"Going to the capital? Then what about safety on my end?" Oliver frowned slightly.
"You don't need to worry about that," Mu Xue replied calmly.
"The League has already significantly increased protection for both you and your mother. Even if we leave Rongcheng, there will still be a Heavenly King–level Trainer stationed nearby long-term."
"Another Elite Four?" Oliver asked.
Mu Xue shook her head.
"A Heavenly King–level Trainer and the Elite Four are two different concepts.
Elite Four is a title, referring to the four strongest Heavenly King–level Trainers, selected through each Heavenly King Tournament."
Oliver nodded.
"Alright. If that's the case, I don't really have any concerns left. But what kind of reward requires me to go all the way to the capital to claim it?"
"Do you know about Xia Country's Treasure Vault?" Mu Xue asked.
"I honestly don't," Oliver replied. "What's stored there? Skill-learning machines?"
Mu Xue stared at him in confusion.
"What's a skill-learning machine?"
"It's… never mind," Oliver waved his hand. "You continue."
Mu Xue asked instead, "When you hear the word Secret Realm, what do you think of?"
"Pokémon?"
"That's not wrong," she said, "but there's something else inside Secret Realms that makes every Trainer go crazy—resources. Resources used to cultivate Pokémon."
She explained slowly:
"Resources also have tiers. Common ones like berries are already cultivated by humans, so there's no need to enter Secret Realms to obtain them.
But rare resources almost exclusively come from Secret Realms.
Over the past hundred years, countless Secret Realms have descended across the world, and humanity has acquired immeasurable resources from them. Among these, the most valuable are known as Legendary-tier resources.
The Treasure Vault is where the Xia Country League stores all Legendary-tier resources it has accumulated over the years."
This kind of classified information was something ordinary people could never access, so it was no surprise Oliver had never heard of it.
"…So you're saying," Oliver said slowly, "my reward this time is a Legendary-tier resource?"
"Yes," Mu Xue confirmed.
"The League's decision is to allow you to freely choose one Legendary-tier resource from the Treasure Vault and take it with you."
There was a trace of envy in her voice.
"Do you know how rare that is? I've been a Heavenly King for years, and I've never once been granted a Legendary-tier resource. That should tell you how precious they are."
The moment the words left her mouth, Mu Xue realized something was wrong.
…Why did I just blurt out that I've never gotten one?
Sure enough, Oliver merely nodded lightly, utterly composed.
"One Legendary-tier resource sounds decent.
Alright then, I'll make a trip to the capital."
Even Milotic, who usually carried herself with noble pride, couldn't help but turn her head away.
This was just too show-offy.
"…I'll come find you after the New Year," Mu Xue said, the corner of her mouth twitching. She dropped the sentence and stood up to leave.
"Then I won't see you off!" Oliver called out cheerfully, before sitting back down on the couch.
"Legendary-tier resources… probably on the same level as the Silver Wing or the Dark Wing, huh?"
Time flew by, and before he knew it, New Year's Eve had arrived.
After the new Energy Cube machine was delivered, Gardevoir tried repeatedly to produce Energy Cubes. Out of all attempts, she succeeded only once in creating a top-tier Energy Cube; all the others were merely high-grade.
Although she still couldn't produce them stably, this was already a major breakthrough.
As long as she kept practicing, it wouldn't be long before she became the world's first Pokémon capable of crafting top-tier Energy Cubes.
Meanwhile, the keywords "Oliver," "Fairy Type," and "Sylveon" completely exploded across the internet.
At this point, anyone who went online had heard of it.
Oliver's school shot to fame as well—not just the high school, but even the principals of nearby middle schools and elementary schools ended up in the news. Former neighbors and classmates eagerly showed off their connections online.
Countries around the world immediately translated the Fairy-type paper. Even so, many foreign researchers bypassed restrictions to access the original version on Xia Country's academic forum.
Oliver's name spread across the globe at an almost terrifying speed.
How much support the Xia Country League provided behind the scenes… no one really knew.
But fame wasn't always a good thing.
Oliver worried about a repeat of last time—media showing up directly at his door—so he contacted He Sheng.
After his previous visit to Rongcheng, He Sheng had added Oliver's contact information, and they occasionally chatted. Their relationship was fairly good.
Oliver: Uncle He, Happy New Year!
He Sheng: Happy New Year! Xiao Chen, I knew I wasn't wrong about you—this time you did beautifully!
Oliver: You flatter me, Uncle He. Actually, I wanted to ask you for help with something.
He Sheng: I know what you're worried about. But this time, the heat and influence are simply too great to suppress.
The League is already aware of your situation with the Genesis Society. To avoid increasing security risks, an order has long been issued—your home address is strictly classified. You can rest easy about that.
Only after reading this did Oliver truly relax.
As long as it was just him being famous, that wasn't a problem.
Oliver: Thank you, Uncle He.
He Sheng: This is what the League should be doing anyway.
By the way, you'll be coming to the capital soon, right? The Treasure Vault is full of incredible things. I hope you pick something that truly suits you.
Oliver: Thank you, Uncle He.
Oliver put away his phone.
At that moment, Celebi floated over. One look at its expression and Oliver knew exactly what it wanted—
The computer.
In truth, Celebi hadn't spent all its time at home since following Oliver. Early on, it had snuck out to play—but soon discovered that playing on a phone at home was far more fun.
So the once supremely noble Mythical Pokémon had devolved into a full-blown internet-addicted homebody.
Its favorite activity was lying on the bed, clutching a phone—
and if it had a bottle of soda on top of that, even better.
"You can use the computer," Oliver said, "but I'll be leaving for a while soon, and I won't be able to take you with me. You have to promise not to cause trouble during that time."
"Bi! No problem!" Celebi patted its chest confidently. "Leave it to me!"
Oliver was just about to tell it the password—
When Celebi zipped over, turned on the computer, and entered the password in one smooth motion.
Clearly not its first time.
However, a phone verification window popped up—something Oliver had set up earlier to prevent Celebi from secretly using the computer.
Faced with Celebi's pitiful, pleading gaze, Oliver finally sighed and removed the phone binding altogether.
From now on, Celebi could freely use the computer.
Oliver smiled faintly and walked out of the room.
This time, you're on the first floor—
I'm already in the atmosphere.
You're still too young, Celebi.
Sure enough, not long after, Celebi rushed out shouting:
"Why does downloading games cost money?!"
"Of course games cost money," Oliver replied calmly.
"If they were free, the people who make them would go bankrupt. Who'd bother making games then?"
Celebi thought about it and felt that made sense.
But then it realized something.
It had no money.
Its eyes rolled—then it looked straight at Oliver.
"I can help," Oliver said thoughtfully,
"but I do feel like Gardevoir's control over psychic power still isn't perfect…"
"I'll teach her!" Celebi blurted out immediately.
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