Chapter 353: Frozen Village, the King of the Flower Crown appears!
Compared to Nemo and the other three who were like zombies, Pioni, who was at least 1.8 meters tall, had more energy and his behavior was more exaggerated.

Jumping off the back of the King Bronze Elephant, Pioni grabbed Luo Mu's hands before the four students did, and said with tears in his eyes: "I have been waiting for you for a long time, my spiritual friend, Xiao Dandan's teacher, the legendary exorcist master!"

God knows how long Pioni has been looking forward to this moment.

In the past few nights, I watched the villagers of Dongning Village being possessed by ghosts one after another. They floated in the air without any warning, and spoke vague nonsense that sounded like sleep talk.

But the incident happened in this secluded little village, almost isolated from the world and built in the vast snowfield.

Seeing that not only Nemo, Papa and Pipa, but also Xiao Dandan and Xiao Xia Xia were successively attacked by the unknown ghost or ghost-type Pokémon, Pioni, who was unable to use his heavy and powerful skills like steel, felt extremely tormented.

After another night of trembling in fear, Luo Mu, who according to Nimo could easily perform exorcism, finally arrived!
The tall and strong Pioni patted Luo Mu's right shoulder vigorously, and sighed: "Oh my, although we have only met each other from a distance on the phone, I didn't expect that you, teacher, have such impressive results in the field of exorcism!"

Luo Mu: “.”

If it weren't for the fact that his physical fitness had become much stronger after doing farm work for half a year, with even his abdominal muscles showing, Luo Mu would really doubt whether he would be beaten to pieces by Pioni's strength.

His eyes fell on Nemo's face, who showed no sign of guilt, and then shifted to Papa, who chose to hypnotize him even though she clearly didn't believe him, Peony who looked dazed, and Pipa who looked exhausted. Luo Mu knew everything.

It was probably Mudan or Pipa who mentioned to Pioni the incident in which Luo Mu met a real ghost at the former site of the Super Value Mart in the Alola area. After Nemo exaggerated the incident (she really believed it herself), this group of people were desperate and called me to get help.

"Ugh"

Luo Mu sighed softly, and just hoped that Nimo had not boasted about herself to others other than this incident during this month in the Galar region.

Then he looked at Pioni in front of him, with a smile on his face: "Nice to meet you, Mr. Pioni, Mudan's father."

"Without further delay, why don't we go to that village first? The wind and snow in the Crown Snowfield should be a bit unpredictable these days."

He first greeted Pioni in a friendly manner, and Luo Mu did not waste time on meaningless greetings. He directly asked to go to Dongning Village.

Pioni was stunned. Although he was usually carefree, he followed Luo Mu's gaze and found that Nemo and the others were interacting with Vulpix and an unfamiliar Pokémon that Luo Mu brought.

Especially when Pioni focused his attention on Mudan, he clearly saw Mudan's extremely bad mental state.

My wife's fair skin looked even paler, and even thick glasses couldn't hide the dark circles under her eyes, and her dry and flaky lips.
After all, these kids are only in their teens.

Pioni was not stupid either. He clearly understood what Luo Mu meant and nodded heavily: "Okay, let's go back to Dongning Village now."

"They all respect you very much. If you come, they should be able to sleep peacefully."

The journey to Dongning Village is not far. Although it is difficult to walk due to the thick snow, there is also the King Bronze Elephant, a high-quality mount in the snowfield, for transportation.

The broad back of the giant bronze elephant could easily accommodate several people, but the slight swaying along the way made the people, who were already on the verge of the limit of their willpower, mentally stagnant and drowsy.

How can a child who is in the growing period resist this sleepiness?

When a small village built in the snowfield appeared in Luo Mu's sight, it had started snowing and the exquisitely shaped snowflakes seemed to fill his entire field of vision.

Nemo and the other three fell into a deep sleep, and it was obvious that they had been tense for a long time.

Apart from Peony, the three children encountered ghost stories during their trip to a foreign country. The pressure was indeed a bit too much.

Arriving outside Dongning Village, the King Bronze Elephant stopped on its own initiative. It seemed that it had a clear understanding that if it walked into the village with its size, it would be destructive.

After landing from the back of the King Bronze Elephant, Luo Mu looked at Pioni who was planning to move the four children back to his temporary home one by one, and said, "Let me help too."

Pioni was stunned, but Luo Mu acted faster.

Considering that there were already himself and Pioni at the scene, Luo Mu directly called out the Azure Blade Demon and Swampert, and asked them to pick up Neemo and Pipa. He then carried Pioni on his back and watched Pioni hold Peony in his arms carefully as if she were a treasure, and then he walked into the Frozen Village.

