Pokémon Detective: Cynthia Forces Me to Adopt a Pokémon

Chapter 263 The Atheist in the Secret Room

Although the "Iaijutsu" easily cleared away the obstacles in front of the Mori Mansion, the door still opened much later than Chikuran had expected.

She knocked two or three more times, almost starting to doubt whether anyone lived in the mansion, before the ancient door finally creaked open with a rough scraping sound of rusty iron, and was slowly pushed open from the inside.

A timid young woman appeared behind the door.

Her clothes were simple, with the cuffs rolled up to her upper arms, and her long brown hair was simply pinned up on her head. In terms of appearance, she gave people a good impression of being very hardworking.

However, the little girl who opened the door still bore traces of fear on her face. Like a timid little curly-eared cub afraid of a stranger, her arm gripping the door trembled slightly, while she clutched a broom tightly in her other hand. It was as if she were facing a formidable enemy, ready to slam the door shut at any moment.

And when she looked up and turned her gaze to the guests waiting at the door—

"Oh! You're not... the League's Bamboo Orchid Champion, are you?"

Before Zhu Lan could speak, the woman behind the door immediately exclaimed in surprise.

To be honest, this way of greeting is quite impolite, but Cynthia is already used to being recognized at a glance. Even the berry growers in the Unova region can recognize her, let alone here in Sinnoh.

So, without any surprise, she calmly nodded and got straight to the point—

"Yes. I heard that there are some research sites related to mythology in this mansion, so I came to investigate. Are you a resident here?"

"Ruins?" The little girl's eyes widened. "Isn't this Mr. Meidan's mansion?"

Mei Dan... Zhu Lan was also somewhat surprised.

As a mythologist in the Sinnoh region, she had naturally heard of this name. However, coincidences of people sharing the same name exist all over the world, and it was not yet certain whether it was the same person.

"I see. Is that anonymous property owner named Meidan? To actually buy such a strangely styled mansion, he's quite an eccentric character."

Officer Jenny, dressed in a police uniform, stepped out from beside the champion. First the champion, then the police officer—this surprised Zina even more, who was already in a state of shock.

The policewoman didn't know Mei Dan's identity, but she also looked thoughtful.

In today's information age, sometimes even just one or two characters can unlock endless intelligence.

From an investigative standpoint, just hearing the name "Meidan" was enough to make her trip worthwhile.

Officer Jenny believed that by following the name, she could easily trace the person's social connections and financial situation. At that point, the mysteries of the Forest Mansion, the clues to the Crimson Sun Galaxy, and the secrets of the mythical ruins would all be solved.

Ideally, such intelligence gathering should be completed before any investigation is launched. However, strictly speaking, while the mansion may have been a former residence of Akari, the property itself was not directly involved in any criminal activity.

Even if Officer Jenny held a key position within the Sinnoh League, she still wouldn't have the authority to directly inquire about the house's subsequent ownership.

Of course, within the complex bureaucratic system of the Sinnoh League, there are ways to bypass the rules and gain access to the homeowner's privacy. But clearly, since there's no entrance fee to Erimo Forest, none of those gray-area methods are as simple and effective as directly visiting the mansion.

Although her appearance and police uniform were already convincing enough, Officer Jenny still skillfully pulled out her police handbook and used her official identification to prove her legitimate identity.

"Hello, I'm Officer Jenny from the League's Investigation Department. Unlike this Sinnoh Champion's mission, I'm visiting this residence primarily on official business. Besides the mythological relics, this mansion may also hold some clues about Team Galactic, who once ravaged Sinnoh. If possible, we would like to have the opportunity to visit inside."

To Zhu Lan and Jun Sha's surprise, the woman who opened the door nodded without hesitation and politely bowed, saying—

"Yes, please come in. Although I don't know the specifics, the owner must have known you would be here, which is why he specifically instructed me to prepare to welcome you. He is currently working in the basement, so let me invite you inside first."

The two uninvited guests exchanged a glance, seeing suspicion in each other's eyes. Neither of them had expected to be able to enter the Mori Mansion, which was already inhabited, so easily.

"Also, there's something I'd like to ask if I may be so bold as to ask..." Zina asked timidly and cautiously, "Where did the woods outside the mansion go?"

.

The explanation didn't take much effort. After seeing the mess outside the gate, Zina immediately understood where the trees that had originally sealed the gate had gone.

Taking this opportunity, Zhu Lan and the others also learned the maid's name and occupation, and realized that in Qi Na's eyes, this mysterious Forest Mansion was just a larger, more remote villa, and there was nothing strange or unusual about it.

"From what we've seen of the interior decoration so far, there really isn't anything unusual..."

The gleaming interior of the mansion contrasted sharply with the eerie exterior. Officer Jenny adjusted her police cap and said—

"The furniture is clean and tidy, all kinds of daily necessities and tableware on the dining table are in good order, and the wooden floor is also cleaned until it shines. Hmm... if I had to nitpick, the windows are a bit dirty."

Zina lowered her head shyly: "These are all my duties as a maid. I'm so glad you can feel comfortable. The windows haven't been wiped clean because they can't be opened."

"I see. It seems you're working very hard."

Officer Jenny uttered the praise that Zina had hoped for, but then abruptly changed the subject—

"However, sometimes being too normal can also be a kind of abnormality."

"Abnormal? What... does this mean?"

Seeing the policewoman's serious expression, the maid gripped the broom tighter, looking nervous.

“Someone once said that anything that has ever existed will leave a trace, let alone a mansion that has been inhabited for many years. Although Baidai City does have water pipes and electrical wires connected to this place, what do you do with the household garbage you have left over from your daily lives? There are no recycling stations around here that are responsible for regularly disposing of garbage.”

"Oh, this."

The maid, who was leading the two guests to the mansion owner's basement, changed her route after hearing Officer Jenny's question. She opened the door to a small room in the corner.

"The Gym Leader's Pokémon is responsible for handling most of the kitchen waste. Although it's just a Grimer, we usually call it 'Grimer.' As for the solid waste that Grimer can't digest, we collect it and entrust Mr. Neil, who delivers supplies to us regularly, to take it to town to dispose of it."

Inside the door, a lump of mud covered in dark purple stripes was curled up in the pool, sleeping peacefully in a place where the sun couldn't reach.

Upon seeing Qi Na and the others push open the door and enter, the clump of purple mud began to wriggle, revealing a cheerful face with its mouth wide open.

"It's stinky mud. I haven't seen it much lately."

Because the room had an exhaust fan on, the odor from the mud wasn't very strong.

The champion of Bamboo Orchid said with some emotion—

"Since the leagues around the world began to pay attention to environmental governance, sewage environments suitable for these sludge to live in have almost disappeared. Nowadays, people even need to build artificial sewage ponds to raise them. Perhaps in the future, when people think of sludge, they will only think of the Alola sludge subspecies that feeds on garbage, and the image of green sludge will appear in their minds instead of purple..."

And at that very moment—

"Hehehe! In the future, even those beings revered as gods in murals might end up like beginner Pokémon in research institutes, kept in Poké Balls!"

A loud and sarcastic voice suddenly came from behind the group.

In the sewage pool, the purple, smelly slime waved its mud-formed hands with even greater joy, clearly because it had seen its trainer.

Hearing the audacious words behind her, Zhu Lan didn't need to turn around to immediately confirm the other person's identity—

Professor Medan, a renowned biology PhD ten years ago, was the number one atheist in the Sinnoh region.