Elf: Start your slow-paced life after becoming a farmer.

After hearing Karl's words, the five little guys nodded at him in unison. Karl looked at the eager expressions on their faces, rubbed his forehead, and sighed.

If it weren't for the fact that the Earth King was going out to visit friends these past few days, Karl wouldn't have been worried about these little guys.

After all, although the Earth King Mother looks like a nice young lady, once she gets angry, even the Swampert is a little afraid, let alone these little guys.

After explaining everything, Karl mounted Zapdos and flew into the sky.

Watching Karl disappear into the horizon, the five little guys exchanged happy glances. Before they could do anything, Espeon used its telekinesis to bring them inside.

"Ubui... (You'd better stay inside today, or I'll find out you've sneaked out...)" Espeon stared at them sternly. "Ubui. (Even Swampert can't save you.)"

When the five little creatures saw the suddenly changed Espeon, they were all frightened by its imposing aura. They immediately nodded obediently and lined up to sit down in a corner of the hut.

'Ultear has such a terrifying side?' A passerby, Newleafy, thought to herself. 'Master was right, it's definitely not simple!'

Chapter 127 Revisiting Glass Bottle City and a Store Visiting Livestreamer (2/5)

Perhaps because it's the weekend, the number of people in Bobottle City today is somewhat beyond Carl's expectations.

After landing outside Glass Bottle City, Carl recalled Zapdos into its Poké Ball and released Urshifu, leading it through the dense crowd into Glass Bottle City.

“Luckily, I booked a table at the Haidai Club online several days in advance.” Karl said to Martial Arts Master Xiong as he walked through the crowd. “Otherwise, given the situation today, we probably would have had to wait in line for ages and still not get a table.”

Looking at the throngs of people around him, Martial Arts Master Kuma nodded in agreement: "Hmm? (Shall we challenge the dojo now?)"

“That’s right.” Carl dodged a child running through the crowd. “After all, challenging a gym only takes less than half an hour, which is just in time for lunch.”

After Karl took the giant elevator to the top floor of Glass Bottle City, he quickly brought Martial Arts Bear Master to the Alliance Building in Glass Bottle City.

Because Carl had booked the gym challenge online in advance, the staff quickly found Carl's booking record after he explained his purpose.

After confirming that Karl's identity information was correct, a staff member immediately came out from behind the counter and led Karl to the battlefield inside the Alliance building.

On the way to the battle arena, the staff told Carl that if he had arrived a few minutes later, he would have had to wait until the afternoon to come for the gym challenge, because Haidai would be going to the Haidai Club to take charge of his work soon.

As soon as Carl entered the battlefield, he saw a bald, muscular man wearing a blue apron standing on the other side of the battlefield.

This person is none other than Haidai, the gym leader of the Glass Bottle Gym, the founder of the Haidai Club, a master of Chinese cuisine, and a trainer proficient in water-type skills.

Seeing that the last challenger of the day was so young, Haidai seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and turned to give the referee standing at the edge of the arena a wink.

"This battle features challenger Carl from the Sinnoh region against Hyde, the Gym Leader of the Bottle Gym. This battle will employ..."

"Karl?" Haidai was taken aback when he heard the name, then looked Karl up and down seriously before exclaiming, "Oh, it's you!"

Recently, Haidai has frequently heard Karl's name from various people.

Whether it was Chairman Yeci, King Aoki, or his culinary apprentice Afeng, they all gave this young man extremely high praise.

However, what concerned Haidai the most was that the young man in front of him seemed to be a farmer, and the crops produced on his farm were of excellent quality.

"Hello, Master Haidai." Karl was not surprised that Haidai knew about him; in fact, he would have been surprised if Haidai did not know about him.

After all, Carl had done a lot of things since arriving in the Padia region. Although he wasn't a household name yet, most trainers in the Padia region should have heard of him to some extent.

“If it’s you… I’m sorry, could you please come back this afternoon to challenge me?” Haidai said apologetically to Karl.

Karl was taken aback for a moment, then realized what he meant: "Master Haidai, if I may ask, is it because you have to go to the restaurant to take charge of your work that you asked me to come and challenge you this afternoon?"