As if to prevent the intrusion of wild Pokémon, there is a wall built with some kind of wood around the Frozen Village. The entire village is not very large, with only about ten or twenty households, which can be said to be quite sparse.

It is said that there are settlements of a small number of people in other places in the Crown Snowfields, or some people living alone in the snowfields.

These are the information Luo Mu learned when he was searching for information.

Carrying Papa on his back, Luo Mu walked in the quiet Frozen Village.

It was only two or three in the afternoon, but no one in Dongning Village was out and about. There were only a few acres of farmland with some farm tools scattered around, and the crops that had grown with great difficulty in the ice and snow were wilting.

According to Luo Mu's experience, he knew at a glance that these crops had become like this because they had been neglected in recent times.

All signs indicate that because of the so-called "haunted" incident, the entire Frozen Village, which had been able to survive in such a harsh environment as the Crown Snowfield, is now on the verge of collapse.

“The situation is much more serious than I thought.”

Luo Mu murmured in a low voice that even Pioni beside him couldn't hear.

The giant swampert carrying a lopa looked around curiously, as if trying to determine the complex atmosphere here.

The Azure Blade held Nemo firmly in a knight's princess hug. It also considerately put away the blade of its sword and carefully adjusted the hugging posture to avoid hurting its trainer's student.

The Azure Blade Ghost's calm gaze kept scanning the village. As a ghost-type Pokémon, it could also detect the breath of its own kind to a certain extent and observe the traces of its own kind's actions.

But at the moment, there seems to be almost no particularly strong smell. It does not look like the environment that should appear in a place where ghost Pokémon have been wreaking havoc for more than a week. There is almost no trace.

Unless, that ghost-type Pokémon can fly.

Now it seems that the culprit is not a ghost-type Pokémon, which means that there is something else going on, or it may be a real "ghost" that even ghost-type Pokémon like them cannot explain.

Just as Luo Mu's eyes fell on a broken statue somewhere in the farmland of Dongning Village, Papa on his back didn't know whether he was half asleep or had a rare dream during the day.

Papa's face, which was resting on Luo Mu's back, rubbed against his broad back lovingly, as if he was missing something, and he uttered a few unclear mumblings in his sleep.

"dad."

Luo Mu, who happened to hear Papa's mumbling in his sleep, froze and his expression suddenly became strange.

No.

Brother, I am only seven or eight years older than you. Is it inappropriate for you to call me that?
I don't know if Pioni, who was standing by, had turned into a spirit. He came up to Luo Mu with a gossipy look on his face, and asked excitedly as if he couldn't read the air at all: "What? My soul friend, is this kid Papa your son? "

"I can't tell! You look like you're less than 20 years old. Is this the legendary baby face?"

Before Luo Mu could refute with a dark face, it seemed that they had unknowingly arrived at the door of the house that Pioni had bought in this Frozen Village specifically for exploration, and the conversation was heard in full by the person who had been waiting behind the door for a long time.

The door opened with a creaky sound, and the moment a sound was heard, Pioni's movements instantly stiffened.

"It's unbelievable. I don't remember my dad being the kind of person who couldn't read the air."

"Even if this reliable baby-faced trainer who came all the way to support us made a mistake when he was young, he shouldn't be so careless in poking at other people's sore spots!"

After the door opened, the person who spoke was the complete opposite of Mudan, a more cheerful young hot girl who was even wearing a short skirt in this snowy weather.

She is Pioni’s eldest daughter and Mudan’s biological sister, Xia Keya.

"That's not the case, Xiao Xia Xia, please listen to my explanation!"

As if he was afraid of being completely banished by his daughter, Pioni was frantically trying to explain, and he didn't even notice that Peony on his back had an indescribable expression as if she was having a nightmare because of the constant shaking.

Luo Mu said coldly, "I suddenly want to go home. Let's just take Mudan and the others back to Padiya."

After a while.

The firewood in the fireplace was burning brightly, and from time to time there was the sound of crackling wood.

The red firelight illuminated the house, bringing warmth to the people inside in this world of ice and snow.

Next to the fireplace where the fire continued to burn, Nemo and the other three lay on the carpet, covered with a thin blanket, and slept soundly.

Xia Keya and Pioni knelt on the cushions used for receiving guests, lowered their heads in shame, and did not even dare to look up at Luo Mu, who had taken over as the host and was sitting on the only lazy sofa in the room, eating fruit worms.

It's nothing, I'm just in the wrong.

If Luo Mu, who came from far away, really ran away with Nimo, Mudan, Papa and Pipa tonight, what should the father and daughter do?
Abort the ruins exploration plan, abort the exploration plan of the Crown Snowfield Cave?

