Manor Lord in the Pokémon World

Chapter 186 Whispers of the Rock and Soil Mine

On the edge of Weibai Town, outside a rocky mine.

The sun was shining brightly, casting a warm glow on the exposed rock formations and the makeshift sheds.

The air was filled with the distinctive dusty smell of minerals, and a sense of relief as the work was about to end.

Liu Sailuo, the head of the mining team, was chatting with a dashing Miss Officer Jenny near the mine entrance.

Liu Sailuo was a dark-skinned, stocky middle-aged man. He stretched out his arms and legs, his joints making a slight cracking sound. His face showed the satisfaction of finally being able to take a break after a long day of work.

"Counting the days, today is the day this mine closes." He smiled at Ms. Officer Jenny beside him, "These past few days, Ms. Officer Jenny and all the colleagues have worked tirelessly day and night in shifts to safeguard the safety of this construction site. With you all here, everyone feels at ease while working."

Officer Jenny and her Growlithe and Arcanine companions have been patrolling this area to prevent wild Pokémon from wandering into the work zone and to maintain basic order.

Miss Officer Jenny smiled brightly and waved her hand: "Captain Liu, you're too kind. It's our duty. But you guys have been staying in this mine for a month or so. You must be tired. I hope we'll have the opportunity to cooperate again in the future."

The mining of this special mine was, of course, formally registered and cooperated with the alliance and the police.

It is both a rational use of natural resources and a form of regulation and risk control.

After all, these mobile, periodically appearing mines are inherently mysterious.

The two chatted casually, and the topic naturally turned to everyday life.

"Oh, right," Officer Jenny suddenly remembered something, looked around, "I haven't seen that Cocoa Doraemon for the past couple of days?"

CocoDora from Ark is quite a celebrity in the mine area now. Everyone knows that there is a CocoDora with a mining license hanging around its neck, who comes to mine every day.

At first, I was with a dust moth, but later my companion changed to a Squirtle.

Basically, no matter the weather, they will come every day.

I haven't seen him for the past two days, and I actually miss him quite a bit.

Coco Dora is well-liked in the mine. Every time she comes over, she greets everyone with a few calls. She works hard and her schedule is similar to that of normal workers, but her efficiency is much higher. She even produces more than ordinary employees in a day. Everyone has a pretty good impression of her.

Old Liu smacked his lips, his tone tinged with the regret of an old father: "I even brought its favorite 'special baked clay cakes,' which my wife made by mixing special clay with several kinds of mineral powders. They're crispy and filling, and that little guy can eat two at a time! But instead, it's not coming."

Fangzhou is nowhere to be seen either. Coco Dora has made quite a bit of money in the mining team's account thanks to her hard work during this time.

Forget it, I'll give him the money when I go back to Ark's manor.

Officer Jenny chuckled softly beside him. "Captain Zero, you really like that Cocoa Doraemon, don't you?"

She looked into the distance, then her gaze suddenly sharpened, and she let out a soft exclamation, "Look over there, isn't that Coco Dora? Oh, Ark came along too."

In the distance, the Ark crew was slowly approaching the mine.

Meloetta saw other humans appear ahead, greeted the Ark, and then disappeared into thin air.

Most mythical beasts are unwilling to expose themselves to too many people unless there is a special sacrificial prayer ceremony.

"Coco~"

Coco, with her short legs, sprinted to Old Liu's side and hopped happily.

"Oh, I'm so happy! I brought you some baked clay cakes. Why haven't you come these past couple of days?"

Old Liu squatted down, handed the rock cake in his hand to Coco Doraemon, and patted its little head.

Fangzhou smiled. Because of the rewards from the Tianzhao Selection Sacrifice Competition, a mining area was created in the manor, and recently Cocodora has been staying in the manor to mine.

"Thank you so much, Brother Liu, for taking such good care of Cocoa all these days."

Old Liu waved his hand, took out a cigarette from his pocket, put it in his mouth, lit it with a lighter, and looked at Cocodora with loving eyes amidst the swirling smoke, like an old father looking at his lovely child.

"Don't say that. I should be thanking Cocodora for her company during this time. Cocodora's mining trip brought us a lot of joy."

This isn't just polite talk; it reflects the sentiments of many.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. This mine will be closed after today, and we need to get back to work. Your arrival is just in time. I'll settle the money for Coco Dora's mining earnings over this period with you, so I don't have to make another trip."

