Chapter 115: Dark World
Of course, there’s another darker possibility.
That is, Jin Fengjiao actually knows about Liu Li’s situation, and the couple is using this method to keep the Advanced Breeder Liu Li within the Yu family, making her work for the Yu family.
This possibility is definitely not an unfounded guess.
It’s important to know that in the Pokémon World, Advanced Breeders are on par with Heavenly King Level Trainers. If Liu Li were willing, she could even become a breeder for those Heavenly King Level Trainers.
Previously, Yu Zhonggang was only a Gym Level Trainer, and his status didn’t match Liu Li’s.
Thinking of this, Lu Li also admired his future father-in-law. This was the true king of leeching, even pushing the meaning of “leeching” to its extreme.
Jin Fengjiao gained resources and status, while Liu Li ensured the Pokémon received the best nurturing. Yu Zhonggang was definitely not as simple as he appeared on the surface.
However, Lu Li didn’t voice this guess. After all, no one wants to hear bad things about people they like, not to mention speaking too frankly when the relationship isn’t deep enough. The Yu couple hadn’t wronged him.
“Get in the car. The Ecological Park is quite large, I’ll take you for a tour.” Liu Li called for a hover car.
Lu Li got into the back seat.
“The Pokémon species in the Ecological Park aren’t very diverse. Besides the three starter Pokémon tribes, the rest are land-type, humanoid, and egg-group Pokémon,” Liu Li explained.
As soon as Liu Li finished speaking, Lu Li saw a group of Vulpix. Vulpix are quite popular among some female trainers. Although not as precious as starter Pokémon, they are far superior to ordinary Pokémon.
The most important thing was that the Vulpix in this Ecological Park had good qualifications, and there were even a few Elite Level Ninetales. Besides that, Lu Li even saw a herd of Ponyta.
Moreover, there were some Buneary on the grassland in the Ecological Park. If he hadn’t already acquired an Onix, Lu Li would have wanted to capture a Buneary here, as the Buneary in this Ecological Park all had pretty high qualifications.
After passing the grassland, the temperature instantly rose.
Lu Li could even clearly see waves of heat approaching.
Liu Li, in the car, explained, “This is a simulated volcanic zone, the most suitable area for Fire-type Pokémon to live. Just constructing this volcanic area cost nearly 2 billion. This doesn’t even include daily maintenance, otherwise, the price would be even higher.”
“The daily maintenance cost is also very high?” Lu Li asked curiously.
“At least 30 million a year,” Liu Li said briefly.
Hiss~
Lu Li gasped, the Ecological Park is mainly composed of forests, grasslands, and volcanic zones. Forests and grasslands are fine, the maintenance for these two areas isn’t high. How high must the maintenance costs be for Ecological Parks with multiple regions?
As a millionaire, Lu Li once again realized his poverty.
“With such high annual expenses for the Ecological Park, how do the funds keep up? You can’t just rely on the Nursery, can you?” Lu Li asked doubtfully.
“Of course, we don’t just rely on the Nursery,” Liu Li explained with a smile. “We mainly rely on the Black Market.”
Lu Li frowned and asked, “Selling Pokémon in the Black Market?”
“Of course not.” Liu Li gave Lu Li a sideways glance, feeling that Lu Li was looking down on him. Selling Pokémon in the Black Market wouldn’t fetch much.
Liu Li explained, “We rely on protection fees and stall fees from the Black Market.”
Lu Li: “???”
Lu Li looked at Liu Li in confusion. Was the seemingly kind Liu Li actually a big shot in the underworld?
Liu Li suddenly asked, “Do you know about Mulin City?”
“I do. It’s the city next to Qingfeng City, also near the Qingyun Mountain Range,” Lu Li replied.
Liu Li explained, “There’s a super large Black Market there that ranks in the top ten in the Southern Region. I am the manager of that Black Market. Of course, the real owner of that Black Market is your Uncle Yu.”
“Hiss~”
Lu Li gasped again, making an outstanding contribution to global warming.
He had imagined his future father-in-law might be a bit shady, but he hadn’t expected him to be this shady.
Seeing Lu Li’s astonishment, Liu Li explained with amusement, “Don’t look so surprised. You might not believe it, but the biggest dark forces in the Jiuzhou Region are actually those local Gym Leaders.”
“Those newly appointed Gym Leaders belong to new forces established after the Alliance was formed. With their shallow foundation, they can’t compete with the established forces for resources, so they can only open up new avenues.
The Black Market, something those old families disdain to touch, is the best avenue. The Alliance also knows this, so as long as ordinary people aren’t involved, the Alliance generally gives those local Gym Leaders some face.”
Lu Li: “…”
This world is too damn dark, it’s comparable to an anime movie world. No! This world is even darker than an anime movie world.
Lu Li felt he couldn’t continue this conversation. As a fine young man, his future was bright, and there was no need to delve into these dark matters.
“Where there is light, there will be shadow, and shadows will inevitably breed sin. The Alliance does not allow Gym Leaders to have private armed forces. In order to make the cities they manage more harmonious,
those Gym Leaders often gain control of the dark side of that city because in the dark world, the strong dictate the rules.”
“I’m telling you all this because you’ll be going to university soon, and in your second year, you’ll go on an adventure trip. It’s beneficial for you to hear about these things,” Liu Li taught earnestly.
“Back then…”
Liu Li then recounted a lot of past events, roughly describing how she and Yu Zhonggang gradually stepped into the darkness during their travels.
Finally, Liu Li concluded, “Child, you must remember that the world is not black and white; if anything, it’s a delicate shade of gray.”
Greatly shaken, Lu Li nodded blankly.
Lu Li could now be sure that the Snake Doctor’s mention of an Investigator was definitely directed at Yu Zhonggang.
However, the Investigator left without causing any disturbance. It seemed they didn’t find anything, or even if they did, the Alliance chose to turn a blind eye.
Thinking of this, Lu Li actually felt relieved.
After all, the Yu family was now his backing. If the Yu family were to fall, the probability of him being implicated was quite high.
Although it might sound a bit self-congratulatory, he and the Yu family now shared prosperity and adversity. This was unavoidable since he accepted the Yu family’s gifts.
However, it was fortunate that he had no intention of climbing the ranks within the Alliance, so this drawback was within acceptable limits.
Lu Li asked, “Is the profit from the Black Market very large?”
“So large you can’t imagine,” Liu Li said meaningfully.
“Can’t imagine?”
Lu Li thought that her words were a bit exaggerated.
Liu Li said, “The Black Market’s annual profit is even close to 3 billion, that’s net profit, and it’s in cash flow.”
An annual profit of 3 billion wasn’t particularly high, but if it were net profit, it would be outrageous. However, when combined with the term “cash flow,” the Black Market’s profit was indeed frighteningly large.
“This matter must be kept secret, otherwise, it will attract the covetousness of other Heavenly Kings,” Liu Li warned.
Lu Li nodded, indicating he understood the implications.
