Pokémon: I picked up a reborn Eevee at the start of the game.

It was midday, so the room was naturally empty. They booked a room for two hours. Amidst the ambiguous glances from the hotel receptionist, Xia Chen and Ming Yi hurriedly entered the room and began their interrogation.

With the experience from last time, this time the work went much more smoothly.

Coercion, bribery, emotional appeals, and reasoning are all ineffective.

If you give enough coins, the money-grubbing spirit will immediately be able to "judge people very accurately".

After some discussion, Suo Cailing agreed to complete the transaction for one hundred 100-yuan coins.

In just ten minutes, Xia Chen and Ming Yi hurriedly checked out of the hotel and prepared to head to the lair of this money-grabbing spirit.

But before leaving, he felt that the hotel receptionist's gaze was a little strange.

The locations where the money-stealing spirits commit their crimes are usually not too far from their lair. Xia Chen and Ming Yi soon arrived at a sewer.

Since this money-grabbing spirit was just a transactional entity, and fearing it might run away, Xia Chen sent three of his best generals—Little Dragon, Sticky Treasure, and his own money-grabbing spirit—to follow it.

Both Little Dragon and the upgraded Money-Gathering Spirit were faster than the prisoner of war, so the Money-Gathering Spirit didn't try anything funny and obediently led them to its lair, then took out the treasure chest and returned to the ground.

Looking at the identical treasure chest in front of him, Xia Chen rubbed his hands together expectantly.

Gold coins are popping up!

Chapter 250 Miss Qishu's Eyes Are Hidden Something (7k, Monthly Tickets)

Bonus Chapter 34)

Perhaps because this money-grubbing spirit was older, it had many more mutated coins in its treasure chest than its own, totaling more than a hundred.

Thirty of them have been completely transformed into pure gold.

This made the money-grubbing spirit feel that it had been cheated in the deal it had previously made with Xia Chen.

Putting aside the question of whether gold coins or ordinary coins are more valuable, Xia Chen only gave one hundred coins but received more than one hundred gold coins in return. The quantities are completely disproportionate.

It tried its best to make up for the loss, but Xia Chen leisurely put the gold coins into his pocket and squinted at it.

"Don't forget where you got your coins, I mean. You don't want me to hand you over to Officer Jenny, do you?"

The money spirit hung its head in dejection and had no choice but to obediently accept the hundred coins that Xia Chen handed over and put them into the treasure chest.

"Don't steal coins anymore. If you get caught, you might not be able to get away unscathed like I did, you know?"

Before releasing the money-grubbing spirit, Xia Chen tried to persuade it to give up its life of crime.

Suo Cailing looked somewhat dejected.

The love of coins is something ingrained in their species. What other way can a wild elf obtain coins besides stealing them?

Seeing the expression on the money-seeking spirits' faces, Xia Chen understood that empty words could not change their living environment.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "In the future, I guarantee that trainers will want to catch you."

Although he didn't know how strong the evolved Pokémon of the Money-Grubber would be, or whether it would be popular.

But at least say some nice things to comfort it for now.

"Chirp."

Suo Cailing clearly didn't take Xia Chen's words to heart.

It shook its head, put away the treasure chest, turned and left, continuing to toil for its own life.

Looking at Suo Cailing's heavy back, Mingyi also felt a little emotional.

"These unpopular elves have a tough time living in the city. For the first time, I feel that discovering evolution is also a meaningful thing for their lives. You have to keep it up, Xia Chen."

Xia Chen shrugged and replied, "I don't have such lofty thoughts. It's purely for my own benefit. As for being good to the money-grubbing spirits, maybe they enjoy this kind of life too?"

If they continued talking, it would lead to philosophical questions like "You are not a fish," so the two didn't discuss it any further.

"By the way, where are we going next? Are we not going to catch a money-gathering spirit at another restaurant?"

Mingyi touched her still-full belly and asked with a pained expression.

Xia Chen was speechless. "How could that be? I'm not a Snorlax, I don't have that big an appetite. Let's go tonight."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Didn't we agree to challenge the gym this afternoon? Shall we set off now?"

"Oh, let's go then."

Mingyi glanced at Xia Chen's suddenly upturned lips and pursed her lips.

Oh man.

…………

Niangguang Dojo is located in the center of the city's Civic Square, below the Niangguang Tower where Xia Chen and Ming Yi stayed last night.

This place is already a location on the surface of the city, and with the recent surge in popularity of the Strange Tree, it has become a must-visit spot for a large number of Strange Tree enthusiasts.

Xia Chen and Ming Yi strolled in the square, occasionally seeing some obsessed people holding up their phones and running up to the life-size standee of the strange tree to take videos.

