Trainers returning from the Kingdom of Roc

Chapter 35: The Black Forest

Although the decision had been made, Luo Yan did not immediately rush headlong into the inland.

He first gestured for Hou Hao to wait a moment, and then walked to a relatively dry beach away from the tide line.

Hou Hao stared blankly as Luo Yan seriously pulled out a 'twig' about the length of his forearm from his waist. The twig had natural spiral patterns on its surface, which was quite beautiful.

Immediately afterwards, Luo Yan closed his eyes and muttered to himself, circling the sand in front of him a few times.

Hou Hao's lips twitched. "...Brother Luo, I know Black Cloud Island is a Class B danger zone, so it's normal to be a little scared. But you're only starting to pray now that you're here? Isn't that a bit too last-minute? And we probably didn't bring any incense or candles with our emergency supplies, did we?"

"You don't know anything, don't bother me." Luo Yan replied irritably without even looking up, her hands moving without stopping.

He held the 'twig' in both hands, gently touching its tip to the chosen sand, and began to chant a strange incantation in a low voice. The voice was deep and continuous, with a strange resonance, unlike any language in this world.

Hou Hao was truly dumbfounded.

He stared wide-eyed as Luo Yan solemnly chanted sutras over the sand, the 'twig' in his hand gently tracing a specific path on the sand surface in rhythm with the incantation.

"What on earth is Luo Yan up to?"

Hou Hao muttered to himself, but seeing his friend's unusually serious expression, he wisely kept quiet and just watched curiously from the side.

After about two or three minutes, Luo Yan's chanting gradually stopped. He flicked his wrist, and the tip of his wand gently touched the center of the sand one last time.

Then, a faint, almost invisible pale green light flashed by and disappeared into the depths of the sand without a trace.

Apart from those incomprehensible scratches, nothing seemed to have happened on the beach.

"Alright, let's go." Luo Yan put the wand back in his waistband, patted the sand off his hands, as if he had only done a trivial thing.

"Huh? That's it? What were you doing just now..." Hou Hao looked blank and pointed to the beach.

"It's just a precaution, don't make such a fuss, it's just in case." Luo Yan didn't explain further, but just tugged at Hou Hao, who was still in a daze, "Stop asking, let's hurry up and leave, aren't you impatient?"

Although his mind was full of questions, since Luo Yan didn't want to talk about it, Hou Hao didn't press for details. He simply followed Luo Yan's footsteps and walked towards the edge of the dense forest ahead.

Shortly after they left, the sandy area that Luo Yan had marked with his magic wand quietly changed.

The sand rose slightly, and soon a tender green vine-like plant broke through the sand. It stretched upwards in a predetermined posture and grew thicker. At the top of this peculiar plant, an irregularly shaped light blue gemstone was formed.

The gemstone emits an extremely soft and pure light, and one can vaguely sense a gentle yet abundant energy fluctuation within it.

Hou Hao naturally didn't recognize this thing.

Or rather, no one in this world knows him.

This is a miniature [Source of Magic] created by Luo Yan using the creation magic of the Kingdom of Locke, combined with the natural energy of this place and his own magic.

In the world of the Kingdom of Rock, the [Source of Magic] is not only an important energy node that can restore the physical strength and depleted magic of living beings that approach it, but it can also serve as a spatial coordinate and teleportation point for wizards.

Although Luo Yan was confident in his abilities, he still needed to make the necessary preparations.

In the face of a completely unfamiliar environment with a high rating, it is crucial to have an absolutely reliable escape route. With this pre-arranged source of magic, he can teleport away in time to escape should he encounter any danger.

Don't underestimate this thing; it took Luo Yan two wishing stars to create it.

Although he doesn't lack wishing stars now...

In short, these are all valuable experiences learned in the Kingdom of Locke.

The two walked side by side, carrying their bags. Hou Hao's eyes kept glancing at Luo Yan beside him, as if he wanted to ask something but didn't know how.

After a while, his hand cautiously reached for Luo Yan's belt, but before he could get close, Luo Yan pushed his hand away.

After a pause, Hou Hao, still unwilling to give up, reached out his wicked hand again, reaching for Luo Yan's belt once more. Unsurprisingly, his hand was once again brushed aside, and at the same time, Luo Yan turned to look at him.

"You're a pervert! If you don't want your hand anymore, just donate it."

"You're the pervert! I just want to see your stick."

"The moment you say that, you sound even more like a pervert, you know?" Luo Yan kicked him in annoyance.

Of course, Luo Yan knew what Hou Hao meant. After kicking, he took out the magic wand from his waist and showed it to Hou Hao.

No boy can resist a stick, and Hou Hao was no exception.

"Wow, it's so cool! Where did you pick it up?" Hou Hao said, preparing to reach out and take it to examine it closely.

But just as he made a move, Luo Yan put the wand back in. "Don't ask so many questions. With your current strength, knowing too much won't do you any good."

"......"

Hou Hao's expression froze for a moment.

He then rolled his eyes. "You're just pretending... Fine, I won't argue with you. We'll need you for this wilderness trip."

As the two entered the island's inner area, the number of wild Pokémon increased significantly. However, since it was their first day on the island, they were quite excited, and these Pokémon weren't particularly rare, so neither of them felt any desire to catch them.

After passing through the low bushes, a lush forest soon appeared before the two of them.

Luo Yan shook the map and made a simple comparison. "This is the Black Forest. The name is a bit hasty, but this forest covers three-quarters of Black Cloud Island."

"Black Cloud Island is surrounded by cumulonimbus clouds all year round, and it is mostly cloudy throughout the year. The sun appears for no more than a week in total, so it is also known as the Island of No Sunshine."

"Ruthless Island? How ruthless?" Hou Hao grinned, then waved his hand. "Alright, alright, I know what you mean, but Mr. Luo, please don't give me a geography lesson. I just want to know what the rarest Pokémon are here."

"So arrogant, going straight for the rarest Pokémon?"

"Absolutely! Why would I come here if I wasn't catching rare Pokémon?"

"Alright."

Luo Yan glanced down at the documents he had prepared and began to speak.

"Listen up, rare Pokémon that have been found here include Milotic, Oshawott, and Froakie. Oh, and there are rumors that this is one of the routes Lapras migrated along."

...