I run an orphanage in the Pokémon world.

Page 185

“…Xiao Bao, actually I can go by myself.” Teng Shu looked at the abandoned monkey in front of him with a mix of amusement and exasperation; the monkey was lying in his bicycle basket.

Originally, Teng Shu didn't plan to bring Abandoned Monkey along. After all, Teng Shu's own safety was not a concern. In addition to Teng Shu's own superb fighting skills, even the insurance he bought gave him the confidence to fight against the entire Team Rocket on his own.

However, ever since the Abandoned Monkey heard from Locke that Tengshu might be in danger, it sat directly in the basket of the car and completely ignored what Tengshu was saying, leaving Tengshu both amused and exasperated.

"You rascal." Teng Shu shook his head helplessly. There was really no way to deal with the Abandoned Monkey's personality. However, looking at the curious Abandoned Monkey, Teng Shu felt that it wouldn't be a problem to take the Abandoned Monkey around occasionally.

Despite the chemical plant explosion and the League's holiday, Viridian Forest remains unchanged.

Despite the changing times, Viridian Forest remains unchanged.

Teng Shu looked at the Evergreen Forest before him with a somewhat dazed expression. This place seemed to be a vessel that carried history itself.

“Viridian Forest…” Looking at the dense trees before him, Tengshu gained a deeper understanding of the Viridian Forest at this moment.

Then the vine felt a sudden gust of wind, and the next moment, a pile of tree fruits rolled down in front of the vine, and then the wind stopped.

Teng Shu was somewhat confused; at this moment, he seemed to sense some peculiar emotions.

Even though he only had Forsaken around him, Tengshu felt as if he were surrounded by a whole bunch of Pokémon, and a feeling similar to maternal love enveloped him.

Subtle emotions such as "I'm full," "I'm well-fed," and "There's more if I'm not full" slowly drifted into Tengshu's heart.

“...Tokiwa...?” Fujiki had an idea.

The next second, a vine spread down and gently stroked the head of the vine tree.

The abandoned monkey stared wide-eyed at the scene, its face filled with disbelief.

Teng Shu opened his mouth. Although he had guessed it before, he still found it somewhat unbelievable now that he had actually encountered it.

Chapter 511 Fruit Wine

Viridian Forest is the most famous forest in the Kanto region.

This isn't to say that Viridian Forest is very large or dense. After all, compared to its area, vegetation coverage, or the distribution and types of Pokémon, the mountain range that runs through the Kanto and Johto regions is the one that truly deserves the title of the largest.

There are ancient and dense forests that are said to be the most pristine in the entire Pokémon League region, and there are also many strange Pokémon. There are even rumors that some Pokémon that humans have not yet registered in the Pokédex live there.

The reason is that the place is just too big. Its existence is like a wall, separating the Kanto region from the Johto region. You can imagine how ridiculous this wall is. Even now, you still need to take a boat or an airplane to get from Kanto to Johto.

There's no way around it; that mountain range is just too big, and given its significant research value and ecosystem, there aren't many people living there now. The most active people there are the elite investigators from the Pokémon League and poachers.

After all, remote and sparsely populated areas are a paradise for these poachers. The Alliance, in its battle of wits and courage against these people, has naturally gathered a group of people there. Tengshu had previously heard Shiba complain that the Heavenly King would occasionally have to carry out missions in these natural forests, and every time he went in and came out, he felt like a savage.

However, the most famous forest in the entire Kanto region is still the Viridian Forest.

The reason is that children born near Viridian Forest may acquire a special ability called Viridian Heart, a special power that is different from superpowers and aura. It possesses a magical power that countless people dream of obtaining.

This ability is comparable to Aura and psychic powers, so you can imagine how enviable it is. It allows you to communicate with your Pokémon to deepen your bond and even heal them, making it incredibly useful.

However, the problem is that you can't just have a Heart of Everlasting Light whenever you want.

