Elf: Start your slow-paced life after becoming a farmer.

Meeting Zhu Lan's somewhat puzzled gaze, Karl briefly explained the value of wild hairy cliff crab claws.

For most chefs, wild cliff crab claws are a very precious ingredient, but the two claws that Carl harvested today, which fell off the cliff, are even more valuable.

Carl estimated that if he were to auction those two crab claws in Ziqin Town, he could fetch at least a seven-figure price.

"Yay!" Nemo cheered. "I've never eaten such a big wild hairy crab claw before!"

Shinji and Piper's lips twitched simultaneously. You mean you've eaten wild hairy crab claws, right?

After giving the Rock Wall Treasure Master some basic treatment, Karl led the group out of the cave. Having accomplished their objective for this outing, all they needed to do was leave the canyon area before nightfall and find a suitable place to wait for dinner.

In fact, Karl had just considered whether to tame a Charcoal Servant in this area, since the Cursed Armor he obtained from the ruins was still lying in his backpack.

However, Carl quickly gave up on the idea. After all, there was no rush to catch Pokémon. What if he encountered a Shiny Charcoal one day?

As time went by, Carl and his group arrived at a high point on the outskirts of the canyon before sunset.

The brilliant sunset glowed the yellowish-brown soil red, casting shadows on the undulating mountains. Countless Pokémon lived in this silent and simple land.

A warm evening breeze blew in, ruffling the hair around Zhu Lan's ears. Looking at the magnificent scene before her, she was at a loss for words to describe her feelings.

Carl lay on the folding recliner with his eyes half-closed, his hands folded behind his head. The soft sunset made him feel drowsy, and Zhenyifa lay on his chest, quietly enjoying this peaceful moment.

The surrounding Pokémon seemed to be affected by the atmosphere, subconsciously lowering their breathing and quietly staying by their trainers' sides.

Meanwhile, with the help of Charizard, Martial Arts Master Kuma started a fire and began cooking dinner.

As the saying goes, high-end ingredients often require only the simplest cooking methods. Martial Arts Bear Master naturally understands this principle, so it did not intend to use the two pairs of crab claws to make any complicated dishes, but rather to use them to make seafood porridge.

Hmm... if hairy crabs are considered seafood.

As the crescent moon appeared on the horizon, a sweet fragrance filled the air, and the Pokémon that smelled the fragrance all turned their heads to look in the direction of Urshifu.

For no other reason than that the seafood congee smelled so delicious.

Not only Carl and his Pokémon were attracted by the aroma of the seafood porridge, but the wild Pokémon roaming around were also drawn in.

If it weren't for the Pokémon in the camp, they probably would have already stormed in and robbed it.

As darkness fell, the outdoor temperature dropped considerably. Fortunately, the three children had some wilderness survival experience, so they all put on a light jacket.

As for Zhu Lan, needless to say, as a mythologist, her familiarity with the wild environment is probably on par with Karl's. She had already put on a lemon-yellow windbreaker before the temperature dropped.

Carl had to admit that being good-looking really does allow you to do whatever you want; even a vibrant color like lemon yellow, Bamboo Orchid could easily pull it off.

When the martial arts master brought out three large pots of seafood porridge to the picnic table, everyone and the Pokémon immediately began to enjoy it.

The wild Pokémon that had been attracted to the area also received a bowl of seafood porridge, and they happily ate it around the camp.

……

Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and when Carl woke up again in his soft bed, he realized that the Flower Dance Festival had arrived.

Since it was Carl's first time attending the Flower Dance Festival, Poko called Carl yesterday.

During the phone call, Poco sincerely invited Carl to attend the Flower Dance Festival in the woods outside the Little Key Trail, and Carl took the opportunity to ask Poco if he could bring outsiders to the Flower Dance Festival.

When Poko heard that Carl wanted to bring his friends to the Flower Dance Festival, she was surprised for a moment, then smiled and gave an affirmative answer.

Since the Flower Dance Festival was held in the afternoon, Karl had plenty of time to prepare after waking up.

Although the Flower Dance Festival is a local traditional festival in Little Key Town, there are no strict requirements for dress. If anything, participants are required to wear clothes that allow for easy movement.

After all, the most important part of the Flower Dance Festival is the intermission dance. Even though the Flower Dance Festival does not require participants to attend the dance, most residents of Little Key Town will still invite their dance partners to participate.

It's worth mentioning that Karl had no intention of participating in the ball, because he didn't know any dance, unless you count radio calisthenics as dance.

Just after Carl finished his breakfast, there was a knock on the door of the farmhouse.

Carl got up and opened the door, and saw Zhu Lan standing in front of the small building.

Today, Zhu Lan wore a white silk blouse with a standard bow at the collar, a black A-line skirt, and low-heeled leather shoes.

(That's roughly the feeling)

Then Carl noticed that Zhu Lan seemed to be wearing light makeup today. She had a flesh-colored lip gloss on her lips, and she looked less like a champion and more like a girlish girl of her age.

"Wow, Zhulan, you look so beautiful today," Karl said sincerely.

Zhu Lan glanced down at her outfit, then smiled generously at Karl: "Thank you for the compliment."

