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

Chapter 272 The Sudden Tide of the Spirit Realm, a Change in the Mission?

If they can even train a Heavenly King, this Spirit Realm lineage sounds like a powerful organization rooted here, maintaining the balance between the two realms.

The "spirit world turmoil" mentioned in the SS-level mission seems to be more complicated than imagined, with even such an organization on high alert.

Two guards stood before the fortress gate, dressed in dark gray standard leather armor, their faces expressionless.

A Gastly with a calm aura floated beside each of them.

Rex stepped forward and showed the hunter's badge and quest token again.

After a careful inspection, one of the guards nodded and said in a flat tone, "Thunder Hammer Squad, mission is crystal cluster collection. Proceed to the registration area."

The door slid open silently, and a colder aura, even stronger than the one outside, rushed out, mixed with a faint scent of herbs and some kind of incense.

The fortress has a large interior space with a smooth, dark stone floor and walls inlaid with crystals that emit a soft white light.

People coming and going hurried along, most with solemn expressions, and the Ghost-type Pokémon accompanying them also appeared well-trained.

The team was led to a room that resembled a reception hall.

The room was simply furnished, with only a few stone chairs and a huge stone table. A woman sat behind the stone table.

She looked to be around thirty years old, wearing a well-tailored dark purple outfit with a simple black cloak over it.

The woman had a beautiful face and neat short black hair with a few strands hanging down her forehead, but her eyes and brows carried a coldness that kept people at a distance and an obvious weariness.

She was looking down and quickly flipping through a scroll in her hand, her brows furrowed.

She looked up as the team entered, her gaze sweeping over everyone before finally settling on Captain Rex.

Her eyes were so sharp they seemed to pierce through people's hearts, carrying the scrutinizing gaze of someone who had long held a high position.

"Thunderhammer Squad? A mission to collect Shadow Crystal Clusters?" Her voice, like her appearance, was crisp, decisive, and cold.

"Yes, sir."

Under this aura, Rex unconsciously restrained his usual attitude and straightened his back.

"We're here to register and prepare to head to Shadow Canyon for a mission."

The woman put down the scroll, leaned forward slightly, placed her hands crossed on the table, and announced in a completely flat tone:

"Listen, the mission is canceled now."

"What?" Rex's respectful expression was instantly replaced by astonishment.

"Cancelled? Why? We signed a contract! What about Silver Company…?"

"The spirit world tide has erupted."

The woman interrupted him abruptly, her tone resolute, "Just two hours ago. The entire outer perimeter and parts of the deeper zones are now on high alert. Forget your missions, all non-urgent and non-essential exploration missions are suspended. This is a direct order from the Night Watch headquarters."

Lina and Barton's expressions changed instantly.

Lina couldn't help but ask, "A spirit world tide? How could it be so sudden? We didn't have any news..."

"There's no need to explain things about the spirit world to you."

The woman's gaze swept coldly over Lina, tinged with impatience. "That's the situation. The mission is canceled. You can choose to leave the Spirit Realm immediately; the guild will provide you with basic compensation. Or..."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the team members again.

"If you are confident in your abilities and willing to take risks, you can stay and assist us in dealing with the spirit tide. Of course, the reward will be very generous—double the reward promised in your original mission."

"Double?!"

Rex gasped, his eyes widening instantly.

The price offered by Silver Company was already quite good, doubling it...

Two hundred and fifty thousand! That's a huge sum of money that would make any bounty hunter's heart flutter!

A flicker of fervor flashed in Lina and Barton's eyes, but it was quickly overshadowed by the pressure emanating from the words "Spirit Realm Tide." Clearly, they knew what the Spirit Realm Tide meant.

"What is the Spirit World Tide?"

Ling Feng's voice broke the silence, shattering the atmosphere, yet sounding somewhat out of place.

The woman seemed to only then truly notice Ling Feng's excessively young face, as well as the Gengar with its astonishing aura and unusually large size behind him, and the Chandelure radiating cold flames.

Her gaze lingered on Gengar for a moment, a fleeting hint of surprise flashing across her face, but she quickly regained her composure.

“Spirit Realm Tide,” she said, looking at Ling Feng. Her tone remained calm, but it lacked the previous forcefulness.

