Book of Veridian

"Hello, Uncle. My name is Pepper. I'm ten years old."

On the way to the research lab, the re-energized Pepper chattered incessantly in Luo Mu's ear.

Luo Mu felt a headache coming on. Could this talkative child really grow up to be the slightly melancholic senior Pepper from the Scarlet and Violet games?

The change was too drastic!

Actually, Pepper's chattiness wasn't much for Luo Mu. He was the kind of man who could sit through a four-hour meeting that started precisely after work. A mere linguistic bombardment...

However, there was one thing Luo Mu couldn't stand.

After Pepper called him "Uncle" for the umpteenth time, Luo Mu placed a hand on his shoulder and said with a smile, "Is there a possibility that I'm only about eight years older than you?"

"Be good, call me 'brother'."

"...Brother Luo Mu," Pepper said weakly.

Although he preferred calling Luo Mu "Uncle," the smile Luo Mu flashed seemed to hide something untouchable. Pepper chose to back down.

Children's emotions were always quick to come and go. Pepper soon started chattering again, calling him "Brother" incessantly.

This time, even Jacq, who had been enduring it, couldn't stand her son's scripture-like nagging. She said, half-annoyed, "Be quiet! Go back to your room with Master Dogue and play."

Pepper seemed accustomed to Jacq's fiery temper. He stuck out his tongue at her and rode Master Dogue around another corner.

Jacq could only watch helplessly as Pepper and Master Dogue sped away. A softness, unnoticed even by herself, appeared in her eyes.

Witnessing everything, Luo Mu suddenly recalled the melancholic expression of the grown-up Pepper.

Even though his parents spent years in Area Zero researching the time machine, the moment the AI, impersonating the two professors, contacted Pepper, perhaps he had already realized that the parents speaking to him had become someone else, a stranger.

That was why a permanent sadness always lingered on Pepper's brow.

True emotions were too difficult for AI to imitate. Even with all the emotions inherited, the Jacq/Friede AI only gradually understood these things after witnessing the protagonists' grand adventures.

Could his arrival change these tragedies?

Luo Mu fell into deep thought.

Jacq sensed that the atmosphere had become somewhat stagnant after Pepper's departure. Still feeling guilty for wrongly accusing Luo Mu, she decided to find a random topic to discuss.

"Little brother Luo Mu, do you know why I was so nervous just now?"

Luo Mu's thoughts were interrupted. He slowly looked up, a look of confusion in his eyes.

That's right, he hadn't thought about it until Jacq mentioned it.

The Paldea region was an area where criminal organizations rarely operated. The number of criminals should be small.

But Dr. Jacq was so nervous then, as if she was afraid of something.

Luo Mu nodded and said, "I'm very curious."

Dr. Jacq said seriously, "The police have already issued a notice. Recently, a group of criminals from other regions seems to have fled into the Paldea region, and their business is kidnapping children."

"If the parents have money and status, they extort them. For ordinary children, they sell them directly to evil organizations in other regions. This is also why my reaction to you was so intense."

"Is that so?"

Luo Mu's eyes sharpened. He disdained such criminals who kidnapped children.

Although he wouldn't go out of his way to be a righteous hero, if he encountered them, they certainly wouldn't have a good outcome.

Soon, Luo Mu's eyes fell upon the place where Dr. Jacq and the yet-unmet Dr. Futaba usually worked and researched.

The laboratory didn't look like the cutting-edge place filled with technology and metal that Luo Mu imagined. Instead, it was very homey.

The research area naturally had many high-end, sophisticated devices, but there was also a considerable living area within the room, especially the bookshelves filled with all sorts of books.

Noticing Luo Mu's curious gaze, Dr. Jacq explained her current research topic in detail: "Besides accepting commissions for crafting Terastal Orbs, my husband and I are researching the legends that have been passed down in the Paldea region since ancient times."

"The four ancient shrines distributed throughout the Paldea region, the ultimate mystery within the Great Crater of Paldea. Just thinking about these makes my blood boil."

Dr. Jacq was undoubtedly a doctor who loved research. When she talked about research, her expression sparkled.

Dr. Jacq walked to the bookshelf, pulled out a book with a red cover, and stroked the cover as she enthusiastically introduced the facilities in the research institute to Luo Mu.

But Luo Mu couldn't hear anything. His gaze was fixed on the book in Dr. Jacq's hand, his pupils shrinking.

This was the Book of Veridian!

He remembered that this book was written by Heath, an explorer who successfully reached the bottom of the Great Crater of Paldea one to two hundred years ago.

The main content recorded Heath's expedition team's observations in the deepest part of the Great Crater of Paldea, a mysterious area they named [Area Zero].

However, the content of the Book of Veridian was too bizarre. The mainstream ideology in the Paldea region now leaned towards the idea that the book's content was Heath's delusion.

The Book of Veridian was labeled as supernatural literature, and Heath himself was branded a [liar].

It is worth mentioning that the Book of Ruin was also published by Heath shortly after the Book of Veridian.

Luo Mu roughly remembered the content of both the Book of Veridian and the Book of Ruin. Both books were also collected in the library of Orange Academy, so if he really forgot, he could go to the library to check them after class.

But what shocked Luo Mu was not the existence of the Book of Veridian/Book of Ruin, but Dr. Jacq holding the Book of Veridian.

This meant that Dr. Jacq and Dr. Futaba might already have the idea of going to Area Zero to build a time machine and research past/future Pokémon.

Once they had this idea, it probably wouldn't be long before Paradox Pokémon appeared, and even the Scarlet Violet Box Legend arrived.

Luo Mu was silent for a long time. His dream was to live a peaceful and leisurely life, but he also couldn't bear to see tragedies happen.

Hesitating for a moment, Luo Mu still asked, "Does Dr. Jacq like this Book of Veridian very much?"

Dr. Jacq was startled, then showed a brilliant smile and said, "I'm very interested in the giant, ferocious Pokémon with ancient wildness recorded in the book. This also prompted me to decide to dedicate myself entirely to the research on Area Zero."

"You've come at a good time. My husband and I are scheduled to restart the Terastal Plan for the Great Crater of Paldea this month. My husband is also out negotiating with potential financing companies because of this. If you're any later, I might not have time to make a Terastal Orb for you."

"Are you also interested in the Book of Veridian?" Dr. Jacq looked at Luo Mu with expectant eyes. When President Poppy contacted her, she specifically mentioned that Luo Mu was a powerful Champion level Trainer, no less than herself.

If she could persuade him to join her research team, the dangerous wild Pokémon in the Great Crater of Paldea and Area Zero would no longer be a threat.

Luo Mu thought for a moment and said humbly, "I've only read it and know a little bit."