Volo squinted his eyes.
"Is that all?"
"That's all for now."
Cynthia chuckled softly.
"We currently have seven Plates. If we can truly find clues related to space-time anomalies from these Plates, that would be best for us."
Seven Plates...
This time, the expression on Volo's face became noticeably more serious.
He reassessed Cynthia for a moment, then looked at Ash, who hadn't spoken, as if judging how much of the explanation he could believe.
Cynthia's expression remained unchanged.
There was already a lot of truth in this explanation; she simply avoided the parts she couldn't tell Volo. There was no need to act like she was fabricating a completely non-existent story.
A few dozen seconds later, Volo finally leaned back in his chair and exhaled gently.
"Alright."
"Let's assume what you're saying is true."
Ash's eye twitched slightly.
What do you mean by 'let's assume'?
As an information peddler, why do you act like you're interrogating us?
Volo reached out and turned the Flame Plate on the table, focusing on the ancient patterns on its surface, his smile gradually fading.
"Since you're willing to tell me this, I won't charge you for this information."
"Think of it as a gift for the two Hisui heroes visiting the Ginkgo Guild today."
Cynthia: "..."
Volo completely ignored the expressions of the two and gently tapped the surface of the Plate with his finger.
"The Plates you have are older than the history known by most in Hisui."
Ash and Cynthia's attention instantly focused.
Volo slowly began to share what he knew.
"These Plates have been circulating in Hisui for a long time. It's said that each region's King and Mount Pokemon blessed by the Venerable Sinnoh are entrusted with their own Plates."
"However, after all these years, no one has truly understood what they're for."
"People have studied these Plates before, but aside from their extraordinary hardness, no technique has been able to detect usable Energy within them. Even when carried by a Pokemon, no noticeable change occurs."
"So, it gradually became a belief that the Plates might not have any special abilities; they're merely symbols granted by the Venerable Sinnoh to the Kings and Mount Pokemon to signify their distinct identities."
Ash wasn't too surprised upon hearing this.
If the Plates were that easy to study, Hisui wouldn't have regarded them as mysterious relics all these years.
"But..."
At this point, Volo's tone noticeably changed, and excitement gradually replaced his merchant-like smile.
"I saw another kind of record about these Plates in a very ancient ruin."
"The ruin described clearly that the Plates aren't just symbols; they are truly exclusive possessions of the Venerable Sinnoh!"
Ash and Cynthia's attention immediately sharpened.
Volo leaned forward slightly, his excitement becoming more apparent.
"And that ruin even left the true name of the Venerable Sinnoh."
"Arceus!"
Cynthia's silver-gray pupils slightly contracted, her face showing just the right amount of shock.
"Arceus?"
"Is that the true name of the Venerable Sinnoh?"
Volo nodded satisfactorily.
"That's right."
Cynthia followed up with a question: "Then does this Arceus control space as the Pearl Clan believes, or time as the Diamond Clan does?"
"Neither."
Volo shook his head, a somewhat sardonic smile appearing on his lips.
"Or rather, both clans have only understood parts of it."
"Arceus is a creator of the world. Both time and space are components of this world, so describing Arceus as controlling just time or space overly simplifies his power."
"The Pearl Clan and Diamond Clan have argued for years about this. In my opinion, they're merely debating which Pokemon possess a part of the Venerable Sinnoh's power, when in fact, they've each seen only part of the truth."
Ash, standing slightly behind Cynthia, almost couldn't help but laugh at this point.
Many of the things Volo was talking about were things they had long been able to guess.
What truly tested Ash's composure was Cynthia's shocked reaction upon hearing Arceus' name for the "first time."
The tone... the expression...
No exaggeration, if Sis weren't a Champion, shifting to acting might work out pretty well for her.
To avoid bursting into laughter in front of Volo, Ash forced himself to focus on the conversation at hand.
"Since Mr. Volo knows these things, why not tell Miss Irida and Mr. Adaman?"
"Those two clans have debated for so long about whether the Venerable Sinnoh represents time or space. If they knew they both worship the same being, maybe they'd stop opposing each other every day."
"Heh, why should I do thankless things like that?"
Volo showed no interest in Ash's suggestion, instead spreading his hands in a very realistic manner.
"The ruin does contain this information, but in the end, it's just an old record."
"I can't exactly summon Arceus to appear before them and have the Venerable Sinnoh personally tell them they've only understood a fraction."
"The faith of the Diamond Clan and Pearl Clan has persisted for so many years. Do you think they'd readily believe me, a merchant with just a few words from a relic, or label me as a madman?"
Ash thought seriously for a moment, then nodded.
"The latter."
"Exactly."
Volo's face regained some of its smile.
"The Ginkgo Guild still needs to do business in Hisui. The Diamond Clan and Pearl Clan are important clients. Risking offending both sides over something there isn't even concrete evidence for—wouldn't that jeopardize my business?"
"Makes sense."
This time Ash genuinely understood.
Though Irida and Adaman are usually reasonable, their ancestral belief in the Venerable Sinnoh clearly isn't something that a few lines from antiquity could change overnight.
Volo truly had no reason to engage in such a thankless act.
Cynthia didn't linger on the topic of the clans' beliefs and swiftly brought the conversation back.
"Please continue about the Plates, Mr. Volo."
"You mentioned the Plates rightfully belong to Arceus."
Volo tapped the Flame Plate lightly with his finger.
"These Plates aren't devoid of power; it's just that ordinary people can't harness their true power."
"The Plates can only display their inherent abilities in Arceus' possession."
"Divine artifacts aren't things ordinary people can easily comprehend. That Hisui has never unlocked the Plates' true potential simply shows they haven't discovered the method to do so."
Here, Volo's tone suddenly turned somewhat enigmatic.
"But you two are different."
"The Kings and Mount Pokemon willingly hand you the Plates, and you're intentionally searching for them. Perhaps... you really are the ones chosen by the Venerable Sinnoh~"
Cynthia nodded naturally.
"I hope that's true. It would be best if the Venerable Sinnoh also conveniently told us where the rest of the Plates are, so we don't have to hunt them down one by one."
Volo: "..."
Isn't that response a bit too realistic?