"You can understand it as a large-scale, disordered outburst of spiritual energy."

"It can cause native ghost Pokémon in the spirit world to become extremely agitated and aggressive, and may even awaken some powerful, dormant beings."

"The space will also become extremely unstable. People who enter will lose their sense of direction, energy detection instruments will malfunction, and the danger will be several times higher than usual. In history, every large-scale spiritual tide has been accompanied by the death of many people."

She paused for a moment, then added, "So, the choice is yours. If you want to leave, you can go to the teleportation hall now. If you want to stay, you'll have to sign a new temporary employment contract, obey our orders, and be responsible for your own life and death."

Rex's facial muscles twitched, clearly indicating he was going through a fierce internal struggle.

The temptation of doubled rewards was too great, but he had long heard of the infamous Spirit World Tide.

But after all, he was a bounty hunter, and this wasn't the first time he'd faced life-threatening danger.

He gritted his teeth and looked at Lina and Barton.

Lina's eyes flickered, but she finally nodded, while Arbok hissed and flicked its tongue.

Although Patton remained silent, in this situation, silence was tantamount to acquiescence.

"Damn it, let's do it!" Rex slapped his thigh and turned to the woman. "We're staying! Double the pay, you mean it!"

The woman showed no surprise; she simply nodded.
"A wise choice. The contract is here; sign it."

She pushed a parchment scroll over.

Rex signed his name and pressed his fingerprint without hesitation. Lena and Barton followed suit.

When it was Ling Feng's turn, the woman looked at him and asked again:

"And you, young man? The Spirit Tide is no joke. Your Pokémon is strong, but your experience..."

Her gaze swept over Gengar and Chandelure, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Ling Feng didn't answer. He simply picked up the pen and signed his name on the contract, his movements swift and decisive.

He understood perfectly well that the timing of the Spirit Realm Tide outbreak was too coincidental.

This is very likely the beginning of the turmoil mentioned in the mission, so I must stay and delve into it to find clues and even complete the optional path.

As for danger?

If things get really bad, we can just find a way to escape. Seeing Ling Feng sign the contract, the last trace of doubt in the woman's eyes vanished.

She put away the scroll and stood up: "Very good. My name is Mo Yu, and I am the deacon in charge of the outer perimeter security of this area. Welcome to the temporary Night Watch."

Now, you have your first task.

Without wasting words, she pointed directly to a simple map drawn on some kind of parchment on the stone table: "The outbreak point of the spirit tide is deep in the outer circle, but now the shockwave has spread to the area near the teleportation fortress."

“We have a seven-man squad guarding the third outpost, which is one of the main routes from the outer zone into the deep zone. The first wave of Ghost Pokémon has already covered that area.”

"Their supplies, especially the calming potions used to stabilize their minds and resist the 'wind,' are almost gone and need to be replenished."

She pushed a small, specially made metal box in front of Rex. The box was branded with the emblem of the Spirit Realm—an abstract eye pattern with pupils composed of dark blue flame patterns.

"Your mission is to deliver this supply crate safely to the third outpost and hand it over to their captain, Tieyan. The route has already been marked on the map."

Mo Yu's gaze swept over the crowd.
"I must remind you that during the Spirit Tide, spatial disturbances are severe, and any directional instruments will malfunction, including the compass on your hunter badges. Moreover, berserk Ghost Pokémon are everywhere and extremely dangerous. Now, does anyone still want to quit?"

Rex picked up the box; it was quite heavy.

He grinned, revealing a fierce smile.

"Once the arrow is released, there's no turning back! The third outpost, right? Leave it to us. As long as you pay us, there's nothing we can't do."

Lina and Barton nodded as well.

Seeing this, Mo Yu continued:

"Also, you might encounter wandering ghost Pokémon on the way, so be careful. After completing the mission, the base portion of the doubled reward will be paid to you immediately. Any other questions?"

Rex stared at the winding route on the map, marked with various danger symbols, and his head started spinning.

“Deacon Moyu, this… this doesn’t have any navigation equipment. Relying solely on this map… the Spirit Realm is such a treacherous place that it’s easy to get lost, and now…”

"Those are the difficulties you need to overcome."

Mo Yu interrupted him without any politeness.