“That’s right. After all, with your strength, I can’t end the battle in a short time, but I don’t want to take this battle lightly because of what’s going on at the restaurant,” Haidai explained earnestly.

“In that case, I’ll come back this afternoon,” Carl said, then changed the subject. “But as compensation, could I do you a favor?”

Upon hearing Karl's agreement, Haidai breathed a sigh of relief: "Of course, I can agree to anything within my capabilities."

The reason Haidai agreed so readily was not only because he genuinely felt guilty towards Karl, but also because he knew that given Karl's character, he was unlikely to make any requests that would put him in a difficult position.

"Here's the thing," Karl said to Haidai as he followed him out of the battlefield. "My starter Pokémon, Urshifu, is very interested in cooking, so I'd like to ask you, as a master of Chinese cuisine, to give it some pointers."

“Martial Arts Bear Master? That name goes well with Chinese cuisine!” Haidai glanced at the Martial Arts Bear Master following behind Karl and said with a smile, “Then come with me. But it’s not for instruction, it’s for chefs to exchange ideas.”

“Thank you, Master Haidai,” Karl said gratefully.

“Just call me Haidai, or Uncle Haidai.” Haidai said, then turned to Karl as if remembering something and asked, “Would you like to have lunch at my restaurant?”

“Uncle Haidai, I’ve already made a reservation.” Karl winked at Haidai. “After all, Haidai Club is the most famous restaurant in Padia. I definitely have to have a meal there while I’m in Glass Bottle City.”

"Hahaha, that's great!" Haidai laughed heartily. "I guarantee that Haidai Club will definitely not let you down!"

When Carl followed Haide to the vicinity of Haide Club, he spotted a familiar pink and blue-haired man in the crowd.

“Hey, that’s…”

"Oh! I almost forgot, Qishu is also coming to my restaurant today, uh, to check it out? That's probably the right word, isn't it?" Haidai slapped his forehead, somewhat troubled, and said, "Shouldn't I have reserved a table for that kid Qishu in advance?"

Karl blinked after hearing Haidai's words. According to the plot of a third-rate online novel, Haidai's words meant that he probably hadn't reserved a place for Qishu.

"Hey! Uncle Haidai!" After seeing Haidai in the crowd, Qishu immediately squeezed in front of him, and then she saw Karl standing next to Haidai.

Hey, what are you doing here?

"First of all, my name is Carl, not Passerby." Carl calmly met Qi Shu's curious gaze and said, "Secondly, I came here to challenge the Bottle Gym, but for some reason, my gym challenge has been moved to the afternoon."

"I see." Qi Shu looked around, somewhat puzzled, and asked, "Where's your Pikachu that can only shoot down enemies? Why didn't you bring it to challenge Uncle Haidai?"

“It…” Carl paused, “It ran away from home to play with its friends, so I didn’t take it with me.”

"Run away from home?!" Qi Shu exclaimed in astonishment, "Pokémon actually run away from home?"

As soon as Qishu finished speaking, the Poké Ball containing Serperior at Karl's waist wobbled.

“Pokémon, isn’t that amazing?” Carl said, shrugging.

Just then, Haidai, holding his phone, said with a delighted expression, "Qishu, I've saved you a good spot! Come on, come with me!"

Chapter 128 Strange Tree: Debut, Passerby! (3/5)

When Qishu saw Karl standing next to Haidai, she immediately changed her live broadcast plans for the day.

Today, Qishu's original live stream plan was to visit Haidai Club, which is currently the most popular way to live stream.

For Qi Shu, who aspires to become a top livestreamer, visiting restaurants is merely a means to attract traffic.

Now, as an "internet celebrity" who defeated Xinli and Aoki, Carl's very existence is the source of traffic.

Moreover, Qishu recently learned a rumor that Carl seems to know Cynthia, the newly crowned champion of the Sinnoh region. This is a unique source of traffic, and if she can handle things well, she might be able to attract a group of viewers from the Sinnoh region.

Just as Qishu was dreaming of becoming a top Pwitch streamer, Haidai suddenly interrupted her fantasy: "Qishu, your seat is here."

