I picked up a reborn Eevee at the start of the game

However, Jiang Qian ruthlessly revealed that he was usually a hands-off manager, and it made no difference whether he was there or not.

Of course, given Jiang Qian's emotional intelligence, she wouldn't have said it so bluntly, but rather expressed the meaning in a more subtle way.

Although Xia Chen was somewhat hurt, he could not refute the fact and could only resign himself to his fate.

After spending a pleasant New Year with his childhood sweetheart and her parents, Xia Chen rested for two days before setting off for the Padiya region.

The Padiya region is located in the north, and its winters are much colder than those in Zhijiang, which is located in the south of Donghuang. When Xia Chen arrived, it was snowing heavily.

Snowflakes, which had been falling for a while, gently covered the buildings on the ground, covering the Padian-style pointed buildings with a layer of silver, and Orange Academy was instantly transformed into Frosty Orange Academy.

Xia Chen's arrival point in Padia this time was still Tabletop City.

First, I wanted to visit Principal Claver, who had taken good care of me in the past; second, I wanted to ask him about things related to District Zero.

According to Milton, Milton was located in the most mysterious Zone Zero of the Padia Crater.

January is the holiday season for Orange Academy, and the campus is very quiet. Occasionally you can see a few people shoveling snow and elves, who are all employees who live nearby and come to work overtime.

Principal Claver hasn't gone home yet; he's staying temporarily in the faculty and staff dormitory at the school.

It's called a dormitory, but it's actually a small villa.

Orange School is very generous; even ordinary students can have a single dormitory room, let alone the school principal.

Xia Chen arrived with gifts, but the one who opened the door was the motorcycle lizard that had been lent to him before.

Motor Lizard was quite happy to see his friend, with whom he had traveled for a short time.

Because the moment he saw him, the Motor Lizard could recall the delicious food he had made during their trip together, a taste he had never found again.

…………

Following the motorcycle lizard into the living room, before even seeing Clavel, Xia Chen heard a familiar voice.

"Good morning, ciao~ This is Qishu's Ramblings Channel. Who's rambling? It's me, Qishu! Today's ramblings will be as electrifying as an electric frog~"

Goodness, Claver is actually a fan of Qishu?

The thought of Clavel staring at the screen with a goofy grin, grinning like an otaku, sent a chill down Xia Chen's spine.

Fortunately, the highly respected principal of Orange Academy wasn't as bad as he seemed; instead, he watched the live stream with a kind smile, appearing to be a devoted fan of Qishu...

Considering that it would be embarrassing to see an elder watching a pretty girl's live stream, Xia Chen didn't call out to him.

However, Claver was really engrossed in the live stream. If it weren't for the Motor Lizard waking him up, he probably wouldn't have noticed Xia Chen's arrival until the end of the [Strange Trees and Strange Tales] talk show live stream.

"Ahem... Xia Chen is here. Wasn't your flight supposed to be at three? Why are you here so early?"

Claver instinctively tried to cover up his embarrassment by coughing softly.

Xia Chen gestured with his lip towards the clock on the wall, which showed the time as 3:30.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot the time. The main thing is that I recently discovered that many students are addicted to this live stream called Qishu, so I thought I'd do some research to see what kind of magic it has."

And then you became addicted to it, right?

Xia Chen revealed the truth in his heart, but pretended to suddenly realize it and said "Oh".

We're all adults; if we don't understand the meaning of "seeing through things but not saying them," then it's somewhat impolite.

Xia Chen handed over the gift he had brought, helping to cover up the awkwardness.

"This is a small gift I brought to thank you for taking care of me during that time last year."

Claver instinctively wanted to refuse, but Xia Chen added, "It's nothing valuable, just some local products from my island, fresh milk from the milking this morning, royal jelly and the like. It's just a small token of my appreciation."

These items might have been rare imports in Padiyah a few decades ago, but in this era... the connections between different regions are extremely close.

Large milk tank farms and queen bee apiaries are not uncommon in the Padiya region, so Clavel accepted them without any qualms.

Thanks to Xia Chen's high emotional intelligence, the awkward atmosphere in the living room gradually dissipated. Claver put away the gifts and sat down with Xia Chen in the living room, where he had Bu Sihu pour a cup of fine black tea.

…………

"Your Eastern Empire should have just finished celebrating the New Year, right? Why did you suddenly decide to come to Padiya?"

Claver elegantly sipped his tea and casually asked a question.

Before Xia Chen arrived, he only told him about the visit and didn't say anything else. Claver didn't know what his purpose was in coming here.

"Well, I'd like to visit District Zero, so I'd like to ask you about a few things."

Xia Chen didn't reveal his most important goal—to cause trouble for Millerton—not because he didn't trust him, but mainly because he was afraid of scaring Claver, so he went around in circles.

Although Claver may seem like just a university president, Orange Academy actually holds a very high position in Padia, as evidenced by the fact that the entire city of Tabletop is developed around Orange Academy.

Therefore, this principal may not know less about the inside story than the league's top officials.

Claver frowned slightly and asked, "Sector Zero? Are you going to the research institute or what?"

Sure enough, you could tell from his tone that he knew something. Xia Chen replied, "I have some ideas about paradoxical species. I've almost finished researching Xi Cui and Nian Meilong, and I'd like to use this as a new research topic."

This is where the internationally renowned scholar of spirits comes into play.

