Chapter 112: Azhida: We've been robbed!

“Five days? It seems this timeframe is still too conservative.”

Never before had there been such a magnificent beginning!

Let us raise a cheer for these two brothers who have been battling and strengthening their skills in broad daylight!

Zhu Suihan chuckled softly, leapt down from the tree, and, mounted on Lapras, hurried toward the place where a huge hole had been smashed through the rock.

It wasn’t that the giant swamp monster’s power had suddenly surged; rather, there was originally a man-made passage there—much like the abandoned mine shafts occasionally discovered during mountain development.

“Gord.”

Bosskadora staggered out from the tunnel, casting a doubtful look at the bewildered giant swamp monster.

He suspected the other was putting on an act. This tunnel must have been prepared long ago after its discovery, designed to accommodate him in a grand fashion.

Putting everything else aside, Bosskadora knew well enough that he wouldn’t stand a chance against the giant swamp monster in a fight right now.

The fall inflicted some heavy damage; even now, Bosskadora still felt a lingering ache.

“Gla?”

The giant swamp monster grew anxious. How could a man with such thick eyebrows and large eyes doubt me in something like this?

Do I appear weaker than you, needing to resort to such lowly tricks? After all this time fighting, when have you ever seen me stoop to such underhanded methods?

Bosskadora was momentarily stunned. “Gord?”

It did make sense.

“Hello there, you two have been a great help.”

The two strongmen immediately turned to look at the white-haired figure, who was riding Lapras. Above his head hovered a cute but unfamiliar Pokémon, and his face was masked with a curious, strange mask.

It somewhat resembled Psyduck, who was often seen playing along the coastline.

“Gord.”

A human, huh? You don’t come to this place often.

“Hello, Bosskadora.”

Zhu Suihan tossed two boxes of energy cubes to the two hefty creatures. To prevent his disguise from being uncovered, he gave them the high-grade ones sold in shops.

“Gentlemen, I need a favor. There’s something I want down here.”

Whether there were stones that could only be moved by a powerful force like the move Strength was uncertain. In reality, just finding two strong Pokémon would suffice.

Unless there was some intricate mechanism that truly required Strength to shift.

If that were the case, Lapras would have to pull off a miracle.

King Poklandis possessed no reason to be so cruel as to possess two unfortunate souls just to cause trouble—raising their suspicions would be counterproductive.

The two powerhouses swallowed the energy cubes and gestured for the white-haired man to lead the way.

Since the place had been exposed when the two giants broke through the rock wall, there was no need to worry about air circulation.

“So there’s no need to light a candle at the southeast corner, huh?”

Zhu Suihan held up a flashlight, examining a relatively sturdy stone door ahead. The door was densely inscribed with ancient characters, all praising and glorifying deeds.

“You didn’t record even a word about being taken down by two strikes from the Firebird.”

Zhu Suihan glanced back. “Gentlemen, is it difficult to open this door?”

“Gord!”

No need for me to help; I can do it myself!

Bosskadora placed both hands on the door, pressed firmly, and pushed.

Rumbles of muffled sound accompanied falling stone chips. Lapras quickly ducked behind its trainer, its large eyes gleaming with intelligence.

If it got dirty again, it would have to endure another bath from its trainer!

Feeling underestimated, the giant swamp monster decisively stepped forward to help, taking charge of one side of the door. With both of them pushing, the door quickly gave way.

Then, a torrent of gold and silver treasures poured out like a landslide, including jeweled longswords that looked more like ceremonial artifacts than weapons.

The prices of precious metals in the Pokémon world were not exaggerated, as there wasn’t much marketing hype surrounding them.

In short, while they might fetch a decent price as antiques, it was even better to feed them as snacks to Rock-, Ground-, or Steel-type Pokémon.

“Gord?”

Can I take a bite?

“Go ahead.”

Bosskadora took the gem-encrusted longsword and performed a sword-swallowing act on the spot, the cracking sounds incessant.

“Gord.”

Bosskadora shook his head; the taste was mediocre but still better than casually gnawing on stones outside.

“There seems to be a problem here.”

Carefully stepping over the gold and silver treasures, Zhu Suihan entered the stone chamber and raised an eyebrow.

There was treasure everywhere, and many elemental materials scattered among them—all of a type that preserved well like hard stone.

There were also small boxes arranged on shelves; upon opening, they were found to contain inactive berries, now largely useless.

The heaviest treasures were further ahead: a magnificent box set inside a grand altar, and a massive stone slab behind it, engraved with the image of the Firebird descending with sacred flames.

“Brave soul, congratulations on reaching the treasury of the great nation of Poklandis.”

“Take all that lies here and proceed to the Seer’s Sanctuary of our King.”

“There, you shall inherit all that belongs to Poklandis.”

