Pokémon, you're not allowed to expel me from human form!

"That's right!"

Nibiru continued speaking.

"Although Dragon said that the method to enter the ruins has been lost over the years, even in Dragon Village, I have indeed found a method that suits me better."

"The external protection of this ruin is not a mechanism or anything like that, but rather it is made up of the combined power of the elves."

"You know, although I don't have my own spirit, I was born with the ability to communicate with spirits, and I've been developing this ability for decades. I can not only 'communicate' with spirits, but also understand their powers."

"Even so, I cannot use it myself, but analyzing the structure of this protective power and finding its weaknesses is still not a problem."

"Boss, one more month, no... ten days!"

"I'm sure I can break through the outer defenses of these ruins!"

...

"Can it really work?"

Alice looked at Rocco beside her, curious about his confidence.

"The outer defenses of those ruins are incredibly strong. The fact that no one discovered them for so long is thanks to these defenses. If it weren't for some accident that exposed the ruins this time, their location might not have been discovered even hundreds of years later."

"The intensity is still very high."

Upon hearing Alice's words, Rocco smiled but did not offer any explanation.

Because the source of his confidence is—Necrozma!

This glorious god knows not only the external protection of the ruins, but also the internal mechanisms perfectly!

so...

"Let's talk about it when we get there the day after tomorrow. Anyway, I do have a solution. We'll see if it works or not when we try."

......

56. Liu Wuming

The Shenzhou Hunting Area is listed as 'Forest Area' in the records.

But in reality, the seemingly endless sea of ​​trees is just the surface. Its landform has many folds, and some areas are even tilted. Based on this landform framework, there are mountains, forests, plains, and waterways, both above and below ground, making it complex and diverse.

Due to the vicissitudes of history, you can even find glacial landforms in this hunting area.

The number of elves living there is unimaginable.

Therefore, even with the Elite Four member stationed here with a group of elite trainers, there was still a lot of open space.

After all, this place is different from other elf gathering places. If a problem really occurs and cannot be controlled in time, then the elf gathering places and cities closest to here will all suffer.

but...

"That's what they say, but actually, because the hunting area is heavily guarded and very important, it's actually the place where problems are least likely to occur."

"The Heavenly Kings stationed here can occasionally go out and have some fun elsewhere."

Sitting in the off-road vehicle prepared by the Lorraine family, Alice explained the situation to Rocco beside her.

"It's just that King Liu is getting old and doesn't have as much energy and stamina to be active around. In addition, no one in China has challenged his position as King Liu during this period, so he has been stationed here all this time."

Alice also felt a bit emotional when talking about Liu Wuming, the general-type Heavenly King of China.

"After all, Andy Lau is already over seventy years old."

When Alice mentioned Liu Wuming's age, Luo Ke realized that this "Ordinary King" was not as simple as he seemed.

After all, when he set up the arena, the trainer using the Krillin was probably not even as old as him—that person had a Champion-level Pokémon, so how could Liu Wuming not have one?

Thinking about it this way, it's no wonder that such a powerful Heavenly King has been guarding this place for so many years.

It seems he really can't keep up with the energy.

Luo Ke was already considering whether he should let the other person retire and enjoy their old age.

Jiang Chuan had never done this before, probably because he had no one else to rely on. But he was different; he returned the vacant position of Heavenly King to Ning Ya.

So, in his mind, Jiang Chuan was already the 'vice champion' of China.

However, this title is not official.

It would be nice to give him a dragon-type Elite Four title or something.

not to mention...

Before she left, Carmen probably planned to challenge Ningya.

If she succeeds, there will be another candidate for Heavenly King. Even if she fails, she will probably challenge other Heavenly Kings, so the position can be left vacant for her.

“Miss Alice, Mr. Rocco, we have arrived at the hunting ground base.”

While Luo Ke was thinking, the Lorraine family's driver spoke up.

The car stopped decisively.

After Rocco and Alice got off the car, what lay before them was a base that resembled a small town!

The streets are clean cobblestone streets, with buildings no more than five stories high and exquisite townhouses lining the streets. The shops on both sides of the street are nothing special, but they have everything you would expect.

However, since there are no tourists or ordinary people here, it is not as lively as the commercial streets of the city, but almost everyone is accompanied by at least one elf, so it does not look empty.

“Roco, trainers who go to the hunting area to catch Pokémon usually don’t stay for just one day, so the commercial street and hotels in this base are all prepared for these people.”

"Our family business is also located here, so if we want to stay, we can just go there directly."

Once inside the base, Alice continued to explain the situation to Rocco.

However, they hadn't gone far when their attention was drawn to the plaza in the center of the base.

In the square, a group of trainers who looked to be of a certain age and their Pokémon gathered together, and then, led by an old man wearing a summer shirt and sunglasses, they were actually doing square dancing!

If it were just a scene like this, Luo Ke would only glance at it twice.

He had seen similar things many times before, so he wasn't surprised.

but...

He is, after all, the current champion of China, so he must have seen photos of his four top players.

"Alice... Andy Lau's energy and stamina aren't very good, so logically, when we arrived here and saw him, he should have been lying in a rocking chair sunbathing."

"At the very least, it should be the kind of place where you can sit quietly and drink tea."

"So maybe I've mistaken him for someone else—that lead dancer definitely isn't Andy Lau, right?"

