Elf: I have a secret realm of emerald green.

The Blue Cottonbird and the Bluebird clan have been separated for so long that it's probably impossible to catch up anytime soon, and there's no point in rushing them.

They found a quiet spot for Pidgeot to recover its strength, and also prepared a brunch for the Pokémon. In the afternoon, Xia Shen and the others set off again.

After another two hours of flight, the snow-covered country gradually disappeared from Xia Shen's sight, and the first touch of green appeared on the ground in the distance.

"Chirp chirp~" The blue cotton bird was very excited when it saw its destination, chirping and perching on Yan Yan's head.

Pidgeot let out a sigh of relief, increased the frequency of its wing flapping, and made a final sprint toward its target location.

Less than ten minutes later, Xia Shen and Yan Yan finally stepped onto the long-missed grass.

The area bordering the snowfield is a vast plain with not many trees and mostly low shrubs. Although it is not lush and green, it is much more vibrant than the previous snowfield.

…………

Nearby bushes, several Nidorinos and Nidorinas, seeing the intruders, raised their venomous quills and growled at Xia Shen and his companions.

Xia Shen pulled Yan Yan back a step, facing them, to show that she meant no harm.

It's not that I'm afraid of these Pokémon. Nidorino and Nidorina are social Pokémon, and there might be Nidoking or Nidoqueen standing behind them.

Although even if they joined forces, they would almost certainly be no match for Gengar, Xia Shen did not want to rely on Gengar's power at this time.

He took out a few energy cubes, held them in his hand, and said to the Nidorino that was faintly leading the way, "We are just passing through your territory and have no ill intentions. This is the toll."

Gengar is indeed very good at fighting, but when going on an adventure, you need more than just fighting skills; you also need intelligence.

Moreover, Xia Shen had ulterior motives for bribing Nidorino.

Nidorino cautiously approached slowly, sniffing the small cube in Xia Shen's hand that emitted a faint, exotic fragrance.

Xia Shen smiled and said, "This is edible."

As he spoke, he casually picked up an energy cube and started tasting it himself.

This wasn't the first time Xia Shen had tried energy cubes. He had tried them out of curiosity a long time ago and thought they tasted pretty good.

Since gaining superpowers, he would eat two pills after each battle in Xicui to replenish his energy, and he became more and more addicted to them.

This time, he brought out energy cubes with a slightly sour and sweet flavor.

While the tastes of elves may differ in this world, most humans and elves do not reject sweetness. Sweetness is one of the most fundamental tastes in biological evolution, much like the first food we eat after birth—our mother's milk.

Sure enough, after Nidorino tried a piece, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he seemed very satisfied with this novel food; even the barbs on his back softened.

He turned around and called out twice, and the other Nidorinos and Nidonas who had been watching gathered around to enjoy the Power Cubes.

Soon, the few remaining energy cubes were devoured by several sprites, who looked up at Xia Shen with longing eyes, seemingly still wanting more.

Xia Shen revealed a triumphant smile: "If you want more, you have to answer one question for me."

"Nido~" Nidorino, his mouth watering, nodded quickly, indicating that he would answer any questions he had.

Seeing that Nidorino had taken care of things, Xia Shen immediately called out his personal translator.

[Almighty God of Knowledge, Yukshi, I need your help!]

[Ugh, can't you learn Elvish yourself?] Yukshi complained, but still floated out.

[I'll definitely learn next time!]

After thanking him, Xia Shen asked Nidorino, "Have you ever seen a large flock of elves migrating by? Among them were a flock of Albirex and Cottonbirds."

Logically speaking, with so many elves living under the Divine Tree, the scale of their migration must have been enormous. As long as they passed through this area, Nidorino would definitely have a memory of it.

Indeed, Nidorino tilted his head back, seemingly recalling for a couple of seconds, before speaking, "Nido... Nido..."

[Yesterday, a large flock of elves came from the snowfields, along with the Tanabata birds you mentioned, but our chieftain chased them all away. There's not much food in this land to begin with, and with so many of them, there certainly wouldn't be enough to go around.]

Xia Shen was overjoyed; they were lucky, they had also taken this path. He quickly asked, "And then, where did they go?"

“Nido…”

[Additional fees required]

Xia Shen: "......"

The translation by Kexi was very accurate and elegant, and Xia Shen understood it instantly. He then took out a few more energy cubes and handed them to Nidorino in front of him before continuing to reveal information.

"Nido...Nido..."

[The chieftain told them that the southern shore of Lake Qiu had abundant water, a suitable climate, and more food; they must have gone there.]

Upon hearing this, Xia pondered, "The shore of Qiuhu Lake? It's at the southernmost point of the map in the game, and it would probably take half a day to get there."

"One last question: Have you seen that dark, scary-looking hole that suddenly appeared these past few days?"

Xia Shen was naturally asking about the exit of the secret realm; it would be best if Nidorino had seen it.

After delivering the Blue Cotton Bird, you can collect some good items in the secret realm and leave whenever you want.