Don’t do that kind of thing!
The two funny guys can only lower their posture now and hope that Luo Mu, the exorcist master who was recently sealed by Nemo, can solve the nightmare of Frozen Village in recent times, instead of leaving them here and running away with Nemo and the other three.

As Luo Mu drank the perfectly hot boiled water to dispel the slight chill, he felt a sudden warmth rising in his body.

After letting out an imperceptible sigh, Luo Mu looked down at Pioni and Xia Keya and began to ask some detailed questions.

For example, are there any records of ghost-type Pokémon appearing near Frozen Village? Have the villagers of Frozen Village brought back any strange things recently?

What is more important is how long did the so-called "haunting" incident begin, whether it only happens late at night, and whether there is a pattern to the possession.

Xia Keya and Pioni looked at each other, and finally Pioni started to speak first: "The ancestors of Frozen Village built the village here for safety reasons. There are almost no dangerous wild Pokémon nearby, and ghost Pokémon have never been heard of."

"As for strange things, there are none as far as I know." "But the statue in the center of the village that seems to be missing something looks very suspicious."

After Pioni finished speaking, Xia Keya spoke next.

She nodded heavily. "I also think that statue looks suspicious. The horse looks quite abstract, but the wooden sculpture of the rider on the horse looks like it's missing a small part of its head!"

"Maybe there's an ancient dead spirit living in that statue."

Having said that, the father and daughter reached a consensus for the first time and looked at each other with sparkling eyes.

If Mudan was still awake, she would have a dead look in her eyes and would mutter something like "stupid dad, stupid sister"
"Cough cough."

Luo Mu coughed lightly. No matter how he looked at these two funny guys, he felt that they were unreliable. No wonder Mudan wanted to try her best to hide her family relationship.

At Luo Mu's reminder, Pioni and Xia Keya, who were discussing enthusiastically whether the statue was haunted, froze and continued talking honestly.

The haunting incident started about a week after Mudan and the others arrived at the Crown Snowfield.

At that time, Pioni took a few students to wander around the Crown Snowfield.

What about the big red trees, the surface of the ruins in the snowy valley, the mining experience of the ice stone and water stone veins, and the peaks of the Crown Snowfield?
After completing the expedition, when Nemo and the others were excitedly discussing where to go next to capture Pokémon, that night, haunted incidents began to occur one after another in the village.

Until now.

The villagers were tense and frightened at night. They either huddled together or hugged each other tightly, praying that they would not be possessed.

During the day, we cherish the hard-earned quiet moments, catch up on sleep or replenish some energy, and even neglect the farmland.

The dilapidated and desolate scene that Luo Mu saw came from this reason.

After listening to the two people's stories, Luo Mu stroked his chin with a thoughtful look: "It should be an indisputable fact that something is active in this village."

Hearing this, Pioni and Xia Keya looked at each other with surprise.

As expected of a master of exorcism, he came to the conclusion so quickly!
".never mind."

Just by looking at the expressions of Xia Keya and Pioni, Luo Mu knew what they were thinking, and prayed for the thousandth time in his heart that Neemo had never boasted about herself to others while traveling in the Galar region.

After sighing, Luo Mu looked outside the door, thinking that it was almost time for the two Pokémon to come back.

as predicted.

About ten seconds later, two figures covered with a layer of snow opened the door of the room and walked into the warm little house.

They were the Blue Flame Blade Demon and Mimikyuu who were sent by Luo Mu to explore the surrounding environment in the corners of the village and outside the village.

By the way, since his hands are swords, he cannot disassemble weapons like a certain War Greymon, so he cannot open the door.

This was only possible after Mimikyu stood on tiptoe and stretched his shadow claws as far as possible to successfully open the door.

After entering the room, noticing Luo Mu's inquiring gaze, Cang Yan Ren Gui and Mi Mi Qiu shook their heads slightly, indicating that they had not found any important clues at all.

"That's it"

Luo Mu felt helpless. Even though he was already extremely weak due to the exhaustion of the power of faith, could the Flower Crown King still invade the village without leaving any trace?
Looking at the two Pokémon, one tall and one short, who lowered their heads and seemed to be very guilty, Luo Mu raised a soothing smile, touched the lost Mimikyu's head, and patted the shoulder of Blademaster with an eager but reserved expression.

He comforted her and said, "It's okay. Thank you for your hard work."

The current situation has changed from being able to take the initiative to having to wait until night to see if the Rape Crown King will show up tonight.

That's the best time to solve the problem.

However, today is already the last day of July, and I probably won't be able to return to Padia on time tomorrow to attend the opening ceremony of the Grape Academy.

