The next day, warm sunlight streamed through the window, gently falling on Chen Kai's face like a light veil.
He slept in soundly, only waking up leisurely when the sun was high in the sky.
Chen Kai stretched, then, after a quick wash, he and Miraidon went to the dining room to enjoy the breakfast prepared for them by the mayor's family.
The aroma of bread mingled with the rich scent of milk, quickly revitalizing him.
After breakfast, Chen Kai took Xiao Mei, Grovyle, and other Pokemon out to purchase food, preparing for a deeper exploration of the Vosges Mountains later.
However, this mining town was not large, with shops scattered along both sides of the street.
He entered a small grocery store; while the variety of ingredients inside was not extensive, it was full of rich local characteristics.
On the shelves, the golden-brown, crispy-crusted baguette was the most eye-catching; this iconic food of French culinary culture exuded an enticing wheaty aroma.
Beside it were various flavors of cheese, with soft Brie cheese emitting a faint milky scent, and firm, richly flavored Comté cheese also among them.
Fresh fruits were abundant: plump, brightly colored strawberries released a sweet fragrance, and clusters of purple grapes were full and juicy.
In the vegetable section, crisp green lettuce, red tomatoes, and earthy carrots were neatly arranged, though most were common fruits and vegetables, mainly for filling one's stomach.
However, the shop owner was elderly, and Chen Kai's communication with him using translation software was quite stumbling.
Just as he was struggling with this, Grandma Ju appeared again, leaning on her cane.
She smiled, walked forward, and skillfully conversed with the shop owner in French, occasionally helping Chen Kai choose better quality ingredients.
Chen Kai was quite happy to receive help from an elder.
However, during the shopping process, Grandma Ju asked seemingly casually, "Chen Kai, where do you plan to go after you finish buying these things?"
This question made Chen Kai's heart skip a beat, and a hint of apprehension and worry welled up within him.
It seemed that, just as Noma had said last night, Grandma Ju's target was him, otherwise, she wouldn't always coincidentally run into him.
He just couldn't guess her specific purpose.
So, Chen Kai just smiled vaguely, without giving a clear answer.
Seeing this, Grandma Ju didn't ask further.
After finishing their shopping, Chen Kai, Xiao Mei, and Grovyle slowly returned to the mayor's house, carrying large bags of items.
Chen Kai mostly bought baguettes, partly because they were a specialty of France, and partly because they were durable.
However, Grandma Ju was watching the whole time, so Chen Kai couldn't put the items into his orange gem and had to carry them all the way.
Fortunately, Chen Kai's strength had grown; he easily lifted several hundred baguettes.
This scene filled Grandma Ju with surprise, and she asked half-jokingly, half-suspiciously, "Chen Kai, you wouldn't happen to be a Fighting-type Pokemon in disguise, would you?"
Miraidon and Xiao Mei heard this and secretly chuckled beside them.
Chen Kai gave Grandma Ju a helpless look: "Grandma Ju, that's a bit rude of you to say."
Grandma Ju laughed awkwardly: "My apologies, I misspoke."
After speaking, Grandma Ju turned and left.
Chen Kai could only walk back with difficulty, carrying a large bag of food on his back.
Although the items weren't heavy, their bulky size made them uncomfortable to carry, so he could only move slowly, one small step at a time.
Seeing that Grandma Ju had walked away, Chen Kai discussed with Miraidon: "What do you think Grandma Ju's purpose is?"
Miraidon thought for a moment and said, "I feel like she wouldn't be harmful to you."
Chen Kai said somewhat uncertainly, "Is that so...?"
Miraidon then said nonchalantly, "Anyway, as you humans say, 'meet aggression with resistance, and adapt to the situation.'"
Chen Kai nodded: "You're right."
As the two walked leisurely, Miraidon suddenly turned its head to look in one direction. Chen Kai followed its gaze and saw Noma and Mr. Mime hurrying towards a hill near the edge of the town, bordering the Vosges Mountains.
Her steps were hurried, her golden hair fluttering in the breeze, and she soon disappeared around the corner of the hill.
Chen Kai just glanced, thinking it had nothing to do with him, and with the heavy items he was carrying, he didn't pay much more attention.
Not long after, he returned to the mayor's house.
Back in his room, after putting the purchased items into his orange gem, Chen Kai remembered the direction Noma had gone and asked the mayor: "Mr. Mayor, what's over on that hill at the edge of town?"
The mayor sat in his chair, took a sip of coffee, and slowly spoke through the translation software:
"That's an abandoned mine shaft, several hundred years old. Our town was born because of it. In the past, everyone went to the mine to dig for ore, but as the excavation went deeper, the ore became scarcer.
Decades ago, for safety reasons, it was abandoned.
That's why now all the young people in town go to the big cities to work hard, leaving only us old folks."
After speaking, the mayor shrugged helplessly.
The mayor's words, however, were like a beacon, making Chen Kai fall into deep thought.
Recently, he and Miraidon had been searching all over the Vosges Mountains for the legendary seasoning, finding many caves but coming up empty-handed, and none of those caves were very deep.
Now that the mayor mentioned this very deep mine shaft, a glimmer of hope suddenly ignited in his heart: Could the legendary seasoning be inside this mine shaft?
His eyes gradually brightened, and the photo sent by Senior Brother Lu Yang appeared in his mind; it indeed had some resemblance to a mineral vein. Perhaps the mysterious seasoning was hidden in a corner of the mine shaft.
But at the same time, he also felt some worry, as the mine shaft had been abandoned for decades, and the conditions inside were unknown, possibly harboring danger.
So, Chen Kai walked up to the mayor and sincerely asked: "Mr. Mayor, I'd like to go see that mine shaft. Can you give me some information about it? Like a rough map of the inside?"
Upon hearing this, the mayor immediately waved his hand, saying firmly: "No, absolutely not! That mine shaft is too dangerous, you can't go."
His eyes revealed worry, and it seemed there were also some unspeakable hidden reasons.
Chen Kai did not give up; he sincerely persuaded him for a long time, and the two continuously communicated using the phone translator.
In the end, the mayor became impatient and said helplessly, "Sigh, there's nothing I can do with you. Just wait."
The mayor got up and went into his office. After a while, he came out with an old map.
He handed the map to Chen Kai, repeatedly admonishing him: "This map is decades old, and the conditions inside the mine shaft must have changed a lot. It might not be accurate, so you must be very careful."
Chen Kai took the map and said gratefully: "Thank you, Mr. Mayor, I will be careful."
