CIATB Chapter 120 Found the Cursed Phantom
Chapter 120 Found the Cursed Phantom
Chapter 120 Found the Cursed Phantom
Walking along the country lanes.
Looking around, you can see that this place is surrounded by mountains.
The scenery was tranquil, and a gentle breeze carried the sweet yet rich scent of apples, suggesting that there was a large apple orchard nearby, and it was the season for apples to ripen.
"So, where did you get this apple from, Six-Tails?"
Ze Shu looked on helplessly as the Six-Tails suddenly appeared out of nowhere again.
Its fluffy, slightly forked tail was covered in mud, and it had an apple stem in its little mouth. Judging from its slightly bulging belly, it had probably bought quite a few apples for free.
In this state, I'm afraid that once he comes to Beishang Township, he'll go off and have a wild time somewhere.
Six-Tails tilted its head: "Oumu..."
The plump red apple hanging from its mouth swayed as it tilted its head.
It wagged its tail and came to Ze Shu's feet. With its two snow-white paws, it presented the apple to Ze Shu as if offering a treasure. Its tail wagged like a puppy, and it looked at him expectantly.
"Ooming!"
Delicious! Ze Shu!
"Liuwei Liang said, his eyes flashing."
not only that.
It even exhaled a breath of cold air.
Let the apple it's holding become a chilled apple.
Ze Shu:
..
Seeing how adorable Little Six-Tailed Fox's attitude was, he couldn't bring himself to blame her.
He shook his head, took the chilled apple from Liuwei, took a bite, and found it to be quite good—crisp, sweet, and refreshingly cool.
Six-Tailed Fox shook its tail: "Ooh?"
Ze Shu nodded and said, "It is indeed delicious."
As a gluttonous creature, Liuwei naturally chose excellent apples.
Upon hearing this, the six-tailed fox happily raised its head: "Ooh!"
But Ze Shu smiled helplessly, took out a 1,000 Alliance Coin bill, and stuffed it into Liuwei's hand: "But you can't buy it for free, okay? You've eaten quite a lot before, haven't you? Put this money on whichever tree it came from."
Six-Tails blinked: "Ouming?"
It seemed to be deep in thought, then nodded knowingly, and with the banknote in its mouth, it swished its tail and ran off into the distance.
Beside her, Xiao Lan held a map and said, "We should be in this place called Apple Hill. The only town in Beishang Township is Green Town, which is not far from here. We should be able to get there soon."
Ze Shu sighed, "Then I'll have to trouble Xiao Lan to lead the way."
Xiao Lan chuckled, "The location where the tracking device was damaged appears to be inside a town. Whether it was accidental damage or deliberate sabotage, there will be clues to follow. Hmph..."
"If you're not good at investigations, Investigator, then leave it to me, Xiao Lan."
Ze Shu shook his head: "That's not what I'm worried about."
Considering the other side of the letter: ...embarrassment, and the fact that they were able to produce things like "secret seasoning" and fragments of Taijing,
The other party also described living in a cave in the wild.
These conditions combined mean that not many Pokémon can meet them.
I initially thought it was Parthia, but now that the location is confirmed to be Kitakami Township...
Ze Shu had some vague guesses.
But if his guess is true, then consider the device that was damaged in the north.
His letter might have harmed the other party.
"No matter what, let's go to Emerald Town first," Ze Shu said, shaking his head.
"Hehe..." Little Blue exclaimed excitedly, giving a proper salute. "Yes, sir!"
Ze Shu blinked, looking at Xiao Lan who had suddenly started 'role-playing', and asked, "What are you doing?"
Xiao Lan smiled and said, "Salute, sir? A salute from your most loyal assistant."
Ze Shu smiled and said, "This is a vacation, Assistant Xiao Lan."
Xiao Lan chuckled, revealing a shrewd, calculating expression: "Since it's a vacation, let's all count it together..."
But she hadn't finished speaking.
A series of loud "heave-ho" sounds came from the side, interrupting Xiao Lan's words.
The fences on both sides broke open, and the snow-white fox dumpling jumped out with a "whoosh," followed by two wrestlers wearing farmer's hats, each carrying a box of apples.