Currently, the known owners of the Heart of Everlasting are Sakaki and Fujiki.

“This time we have three million, we can do more things now.” Teng Shu said with a smile. A gentle breeze was blowing around him. Although Teng Shu couldn’t hear anything, he knew that the forest was responding to him.

The vine tree chuckled. This feeling was truly wonderful, an indescribable sensation. The vine tree couldn't quite put its finger on what it was, but it was incredibly subtle. It was like talking to the plants around you, and they would respond to you with such warmth and kindness.

Could it be that I am some kind of druid?

Teng Shu felt that besides being the director of the orphanage, the second most suitable position for him was to be a ranger in the Evergreen Forest. After all, the entire forest was listening to his voice and communicating with him, which was a truly wonderful feeling.

Upon arriving at the forest ranger team, Teng Shu met the same instructor from before. After expressing his intention to donate, Teng Shu was invited by the enthusiastic instructor to have a meal. This left Teng Shu somewhat amused and exasperated, as he had already eaten. However, unable to resist the instructor's enthusiasm, Teng Shu was forced to eat a large meal at the forest ranger's restaurant.

"Oh, Mr. Teng Shu, thank you so much!" The instructor even opened a bottle of wine.

However, this bottle of wine looked mysterious. It wasn't the kind of regular alcoholic beverage available in the Alliance market, but rather a more unique one. The label even said "Tropical Dragon Fruit Juice," but it was clearly alcohol inside. Teng Shu could smell a faint aroma of alcohol.

The forest ranger captain accompanying them looked extremely eager, which made Teng Shu realize that this thing was probably some kind of rare treasure.

"Instructor, what is this?" Teng Shu could tell that this bottle of wine seemed to have something special about it, which made him look at the instructor with curiosity. He wanted to see what was so special about this bottle of wine.

"This? This is a treasure we can only get here! Last time, when other people came to drink it, it was the vice chairman of the alliance who came, and I brought it out to serve them!" The instructor said proudly, his face clearly saying, "I'm so happy, come and ask me." Teng Shu was even more surprised when he heard this.

"Oh, this is fruit wine that we sometimes find during our forest patrols. These berries were originally stored by some Pokémon to prepare for winter or as food, but they have so many that they forget about them sometimes. Then, by chance, these berries ferment and become the fruit wine we see now," the instructor said proudly.

Teng Shu was genuinely surprised to hear this. Teng Shu wasn't stupid; he could understand what the instructor meant. In a way, this stuff was like monkey wine.

The so-called "monkey wine" is something like that. It's a place where monkeys store their fruit, and then, by chance, it ferments and turns into fruit wine, which has a unique flavor. However, it's still best to drink regular fruit wine properly, since monkey wine may have some safety issues.

Monkey wine is made in this way, and only wine brewed by monkeys themselves deserves to be called monkey wine. Some unscrupulous producers have labeled their fruit wines as monkey wine, but in the eyes of the old mountain runners, only wine brewed by real monkeys themselves deserves to be called monkey wine.

It can only be said that sometimes, things that are purely natural do have some unique characteristics, and monkey wine, being such a unique product, is a rare gem among all-natural products. After all, the conditions for producing monkey wine are quite demanding, and it is really difficult to meet these conditions normally.

After all, natural fermentation in the wild may have some minor problems, but this does not affect the reputation of Monkey Wine itself. In fact, many people who do not drink alcohol know about this unique wine.

However, none of this affected the status of this tree fruit wine in the instructor's eyes. When Teng Shu heard about the brewing process of this tree fruit wine, he immediately became interested. Then he picked it up and took a sip. Instantly, a rich fruity aroma filled Teng Shu's mouth, which made Teng Shu very satisfied.

This is indeed alcohol; it has some alcoholic flavor, but it's mostly fruity.

The taste is simply amazing, with a unique sensation that is somewhat intoxicating. Even Teng Shu, who doesn't usually like drinking, couldn't help but take a second and third sip after just one.