Chapter 123 Flower Dance Festival (Part 2)

After seeing the outfit that Orchid had specially prepared for the Flower Dance Festival, Carl realized that his own outfit for the festival might have been too hasty.

Although his good looks could make up for any shortcomings in his attire, since Zhu Lan had prepared so carefully, he couldn't dress too casually.

So, after letting Espeon entertain Cyndaquil, Carl immediately went back to his bedroom on the second floor to change his clothes.

However, since Karl has been traveling a lot in recent years, even when he occasionally comes home to rest, he always wears slippers and pajamas, a lazy outfit.

So Carl couldn't find suitable clothes for a while. After thinking for a moment while looking at the clothes in the closet, he finally changed into a white t-shirt and a blue and white striped shirt, plus a pair of black straight-leg trousers that were more suitable for movement.

This outfit was the most suitable for a prom that Karl could find among his closet full of tracksuits and jackets.

After changing his clothes, Carl went back downstairs and sat down on the sofa.

At this moment, Zhu Lan was sipping a cup of hot tea. After seeing Karl change his clothes, she blinked and said, "Hmm... this outfit is not bad."

"Just because the clothes are nice?" Karl reached out and picked up Xinye Miao, who was curiously examining Zhulan, and casually asked.

"Meow? (Who is this human?)" New Leaf Meow lay on Karl's lap, raised its head and looked at Karl with its crystal-clear pink eyes, meowing in confusion.

“She’s my friend, her name is Cynthia.” Carl introduced Cynthia to Newleafy while pinching its pink paw. “She’s also a very powerful trainer.”

Newleaf Cat brushed its tail across Karl's hand that was holding its paw, and meowed dismissively, "Meow. (No matter how good she is, can she be better than you, Karl?)"

"Is this the New Leaf Cat from the Padia region?" Zhu Lan watched Karl and the New Leaf Cat interact affectionately, her eyes gleaming with anticipation as she looked at the New Leaf Cat.

Most girls are powerless against the adorable appearance of Shin-chan, and Orchid is no exception.

In fact, many powerful female trainers have a fondness for cute things. For example, Lorelei, the Ice-type Elite Four member of the Kanto League, has many cute dolls in her house on the Seven Islands. Caldaria, the Unova Elite Four member who has not yet taken office, also likes all kinds of cute trinkets.

As the Sinnoh Champion, Cynthia is very passionate about archaeological research, but she also actually likes cute things.

Perhaps due to the unique sensitivity of feline Pokémon, after noticing Cynthia's "So cute, let me pet you" expression, Meowth tilted its head and subconsciously stepped lightly on Carl's thigh.

Just then, the Monarch Snake, having heard the news, rushed into the house. Upon seeing the meticulously dressed Bamboo Orchid, its alarm bells immediately went off: Oh no, its home was almost stolen!

Although the Serpent Lord was extremely anxious, it maintained a calm demeanor on the surface.

However, after the Serpent Lord came to Karl's side, Karl felt that the vines wrapped around his ankles tightened more than before.

"This Serpent looks quite impressive." Zhu Lan only glanced at it briefly, but judged its approximate strength from the Serpent's glossy scales and its body, which was far larger than the standard size.

“Of course, our Monarch Serpent is very strong.” Carl reached out and stroked the Monarch Serpent’s warm scales, saying with pride, “And it has helped me a lot with farm affairs.”

Hearing Karl's praise, the Serpent Lord glanced at Orchid with a hint of pride. Orchid knew the nature of the Serpent Lord race, so she didn't mind its little tricks, but found its actions quite adorable.

After finishing his teacup in front of Zhu Lan, Karl glanced at the time on the wall clock, then stood up and said to Zhu Lan, "Let's go, we should go."

"Ok."

……

When Carl and Orchid walked through the almost deserted town and arrived at the open woodland located in the Little Key Trail, they were greeted by a lively and joyful scene.

Near the venue for the flower dance celebration, clusters of delicate flowers were quietly blooming. Carl recognized as many as seven varieties of flowers, including some rare species that could attract female honeybees.

Meanwhile, vendors selling all sorts of interesting trinkets were loudly hawking their wares to passersby from behind their makeshift stalls at the celebration site.

Carl noticed that Zhu Lan was quite interested in certain handicrafts sold by these vendors, and most of the items that Zhu Lan was interested in were related to the Flower Dance Festival itself.

Considering that Zhu Lan is actually a mythologist, it is understandable that she is curious about the customs of various places. After all, mythology and folklore are almost inseparable. Many folk cultures contain a lot of past history, and most mythologists will analyze the hidden myths and legends from the perspective of folklore.

Of course, not all folk tales record true myths. The most classic example is the Galar region, where the forgotten Calycerin King and the Sword and Shield Dogs whose achievements were usurped by villains can prove this point.

Carl was more interested in the snacks sold at the venue than the handicrafts, especially the strawberry pie that Nemo mentioned.

However, after trying the snacks made from various flower petals, Carl did not find the strawberry pie Nemo mentioned.

'Could it be that they just didn't do it today?' Carl thought to himself.

