Chapter 21: Jiang Qinglan

The Blazing Plain is an exceptionally vast expanse. Due to the dense concentration of Fire-type energy, the entire area is barren, devoid of even a single blade of grass. Walking along its paths, one can even feel a scorching heat radiating through the soles of their shoes. The environment here is perfectly suited for Pokémon that excel at running, such as Rapidash and Arcanine.

Charlotte brought Xia Yu for a tour of the Blazing Plain, visiting various activity zones before heading directly to the incubation chamber. After all, their primary objective was to select a Pokémon egg; the sightseeing was merely incidental.

The incubation chamber at the Blazing Plain is one of only two in the entire Flame Mystery Realm. The other is located within the volcanic zone, specifically designed to incubate eggs for Pokémon that thrive in magma, such as Slugma, Magmortar, and Camerupt. The number of eggs there is significantly lower, amounting to only about a tenth of those found at the Blazing Plain.

The vast majority of Pokémon eggs are housed within the Blazing Plain’s incubation chamber. As Charlotte and Xia Yu reached the entrance, a young, attractive woman immediately stepped forward to greet them.

"Welcome, distinguished guests, to the incubation chamber."

The chamber was staffed by many young, beautiful women. They appeared to be between twenty and thirty years old—in the prime of their youth—and all stood at least one meter sixty-eight tall. Dressed in matching uniforms, they formed a picturesque scene within the facility.

"I am Jiang Qinglan, your guide for the incubation chamber and your assistant for selecting a Pokémon egg today. Gym Leader Charlotte, it is an honor to serve you; I am a fan of yours." After her introduction, she offered a sweet smile and turned to lead the brothers inside, providing them with an elegant view as she walked ahead.

Jiang Qinglan had been specially assigned by the Flame Mystery Realm officials to guide Charlotte. Having been waiting since nine in the morning, she was able to recognize him instantly. She was in high spirits; as a junior at West Sichuan University, she would be entering her senior year in September and was already facing the pressure of finding employment. To bolster her resume, she had applied for an internship at the Flame Mystery Realm before the break.

Under normal circumstances, given her family background, she would never have had a chance to intern here. The facility was filled with well-connected individuals, and outsiders fought tooth and nail for a spot; it should have been impossible for someone as ordinary as her to be selected. However, her status as an honors student in Pokémon Breeding at West Sichuan University, combined with her striking appearance—a rare blend of high academic achievement and beauty—had allowed her to pass the internship application against all odds. She was subsequently assigned to the Blazing Plain’s incubation chamber to guide VIPs and promote high-end egg incubation services.

The egg incubation business is one of the core revenue streams for the Flame Mystery Realm. Many wealthy individuals pay to have their Fire-type Pokémon eggs incubated here, firstly because the rich Fire-type energy can slightly improve the potential of the Pokémon, and secondly because they are cared for by professional Breeders, leaving almost no room for accidents. Of course, the fees are quite steep, and it is certainly not an option for ordinary families.

"Every egg in the incubation chamber has its own individual incubator," Jiang Qinglan explained as they walked, wearing a standard, professional smile. "These are all the latest high-end models from the international brand Devon. Each unit provides twenty-four-hour independent temperature control, humidity regulation, light adjustment, heart rate monitoring, and eggshell monitoring."

Xia Yu’s gaze fell upon the rows of incubators. He noticed that many contained nutrient solutions, some even enriched with precious Fire-type energy supplements. He couldn't help but marvel at the wealth of the patrons; they used million-dollar energy solutions as if they were nothing.

"Mr. Charlotte, the eggs with blue tags are those left here by customers for incubation; you may not select those," Jiang Qinglan explained with a warm, star-like smile. "The red tags represent eggs belonging to the Flame Mystery Realm. If you wish to make a selection, you must choose from those with red tags."

"This area contains eggs available for public purchase. Since your quota for selecting an egg is very precious, I wouldn't recommend wasting it on these. If you truly like one, you can simply purchase it. I suggest using your quota to select an egg from the Vault. The eggs in the Vault are not for sale and are reserved exclusively for special rewards."

"I understand. Let's take a look first. Since we’ve made the trip to the Flame Mystery Realm, I’d like to see if there are any good ones to buy and take back," Charlotte replied with a laugh. He had lost two of his ace Pokémon in battle and needed to bolster his strength, so looking around couldn't hurt.

Charlotte immediately headed toward the area containing the Cinderace eggs to carefully assess their potential.

Xia Yu also began helping his older brother scout for Pokémon. As for the three Cinderace eggs, Xia Yu glanced at them and moved on immediately; their potential was mediocre, with two being Elite-level and one being Lord-level. Among the starter Pokémon, they were on the lower end. This wasn't the fault of the Flame Mystery Realm officials, however; since Cinderace was an imported species, the first generation of eggs produced locally naturally lacked superior potential.

Bypassing the Cinderace eggs, Xia Yu used his system’s appraisal ability, scanning the area like a shopper browsing a market.

"A Lord-level Houndoom? No, it needs to be at least Quasi-Heavenly King level."

"Why is the potential of this Growlithe so poor? How can they even put this out? It’s only Elite-level."

"The Pokémon Association really does have some good stock; the potential of this Fire-type Pokémon is quite impressive."

After checking only one-fifth of the area, Xia Yu had already spotted three Pokémon with Lord-level potential and one with Quasi-Heavenly King potential—something that would be unthinkable anywhere else. He had to concede that this Fire-type Mystery Realm was truly a paradise for Fire-type Pokémon. The mere fact that it could slightly boost a Pokémon's potential was enough to make trainers happily open their wallets.

"It’s a pity there are no Pokémon with Heavenly King-level potential or higher. As expected, no matter where you go, such Pokémon remain incredibly rare."

Meanwhile, Jiang Qinglan was introducing the three Cinderace eggs to Charlotte.

"These three are the first generation produced by our imported Cinderace. Normally, we wouldn't sell them—firstly because their potential isn't ideal for a starter, and secondly because the facility hopes to hatch them to grow the local population. Of course, if you want them, Gym Leader Charlotte, you are certainly welcome to them."

"What a shame." Charlotte, having also sensed their lackluster potential, sighed. He was a fan of Cinderace, but given the poor potential, he had to give them up. The Pokémon Association’s selection quota was far too valuable to waste on these.

"Wait, where is Xia Yu?" Charlotte noticed that his brother had wandered quite far away. "Miss Jiang, you don’t need to follow me; it’s too much trouble. I can manage on my own. Why don't you go accompany my brother?"

"Very well, Gym Leader Charlotte."

Xia Yu continued his search when he suddenly caught a whiff of a pleasant fragrance. Turning around, he saw Jiang Qinglan approaching gracefully.

"Mr. Xia Yu, are you helping your brother pick an egg? The Vault contains a few eggs produced this year by some of the rare Quasi-Heavenly King Pokémon in the Flame Mystery Realm. Their potential is surely excellent; would you like to take a look?"

"No rush. Let me finish looking through these first. You don't need to follow me; I'm just browsing. You should go back to my brother." Though she was a beauty, Xia Yu was entirely focused on the eggs and had no time to spare for her.

Jiang Qinglan was left speechless. She began to doubt her own charm; as the campus beauty of West Sichuan University, why were both of these brothers so eager to dismiss her?