Chapter 512 The Vine Tree That Was Fed

Then the instructor brought out even more things, all of which were specialties from the Evergreen Forest. Seeing this, Teng Shu thoroughly enjoyed the fun of the mountains and fields, and then donated three million to the rangers' public account. The instructor was so happy that he even filled a small bottle of fruit wine for Teng Shu, who was naturally very pleased.

The production of this fruit wine is limited; even veteran forest rangers like the instructor don't have much. So, the fact that Tengshu was able to get a bottle is only because he helped a lot; otherwise, Tengshu wouldn't have gotten any fruit wine at all.

"I didn't really think about doing anything, I just wanted to do something for Viridian Forest." Teng Shu smiled. The chemical plant explosion back then wasn't just Teng Shu's doing. Strictly speaking, it was the forest and the Pokémon that did it, so Teng Shu did this and wanted to repay the forest.

After all, Tengshu's strength alone was insufficient. Without the dense swarm of Pokémon behind him, Tengshu would not have been able to extinguish the fire and prevent Viridian City from being blown to bits.

"Haha, Dean Teng Shu, heroes come from all walks of life. Regardless of your thoughts, your help will allow us to better protect this forest." The instructor laughed heartily. He knew that the Alliance was short of money, and he also knew that Changqing City was even more short of money, so he could only grit his teeth. But the problem was that the employees also needed to earn money and support their families.

Everyone needs money to live in this world, even the homeless, unless they truly live in the forest and obtain everything from it. But even such a wild person needs money, because only with money can they see a doctor and receive treatment.

Most of the forest rangers have families to support; they are not the type who can live comfortably on their own. They also need to consider their children and families.

So, for the sake of his men, the instructor could only keep urging them to pay their debts, and as a result, they could barely make ends meet. Now, everyone's wages are still a month's worth unpaid. Although everyone understands, some are still feeling discouraged.

But now that Teng Shu has donated money, at least everyone has enough energy to work. However, the instructor has already decided that when the alliance's money comes in, they will make up for the shortfall.

Teng Shu didn't mind. He knew these people were all good people. After all, the will of the Evergreen Forest had just recognized their efforts, so Teng Shu was very satisfied. Moreover, just as Teng Shu said, no matter how strong he was, it would be difficult to help such a large forest. But with these people, things became much simpler.

At least it's much better than having Fujiki do it all by himself. No matter how hard Fujiki tries, he probably wouldn't be able to see the entire Viridian Forest in a day, but these rangers can.

After delivering the money, Teng Shu left the forest ranger team. He had other things to take care of, but as soon as he left, he saw the Flaming Horse standing at the entrance of the forest ranger team, looking at him expectantly.

Upon seeing the Flaming Horse, Teng Shu subconsciously touched his pocket, then realized that he hadn't brought any braised tofu. Thinking of this, Teng Shu felt a bit of a stomachache. Of course, he knew why the Flaming Horse had come to see him, but Teng Shu had come to see the ranger this time and really hadn't brought any braised tofu, which would only disappoint the Flaming Horse.

"Flaming Horse, I'm sorry, I didn't bring any braised tofu or anything with me today." Teng Shu said apologetically to Flaming Horse. Flaming Horse just tilted its head and came to Teng Shu's side, gesturing for him. Teng Shu was stunned for a moment, then realized that Flaming Horse wanted him to go up, so he went up.

The Abandoned Monkey followed beside Tengshu. After it got on, the Flaming Horse glanced at the Abandoned Monkey but didn't say anything. Instead, it carried Tengshu and galloped away.

Although he didn't know what the Rapidash was up to, Teng Shu remembered that the Rapidash had led him to discover something here before. So Teng Shu thought that the Rapidash might have discovered something again, which was why it had found him. After all, the Rapidash had done the same thing last time. Thinking of this, Teng Shu became a little more serious.

