"The Sea Return Rite?"
"That's right."
The owner of the inn was a man in his thirties. When Chen Mo asked about the fruit shop across the street, he hesitated for a moment before beginning to explain one of Crescent Moon Town's old traditions.
"Teacher Mo, you may already know this, but Crescent Moon Town was originally built on the fishing industry. Our ancestors were simple fishermen who made their homes on their boats, drifting across the endless sea for long periods of time. They relied on the ocean's bounty to feed generation after generation of people here."
"When I was little, my grandfather always told us younger folk: Be grateful to the sea, and stand in awe of it. We take what we need from the sea in order to survive. We plunder its resources and live off its gifts. So one day, we must also return ourselves to the sea. Otherwise... the sea will answer with its wrath."
"It sounds complicated, but the practice itself is actually very simple."
"The sea raised us. So when we die, we return our bodies—and our souls—to the sea."
"Our ancestors believed that by doing this, they could maintain a balance between humanity and the ocean, ensuring that the sea would continue to protect the people who lived here."
"Later on, that tradition gradually came to be known as..."
"The Sea Return Rite."
Chen Mo nodded thoughtfully.
The livestream chat also erupted in discussion.
[So the Sea Return Rite is basically a sea burial?]
[People from inland who believe in 'letting the dead rest in the earth' might not understand, so let me explain. Sea burials aren't especially common nowadays, but they have historical roots in our country. In ancient times, sending the deceased into the ocean was meant to remind future generations to respect nature—and to warn them against overfishing.]
[I get it now. Humanity comes from nature, and when life ends, we should return to nature. Hahaha... Fellow cultivators, I've attained enlightenment!]
[Stop having your cultivation breakthrough in the chat!]
After a brief pause, Chen Mo asked another question.
"So those government officials approached Ms. Qin because of the Sea Return Rite?"
"Yes."
The innkeeper nodded, his eyes drifting toward the fruit shop across the street, which had already closed for the day.
"About six months ago, something terrible happened here."
"A large number of wild Pokémon from the sea suddenly invaded the town."
"I know about that."
Chen Mo agreed.
A thought had already begun forming in his mind.
The innkeeper sighed softly.
"Ms. Qin's son... unfortunately died in that disaster."
"..."
Chen Mo said nothing.
Based on everything the innkeeper had told him so far, he had already guessed as much.
"After the disaster, the authorities identified all of the victims. Most of the remains were claimed by their families and given a proper Sea Return Rite."
"But Ms. Qin alone refused to claim her son's remains."
"Her official explanation..."
The innkeeper glanced at Chen Mo.
"You probably heard it yourself earlier."
"Every time, she'd insist those bones weren't her son's and chase away the government officials."
"Official explanation?"
Chen Mo immediately caught the key phrase.
"Yes."
The innkeeper's expression became complicated.
"There are many rumors in town about why Ms. Qin refuses to accept her son's remains."
"Some people say she blames her son for overestimating himself."
"Others say..."
"She blames everyone in this town."
"Sounds strange, doesn't it?"
"But once you know what kind of person her son was..."
"You'll probably understand."
"His name was Qin Kaicheng."
"He was about my age."
"He was an incredibly loyal man."
"And someone who lived very freely."
"When Pokémon first descended upon the world, our town was no different from anywhere else."
"Everyone feared them."
"The fishermen even reduced how often they went out to sea."
"Since our livelihood depended entirely on fishing..."
"The local economy naturally began declining."
"It was during that time..."
"That Qin Kaicheng, under the leadership of a man named Yu Heguang, began spreading a message throughout town."
"'Don't be so afraid of the monsters. If we don't harm them first, they won't harm us.'"
Chen Mo froze.
The livestream chat exploded.
[Seriously?!]
[This Yu Heguang guy has to be one of Teacher Mo's fans.]
[Think about the timeline! Teacher Mo only started streaming in February. The Pokémon invasion happened at the beginning of February. According to the innkeeper, Yu Heguang was already spreading those ideas before that!]
[Now this is getting interesting...]
Chen Mo felt his heart stir.
But he quickly calmed himself.
There would always be pioneers in the world.
Even when most people viewed Pokémon as terrifying supernatural beings...
There would always be a handful who realized Pokémon weren't nearly as evil as everyone believed.
Chen Mo had actually met such people long ago.
Professor Zhou.
The man who had provided him with countless opportunities.
The same man who was now fighting at the Earth Union Assembly for the shared future of humans and Pokémon.
To Chen Mo...
People like them were the true trailblazers.
A trace of respect welled up in his heart.
Meanwhile, the innkeeper continued.
"They invited me to join them back then."
"But I was too scared."
"So I turned them down."
"Looking back now..."
"They really were extraordinary people."
"Before the rest of us had even changed our way of thinking, they'd already taken the first and most important step."
"Many of them even raised Pokémon themselves just to prove they weren't dangerous."
"What a shame..."
"What a terrible shame."
The innkeeper then revealed two astonishing pieces of information.
Gao Tianming, one of the Pikachu Cup's Top Eight contestants...
Had been a member of that group.
In fact...
He had been its youngest member.
When the wild Pokémon from the sea attacked Crescent Moon Town...
It was this very group of idealists who stepped forward, fighting alongside their Pokémon to stop the destruction.
Unfortunately...
Reality wasn't nearly so kind.
Aside from Gao Tianming, who happened to be away from town at the time...
Every single member of the group—
Including their leader, Yu Heguang—
Died during the disaster.
The atmosphere in the livestream immediately grew heavy.
[I don't know why... but this suddenly hurts.]
