Chapter 69
--At least that's how Mei felt.
The Aether Foundation is the spark for the transmission of civilization.
Meanwhile, Qiao Ran brought Lillie to the Real World.
--At this moment, Lillie had taken off her researcher-like white lab coat and put on a white dress similar to her usual one, with a large sun hat on her head, looking like an ordinary cute girl.
The two arrived at the station and bought tickets to Zhenze Lake. The staff teased them, saying they were a young couple from Foreign Country traveling together. Lillie blushed and pulled at the brim of her hat, while Qiao Ran just shrugged helplessly.
It has to be said that he's gotten used to this kind of teasing. Not only has he been mistaken for a boyfriend, but he's also been mistaken for Older Brother, father, and so on. He probably doesn't even know what other bizarre identities await him next.
The sightseeing bus didn't move very fast, but Qiao Ran and Lillie could take in all the scenery along the way.
Especially for Lillie, who comes from the Pokémon World, this might be the first time she has seen such a breathtaking scene. The Pokémon World is great in every way, except that the regions are relatively small and the climate is unpredictable. Opportunities to witness such natural wonders are actually quite rare.
"The lake... what a beautiful lake..."
Looking at the shimmering lake outside the window, Lillie couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. Qiao Ran also took the opportunity to take out Rotom and snap a few photos of her.
A short while later, the car arrived at the location Qiao Ran needed to go, and Qiao Ran and Lillie got out of the car.
--Deep in the woods by the lake, there stands a Western-style Western-style Mansion that seems to blend into the scenery. The Western-style Mansion is built with red bricks and tiles, and is decorated with simple yet understated luxury. From its appearance alone, one can tell that it is no ordinary place.
Qiao Ran took out the envelope and compared it with the Iron Maiden's Hand-drawn Map several times. He felt that this should be the right place, unless he was a terrible navigator and could easily get lost in such a large house.
Qiao Ran a few steps forward, intending to look for the doorbell or something similar to attract the attention of the homeowner. However, he eventually found a little girl holding a black lace parasol in the flower bushes near the door.
The girl had her back to him and looked to be only the height of an elementary school student. Although Qiao Ran couldn't see her face, she was wearing an extremely gorgeous dress, which suggested that she must have a close relationship with this Western-style Mansion.
"Um... little friend, do you know who owns this place?"
Qiao Ran called out to the other person without any malice; he simply wanted to strike up a conversation and inquire about the situation. Based on his observation, the other person most likely already knew this.
However--
Upon hearing Qiao Ran's voice, a silent wave of emotion emanated from the "little kid" in front of him.
The other person slowly turned around, and Qiao Ran was surprised to find that this child not only had an extremely beautiful face... even a stunningly beautiful face, but also a rather special head of long white hair. What was most impressive was that her eyes were blood red, completely different from ordinary humans.
Qiao Ran even had a feeling that this guy... wasn't even human.
The "little kid" stared at Qiao Ran with those chilling red eyes, his slightly open mouth revealing sharp canine teeth.
"What... what did you just call me again?"
Chapter 130, Section 127 [The Girl in the Western-style Mansion]
"What... what did you just call me again?"
The "little kid" turned around and scanned Qiao Ran with sharp eyes.
Is there... a problem?
Qiao Ran's lips twitched. This height, this appearance... is this not a child???
In this form... she could go toe-to-toe with Dianxi in her loli form.
"Ha, you just see that I'm small, so you really think I'm that small? You say whatever you see, do you speak without thinking? Are you some kind of ape who crawled out of a rock??"
The girl with white hair and red eyes, holding a parasol, took a few steps forward and came to stand in front of Qiao Ran.
"What an impolite guest... How dare someone like that get close to the mansion?"
Qiao Ran: "..."
The "little kid's" sharp gaze stung Qiao Ran, and a bead of cold sweat trickled down his cheek—had he stepped on some strange landmine again?
That shouldn't be happening!
Ever since he got a cold shoulder from Long Jiangxue and Shi Yiyi, he's been paying more and more attention to these matters. However—who knew he'd encounter something like this again.
Does this mean we can't just call out to people when we're out and about anymore???
You can randomly call any little girl on the street, and she turns out to be one of these weirdos?
"Um... excuse me, I just came to ask for directions, to see if this is the residence of a certain Elite Four... We came here on the recommendation of Dr. Lilia."
Qiao Ran promptly began to apologize. No matter what, he needed to calm the other party down first. He was visiting as a guest, and it wouldn't be good to cause any trouble at someone else's doorstep.
Moreover, based on Qiao Ran's current judgment, he felt that this girl must be someone related to that Elite Four, either his daughter or granddaughter; otherwise, she wouldn't have appeared in this place with such an attitude.
--Logically speaking, the oldest Elite Four should be around seventy or eighty years old. Considering that each generation is in their twenties or thirties, it might be more appropriate to consider his granddaughter, since that legal loli Shi Yiyi, is also around thirty years old.
Although the other party's appearance was very unusual, with white hair and red eyes that Qiao Ran had never seen on ordinary people, it didn't mean that Qiao Ran hadn't seen something similar. The Gym Leader of the Jinling Gym and Vulpix had also had similar fur coloring on their heads.
However, Iron Maiden's is closer to silver, with a metallic feel; Vulpix Fox's is white with a hint of icy blue, giving it a crystal-clear feel; as for the one in front of him, it is pure white, and if Qiao Ran had to describe it, he felt it was more like moonlight.
Since we're dealing with someone like that, we should try our best to please her. Pleasing her is the same as pleasing that Elite Four.
"Oh? They apologized so quickly, and it was Lilia... who recommended them?"
Upon hearing Qiao Ran's words, the white-haired, red-eyed girl narrowed her eyes slightly, seemingly lost in thought.
