Things Hard to Say

On his way, Luis mentally tallied today's earnings:

2 Blue Grass: 100 G each, total 200 G.

3 Bamboo Shoots: 50 G each, total 150 G.

4 Lumber: not for sale.

If prices matched the game, he'd earned 350 G. At the beach, he could find 2 Orange Grass (100 G each) and 2 Yellow Grass (120 G each), totaling 440 G. Plus, there was a beehive in the house producing honey daily at 50 G, which he hadn't collected yet.

In an ideal scenario, he could earn 940 G today. But if Harvest Sprites existed, he planned to keep one Blue Grass, one Orange Grass, and one Yellow Grass as gifts. The best way to expand the farm without exhausting himself was to have the Harvest Sprites handle watering and harvesting. For now, with four patches, Luis could manage alone. But his goal was to make Solace Farm the largest in Mineral Town, a wealthy farmer dominating the produce market. Maintaining just four patches was absurd.

To boost productivity and daily workload, he had a few options:

Increase stamina: This wouldn't improve hourly efficiency but would extend work time and capacity. He could use energy drinks or find power berries to max out stamina. But easy-to-find power berries were limited, and the rest were tough to get. Drinks were costly. This was only viable after a few harvest seasons.

Upgrade tools: Each upgrade cost thousands of G, and higher-tier tools consumed more stamina. Upgrades boosted efficiency but not daily task volume. He'd need to combine tool upgrades with stamina boosts for optimal work.

Employ Harvest Sprites: This was like a developer's cheat, letting experienced players breeze through the early game. Without them, the first year was grueling, with barely enough money for upgrades. Befriending the Sprites freed up labor. A few days of gifts, and they'd work for the farm. Long-term bonding meant they'd work indefinitely.

The thought of not working yet still profiting thrilled him. The Harvest Sprites were seven dwarves, inspired by Snow White, dressed in colors matching their preferred Grass. Only Aqua, one of the seven, had no favorite Grass. Gifting the right Grass could build rapport in 5-7 days. By mid-spring, he could have three "little workers." Though not the most diligent, their numbers could handle basic farm tasks.

But he hadn't seen any sign of the Sprites. Jack's map didn't mark the small house behind the church. Still, he recalled a narrow trail by the church leading somewhere unmarked. Today, he decided to explore it, hoping for a surprise.

Passing the poultry farm, he heard raised voices. He perked up, eavesdropping.

"Why do you keep defending him? He abandoned everything, chasing some nonsense medicine no one knows exists! Leaving us to carry this farm! Does he even love you, or is he just dodging responsibility for some other thrill?" A man's voice rang out, sharp and angry.

"Rick! You… you can't talk about your father like that! He loves our family! He just… wanted what's best for me!"

"Best for you? Then why'd he leave without a word? Why hasn't he sent a single letter in years?"

"I… I don't know. Maybe something happened to him on the road?" The woman's voice choked with sobs.

"No matter what you say, I don't accept that man as my father! I can handle this farm. I'll protect my sister. Mom, I'll find a way to cure you! This family—I'll carry it without him!"

The door slammed open. A young man stormed out, face red as a tomato, not glancing around as he disappeared from sight.

Inside, only the woman's soft sobs and a younger girl's comforting voice remained:

"Mom, don't worry! Rick's just upset. I'll find Karen and ask her to talk to him. He listens to her!"

"My sweet girl! Do you believe in your father?"

The girl hesitated. After a moment, she said, "I don't know! But I believe in you. If you believe in Dad, so do I!"

Eavesdropping on family drama like this was rude. Luis didn't linger and hurried toward the beach.

The father in the story was Rod, who left to find medicine for his wife's illness. In the game, players never met Rod, only hearing of him through others' stories. But Luis empathized with him. To him, a man didn't need to voice his actions or struggles. He didn't need sympathy or pity. Even family couldn't fully grasp the weight of a man's choices. Some things couldn't be put into words. He understood Rod's decision.

Farther along, he reached Barley's farm, three times the size of his, with sprawling pastures and hundreds of cows and sheep grazing leisurely. Seeing this, he thought, "Forget being the biggest farm in town—second biggest will do!" The scale overwhelmed him. Hundreds of animals, a few workers—this was industrial farming, not a traditional farm. No wonder Barley said a cow not giving milk was fine. With this output, he could supply milk to the whole town. Luis wondered if this world had market competition. If so, how could he compete with this?

At the beach, the spring sea was still cold. Only a few people milled about, sunbathing. Near the port were Zack and Won's houses. He hadn't had time to visit. For now, he focused on earning money. After a few minutes, he gathered 2 Orange Grass and 2 Yellow Grass.

He headed to the town's only church, a grand, ancient building on a high hill beside a cemetery. A narrow trail ran along its side, leading behind the hill.

Eager to find the Harvest Sprites' house, Luis followed the path. The area was secluded, with tall, overgrown grass. At the trail's end, there was nothing but an empty clearing.

He stood, stunned. Nothing?

Frustrated, he trudged back to the farm and ran into Zack at the gate.

"Hey! Got anything for me today?"

"Just some foraged stuff from outside the farm. Hope it's worth something. Can you check?"

"Hmm… You've been busy. This lot's 890 G! I'll pay now, alright?"

It matched his calculations. So, prices here aligned with the game. If most things were the same, why didn't the Harvest Sprites—a key element—exist? He fumed.

"Hey, Zack, quick question. That clearing behind the church hill—ever been there?"

Zack gave him a strange look.

"What were you doing there? Don't go there. That place is haunted!"

Haunted???