Chapter 6: The Book of Zhu

"Hello uncle, my name is Papa, I am ten years old"

On the way to the laboratory in the institute, Papa, who had recovered his strength, kept chattering in Luo Mu's ear.

Luo Mu had a headache. Would this talkative kid really turn into the slightly melancholy senior Papa in Zhu Zi?
Isn’t the change too big?
In fact, Papa's chatterbox was nothing to Luo Mu. He was a man who could sit through a four-hour meeting that started on time after get off work.
However, this was the only thing Luo Mu couldn't tolerate.

After Papa called him "Uncle" again, Luo Mu put his hand on his shoulder and said with a smile: "Is it possible that I am only about eight years older than you?"

"Be good and call me brother."

"Brother Luo Mu." Papa said weakly.

Although he preferred to call Luo Mu uncle, there seemed to be something untouchable hidden in the smile Luo Mu showed just now, so Papa chose to follow his heart.

Children's emotions always come and go quickly. Papa soon started nagging again, calling "brother, brother" non-stop.

This time, Olin, who had been patient all along, could no longer bear her son's nagging, and said angrily, "Shut up! Go back to your room and play with Godfather Mastiff."

It seemed as if Pepper had long been accustomed to Olin's temper. She made a face at her and rode the Mastiff Godfather towards another corner.

Olin could only helplessly watch as Piper rode away on the Mastiff Godfather, a tenderness emerging in her eyes that she herself had not even noticed.

Witnessing everything, Luo Mu suddenly recalled the sad expression of the grown-up Papa.

Even though his parents stayed in Area Zero for several years to study the time machine, at the moment when the AI ​​that replaced the two doctors contacted Pepper, perhaps he realized at that time that the parents he was talking to had become another stranger.

That's why there is always an indelible worry on Papa's brow.

Real emotions are too difficult for AI to imitate. Even if it inherited all the emotions, Orin/Futu AI only gradually understood these things after watching the protagonists' magnificent adventures.

Can my arrival change these tragedies?
Luo Mu fell into deep thought.

Olin noticed that the atmosphere seemed to be a little stagnant because of Papa's departure. Olin, who was still feeling guilty for wrongly accusing Luo Mu, decided to find some topic to talk about.

"Brother Luo Mu, do you know why I was so nervous just now?"

Luo Mu's thoughts were interrupted. He slowly raised his head with a look of doubt in his eyes.

Yes, he wouldn’t have thought of it if Orin hadn’t mentioned it.

The Padiya region is an area where evil organizations rarely operate, so the number of criminals should be small.
But Olin was so nervous at that time, as if she was afraid of something.

Luo Mu nodded and said, "I'm curious."

Olin said seriously, "The police have been informed that a group of criminals from other regions have recently fled to the Padiya area, and their business is to abduct or kidnap children."

"Parents with money and status will blackmail the other party, and ordinary children will be sold directly to evil organizations in other regions. This is why I reacted so strongly to you."

"Is this so"

Luo Mu's eyes narrowed. He felt disgusted with these criminals who kidnapped and trafficked children.

Although he would not go to such lengths to become a partner of justice, if he were to see them, they would certainly not have a good ending. Soon, the place where Dr. Olin and Dr. Futu, whom he had never met before, usually worked and researched came into Luo Mu's sight.

The laboratory was not like the cutting-edge place full of technology and metal that Luo Mu had imagined. Instead, it was full of life.

The research area is naturally equipped with a lot of high-tech equipment, but there is also a large living area in the room, especially the bookshelves are filled with various books.

Noticing Luo Mu's curious gaze, Olin gave him a detailed introduction to the subject she was researching: "In addition to accepting commissions to create Taijingzhu, my husband and I are researching the legends that have been passed down in the Padiya region since ancient times."

"The four ancient ancestral halls scattered across the Padiya region, the ultimate secret in the Padiya giant pit. Just thinking about these makes my blood boil."

Olin is undoubtedly a PhD who loves research, and her face lights up when she talks about research.

Olin walked to the bookshelf and pulled out a book with a red cover. He stroked the cover and enthusiastically introduced the facilities in the institute to Luo Mu.

But Luo Mu couldn't hear anything. His eyes were fixed on the book in Olin's hand, and his pupils shrank slightly.

This is Zhu's book!
He remembered that this book was written by the explorer Hezhe who successfully reached the bottom of the Padia Crater one or two hundred years ago.

The general content records the observations of the Haizhe expedition team at the bottom of the Padia Crater, a mysterious area they named "Area Zero".

However, the content of Zhu's book is so bizarre that the mainstream thought in Padya is that the content of the book is Haizhe's delusion.

Zhu's book was labeled as supernatural literature, and Haizhe himself was labeled a "liar".

It is worth mentioning that the Purple Book was also released by Haizhe right after the Red Book.

Luo Mu still roughly remembered the contents of the Red Book and the Purple Book, and these two books were also collected in the library of Orange College. If he really forgot, he could go to the library to look them up after class.

But what shocked Luo Mu was not the existence of the Red/Purple Book, but Dr. Olin who was holding the Red Book.

This means that Dr. Olin and Dr. Fortu may have come up with the idea of ​​going to Area Zero to build a time machine and study Pokémon from the past/future.

Once they have this idea, it won't be long before the appearance of paradoxical Pokémon and even the arrival of the Red and Purple God.

Luo Mu was silent for a while. His dream was to live a peaceful and leisurely life, but he couldn't bear to see the tragedy happen.

After hesitating for a moment, Luo Mu still asked, "Does Dr. Olin like this Zhu's Book very much?"

Olin was startled for a moment, then smiled brightly and said, "I am very interested in the huge and violent Pokémon with ancient wildness recorded in the book. This also prompted me to decide to devote myself to the research on Area Zero."

"You came at a perfect time. My husband and I plan to restart the Taile Project in the Padiya Pit this month, and my husband is also out negotiating with companies that are interested in financing this matter. If we come later, I'm afraid I won't have time to make the Taijing Pearl for you."

"Are you also interested in the Book of Vermilion?" Olin looked at Luo Mu with anticipation. When President Ye Ci contacted her, she specifically mentioned that Luo Mu was a powerful champion-level trainer who was not inferior to her.

If he could be persuaded to join his research team, the dangerous wild Pokémon in the Padia Pit and Area Zero would no longer be a threat.

Luo Mu thought about it and said modestly: "I have only read it and know a little bit."

(End of this chapter)