Chapter 216: Spirit Gathering Array
Lu Li, who had a good harvest, looked at Yao Yi Fei with confusion.
“What is it?” Lu Li asked.
“Espeon told me that he found a laboratory belonging to a Divine Cult in the Northern Suburbs of Deep Gray City. It might contain a Divine Item, but the one guarding it is a Gym Level Trainer with a Poliwrath as their ace Pokémon.”
Lu Li asked confidently, “Do you need my help? If it’s just a Poliwrath, I can help you.”
“Will it be dangerous? After all…”
Yao Yi Fei didn’t finish her sentence, but Lu Li knew she was doubting his strength.
“I can handle Poliwrath on my own. Even if I can’t win, I can at least hold it back,” Lu Li guaranteed again.
Espeon next to him couldn’t wait and said via telepathy, “Then I’ll trouble you.”
Lu Li nodded, “But we need to go back first and call Tropius and Milotic.”
“Of course,” Yao Yi Fei said noncommittally.
After the two of them collected the remaining treasures, they left the Shin Family’s place.
The rest of the matter could be left to the Deep Gray City authorities.
To finish quickly, the two didn’t linger after returning home. Lu Li, along with Tropius and Milotic, and Yao Yi Fei returned to Deep Gray City.
However, this time, their target was the Northern Suburbs.
“Is it down here?”
Yao Yi Fei, riding Togekiss, looked at the mine below thoughtfully.
“Let’s go down first,” Yao Yi Fei said and landed on the ground. After confirming there was no danger, she nodded at Lu Li in the sky.
Seeing this, Lu Li quickly descended.
The abandoned mine before them lay silently in the earth’s folds, like a scar forgotten by time.
These mines were once places of human greed for underground treasures. But all things have an end. Under excessive human exploitation, there was no metal ore left here.
The entrance to the mine was covered with vines and weeds, as if no one had been there for many years.
A cold wind blew out from the cave entrance with a low whimper, making Lu Li shiver.
“Are you sure we need to go down?” Lu Li said, quietly activating his spiritual sense.
Rushing in blindly like this, ten lives wouldn’t be enough to compensate.
As an experimental base for an Evil Organization, it would be dangerous even if it were abandoned, let alone if the experimental base was still in use.
Lu Li’s spiritual sense silently spread, delving deeper into the mine’s passages, the dim light gradually swallowed by darkness. On the cave walls, Lu Li could occasionally “see” some flickering fluorescent lights, seemingly traces left by some special chemical agent.
As his spiritual sense continued to deepen, Lu Li also heard a low humming sound from the depths of the mine, the sound of machinery operating.
As the sound gradually became clearer, the view suddenly opened up, and a vast space appeared under Lu Li’s spiritual sense.
This was the laboratory of the Divine Cult that Yao Yi Fei had mentioned.
In the center of the laboratory stood a huge metal device, emitting a faint blue light. Countless pipes and wires extended from the device like twisted tentacles, connecting to the surrounding walls and floor. The surface of the device was covered with complex symbols and numbers, seemingly performing some kind of precise calculation or experiment.
A humanoid metal puppet lay quietly in an incubator. It did not breathe, nor did it have a heartbeat, like a mere puppet.
But under his spiritual sense, Lu Li could sense the life energy and soul fluctuations from its body.
This was no puppet, but a metal life!
Around the device, rows of large containers were arranged, filled with liquids of various colors. Some shimmered with an eerie glow, while others were dim and lusterless, as if hiding some unknown danger.
Inside the containers were bizarre-looking objects, either entirely metal or semi-metallic, like some kind of modified mechanical beings.
In the vast laboratory, there were fewer than ten researchers, and even only one trainer.
“Espeon’s information was correct. This laboratory actually only has one trainer.”
Lu Li marveled at the arrogance of the Divine Cult.
Did the Divine Cult really believe this place wouldn’t be discovered by the Alliance?
“Follow behind me, and have Tropius and the others prepare for battle to avoid any sneak attacks,” Yao Yi Fei whispered.
“I just scanned with Psychic Power, and it seems there’s no Divine Item in this laboratory. Did Espeon make a mistake?” Lu Li looked at Espeon doubtfully.
“Are you sure?”
Espeon looked at Lu Li with disbelief. Its mental power couldn’t penetrate into that laboratory because the laboratory below was wrapped in a special layer of metal.
