NOVEL NEXT Chapter 37: Chapter 37
"Boss, what kind of egg is this?" Paimon's little face was full of curiosity.
Takumi smiled slightly, "Pokémon Egg."
"Pokémon?" Amber and Lumine looked at each other in confusion.
"This is a life beloved by heaven and earth. They have already started becoming popular in the Liyue area, including Tianquan Ningguang, Yuheng Keqing, the master of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, and Chef Xiangling of Wanmin Restaurant... They all have adopted their own Pokémon."
Neither Lumine nor Paimon had heard of these names, but Scout Knight Amber felt that some of them sounded vaguely familiar. It seemed like she had heard them mentioned by members of the Knights.
"But, but... is something wrong with this egg?" Paimon floated in the air, holding her chin, trying hard to see what kind of little life was inside the egg.
"Yes, this is a soaked egg," Takumi said leisurely. "Whether it can hatch is unknown."
"Its post-hatching state is also unknown."
"And the specific type of Pokémon is unknown."
Uh, this...
Lumine suddenly lost interest. Compared with some mysterious Pokémon, she still wanted to focus on finding her brother and searching for clues about his whereabouts.
But Paimon pulled hard on the ribbon behind Lumine's back to prevent her from leaving.
"Listen to me, hey!"
"Lumine!"
"The life born from this kind of egg is very strange and extremely valuable! If it hatches successfully, even if we don't raise it, we could still sell it for many, many Mora! I'm sure of it!"
Paimon always had a strong sense of smell when it came to Mora and sudden wealth.
This was Takumi's first time observing Paimon offline, in reality.
In the game plot, Paimon's obsession with money and wealth wasn't a secret.
But in this close interaction, Takumi truly felt that her money-loving nature was genuine, and there was something more that she could sense.
No wonder she had been suspected by some theorists of being a hidden entity with a secret agenda, with the potential for betrayal.
Takumi smiled, "This egg isn't expensive because it was soaked in water. It's only one million Mora..."
As soon as these words came out.
Coo! Coo!
On the bridge at the main entrance of Mondstadt, the only sound left was the cooing of pigeons.
Both Lumine and Paimon opened their eyes wide in horror.
One of them was a traveler from another world.
One of them even caused a ridiculous incident by being caught on a fishing rod.
They didn't have a single Mora on them.
"One million?!"
"Even if we had money, we wouldn't have that much!" Paimon's complaints remained sharp.
To show that the egg was in demand and would easily be sold, Takumi opened the group chat on his Pokédex in front of everyone. He took a video of the egg and uploaded it:
"This soaked Pokémon egg, all information is unknown, one million Mora—who's interested?"
The group chat was quiet for a few seconds before it exploded with responses.
Hu Tao: "One million? For such a rare thing!"
Xiangling: "I'm out in the wild and have no money... Can Boss Takumi wait?"
Andre: "Even if it's an egg that's been soaked, Manager Takumi must have extraordinary means to hatch it. If so, one million is a bargain!"
Childe (Tartaglia): "I'm willing to pay 10 million Mora for a chance to change my fate!!"
The group was buzzing with excitement, including Childe's enthusiastic offer.
Takumi showed the group chat screen to Lumine, Paimon, and Amber, who were still stunned at the stall.
"See? I wasn't lying."
"This egg would sell easily in Liyue, but I wanted to sell it here in Mondstadt."
There was an obvious confidence in the young stall owner's tone.
Paimon looked at Takumi again as if he were a rich merchant, her eyes practically sparkling with Mora symbols.
"You can think about it. I will be staying in Mondstadt for a few more days."
"As for one million Mora..."
"Do you understand installment plans?"
"What I mean is, we can make a contract witnessed by the God of Contracts, dividing one million Mora into multiple payments—over half a year, a year, or even more."
Lumine, who initially felt the amount was unaffordable, couldn't help but feel a bit tempted after hearing about this strange installment plan. One million divided over six or twelve months suddenly didn't seem so impossible.
Paimon was even more excited, waving her hands and feet in the air, "We want it, Lumine! Let's buy it! Buy it!"
Without needing more thought, Lumine found it hard to resist the allure of the installment plan.
Besides, the egg was being discussed so much in the group chat. Guaranteed demand.
Even if it turned out to be a "dud," they wouldn't lose money.
If the egg really gave birth to a Pokémon, it would obviously be quite rare on Teyvat.
Every single one of them was a rarity!
"Contract signed!"
"Congratulations, this is your Pokémon egg."
"And here is the Pokédex, the 'egg incubator,' and a space backpack for carrying the egg—all gifts from me."
"I don't want you to accidentally break it..."
After handing over the items, Takumi waved at them.
"Well then, farewell! May fate bring us together again!"
Whoosh.
As soon as he finished speaking, a wave of strange power enveloped Takumi, and he instantly disappeared.
A cool breeze blew from the lake.
Lumine, Paimon, and Amber, who were standing on the bridge, were stunned, breaking out in a cold sweat at the sudden disappearance of the stall owner.