Chapter 316: Agricultural Exchange in Noordtown
Chapter 316: Agricultural Exchange in Noordtown
Naoki had never seen this antique shop before; it must have just opened in the last few days.
The entrance was a thick, carved wooden door. Pushing it open, he was greeted by a rush of ancient, rustic air.
The interior was spacious, with a counter facing the door and shelves lined up against the walls, displaying various antiques.
Behind the counter stood a well-dressed man with oiled hair and round-framed glasses, dusting the counter with a feather duster.
On the counter, a Litleo yawned lazily, purring softly.
Hearing the door, the man immediately put down the duster, a gleam in his eye. "A customer?"
The Litleo looked up as well.
"Hello!" Naoki smiled and greeted them.
"What brings you here today? Are you looking for antique paintings to add to your collection, or perhaps some antique tea sets to evolve your Sinistea and Polteageist? I have everything you could desire!" the man asked enthusiastically.
Naoki was taken aback at the mention of Polteageist. He knew of Sinistea, but this was the first he'd heard of Polteageist.
"Polteageist?" he blurted out.
The owner looked surprised. "You haven't heard of it?"
Naoki nodded. "I only know of Sinistea."
"Ah, well," the owner said, unfazed, "just like Sinistea, Polteageist is a Pokemon that inhabits tea sets. They also require specific tea sets to evolve."
"However, it makes sense that you wouldn't know about Polteageist since they don't inhabit the Padia region. Those Pokemon are found in the distant Noordtown."
Noordtown... Naoki instantly made the connection. Although he hadn't heard of Polteageist by name, the mention of Noordtown hinted that it was one of the new Pokemon added in the Purple DLC.
The owner seemed eager to share more about Polteageist.
He sighed, walked over to a shelf, and pointed to an aged-looking tea bowl. "This is the tea set Polteageist needs to evolve."
"They are said to be the lingering regrets of tea masters who fell short of perfection in their craft, attaching themselves to matcha and transforming into Pokemon."
"In Noordtown, there's a terrifying rumor about Polteageist—if you waste food, they'll sprinkle matcha on you and drain you of your spirit, leaving behind a withered corpse!"
"Spooky, isn't it?" the owner asked.
Naoki: "..."
This piqued his curiosity about Noordtown even more. In his understanding, it was a quaint town renowned for its agriculture and tourism, abundant with red apples and rice fields.
What a place of natural beauty and talent! How could such a terrifying Pokemon exist there?
"It's probably just an exaggerated rumor, like the ones about Sinistea and Spiritomb," Naoki thought.
However, he hadn't come here for this.
Although the antique shop was new, it boasted a diverse collection of antiques.
Medieval-style knight armor, ancient books filled with ancient texts, and ancient pottery...
As Naoki's gaze lingered on each item, the owner enthusiastically provided information:
"That's a set of armor from the Padia Kingdom era. It's been remarkably well-preserved for over five hundred years and hasn't rusted a bit."
"These are observation notes left by ancient scholars of the Padia Kingdom. While the content may be common knowledge to modern folks, these notes are incredibly rare and important relics of that ancient era."
"And this? It's also from the Padia Kingdom era. They say the king himself once drank from it."
"..."
Naoki stared at the pottery jar, resembling a chamber pot, and fell silent.
Just then, his eyes landed on the other end of the shelf, where an ancient-looking treasure chest stood about thirty centimeters tall.
Naoki's attention was immediately drawn to it.
The owner joined him by the chest. "This chest, like the pottery from earlier, dates back to the Padia Kingdom era."
"Over two thousand years ago, during the reign of the Padia Kingdom, explorers organized grand treasure hunts. This chest was acquired by some of those adventurers, but the treasures within have long been taken. Only the empty chest remains."
Intrigued, Naoki asked, "And the price?"
If he gave the chest to his Klefki, it could transform from its walking form into a chest form, perfect for storing the growing collection of coins.
"I won't hide it from you," the owner said. "All the treasures within have been taken, leaving only this empty shell. If you want it, it's yours for twenty thousand Pokedollars."
