Chapter 296: The True King Of Soft Rice
Qingfeng City.
Jin Fengjiao’s face turned pale as she hung up the phone. Just moments ago, she had received two pieces of news, or rather, notifications from the Alliance.
The first piece of news was that her husband’s Aggron had been executed today.
The second piece of news was that the Alliance was entering a full region-wide alert status starting today, and every city’s Gym must have its Gym Leader present.
The former was bearable. Although difficult to accept, he had long been mentally prepared for it.
The Lei family would never let Aggron go, whether it was for venting their anger or for eliminating future trouble. Aggron would eventually be executed.
After all, the Lei family couldn’t keep a Pokémon that might rebel at any moment and was also particularly gluttonous.
The only reason Aggron was alive at the beginning was because the Lei family still had some semblance of honor and at least paid attention to their family’s reputation.
But now they no longer needed to, because the Jiuzhou Region had entered Level 1 alert status, which meant a new Battle for Contention in the Secret Realm was about to begin.
The most critical part was the second piece of news: Qingfeng City’s Gym happened to meet the conditions for being revoked.
The first thing the newly appointed Gym Leader would do would surely be to clear out the influence left by the previous Gym Leader.
“Lili, is our Yu family truly finished?” Jin Fengjiao lamented tearfully.
Liu Li, standing beside her, had naturally heard the notification from the Alliance.
Liu Li said with little confidence, “We still have the Pokémon that Zhonggang left behind. The new Gym Leader probably won’t dare to go too far, right?”
“Zhonggang was indeed an established Gym Leader, and the Pokémon he left behind are very strong, but they are ultimately not commanded by a Gym Level Trainer,” Jin Fengjiao shook her head in distress.
Qingfeng City had already been largely carved up. The new Gym Leader couldn’t possibly expand the cake further; they could only fight over it.
The Jin family was an old, wealthy family with significant influence in the region. The new Gym Leader wouldn’t dare to take on such a tough opponent.
That left only the Yu family as a target. The Yu family’s foundation was only for one generation, and their Heavenly King Level Aggron had already been executed by the Lei family.
The Yu family was the most suitable soft persimmon to be squeezed.
“Why don’t I go ask Lu Li to have Gym Leader Yao Yifei intervene?” Liu Li probed.
Facing threats from official channels, Liu Li could only think of one solution: finding a patron.
Jin Fengjiao held no hope for this, saying, “It won’t work. The Alliance wouldn’t allow a Gym Leader from one city to influence the position of a Gym Leader in another city.”
The Alliance both loved and hated the Gym Leaders of each city. They were the pillars supporting the Alliance, and at the same time, they were also targets of the Alliance’s vigilance.
Every Gym Leader could be considered the local emperor of their city. What the Alliance feared was these local emperors banding together and even extending their influence to other cities.
If this doesn’t work, and that doesn’t work, Liu Li directly became self-deprecating and retorted, “Then what should we do? Are we just going to give up the Qingyun Gym like this?”
Jin Fengjiao shook her head, analyzing with a grave expression, “We cannot give it up voluntarily. We have to negotiate with them. If we give up Qingfeng City now without doing anything, they will definitely extend their reach into the Qing Mu Black Market, and even your Ecological Park.”
Jin Fengjiao might be short-sighted, but she was definitely not stupid. She understood the greed of the strong too well.
“Lu Li’s villa was also attacked. They said several Gym Level Trainers attacked together, and he’s unable to protect himself now. Let’s not trouble him,” Jin Fengjiao continued.
Liu Li nodded.
She knew that Jin Fengjiao not wanting her to go to Lu Li was not solely due to not wanting to trouble him. After all, Jin Fengjiao was no saint, so why would she hesitate to ask for favors out of embarrassment?
Especially at such a critical juncture.
The reason the other party asked her not to go to Lu Li was simply to avoid getting burned.
Lu Li had definitely provoked some formidable beings by being surrounded by multiple Gym Level Trainers.
While the two were talking, Liu Li’s phone suddenly rang.
Seeing the caller ID, a spark flashed in Liu Li’s eyes, and she then pretended to casually say, “It’s Lu Li calling.”
“Hurry and answer it,” Jin Fengjiao urged.
Although Jin Fengjiao was afraid of being implicated by Lu Li, she also didn’t want to completely sever ties with him.
“Hello, Lu Li, is there something you need from Auntie?” Liu Li asked kindly.
Lu Li’s voice came through the phone.
“Yes, my manor was recently rebuilt, and I’ve established a small ecological park. I’d like you to come and see if there’s anything that needs attention.”
