Let you make a game, what the hell is Pokemon?.

Chapter 238 The Blacksmith, the Fire-Breathing Dragon, and the Special Merchant?
Liuli controlled the Burning Insect to approach and chose to interact. This time, the Natural Bird raised its head, its gaze beneath the hood utterly calm. It made no mention of the purple stone from last time, as if they were meeting for the first time.

Liuli picked out the most inconspicuous-looking item from her backpack, which resembled a small rusty piece of iron, and chose to display and appraise it.

The natural bird extended its wing and beckoned, and the piece of iron floated to its front. It stared at it for a moment, then its deep, hoarse voice rang out:

[Preliminary identification: 10 silver coins.]

Liuli raised an eyebrow. This price was indeed not cheap for a beginner, considering that a loaf of bread only cost 5 silver coins.
But she still chose to pay. Ten silver coins vanished. The bird's wing brushed against the iron plate, and a faint glimmer flashed.

[Obtained 'Old Steel Armor Piece' (Rank C item)]

[Effect: When held by a Steel-type Pokémon, it slightly increases both Physical and Special Defense.]

[Special Effect: When the holder is a Steel/Fire type Pokémon, it slightly increases the power of Fire-type moves.]

Liuli was completely dumbfounded when she saw the appraisal results.

A Steel-type Pokémon? A Steel + Fire dual-type? What on earth is this?

Her current team, including the Flamebug and the Dragonair lying in Squirtle's house, are completely unrelated to the Steel type! Let alone Steel + Fire, she'd never even heard of that combination!

Isn't this thing just a piece of scrap metal now? What a waste of 10 silver coins!

[Haha, what a joke!]

[Steel + Fire? Does such a Pokémon exist?]

[The streamer lost 10 silver coins!]

[Father Wind's malice!]

The barrage also began to refresh.

Liuli couldn't help but feel a little dejected. The Natural Bird seemed to read her mind, and its deep voice sounded again:
"If the identified items or equipment are unsuitable, you can go to the blacksmith shop on the left side of the guild entrance. There you can smelt and dismantle them to recover some materials, or upgrade and strengthen the equipment. You can also try to sell them in the market area."

Blacksmith shop? Upgrade? For sale? Liuli's eyes lit up. After thanking him, she immediately pulled Squirtle toward the guild gate.

As soon as I stepped out the door, I heard a rhythmic, heavy knocking sound coming from my left.

A shed, even taller and more spacious than the guild gate, appeared before them, with a roaring fire at the entrance, sending waves of heat through them.

A fire-breathing dragon of exceptionally large size, covered in crimson scales, stood with its back to the doorway, wielding a massive forging hammer almost as long as its body, slamming it down hard on a red-hot metal blank on the anvil.

Each hammer blow sent sparks flying and produced a deafening roar. His thick tail slammed powerfully against the ground to maintain his balance, and his strong back muscles bulged and rippled in the firelight, exuding an explosive sense of power and a rugged, focused craftsman's temperament.

The air was filled with the smell of iron and fire.

[Holy crap! A Charizard blacksmith!]

[Those muscles! That power! Absolutely stunning!]

[The modeling details... Honey!!]

Charizard seemed to have completed this round of forging, picking up the red-hot metal blank and immersing it into the huge water tank next to it.

A large plume of white steam shot into the sky. He then turned around, his sharp, golden vertical pupils fixed on the Burning Bug and Squirtle at the doorway. Two streams of hot, sparking breath escaped his nostrils, his voice deep and resonant, with a metallic quality:

"Hey kids, what's up? Need to buy equipment or fix something?"

Liuli quickly manipulated the burning insect to display the 'old steel armor plate' that had just been identified.

The Charizard stretched out its claws, covered with thick scales and burn marks, picked up the small piece of metal, brought it close to its eyes to examine it, and then flicked it with its finger, producing a dull sound.

He snorted:
"A C-grade gadget, the steel is good, but it's been around for too long, and almost all the energy inside has dissipated."

He casually tossed the piece of metal back to Liuli:
"How do you want to dispose of it? Smelt and dismantle it? 20 silver coins for the fee, which will yield some 'hardened steel' and a small amount of 'embers'. Upgrade it? One gold coin for the base fee, plus one portion of 'hardened steel' and one portion of 'scorching core' as materials. With luck, you can upgrade it to grade B." He paused, then added:
"I don't sell the materials here; you'll have to find or buy them yourself."