Old Liu pulled out a notebook from his pocket, which clearly recorded the daily mining results of each member of the work team, including Coco Dora's.

He started sketching in his notebook. Cocodora had collected a lot of different kinds of minerals, and he had also brought back a basket of evolution stones, so it was still a bit difficult to calculate.

After a while, he tore off a piece of paper and handed it to Fangzhou, "It's 105632 Alliance Coins in total. See if there are any problems?"

So many!

Fangzhou was stunned for a moment, then sighed inwardly.

No wonder Lao Liu and the others said that although the mine appears at irregular times, the mineral content is high and the quantity is large.

Therefore, a month of hard work can often be equivalent to a year's income.

It turns out that the mining company takes a portion of the profits as a commission; otherwise, it could sell for even more.

It's worth noting that the manor's nutritious breakfast and honey business only generate a monthly income of between 90 and 100 Alliance Coins.

But this is the result of the hard work of many Pokémon!

He quickly glanced at the detailed list on the slip of paper: ore type, unit price, total...

It's well-organized and there are no problems.

"No problem, Brother Liu, thank you for your hard work, remembering such details."

"It's nothing, it's nothing." Liu Sailuo grinned and pulled out a portable UnionPay card transfer terminal from his pocket.

He brought the two cards close together and skillfully pressed a few buttons on the terminal.

With a soft "beep," the transfer was completed.

Fangzhou took out his Alliance Card and looked at it. The balance number jumped up and down, increasing by a large amount.

Remembering something, he waved to the Squirtle that insisted on following him, bent down, and whispered a few words in its ear.

Squirtle immediately nodded, turned around and trotted toward the Salamence waiting not far away, then flipped over and mounted it.

The Salamence let out a low roar, flapped its wings, and flew swiftly towards the manor.

CocoDora was able to dig up so much, which must have been thanks to the care and help of the uncles and elders in the mining team.

I'd heard about the Poisonous Powder Moth before, especially at the beginning. Everyone helped a lot, and even when that evil Cocodora came, everyone worked together to drive it away.

This favor should be remembered and reciprocated.

Ark sent Squirtle back to the manor to bring back some crops and some small gifts from Joja Supermarket to thank everyone.

"Brother Liu, since today is the last day, I'd like to take Cocodora inside the mine one last time."

"Sure, feel free to look around! There's practically no one inside now; everyone's packing up their tools. Just be careful." Liu Sailuo waved her hand cheerfully.

After saying goodbye to Lao Liu and Officer Jenny, Fang Zhou, along with Cocodora and Kirlia, once again entered the soon-to-be-silent mine.

The light inside the cave was much dimmer than outside, with only a few emergency lights still on, illuminating the much emptier alleyway.

Fine dust particles floated in the air, making the echoes of footsteps exceptionally clear.

Along the way, you can still see some scattered tools and rubble that haven't been cleared away yet, showing the bustling scene that once took place here.

Occasionally, they would encounter one or two workers who were still doing the final cleaning. The workers would greet Coco and Ark warmly and ask where the little guy had been these past few days, their tone revealing familiarity.

Fangzhou couldn't help but feel a little emotional. Everyone said that Steel-type Pokémon were rather dull and heavy, giving people a feeling that they were not easy to get along with, but his own Cocoyado was an exception.

Thinking back, the first time they met, Coco Dora came over to help her mine, showing great enthusiasm, friendliness, and easy-going nature.

Hmm, this kind of Pokémon is perfect for mediating disputes. We could give it the title of Director of the Dispute Resolution Office later.

They walked deeper into the cave, where it became quieter and quieter, with fewer and fewer traces of human intervention, gradually returning to the original, primitive rock walls of the mine.

Just as they reached a natural rock cavity that looked like the end of a mine, Cocodora, who had been walking quietly, suddenly stretched out its front paw and tugged at Ark's trouser leg.

"Cocoa! Cocoa!"

It tilted its head back and looked at a seemingly ordinary rock face to the side.

"What's wrong?" Fang Zhou stopped and listened intently in the direction Coco Dora was pointing.

At first, there were only faint sounds of airflow and dripping water inside the cave.

But soon, he seemed to have actually noticed something amiss.

It wasn't the sound of ordinary wind.

It sounded more like someone was whispering inside the rock face!

The air around me suddenly rippled with an extremely subtle sensation.

Meloetta reappeared beside the Ark.