A farming master in Stardew Valley

Chapter 38 Cutting leeks

After Leon finished the third bowl and put down the wooden bowl in his hand, Linus began to ask.

"I am full?"

"Yeah, 90% full." Leon nodded and replied, "Thank you for the treat. The fish soup is delicious."

"It's delicious, it's delicious." Linus repeated with a smile, then drank the remaining soup in his bowl, grabbed a ball of dirt from the ground and put out the campfire.

After making sure the bonfire was no longer burning, Linus looked at Leon and said, "You are very similar to your grandfather. You are both so outgoing. But compared to him, you seem to be more spontaneous, while he seems a little restrained compared to you."

"So you also know my grandfather?" Leon was speechless when he heard Linus' words. The old man's presence was really strong. Almost all the older generation residents of Stardew Valley knew him.

"Yes, I know him. He's an excellent farmer." Linus nodded, and then encouraged Leon: "I think you will also be an excellent farmer, even better than him."

"Why do you think so?" Lyon asked curiously.

"Because nature likes you, and the forest recognizes you." Linus said, then stood up and reminded Leon: "Okay, you should go back, kid. The entrance to the mine has been destroyed by some malicious miners, so now you can't go into the mine to mine ore."

"Okay, goodbye, Mr. Linus." Leon didn't force himself to stay. He stood up and waved goodbye to Linus, then turned and went down the mountain.

The purpose of his trip was not to go down to the mine, but just to stroll around. Meeting Linus was an unexpected gain. He knew that Linus the Natural Wanderer, one of the most special characters in Stardew Valley, lived in this area, but he did not deliberately look for him.

When he found Linus, Leon acted so naturally because he knew him well and was not afraid of this strange old man living in a tent in the mountains. Originally, he just wanted to say hello to him and get to know him.

Unexpectedly, while having a free meal, Linus also refreshed Leon's understanding of him. In the game, he is just a seemingly ordinary homeless man. The specific background and details of the character are not very clear. He is a lonely old man wandering outside Pelican Town.

But occasionally in some easter eggs, you can also find Linus's unusualness. For example, when his favorability with the player is high enough, he can rescue the player from a dangerous mine full of monsters when the player is in danger in the mine.

Moreover, he would also stay with the wizard at some festival celebrations, and the two seemed to have a good relationship.

The wizard Leon has already seen that he is indeed a real boss. Then Linus, who has a good relationship with the wizard, may also be a hidden boss.

Judging from what Linus said in the conversation between him and himself, "I like you, and the forest also recognizes you", this hidden boss seems to have noticed the traces of forest magic on Leon. Of course, it may also be a blessing, but who knows?

Anyway, these older generations, including Lewis, are all riddlers, so they are quite humble.

However, the information about the mine that Linus mentioned was both unexpected and reasonable.

Some locations in the game need to be unlocked gradually over time. This is to give players time to prepare and to prevent a large amount of game content from interfering with the player's early development.

But it's interesting to see this setting in real life. Leon knew the mine entrance was blocked because of Joja's illegal mining, but he didn't expect that Joja would still cause this problem in real life. This gave Leon a vague idea, but he would have to discuss the specific implementation with Lewis.

After returning to his farm along the same route, Leon found a wild place to relieve himself, then turned around and left the farm, heading towards Pelican Town.

After arriving at Pelican Town, Leon began to look for Lewis. The mayor usually did not stay at home obediently. He basically wandered around the town every day to understand the business conditions of local businesses.

Of course, it could also be a cover-up so he can use this excuse to meet Marnie, who knows?
Fortunately, Leon didn't have to look for too long. He saw Lewis standing in front of the bulletin board at the door of Pierce's seed store.

"Oh, Leon, you are here. Are you going to Pierce's house to buy seeds?" Seeing Leon's appearance, Lewis asked Leon enthusiastically.

"No, I'm here to see you, Lewis." Leon shook his head, then continued, "Did you know that Joja illegally mined the northern foothills, causing a landslide that blocked the mine entrance?"

"I know. Joja and I have reported it, and workers have been sent to clear the landslide. It should be done within a week." Lewis nodded and replied.

"Just report it? No compensation or fines asked for?" Lyon asked.

"Compensation? Why?" Lewis looked at Lyon blankly and asked back.

"Because of illegal mining and the road being blocked due to human factors, aren't these reasons? It's just a matter of reporting and cleaning up the subsequent impacts, and everything will be fine?" Lyon complained.

Lewis sighed and explained to Leon, "Yes, because that area is actually an abandoned area. You just came to Stardew Valley not long ago and don't know the situation there. Because of the mine collapse and the large number of monsters that appeared in the mine after the collapse, the old mine was actually abandoned more than ten years ago, so it no longer has any economic value."

"And as a national supermarket chain, opening a Joja branch in Pelican Town will boost the local economy, providing numerous jobs and tax revenue. So, as the mayor, I need to give them the green light and ensure Joja can continue to stay in Pelican Town. Do you understand?"

"That's no excuse for them to act recklessly. While JOJA operates a chain of supermarkets and is involved in mining, manufacturing, transportation, and sales, as a former JOJA employee, I can confirm that these business practices and operations require approval from local authorities. So, has Morris from JOJA submitted an application to you regarding this mining operation?"

Leon continued to ask.

"No." Lewis thought for a moment and finally gave an answer.

"That's right, Lewis, you can't condone Joja's illegal mining activities, even for the sake of the local economy. I think the Vanger Republic should have corresponding laws regarding illegal mining that infringes on national resources and destroys the local ecology." Although he didn't know much about this world, Leon really knew about Joja's supermarket chain, because before coming to the farm, he actually worked seriously at Joja's ancestral city headquarters for half a year.

“What do you mean?” Lewis fell into deep thought after hearing this. Although he had already guessed something, he still planned to confirm it with Leon.

"Don't you want to subsidize Pelican Town's economy? This is a good reason to make money, right? It would be a shame not to kill a fat sheep that's been delivered to your door."

(End of this chapter)