An abstract trainer who taught Charmander the Incinerate move

Chapter 82 Mythology Novice (Part 2, please vote)

Inside the café, the melody from the gramophone flowed like a gentle stream, inadvertently transforming from the deep bass of gothic rock to the mystical guqin of classical symphony.

Wanlong, who was chatting enthusiastically with Mo Zhen while holding a coffee, almost dropped his coffee cup and smashed it into his crotch when he looked up and saw the woman.

At that moment, she felt as if she were in a dreamlike movie scene.

The woman before him was like a goddess who had stepped out of mythology, exuding an aura of mystery and nobility.

To Wanlong's astonishment, the woman gracefully sat down beside her and spoke softly to the waiter.

"A cup of Blue Mountain coffee, please."

The waiter was stunned for a moment, then quickly nodded and left, seemingly unconsciously intimidated by her aura.

The atmosphere in the coffee shop gradually became subtle, with everyone secretly observing the mysterious woman and speculating about her identity and background.

She simply sat there quietly, waiting for her coffee, as if the whole world had nothing to do with her.

Of course, while others might not know who this mysterious woman is, how could those two sitting opposite her not know?!
Just one glance at that woman and Xiaomengzi, who was suspended in the air, was shocked as if struck by lightning.

[Holy crap! What's going on? What a coincidence! This is like a fake meeting the real thing, a counterfeit collided with the genuine article!]

That's right, sitting across from them right now is the woman whose eye usage rate is always at 50%!
If it weren't for the fact that the footage of their dream movie was only circulated among a small number of internal staff, it would have almost thought that this woman had come to its door to demand copyright fees for its image rights.

Upon seeing the woman, Xiao Huolong's sudden expression of surprise made Xiao Mengzi feel uneasy.

Oh no! This is going to expose our mistake!
The situation was critical, and Xiaomengzi urgently cast a worried look at Mozhen, indicating what to do.

However, Mo Zhen remained calm and composed, maintaining the relaxed demeanor of an art master, showing no sign of panic whatsoever.

Clearly, Mo Zhen, as Xiao Huolong's trainer, knows it extremely well.

Xiao Mengzi overestimated Tang Long's intelligence.

Xiao Huolong's gaze followed the woman's face downwards, and when he saw Zhu Lan's black wool coat, his eyes immediately showed confusion, and he felt unfamiliar with the woman in front of him.

Since elves basically don't have the concept of changing clothes, changing clothes is no different from changing skin in Xiao Huolong's eyes.

To Tang Long, Zhu Lan, who was wearing black, and Yun Zhu, who was wearing white, were essentially the same person—one a Black woman and the other a White woman.

As for the two people's faces, which are basically identical in modeling, they are not important identifying features.

After all, those elves of the same kind all have faces that look almost identical, so Xiao Huolong was used to seeing them all looking the same.

In other words, if Mo Zhen were to change his red suit one day, Tang Long would probably have to go to great lengths to recognize him...

The crisis was resolved without anyone noticing, and Mo Zhen even gave Xiao Mengzi a wink.

[What are you waiting for? The main character is here! You'd better hurry up and start copying their style! If you mess up again next time, you'll see how I train you!]

The pink-clad wretch, having received instructions from the great Mo Zhen, dared not delay and immediately began to observe the other party's aura at close range.

Under Zhu Lan's powerful aura, Wan Long, who originally had the female lead's script, now looked like a female passerby sharing a table, and was speechless for a moment when she sat next to her.

Wanlong assumed that Zhu Lan was someone who knew Mo Zhen and had brought a wingman with her.

However, just as she parted her lips slightly, intending to ask Mo Zhen for the name of the woman before her, Zhu Lan completely ignored Wan Long's presence and began chatting with Mo Zhen as if they were old friends.

"Your little fire dragon is a bit different from the one I saw in the Pokédex. Is it the prototype of Xiao Huolong?"

Huo Zi was stunned when he heard this.

Huh? I... I'm the prototype for Xiao Huolong?
That can't be right, I am Xiao Huolong!

If I am the prototype of Xiao Huolong, then who exactly is Xiao Huolong, and who am I?
Wait, if Xiao Huolong isn't Xiao Huolong, then... I'm not myself either?!

In an instant, Xiao Huolong was drenched in sweat, his eyes filled with deep thought, as he fell into profound philosophical contemplation.

As expected of that woman, with just a few words, Huo Zi's brain overloaded on the spot, his Dao heart became unstable and his mind became unclear.

Mo Zhen assumed that Zhu Lan was someone who knew Wan Long and had brought a wingman with her.

After being stunned by the aura of the genuine product for a few seconds, Mo Zhen immediately regained her usual confident smile and began to speak eloquently like an art master.