After hearing this, Liuli looked at the 15 silver coins she had left in her bag and her empty materials inventory, and instantly understood.

This blacksmith shop is currently beyond her reach.

Whether it's dismantling or upgrading, she can't afford to play that game.
Goodbye! Sorry to bother you!

[Host: Excuse me, I'm not worthy!]

[One gold coin... The streamer probably doesn't even have a single gold coin in all his possessions right now, right?]

These materials don't sound like they're particularly low-grade.

Helplessly, she controlled the Burning Bug to collect the iron piece, thanked them, and pulled Squirtle away from the steaming blacksmith shop.

Looks like I'll have to try my luck at the market to see if I can sell this thing.

Liuli pressed the interaction button.

"Squirtle, where's the market?"

Squirtle pointed to a lively alley to the right of the guild gate:

"Over there... just follow that path and you'll see... lots of stalls..."

The two followed the path and soon heard a cacophony of vendors' calls. Numerous makeshift stalls lined both sides of the road, with various Pokémon calling out their wares or haggling with customers behind the stalls. There were vendors selling berries, herbs, strange ores, and even secondhand equipment—a dazzling array of goods.

As Liuli walked, she kept an eye out, trying to find a stall that looked like it was collecting props.

Just as she was about to reach a relatively central location in the market, a small stall near the roadside unexpectedly caught her eye.

The stall was very inconspicuous, without even a stall cloth; the goods were simply placed on a smooth, large stone.

The stall owner was a Pokémon wearing a cloak, making it impossible to see its appearance.
At this moment, it seemed to be lying there lazily, not particularly interested in business. The stall didn't have much on it: a few stones of different colors and a few medicinal herbs.

But one thing in particular caused the burning insect controlled by Liuli to stop involuntarily.

It was a clear glass bottle, sealed with a cork. Inside, a flame no bigger than a fist was burning quietly.

The flame was a pure and bright orange-red color, without any smoke. The flames danced steadily, emitting a warm but not dazzling halo, which was out of place with the surrounding environment, as if a small ball of sunlight had been sealed in a bottle.

Next to the bottle was a simple little wooden sign with four crookedly carved characters: Mysterious Flame.
Liuli was stunned for a moment.

This fire doesn't look like something simple.
However, this description of the brand
It has a strangely cheap feel to it.
The two followed the path and soon heard a cacophony of vendors' calls. Numerous makeshift stalls lined both sides of the road, with various Pokémon calling out their wares or haggling with customers behind the stalls. There were vendors selling berries, herbs, strange ores, and even secondhand equipment—a dazzling array of goods. Ruri walked along, looking around, trying to find a stall that seemed to be buying and selling items. Just as she was about to reach the center of the market, a small stall near the roadside unexpectedly caught her eye.

The stall was very inconspicuous, without even a stall cloth; the goods were simply placed on a smooth, large stone.

But one thing in particular caused the burning insect controlled by Liuli to stop involuntarily.

It was a clear glass bottle, sealed with a cork. Inside, a tiny flame, no bigger than a baby's fist, was burning quietly! The flame was a pure and bright orange-red.

There was no smoke in the bottle; the flame flickered steadily, emitting a warm but not scorching glow, completely out of place with its surroundings, as if a small patch of sunlight had been sealed inside. Beside the bottle was a simple little wooden plaque, crookedly engraved with the words: Mysterious Flame.

Liuli's breath hitched. This flame... she had a gut feeling that this thing was definitely not simple!
She immediately manipulated the burning insect to approach the inconspicuous stall and carefully observed the bottle of flame.

At the same time, he also noticed that the stall owner... or rather, the large, dark gray cloak covering the stone block behind the stall, was rather strange.

The cloak was black, with empty cuffs and hem hanging down without moving, seemingly completely hollow inside.

The screen was instantly flooded with question marks:
Where is the stall owner? Is it empty?

[The model looks weird, like a ghostly stall! Could it be a Ghost-type Pokémon?]

What kind of underworld antics is Feng Dad up to now?

Liuli tentatively spoke, her voice coming through the burning insect: "Boss, how much is this flame?"

A voice rang out, ethereal and with a hint of mischief: "Gold coins? Those are boring. Trade me something more interesting."

