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In this life, Jacob was reborn as a native of Western Province. Naturally, he loved hotpot very much. If he didn’t eat it at least once a month, he would feel restless. Hotpot was the soul of the people of Western Province!

“Jacob, you must take my words to heart,” Nina, who was interrupted by Jacob, looked at him seriously and continued, “Your own strength is very important. Even if you don’t aspire to become one of the Heavenly Kings, you must have the power to protect yourself.”

Jacob looked at Nina’s solemn expression and was moved. He knew that Trainer Nina said this because she was worried about him. He met her gaze earnestly and said, “Trainer Nina, I promise you that after this, I will concentrate on being a Pokémon Trainer and temporarily put scientific research on hold for the next six months.”

Hearing Jacob’s words, Nina’s brows relaxed slightly, and the corners of her mouth turned up, though her face still maintained that cool expression as she said unconvincingly, “You don’t have to promise me, this is your own business.”

“Yes, yes, it’s my business,” Jacob noticed Nina’s slight smile and knew that her mood had improved, so he quickly added, “But I still need Trainer Nina to keep me accountable.”

Nina turned around, pretending she hadn’t heard Jacob’s words, but her steps became much lighter. “Let’s eat first. I haven’t had breakfast yet, and I’m getting hungry.”

…

The Pokémon Association’s headquarters was located in the city center, near a bustling shopping district. The two of them walked along the pedestrian street—a handsome man and a beautiful woman, looking like celebrities who had stepped out of a television screen.

They arrived at a nearby hotpot restaurant that had received rave reviews and began to enjoy their meal.

While eating, Jacob secretly found an excuse to go to the bathroom and used a disposable item [Dowsing Machine (Disposable)].

The device accurately located the treasure. Jacob looked at the map and found that the item was quite far from here—almost 50 kilometers away from the center of the Capital City, which would take more than an hour to drive there. Jacob wrote down the location and took out his PokéNav to search.

Cloud Village. Jacob secretly memorized the name and returned to the private dining room.

…

“What are your plans for the afternoon? Where would you like to go?” After enjoying the hotpot, Nina’s lips were rosy, and her face was flushed. She clasped her hands in front of her chest, leaned back in the chair, and her fair forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat. She looked at Jacob with her curved eyes and asked.

“I want to visit the outskirts of Capital City,” Jacob improvised. He had just searched for Cloud Village and roughly understood that it was a rural village on the outskirts of the capital and a popular weekend getaway for many people.

“Compared to the bustling city center, I want to see the countryside around the capital. The city centers all look the same, with tall buildings and busy traffic. Let’s go to Cloud Village. I’ve heard there are farmhouses and hot springs there, which makes it a great place for sightseeing.”

Nina frowned as she considered Jacob’s suggestion. It would take more than an hour to drive from Capital City to Cloud Village, and nearly three hours for the round trip, which wouldn’t leave much time for enjoyment. But Nina thought about it and decided to go along with his wishes since she had promised Jacob.

The two rested for a while, then immediately seized the opportunity and drove to Cloud Village.

Cloud Village was a rural community outside Capital City, far from urban life and blessed with beautiful scenery. Wealthy people from the center of the capital came here for leisure and vacation throughout the year.

As a result, Cloud Village had developed many homestays and luxury houses, as well as artificial hot springs and other recreational venues.

The two parked their car in the garage and strolled through the village. Almost every household had built a four or five-story villa, which looked quite luxurious.

“Where are we going now?” Nina looked at Jacob and asked.

“Let’s just wander around and follow our instincts. Exploring without a specific destination is the most enjoyable.”

Jacob said this, but he was walking straight toward the location indicated by the Dowsing Machine. The two of them climbed over a hill and crossed a stream. They walked for nearly thirty minutes and finally arrived at the cemetery on the back mountain of Cloud Village.

As they got closer, Jacob checked the map. He was now certain that the treasure was in the cemetery, but the grounds were surrounded by iron fences. If outsiders wanted to enter, they had to go through the main gate. At the entrance, a sixty-year-old security guard was on duty at the guardhouse.

“Uncle, may I go in?” Jacob approached the gate and asked the elderly man.

“You look unfamiliar. You’re not here to visit graves, are you? Then you can’t go in. You need to have residency in Capital City, and then you have to spend Pokédollars to buy a plot inside. You can wait a few decades. Since you’re in good health, you might have to wait 60 or 70 years,” the old man said rather morbidly. “Unlike me—my time is almost up. I might be a resident here in four or five years.”

“Uncle, please stop talking like that. Go ahead with your work. I won’t bother you,” Jacob hurriedly changed the subject. If he couldn’t afford to offend this old man, couldn’t he just avoid him?

Perhaps because it was rare to meet living visitors while on duty, the sixty-year-old grandfather seemed eager to chat with Jacob: “Young man, if you come to apply for a security guard position, you can also go in. Don’t underestimate our profession. The monthly salary is seven or eight thousand Pokédollars, with benefits and insurance, one day on and one day off. It’s no worse than other jobs, except that it’s a little scary. The key benefit is that we get discounts when buying tombs inside.”

“Look at the shape of the mountain in front. Doesn’t it look like a Torterra’s back? If you’re buried here, not only will your descendants live long lives, but they will also become important League officials…”

“Uncle, uncle, please carry on,” Jacob interrupted the old man and said, “We’re just here for sightseeing. We’ll be leaving now.”

Jacob said goodbye to the old man with a frown on his face and hurriedly left with Nina.

Nina, who had been standing by, couldn’t help laughing as she watched the old man’s rapid-fire words. “Jacob, is this your idea of following your feelings? It’s not very accurate. Why are you chatting with an old man in a cemetery?”

Jacob was now feeling both panicked and anxious. It would be difficult for him to find a reason to enter the cemetery in broad daylight under such watchful eyes. Otherwise, he should wait until dark and sneak in at midnight.

“Trainer Nina, please stop teasing me,” Jacob couldn’t help saying. “This was a mistake.”

“Where should we go now?” Seeing Jacob’s deflated look, Nina’s smile brightened. She looked particularly beautiful when she smiled, much more so than when she wore her cold expression.

“Let’s go fishing, have dinner, and then soak in the hot springs this evening,” Jacob suggested.

Hearing Jacob’s words, Nina blushed slightly. His proposal sounded like they were going to stay overnight. She felt a little strange—why did it feel like the two of them were out on a date?

“No, it’s getting late, and we have training tomorrow morning,” Nina quickly refused. “We need to head back early, before dark at the latest.”

Jacob immediately felt anxious. He thought, “I didn’t get the treasure, and now you’re telling me to go back? Wouldn’t that mean my half day was wasted?” Jacob wasn’t willing to return empty-handed.

“Let’s go fishing first and decide what to do later,” Jacob said, hoping to buy more time.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep