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Besides the Gigantamax task, Jacob had also managed to complete another quest.

“Hidden Task [Coming of Age Ceremony] completed successfully.”

“Reward has been issued…”

“Obtained permanent Technical Machine: Baton Pass.”

“…”

Looking down at the Technical Machine now in his possession, Jacob fell into deep thought.

Although the system had been uncharacteristically generous this time, directly providing him with an extremely practical permanent Technical Machine, the specific name of this move made Jacob fall silent and stirred up complicated emotions within him.

He could feel the system’s full measure of malicious intent behind this choice, but to be completely honest, the move itself was genuinely useful.

After returning to the Capital, Jacob had spent these past few days busily searching for a suitable house to purchase. With the recent addition of Darkrai to his team, Jacob felt even more urgently compelled to move out of his current living situation.

Otherwise, if Darkrai were to be accidentally exposed to others, Jacob would face endless complications and trouble.

However, finding and purchasing a house involved the most crucial issue of all: money. Even a single coin can stop a hero in his tracks.

To think that he—the esteemed Dr. Xia, the explorer and discoverer of exclusive Z-Crystals, and the pioneering creator of Mega Evolution—would actually be unable to afford purchasing a house in the Capital.

What an absolute travesty!

Of course, Jacob had also considered borrowing money to tide himself over temporarily. The figure of Nina appeared in his mind as a possibility, but because of what had happened just a few days ago, Jacob didn’t dare to face Nina directly.

As for the wealthy woman Raya, Jacob dared even less to confront her after recent events. As for Julia, he might as well forget about asking her entirely.

After mentally running through all his options, Jacob discovered that the only person he could reasonably ask for financial help was apparently Kyle.

Jacob dialed the phone number, and the call connected almost immediately.

“Kyle…” Jacob began tentatively.

“Holy crap, Jacob! Dr. Xia! What’s going on? You actually called me personally?” Kyle on the other end of the line sounded exceptionally excited and enthusiastic. “If you have anything you need to say, just tell your brother directly. Jacob, I’ve always been your loyal subordinate. You just tell me where to strike, and I’ll strike exactly there without question.”

“Cough, cough. What kind of talk is that? We’re civilized young people of the new era. What kind of behavior involves all this talk of fighting and violence?”

“Jacob… My sincere apologies. Young Master Jacob, please give me your orders. This humble servant will always remain at your complete beck and call.” Kyle’s excessively fawning manner made Jacob unable to suppress a laugh.

“Kyle.” Jacob decided to start joking around with Kyle in return. “I actually still prefer your previous unruly and rebellious appearance.”

“Then… Jacob.” Kyle cautiously probed with his next words. “Does that make me your father?”

“…”

Jacob fell completely silent. It wasn’t until a long moment later that he finally brought the conversation back on track to the actual topic at hand. “Kyle, we’re good brothers, aren’t we?”

Hearing Jacob’s words, Kyle immediately became cautious and wary.

Generally speaking, whenever your good brother starts emphasizing the bond of brotherhood with you, there are really only two possible situations.

The first is that he’s about to do something that wrongs you in some way.

The second is that he’s about to do something that wrongs you in some way.

“Jacob, just say it directly and honestly. Whether it works out or not, we’re still brothers regardless.” Kyle carefully selected his words before speaking.

“I need to borrow some money from you.”

“Borrow money? What’s the big deal about that? How much do you actually need?” Kyle said this initially, then suddenly frowned deeply, sensing instinctively that things were probably not as simple as they seemed.

Given Jacob’s current reputation and high status in society, if he still found himself needing to borrow money from others, it absolutely couldn’t be a small amount.

“Not much at all, just a tiny little bit.” Jacob carefully chose his words with deliberate care. “I want to buy a house here in the Capital. Can you possibly cover the down payment for me?”

???

Kyle’s face filled with visible question marks of confusion. “Jacob, are you being serious right now? Exactly how much money do I need to come up with?”

“Just a tiny bit, really. I’m planning to buy a proper villa, so it’ll be convenient for all my Pokémon to train and live comfortably. The price might be somewhat high as a result, but Kyle, I genuinely think this is worthless when compared to the value of our friendship.”

“Jacob, you’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?” Kyle said with clear resentment in his voice.

“It’s not quite that extreme, not quite that bad.”

“Just tell me directly—which kidney do you want me to sell? I’ll go sell it right now to save up the money for you.”

“The left one would be fine.”

“Damn it, Jacob, you’re absolutely heartless!”

…

After they continued arguing back and forth for a while longer, Jacob finally hung up the phone and couldn’t help but release a deep sigh. This life was proving far too difficult.