The white-haired man circled the altar and glanced behind it. The backside of the slab was a map clearly marking the location of the “Seer’s Sanctuary.”

“Near Darkgray City.”

Zhu Suihan pondered briefly, then donned gloves and opened the exquisite box at the altar’s center.

Inside lay a dull feather. Upon opening the box, it scattered like sand in the wind, with only a fleeting warmth hinting at its exceptional nature.

“You didn’t die in vain.”

Strictly speaking, this wasn’t a Rainbow Feather but the “Feather of the Firebird,” likely obtained by King Poklandis through some unknown means.

Zhu Suihan quickly set up a signal device on the spot. After confirming success, he called Liu Bo.

“Liu Bo, I’ve found the location, but King Poklandis isn’t here. This is merely a treasury for a restored kingdom.”

“Back then, King Poklandis must have had loyalists who escaped with the treasure and set up a tempting treasury elsewhere.”

Pirate captains often bury their treasures in secret places, waiting for the moment when they are overrun or left adrift on a raft, clinging to survival through secret bases.

If it’s to be fed to sharks on a stepping stone, then there’s nothing to be done.

An unknown island overseas, a stone chamber hidden within the mountain, piled high with treasures—any explorer or adventurer would be thrilled beyond measure.

Once they decipher the inscription on the slab, they’d be delighted to find this was only the first part of the story, with a second unknown chapter awaiting them.

The gold and silver treasures here were enough to satisfy any normal person, but adventurers thought differently—their minds worked in unique ways.

The Seer’s Sanctuary, such a grand name, surely held more unknown wonders and surprises!

Enough talk, brothers, charge!

Then, King Poklandis should succeed.

“That unlucky fool sealed himself inside a stone orb; the passage of time means nothing to him. He can wait.”

While collecting the gold and silver treasures, Zhu Suihan made a call. As long as the little fairy milk Pokémon released cream generously into the incense burner, it was quite convenient.

The two temporary workers nearby swallowed hard—they had never gone through such a trial.

Delicious temptation!

“Bring back the slab; after we decipher the location, we’ll head there together.”

“Understood.”

Zhu Suihan looked at the now-empty chamber and a mischievous thought crossed his mind.

“Bosskadora, you said humans don’t come here often, right?”

“Gord.”

Exactly.

“Good. I’ll leave them something interesting.”

He casually tossed a heap of gold and silver treasure from the incense burner onto the ground, then took out paper and pen to leave a message.

“Ancient treasure duly received. Thanks to the generous owner of this place.”

“Scrooge McDuck.”

The final signature was a golden Alliance coin.

“Then, all that’s left is to reveal myself.”

Having given the giant swamp monster and Bosskadora energy cubes as thanks, Zhu Suihan recalled the little fairy milk Pokémon and Lapras into their Poké Balls, then brazenly approached the nearby camp.

“Sir, this is private property. May I ask who you are?”

“Greetings, everyone.”

Zhu Suihan elegantly doffed his hat in salute. “Thank you for your hard work and for leaving the treasure behind. Until we meet again.”

And then, he fled!

By the time the white-haired man had reached the shore and summoned Lapras to escape, those in the camp finally realized what had happened.

First, their territory had been invaded.

Second, some unknown treasure on this island had been taken by a stranger!

“Notify the boss immediately!”

A massive airship approached the island, and Ashida, a rope tied around his waist, hurriedly descended and grabbed the foreman by the collar.

“There’s still treasure on the island, and it’s been taken—are you sure?!”

When Ashida and his men reached the stone chamber and saw the energy cube boxes outside, their faces turned ashen.

Well, well, they didn’t even bother to erase the most basic traces, and after stealing the treasure, they boldly strutted around their turf flaunting it.

“Boss, there’s a pile of valuables inside, but I think you’ll like this even more.”

Ashida took the note, slid his sunglasses down, and examined it closely. His expression worsened.

They’d been robbed, and by a brazen thief at that!

“Please, the Hoenn League must issue a wanted notice and invite inspectors equipped with specialized instruments and Pokémon to assist in the investigation!”

Ashida was fuming. “Who doesn’t know this cluster of islands is my business development zone? This guy really has guts!”

“Go investigate. Mobilize others to find out who this ‘Scrooge’ fellow is. Focus on those who like to fiddle with coins!”

With such a large business, it was impossible he hadn’t offended anyone. What if it was some troublemaker donning a disguise to cause him misery?

Moreover, how did this person find treasure here? It defied logic.

He’d arrived long before, and during mountain surveys and development, he’d never been careless.

Ashida thought for a moment, picked up the Pokémon Navigator hanging from his chest, and made a call.

“Hello, Kamishiro? Could you come over? A historical relic has suddenly surfaced here—I think you’ll be interested.”

(The End of This Chapter)