Not only that, but each of these two wrist-strengthening arms is followed by three wrist-strengthening arms, for a total of eight wrist-strengthening arms.
Oh, and there's another Machoke at the very back, acting as the "commander-in-chief" of carrying the apples. It extends its large hand towards Zeki, as if asking for money.
Ze Shu exclaimed, "What is this...?"
The Six-Tails proudly raised its head: "Ominous!"
I bought apples! Apples from a whole mile away!
Ze Shu, pay up!
It knows that Ze Shu likes to eat this kind of apple!
Zeki: "...—
He's sending Rokuwei to "pay back the money."
Liuwei bought a whole mile's worth of apples for it?
Why don't you just buy the whole apple orchard for me?
Moreover, this so-called "one-mile" of apples only has a few boxes.
Ze Shu: "You...you weren't scammed?"
Six-Tailed Fox raised its little head: "Ooh!"
How could its clever little brain be fooled!
Ze Shu "..—
Looking at the silly look on the Six-Tails.
I was definitely scammed.
Even fruit farmers wouldn't dare show up here, yet the muscular Haoli is here. Doesn't that say something...?
As soon as I arrived in Beishang Township, I was ripped off.
Seeing Ze Shu's suspicious look, Hao Li raised a finger, indicating: Once the apple is picked, there will be no refund.
"Sigh... Little Six-Tailed Fox."
Ze Shu sighed and made a hand gesture with Hao Li.
Fortunately, the apples were charged per apple, so it wasn't a rip-off. It was just that the silly, greedy Liuwei was tricked into buying a whole mile's worth of apples.
But at least these apples, after inspection, were of good quality.
When Ze Shu saw the bad fruit, he simply shoved it back to Hao Li, who didn't object.
There are a total of 985 apples, and each apple costs twenty Alliance Coins.
In the end, Ze Shu paid, totaling over ten thousand Alliance Coins and... judging from the arm-strength carrying it, it looked so greedy.
With a smile, he used a dozen or so bags of snacks to pay a small amount of money.
After doing all this, he looked at the Six-Tails, also with a smile on his face:
"Thank you for your hard work, Liuwei, the purchasing agent..."
But Rokuo couldn't be happy at all when faced with Zeki's words about "hard work".
Its face gradually stiffened: "Ou Ming..."
1
If I'm not mistaken.
Ze Shu gave those arm wrestling players the snacks they had to pay for...:::
It must be its favorite snack!
Are you suggesting we cut corners from their snacks?
Ze Shu said softly at the right moment, "Yes, that's right. And you're not allowed to eat any other snacks until you finish the apple."
Almost instantly, tears welled up in the Six-Tails' eyes:
"Ominous!!!"
They harvested so many apples that it's enough for Little Six-Tail to eat for a very long time.
Six-Tails also came down, its ears twitching, perched on Sawaki's shoulder, the delicious apple it was munching on suddenly tasteless. Apples are good, but eating them all the time will definitely get boring...
I walked along the country path.
The town can be vaguely seen now.
We passed a place that seemed to be called "Baoban Plaza".
The top was covered by an altar with three memorial stone statues on it:
Dog, monkey, chicken.
Three different Pokémon designs.
Xiao Lan suddenly realized, "This is the precious companion worshipped by the residents of Beishang Township!"
"They all look so ugly."
She walked toward the memorial stone, where there seemed to be an inscription.
"It is said that this plaza was built to commemorate the three Pokémon that tragically died while defeating the 'Demon.' The residents of Kitakami Village buried their bodies here, and this gradually developed into a culture of worship."
"That's what the information above says."
"Hmm, although they look ugly, according to the information, these three 'Companions' seem to be good Pokémon."
Ze Shu shook his head and said, "What the information says may not be the actual situation."
"These three ugly things aren't anything to look at, let's keep going."
Xiao Lan: "Okay!"
She blinked, and her gaze left the Baoban statue.
Finally, we arrived at the only town in Beishang Township—Cuilv Town. There is a building in the town that looks like a hotel, called "Citizens' Hall," which is the only place where tourists can stay.
An elderly man with a white beard and white eyebrows was already waiting at the entrance of the community center.
He looked at Ze Shu and smiled, saying:
"Hmph... During the Cover-the-Face Festival, quite a few people will come to our Kitakami Township for tourism!"