Then, the fiery horse carried Tengshu to another place. The fiery horse ran very fast, and the wind whistled in Tengshu's ears, but Tengshu was used to it, since that was just how fast the fiery horse was.

However, as he ran, Tengshu smelled an indescribable scent in the air. When the Flaming Horse stopped, Tengshu confirmed that there was a scent of tree fruit wine in the air.

"Huh? Is it tree fruit wine?" Teng Shu seemed to know something, and sure enough, he found a large tree stump full of tree fruit wine, which was very clean and there were no impurities in sight, which was quite unbelievable.

"Thank you." Teng Shu guessed something. It must have been that Viridian Forest had sensed his desire for fruit wine and sent Rapidash to bring him here. This gave Teng Shu a strange feeling, like returning home and being fed by his parents.

Carrying a large amount of tree fruit wine, Teng Shu happily returned to the orphanage, along with his fiery horse.

There was nothing they could do; the fiery horse insisted on sticking to the vine tree and following it around.

Teng Shu knew what the Flame Horse was up to; it definitely wanted to eat braised tofu. So he told the Flame Horse to wait at the door while he went to the kitchen to make braised tofu for it.

Tengshu's braising liquid has been simmering for a long time, and now it can be considered a prized possession of the shop.

Some braised food shops advertise that their braising liquid has been used for many years.

This doesn't mean that you should keep cooking the soup in one pot, but rather that you need to add spices frequently and skim off some impurities, otherwise it will turn into a superb old mushroom hot pot.

Tengshu's braising pot is made in a similar way.

After Tengshu handed the braised tofu to the Flaming Horse, the Flaming Horse happily ate it, snorted, greeted the Abandoned Monkey, and then turned and left.

"Little Bao, would you like some fruit wine?" Teng Shu asked the Abandoned Monkey with a smile. The Abandoned Monkey immediately nodded; it had just smelled the aroma.

It smelled so good that even the monkeys were tempted.

Teng Shu also took out some fruit wine and poured a glass for the Abandoned Monkey. The Abandoned Monkey picked it up and drank it all in one gulp.

Chapter 513 Hey, I have an idea

"Drink slowly." Teng Shu was both amused and exasperated. This little guy, the Abandoned Monkey, was really causing trouble, even drinking so fast.

Although the alcohol content of this tree fruit wine is not high, it is still alcohol, so Tengshu doesn't dare to drive after drinking it.

The importance of not drinking and driving is increasing.

"!" The Abandoned Monkey excitedly handed over the cup. Looking at the Abandoned Monkey's expression, Teng Shu knew that the Abandoned Monkey still intended to drink, so Teng Shu poured a cup for the Abandoned Monkey. However, this time the Abandoned Monkey drank much slower, and it was even savoring the wine.

He smelled the aroma, swirled the glass, and examined the color of the wine before finally picking it up with satisfaction and taking a slow sip. Seeing this, Teng Shu also felt a little tempted and poured himself a glass as well.

The wine he drank was the one that Tokiwa Forest later gave to Fujiki. This wine was sweeter and tasted better, which made Fujiki feel a little lightheaded.

It must be said that this berry wine has a unique flavor. After all, the berries in the Pokémon world are very magical and have a great taste, so the wine brewed here naturally tastes even better.

"Little Bao, how are you feeling?" Teng Shu asked with a smile, looking at the Abandoned Monkey. The Abandoned Monkey nodded happily, looking very pleased. Teng Shu smiled as well.

It seems that the abandoned monkey also really likes it. However, it's so delicious that probably not many people can resist it. Moreover, it's a fruit wine, so its alcohol content is very low.

Teng Shu suddenly had an idea.

Viridian Forest is very large. Although it is not the largest forest area in the entire Kanto region, it is definitely the largest forest reserve in the vicinity of Viridian City. Under such circumstances, Viridian Forest needs more maintenance.

After all, human traces are unavoidable. Unlike the mountain range that runs through Kanto and Johto and receives special protection from the League, the Viridian Forest's protective status is similar to that of other forests.