After thinking about it, Luo Mu edited another message and sent it to Principal Clavel, explaining the reason and asking for a few days off on behalf of Nemo and the other three.

As for Nemo and her friends' parents, we can only contact them after they wake up.

Thinking of this, Luo Mu stood up and said to Pioni and his daughter, "The Blade Blade Demon and the others didn't find any traces of ghost-type Pokémon either. We can only wait until night and see what happens."

"Just look after Nimo and the others. I'll go around the village and see if there are any villagers who are still awake. Maybe we can learn some information from them that we don't know."

The father and daughter were stunned, and then Xia Keya pushed Pioni and signaled to her stupid father with her eyes that she was here, and asked him to follow Luo Mu, at least she could serve as a guide and introduction.

Pioni stood up happily, straightened his red exploration suit, thought for a moment, picked up an object from the table beside him, and then followed Luo Mu who had already left the house.

When I came outside the house, the light snow was getting heavier and heavier, and it was gradually turning into heavy snow.

Looking at the sky that was a little blurry with countless snowflakes, Luo Mu let the Azure Blade temporarily return to the Poké Ball, leaving only Mimikyu hiding in his shadow and Vulpix in his arms.

Although Luo Mu and Cang Yan Ren Gui may not have had that intention, in the eyes of the villagers, the two of them might be like bad guys who came to rob.

After all, the two swords of the Blue Flame Blade Ghost that could not be hidden were too conspicuous.

Mimikyu can hide in its own shadow, which is very convenient.

As for Vulpix, it is brought out purely for cuteness, which will make Luo Mu look more harmless, friendly and trustworthy.

Just as Luo Mu was getting ready and about to walk towards other houses.

"My soul friend, wait a moment!"

Pioni used a wooden sculpture on his head to avoid the snow and shouted Luo Mu's name loudly, asking him to wait for him.

Luo Mu, who was holding Vulpix, turned around and looked. When his eyes were focused on Pioni's head, he was stunned for a moment.

That's a wood carving. Broccoli?
"Miaowu~"

Vulpix felt that this thing was a bit abstract, and Peony with the broccoli on his head was also abstract. Thinking of his mother's teachings, he chose to cover his eyes with his little paws.

After being stunned for a moment, Luo Mu quickly reacted and looked at the wooden broccoli above Pioni's head. As if he remembered something, he asked, "Where did you get this thing?"

Pioni chuckled and made a face as if posing: "Hey, it looks like I picked it up on the side of the road. It's just right for keeping out the snow. Do you want it too?"

".want to."

Luo Mu nodded slightly.

"I really can't help it. You are my spiritual friend after all." Pioni pretended to be unable to stand you and handed the wooden sculpture that just fit his head to Luo Mu. "Here, take it."

"Thank you."

Luo Mu put Vulpix down, took the wooden sculpture of broccoli that was bigger than his head with both hands, looked around, and walked to a corner of the farmland under the gaze of Pioni who was puzzled but a little curious.

There is a broken statue here which is also carved from wood.

Just as Pioni and Xiakoya said, perhaps the sculptor's technique was a bit clumsy and the statue looked very abstract.

But at least you can see the details, such as the statue of a Pokémon with a hat missing from its head, riding a horse that looks a little bit wise.

Without much hesitation, Luo Mu placed the wooden carving "Broccoli" in his hand on the gap.

At this moment, "Broccoli" fits perfectly onto the head of the Pokémon statue.

Pioni, who arrived, looked at the statue in surprise and opened his mouth to say something.

But at this moment, Vulpix at Luo Mu's feet seemed to have discovered something and turned his gaze to somewhere behind the statue.

"Mew!"

Alerted by Vulpix's voice, Luo Mu immediately looked in that direction.

He discovered that in a snow-covered forest outside the village, a smaller green figure was quietly floating there, staring at him with a majestic gaze.

Following Luo Mu's gaze, Pioni shouted out of place, "What a big green head! What is that? Is it a Pokémon transformed from broccoli?"

Speechless Luo Mu: “.”

"Guan-n, Guan-n-lei."

The Pokémon looked at Peony deeply, then looked at Luo Mu, made a few noises that he could not understand at all, turned around and walked into the woods.

Luo Mu only thought for a moment and immediately understood what the Pokémon meant. He picked up Vulpix, jumped over the wooden fence and chased after it.

At the same time, his brain was working rapidly.

Although the vision was a little ambiguous due to the snowflakes that blocked his vision, he could say with certainty that the Pokémon must be the legendary Pokémon, Bud Crown!
The ancient king of Galar who has lost his faith - the King of Plenty, the Bud Crown King!
(End of this chapter)