"I am the caretaker of the community center."
"You must be tourists here too, right? Come, come, don't be shy. For just 1,000 Alliance Coins, our community center will provide you with the best service!"
Ze Shu: "Two rooms."
Seeing another customer, the manager was delighted and turned to leave, saying, "Okay! Please wait a moment."
Ze Shu continued, "You're the administrator of Beishang Township, you should know a lot about everything in Beishang Township, right?"
The administrator asked in confusion, "This customer, what are you planning to do...?"
Ze Shu said softly, "I need to ask you about something."
The administrator then smiled and said, "No problem!"
Then he rubbed his fingers together, giving a suggestive look: "Just give me the money!"
In Beishang Township, money is the talk of the town.
Ze Shu nodded and said, "Okay."
"I want to know what happened at the North Center location two nights ago."
Ze Shu had just opened his mouth.
The administrator's demands are outrageous, no matter how you look at them.
"Thirty thousand!"
"The matter you're inquiring about will cost 30,000 Alliance Coins!"
Xiao Lan protested, "Why? Any resident would know about this!"
The administrator hummed in agreement: "Because I know the details better than anyone else! Who am I? I'm not just the administrator, I'm also the clan head of the Beishang Township ancestral hall!"
Ze Shubing: "So, that means something really happened?"
Administrator: "Hmm."
Zeshu asked: "Big deal?"
Administrator: "Hmm!"
He's just trying to hide the fact that he won't say a word unless you give him money.
His face seemed to say, "I've got you wrapped around my little finger."
Ze Shu chuckled:
"I can pay you to tell you everything that happened that night."
"otherwise.....
.
Hearing Ze Shu's words, the administrator was initially smiling smugly, thinking, "I'll make another fortune."
But then, he saw Zeki slowly pull open his waistband, revealing a silver tag that read: Sinnoh League Special Supervisor.
His eyes widened as they were initially misty:
"You...you are from the Alliance..."
Ze Shu: "Cough..."
This identity is naturally not that of an "investigator." It is a "new profession" that he recently created, a new profession that allows him to exercise the powers of the alliance without revealing his identity as an investigator.
Yes, the Sinnoh champion's special application was approved in less than a minute.
He took out the 30,000 Alliance Coins requested by the administrator, slowly slapped them into the administrator's hand, and said with a smile, "I hope your love affair will be worthwhile. After all, you are the head of the Northern Frontier Village..."
39
The administrator's hands were trembling: "This, this..."
He tried to take the money several times, but couldn't hold it properly. Finally, with a slightly hurried tone, he pushed the money into Liang Zeshu's arms. His eyes were reluctant, but his mouth kept showing a fawning smile as he explained, "Bing..."
"No, no, I can't accept it. Helping the alliance is my inescapable responsibility..."
"Aren't you afraid to accept it?"
Ze Shu frowned slightly.
The title of "Alliance Supervisor" shouldn't be enough to make him this afraid.
Could it be...?
Just as Ze Shu was pondering, the administrator cried out in alarm again. He then put on a nervous, ingratiating smile, took one of the Alliance Coins from Ze Shu's pocket, and said:
"I...I only need 100 Alliance Coins."
Meaningless behavior.
The administrator's call gave Ze Shu the feeling that the administrator realized his behavior was too abnormal and wanted to interrupt his thinking.
Ze Shu recalled the "money-grabbing" incident he encountered in Beishang Township. At least the apple farmer was alright; the apples were worth the price.
But this administrator, merely providing intelligence, demanded "30,000 Alliance Coins."
This reminded Ze Shu of a scene in the game where this same administrator was asking players to make "charitable donations" to repair the destroyed Hoban Hiroya. That was fine, but the amount was...
It's one million Alliance Coins!
That dilapidated Baoban Plaza could be rebuilt twenty or thirty times without costing a million Alliance Coins!
"He Zeshu chuckled."
It seems that Beishang Township is really "short of money"...
The thought that came to me lasted only two or three seconds.
The administrator, somewhat haltingly, began to recount what Ze Shu had requested, the events of the previous two nights:
Actually, what happened a couple of days ago...