The reason Lu Li sought Liu Li’s help was simple: her professionalism.
He was just a Breeder with a rather unbalanced skill set. Compared to Liu Li, he was definitely no match.
After all, Liu Li was a Breeder who could manage and operate a large-scale Ecological Park.
Hearing this, Liu Li immediately nodded and agreed, “No problem, when would you like Auntie to come over?”
Lu Li replied, “If possible, I’d like to invite you to stay for a few days.”
“No problem, but staying for a few days is out. Your Aunt Fengjiao has a lot going on here,” Liu Li first agreed to personally inspect it and then declined the offer to stay for a few days.
After hanging up the phone, Liu Li looked up at Jin Fengjiao.
Jin Fengjiao praised lightly, “It seems even several Gym Level Trainers couldn’t make that kid suffer.”
At the same time, Jin Fengjiao’s assessment of Lu Li’s value increased by several notches.
Being able to face an attack from multiple Gym Level Trainers simultaneously, and even not being willing to move afterward.
This could only prove one thing: Lu Li had no fear of them returning.
“Alright, we’ll talk about the new Gym Leader’s affairs when we get back. I’m going to the Lu family now,” Liu Li said as she started to pack her things.
Jin Fengjiao reminded her, “Take three of Zhonggang’s companions with you, just in case anything happens on the way.”
Liu Li nodded.
…………
After hanging up the phone, Lu Li let out a soft sigh.
Sometimes, social circles were quite important, especially at times like this.
Yao Yifei, after hanging up the phone, said, “I just received a notification from the Alliance. Jiuzhou is entering Level 1 alert status.”
Lu Li, in essence, lacked common sense in daily life, such as this so-called alert status.
“What does that mean?” Lu Li asked, confused.
Yao Yifei’s voice was deep as she said, “It means peace will be distant, and war will begin.”
“I really didn’t expect we’d live in an era of war and strife.” Recalling the world’s harmony a year ago, Yao Yifei felt a sense of irony about the twists of fate.
The Southern Region of Jiuzhou bordered the Golden Triangle Region. Even though Qingfeng City was located more towards the center, it was still possible to be attacked.
Moreover, if things became chaotic, more people would take advantage of the confusion. At that time, they would have to deal with more than just external enemies.
In every great upheaval in history, noble families grew stronger. Why did they grow? Of course, it was by taking advantage of the chaos.
“Then it seems I need to speed up my learning progress,” Lu Li sighed lightly.
He hadn’t even finished reading everything in the Kyushu University library yet, and Lu Li truly didn’t wish for chaos to break out now.
“I have some news about your little girlfriend. Do you want to hear it?” Yao Yifei said, teasing him intentionally.
Lu Li pretended to be surprised, “Why do I smell a hint of sourness?”
“Get lost!” Yao Yifei rolled her eyes at Lu Li, no longer joking.
Yao Yifei continued, “It’s like this, the Yu family’s Qingfeng City Gym might not be able to hold on. During the war, Qingfeng City must have a Gym Leader present. The Yu family is going to be replaced.”
Lu Li, instantly understanding the ins and outs, complained, “Isn’t the Alliance’s approach a bit underhanded?”
Yao Yifei also sighed, “Special times call for special measures. This can only be attributed to the Yu family’s bad luck; their pillar fell just before the Era of Great Strife began.”
“The most critical thing is that the Yu family’s next generation hasn’t grown up either. Their luck is indeed quite dire,” Lu Li nodded in agreement.
Regarding the Yu family, Lu Li felt he had repaid them sufficiently. The only thing he would do now was protect Yu Lili; he didn’t want to get involved in anything else.
This was almost a drawback of all commoner families; they had almost no resilience. And this was with Yu Zhonggang. If it were a more ordinary family, the consequences would be even more severe.
Shaking his head, Lu Li didn’t think about it further and went to the manor to await Liu Li’s arrival.
As the mistress of the manor, Yao Yifei also accompanied Lu Li to welcome Liu Li.
As Trainers, respecting Breeders was normal.
Liu Li arrived riding a Bidoof.
On Bidoof’s back, Liu Li looked down at the manor with some surprise.
“This manor is almost as large as the Yu family’s Gym. It seems this kid has gotten rich recently,” Liu Li exclaimed.
After Liu Li landed, Lu Li quickly stepped forward, “Auntie Liu Li.”
“It’s been a long time. I was so scared when I heard your place was attacked that I couldn’t sleep for days. But I’m glad you’re alright,” Liu Li asked with concern.
