"Don't worry, we're not that greedy yet."
Cynthia responded with a smile.
The two parties quickly agreed that once they returned to Jubilife Village, Adaman would sort out all the Ground Attribute Items he could find, and send some to Ash and Cynthia as an additional reward.
As for the original mission reward, it would naturally be settled as agreed.
Now that the Queen has returned to normal, the battlefield no longer needed to maintain that high alert status.
Adaman and Arezu still needed to stay behind to arrange for the injured members and the Queen's follow-up matters, while Xipu also prepared to return to the Pearl Clan's base in Crimson Mirelands first.
Before leaving, Adaman suddenly thought of something and turned back to Ash and Cynthia.
"By the way, Irida should be returning to Jubilife Village tomorrow as well."
"Irida?"
Ash showed a hint of confusion: "Isn't she still dealing with matters on the Pearl Clan's side?"
"She's coming back because there were issues on the Pearl Clan's side."
Adaman couldn't help but laugh: "Cobalt Coastlands has been keeping her extremely busy lately. The situation there is completely different from Obsidian Fieldlands and Crimson Mirelands. I estimate that when she returns, she'll most likely seek your help again."
Cobalt Coastlands... Ash and Cynthia exchanged a glance.
That was precisely one of the areas they were bound to visit later.
Moreover, according to the information they had obtained earlier, Cobalt Coastlands had not yet selected a new King.
Since there was no King needing to be governed there, what kind of issue could be so pressing that it required Irida, the Pearl Clan leader, to return to Jubilife Village?
It seemed new troubles were about to follow.
After parting ways with Adaman, Xipu, and others, Ash and Cynthia didn't immediately summon Wyrdeer but instead arrived at a secluded open space far from the battlefield.
Surrounded by lushly growing vegetation, there were no traces of activity from the Diamond Clan or Pearl Clan members.
Ash closed his eyes, using Aura to carefully sense the surroundings.
After confirming no one else was nearby, he took out the Arceus Phone and the newly acquired Meadow Plate from the Space Backpack.
"Let's absorb the fifth plate first."
"Alright."
Cynthia also looked at the Arceus Phone.
As the green plate approached the phone, that familiar attraction reappeared once more.
The verdant light continuously emanated from the plate's surface, and the Grass Attribute energy it contained began to flow.
In just a few seconds, the entire Meadow Plate transformed into green light particles, fully merging into the Arceus Phone.
"The fifth plate."
Cynthia looked at the number on the screen, her eyes showing a hint of joy.
Compared to when they first arrived in this era, they were still far from collecting all eighteen plates.
But back then, Ash and Cynthia didn't even know where to search for the eighteen plates.
Now it was different.
With the current Kings, Mount Pokemon, and the legacies of Kings in various regions left behind, they at least had a clear path to continue their investigation.
More importantly...the map on the Arceus Phone underwent another change.
The Crimson Mirelands, which had always been unselectable, was now fully illuminated just like Obsidian Fieldlands.
Ash's eyes lit up slightly.
"The Crimson Mirelands can be teleported to now!"
"Seems like our guess was correct."
Cynthia quickly understood the pattern: "After absorbing the Earth Plate and the Blank Plate, the Crimson Mirelands remained closed until Lilligant was governed, unlocking the area immediately."
This means that the real condition for unlocking teleportation areas might be whether the local King was restored to normal.
As for the plates guarded by Mount Pokemon, they seemed to assist the Arceus Phone itself in restoring its power and functions.
After studying for a while, Ash confirmed that there were no new features appearing on the phone, and reopened the teleportation map.
Now that they knew they could teleport directly to Crimson Mirelands, it would be much more convenient to enter there in the future.
However, they still couldn't teleport directly from Crimson Mirelands to anywhere near Jubilife Village.
The fact that the Arceus Phone had teleportation capabilities was something only they knew at the moment.
To avoid drawing attention, Ash chose a teleportation spot near Jubilife Village in the Obsidian Fieldlands.
Blue light quickly spread from the phone, enveloping Ash, Cynthia, and Pikachu.