The key point is that Xia Chen is not the kind of senior researcher who has achieved his status by simply publishing papers; he has many world-renowned research achievements.

It's not a bad thing that someone of this stature wants to study the paradoxical problem that has plagued Padia for many years.

Claver pondered for a moment, then explained, "If that's the case, it would be best to go to the research institute. They have all the research data on paradoxical species over the years, although most of it is top-secret information that is not open to outsiders."

"The directors and most important researchers of the Zone Zero Research Institute are Dr. Orin and Dr. Fortu, Pipa's parents. They have been deeply involved in research in Zone Zero for many years. The Zone Zero Research Institute was built by the two of them, along with humans and elves. In all these years, they have never even left the research institute once. It's truly remarkable..."

As he spoke, Clavel became somewhat emotional.

However, the couple's story is truly touching, dedicating their lives to their beloved research on Pokémon...

It's hard to judge Xia Chen. Although outsiders might think he's great, it's somewhat unfortunate for Pipa.

One can imagine that growing up in such an environment and later rarely seeing one's parents, it's quite remarkable that one has developed the personality one has now.

"I have some connection with them, and we occasionally video chat. I can introduce you to them, would you like?"

Claver indicated that he could act as the middleman.

Xia Chen nodded and thanked him, saying, "Of course, thank you for your help."

Entering Zone Zero through legitimate means would be the best-case scenario, and he didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble.

Claver didn't hesitate and immediately turned off Qishu's live stream, then used the video call function on the TV to call a contact named Orin.

…………

After a few seconds of ringing, the call was quickly answered, and on the other end was a young, beautiful woman with tanned skin, a wild hairstyle, and a great figure.

Is this Pipa's mom?

Her mother's appearance management is a bit too good, isn't it?

He looks to be under thirty at most. Did his father do something really serious when he was young?

It's no wonder Xia Chen made such malicious speculations; the doctor looked far too young, and Westerners tend to age quickly.

Moreover, researchers aren't the kind of group that relies on their looks for a living, so there's no need for them to take meticulous care of themselves... Of course, academic beauties are an exception.

However, this was a minor matter. Xia Chen only had a slight doubt in his heart but did not show it.

In the short time that followed, Claver had already started exchanging pleasantries with Dr. Orin, mainly about how they were doing, how their lives were, and whether the weather was good or not.

The people of Donghuang are different in this respect; their first question is always, "Have you eaten?"

After the pleasantries, Clavel introduced Xia Chen, basically exaggerating his academic achievements... well, not exactly exaggeration, as they were all Xia Chen's real accomplishments, but the total amount was so outrageous that it seemed like he was just bragging.

Although Dr. Orin was in Zone Zero, it was still connected to the internet, and she had heard some of Xia Chen's deeds.

Through Claver's introduction, the two became acquainted.

"Dr. Xia Chen came here to explore the mysteries of paradoxical species, so I thought I'd introduce him to you."

For some reason, Xia Chen was inexplicably given the title of PhD.

Dr. Orin didn't pay attention to this detail and readily replied, "Of course, no problem. The institute welcomes you."

Things went too smoothly, and Xia Chen readily accepted the invitation.

Then Orin began to explain to Xia Chen how to enter the research institute.

To get into the research institute, you have to start by entering the Paddy Pit.

The giant crater is said to have appeared a million years ago, and the reason for its formation remains unknown.

It is surrounded by steep cliffs, with layers of clouds and mist swirling around the precipitous cliffs. Even if one wanted to travel through it on a flying spirit, they would encounter numerous difficulties such as getting lost and crashing into the cliffs, making it difficult to enter.

The only official entrance is located in Jinhui Town, where the cliffs are low and the clouds are not thick. An entrance called [Zero Zone Gate] has been built there. The League has a very strict defense of the area, and only trainers with permission are allowed to enter.

However, for the Zero Zone Research Institute, admission is simply a matter of a word from Director Dr. Orin.

After arranging to go to the Zero Zone gate tomorrow, Dr. Orin hung up the phone.

As the director of the most mysterious research institute in the Padiya region, and even in the world, Orin is very busy.

After finishing his business, Xia Chen played some Padian chess with the lonely old man for a while, and then made a dish that Motor Lizard had been craving. After dinner, he said goodbye.

The Padiya region is located in the north, and winters come early and late, so it was already dark when I went out.

Xia Chen casually found a decent hotel in Zhuotai City and made do for the night.

Chapter 360 Insult Me, Magical Masked Cat! (5k words, second update, 2/5 of 10k words per day)

The next morning, Xia Chen woke up early.

It was snowing heavily outside.

Xia Chen, who was not fully awake, glanced at the snowflakes falling like goose feathers outside the window, and instinctively buried his head in the quilt, only to be ruthlessly pulled away by Duolongqi.

"Qi—(Get up quickly, we made plans with Dr. Orin, we're going to Sector Zero today!)"

Duolongqi excitedly urged Xia Chen on.

He's been in a state of high excitement these past few days, which isn't hard to understand; he's been waiting for this evolution for almost half a year.

Dorgonmesia's brother has been waiting for his sister's resurrection for almost half a year.

Seeing that Goomy, who joined the team half a year later, has evolved into Goodra, it would be a lie to say that I wasn't envious. After waiting for this day for so long, Dragapult finally got its turn.

Although the room was heated, it was nowhere near as warm as a cozy bed.