"In that case, please come in and have a seat."
Perhaps Qiao Ran's apology had an effect, as the other party's attitude seemed to have improved slightly. Qiao Ran breathed a sigh of relief; he had been worried that the other party would continue to argue and cause trouble.
Surprisingly, this person was quite easy to talk to.
"Thank you..." Qiao Ran subconsciously wanted to say thank you.
However--
A mysterious smile appeared on the white-haired girl's face. Just as Qiao Ran was about to say "thank you," two dark purple shadows darted out from behind him and Lillie.
The shadow was moving so fast that Qiao Ran couldn't react at all.
--Immediately afterwards, another mysterious fluctuation emanated. Qiao Ran's pupils contracted slightly. Before he could react, his body had already lost all strength and he collapsed into the flower bushes.
That's... such speed!
Qiao Ran had seen Pokémon level 40 or even Elite Four-level Pokémon fight before, and in most cases he would have a little time to react. But what happened at this moment left him completely unable to react.
What... is this...?!
Qiao Ran's head lolled to the side, and he completely lost consciousness, not even having time to call out his Pokémon.
Lillie, on the other side, was the same; completely unaware of everything that had suddenly happened, she collapsed to the ground.
--Even as she collapsed, her face remained completely innocent.
Where am I?? What happened??
"Have I already given you permission to come in?"
Looking at the two people lying on the ground, the white-haired girl revealed her sharp fangs and laughed like a little devil, her expression full of the satisfaction of getting revenge.
"Oh."
She raised her chin slightly, exuding an air of authority.
"Gengar, take the person away, I'll be there later."
"Geeee..."
A sinister laugh came from behind Qiao Ran and Lillie, and two black-purple Pokémon with eerie smiles emerged from their shadows and Levitate in mid-air.
The moment they appeared, the surrounding air seemed to drop several degrees.
--Gengar.
This is a Ghost Pokémon that lives in the shadows. They can fly in the air and hide in the shadows. Moreover, their appearance brings a chilling aura and makes eerie sounds.
The once clear weather suddenly darkened, with dark clouds shrouding the entire Western-style Mansion. The white-haired girl glanced at the gray sky, then strode towards the Western-style Mansion.
"Let's go, let's welcome our guests."
As if in response to her words, the entire Western-style Mansion creaked and opened automatically, revealing a bright red carpet that stretched out from the darkness and reached the girl's feet.
The girl tiptoed forward, her steps resembling some unknown dance, inching along. However... a closer look revealed a strange detail—her feet weren't touching the ground; they seemed to Levitate a considerable distance above it, gently treading...
Nobody knows... what she was stepping on...
"Clang...!"
The Western-style Mansion's doors slammed shut.
The spot where Qiao Ran and Lillie had fallen was now deserted, with only two bright red roses in full bloom.
And—those sinister smiles.
"Geeee..."
mega anthropomorphic. jpg
Section 131, Chapter 128 [In the Night]
"Where is this...?"
Waking up groggily, Qiao Ran rubbed her eyes and looked around.
--All around was pitch black, with only a faint reddish light filtering in from what appeared to be a window.
A strange smell filled the air. Qiao Ran couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it made him feel slightly dizzy and uncomfortable.
Qiao Ran first checked the Poké Ball on his waist, and only after finding that none were missing did he feel a little relieved.
Not only that, Rotom was also safely in his pocket, and it seemed that nothing was missing from his person.
My head hurts so much...
Beside Qiao Ran, the blonde girl also stood up, covering her head. Her clothes were a little disheveled, but her large sun hat was still firmly on her head.
"Are you alright?" Qiao Ran helped her up, looking at her with some concern. Lillie's health had never been very good; even compared to Mei, she was only half as Mei.
"It's nothing... I'm just a little dizzy, I'll feel better after a bit."
Lillie's face was a little pale. She wasn't in very good condition, but it wasn't terrible either. Apart from that, she didn't feel any pain. It seemed that she had just fainted normally.
"Okay, if you feel unwell, please tell me immediately."
Qiao Ran nodded, without letting go of her arm, and instead took out his Rotom Phone from his pocket with his other hand.
"Rotom, help me pinpoint where I am."
Qiao Ran had no idea what was happening, and the place he was in was clearly not outdoors as before. This inexplicable situation made him frown.
"Location in progress... Location in progress..."
A light emanated from Rotom's screen as she began searching for data and information. However— Rotom quickly became dejected.
"... Search failed... Search failed... Unable to connect to network... Unable to connect to network..."
"I'm sorry... Master... there doesn't seem to be any network here, so I can't locate Rotom."
Rotom floated in the sky, somewhat frustrated. Although she was a fairly intelligent Pokémon, she still had no way to locate herself without an internet connection.
"No internet...? What's wrong?"
Qiao Ran stroked his chin and clicked his tongue softly. The lack of internet was clearly not good news. In this world, even places like Remote Mountains had some form of internet access. For there to be no internet, the environment must be extremely unique and complex.
"Rotom, turn on the flashlight."
"Received Rotom."
Upon receiving Qiao Ran's command, the Flash behind Rotom suddenly turned on, emitting white light that illuminated a large area in front of Qiao Ran.
With the help of the light, Qiao Ran and Lillie could see the scene in front of them clearly—ornate and intricate chandeliers, a spiral staircase, huge paintings on the walls... and beneath their feet was a carpet embroidered with complex patterns that stretched into the deep darkness.
This place... is clearly inside a Western-style Mansion, and they are probably on the first floor of the Western-style Mansion.
"Wh... what's that sound?!"
Suddenly, a strange sound came from the darkness, sometimes near, sometimes far. Lillie screamed softly in fright and clung tightly to Qiao Ran's arm, making Qiao Ran feel a little uncomfortable.
"How strange... what could that be...?"