Stardew Valley’s Farming Master

Watching the girls scatter, Leon let out a sigh of relief. At last, he had safely made it through this round of punishment.

Just as Emily had suggested, the group moved to a new location for their second gathering of the day—the Stardrop Saloon run by Gus. Maybe because of the rain, the place wasn’t too crowded, which let everyone relax a lot more.

Abigail and Haley even ordered beer, though neither of them seemed intent on getting the other drunk—they only took a few sips. Leon had a large mug himself, while Sophia stuck to the hot milk Emily brought her.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, the girls started heading home. Haley and Abigail left together.

Sophia stayed behind since the Blue Moon Vineyard was still under renovation. For now, she was staying at Gus’s place, and her temporary guest room was just a few steps past the sliding door into the living area behind the bar.

Emily, on the other hand, switched right into work mode after dinner. But Leon couldn’t really see her as a typical part-time worker. Besides handling the register and taking orders, most of her job seemed to be fetching drinks and delivering tickets to Gus.

Gus, as the owner, was the busiest of them all—once someone placed a food order, he’d huff and puff his way into the kitchen to cook.

Since Leon wasn’t in a hurry to go back, he wandered up to the counter and started talking to Emily about it.

“I actually want to help Gus more,” Emily explained helplessly in response to his curiosity, “but he doesn’t want me doing that. There’s not much I can do about it.”

“How much does Gus pay you a month?” Leon asked.

“Uh… I’ve never really paid attention. The money just goes straight into my bank account, and I’ve never counted it. I don’t care much about the salary anyway. I’m mainly here to fill my otherwise dull afternoons and evenings. The saloon is lively, and I like lively places.”

After explaining, Emily couldn’t help but ask Leon, “Don’t you think my reason for working is kind of strange?”

“Not at all. Sounds perfectly reasonable to me.” Leon smiled to reassure her. She wasn’t even close to the strangest case he’d seen.

There was once a rich kid with a company worth billions who ignored the family business entirely, preferring to ride around on a little electric scooter doing delivery runs—especially late at night after ten.

At that hour, most orders were to hotels and bars, usually delivering “strategic supplies” like various supplements, refreshments, and those little umbrellas.

Leon had once asked what his goal was, and the guy answered, “Just hoping to catch someone cheating.”

See? Sometimes, the lives and ambitions of rich people were as simple as that. Compared to him, Emily’s reasons were downright normal.

“You’re really different from other people, Leon,” Emily said, a little surprised. “When most people first hear I’m working here as a waitress, they say I’m crazy—especially old classmates who come to Stardew Valley for a visit. They say I’ve ‘fallen.’”

“Not everyone gets to choose the life they want. As long as you’re happy, that’s what matters. Life isn’t a stage play—there aren’t that many people watching anyway, right?” Leon smiled back.

“That’s actually very profound. Thank you, Leon.” Emily’s eyes softened, her gaze now warmer and more approving.

“Enough of that. Let’s talk about something important—when are we starting our dance practice?” Leon shrugged, not bothering to explain that he’d stolen that line from somewhere, and brought up the subject they’d discussed earlier in the day.

“I’m ready anytime you are,” Emily replied. “This kind of partner dance isn’t that hard. With your smarts, I think you could master it in two hours, tops.”

“How about tomorrow afternoon? I’ll come find you once I’m done with my work. Or should we meet somewhere?” Leon suggested.

“Sure. Let’s pick a place… how about under that big tree in the Coal Forest? No one will disturb us, and it’s a nice environment. I’ll bring the radio,” Emily confirmed.

“Alright, tomorrow afternoon at the Coal Forest. You get back to work—I should head home.”

After settling the time, Leon said goodbye to Emily and left the Stardrop Saloon.

It was still raining outside. In Stardew Valley, once the rain started, it often lasted from morning straight through to midnight.

Wearing his sailor’s cap, Leon didn’t let the rain slow him down. But riding a bike in weather like this was asking for trouble, so he walked.

Truth be told, strolling through untouched nature on a rainy day was pretty nice. There were no cars to worry about, no need to dodge hurried pedestrians. The muddy road was his alone.

Rain pattered on the leaves overhead. The air was filled with the fresh scent of grass and earth. In that moment, Leon’s heart felt calm and utterly serene.

Everything around him seemed alive, brimming with vitality. He could almost feel himself breathing in sync with the plants.

“You have become one with nature again. Forest Magic has been strengthened.”

Leon didn’t know how long he had been in that state before the system’s voice jolted him back.

He quickly opened his panel and checked the description under Special Abilities for Forest Magic.

Forest Magic: You possess the magic of the forest. Nature regards you as its own child.

Compared to before, the description now had one more line—“Nature regards you as its own child.” But Leon couldn’t tell what difference it made.

“System, explain?”

But the system had no intention of answering him. Leon didn’t push—this wasn’t the first time the system had played dead, and he was used to it.

If the system stayed silent, he could always ask old Linus. The old man also had Forest Magic and might notice any changes.

But it was late, and disturbing him at this hour felt wrong. Tomorrow would be better.

Even if Linus did seem to dislike him lately, Leon figured it was just a case of saying one thing and feeling another.

If he brought some good food in the morning, the old man would probably be willing to help.

With that decided, Leon quickened his pace back to Red Star Farm. After a shower, he let his hair dry naturally and went straight to bed.

“The perks of youth—falling asleep the moment you hit the pillow. Looks like I won’t need to wait for him after all.”

Up in the northern hills, Linus muttered that with a wry expression, then shook his head helplessly and returned to his tent to sleep.