The next second, the flora and humid air of the Crimson Mirelands disappeared simultaneously.
They reappeared on the outskirts of Obsidian Fieldlands.
Cynthia took out the Celestica Flute and played the melody to summon Wyrdeer.
Before long, the familiar figure quickly approached from afar.
"Sorry to trouble you again."
Cynthia petted Wyrdeer's head.
"Oooh~"
Wyrdeer lowered its body, allowing Ash and Cynthia to sit on its back.
Pikachu naturally stayed on Ash's shoulder.
The next second, Wyrdeer began to trot along the road leading to Jubilife Village.
When they caught sight of the gates of Jubilife Village once again, not much time had passed since they left Crimson Mirelands.
However...this time there was a minor hiccup.
Team Galactic Headquarters—
Leader Cyllene sat behind the desk, her face already appearing quite stern and showing little emotion.
"I've heard you've governed Lilligant?"
"Yes."
Cynthia nodded: "The abnormal energy inside Lilligant has been completely eradicated. Captain Adaman and Warden Arezu are still in Crimson Mirelands handling subsequent matters."
Cyllene tapped the desk lightly.
Then, she suddenly looked at the two with a somewhat peculiar gaze.
"Ash, Cynthia, I have a question."
"What is it?"
"Is Wyrdeer's speed...really that fast?"
Ash: "..."
Why did she suddenly ask that?
Cyllene picked up the letter that had just been delivered.
"The Flying Pokemon responsible for contacting Crimson Mirelands only just delivered the message to Jubilife Village, and I only learned a few minutes ago that Lilligant had returned to normal."
"And less than five minutes later, you two appeared at Team Galactic Headquarters."
Cyllene slightly squinted her eyes: "I don't believe I'm mistaken about the distance between Crimson Mirelands and Jubilife Village?"
Ash opened his mouth.
This was a bit tricky to explain!
There's no way they could tell Cyllene that they didn't run back from Crimson Mirelands at all but rather teleported to the outskirts of Obsidian Fieldlands in a flash, right?
Ash instinctively looked at Cynthia.
Sis! It's all up to you now!
Cynthia's bright golden eyes danced momentarily, quickly picking up on the biggest flaw in Cyllene's statement.
"Leader Cyllene, did you overlook one issue?"
"What issue?"
Cynthia smiled and replied, "The messenger wouldn't have released the Flying Pokemon right at the moment we governed Lilligant, would they?"
Cyllene paused for a moment in her actions.
"After Lilligant was restored, Warden Arezu first checked the Queen's status, and Captain Adaman returned to the battlefield with his team. We stayed there for a while."
Cynthia continued to explain: "When the messenger received the news, and when they released the Flying Pokemon, there was naturally a time difference."
"So, Leader Cyllene, receiving the message now doesn't mean Lilligant only just returned to normal."
Cyllene: "..."
It seemed... to make some sense.
Flying Pokemon aren't instant messaging devices, after all.
From confirming the message at the battlefield to delivering it to the contact point at Crimson Mirelands and finally getting it to Jubilife Village via Flying Pokemon, that's no short task.
Cyllene had a sudden suspicion about the timing, which prompted her to ask in passing.
If you asked her for concrete evidence, she didn't have any.
"Never mind."
Cyllene placed the letter back on the desk: "It was just a random question on my part. If the timing adds up, there's no need to dwell on it."
Ash secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Not for nothing was she his sister! That almost wasn't going to pull through!
Cyllene, of course, had no idea what was going through Ash's mind.
She picked up their recent mission records, her demeanor becoming even more serious than before.
"Since your promotion to Three Stars, you first governed Kleavor in Obsidian Fieldlands, then entered Crimson Mirelands to resolve Ursaluna's abnormalities, and now even Lilligant has been restored."
"Coupled with the extensive investigation ratings you've accumulated over the last month, these achievements far surpass the tasks typically available to a Three Stars Member."
Cyllene picked up a pen and updated their files with new records.
"After a reevaluation, effective immediately, you two are now Five-Star Team Members of Team Galactic."
"Five stars?!"