Upon hearing Haidai's words, Qishu subconsciously sat down in the seat Haidai had arranged for him, while Karl continued to follow Haidai's footsteps toward the seat he had chosen.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Qi Shu watched Karl walk further and further away and snapped out of his reverie.

"What's wrong? Qishu, are you not satisfied with the seat I arranged?" Haidai paused, turned to look at Qishu, and said with a puzzled expression, "This is the best seat in the club."

“No, I’m satisfied, but, uh.” Qi Shu suddenly realized that she didn’t seem to have any excuse to keep Karl here, after all, she wasn’t even Karl’s friend, just a stranger with his contact information.

The thought of his plan going to fall apart made Qishu's heart ache so much he could hardly breathe, after all, this was a huge amount of traffic!

No! Absolutely not! I must capitalize on this wave of traffic!

"Ahem, I have something I'd like to discuss with Karl privately, so Uncle Haidai, could you perhaps..."

Seeing Qi Shu's hesitant expression, Hai Dai was taken aback for a moment, then glanced at Karl, and then agreed: "Karl, I'll take Martial Arts Bear Master to the kitchen first, you can talk to Qi Shu here."

"Huh?" Karl didn't understand why Qishu had suddenly changed like this. Before he could react, Haidai had already left with Martial Arts Bear Master.

"So, Miss Qishu, what do you intend to say to me?" Karl pulled out a chair, sat opposite Qishu, and asked, somewhat puzzled.

Seeing Karl sit down, Qi Shu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then put on a serious expression and said to Karl, "Lu Ren-kun, have you ever considered debuting?"

"Huh?" Karl never expected that Qishu's first words would be so explosive.

"What I mean is, have you ever looked into the live streaming industry?" Qi Shu realized that she seemed a little too eager, so he changed the subject.

Having witnessed the development of the live streaming industry firsthand, Karl considered himself to have a fairly good understanding of it. However, he didn't understand why Qishu asked him this question, but he still answered truthfully, "I think I have some understanding of it."

"It's good that you know something about it." Qi Shu's expression brightened, and then he threw out another question to Karl: "Do you know what's most important for an online streamer?"

“Traffic,” Carl answered without hesitation.

"Bingo! Congratulations, you got it right!" Qi Shu gave Karl a thumbs up.

At this point in the conversation, Carl realized what Qishu wanted to say to him, so he cut to the chase: "So, Ms. Qishu, would you like me to participate in your live broadcast today?"

Although Karl had seen through Qishu's little scheme, she said without any hesitation, "That's right! But if you don't want to, Karl, I won't force you."

'You make it sound like you can actually force me to do that,' Karl thought to himself, before seriously considering Qishu's suggestion.

Although Karl had never been a streamer in his previous life, he had never eaten a Slowpoke's tail, so how could he have never seen a Slowpoke?

Carl was well aware of how much revenue a well-managed live streaming account could generate. This revenue not only refers to monetary gains, but also includes intangible benefits such as influence and credibility.

However, Carl actually prefers to be a video blogger rather than a live streamer. He has already come up with the themes for his videos, such as "Carl's Meals" or "Carl's Farm Story".

However, as he thought about it, Carl knew that to build an account, he needed not only high-quality content, but also a bit of luck, and even a bit of "gimmick," or traffic.

“Okay, I promise you.” Karl collected his thoughts and nodded in agreement.

"Oh! Passerby, you made the right choice." When Qishu saw Karl nod, she first breathed a sigh of relief, then put on a "you've hit the jackpot" expression. "Qishu, I'm going to be a big streamer's woman, I will definitely not treat you badly in the future."

"Yes, I believe you will definitely become a top streamer," said the transmigrator who knew the plot.

Next, Qi Shu began to discuss the content of the live stream with Karl. As the conversation deepened, Qi Shu suddenly realized that the man in front of her seemed to know more about live streaming than she did.

“While there is indeed an element of performance in live streaming, I think since you’ve chosen the theme of exploring restaurants, you need to come up with a new slogan for the restaurant exploration video series,” Carl suggested.

"How come you're so skilled at this!" Qi Shu first complained, then asked with some doubt, "But I already have a slogan, is it necessary to think of another one?"