"It was just that 'evil spirit' that came into the village to steal masks, but our villagers were very brave. They quickly drove the 'evil spirit' out of the village with brooms and sticks!"
"We won't let it interfere with our 'Loss Face Festival'!"
"Sir, this... this shouldn't affect the evaluation of our Beishang Township, right...?"
But before Ze Shu could say anything, Xiao Lan asked in confusion, "A demon? What is that?"
The administrator would definitely say, "Yes, it's an evil spirit!"
"Ghosts are very dangerous Pokémon. They roam the Ghost Mountains around Kitakami Township, living quietly in the caves of the Ghost Mountains. There are often reports of people going missing or even dying because of them!"
After saying this, the administrator then called to reassure passengers:
"But, Your Excellency, our village also has a valiant guardian spirit. Legend has it that whenever an evil spirit truly harms people, the guardian spirit will appear and help the people of Beishang Township unite to defeat the evil spirit!"
"Even without a guardian spirit, we people of Beishang Township can still drive away evil spirits!"
"For example, yesterday, the evil spirit once again stubbornly broke into our ancestral hall, but our villagers drove it out again. This time, the evil spirit was more seriously injured, and it probably won't appear for the next few days to affect our ancestral worship."
Ze Shu frowned and asked, "The evil spirit came the day before yesterday, was driven away, and then came back yesterday?"
The administrator proudly declared, "But our brave villagers chased them away!"
"Taking it off only made the injury worse!"
Blue spotted a blind spot: "Since you say the Demon is a very fierce Pokémon, then why were your villagers able to drive it away with brooms and sticks, without even using any Pokémon?"
"Won't the evil spirits wielding the wicked flute resist?"
The administrator was stunned for a moment: "This..."
He had no idea of the reason.
But evil spirits truly do not resist.
That's why the villagers responded so quickly and so "bravely," attacking the evil spirits with their own bodies.
After some thought, the administrator provided a response:
"Because there are more people! The power of the evil spirit is suppressed; good cannot prevail over evil, so it will not resist!"
"But the constant reports of people disappearing or even dying over the years prove that those who encounter evil spirits alone have certainly fallen victim to their clutches!"
These words were spoken.
This "rigorous" logic.
Little Blue is speechless.
Does this mean that all those who go missing or die in Beishang Township are being attributed to evil spirits?
But looking at the administrator, he genuinely believed it.
His understanding of the terror and horror of the "evil spirit" was absolutely certain—even though the evil spirit's "harming people" had never been seen by anyone, nor had anyone ever seen it do evil deeds.
But he had no doubt that the demon was a thoroughly evil creature.
The air was silent for a moment.
Seeing that neither Xiao Lan nor Ze Shu spoke.
The administrator's expression made Shi Dezhi uneasy.
Did he just say there was no problem in his response?
Ze Shu suddenly spoke up: "When you fought the evil spirits the day before yesterday, were there any strange phenomena? For example, green letters, or any damaged black objects?"
The administrator was startled. Lian Huobing said, "It seems that the trigger for discovering the evil spirit was the green light that suddenly appeared next to it. As for whether it was a letter, I don't know."
Upon hearing this, Ze Shu was clearly taken aback.
It's highly likely that it's been confirmed.
The recipients of his letters were indeed the "evil spirits" they spoke of—the wicked and monstrous.
Tuoqie...: "The trigger for discovering the evil spirit was the sudden appearance of a green light," which indicates that the letter he delivered...
The evil spirit was indeed exposed in the Loss-face Festival.
Ze Shu let out a sigh:
"Alright, I won't ask you anymore. Give me a map of your Beishang Township."
"The most detailed kind."
Ghost mountains and scary caves.
Even though the sunlight outside was intensely bright, darkness still enveloped the terrifying cave.
In the dark cave, a petite figure lay helplessly. Beside her lay a green mask resembling a ferocious demon.
"Bonnie..."
Egui felt intense pain throughout his body.
Because now, the only way for it to let its "friends" know its position is through that tattered green letter—its only chance to show itself...
You need to draw a "landmark building"!
This is Egui's only obsession.
So last night it went to the ancestral hall in Beishang Township again.
Unfortunately, he was discovered again, and then the villagers beat him with brooms and sticks...
My body aches.
But we can still persevere.
