Chapter 132: A Treasure Chest of Uncertain Use and a Parchment Scroll of Immediate Effect

Lucian left soon after.

He had arrived alone, but as he departed, a Girafarig followed behind him. The Girafarig was using its psychic powers to carry a massive stack of documents, looking at its master with an expression of profound pity. Lucian, however, felt no such thing; on the contrary, he felt that with so much work in his hands, he had finally returned to a normal life.

It sounded quite tragic, really... but everyone was not a devil, so Lucian could still rest occasionally! For instance... two days off a month?

Ahem... the capable are always busy!

Inside the room, Cynthia picked up Chen Ou’s letter from the table with a rather indifferent air and opened it. In the corner of the room, Lucario and Garchomp could not help but cover their faces.

[Master, please don't let your ears turn so red...] they both thought.

Cynthia unfolded the letter, her face betraying a mix of nervousness and a shy blush.

[What if this guy wrote something embarrassing in the letter?]

A rosy flush bloomed across her cheeks. As the letter unfolded, the words leaped before her eyes, then jumped into the depths of her heart, leaving a profound mark.

"Cynthia, seeing these words is like seeing me.

It hasn't actually been that long, has it? By the time I write this, it has been 32 days, 15 hours, and 31 minutes since we last met. I didn't count the seconds because time slips away every moment, and it must leave us with enough time to express our feelings. I cannot express in words within a second how much I miss you, so I have recorded every minute of our separation.

I mentioned to you over the phone that I have taken on a young girl named White as my apprentice.

Though I call her a traveling companion, she is essentially a student.

The Chimchar is very lively; the little one is quite mischievous since it was born. Its talent is excellent, and it meshes well with my abilities. Thank you for the gift; I like it very much.

I know you have always been quite curious about my origins. Although you have never asked me, the things we have experienced together have been enough to make you suspicious. I am very grateful you didn't ask, because if you had, I really wouldn't know how to answer you.

I will not lie to you, nor do I wish to hide anything. But there are some secrets I cannot tell you just yet.

If you really cannot resist asking, I will answer you. That is my promise.

If you don't ask, I will tell you eventually. Not right now, but please believe that it will be in the near future.

Besides this letter, I have asked Lucian to bring you a gift. A treasure chest-shaped necklace, which I crafted myself (hands on hips, I feel so proud of myself!). Inside the chest is a gold coin. Keep this item on you at all times, until the moment that coin is spent. The purpose of this gold coin is to buy your life.

Literally, to buy your life.

I hope you never have to use it, but I must keep it with you.

The parchment scroll is nothing complicated. Just sign your name on the other blank line. As for what is written on it, don't worry about it.

Actually, there are two more things I intend to give you, but if I gave them to you now, I wouldn't have enough prepared for when I propose and when we get married. So, consider it a little something to look forward to.

Kanto is my hometown, so I will embark on my first journey here.

The Kanto tour will end soon. I will rush to the Sinnoh region as quickly as I can, and then I will pull you off your pedestal and make you go home and rest properly.

It won't be too long. Wait for me.

P.S. Don't think about not signing the scroll. It does me no harm, and whether you sign it or not, I will be able to sense it!

P.P.S. I am going to pull you down from your position as Champion so you can stay home and raise our children for me!!!

P.P.P.S. After I finish the Quartz League, let me take you home. My old home—the place I have always wanted to return to.

Thinking of you, Chen Ou."

"Honestly, who would want to raise your children!" Cynthia muttered softly.

But the smile on her face could not be hidden.

She tucked the letter back into its envelope and placed it carefully into her pocket, planning to return to Celestic Town that very night to hide it away. Then, she took the treasure chest necklace with both hands and fastened it around her neck; the chest and the coin fell into the valley between her collarbones and disappeared from sight.

Finally, she spread out the parchment scroll on the table.

The scroll was covered in mysterious, ancient patterns and characters she did not recognize, yet she could clearly perceive the power contained within them. Cynthia stroked the parchment, which felt as soft and smooth as the fur of a Marill; she couldn't tell what animal's skin it was made of.

Cynthia’s finger slid from the top-left corner to the bottom-right, finding the two blank lines.

On one was written the name 'Chen Ou.' That type of character was called 'Hanzi,' which Chen Ou said was the script of his hometown.

Cynthia then slowly wrote the three characters for 'Cynthia' in Hanzi, though her writing was not yet proficient. This was something she had asked Chen Ou to teach her, with the goal of sneaking a peek at the diaries Chen Ou wrote when he was a child.

Chen Ou had kept a diary for a period when he first arrived in this world. Once he adapted to life here, he stopped writing, but since he had mentioned it, Cynthia would not give up the chance to sneak a look—or perhaps snatch it outright.

Chen Ou was also happy to teach her; after all, given how difficult Hanzi was to learn, he rarely got to see Cynthia looking so flustered.

Just as Cynthia finished writing her name, a resonant voice—one she had never heard before, yet whose meaning was perfectly clear—echoed in the depths of her heart.

'Contract, established.'

At the same time, in the Hall of Origin, Arceus attempted to open its eyes, but failed in the end. In different corners of the world, eighteen Arceus with different colored patterns turned toward the direction of Cynthia simultaneously, but a second later, as if they had forgotten something, they returned to their duties.

In the void, on a boss's office chair, Liu Nian yawned and muttered, "Almost forgot to erase the fluctuations from the Life Sharing Scroll. Giving this thing out is not exactly following the rules."

Having said that, Liu Nian continued to doze off in the chair as if nothing had happened.

At this moment, Cynthia only felt a warm, gentle sensation enveloping her entire body, as if she were basking in the warm sun while a soft breeze blew on a beach.

Her body was changing quietly.

"Garchomp? (Does Master look a bit healthier?)" Garchomp scratched its head with its fin-blade.

"Lucario... (Is the Aura on the Master... a bit too strong???)"

Lucario's face was full of shock!

[What on earth did Chen Ou send to the Master???]

This was a question that would soon be asked by Caitlin, who was about to arrive...