I Want to Become a Trainer

"Thank you for stepping in, Mr. Luo Mu."

Officer Jenny, looking every bit the capable officer, led a group of police officers in offering Luo Mu a heartfelt salute. The three children's parents clung to them as if they'd just survived a disaster, crying as they thanked Luo Mu.

Luo Mu wasn't good at handling scenes like this. He forced his way through the awkwardness with a few laughs, and once Officer Jenny had taken the kidnappers away, he turned toward Nemo and the middle-aged butler beside her, who had introduced himself as Sebastian. A luxury car waited behind them.

"Whoa, I remember this car costs at least ten million, doesn't it?"

Luo Mu's eyes went wide as he gazed at the very understated black luxury car, his face full of longing. If he hadn't happened to come across a video about it online recently, he wouldn't have recognized it.

Rich young ladies really were different. Even their cars were this luxurious. He stared—

Luo Mu was barely managing not to drool.

Nemo noticed that Luo Mu kept looking at the car behind her. After a moment's thought, she remembered that his home looked rather old. Her family had plenty of cars like this in the garage, each a different model. Maybe...

Nemo was about to ask Sebastian to give the car to Luo Mu, but the butler spoke first as Luo Mu walked over.

Sebastian, dressed as a butler, bowed slightly with his right hand over his chest and said respectfully, "Mr. Luo Mu, please allow me to offer you the most heartfelt thanks on behalf of my master and his family. Thank you for rescuing our second young lady from those criminals."

Luo Mu smiled. "It was nothing. There's no need to make such a fuss."

Sebastian shook his head, seemingly troubled, and said sincerely, "How could we not? While the second young lady was missing, my master, mistress, and eldest young lady were beside themselves with worry. Your intervention spared them the heartbreak of being separated from her forever."

"Would you do us the honor of visiting the manor? The family has prepared a generous gift and would like to thank you properly."

Nemo's eyes lit up. Was Big Brother going to visit her home?

Yay!

However, Luo Mu was firm in his response to the invitation. He shook his head and politely declined. "I appreciate their kindness, but I didn't step in for a reward. I'm afraid I'll have to turn down the invitation."

He was short on money, but not so desperate that he'd use a small favor like this to hold his good deed over someone's head.

Besides, with his strength, he had plenty of ways to make money. He simply didn't want to do those things.

"Huh...?"

Disappointment showed on Nemo's face. She looked a little downcast.

She'd thought she would get to spend more time with Big Brother.

"I see. I understand. But please accept this small token of our gratitude." Sebastian, the butler, was quick to catch on. Seeing that Luo Mu didn't want a material gift, he took a gold-embossed business card from his coat and smiled. "This is my card, with my private contact information. If you ever need anything, please get in touch."

Sebastian was clever. Since Luo Mu didn't want a material reward, he would thank him another way.

As the butler who handled the manor's daily affairs, contacting him was, in a sense, the same as contacting his master.

The favor wouldn't be forgotten; it would simply take another form and wait for the right moment.

Besides, rather than give him a material reward, his master would prefer to build a good relationship with Luo Mu, a retired Champion-level Trainer.

Perhaps they might need to hire him when traveling to another region, to protect them from attacks by an evil organization.

The strong were always in demand in this world.

Luo Mu accepted the business card Sebastian offered. After telling Nemo she could come visit him at the farm whenever she had time, he returned to the farm.

At that moment, about ten figures and several Machamp were hard at work not far from the little house where he lived.

As if he'd noticed Luo Mu, the hearty voice of the middle-aged man from the phone call earlier called out, "Mr. Luo Mu, you're back?"

Luo Mu turned to look. A middle-aged man wearing a hard hat and a mustache waved as he walked over. His first impression was that the man looked like he had a lot of tricks up his sleeve.

Luo Mu studied him for a moment, his expression shifting. If one looked closely, there was even a hint of admiration in his eyes.

Man, you really did help look after the kids when they had them.

The middle-aged man had two young children dangling from each arm, with another riding on his head. A few more children were playing noisily a couple of meters away.

It was like some kind of hellish battlefield. If Luo Mu had been in his shoes, he'd have gone completely crazy in less than ten minutes.

Respect.

With admiration for the construction foreman in his heart, Luo Mu nodded slightly. "I finished what I needed to do, so of course I came back."

Then he looked at the busy group and asked curiously, "Are you getting ready to start work?"

The foreman smiled. "You agreed to such an unreasonable request, so of course we're making the arrangements as soon as possible."

A smile tugged at Luo Mu's lips. "Then I'll leave the farm's basic layout to you."

"The Machamp Construction Team delivers quality you can trust!"

The foreman wasn't shy at all. After reciting his slogan, he struck the Machamp team's signature muscle-flexing pose, making several children giggle.

Next, with the children watching them, Luo Mu and the foreman discussed a series of details. In the end, they finalized the plans for the farm.

The Machamp Construction Team agreed to take on the planning project for a flat fee of one hundred thousand League currency.

The work involved planning the farm and dividing it into three areas: the Farming Area, the Ranch Area, and the Lake Area.

However, that low price only covered marking out the areas and building basic facilities.

Most of the buildings and furnishings would be made of wood. Upgrading them would cost a lot more, and Luo Mu didn't have that kind of money.

After paying the bill, he had less than three hundred thousand League currency left in savings.

That would just about cover his living expenses. Luxray and the others would also occasionally go out hunting to help ease the family's financial burden.

Figuring out how to use his startup funds to make more money was now Luo Mu's headache.

Thinking about it, Luo Mu couldn't help feeling like he'd merely jumped from a 996 job into an even more terrifying 007 pit.

Still, compared with others who started from scratch, he was already ahead of the game.

Small Key Town.

Inside a mansion with its own garden and beach, Nemo was back home. She took her father Allen's hand, and with her sister Karen encouraging her with a look, blushed and said, "Father... I want to become a Trainer."

Allen stopped and looked at her. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, which were the same color as Nemo's. He crouched down and smiled at her. "What made our little princess change her mind? Let me guess—is it that retired Champion-level Trainer?"

Nemo blushed and nodded. Then, gathering her courage, she said, "I want to become as strong as him and aim for Champion level!"