"Art is like that; it originates from life but transcends it. My novels are all based on reality, which makes them very relatable to readers. This is my basic creative philosophy, and I have always believed that..."

As time passed, the coffee was served. Zhu Lan gently picked up the cup, slowly brought it to her lips, and took a small sip.

At this moment, her expression appeared even more serene and elegant, as if the whole world was under her control.

"By the way, Mo Zhen, have you read the book I recommended to you?"

"Book? What book?"

Now it was Mo Zhen's turn to be dumbfounded. Although he knew that Zhu Lan's ID was most likely that of "Mythology Novice", he did not remember that the other party had recommended any of the four great classics of the Elf world to him.

"Didn't you see it? I remember leaving a message..."

Zhu Lan murmured to herself, her slender fingers gently swiping across her phone, scrolling through her comment history.

At the very end of that lengthy book review, right at the crucial point of recommending references, there was an abrupt blank space after the book title—[You have reached the word limit for comments].

The awkward silence lasted for a second. Zhu Lan elegantly sipped her coffee while issuing commands to Wan Long like a queen to her maid.

"Wanlong, you should expand the character limit in the comment section of your website. This is really hindering readers and authors from having in-depth exchanges."

Damn, a thousand words isn't enough for you to have a deep discussion? Are you going to write fanfiction in the comments section?!

Although Wanlong was inwardly criticizing him without any restraint, in reality, she was overwhelmed by his aura and acted like a servant, meekly agreeing on the spot.

"Ah, you're right. I'll have the programmers work overtime to update the software version immediately!"

As she spoke, Zhu Lan took out a thick, brick-like document from her mysterious space and handed it to Mo Zhen with a smile.

"It's okay, I happened to bring one with me."

On the thick cover, in gold lettering, was written "A Chronicle of the Origins of Human and Elf Bloodlines".

Clearly, this is a genuine academic paper.

Moreover, the sharp-eyed Mo Zhen noticed in a small print at the bottom of the cover that the author of this book is Zhu Lan herself!
It turns out this woman is producing and selling her own work, increasing the number of citations for her own papers.

Unfortunately, Mo Zhen had absolutely no interest in academic content outside of art. The only thing that attracted him to the whole book was the cover; he didn't want to read a single word of the contents.

Ke Zhulan sat opposite her like a Venus statue, her eyes revealing her unmistakable expectation, as if not turning the pages of a book at this moment would be a desecration of scholarship.

Seeing the two holding books and gazing at each other affectionately, Wanlong finally realized something.

Damn it! Isn't this woman supposed to be my wingman? How did she end up flirting with me? What's going on? I'm the third wheel now!
"Cough cough cough... cough cough cough!"

Realizing something was wrong, Wanlong started to cough wildly as if she had tuberculosis, trying to regain her footing.

After a moment, the coughing finally worked, and Zhu Lan's eyes showed a look of care for the children, which was very considerate.

"If you have a sore throat, don't drink coffee. Order a honey grapefruit tea instead."

Huh?! Looking at the honey grapefruit tea brought over by the waiter, Wanlong cast a look of despair at Mozhen.

What's going on? What's happening? Wasn't today our date?!

Mo Zhen was also stunned for a moment, then immediately understood what was going on.

What's going on? Isn't this your own wingman?
Wait a minute... could it be that this cabbage lady really just randomly spawned on the roadside?

Realizing something was off about the script, Mo Zhen turned to Zhu Lan, her smile containing a hint of probing.

"Excuse me... uh, Ms. Little Cabbage, how did you know I was here? You couldn't have just happened to be passing by on your way home from get off work to buy groceries, could you?"

Zhu Lan took a sip of coffee and said casually.

"Oh, my friend told me. She's starting a business in Hezhong and invited me to come here for a trip. She casually mentioned that you'd be here today, so I came."

Wanlong suddenly remembered that she had indeed mentioned today's itinerary to a friend.

However, the woman was not the cabbage lady in front of us, but a super-rich woman from Sinnoh, and an important investor behind the scenes of the online novel website.

Despite Wanlong's current success, she's still just a new money at best.

They were the real old money, living in castles, riding in carriages, with butlers when they went out, and servants when they came in.

Wanlong gave Zhulan a deep look. The mysterious and aristocratic air about her was exactly the same as that woman's. Without asking, he knew they were friends from the same circle.

Having figured out the other party's background, Wanlong felt extremely uneasy.

She wouldn't even dare to directly ask someone of his status to leave.

"Ms. Little Cabbage, it's a pleasure to meet such a loyal reader like you offline, and I'm very grateful for the literature you provided. However, my editor and I need to discuss some very private matters now. I wonder if it would be possible..."

Under Wanlong's gaze, which seemed to regard him as a superhero, Mo Zhen politely gave the order to leave.

