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

The Fairy Queen understood that Xia Chen must have guessed the truth of that long-buried past from Qiu Ming's words.

Her voice was somewhat low, "I don't know what they think of me, and I don't know how to face them."

Xia Chen comforted them, saying, "If that's what you're worried about, I can tell you very clearly that they are still grateful to you for saving them from the abyss and are waiting for you to come back. That's why the Tianxing Team still exists."

After a long silence, the Cassiopeia said softly, "They saved themselves."

"So, they're now stuck in another quagmire. Are you willing to help them out again?"

Xia Chen patiently guided him.

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

Xia Chen continued to persuade him, "Although I can dismiss them as originally planned, I think it would be more meaningful for you to do it. What do you think?"

After a long while, a voice finally came from the other end of the phone.

"Um"

It wasn't the mechanical voice from before, but a human voice, a girl's slightly choked, nasal tone.

What should I do?

Xia Chen replied in a deep voice, "I will send them back to Orange Academy. You can just say everything you want to say to them."

".Is it that simple?"

"It's that simple."

Xia Chen smiled. "If you're willing to believe them, that's enough."

"I understand. Please let me know when they return."

"I will."

"So, goodbye."

After hanging up the phone, Xia Chen breathed a sigh of relief. The Tianxing team incident should be coming to an end here, at least on his end.

The Cassiopeia's request was fulfilled, and Clavel's favor was repaid.

As for what happened to Mudan, Qiuming, and Clavel, it was no longer of much concern to him.

Wait a minute, it seems there's still some connection. The Cassiopeia promised 20 million to clear one branch base, but now that one has been cleared, there's no follow-up. Didn't I make a mistake?

Xia Chen was so angry that he slapped his thigh.

Frustrated as he was, Xia Chen wasn't short of money, and besides, the salary did exceed its true value, so he felt unworthy of it.

With one less burden on his shoulders, he could focus more intently on researching the evolution of the Money-Gathering Spirit and searching for the secret seasoning.

…………

After finishing these matters, it was only a little past 2 p.m.

Although it didn't actually take much effort and the elves weren't injured, Xia Chen still decided to rest for half a day and set off again tomorrow morning.

To be honest, this was my first time camping since arriving in Padiya. It certainly wasn't as comfortable as staying in a hotel, but when you travel, the atmosphere is what matters.

It was late March, the spring breeze was warm, and all things were reviving. The open space that Xia Chen had chosen was surrounded by a vibrant and lush landscape.

This is near the center of the Mark Forest, a place frequently visited by humans. Therefore, the wild elves in the area do not show much fear or wariness towards Xia Chen and Ming Yi, who have set up camp here.

On the contrary, a few more friendly elves lingered nearby, or came over to freeload while waiting for Xia Chen and the others to start their meal.

Among them, a particularly plump, well-fed squirrel was the boldest, running over to beg for food before even having eaten itself.

Its chubby face was full of flattery, just like that "rich woman, hungry, food" meme.

No, if the object is Xia Chen, it should be "Rich Guy V50".

This guy looks so fat, which is probably related to his shameless attitude.

Xia Chen took out a box of energy cubes and placed it in front of it. The little squirrel's chubby face immediately wrinkled into fawning lines.

Just as it was about to reach for it, Xia Chen's hand pressed lightly on the energy cube box.

"If you want it, answer one question for me: Is there a money-gathering spirit in this forest? The more you answer, the more you get."

Not only that, he also called out to the other elves who were watching nearby.

"You too, if you know of any, you can come to me to exchange for energy cubes, or anything else you want."

As soon as he finished speaking, several Pokémon that had been watching nearby—Pachirisu, Blue Raven, Orion, and Viva—surrounded him, chattering excitedly as they reported what they knew.

Two of them almost got into a fight because they were vying to speak.

Seriously? This can actually be rolled up?

Xia Chen had a bit of a headache. After awakening his Aura power, he could hear different meanings in the voices of Pokémon that were indistinguishable to the average person. It was incredibly noisy right now.

He quickly interrupted the elves, "Stop, stop, stop, one at a time. Hide-full Chipmunk, you go first. Just say it, I understand Elvish."

…………

The well-fed squirrel, head held high and chest puffed out, stepped forward and said, "Squeak—(I've lived in this forest for over ten years and know at least ten money-grubbing spirits. Trust me, you won't go wrong. Hire me; one box of energy cubes a day will do.)"

Are there at least ten money-grabbing spirits?

Xia Chen's eyes lit up.

