Copper Mill Street, District One and Two.
The main shops are various restaurants, pubs, and dance halls, with the largest likely being an arcade - the Pachinko Shop.
Unlike the money pits of the Underground City, this area mainly caters to regular folks and some less wealthy members, but with numerous small incomes combined, it becomes quite a considerable revenue.
Therefore.
Baimu being surprised to be assigned such a district is entirely normal.
Perhaps this was just allocated to Liu Ge from Cang Zhilang? After all, that traitor Yuan Du was captured, and after some interrogation, it's possible that the Sand Group reaped some benefits from the Crystal Team.
He had been busy cultivating Pokémon, not really paying attention to the internal changes in the team.
Things must have shifted somewhat; with the natural dislike between Sand Group Leader Cang Zhilang and Crystal Team Leader Chester, how could they not take advantage of Yuan Du to strike a blow?
Baimu thought while walking along the main road of Copper Mill Street, followed by Cheng Hong and the others, who were striding boldly and confidently.
A host of Pokémon graced the group, regularly attracting the attention of passersby.
And among those gazes, the common folk often mixed awe and fear, with not a few showing hostility or disgust. The Quicksand Team Members' gazes were quite straightforward.
Most of them focused on Baimu at the front, curious how such a young punk could get Liu Ge's favor.
Just because of his decent looks?
They don't look bad either!
These oddballs refused to face reality, thinking if it were them at the charity event, their performance wouldn't be any worse than Baimu's.
Basically, it's sour grapes to the extreme.
So many seasoned elite team members couldn't become squad leaders; who are you, a rookie, to earn the position?
The numerous resentful gazes didn't affect Baimu's stride at all.
Mawile, feeling the multitude of gazes, couldn't help but clench its fists and chuckle coldly. It had long understood that villains were everywhere here, and the past few days taught it these villains wouldn't dare lay a hand on it—or its Trainer.
For those villains showing cowardice, a strong punch is the way to go!
That's what the Breeder taught it.
Helpless, since Baimu didn't allow it, Mawile merely endured.
Of course, it knew the Trainer believed that two fists couldn't match four hands, and indeed fighting so many villains at once was troublesome, so choosing not to engage with a large group of enemies when alone was very reasonable.
No wonder it's the Trainer I recognize!
Mawile glanced appreciatively at Baimu, thinking that besides needing its help with Pokémon breeding, Baimu was quite competent in other areas.
——
Soon.
The destination was reached.
It was around noon, and most shops had their doors half-closed, preparing to open.
Baimu randomly chose a tavern to walk into, glanced around the interior, and said to a smiling man who approached, "Are you the owner here?"
"No, no, I'm the manager here. Our boss specifically arranged for me to wait for you here, Brother Baimu."
The man wore a humble smile, bowed, and said, "The owners of District One and Two are waiting for your word at the Meimeng Dance Hall. Please go there. We just opened, and the environment here isn't suitable for discussing important matters…"
Seems like the word got out.
Baimu wasn't surprised by this; they were making a conspicuous entrance, intended to alert these owners.
Gathering everyone together suits him just fine, saving him from visiting each one individually.
"Alright."
He gladly accepted this and turned without hesitation to leave.
Cheng Hong and the others, who were observing the surroundings, immediately followed suit, not even glancing at the trifles seemingly awaiting them outside.
Poor backgrounds aside, they never stoop to petty thieving; such trifles hold no appeal.
Last night, they discussed together, deciding to take cues from Baimu today—avoid needless matters and strive to create some "momentum" for Baimu!
Only then would the backbone of Cyan Iridium Street be truly established, preventing others from looking down on them.
The desire for wealth is there, but self-respect and dignity hold greater value; this has been their basis for confronting Chaitian's group. Those loving money without limits were long excluded from their circle.
The Meimeng Dance Hall wasn't far from the tavern; after only a few steps, they could see its alluring signboard.
Baimu pushed open the door and walked in, immediately spotting the glaring lights below the deepest part of the stage, completely surrounded by darkness, making it hard to discern the situation.
Beneath the bright lights was a massive rectangular table with numerous unfamiliar faces sitting around it, leaving the top seat vacant.
As he approached, those unfamiliar faces collectively rose, coming over to greet him.
Calls of Brother Baimu, Captain Baimu echoed continuously, and more importantly, as soon as they entered, they stuffed various large and small envelopes, of varying thickness.
Turning his head, Baimu noticed even Cheng Hong and the others were getting the same treatment.
This seems like… it might be quite straightforward?
He nodded casually, naturally taking the vacant seat at the top, but as soon as he sat down, he noticed Mawile staring at him, compelling him to place it on his knee.
"There's no need for such formality, everyone."
Baimu waved his hand, motioning the owners to sit down, "I'm merely here to get acquainted with you all and to have a casual chat, no need to be nervous."
The owners sat down one by one.
But as soon as they settled down, even before Baimu could touch the tea cup to see if it was hot or cold, they all stood up to complain.
