Lin Xia immediately straightened his posture and sat upright, explaining all the places he had previously marked—everything he didn't quite understand.
After seeing Lin Xia's serious learning attitude, Lou Gao likewise became extremely meticulous, carefully correcting and guiding him.
Lin Xia listened as if intoxicated. Many of the vague concepts and lingering doubts he had encountered while reading earlier were instantly clarified under the explanations of Lou Gao, this Divine Craftsman.
As time went on, Lin Xia would sometimes listen intently, and at other times raise his own questions or insights. Master and disciple exchanged questions and answers back and forth, the atmosphere both lively and deeply focused.
Larvitar, meanwhile, stayed quietly in Lou Gao's arms. While gnawing on the delicious Starfrost Iron, it listened to its Trainer and the old man—who could provide tasty rocks—discussing stones that instinctively felt familiar to it. From time to time, it let out satisfied little "mm" sounds, its large eyes blinking as if it were also trying hard to understand something.
However, it was obvious that the attempt failed.
Larvitar's tiny brain simply wasn't built to comprehend this kind of knowledge.
Time flowed swiftly amid the exchange of learning. Before they realized it, the sun had already climbed close to its zenith.
Lou Gao glanced up at the sky, brought the lecture to a stop, and said with a smile to Lin Xia.
"That's enough for today. The pursuit of knowledge lies in gradual progress—bite off too much and you won't be able to chew it. Let's fill our stomachs first!"
After saying this, Lou Gao clapped his hands. Immediately, attendants from the association answered the call. Lou Gao instructed them:
"Prepare a table of food and bring it to the backyard. Make it a generous spread."
Before long, a square table was set up beneath the shade of a tree in the courtyard. One dish after another was served—steaming and fragrant. There were large chunks of Soul Beast meat, stewed until tender with rich broth; crisp, emerald-green vegetables; soft, aromatic white steamed buns; and a large basin of fresh, flavorful fish soup.
With a wave of his sleeve, Lou Gao beckoned Lin Xia to sit.
"Come, Xiao Xia. Eat with your teacher. A blacksmith's work consumes strength—eating well is just as important!"
He himself took the lead, grabbing a bun, stuffing it with a large piece of meat, and eating with great gusto.
Although Lin Xia could survive on minerals alone, he was still tempted by proper food. He immediately responded respectfully with a "Yes," and picked up his bowl and chopsticks.
He placed a piece of meat into his mouth. The aroma burst forth, and the texture was excellent.
Lin Xia then tried the vegetables and fish soup as well—both tasted wonderful.
Just as Lin Xia was about to continue eating heartily, he suddenly felt something tugging at his pant leg.
Lowering his head, he saw that Larvitar had somehow slipped out of Lou Gao's arms and was now squatting by his feet. With both little claws, it hugged the mostly eaten chunk of Starfrost Iron, tilting its small head upward as it stared intently at the meat and vegetables in Lin Xia's hands.
Those crimson eyes were filled with sympathy and even a trace of… disdain?
It carefully pointed with one claw at the green vegetables in Lin Xia's bowl, then quickly pointed at the hard, icy mineral in its own arms. A low "Larvitar?" sounded from its throat, as if asking.
"Master, what is that green, soft, floppy thing you're eating? Is it really better than my rock?"
"If worst comes to worst… I can share a bite with you?"
Looking at Larvitar's little eyes filled with a sense of supremacy, then glancing at the vegetables in his bowl, Lin Xia couldn't help but feel both amused and exasperated.
He picked up a small piece of Soul Beast meat that had been stewed until tender and cautiously brought it toward Larvitar's mouth.
"Here, this meat is really fragrant. Want to give it a try?"
Larvitar leaned closer warily and sniffed. The rich aroma made its tiny nose twitch, and it seemed slightly tempted.
After hesitating for a moment, it opened its mouth and carefully touched the meat with its teeth.
But in the very next second—
"Puh! Puh-puh!"
As if it had tasted something utterly unbearable, Larvitar immediately spat the meat out. It shook its little head vigorously and even wiped its mouth in disgust with one claw, letting out an unhappy "wrrr" sound from its throat.
Clutching its Starfrost Iron again, it took a heavy bite. Only after savoring that familiar flavor did it finally let out a satisfied cry.
"Larvitar!"
This scene made Lou Gao, who had been eating heartily, burst into loud laughter—he nearly choked on his bun.
"Hahaha! This little fellow is a true mineral gourmet! Looks like it's decided stones are its lifelong staple!"
Lin Xia also couldn't help but laugh. Shaking his head helplessly, he gave up on trying to get Larvitar to taste human food—after all, Pokémon and humans clearly didn't share the same taste buds!
After Lou Gao finished speaking, Lin Xia also set down his bowl and chopsticks. A thought he had been brewing for a long time had finally reached the moment to be spoken.
Lin Xia took a deep breath, straightened his posture, and spoke respectfully, his tone carrying the earnest passion unique to youth.
"Teacher, this disciple… has an idea and wishes to ask for your judgment."
"Oh?"
Lou Gao was in the middle of gnawing enthusiastically on a meat bone. Hearing this, he lifted his gaze, his thick brows rising slightly as he gestured for Lin Xia to continue.
"What idea? Let's hear it."
"It's about Larvitar."
Lin Xia pointed toward the little fellow at his feet, who was still intently gnawing on Starfrost Iron, utterly disdainful of the feast spread across the table.
"Yesterday, it comprehended a new ability. This disciple feels that perhaps… it could be used to search for minerals."
"A new ability?"
Lou Gao set the bone aside and wiped his hands with a cloth, his interest clearly piqued.
"This little guy? Aside from eating, what new trick could it possibly have? Go on—tell me."
Lin Xia organized his thoughts and spoke seriously.
"I call this ability 'Dig.' When activated, its head and claws condense an earthy yellow energy, allowing it to instantly excavate tunnels underground. It moves like a fish through water—soil and rock pose no obstacle at all. The speed is extremely fast, and the tunnels it creates have smooth edges with very little disturbance."
Lin Xia then described in detail the scene from the previous day, when Larvitar had instantly dug two deep holes in the courtyard.
"Instant excavation? Soil and rock treated as nothing?"
Lou Gao repeated the key phrases, his eyes growing sharp as he leaned forward slightly.
"You're saying… it can move freely underground?"
Lin Xia nodded and continued along his line of thought.
"Exactly. This disciple was thinking—Larvitar possesses an extremely keen sensitivity to the energy fluctuations of minerals, far surpassing ordinary people. Now that it has gained this 'Dig' ability… could we possibly make use of it to… well… explore the underground?"
"To search for mineral veins that may be buried and still undiscovered?"
"Even if it's only preliminary scouting—simply confirming whether a certain area contains rich deposits—the efficiency should far exceed that of manual prospecting."
"This disciple knows the idea is still somewhat immature, and that my understanding of the underground environment's complexity and dangers is insufficient. That's why I merely wished to bring it up to you first, Teacher, to see whether we might find a suitable location—perhaps the outskirts of an association-owned mine, or an area you believe to be geologically stable—and allow us to… conduct a small experiment?"
"To verify whether this idea is feasible?"
The moment Lin Xia finished speaking, Lou Gao's fingers—still resting on the table and stained with a bit of grease—suddenly froze.
"Wait a moment!"
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