Twenty thousand Pokedollars... That wasn't a hefty sum for Naoki; a single bottle of Miltank milk would earn it back.
"Ten thousand!" Naoki began, drawing upon his limited bargaining experience.
The owner was speechless.
"That's absurd! Even decorative items sold in shops aren't that cheap!" The owner glanced at the corner of his mouth. "Moreover, this item has existed for two thousand years and is a highly collectible antique."
"How about fifteen thousand? In addition to that, I can also offer you a long-term partnership," Naoki countered.
"Oh?" The owner's interest was piqued. "What kind of long-term partnership?"
Naoki had already spotted the two Padian ancient coins on the shelf and pointed at them as he said, "I want as many of those ancient coins as you can provide."
Hearing this, the owner turned to look at the two ancient coins on the shelf.
These coins also dated back to the Padian Kingdom era and were circulated currency minted by the kingdom.
Some modern collectors specialized in gathering these historically significant coins.
However, as these coins were often scattered and hard to come by, they weren't excessively expensive on the market, usually priced around 50,000 Pokedollars per coin with some fluctuation.
They were far less costly compared to the antique teaware, which could easily reach 200,000 Pokedollars.
"Are those what you're after?" the owner inquired.
"To be honest, I recently encountered a Greedent in my home, and it seemed to really like this type of coin. I thought I might try to win it over by offering it these coins," Naoki explained.
"Greedent?" The owner was taken aback.
Initially, the owner had been perplexed by the young man's appearance, as he didn't seem like an antique enthusiast. It was evident from the way he looked at the priceless antiques as if they were mere vegetables on the roadside.
Now, hearing this explanation, the owner finally understood!
"So, you're trying to help Greedent collect coins to evolve it into a Barraskewda?" The owner was astonished.
"Eh?" Naoki was equally surprised. "You know about Barraskewda?"
"Who in this business doesn't know about Barraskewda?" the owner clarified. "You see, Greedent came into existence during the kingdom era, two thousand years ago, and their existence is intricately tied to these ancient treasures."
"Greedent was born from explorers' greed for treasure."
"I see..." Naoki murmured in acknowledgment.
The owner continued, "Actually, no one knew that Greedent could evolve until two hundred years ago. It is said that a collector became friends with a Greedent that was collecting coins everywhere it went."
"To please the beloved Greedent, the antique collector spent a fortune gathering ancient coins from all over the world."
"Then, the Greedent merged with those coins and evolved into a Pokemon called Barraskewda!"
"Since then, some enthusiasts who admired Barraskewda started collecting coins as well. However, Greedent is incredibly timid, and at the sight of humans, they flee. It's not easy for most people to catch them."
"Additionally, the coins are challenging to collect, so even to this day, only one Barraskewda has been born in the Padia region."
"Is it that rare?" Naoki was flabbergasted.
He had known that Barraskewda was uncommon, but he hadn't realized the extent of its rarity.
In two hundred years, only one had appeared...
"Of course!" The owner nodded. "And I'll be frank with you. Some antique shops do sell ancient coins, typically priced around 50,000 Pokedollars each."
"At 50,000 Pokedollars per coin, a thousand coins would cost you 50 million Pokedollars! That's a price most people simply can't afford!"
"Moreover, the ancient coins that surface nowadays are mostly found by trainers in ancient ruins and tombs."
"Those ancient ruins are incredibly dangerous. While they may be filled with gold and silver treasures, the tomb owners set up intricate traps and left behind powerful Pokemon guardians to protect their resting places from looters."
"Once they sense an intruder, those Pokemon will relentlessly pursue the trespasser to protect their deceased master's tomb."
Naoki, who had just been contemplating tomb-raiding: "..."
Forget it; I'll find another way. This whole fighting and killing business is too hostile.
"I'll take these two ancient coins and the treasure chest," Naoki said. "If you come across more ancient coins in the future, you can contact me directly, and I'll pay you an additional fee."
"Sure, no problem!" The owner readily agreed. "But I have one condition as well."
Naoki calmly considered the request before nodding. "Go on."
The owner's eyes lit up with anticipation. "If you ever succeed in nurturing a Barraskewda, you must bring it here for me to see!"
