While Dratini were ubiquitous in Casseroya Lake in the game, in the Paldea region here, Dragonite was far too eye-catching as an ultra-rare Pokemon.
Luo Mu, who had previously been chased and cornered by passersby demanding photos with his Dragonite, chose to avoid the trouble from the root.
Poliwag, though not common in the Paldea region, was very widespread in the Kanto region, so while it did turn heads, it wasn't particularly high.
Since there was still some time until their noon appointment, Luo Mu took Poliwag to wander around Bottle Gourd City.
It was a rare trip to another city, so he could see if there was anything suitable to buy and take back.
Bottle Gourd City itself was divided into three levels, moving from low to high via huge elevators, and coupled with the city's pleasant environment, it attracted many tourists.
Therefore, the area in front of these elevators was often crowded, requiring queues to board.
Luo Mu had already landed Dragonite in the wild near the second level, so he didn't need to squeeze onto the elevator.
As he passed by, Luo Mu still curiously glanced inside the elevator, where there was still a long queue, a sight that felt suffocating.
However, among the crowd of tourists, one person stood out.
From their back, the person seemed to be wearing a white chef's uniform, likely a chef from a restaurant in Bottle Gourd City, as the culinary industry here was also very developed.
But the most striking feature of that person should have been their golden-yellow hair; such pure golden hair was quite rare in the Paldea region, perhaps someone who had moved here from another region?
A flash of inspiration crossed Luo Mu's mind, but he just missed it, failing to grasp it.
Without overthinking, Luo Mu put the matter out of his mind, intending to take Poliwag to visit the relatively famous antique market nearby!
With the system, perhaps he could become a master at finding hidden gems and get rich overnight?
"Guest, you have excellent taste! This is a royal chamber pot used by the Paldea Empire's royalty 2000 years ago, with extremely high collection value!"
"Seeing that you are also a discerning person, I'll make a big sacrifice and make friends with you. How about this price?"
The middle-aged vendor with a mustache gestured a "3" with his hand, his face beaming as if to say, "If you buy this, you've made a profit."
Luo Mu, who had been wandering for some time, clearly knew how much the vendor's "3" referred to.
30,000 alliance currency.
Why don't you just rob me?!
Moreover, the thought that this thing might be a chamber pot made Luo Mu's hand, holding this "antique," tremble slightly.
Luo Mu asked in his mind, "Is this thing real or fake?"
【Ding! Fake】
"As expected," Luo Mu let out an imperceptible sigh of relief. Thankfully, it wasn't a genuinely used chamber pot; otherwise, he would have wanted to die and made the Poliwag beside him use Water Gun to scrub a layer of skin off his hand.
The vendor had been observing Luo Mu's expressions and movements, quickly judging whether this person was worth fleecing.
Firstly, the Pokemon accompanying this young man should be a Poliwag, unique to the Kanto region, which is a bit far from the Paldea region.
Although Poliwag were also sparsely distributed in the Paldea region, the vendor was more inclined to believe that this young man was a tourist in Bottle Gourd City, and such young people were the easiest to fleece.
Just as the vendor was about to redouble his efforts to win over this "naive" tourist, Luo Mu deftly placed the "chamber pot" back on the vendor's stall, saying, "I'll look at other stalls," and then turned to leave.
Poliwag glanced at the bewildered vendor, its intuition telling it that this person was up to no good. After making a face at the vendor, it followed Luo Mu's footsteps and departed.
"Huh?"
The vendor, left behind, stood dumbfounded, an incredulous feeling surfacing in his heart.
This customer didn't even haggle and just left.
Was it because he wanted to earn a little more, so he aged this old man's chamber pot, which he bought for 30 alliance currency, and raised the price a little?
He should have known to earn a little less. If the next customer comes, he'll say 20,000 alliance currency.
Luo Mu, who turned and left, didn't know how dark the vendor's heart was. He just complained in his mind, "We've visited six stalls back and forth, and there hasn't been a single genuine item. Is this some kind of fake-making, customer-fleecing den?"
He had even wanted to try and find a hidden gem like a novel protagonist, but who knew he'd wasted so much time and touched something smelly.
Finding a secluded corner, Luo Mu, who still felt very uncomfortable with his hands after touching that "chamber pot," squatted down and had Poliwag use Water Gun to create a stream of water for handwashing.
While washing his hands, Luo Mu grumbled, "There's probably not a single genuine item sold in this antique market!"
【There is a damaged teacup for sale in an antique shop 50 meters behind you.】
Luo Mu: "?"
His handwashing paused, and Luo Mu looked behind him, only to see an antique shop standing prominently where the corner extended backward.
What a coincidence?
A damaged teacup. He remembered it was an item needed for the Ghost-type Pokemon Sinistea (authentic) to evolve into Polteageist (authentic). Due to some collectors, the price of an authentic teacup was significantly higher than a fake one.
However, both types of teacups could brew fragrant and rich tea; the authentic teacup was merely slightly superior in taste compared to the fake one.
Wiping his hands clean, Luo Mu pulled out his phone and searched for the prices of damaged teacups and cracked teacups, then blurted out, "Holy crap!"
Cracked Teacup: 7500 alliance currency (estimated)
Damaged Teacup: 150000 alliance currency (estimated)
A full 20-fold difference. Are people crazy these days?
Hesitating for a moment, Luo Mu rubbed his hands together like a fly, then picked up Poliwag and whispered in its ear.
"Wurururu!"
Poliwag nodded thoughtfully, expressing to Luo Mu that it had everything covered!
Seeing Poliwag so reliable, Luo Mu could barely contain his smile.
"Woohoo!"
Entering and leaving the antique shop took only a little over ten minutes. Luo Mu pretended to be nonchalant, letting Poliwag carry the small wooden box containing the teacup out of the shop.
Only when they were far enough away did Luo Mu, clutching his wildly beating heart, take the small wooden box from Poliwag.
This contained a valuable item worth 150,000 alliance currency; it must be properly kept!
Luo Mu held the small wooden box in his arms, squatted down, and with an appreciative expression, stroked Poliwag's head: "Thanks to you, we were so successful."
"Wurururu!"
Poliwag puffed out its chest, its face full of pride.
Their plan was simple: after entering the shop, Poliwag would express that it also wanted the damaged teacup, which the shopkeeper believed to be a cracked teacup.
Everything went extremely smoothly. Poliwag's acting was superb, and Luo Mu only spent 7600 alliance currency to buy the damaged teacup.
"Just this one gain makes today's trip to Bottle Gourd City worthwhile." Luo Mu, smiling broadly, stopped stroking Poliwag's head, glanced at the time, and murmured, "It's almost time. I should go find Mr. Haidai at his Chinese restaurant."