The basic setup includes forest rangers, as well as some volunteer patrols and the alliance also regularly maintains the roads and such.

From the instructor of the forest rangers' brigade, Teng Shu learned that the brigade's life was not very good, and could even be described as somewhat impoverished. Teng Shu could see the excitement on the other party's face when he received Teng Shu's donation.

There's nothing we can do about it. After all, the ranger brigade is just a tiny, insignificant department in the entire alliance region. It doesn't have many unique features and doesn't receive much financial support from the alliance.

It's important to know that free medical care at Pokémon Centers constitutes a significant portion of the league's annual budget.

Moreover, Changqing City is currently in a rather difficult economic situation.

So, can we rely on Viridian Forest to manage and maintain itself?

Take, for example, the fruit wines that Teng Shu has in his hands. These fruit wines taste very good, and the fact that they are all-natural is a selling point in itself.

The current development of the Pokémon world is actually somewhat similar to its predecessor. Simply put, the Pokémon world also has some special circumstances, such as pre-made meals.

Although pre-made meals are just emerging, they have already attracted the attention of some people. At this point, astute businesses will customize them according to consumer preferences.

For example, refusing pre-cooked food, or claiming to be all-natural or wild, is like the raw beef rice noodles that Tengshu had seen in his previous life. This thing is essentially advertising, advertising that their dishes are not pre-cooked, that the beef is freshly cooked, and that the deliciousness is visible. However, Tengshu lived in Yunnan Province in his previous life, so he didn't have much of a feeling about all-natural.

However, this does not affect the popularity of these concepts, and they may even spread further. Moreover, all-natural and fresh are inherently linked. As people's economic conditions gradually improve, they tend to eat healthier, and eating well is what people pursue.

If people can't get enough to eat, then naturally they won't care about healthy eating. In certain historical periods, let alone healthy eating, just being able to fill one's stomach was a happy thing. Therefore, pre-cooked meals were very popular in those times, but that's not the case now.

The same applies to the world of Pokémon. So, could it rely on fruit wine to create a commercial brand and make a profit, and then use all the profits from the vines on Viridian Forest to achieve a positive cycle?

After all, the Viridian Forest has a will, and he could feel it. He felt like a child of the entire forest, receiving its love and care. This feeling was quite wonderful. Tengshu even felt that he could live a fulfilling life in the Viridian Forest without having to work.

"It doesn't seem like a bad idea... but we still need to ask around." Teng Shu scratched his head. He thought the idea was feasible, after all, he was very clear about the impact that human machinery and human power could have on the natural environment.

However, this matter ultimately requires consulting the will of Viridian Forest. If Viridian Forest is willing, then Fujiki will try to help. If Viridian Forest refuses, then Fujiki will not bring it up again.

Just as Teng Shu was about to ask, he saw the abandoned monkey hand him the cup again. Seeing this, Teng Shu simply gathered the little guys in the orphanage together, and the way to gather them was by calling the clock in the canteen.

"Hey? Dean, are you eating so early today?" Locke was the first to arrive. This guy was always very enthusiastic about eating, even a little too enthusiastic.

"Actually, it's not a meal, it's just a treat for you to have drinks." Teng Shu smiled and then took out some fruit wine.

However, considering that Locke's daughter was still very young and Xiaoxia was also a minor, Tengshu did not give them either.

Locke took a sip, and his eyes lit up.

Locke had never tasted this strange fruit wine before. Although there were similar fruit wines in the Pokémon world, none of them could compare to the one that Tengshu had brought out.

"What kind of wine is this? It tastes so good?!" Locke looked at Tengshu with some surprise. After hearing this, Tengshu briefly explained the origin of the wine. After hearing Tengshu's words, Locke looked at Tengshu with a strange expression. Dean Tengshu was really a genius. He could even get his hands on this kind of wine.

Chapter 514, Chapter 249.5: Drunken Fist!