The content was nothing more than kneeling on the ground, crying and shouting—

"Qishu, take me with you, Qishu!"

"Miss Kiju, I really want to be your dog!"

some type of.

Strangely, the people around didn't seem surprised at all; instead, they seemed quite used to it.

It seems this phenomenon has been around for quite some time.

Mingyi, who was new to the area, shook her head slightly and sighed, "I've seen videos like this before when I was browsing Pixiv. I really don't know what these people are thinking."

"It's normal. When people are in a group, they become a kind of creature with low intelligence."

Xia Chen, who had been surfing the internet for many years, was already used to this.

"When the first person in their circle does this [expression of love] and receives praise instead of criticism, more people will start to follow suit and imitate it. From wearing a hood to not wearing a hood, from having a coy expression to being natural, it has now become a cultural symbol in their fan circle. It is a very typical phenomenon of group polarization. In fact, it is a good subject for group psychology research."

Mingyi nodded, seemingly puzzled, and then suddenly said, "I wonder what Miss Qishu herself thinks about this."

Xia Chen analyzed, "Qi Shu herself doesn't know, but the capital behind her is definitely happy to see it happen. It's even possible that they are secretly fanning the flames. The higher the purity of the fans, the easier it is to make money. At least, you can see that from the challenge missions of their dojo."

The gym challenges in the Padilla region are somewhat unique; challengers must complete a [Gym Test] before the challenge begins. The Gym Test for the Brewmaster Gym is precisely this...

"To help hype up Qishu's live stream?"

Mingyi, whose travel goal was to challenge the gym, had naturally done her homework. Combining this with the changes to the [Gym Test] after Qishu became the gym leader, she somewhat understood Xia Chen's meaning.

"Suddenly, I feel a little sorry for Miss Qishu."

Girls are always emotional; if it were a boy, he would probably say something like, "Capitalism is terrifying."

Xia Chen shrugged noncommittally.

Although he was interested in Qishu, it was only in the appearance that had been packaged by capital.

As for the person behind the "suit," who knows?

…………

The popularity of the gym leaders naturally fueled the booming popularity of gym challenges.

For many fans, whether they can beat the gym challenge is another matter; being able to battle Miss Kiju is a more motivating reward than a gym badge.

Even though it was Tuesday afternoon, there was still a long line ahead of Xia Chen and Ming Yi to take on the challenge.

This was even after they had already made an online reservation that morning.

Fortunately, most of the challengers were seasoned novices, and some even failed the gym test.

So even though the line was long, it moved forward quite quickly.

"How are you planning to pass the dojo test? Are you going to pull something special?"

"All the tricks have been exhausted by those who came before, so I've prepared the most direct one: activate captain status on the spot!"

"Holy crap, this is possible?"

"Why not? Pixiv's live streaming mechanism gives a traffic boost to those who stream as captains or admirals. I've seen people in the group have already tried it and it works."

"Wow, this seems more reliable. I'll give it a try."

The girl overheard the conversation between the two people ahead of Xia Chen and Ming Yi, and her expression became complicated.

You were absolutely right.

Mingyi said in a low voice.

Dojo challenges are not free; they are part of the gym leader's salary. Furthermore, the Brewmaster Dojo tacitly allows challengers to "spend gifts" to pass the test, revealing the true intentions of the capital behind it.

Having seen countless ways capital manipulates people, Xia Chen wasn't surprised. Instead, he became concerned about Mingyi's test preparations.

"And you? How do you plan to pass the gym test?"

Mingyi hesitated for a moment, "I originally prepared a short, elaborate performance, but now... should I just give a tip directly?"

Xia Chen comforted her, "No need, just do it the way you prepared, there won't be any problems."

Although the words were a bit direct, appearance is also a kind of asset, and Mingyi's mere presence can cause a small climax in the comments.

Xia Chen couldn't be sure if it was a live broadcast of a competition, but those who watched Qishu's live streams would know what was going on.

Mingyi was still a little unsure of herself. "Why don't you go first?"

Xia Chen looked helpless. "I feel like no matter how many gifts the people behind me send, I can't stop the popularity from declining."

This is not boasting; as a public figure with considerable online fame, this was something that was foreseeable and inevitable.

Mingyi understood Xia Chen's meaning and reluctantly replied, "Okay."

…………

After queuing for nearly an hour, it was finally Mingyi's turn.

It's worth mentioning that the two guys in front actually passed the test by using the captain's method, but that's about it.

The gym battle went terribly wrong, and they didn't even get to see the second Pokémon that Mirai sent out.

But seeing their nonchalant and even "worth it" smiles, Xia Chen could only sigh, "You're not a dog, how can you know the joy of a dog?"

Next up is Mingyi.