Hearing Rocco's somewhat uncertain voice, Alice also began to feel uncertain.

"Maybe, perhaps, maybe... it really isn't?"

Just then, Liu Wuming, the lead dancer, also saw Alice and Luo Ke.

There was no way around it; Alice's appearance was too outstanding. She was the kind of person who would make you stop and look at her if you glanced at her in a crowd. And that's when Liu Wuming saw Luo Ke!

Under these circumstances, he decisively stopped what he was doing, said a few words to the others, and then walked over.

The distance between them was only about ten meters, but in just those few steps, Liu Wuming seemed to have his yang energy drained, becoming weaker the closer they got!

When he arrived in front of Luo Ke, his back was hunched over, his hands were trembling, and he was practically drooling!

Seeing him like this, Alice couldn't even maintain her perfect smile for a moment, and Rocco simply spoke up.

“Old Liu, there’s a bit of an unnecessary reason for you to be like this right now—stop pretending. I’m not here to cause you any trouble. In fact, seeing that you’re in good condition makes me feel more at ease about the hunting area.”

Upon hearing Luo Ke's words, Liu Wuming immediately regained his previous energy.

"Then the old man can rest assured!"

"Champion, I can't speak for other things, but you can rest assured about the hunting area. I was born and raised in this base, and I've been working here since before I became a Heavenly King. I'll stay here my whole life. As long as I'm here, the hunting area will be fine!"

Faced with Luo Ke's pointed out, Liu Wuming smiled slickly, but when he talked about the hunting area, he became exceptionally confident.

"After all, although I only have about ten Pokémon, and not even a single Champion-level Pokémon, many of the leaders of Pokémon groups in this hunting area are people I've watched grow up, some have watched me grow up, and some are Pokémon that I released!"

"With them on the team, I'll have plenty of help here."

Even if you don't believe me, you can still completely trust them!

Liu Wuming kept smiling and looking at Luo Ke as he said these words.

His words were quite interesting.

Since he knows Luo Ke, it means he must have witnessed Luo Ke's strength.

Then he said he only had about ten Pokémon, none of them Champion-level—this statement, combined with his previous deliberately slick behavior, was all to show that he posed no threat.

Once this impression has been formed, he can then explain the situation of the hunting area, convincing Roc that he can manage it well, while also explaining to Roc why he has been stationed there all this time.

He can't let go of those elves...

Luo Ke understood, so he nodded slightly to him.

"That would be great."

"Old Liu, Alice and I came here to explore a ruin. I'm pretty sure this ruin is very important, but also very dangerous."

"So I'll need your help with things other than exploration."

Now Liu Wuming was completely relieved.

He had no attachment to the throne.

And because he devoted a lot of his energy to the hunting grounds, he had indeed long harbored the idea of ​​handing over the power to the Heavenly King.

The main concern is that Roko might appoint a new Elite Four member to manage the hunting area, which could negatively impact the Pokémon there.

So when he heard Luo Ke say that, he became enthusiastic.

Don't worry!

"You can leave all the preparations and logistical issues needed for the exploration to me, the old man. You are the champion of our Shenzhou, and we from top to bottom will cooperate with you!"

Seeing this, Luo Ke smiled, and Liu Wuming smiled as well.

Some simple understandings are thus established in just a few words.

If Alice were still the 'orange' that Rocco first encountered, she might not understand it at all.

But now Alice not only understands, but also acts like Luo Ke's little secretary. After he and Liu Wuming reached a tacit understanding, she prepared to contact the Lorraine family and ask them to change their original plans and cooperate with the people at the hunting ground base to prepare for various issues.

After all, exploring ancient ruins requires a wealth of ancient knowledge. Solving mechanisms while preserving as much as possible necessitates expertise from various fields, and handling historical artifacts also requires specialists...

Then, with so many professionals working on it, all sorts of equipment, supplies, and even custom-made items to take into account special circumstances—everything needs to be prepared!

In short, under normal circumstances, it's not like the story where a few people go in, wander around, take the benefits, and run away.

Many things in the ruins need to be preserved.

There are quite a few logistical issues that need to be addressed.

Alice understood that Luo Ke wouldn't let Liu Wuming pay for these issues out of his own pocket. Considering Luo Ke's relationship with the Four Heavenly Kings, Alice even felt they should help each other earn some benefits...

In short, she would prepare all these messy things for Luo Ke in advance.

But just as Alice was about to contact the Lorraine family, the people she had arranged at the ruins contacted her first!

"Master, the people from Company Z have also discovered this ruin, and it seems they have found a way to break through the external protection of the ruin. They have already marked out an area to carry out the cracking work."

"Should we also try to break through the external defenses of the ruins?"

......

57. So that's why Alice got such a high rating.

'Breaking through the external defenses of the ruins?'

Luo Ke and Liu Wuming also heard Alice's phone call, but before they could react, Necrozma's voice rang out in the mental link established with Luo Ke.

'Could it be that they discovered the protective barrier outside the ruins formed by elven power and thought they could just open it up?'

'Given the inherent dangers of those internal mechanisms, and the possibility that the black dragon may still be slumbering within the ruins, how can this level of external protection possibly suffice?'

'This protective barrier is only meant to disrupt detection; it's not a part of actual protection.'

'As for the actual protection, a little thought reveals that it's impossible for it to have any way to be cracked.'