This was the second time Ace had come to Muster Town.
Ace and Zinnia slowly descended, finally landing on the cluster of buildings floating on the sea.
"Let's go, we need to eat first. I know a restaurant here that makes great seafood."
Ace led Zinnia and quickly found the seafood restaurant. Compared to Ace's last visit, the owner had renovated the storefront, making it look much more upscale.
They ordered two sets of meals and began to eat with relish.
It was the same delicious taste he remembered.
While eating, Ace chatted with the restaurant owner and, at the same time, asked him about the old man in Muster Town who observed the Mirage Island.
"You mean him."
The owner thought for a moment after hearing Ace ask about the old man. "He has a bit of an eccentric personality. But his place is easy to find; it's the easternmost building."
"Is that so? Thank you, boss."
Ace thanked him with a smile.
After finishing their meal, Ace fed his Pokémon. After resting for a while, Ace and Zinnia left the restaurant and headed to the easternmost part of Muster Town, based on the owner's description.
As the restaurant owner had said, it was indeed easy to find.
The entire eastern area consisted of only one small wooden cabin, connected to Muster Town by a long wooden bridge. It stood alone on the very edge of the town.
Ace and Zinnia walked across the long wooden bridge and arrived at the isolated cabin.
"Knock, knock, knock."
Ace knocked on the wooden door. A sound came from inside, and the door quickly opened. An old man in a robe, his face full of wrinkles, peered out. His eyes were half-closed as he looked at Ace and Zinnia. "Who are you?"
"Elder, we've come looking for the Mirage Island."
Ace said gently, "I heard that you're the only person who constantly observes the Mirage Island, so we were hoping to get some information from you."
Upon hearing Ace mention the Mirage Island, the old man's half-closed eyes instantly snapped open, glowing with a bright light as he looked at Ace and Zinnia. "You believe the Mirage Island exists too?! Come, come, come! Hurry inside, let's have a good talk!"
With that, the old man flung the door wide open and eagerly invited Ace and Zinnia in, his attitude extremely enthusiastic.
Seeing the old man's exuberance, even Ace felt a little overwhelmed.
However, for the sake of information about the Mirage Island, Ace could only brace himself and walk into the old man's home.
The old man had Ace and Zinnia sit down, brewed them a cup of tea, and then began to ramble about his own experiences with the Mirage Island.
Based on the old man's narration, a sense of respect grew in Ace's heart for the man before him.
The old man's name was Colin, and in his youth, he was a sailor in Muster Town.
Colin had set foot on the Mirage Island when he was young. As for how he got there, according to Colin, it was a total accident.
At the time, Colin was working on a fishing boat, deep-sea trawling for fish.
They were working as usual, but the weather at sea changed in an instant. The previously clear sky quickly turned into a violent storm with heavy rain.
In an effort to stabilize the fishing line, Colin, relying on his youth and strength, immediately began to reel it in.
But human strength was ultimately no match for nature. The line snapped, dragging Colin headfirst into the sea.
Colin thought he was going to die.
The waves were too fierce. Even the most skilled swimmer couldn't guarantee survival in those conditions.
More importantly, he was dragged down by the fishing line. Even if the line hadn't entangled him, the rapidly descending net had pulled Colin into the deep sea.
According to Colin, he lasted less than a minute before he passed out.
But Colin was lucky. When he woke up again, he found himself on the Mirage Island.
He survived by consuming the food and fresh water on the island. After a while, Colin managed to cut down some trees, build a raft, and leave the Mirage Island. He drifted at sea for three days before being rescued.
After his rescue, Colin told others about the Mirage Island, but he was quickly mocked.
Because there were no islands in that area of the sea.
Colin didn't believe their claims. Later, when he had the means, he tried to search for the Mirage Island himself.
However, Colin clearly never found it.
Later, Colin inquired widely and consulted with some elders, eventually realizing that the island he had set foot on was the legendary Mirage Island.
But no one believed the Mirage Island actually existed. Therefore, Colin resolutely built his current house and dedicated every day to observing the sea.
He wanted to prove to the world that the Mirage Island was real!
And that observation had lasted a lifetime.
"If you want to go to the Mirage Island, you should leave tomorrow."
After recounting his glorious tale, the elder Colin advised Ace, "The appearance time of the Mirage Island is impossible to determine. Sometimes it appears every three days, sometimes only every few months. However, on the day it appears, it is always between 1 PM and 2 PM, and the appearance time is very short, only about one minute. It hasn't appeared for over a month now, so the probability of it appearing soon is high."
Ace nodded and said to the elder Colin, "Then where exactly is the location, and where should we wait?"
Elder Colin stood up, walked to a shelf, rummaged through it for a while, and pulled out a dusty map.
He walked over to Ace and Zinnia, spread the map on the table, and pointed his finger at a blank area of the sea.
"The approximate location is here. My legs aren't nimble anymore, so I can't go with you. I hope you can land on the Mirage Island. That would fulfill my lifelong wish."
Colin sighed, holding great expectations for Ace and Zinnia to reach the Mirage Island.
"This area..."
Ace nodded. "I understand. We will go there then. Thank you very much for your help."
Ace stood up. Zinnia likewise stood up and thanked the elder Colin.
Colin quickly waved his hand, insisting it was no big deal.
Leaving the elder Colin's home, Ace took Zinnia to a shop in Muster Town and bought a large hourglass.
Ace made sure to ask the vendor several times, confirming that the sand in the hourglass would take exactly one day to fall completely.
After receiving the vendor's repeated assurance, Ace left the shop with Zinnia.
Then, Ace released his Lapras. The two rode the Lapras and quickly sailed toward the sea area indicated by the elder Colin.
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