bookmarkrole Chapter 398 Bamboo Orchid and Mysterious Mineral
Chapter 398 Bamboo Orchid and Mysterious Mineral
Sinnoh region, Mt. Coronet.
The mountain wind swept down from the summit, carrying a chill, and made the flags of the archaeological team's camp flutter in the wind.
As dusk approached, the setting sun bathed the entire Tianguan Mountain in a golden-red hue, as if crowning the mountain.
Zhu Lan squatted in front of the makeshift worktable, her gloves still covered in fresh mud.
She had just come up from the excavation site, a water stain on her knee, and her gaze fell on the newly unearthed mineral, her brow furrowing slightly.
That was a very special artifact.
No, it's more like a mineral than a cultural relic.
It is golden in color, hard in texture, and has sharp edges. It doesn't look like a naturally formed mineral, but rather like it has been deliberately shaped by some force.
It's about the size of a palm, with a smooth surface, but it doesn't look like it was made by hand.
The archaeological team leader stood to one side, his hands clasped in front of him, his expression showing barely suppressed excitement: "It was found on the third floor. There were no other artifacts around it; it was just lying there all by itself. At first, we thought it was a natural mineral, but after cleaning it, we found that the surface was very smooth."
Zhu Lan hummed in agreement, but did not speak immediately.
She took the mineral out of the tray; it was heavier than she had expected.
It has a metallic texture, but it's not entirely metallic; it feels warm and smooth to the touch, a material she's never encountered before.
Knock knock knock.....
Zhu Lan tapped it gently.
A dull pain shot through my knuckles.
It wasn't the kind of pain you get from being poked by a hard object, but a deeper, heavier pain, as if something inside the mineral was responding to her touch.
Zhu Lan stopped tapping.
She looked down at the mineral; it was smooth and flat, yet she could see a spiral-like shape in it.
Rotating outwards from the center, round and round, it made me a little dizzy.
"The Bamboo Orchid Champion?" the captain's voice came from the side. "Is there a problem?"
Zhu Lan snapped out of her daze and shook her head: "It's nothing."
She carefully placed the minerals back on the tray, took off her gloves, and flexed her fingers.
My fingertips are still a little numb. The dull pain has disappeared, but the sensation lingers in my knuckles.
"Send it back to the lab for further testing, including carbon-14 dating and material analysis. Remember to keep a copy and send it to the Sinnoh History Society to see if they have any relevant information."
"Yes." The captain nodded and turned to make the arrangements.
Zhu Lan stood there, watching the golden mineral lying in the setting sun.
The wind blew from the mountaintop, carrying the chill of the snow line, causing her clothes to flutter.
She couldn't quite describe what feeling that mineral gave her.
It wasn't danger, nor fear, but something more subtle and indescribable.
It was as if something was asleep, and her gentle tap had almost woken it up.
Zhu Lan attributed this inexplicable thought to the occupational hazard of archaeologists, turned and walked towards the tent, took two steps, and then looked back.
The minerals are still there, like a second... sun on Mount Tianguan?
wrong......
I'm sure I've seen this thing somewhere before.
But where exactly is it?
Never mind that for now.
Zhu Lan withdrew her gaze and quickened her pace as she entered the tent.
The mineral glimpsed in the last ray of light, as if it were blinking.
......
......
Donghuang region, Rongcheng, Jingkong Secret Realm.
This is the name Li Luochen gave to the secret realm where Regigigas descended.
Upon arriving at the previous ruins, Li Luochen led Acerola to the murals and pointed to them, saying, "These are all. See if you can translate anything."
"Let Acerola-chan see this~"
Acerola stretched her hand and gently touched her chin, tilted her head, walked half a circle around the mural, her lips slightly moving as she silently recited something in her heart.
After circling around, she stopped, looked up at the top of the mural, and murmured thoughtfully.
Then, Acerola turned around and waved behind her: "You little rascal~"
A Gengar emerged from her shadow.
It has a rounder, purple body than a normal Gengar, and when it smiles, it looks just like Acerola, with its eyes curving into two crescent moons.
It somersaulted in the air, floated down to Acerola, stretched out its two short arms, and made a "hug" gesture.
"Genger~"
"Carry me up, it's too high, I can't see." Acerola opened her arms, stood on tiptoe, and waited for Gengar to lift her up.
Gengar nodded, floated to her side, and used its two short arms to support her under the armpits, lifting her up forcefully.
Acerola was lifted up, her toes leaving the ground, her skirt swaying gently, and she was suspended in mid-air, getting even closer to the mural.
She squinted and reached out to touch the patterns high up.
"A little higher, you troublemaker!"
Gengar tried its best to float upwards.
It had risen less than half a meter when it suddenly stopped.
It didn't stop on its own; something held it down.
Even Li Luochen could clearly sense that the air had suddenly become very heavy.
It wasn't the oppressive feeling before a storm, but a deeper, more primal sense of oppression.
It felt as if the entire sky had suddenly shrunk and pressed down on our shoulders.
There was no wind, no sound, nothing at all, but it was heavy.
Gengar's body began to tremble.
The smile on his lips had long since vanished, replaced by an instinctive, ingrained fear.
It tried to float upwards, but its body seemed to be nailed down by something, remaining completely still.
There was no other way, so Gengar had to let go for the time being.
Acerola landed gently on the ground, staggered a step, and then regained her balance.
Gengar followed closely behind and fell to the ground.
His limbs were outstretched, his face pressed against the mud, and he remained motionless.
"A troublemaker?"
Acerola crouched down and gently poked its face, only to find no reaction at all.
Fortunately, there was no danger to his life, just some exhaustion. He can rest back in his Poké Ball.
Acerola could only look at Li Luochen.
Li Luochen stood not far behind her, his expression somewhat subtle.
He looked at the Gengar lying on the ground, then at the stone wall, and remained silent for two seconds.
"How strange..."
Lillie, standing to the side, clung tightly to Cosmog, finding it absurd.
After a moment's thought, Li Luochen walked to the stone wall, pointed to the patterns that Acerola hadn't been able to reach earlier, and asked, "Did you see those clearly just now?"
Acerola followed his finger, squinted for a moment, and nodded. "I got a general idea, but it needs to be higher. But Gengar is tired, and my other companions can't fly. Should I carry you up, brother? What do you say, Lillie? Would you mind?"
"I'm fine."
Lillie thought there was nothing wrong with it.
It was just that Li Luochen picked Acerola up; there was no other intimate contact.
Can understand.
Seeing that Lillie nodded in agreement, Li Luochen had no choice but to comply.
"OK."
Acerola was lifted up by Li Luochen and sat steadily on his shoulders.
Lillie was watching from the side.