"We Night's Watchmen never rely on external things to carry out our missions. If you can't do it, it's not too late to quit now."

Her gaze held a hint of barely perceptible pride.

Ling Feng's gaze fell on the map.

The rough lines and blurry markings, under the interference of the spiritual tide, were indeed like waste paper.

But for him, finding his way around is really not a problem.

He calmly brought up the system panel and directly activated the terrain generation module to start generating a map of the entire spirit realm.

—The time spent in the spirit world was too short and the amount of information was too great; he only just remembered this matter.

“No problem.” Ling Feng spoke calmly, his voice not loud, but it made both Rex and Mo Yu, who were somewhat anxious, look over. “We can lead the way.”

"You?" Rex stared at him in astonishment, then looked at the Gengar floating behind him.

"Are you going to rely on its senses? Under the energy turbulence of the Spirit Tide, even Ghost-type Pokémon's senses will be greatly interfered with!"

Mo Yu also frowned slightly, clearly not believing that Ling Feng could have any particularly good solutions.

Ling Feng didn't explain, he just said calmly, "Just follow me."

Mo Yu stared at him for a few seconds, seemingly trying to find any trace of arrogance or bluff on his face, but only saw silence.

She finally nodded, her tone still cold.

"Alright. Supplies delivered, mission complete. Remember, time is of the essence; Tieyan and the others won't last much longer. Let's go."

And so, their squad, carrying the heavy supply crate, once again stepped into the desolate and cold land of the Spirit Realm. Leaving the weak spiritual field of the Night Watch Fortress, the feeling of "wind" immediately became clear.

It wasn't a physical wind, but an invisible, continuous mental erosion, like cold, fine needles pricking the mind, making one restless and unable to concentrate.

Lina immediately activated the Concentration Amulet, and a faint white halo enveloped her.

Barton's rumbler rocks also emitted a richer, earthy yellow glow, protecting him within them.

Rex and Hawley relied on their strong will and physique to withstand the pressure, but their expressions were noticeably more serious, indicating that doing this was very difficult for them.

Ling Feng walked at the front, with Gengar surrounding him. Shadow energy permeated the area, enveloping him and immediately blocking out most of the corrosive feeling of the "wind".

He seemed to choose a direction casually, with the cracked black soil and jagged rocks stretching forward beneath his feet.

"Hey bro, do you even know the way?"

After walking for about ten minutes, the surrounding environment remained almost unchanged, with only endless desolation and twisted black dead trees in the distance.

Rex couldn't help but ask in a low voice, his tone filled with doubt and anxiety.

"Well, I don't mean to say I have a problem with you, but I have to say, this direction... seems a bit different from what's on the map? Mo Yu's route is towards the northeast, but it seems like we've been heading northwest the whole time?"

Lina frowned, her fingers tracing Arbok's cold scales.

Beside Barton, the Golem kept vigilantly looking around.

"The map has become invalid under the Spirit World Tide."

Ling Feng didn't turn his head, his steps never stopping.

"Didn't that person just say that the energy flow in the spirit world is currently chaotic, and space is distorted and twisted? Following the map will only take us further and further away from our target."

"Then how do you know which way to go?"

Rex raised his voice.

Ling Feng did not answer, his gaze fixed on the panel in front of him that only he could see.
A clear three-dimensional topographic map covering a radius of ten kilometers is now in his field of vision.

The relatively stable and safe paths, the vortexes formed by violent energy turbulence, and the heat sources where Ghost Pokémon are active are all clearly marked.

A winding green line, bypassing all the danger zones and pointing to the location of the third outpost on the map, extends clearly through the complex terrain.

"Go with your gut feeling, don't ask anymore."

Ling Feng gave an answer that almost made Rex jump out of his skin.

But he turned and stepped without hesitation into an area that looked even more rugged and was covered with huge weathered rock pillars.

"you!"

Rex was speechless, but seeing Ling Feng's resolute back and seeing that there were no signs of danger around him, he could only grit his teeth and follow, muttering to himself.

"Damn it, if we go the wrong way and get everyone stuck here, I'll be the first one..."

Before he could finish his complaint, Ling Feng, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped without warning and raised his hand to signal the three of them to be quiet.

(End of this chapter)