We're going to the ancestral hall in Beishang Township tonight!
It was also reluctant to use the "treatment potion" given to it by its friend.
So at this moment, Egui could only collapse helplessly in the dark cave, panting slowly, his body rising and falling gently.
She slowly fell asleep.
At this moment, its petite body...
He looked disheveled and pitiful.
This was Ze Shu's first impression when he saw this scene outside the cave.
But this evil spirit was truly exhausted. Even now, as he stood at the cave entrance, blocking the dazzling sunlight, the evil spirit had not yet noticed him.
After thinking for a moment, Ze Shu tapped the hard, clay-covered cave wall, making a "tap-tap" sound.
Then he gently opened his mouth and said:
"Hmm, eh? Hello... well, I should say hello, I'm here."
"Bonito..."
Ergui mumbled a vague reply.
Did I hear the soft voice of the "friend" I've been longing for?
The voice was clearer and gentler than it had imagined; perhaps it would like this voice even more...
Sure enough, I dreamt of the voice I longed for day and night.
If this is a dream, then dream more of it.
In a state of bewilderment and confusion, I thought this.
After all, there's a high probability that they'll never see or communicate again. The monster is well aware of its own drawing skills; no matter how hard it tries, there's a high chance the other party won't recognize the landmark...
Thinking of this, even in his sleep, Egui couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow.
"Are you so tired? Then I'll come in."
'
"Bo-ni... Bo?"
?
Why is that voice so close, almost like it's right next to my ear? And it's accompanied by footsteps, the soft voice getting closer and closer.
"Bonnie!"
No! There really are people there!
We've entered its cave!
He awoke suddenly from his reverie.
The first thing it did upon waking was instinctively to pick up the green grass mask it always carried with it, put it on, and then grab a thorny vine club, glaring fiercely at the intruder in a "threatening" manner!
Although it doesn't usually actually live!
But it can still scare people!
"Woolen cloth"
Ze Shu blinked.
He looked at the emerald green figure in front of him.
The aroma of citrus gradually filled the air, seemingly an eerie "body scent".
Her petite frame was adorned with a demonic mask that seemed to be grinning, and her hand, holding a large club entwined with thorny vines, trembled but remained resolute as she aimed it at him.
It seems that the evil spirits have taken him for an intruder.
That's true. If any Pokémon were to wander into this cave while it was sleeping, it would probably be considered an intruder... ::
Moreover, since it's a Pokémon like Urgot that has lived alone for hundreds of years, you absolutely need to be wary.
Ze Shu thought for a moment, then took out a dark gray rice cake from his pocket and whispered:
Do you remember this food?
"I remember, this was the first time we exchanged letters. I was worried that the so-called 'most needed person' on the other end of the letter would go hungry, so I put a whole box of these dark gray rice crackers in my bag. They must have been delicious, right? My Pokémon all loved them."
"Of course, I also remember your hard work in writing that letter, that simple drawing; I believe you were incredibly dedicated. I also remember the 'secret seasoning' you gave me; it was a very precious thing, and I know I've always been reluctant to use it."
"Let's put it this way, asking you to draw 'landmark buildings' is really asking for trouble."
"But now, I've found you first."
Ze Shu said softly, "Bing."
As they spoke, he also saw the strange creature's body gradually begin to tremble.
"Boo, bonioh..."
3
A strange, trembling voice also rang out.
It couldn't believe it and tried to take a step, but it quickly stopped itself.
It seemed afraid that the words before it, and the person in front of it, were still in its slumber, and that the slightest touch would cause them to vanish like a mirage.
But Ze Shu's firm and definite words followed: "Take off your mask? I really want to see what you really look like, you must be very cute."
Ergui shuddered: "Bonnie...::"
It really is true, it absolutely is...
Egui did not believe there were any other possibilities.
Its trembling hand tried to remove the mask, but after several attempts, it could not remove it.
Ze Shu chuckled lightly: "I'm quite good at taking off masks."
He took a step forward, walked to the trembling body of the evil spirit, and with a steady hand, removed the evil spirit's mask in one swift motion.
Behind the mask.
The eerie, orange-yellow starlight in his eyes was already misty.
"Boo, bonioh..."
'
"Finally found you, you weirdo."