That kind of metal had the effect of blocking mental power, so Espeon didn’t know what was going on in the laboratory below.
“Are you sure there are no Divine Items below?” Yao Yi Fei asked.
Lu Li nodded with certainty. Up to this point, there was almost nothing in this world that could escape his spiritual sense scan.
While that experiment had a device that could block mental power, he used spiritual sense.
“If that’s the case… then we won’t go down, to avoid any accidents.” Yao Yi Fei narrowed her eyes and prepared to order Espeon beside her to strike decisively.
Lu Li nodded.
He was originally quite curious about some of the information in this laboratory, but after confirming it with his spiritual sense scan, Lu Li had no interest in the laboratory anymore.
The main focus of this laboratory was mechanical modification, specifically transforming living beings into mechanical life.
In a world without Pokémon, this would be considered cutting-edge black technology.
But the problem is, this world has Pokémon. What’s the point of mechanical modification? It’s better to go for Pokémonfication.
If all else fails, you could learn from Elias and create Steel-type Phantom Beasts, like Magearna.
It cannot be denied that Magearna performed extremely poorly in the anime, almost like a mascot, with virtually zero combat ability.
But in the game’s setting, Magearna is a Pokémon with a base stat total of 600.
Lu Li didn’t know if Magearna existed in this world, but one thing was certain: there was definitely no Magearna involved in the experiment.
Because the two paths they were taking were completely different.
Magearna was about creation of life, while this laboratory was currently focused on modification of life.
Yao Yi Fei’s approach was to listen to advice and unconditionally believe Lu Li.
Since Lu Li said there were no Divine Items below, they naturally had no reason to take the risk.
“Since that’s the case, I’ll report this matter,” Yao Yi Fei said.
Lu Li nodded.
“What kind of laboratory is this below?” Yao Yi Fei asked curiously.
Lu Li didn’t hide anything and directly explained, “Mechanical modification, to be precise, transforming humans into mechanical beings.”
“Mechanical modification?”
Yao Yi Fei nodded thoughtfully.
The path to godhood chosen by the Steel Saint Son was to metallize humans and transform them into a special kind of Steel-type life.
Mechanical modification indeed fit the Steel Saint Son’s preferences.
The two of them quietly left, not disturbing the laboratory below.
Perhaps due to overconfidence, the trainer in the laboratory didn’t notice Yao Yi Fei’s arrival at all.
Returning to the villa without incident, Lu Li collapsed onto the sofa.
Staring blankly at the ceiling, Lu Li pondered his next plans.
Now that the Deep Gray Secret Realm was sealed, refining Steel Essence was probably impossible. So, it would be better to prioritize some planned itineraries at home.
After sending him to the villa, Yao Yi Fei left, saying she had to go back to report.
…
At the Qingyun Gym.
Yu Lili, resting her chin on her hands, gazed out the window.
“Lu Li is back, why hasn’t he come to see me?”
“Squirtle! Squirtle!”
（ Maybe he’s too busy? After all, he has an orchard and a troublesome child to take care of at home.）
The Squirtle next to her quickly comforted its trainer.
Even the Wailmer in the water vat blew out a few bubbles.
“Squirtle~”
（ See! Wailmer agrees too.）
“It’s Xiao Wei!”
Yu Lili lightly tapped Squirtle’s small head.
Lu Li had taught her many nurturing techniques for Wailmer, such as not calling Wailmer by its scientific name, as it might affect Wailmer’s self-confidence.
The small-headed Squirtle pouted.
It’s already ugly, and it’s not allowed to be said?
It’s almost unbelievable that a goddess evolved from a Wailmer. This is definitely the biggest mistake in the history of evolution!
Squirtle still couldn’t accept that its goddess had once been ugly.
Just as Yu Lili was about to scold Squirtle again, Jin Fengjiao hurried in.
“Something has happened in Deep Gray City. The Shin Family seems to have crossed the Alliance’s line and been taken down by the Alliance.”
“What does that have to do with us?” Yu Lili asked casually, leaning on the windowsill.
“Of course, it has something to do with us. Your grandfather is now constantly putting pressure on our gym and has even deliberately cut off our metal supply.