They talked about poor management leading to imminent closure, losing money every month, frequent disruptions by Quicksand Team Members causing them difficulty in sustaining their businesses.
Cheng Hong and the others were startled by the noisy and complaining owners but calmed down seeing Baimu still sitting placidly in his seat.
Mawile watched the spitting, eager-to-explain-their-hardships owners with a gradually unpleasant expression.
"Cheedo!"
It howled loudly and suddenly turned its head, swinging the huge mouth on the back to the front. The menacing jaws opened, revealing a blood-red frightening glow, scaring those bosses into lowering their voices.
Baimu patted Mawile's head, his gaze sweeping across everyone's faces in front of him.
"Just get to the point, what's your ultimate goal in saying all this? Or is this just a complaint? In that case, I'll leave and come back on collection day."
His tone was indifferent, he didn't even look at anyone, just stared at the teacup before him.
The bosses looked at each other, and after some hushed discussion, they pushed forward a middle-aged man who looked composed.
"We hope Brother Baimu can show mercy and give us a month's grace."
"Grace?"
"Yes, just give us a month to sort out our finances. Not only can we catch up next month, but we might even have more. During this month, please put in a good word for us with Lord Liu Ge, let us survive..."
The middle-aged man sighed, sounding as if his household was about to run out of steam.
Baimu asked, "Are your finances really in such bad shape?"
"Yes, it's recorded in the books, we're losing money every month and the income doesn't cover the expenses."
"Alright."
He nodded at the middle-aged man's ecstatic expression, "Fine. Seems like you really take me for a fool. Who's got your back? Just say it."
"Well—"
The middle-aged man's expression froze, and the surrounding bosses also looked awkward.
Before they could argue, Baimu stood up.
"No worries, next time I come, remember to have the money ready. I want double the usual amount. If you can't pay, then use your assets as collateral. Or you can try paying nothing."
He chuckled and waved at Cheng Hong and the others, "It's settled. Let's go!"
The middle-aged man, seeing he was about to leave, couldn't help but block his way with a shrill voice and lowered his head deeply, "Wait! Brother Baimu, please don't! We really can't manage right now! No one is backing us up!"
"Yes, yes! Please just give us a way out!"
"We're begging you!"
The other bosses also began complaining mournfully.
Baimu just sneered.
Claiming poor business and near closure on the most prosperous areas of Copper Mill Street, anyone who believed it was really a fool.
If they were really losing money, they would have closed long ago, and many are eyeing these spots! No losses to leave for others!
If he believed that, he could never hold his head up again.
Typically, these bosses wouldn't be stupid enough to go against him or take him for a fool. It only means they were either threatened by someone or given backbone.
Therefore, these people had already become cannon fodder in the high-level struggles within the Quicksand Team, whether they agreed or not.
But Baimu still willing to give them a chance. As long as they pay double the "fine," it's all water under the bridge, and explaining to Liu Ge would be easier.
His eyes skipped over these bosses and looked beyond to the black curtains around the place, shouting, "Do I have to invite you out, or will you come out yourself?"
The bosses fell silent.
The next moment, rampant laughter echoed out.
"Hahahaha, everyone says you, Little Ghost, have extraordinary luck. Didn't expect you to be quite sharp. Who tipped you off?"
From behind the curtains, several Quicksand Team Members streamed out.
The leader wore a Squad Leader's badge, looking not very old, maybe in his twenties, his expression arrogant like Jian once was, almost nose in the air.
"So it really is you Crystal Team folks."
Baimu sighed, and Cheng Hong behind him reminded him who this person was.
Just like how the Sand Group has him as Squad Leader, the Crystal Team recently promoted someone from elite member to Squad Leader, and it happens to be this guy—Yoshikawa.
His appearance here was likely to cause trouble for Baimu, probably his first assignment after promotion.
"Ignore them, let's go."
Baimu said to the people behind him.
He came here to ensure no issues on collection day, confronting Yoshikawa was meaningless and unnecessary.
A group of them walked toward the door as the bosses pleaded.
But before they could reach the door.
Yoshikawa's voice came through again.
"Why are you Sand Group folks so soft? They've jumped on your heads, and you do nothing? Or are you learning from your brother Liu Ge? What did you learn? To be sissies! Hahahahaha!"
The Crystal Team members burst into laughter.
It was extremely obnoxious, making Cheng Hong and the others grit their teeth.
Honestly.
It was a clumsy provocation.
But Baimu couldn't ignore it because Yoshikawa insulted Liu Ge. In Pyrite Town, if a brother is insulted, it's a serious matter, and if a little brother fails to defend the dignity, the brother loses all face.
Even setting aside all that.
Liu Ge has helped him many times without expecting tribute and had Flop take good care of him...
Pretending not to hear was impossible.
"I want all your teeth."
Baimu turned, coldly looking at Yoshikawa, who was laughing uproariously in the furthest corner, "If your speech leaks, maybe your mouth won't be so loose."