Naoki smiled faintly. "Deal."
"Rawr?"
Naoki opened the bag to show them, "I bought these from town..."
He had intended to offer some to the Dracovish for lunch, but from the looks on their faces, it was clear this wasn't their first encounter with such delicacies.
For the Dracovish, who lived in the vast ocean, these small fish, shrimp, and shellfish were likely part of their regular diet.
Dracovish from afar rushed over to join the group, encircling the bag of seafood along with the working Dracovish.
The Hakamo-o's eyes sparkled as they looked at the seafood and then at Naoki, their faces suddenly lighting up with realization.
"Roar!" Perhaps Naoki also enjoyed eating these treats? In that case, they could catch more on their way back to Dracovish Island tonight and bring them back as a gift for Naoki in the morning!
Unaware of the Hakamo-o and Dracovish's thoughts, Naoki handed the bag of seafood to his sister, Ai Guanshi, intending to steam them for lunch.
Meanwhile, Naoki himself headed to the tavern with the treasure chest and two coins in his arms.
The tavern was empty during the day, with a beam of sunlight streaming through the window, illuminating the dust particles floating in the air.
It seemed that his brother, Ai Guanshi, had just finished cleaning.
Naoki looked around but couldn't spot the Thievul. However, he was certain that the Thievul was still lurking somewhere in the tavern, keeping out of sight.
Not wanting to disturb it, Naoki simply placed the treasure chest and the two ancient gold coins in the shadow below the bar counter and addressed the empty room:
"Thievul, I found a treasure chest and two coins today, so I brought them back for you. Remember to come and check them out later to see if you like them."
After he finished speaking, the air remained still, without a response.
Naoki didn't mind and turned to leave.
As his footsteps faded into the distance, the Thievul slowly poked its head out from the darkness, its eyes warily scanning the surroundings before settling on the large treasure chest and the two coins placed beside it.
The Thievul didn't immediately rush over. It stared at the offerings, then jumped onto the bar counter, its eyes fixed on the entrance.
The Thievul was perplexed.
Why was this human being so kind to it? And why was it receiving such precious gifts?
It hadn't done anything to deserve this...
After leaving the tavern, Naoki began preparing the seafood he had bought.
By the time he finished cleaning and washing all the shells and conch, it was already midday.
As Naoki prepared to steam them, he suddenly heard Thomas, the town mayor, calling out to him from outside.
"Is Naoki home? Good afternoon, Motostoke Rahi! Ah, Goodra? Good afternoon to you too!"
Naoki was puzzled by the sound of the mayor's voice.
Hmm? Why was Mayor Thomas at the ranch at this time?
Setting aside his task, Naoki stepped outside and asked, "Mayor Thomas, is something the matter?"
Mayor Thomas nodded with a smile, "The town recently received an invitation."
"An invitation?" Naoki was even more confused, and he quickly invited the mayor to come inside and take a seat.
The two sat down on the sofa, and Mayor Thomas began to explain the purpose of his visit.
"You see, last year, Zichuan Town had a great harvest, providing fresh vegetables and crops to other areas of the Padia region. Because of this, Zichuan Town has become quite well-known for its agricultural produce."
"Not long ago, the town received an invitation from Beishang Village. They want to hold an agricultural exchange with us and have specifically requested an experienced farmer from our town to visit Beishang Village and share their farming expertise with the locals there."
"After discussing it with the town's folks, we decided to send you as our representative for the exchange. So, I came by today to ask if you're available."
Naoki understood, having just heard about the terrifying rumors of Beishang Village from the antique shop owner earlier that day, and he was already contemplating a visit to the village to explore the area.
Little did he know that the opportunity would present itself so soon?
Although he didn't consider himself an experienced farmer—with his fields plowed by Diglett, crops grown with the help of his Gogoat mount, and water supplied by the Dracovish...
It didn't matter; he could use this chance to spread the teachings of his Appletun! With that in mind, Naoki eagerly asked, "When?"
Mayor Thomas replied with a hearty laugh, "In three days' time. However, Beishang Village is quite a distance from here, so we'll need to take a plane to get there."
(End of Chapter)
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