Luo Mu didn't despise the cheat system; he just felt it had arrived a bit too late.
Even the donkeys in the production team would shake their heads at this.
During the time Luo Mu was secretly complaining in his heart, the special prompt system seemed to have encountered something unexpected, crashing for a moment, before a line of text slowly appeared.
“According to detection, although the host's strength is the weakest among Champions, he is indeed a genuine Champion Trainer. Has this system arrived late?”
“What do you mean by 'weakest'? Apologize to me, kora!”
Luo Mu skillfully complained with a tongue click. Although he was self-aware of his true strength, Chief Champion Ye Ci had not used her full power when battling him.
But being criticized by this self-proclaimed late system still made him feel a bit annoyed.
However, the cheat system seemed to have entered a crashed state again during the time Luo Mu was inspecting his territory, occasionally displaying text like 'Self-checking'.
Luo Mu ignored it. Based on years of experience surfing the web, he knew he probably couldn't get rid of this cheat system, so he might as well do something productive.
After he had toured this undeveloped land, thinking about where to build what structures and where to designate pasture areas, the prompt system reappeared.
“Binding complete. Although the host has achieved the goal of a Champion, there is still ample room for improvement in his strength. How about we go travel to other regions!”
“What you said is very good, but allow me to refuse,” Luo Mu firmly rejected the quirky text dancing before his eyes, as if afraid he wouldn't see it.
“…”
Seeing the system fall silent, Luo Mu realized that this guy was more like an emotional chat partner than the mechanical prompt systems he had read about in novels before his transmigration.
However, seeing its frantic attempts to grab his attention, Luo Mu knew with certainty that this system had no power or authority to force him to do anything.
Aside from its prompt function, which he wasn't sure what effect it had, all it could probably do was chat with him.
But that was fine too. If there were any troublesome mandatory missions, his free soul would rather choose to die on the spot, though he would be a little reluctant to part with the Pokémon who had accompanied him all this way.
After all, he had finally escaped the grueling life of 996, working overtime until he vomited, and even having New Year's Eve compensatory days off. Now he was just an ordinary farm owner who wanted to live a peaceful and leisurely life.
“...In the land, in the clouds~, and in that child's skirt~”
Humming a familiar tune, Luo Mu, like a retired old man, strolled to the only duplex building standing on the large piece of land he had purchased.
This was a three-story Western-style house that looked a bit old. Luo Mu remembered that the Pingdie Town mayor had said it was originally inhabited by an old couple who had no children and relied on each other.
But after the two elders passed away a few years ago, their land and house were left abandoned.
The reason Luo Mu was able to buy such a large piece of land, though abandoned, had great potential.
It was also because the old couple's will contained a clause stating that after their death, the land would be donated to Pingdie Town free of charge, and if Pingdie Town chose to sell the land, the proceeds should be used to develop the town.
They were truly two people full of kindness in every sense of the word.
Entering the Western-style house and touring each floor, Luo Mu gained a thorough understanding of the three-story Western-style house left by the old couple.
The house itself occupied an area of about two hundred square meters.
It had all the necessary rooms, and the third floor even had a balcony where one could grow flowers and sunbathe. Although it was a bit old, this was truly Luo Mu's dream home.
With just a thorough cleaning and the removal of the dusty old furniture, it would be ready to move in.
“However, some things definitely can't be used and need to be cleared out.”
Luo Mu planned to clean first, then go to town to buy some bedding, and move in tonight.
Aside from the necessary expenses for training Pokémon, most of the money he had saved by being frugal for a year had been spent on purchasing land. As for the hotel he was currently staying in, he should check out; there would definitely be many more places to spend money later.
Thinking that he might not be able to move some of the heavy items inside, Luo Mu took out a Poké Ball from his waist, a slight smile on his lips, and pressed the activation button.
Red light flashed, and a Swampert, more robust than its ordinary counterparts and with a fierce look in its eyes, appeared before Luo Mu.
This Swampert, which looked like it could shake the earth with one punch and make a little girl cry, its fierce expression visibly softened the moment its eyes met Luo Mu's smiling gaze.
“Swampert, please help me move these things outside to sunbathe,” Luo Mu said with a smile, pointing to the dusty furniture behind him, which had a musty smell from years of neglect.
Among them were tables, chairs, sofas, and some sealed cardboard boxes whose contents were unknown.
Swampert nodded slightly, its strong arms, which instantly gave one a sense of security, easily lifted a sofa bearing many marks of time, and walked directly out of the room.
“Heave-ho!” Luo Mu also rolled up his sleeves at this time and walked towards the pile of sealed cardboard boxes, planning to move them into the sunlight while the weather was good to see what was inside.
If they were commemorative items related to the old couple, he would send them to their gravestone.
If they were other items, he would categorize them to see if anything would be useful for the construction of the ranch or Farming Area on the farm. This way, he could save some money by utilizing them.
After all, he didn't have much money left after buying this land, so he had to be very careful with his finances.
“In the third cardboard box from left to right, directly in front of your right hand, there is a mysterious crystal, which has a significant effect on improving your strength.”
Luo Mu's movement to lift the cardboard box paused. He raised an eyebrow and looked at the cardboard box mentioned in the prompt, remaining silent. He walked to the cardboard box the prompt mentioned, squatted down, and a clear look of curiosity appeared on his face.
Something good to improve his strength?
It seemed that this system had no intention of giving up and was seemingly preparing to improve his strength in a roundabout way.
Out of a desire to test how accurate its prompting ability was, Luo Mu still chose to use the small utility knife in his hand to cut the seal on the cardboard box and began to rummage inside.
After a while, Luo Mu saw the true form of the “mysterious crystal” mentioned by the prompt.
The object was covered by a bright blue crystal shell that still sparkled even when covered in dust, but the crystal shell wasn't the main point. The main point was the grayish-black “raw ore” encased by the crystal shell.
“It's this thing?”
Luo Mu was a bit surprised. He had considered many possibilities for the items the prompt system said could improve his strength, but he never expected it to be the essential item for Terastallization, unique to the Paldea region—
The raw ore of a tera orb.
Reminder: The existence of the cheat system, besides occasionally acting as a foil, is only to assist the protagonist. It will not be heavily featured in the early stages.
The true cheat system in this book is the protagonist's own strength and understanding of Pokémon.