NOVEL WEB Chapter 32: Chapter 32
After leaving Pokémon Home, Tic didn't put the Zigzagoon back into its Poké Ball. Instead, he let it follow him outside.
The little girl happily chased after the Zigzagoon's tail, and Tic watched the peaceful scene with a smile. At this moment, he felt he had made an absolutely correct decision.
Wasn't the purpose of life to have a harmonious family? Although spending over 400,000 Mora in one go was a bit painful, seeing his little princess so happy made it all worth it.
Just then, the Zigzagoon, which had been playing the tail-chasing game with the little girl, suddenly stopped. It looked around alertly, its ears perked up.
"Bear bear, what's wrong?"
The little girl looked at the Zigzagoon with concern.
The Zigzagoon glanced around for a while, then lowered its head to sniff the ground. Finally, it ran toward an open area not far away.
The little girl quickly followed, and Tic, worried something might happen, also trailed behind the Zigzagoon.
The Zigzagoon lay on the ground, sniffing continuously as if searching for something.
Tic's expression was filled with doubt. He held his daughter's hand and watched the Zigzagoon curiously.
Suddenly, the Zigzagoon's eyes lit up. It stood up and began digging into the ground with its front paws.
The Zigzagoon dug at an astonishing speed. In no time, it had dug a deep hole that seemed bottomless.
"This…"
Tic was dumbfounded. If they had this kind of digging efficiency, why even bother with miners? Just bring in 10,000 Zigzagoons, and they could finish a month's worth of work in a single day.
"Meow~"
The next moment, the Zigzagoon's cry came from the hole.
Soon, the dust-covered Zigzagoon emerged from the hole, shook off the dirt, and turned around to pull out a crystal-clear stone from the hole.
"Is this… a Luminescent Noctilucous Jade of the highest grade?"
Tic squatted down to examine the stone closely, and the more he looked, the more shocked he became.
He never expected this little guy to give him such a huge surprise. Was this the Pickup ability?
Tic's eyes grew brighter. The Chasm had no shortage of stones, and all kinds of rare ores could be found there—if you knew where to look.
"I've really struck gold this time."
…
Back at Pokémon Home.
"Mr. Li, it's been a while. I've missed you dearly."
As soon as they met, Ningguang greeted him with a smile.
The current Ningguang was still quite different from the Tianquan Star of the main storyline. At the very least, she was more willing to set aside her pride now.
Of course, for someone like Ningguang, who had climbed from the bottom to the position of the Liyue Qixing, pride was nothing more than an optional extra.
"Miss Ningguang, if you have something to say, please get straight to the point."
The moment he saw Ningguang, Li Pan smiled faintly. Right now, Ningguang was the one asking for his help.
Ningguang walked in with practiced ease and sat down in the lounge area. Her white and gold cheongsam accentuated a breathtaking silhouette.
"Mr. Li, Keqing sent a message yesterday. The situation in Qingce Village is worse than we imagined. The village has turned into a swamp, and the Chi sealed underground has shown signs of unrest. Its blood has transformed into countless Chi Beasts, wreaking havoc. Moreover, Keqing detected the presence of the Abyss Order in Qingce Village."
Just hearing Ningguang's description gave Li Pan a headache. The Abyss Order, the Chi, and natural disasters—all gathered together. Yet, Ningguang's expression remained unchanged, as if nothing could shake her composure.
"All the Millelith and Vision holders in Liyue have been mobilized and are heading toward Qingce Village."
Li Pan already had a rough idea. The Millelith and Vision holders were there to deal with the Chi Beasts, while the real Chi would be left to him.
The purpose of this war was never to exterminate or reseal the evil Chi. This sly woman had never even considered the Chi a threat. Her real goal was to train her forces.
Although Teyvat seemed peaceful on the surface, it was ultimately a world with supernatural powers. And in such a world, weakness was the greatest sin!
Li Pan stroked his chin and looked at this sly woman with an incredulous expression.
Was she really willing to let the entire nation of Liyue go hungry for a year just to train her forces?
Wait… Suddenly, Li Pan seemed to realize something, and his expression froze.
"Miss Ningguang, if I may ask, how much food reserves does Liyue have left?"
Hearing this, Ningguang opened her fan and smiled.
"Mr. Li, you've caught on. But I'm not lying. Qingce Village is indeed Liyue's granary. If there's no harvest this year, Liyue will indeed go hungry."
Li Pan didn't say anything. He just quietly watched Ningguang, knowing she hadn't finished speaking.
Seeing Li Pan's expression, Ningguang laughed so hard her body shook.
"Mr. Li, I'm on very good terms with Master Jean of Mondstadt."
With just that one sentence, Li Pan understood. Mondstadt, with its vast plains, would never lack food. They could simply buy from Mondstadt. After all, it was only for a year.
"I see." Li Pan nodded. This sly woman must have started planning as soon as she learned about Landorus's power.
"But this time, I'm here to back you up. What if I weren't here, or if I refused to help?"
Li Pan still voiced his doubts.
Ningguang chuckled and pointed her slender, jade-like finger toward the sky. "Mr. Li, if my Jade Chamber were to self-destruct, it could unleash a force equivalent to a full-power strike from an Archon. Compared to the Jade Chamber, this training exercise is far more important."
Ningguang spoke softly, but her tone was extremely serious. She had climbed from the bottom to the position of the Liyue Qixing, making her one of the smartest people in Liyue. Naturally, she could see the inevitable direction of Liyue's future.
The era of human governance was bound to come. And if they weren't prepared when it arrived, they would suffer greatly.
"I see. Well, since you've already planned everything out, a small merchant like me can't change anything. Just remember to take care of my business in the future. I'll take Landorus to Qingce Village now."
With that, Li Pan stood up and prepared to leave Pokémon Home with Landorus.
"Mr. Li, wait a moment."
Suddenly, Ningguang called out to him.
"Did your original world… reach the end of human governance?"
Ningguang didn't notice that her voice was trembling.
In Liyue, the name of the Geo Archon seemed to have seeped into every inch of the land. Everywhere bore his traces, unchanged for thousands of years.
And now, what they were about to do was to change this millennia-old order.
This was an unprecedented turn of events. In this situation, even Ningguang couldn't help but feel lost at times.
Would the era of divine governance truly end in my hands?
Ningguang had asked herself this question more than once.
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