Although he knew that a secret realm usually only has one or two exits, and the possibility of it appearing nearby was extremely small, what if it was?

……

Upon hearing the question, Nidorino raised his head and stared intently at Xia Shen.

Hey, is there a chance?

Xia Shen's face lit up with joy, and without hesitation, he took out a few more energy cubes.

Nidorino finished his food in a few bites before speaking, "Nidor..."

[Never seen it before.]

You're asking me for favors when we've never even met?

Xia Shen was dumbfounded. He had never seen a wild human elf so despicable.

Not innocent at all!

Nidorino ignored Xia Shen's angry glare, even burped arrogantly, and then turned around and swaggered away with his companions.

Xia Shen was so angry his teeth itched, but there was nothing he could do. This was someone else's territory; he might as well just consider it paying taxes...

Xia Shen was trying to comfort himself with a sense of self-consolation when Yan Yan asked in a strange tone, "Your ability to communicate with elves has returned?"

"Well... I guess so." Xia Shen looked at her apologetically. "There are some things that are not convenient to tell you right now, but I can guarantee that you will be the first to know in the future."

Yan Yan smiled gently, "Okay."

Considering that Pidgeot had been flying all day and was already very tired, Xia Shen paid Nidorino some protection money and set up camp in their territory for a night's rest.

The next day, as the sun rose, Xia Shen and Yan Yan set off again aboard the Pidgeon.

------

After a long journey of stopping and starting, it took most of the day to get through. Not to mention the Piedea that had been flying for two days straight, even Xia Shen and Yan Yan were exhausted.

How long have we been in the secret realm?

Hearing the girl in his arms ask the question out of the blue, Xia Shen was taken aback. "About... almost two days?"

Yan Yan was silent for a moment, then asked, "You mean, did my sister and father find out we were missing?"

So that's what you were worried about... Xia Shen gripped her hand tightly and said firmly, "Don't worry, we'll definitely get out of here."

If all else fails, go wash the green and shake Zoroark to come over. With Gengar, as long as you don't run into the three Skaven, those two pillars, or Calyrex, you should be able to roam freely in the Crown Tundra.

Yan Yan responded softly, grasping Xia Shen's hand in return. She didn't know why, but just a few words of vague comfort made her feel much more at ease.

"Compare--"

The Pidgey beneath them suddenly let out an excited cry, drawing their attention.

"What's wrong? We haven't reached the shore of Qiuhu Lake yet?" Xia Shen looked into the distance, but all he could see was a vast expanse of green, with no sign of Qiuhu Lake.

Pidgeot didn't respond. It flapped its wings, changed its flight direction, and flew slightly downwards, as if it had discovered something diagonally below.

Xia Shen knew that Pidgeot, with its sharp eyesight, must have discovered something to behave like this.

Although he felt that the possibility of a battle was not high, Xia Shen still silently took out the Poké Balls of Garchomp and Ursaring and held them in his hand.

As the flight altitude gradually decreased, Xia Shen looked at the scene before him and understood why Pidgeot was excited.

On the ground and in the low sky, hundreds of elves were running or flying in groups, moving in the same direction as Xia Shen and the others.

Electric Hound, Whimsicott, Whitefly, Steel Crow, Greedy Chipmunk...

And there's also the Qixi Bluebird clan that Xia Shen and his friends have been searching for!

……

Xia Shen was overjoyed; he hadn't expected to encounter them before even reaching the shore of Qiuhu Lake.

Yan Yan also discovered the migrating spirits and woke up the blue cotton bird that was sleeping soundly in her arms.

"Chirp?" The blue cotton bird looked around in confusion, but saw nothing.

Yan Yan smiled and lifted it aside so that it could see the scene below.

"Chirp!" Seeing its long-lost family, the blue cotton bird was overjoyed and flapped its little wings, wanting to fly over.

But then it suddenly remembered something, turned back, and looked at Yan Yan with reluctance.

Yan Yan flicked the tuft of hair on its head. "Go and reunite with your family. Haven't you been looking forward to this for a long time?"

"Chirp..." The cotton bird hesitated for a while, then rubbed affectionately against Yan Yan's face for a long time before flapping its cotton wings and flying towards the Qixi Bluebirds.

Feeling the emptiness that suddenly filled her arms after two days, Yan Yan sighed softly.

"What? You like this blue cotton bird?" Xia Shen's teasing voice came from behind.

Yan Yan did not deny it and gave a serious "hmm".

Xia Shen advised matter-of-factly, "If you like him, go for it. It's obvious that the boy likes you too."

“But… the Blue Cotton Bird has its own people, its own life…” Yan Yan’s tone was somewhat hesitant.

Thinking back carefully, Yan Yan's Pokémon, whether it was Gible or Riolu, were all arranged for her by her family. She really had no experience in catching wild Pokémon.

No wonder she lacks confidence.

Xia Shen smiled slightly and proposed a bet.

"I'll make a bet with you. Before we leave the secret realm, you'll ask it if it's willing to come with you, how about it?"