To think that he—the dignified scientific research authority of China, renowned both domestically and internationally, and the reigning national Champion of the High School Cup tournament—would actually find himself troubled by something as mundane as money.

A single coin can truly stop even a hero dead in his tracks.

Forget it for now. He’d just continue staying at home for the time being. In any case, within just a few days, he was already planning to travel outside the city to begin unsealing the Gigantamax phenomenon. When he ventured into the wild areas, he could naturally allow his Pokémon to travel and train freely without constraint.

…

In Magic City, warm sunlight shone brilliantly down upon the green grass.

Raya wore stylish sunglasses and enjoyed a relaxing sunbath while reclining beneath a parasol.

Her fair, slender legs glistened beautifully in the sunlight.

These past few days, due to persistent physical discomfort, Raya had felt lethargic and hadn’t even wanted to move around much. All she truly wanted to do was lie down and rest after eating her meals.

“Treasure Island has been experiencing constant arguments about the inheritance distribution. I’ve also heard that your name isn’t included anywhere on the inheritance distribution plan,” Zion said, looking directly at Raya.

“If it’s not there, then it’s simply not there,” Raya responded with clear indifference in her tone. “Just let them continue their mess and squabbling.”

She had already severed all ties with the Su family’s assets quite some time ago.

Although the inheritance there was genuinely substantial in value, many people were eyeing it greedily, and with Koen as Champion actively involved, it would prove extremely difficult for others to gain any significant benefit from the situation.

The Su family was a complete and utter mess at this point.

“By the way, is there anything else I should know about?” Raya’s lazy and characteristically charming voice sounded.

“Tomorrow morning at nine o’clock, a Magic City Trainer Development Conference will be held at Magic City Tower. They would like to formally invite you to attend.”

“Tomorrow afternoon at two o’clock…”

Zion continuously reported the extensive upcoming schedule to Raya in detail.

Raya’s schedule these days had been absolutely packed with commitments. Matters involving the Trainer Association and various company affairs all required her personal attention and involvement. “I’ll attend the meeting tomorrow morning. For the afternoon appointment, have your brother attend in my place.”

“Understood,” Zion replied promptly.

“By the way, Zion.” Raya turned her head to look at Zion directly, removed her sunglasses, and asked with seeming casualness, “Are you still monitoring Jacob’s activities?”

“Yes, we still are,” Zion confirmed with a nod.

“What has he been doing these past few days?” Raya asked, trying her best to sound casual and disinterested.

“We can only monitor his general movements and activities. Jacob lives a very regular and predictable life. He’s been staying at Elder Scott’s house here in the Capital recently. During the day, he visits various real estate agencies to look at potential houses, and he returns home each evening,” Zion reported truthfully and accurately.

Raya listened carefully to Zion’s detailed account and immediately understood the underlying reason for Jacob’s behavior.

Jacob must have found it increasingly inconvenient to continue living with his family after successfully catching Darkrai, so naturally he wanted to move out into his own place. “Has he met with anyone else during these past few days?”

“No, he hasn’t.”

After listening to Zion’s response, Raya remained silent for a long moment before finally speaking again. “There’s no longer any need to continue monitoring Jacob’s movements. Pull everyone back immediately.”

“Understood.”

“By the way—which villas in the Capital are located close to League University?” Raya’s unexpected words made Zion visibly surprised. “I need a detached villa with an excellent environment, quiet surroundings, and a location where one won’t be easily disturbed by others.”

“Well, Purple Mountain Villa has a genuinely good environment, and it’s located very close to League University.” Zion paused briefly here, then added an important detail. “You actually own a house there already, but it hasn’t been renovated or furnished yet.”

“Then give one of the keys directly to Jacob. Also, contact a reputable design company and have them coordinate directly with Jacob on all the details.” Raya finished speaking, and her next words sounded as if she were talking to herself, though they were also clearly meant for Zion to hear.

“Make absolutely sure to give it to Jacob and ensure he accepts it. That way, when I eventually ask him about his new experiment, he won’t be able to push the topic aside and avoid it again.”

“Understood.” Zion replied, then stood quietly aside in silence.

Zion’s eyebrows furrowed slightly with concern. She didn’t actually believe the reasoning that Raya had just provided.

Because in the past, Raya would never bother explaining herself like this once she had made a firm decision about something.

The more Raya felt compelled to explain her actions, the more Zion suspected that she felt somewhat guilty about her true motivations.

Moreover, Zion had noticed over these past few days that Raya’s behavioral changes had been far too significant and pronounced. She would often space out and stare into the distance alone, which was something that would absolutely never have happened in the past.

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