After spending about a morning exploring the festival grounds, Carl took Cynthia back to town. After a simple lunch, Carl asked Cynthia, "By the way, Cynthia, when are you planning to battle me in Pokémon?"

"I thought you'd forgotten." Zhu Lan glanced at Karl with some surprise, then looked thoughtful. "How about we find a place in the wild after the festival and have a free-for-all battle?"

“No problem.” Carl nodded to indicate that he understood.

Although Karl felt it was a bit late, with his strength, he could probably finish the battle in about ten minutes.

After lunch, Carl took Zhu Lan for a stroll around the field, where they happened to run into Poco, who was directing the operation.

When Poko saw that Karl's friend was actually a beautiful girl, she gave Karl an encouraging look.

Carl could only smile helplessly; he and the champion were completely innocent now.

As time went on, the Flower Dance Festival reached its climax with the Flower Dance Ball.

With a lively drumbeat, a vibrant dance tune resounded throughout the woodland where the celebration was being held.

Shortly after the music started, many townspeople, holding hands with their partners, began to dance joyfully in the center of the area.

Although Carl wasn't interested in dancing, he couldn't help but sway his head to the beat of the drums, caught up in the atmosphere.

Just then, Zhu Lan's voice rang in Karl's ear: "Want to dance together?"

Chapter 124 Bamboo Orchid: I'm Not Fighting Anymore

Upon hearing Zhu Lan's invitation, Karl instinctively turned to look at her: "Huh? Me?"

Carl was genuinely surprised that Zhu Lan would invite him to dance. Although their relationship had improved considerably over the past few days, it wasn't good enough for them to dance together.

“Of course.” Zhu Lan looked at Karl with some doubt. She didn’t think there was anything wrong with inviting Karl to dance, after all, it was just to experience the atmosphere of the Flower Dance Festival.

After confirming that Zhu Lan wasn't joking, Karl hesitated for a moment before agreeing: "Okay, I'll dance with you, but let me state beforehand that my dancing skills are very 'average,' please forgive me."

Zhu Lan didn't catch the "hint" in Karl's words. After Karl agreed, she pulled him to the edge of the venue to wait for the next dance.

While waiting, Carl watched intently as the people dancing in the arena, trying to learn something from them.

When the dance music ended, Karl sighed almost imperceptibly; clearly, he hadn't managed to cram at the last minute.

"Let's go, let's go in." After the dance music ended, Zhu Lan eagerly reached out her hand to Karl, seemingly enjoying the atmosphere of the Flower Dance Festival very much.

Karl resignedly took Zhu Lan's right hand and led her into the field.

As the light and melodious tune began again, Karl stiffly took steps and began to dance along with Zhu Lan.

Compared to Karl, Zhu Lan's dancing posture was much more graceful; she was like a blooming white nandina, both passionate and elegant.

However, compared to the blonde beauty in front of him, Karl's attention was focused entirely on his every move, because he really didn't want to trip Zhu Lan at this moment, as that would be too embarrassing.

Fortunately, the cheerful dance finally ended after Carl nearly stepped on the bamboo orchid for the fourth time.

After Karl led Zhu Lan away from the field, a relieved smile appeared on his face.

'Oh my god, it's finally over!' Carl cheered inwardly.

"Thank you for your hard work." During the dance, Zhu Lan noticed how "average" Karl's dancing skills were, so she knew very well that Karl had tried very hard to avoid embarrassing himself.

"It's alright." Karl raised his hand to wipe the fine sweat from his forehead. "Are you planning to look around some more?"

“No, I’ve already experienced the atmosphere of the Flower Dance Festival.” Zhu Lan shook her head. “Now, I’m more curious about your farm than the Flower Dance Festival.”

Upon hearing Zhu Lan's words, Carl realized that he hadn't yet taken Zhu Lan on a tour of his farm that morning.

"Oh! Sorry, I forgot." Carl apologized to Zhu Lan, then suggested, "It's still early, how about I take you for a walk around my farm now?"

"Okay, let's go now."

……

Although Zhu Lan grew up in Shenhe Town, she actually had very limited knowledge of the farm.

Upon seeing the vast expanse of lush green fields on Carl's farm, Zhu Lan asked with some curiosity, "Carl, your farm covers such a large area, can you manage to manage it all?"

“I certainly couldn’t manage it all by myself,” Carl said, pointing to a direction in the field. “But I’m not alone.”

Following the direction Carl was pointing, Zhu Lan saw a sheep-shaped Pokémon releasing Grassy Terrain in the farmland.

"Is that Mount Lamb?" Cynthia immediately recalled the Pokémon's details upon seeing Mount Lamb. "I remember that Mount Lamb should produce milk after evolving into Mount Goat, right?"

“That’s right.” Carl nodded. “I bought four riding sheep from a Pokémon farm and had Serperior teach them the move Grassy Terrain. Now they and Serperior use Grassy Terrain to accelerate the ripening of the crops on the farm every day.”

"A very clever approach," Zhu Lan commented softly. "This will not only train your mount lambs and help them evolve faster, but it will also allow your farm crops to mature more quickly."

"Wang Wang Wang!"