“‘Who will tell the story? The story is here!’ While it’s catchy, it only represents you, not the entire video series.” Carl thought for a moment and gave an example, “For instance, both the red and white Poké Balls and the Ultra Balls are Poké Balls, so why use names to distinguish them?”

“I understand what you mean.” Qi Shu nodded, but then she said with some annoyance, “But you suddenly made me think of something interesting, and I can’t think of any slogans right now.”

Speaking of restaurant reviews, Karl was reminded of a certain overweight restaurant review blogger from his past life.

"What do you think of this 'Exploring unusual restaurants, discovering both the real and fake wonders'?" Carl suggested.

"Oh? This slogan is very similar in style to my old one." Qi Shu exclaimed in surprise, "Karl, as expected of you!"

"This is just a suggestion, you can think about it again." Karl waved his hand, then asked with some curiosity, "This should be your first time live-streaming a store visit, right? Have you considered the target for your next live-streaming store visit?"

"Is that even a question? My next shopping spree target is definitely Miss Feng's Pie Sole Mousse!" Qi Shu looked at Karl smugly. "I've already made plans with Miss Feng. Don't underestimate my connections, Qi Shu! You bastard! (Tongue-clicking)"

Just then, Carl noticed that the diners waiting outside the restaurant had begun to enter in an orderly manner, which meant that the Haidai Club was about to open for business.

'But where is Martial Arts Master Xiong?' Karl turned his head to look in the direction of the kitchen, and then he saw Martial Arts Master Xiong standing in the kitchen "fully armed", earnestly helping Haidai.

Ok?What's happening here?

Chapter 129 Mysterious Guest

"Hey, isn't that Carl's Pokémon?" Qi Shu followed Carl's gaze and then asked in surprise, "Uncle Haidai actually put it in the kitchen to work?"

Qi Shu had heard A Feng mention that only chefs approved by Hai Dai were allowed to work in the kitchen. Although Qi Shu had indeed seen Pokémon chefs online, this was the first time she had met a Pokémon chef in real life who was approved by Hai Dai.

“Yes, it’s quite interested in cooking, so I asked Uncle Haidai to give it some pointers,” Karl nodded in agreement.

Perhaps because of Haidai's special treatment, Karl and Qishu became the first guests at Haidai Club today.

As a restaurant, Haidai Club has a rather unique rule—diners cannot order food.

To be more precise, Haidai Club provides guests with specific dishes every day based on the fresh ingredients delivered that day.

Carl had heard of similar restaurants in his previous life, but this was the first time he had ever eaten at a restaurant of this caliber.

As the waiter brought out one delicious dish after another, Qishu set his phone to live streaming mode.

Because Qishu had already posted a live stream announcement on social media, her live stream room was flooded with viewers as soon as she started broadcasting.

Seeing the barrage of comments scrolling wildly in the live stream chat, Qi Shu cleared his throat and spoke into his phone, Rotom, in a spirited voice: "Everyone~ it's~ time~ for Qi Shu Qi Shu~"

"Capture your eye with an electric grid! Who will tell the story? The amazing tree is here! Good morning, noon, and evening, everyone in the live stream, Ciallo~"

"Finally, the live stream has started! Is Qishu-chan going to do a live store visit today?"

"That's right. Judging from the decor, it seems to be the Haidai Club, which is very famous throughout the entire Padiya region!"

"Is this the streamer doing favors for his colleague's business?"

"The owner of Haidai Restaurant is a master of Chinese cuisine. How can you call it patronizing the business? It's more like the streamer is trying to ride on the popularity of Haidai Club, isn't it?"

"..."

Qi Shu's eyes quickly scanned the lines of comments. As a popular online streamer, she had long been proficient in the professional skill of "selective blindness."

"Yes, Qishu's first restaurant visit was at Uncle Haidai's restaurant~" Qishu winked playfully at the camera, "But in addition to the standard restaurant visit procedure, I also invited a special guest to have lunch with me. I think you would never guess who this special guest is."

As soon as Qi Shuci spoke, the scrolling speed of the comments in her live stream increased noticeably, and many viewers who thought they knew Qi Shu well began to speculate about who the special guest she was talking about was.