[People may have forgotten, but before Teacher Mo appeared, Huaxia really was this chaotic. Just look overseas if you don't believe it.]
[That's not what's making me sad. What's heartbreaking is that Yu Heguang and Qin Kaicheng advocated coexistence between humans and Pokémon... and yet they died at the hands of Pokémon. The irony is just... too cruel.]
[Those evil Pokémon! Can't Teacher Mo punish them? ...Wait, it's been so long. The Pokémon responsible are probably long gone...]
[So why did those marine Pokémon suddenly attack Crescent Moon Town in the first place?]
[Uh-oh... There are a lot of foreign viewers watching. This might leave them traumatized. Ahem... To our international friends, don't worry! Most Pokémon are actually very friendly!]
[I feel so bad for Gao Tianming. He always seemed so cheerful during the Pikachu Cup. I never imagined he'd gone through something like this...]
Chen Mo sighed inwardly.
He glanced once more at the fruit shop across the street before turning back to the innkeeper.
"That Glameow..."
"Was it Qin Kaicheng's Pokémon?"
"Yes."
The innkeeper nodded gently.
His face was filled with guilt.
"After the invasion..."
"The townspeople, who had just begun changing their opinions about Pokémon, started hating them all over again."
"We even drove away the Pokémon that had once protected us..."
"The Pokémon that had belonged to Yu Heguang's group."
"But Glameow..."
"Ms. Qin adopted it herself."
"..."
Chen Mo frowned.
Something didn't feel right.
If Ms. Qin truly resented her son...
Why would she voluntarily take in his Pokémon?
And judging from what he'd witnessed earlier...
The bond between the old woman and Glameow was undeniably deep.
"Looks like you've noticed the contradiction too, Teacher Mo."
The innkeeper smiled bitterly.
"If Ms. Qin really hated Kaicheng..."
"She never would've taken care of Glameow."
"So personally..."
"I believe the second rumor."
"She isn't angry at her son."
"She's angry at all of us."
To this day...
No one knew exactly why the marine Pokémon had invaded Crescent Moon Town.
However...
Most residents—and even many experts—believed it was the inevitable consequence of escalating conflict between humans and Pokémon.
After all...
Not everyone in town had supported Yu Heguang's ideals.
Many people had continued clinging to their prejudice against the Pokémon that had suddenly appeared.
So nowadays...
Some townspeople believed Ms. Qin hated everyone here because—
If the town had abandoned its prejudice sooner...
Perhaps the disaster would've never happened.
And perhaps...
Her son, Qin Kaicheng, wouldn't have died protecting them.
"Thanks, Brother Chuan. Seriously, thank you for taking the time to answer my questions despite how busy you are. When I get back to Anping City, I'll definitely bring you some local specialties."
Back in his room at the inn, Chen Mo immediately began making use of his connections, hoping to find answers within the government's investigation.
"Then I won't be polite."
"I heard the salted dried fish over there is excellent."
"When you come back, bring me twenty or thirty."
"With Gengar around, carry as much as you can."
"I'll stockpile the lot."
On the other end of the call, Zhou Yichuan showed absolutely no intention of declining.
"By the way..."
"You really know how to keep secrets."
"You actually ran all the way to Crescent Moon Town."
"But whatever."
"Just be careful."
"There are too many mysteries surrounding this place."
"If you can uncover everything behind this incident..."
"Our case can finally be closed."
"That's all."
"Don't forget my dried fish."
"Call me anytime if you need anything."
As free-spirited as ever, Zhou Yichuan hung up immediately.
Listening to the dial tone, Chen Mo shook his head helplessly.
Every effect had its cause.
The experts' conclusion—that the invasion stemmed from worsening conflict between humans and Pokémon—certainly wasn't wrong.
That undoubtedly played a role.
However...
Judging from the town's past behavior...
Although there had been occasional friction...
The conflict simply wasn't severe enough to justify an entire population of marine Pokémon leaving the sea to invade a human settlement.
The logic didn't add up.
Chen Mo believed there had to be another hidden factor.
And the Strategic Response Bureau evidently thought so as well.
That was why they continued sending investigators here.
Unfortunately...
Yu Heguang's group had occupied an awkward position within Crescent Moon Town.
Very few people had been willing to associate with them.
So after Yu Heguang and the others—all those most closely connected to the incident—died...
The truth became almost impossible to piece together.
"So..."
Marshadow emerged from the World of Shadows.
Skillfully grabbing a box of Pokéblocks from the table, it opened the package while asking curiously,
"You're that certain this human named Yu Heguang was connected to what happened?"
"Unless something unexpected turns up."
Chen Mo nodded.
"I think so."
"Otherwise..."
"There'd have been no reason for Yu Heguang and the others to deliberately send away Gao Tianming."
"Especially someone as straightforward and oblivious as him."
That was right.
The Strategic Response Bureau had provided Chen Mo with one crucial piece of information.
It was almost as though they had anticipated the disaster.
On the very morning the Pokémon invasion occurred...
Yu Heguang and the others had deliberately dispatched Gao Tianming to another town some distance away, asking him to help promote their message there.
The timing was simply too perfect.
So perfect...
That both Chen Mo and many investigators couldn't help becoming suspicious.
However...
Standing by the window, Chen Mo looked toward the warm light shining from the second floor of the fruit shop.
His brows slowly knitted together.
Between what the innkeeper had told him...
And the Strategic Response Bureau's investigation...
Not only had none of his questions been answered—
The mysteries surrounding Crescent Moon Town had only grown even deeper.
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