Lu Li smiled and shook his head, “It’s fine, just a bunch of clowns.”
He didn’t fear the Divine Cult, neither before nor now.
After all, his patron was Gimmighoul. If the Divine Cult dared to send a Champion, he would show them what the wrath of the gods was like.
“It’s good that you’re alright. Do you know who was responsible?” Liu Li nodded. She could also tell that Lu Li truly didn’t care about the previous attack.
Lu Li replied helplessly, “The Divine Cult. They seem to be collecting the DNA of ability users, which is why I was targeted.”
There was no need to hide this matter. Lian Sheyi must have reported it to the Alliance, so it wasn’t a secret.
“The Divine Cult!”
Liu Li exclaimed, her tone even carrying a hint of panic.
The Divine Cult could be considered an extremely dangerous terrorist organization. In the eyes of ordinary people, the Divine Cult was a group of lunatics who killed without blinking and had issues in their minds.
“Are you really alright? Should we report this to the Alliance?” Liu Li asked worriedly.
Lu Li comforted her, “Don’t worry, the problem has been resolved.”
Seeing Lu Li’s attitude of not taking the Divine Cult seriously, Liu Li didn’t know if Lu Li was a newborn calf unafraid of tigers or if he genuinely didn’t care about the Divine Cult’s threat.
However, Liu Li leaned towards the latter. The reason was simple: Yao Yifei couldn’t possibly be unaware of the Divine Cult’s terror.
But if Lu Li acted so casually, it could only mean they truly didn’t take the Divine Cult seriously.
Then what was Lu Li relying on? Yao Yifei? Or the Alliance?
Or perhaps…
The last thought was too bold, and Liu Li dared not continue.
If her final guess was correct, then Lu Li’s value would be immense, and Jin Fengjiao would have truly missed out on a golden son-in-law.
“Take me to see your ecological park,” Liu Li said proactively, not forgetting why she was here.
Lu Li nodded and then led the way.
After touring the ecological park with Lu Li, Liu Li began to speak, “There are no problems with the ecological park, and its quality is very high. This ecological park must have been built by a top construction company, right?”
“Yes, I troubled the Qu family to find a construction company for me,” Lu Li nodded and admitted.
Liu Li knew about the relationship between the Qu family and Lu Li, but she didn’t expect their relationship to have reached the point of reciprocal favors. This was somewhat unbelievable.
Because Lu Li didn’t deserve it, but it was indeed the Qu family that helped Lu Li find a top construction team.
“Do you know why the Starter Pokémon are divided into Fire, Water, and Grass?” Liu Li asked.
He knew this question.
According to the knowledge in books, these three types of Pokémon almost countered each other, forming a perfect cycle.
“Most ecological parks cultivate these three types of Pokémon to increase the attribute energy within the park without causing the attribute energy to become imbalanced. Your small ecological park also needs these three types of Pokémon.”
After speaking, Liu Li asked again, “Would you like me to transport a batch of Pokémon for you?”
Lu Li shook his head, “No need. I happen to have a batch of Starter Pokémon on hand.”
“A batch of Starter Pokémon?”
Hearing this, Liu Li’s voice rose several decibels.
“Where did you get them? These are strictly controlled by the Alliance. Without some background, privately cultivating them can cause problems,” Liu Li warned nervously.
Even the Starter Pokémon she cultivated were only dared to be sold secretly on the black market, which showed how strict the Alliance’s control over Starter Pokémon was.
“Don’t worry, the source is absolutely fine,” Lu Li guaranteed with a smile.
Seeing Liu Li still looking uneasy, Lu Li could only shift the blame to the Qu family again.
“It’s the Qu family. The batch of Starter Pokémon I have was provided by the Qu family.”
Liu Li: “…”
Hearing that it was another deed of the Qu family, Liu Li’s gaze towards Lu Li became subtle.
Casually glancing at Yao Yifei not far away, Liu Li whispered, “Does Gym Leader Yao know about this?”
Lu Li replied as a matter of course, “Sister Yao certainly knows.”
“And she didn’t react?” Liu Li asked in disbelief.
“What kind of reaction should Sister Yao have?”
Lu Li looked equally confused.
How could Gym Leader Yao not react when you so brazenly freeloaded off the Qu family?
Liu Li thought to herself, speechless.
The Qu family wouldn’t help Lu Li for no reason. Besides Lu Li freeloading off the Qu family, the only other possibility was that Lu Li had already submitted to the Qu family.
But if it were the latter, Lu Li should be at the Qu family’s place right now, not rebuilding his manor here.