Although wild money-gathering spirits may not be as "rich" as those in the city, ten of them are still a considerable number.

Moreover, the treasure-hunting spirits in the wild exist for a longer time, so the total number of coins they have may not be as many as those in the city, but the number of mutated gold coins may be even greater.

Just as Xia Chen was making plans, a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"It's lying, there aren't even ten money-grabbing spirits in the entire forest!"

The well-fed squirrel looked around for the source of the sound, then squeaked indignantly, "Squeak! (Who said I was lying! What makes you say that! I think you're just being argumentative!)"

This guy must have dealt with humans quite a lot; he even knows the term "nitpicker."

However, the next sentence from the "nitpicker" left the savage squirrel speechless.

"Because I am a money-gathering spirit."

Suddenly, a little man carrying a coin emerged from the group of elves.

Alright, here comes the main character.

The other elves shook their heads regretfully and dispersed.

The guys with bounties on their heads have already offered themselves up to collect the rewards, so what chance do they have?

Although the gluttonous squirrel's lie was exposed, it still greedily tugged at the box of energy cubes in front of it.

After being glared at by Xia Chen's expressionless gaze, it reluctantly slunk away.

The lively scene vanished in an instant, leaving Xia Chen with only a money-grubbing spirit that was collecting its own bounty.

"Chirp! (You've found me! I want a coin!)"

So said the money-grubbing spirit.

"Sure, but I want the gold coins in your treasure chest. I can trade two coins for one gold coin."

Xia Chen readily agreed, but also put forward his own conditions.

This was the exchange rate he always used when trading with the money-grabbing spirits of Niangguang City; no money-grabbing spirit could resist this temptation.

For them, coins and gold coins don't matter, as long as they make a sound. Exchanging one for two isn't a loss.

However, the conditions that had previously been invincible have backfired today.

The Money-Seeking Spirit shook its head, refusing, "Chirp? (You want our gold coins? No way, the gold coins in our treasure chests have to be handed over to the boss.)"

Rejected by the money-seeking spirit, Xia Chen was not angry at all; instead, his eyes shone even brighter.

This was the first time he had ever seen a money-gathering spirit interested in gold coins; there was definitely something fishy going on!

Xia Chen chuckled, casually pulled a few coins from his pocket, and handed them to Suo Cailing. "How about we make a deal? Take me to see your boss."

The money-gathering spirit righteously refused, "Chirp! (You're definitely up to no good. It's my boss, I can't take you!)"

Xia Chen, expressionless, grabbed another handful of coins and threw them in front of it, the clinking sound quite crisp and pleasant.

Suo Cailing immediately performed a Sichuan opera face-changing act.

"Sir, this way!"

…………

The Mark Forest isn't very big; even if you run from one end of the forest to the other, half an afternoon would be enough. So, Xia Chen set off immediately while there was still plenty of time before sunset.

There's no need to make a big fuss about finding the Money-Grubber. Just take your Money-Grubber, Gardevoir with its Trick Room ability, Goomy (the "trick room fighter"), and Sylveon for self-defense in case of danger, and Xia Chen sets off on his beloved Guleton.

Along the way, Xia Chen inquired about the leader of the Suo Cai Ling.

According to the wealth-seeking spirits, their leader is an old wealth-seeking spirit that has existed in this forest for twenty or thirty years, and everyone calls him Old Suo.

Old So was highly respected and had accumulated many treasures. Many forest elves had benefited from his kindness, and many forest overlords had grown up under his care.

Whenever the Money-Seeking Spirit has a conflict with other spirits, Old Money-Seeking Spirit will step in to mediate, and the other spirits will give it face.

Therefore, the money-gathering spirits in the Forest of Imprints are all willing to respectfully call it "Boss".

Old So wasn't interested in gold coins from the beginning; he only started collecting them in the last two months.

From then on, it would start exchanging coins with other Money Spirits in the Forest of Marks. Although the reason was unknown, the Money Spirits would also exchange with it.

"Jiwa (I've already given all of my dozen or so gold coins to Old Suo.)"

Suo Cailing recalled.

Is that all?

Xia Chen was a little surprised; there were at least twenty or thirty money-gathering spirits in the city.

"Jiwa (Although this place is very close to Niangguang City, there aren't many people around, and those who come don't necessarily carry coins.)"

This is how the spirit of seeking wealth explained it.

Xia Chen nodded. If that were the case, then Old Suo might not even have as many gold coins as he did.

But suddenly starting to collect gold coins makes it seem like he knows something.

Xia Chen and Suo Cailing chatted, while Gu Leton sped through the forest.