The gesture was like a conductor waving his baton, effortlessly pulling Wanlong back from the awkward position of being just an ordinary passerby to the position of the leading lady.

Just then, the coffee in the Bamboo Orchid Cup was finished.

She gently placed the empty coffee cup on the bone china saucer, her fingertips brushing the rim of the cup as if stroking harp strings, leaving a faint, lingering fragrance.

"Please continue your conversation, gentlemen."

She nodded to the two of them, then turned and left with the same elegance she had shown when she arrived.

The moment the door was pushed open, a gust of wind carried her whispered words to her ear.

"Mo Zhen, there is a wealth of knowledge in books. Read more of the contents of that book; it will be of great help later."

After uttering a meaningful statement, like a helpful NPC passing by, Zhu Lan's figure mysteriously disappeared from the Witch's Cafe, just as she had arrived.

From her appearance to her departure, Zhu Lan's words and actions were as elegant and fluid as a movie scene, like a dream.

"Lord Mo Zhen, this woman is so mysterious. I always feel there's something strange about her, like..."

Seeing Xiaomengzi's neurotic behavior, Mo Zhen maintained the relaxed demeanor of an old artist and said unconcerned.

"Tch, no need to be so nervous. Every game has one or two NPCs who appear out of nowhere at crucial moments to provide help. Sister Zhulan is clearly here to give us strategy guides and items. Just recall her lines; this NPC's style couldn't be more obvious..."

Recalling Zhu Lan's lines, Xiao Mengzi indeed felt a strong sense of déjà vu as a guiding NPC.

She might just be the only normal person in this world eroded by reality who has maintained the original style.

Lord Mo Zhen is right, haha, I was probably overthinking it...

Although Xiaomengzi barely met Cynthia, the Sinnoh Champion, in the original timeline, her reputation was always good, so she probably wouldn't become a villain in another world.

As for Mo Zhen, he was too lazy to think about it. With his many years of artistic career, he had read countless Pokémon fan works.

Nine out of ten female protagonists in the works of authors with severe sexual repression are either Zhu Lan or Shirona.

Because this is a synonym for "unattainable" in their barren imagination, essentially no different from the greasy fat otaku who fantasize about goddesses.

But these people just can't seem to capture that feeling of a lofty, unattainable beauty, or a proud plum blossom in the snow. The character they write about, Sister Cabbage, is just like cabbage from a roadside stall, ready to throw herself into the arms of a male protagonist who has absolutely no personality charm.

Regarding this disastrous character development and emotional portrayal, Mo Zhen's comment was: "Here are a few websites for you, but you might as well just masturbate to the script."

Although Mo Zhen believed that the female lead was dispensable in his storyline, the game developers wouldn't just throw a major villain into it.

No way, no way, could any author really be that twisted as to turn Sister Cabbage into a major villain?

After determining the basic elements of the Zhulan NPC, Mo Zhen examined the thick document in his hand.

Everyone knows Mo Zhen; he loves to skip dialogues and prefers unorthodox strategies. Getting him to honestly accept an item from an NPC and follow the proper procedures is truly a pipe dream.

He weighed the book in his hand, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

Hmm, it's quite thick...

So he didn't even open the book cover, and quickly stuffed it into his pocket.

How can you read such a thick book?
The correct way to use it, of course, is to use it as a breast shield to stop bullets in critical moments!

After the mysterious woman disappeared, Mo Zhen and Wan Long's conversation finally returned to normal, focusing on the novel.

Mo Zhen gazed at Wan Long with deep affection and said tenderly.

"What do you think would happen if these romantic scenes from novels actually happened in real life?"

That one glance made Wanlong's soul leave her body.

Hey, hey, hey, what is this implying?

No, no, no, at this point, the words have already made it clear!

Mo Zhen did not let Xiao Mengzi activate [Soul Illusion], but Wanlong already saw an illusion.

In the magnificent palace gardens, moonlight poured down like water, and a classical fountain murmured softly in the center.

Under the moonlight, Mo Zhen, dressed in a white prince's outfit and holding a bouquet of bright red roses, slowly walked towards her.

He slowly knelt on one knee, presented the roses to Wanlong, and looked up into her eyes.

Oh, my dear Juliet, now set everything aside and let's spend the rest of our lives living out a "Love Story" together!

The coffee in her hand, which had long since gone cold, boiled again, and Wanlong, her face flushed, gasped softly.

"Ta-da! Of course it's super awesome!"

Mo Zhen revealed a warm smile, grasped Wanlong's hands tightly, and in an instant, his true intentions were revealed.

"That would be wonderful! So what I mean is... could we collaborate on making a Bollywood movie based on the novel 'Battle Through the Heavens'?"

(End of this chapter)