I managed to contact the Shin Family the day before yesterday, and after a lot of persuasion, I reached a preliminary cooperation agreement with them. Who knew they would disappear just like that,” Jin Fengjiao complained dejectedly.
Jin Fengjiao only knew that the Shin Family had been raided by the Alliance, and she didn’t know the specifics.
Yu Lili said, “Then find another one. There are plenty of mines in Deep Gray City anyway.”
Jin Fengjiao gave her daughter a helpless look, naive, simply too naive.
“Do you think it’s still like when your father was around? The powerful officials are far away, and the merchants in Deep Gray City might not give us this face,” Jin Fengjiao helplessly revealed their predicament.
Yu Lili wasn’t very concerned about this matter and suddenly asked, “Mom, do you think Lu Li is like those people? Is he deliberately staying away from me because Dad is gone?”
Jin Fengjiao’s expression darkened upon hearing this.
She knew exactly who her daughter was referring to.
Jin Fengjiao, uncharacteristically, defended someone else, “Jin Huang’s departure from the gym was more due to the Jin Family’s pressure on him. He can’t be entirely blamed for this.”
Yu Lili pouted, looking dismissive.
Jin Huang was also eyeing that Pokémon Egg. The reason he listened to the Jin Family and chose to leave Qingyun Gym at this time was also a form of coercion.
“Lu Li is a loyal and righteous person. Otherwise, Yao Yi Fei wouldn’t have helped us. He might not have visited you because he’s too busy,” Jin Fengjiao said comfortingly.
Jin Fengjiao still didn’t dare to tell the truth.
She knew her daughter liked Lu Li, but so what?
Lu Li was someone she personally sent away. Even if Katerina didn’t fancy him, what about Yao Yi Fei?
What Yao Yi Fei did for Lu Li was not something an ordinary Guardian would do.
Compared to Yao Yi Fei, her daughter was like a clumsy duckling.
Even as her mother, Jin Fengjiao knew there was no comparison between Yu Lili and Yao Yi Fei.
“Alright, you can’t help much at home. If you’re really bored, why don’t you hurry back to your teacher?” Jin Fengjiao decided to send Yu Lili away.
Yu Lili didn’t refuse, but she still said stubbornly, “Okay, but I have to see Lu Li before I leave.”
“Sigh~”
“Why must you do this?”
With a sigh in her heart, Jin Fengjiao ultimately didn’t stop her daughter’s one-sided pursuit.
Whether as friends or as a couple, Lu Li was quite suitable. Jin Fengjiao also hoped that her daughter’s friendship with Lu Li could last.
Of course, the main reason was that Lu Li’s background was quite strong now.
He had the backing of Kyushu University, a Gym Leader as his Guardian, and he was ambiguously involved with Katerina.
With such a background and connections, it was entirely worth the Qingyun Gym’s effort to curry favor.
Furthermore, setting aside all that, Lu Li was also an outstanding Breeder, Alchemist, and Planter.
……..
Lu Li was unaware that he had inadvertently put the Qingyun Gym in a difficult position.
At this moment, Lu Li was intently staring at the nuts within the Steel Essence.
“It’s actually absorbing…”
Lu Li suppressed the violent thumping of his heart.
What did this mean?
It meant his guess was correct!
Steel Essence could awaken Meltan, and even serve as an Evolution Item for Meltan.
Although Melmetal was only a Tier 3 God, not even as strong as the Three Sacred Beasts, don’t forget that he had a whole group of Meltan.
“But the absorption speed is too slow?” Lu Li looked disdainfully at the nuts slowly absorbing the Steel Essence.
Perhaps it was due to being asleep for too long, but the speed at which Meltan absorbed Steel Essence was comparable to a snail’s crawl.
At this rate, it would take at least three years for the Meltan to successfully awaken.
Three years…
In three years, he might already be a Heavenly King Level Trainer.
By then, Meltan’s importance to him might decrease another notch.
“As expected, it still depends on formations.”
Lu Li dejectedly shifted his gaze to the table beside him.
Various Evolution Stones were laid out on the small table; these were all things he had looted from the Shin Family’s treasury.
Although Evolution Stones were Pokémon evolution items, each one started at at least 100,000, a price that wasn’t particularly valuable to him now.
Thanks to those two Unown, Lu Li felt that he could now try to set up some more basic formations.
For example, the Spirit Gathering Array, the most common in the cultivation world.