As soon as he finished speaking, an empty sleeve casually and almost motionlessly tapped the empty space next to the stall, as if it were just dusting off some dust.

The comments section exploded even more:
[They want things for free? What's up with this stall owner?!]

[Something interesting? How are these standards calculated? Is this some kind of mystical trading?]

[Hurry up and get the trash out, streamer!]

Something interesting?
Looking at the thirteen question marks in her backpack, Liuli had a sudden inspiration. Wasn't this a ready-made source of "interesting" content?

As the saying goes, the unknown is the most interesting.

Anyway, these unidentified items are no different from garbage to her now. What if she gets lucky and finds something useful?
Without hesitation, she immediately manipulated the burning insects and began to take out the dusty, oddly shaped, unidentified items from her backpack one by one, displaying them in front of the eerie cloak.

A knot that looks like a tree root, a broken bone, a colorful seashell, a cloudy glass bead, a creaking old tin box... and a small, unremarkable, dusty pebble.

When most of the props were displayed, the cloak remained completely still, not even changing the angle of the shadow cast by the hood. Liuli only felt an invisible gaze sweep over the props, and then they seemed to be completely ignored.

She couldn't help but feel a little nervous. Could it be that people wouldn't want these things?
However, when the burning worm picked up the dusty little pebble with its tiny paws and showed it to the insect, the ethereal voice seemed to have aroused a little interest, carrying a hint of barely perceptible amusement:

"Hey? This broken rock is quite well hidden. It's been around for a while. Do you want to know what treasure is inside?"

Liuli's spirits immediately lifted; there was hope!
She quickly manipulated the firefly to nod.

The voice drifted over: "As for the appraisal fee, we'll use that old tin box in your bag. It looks pretty funny."

A broken tin box in exchange for an appraisal? And the stall owner specifically requested it!

Holy crap, this deal looks like a sure thing, right?
Fearing the other party might change their mind, Liuli immediately agreed.

One of the empty sleeves of the dark gray cloak was elegantly raised, and a faint, almost invisible light swept through it, gently brushing against the dusty stone.

Click... snap...

A faint cracking sound rang out, and the surface of the stone began to peel away.

Countless dust particles dissipated in the dim light, revealing what was inside—a piece of warm, translucent golden amber the size of a pigeon egg!

Inside the amber, a clearly defined, deep green leaf is preserved, radiating a green glow and exuding an ancient life force that can be faintly felt even through the screen.

A system notification popped up instantly:
[Obtained 'Ancient Vein Amber (Grade B Material)']

[Description: This unique amber, imbued with the pure essence of ancient life, is an indispensable core catalyst for reviving certain Grass/Rock-type fossil Pokémon, and is extremely valuable.]

Grade B! Core material!

Revive fossil Pokémon!
Liuli's eyes widened instantly, and she even paused for a moment.

You traded that broken tin box for such a good thing?!
That's lucky!

The shock of being in the altar passage and the frustration of finding the steel armor plates unusable instantly vanished.

The comments section went completely crazy:
[Holy crap! Grade B! My luck has turned!]

"Trading a tin box for amber? I don't believe it unless you send me the amber to see."

[Fossils coming back to life? This seems vaguely familiar.]

[Father Wind: Surprised? Unexpected?]

The huge surprise instantly boosted Liuli's confidence.

You know, there are still a bunch of unidentified question marks in the bag!

Strike while the iron is hot! She immediately wanted to take out all the remaining props and have this mysterious big shot appraise them.

However, the ethereal voice seemed to see through her thoughts, interrupting her with a lazy smile:
"Little guy, don't be too greedy. As for the rest... go find an appraisal stall to play with."

As soon as he finished speaking, the dark gray cloak, along with the stone pier below it, and everything on the stall except for the bottle of flame, vanished as if wiped away by something.

Only the smoothed stone and the quietly burning fire bottle on it remained, proving that everything that had just happened was not an illusion.

Liuli's claws, which controlled the burning insects, were still frozen in mid-air, staring blankly at the empty stone.

Just leaving...now?
That's way too extravagant!
She looked at the twelve question marks remaining in her bag, then at the bottle of mysterious flame, and then at her remaining 15 silver coins…

Never mind, let's take a gamble!

(End of this chapter)