There can't be a Harvest Moon in the RimWorld.

"It would be best to have ordinary parents, ordinary siblings, and live an ordinary life."

Poppy turned her head to the side and whispered to me.

"You've noticed too, haven't you? My mother is sick."

I nodded silently, gesturing for her to take a walk closer to the riverbank.

"I don't know when my mother got her illness, probably after I was born... In my childhood memories, she never played games with me."

“When I was little, I was very willful and asked her to play games with me, which made my older brother very angry and scolded me. Actually, my older brother was only one year older than me at the time. After that, our relationship was never good. He always treated me like a little kid.”

“My mother’s illness is not serious, but she is always exhausted and weak. When it gets worse, even going out becomes a problem.”

As Popli spoke, she unconsciously tugged at the hem of her skirt.

"Later, my father went to a big city to find medicine for my mother's illness and never came back. Every year, he would just send some supplements back from the big city. I have forgotten what he looks like."

“It was around that time that my brother became increasingly strict and stubborn. I know he just wanted to grow up quickly and become someone who could take care of me and Mom, filling the void left by Dad…”

Popuri's voice grew increasingly low, as if she were trapped in endless memories that tightly bound her, making it impossible for her to break free.

"Do you think I should envy ordinary people?"

She suddenly looked up and smiled at me, but I saw a deep sense of loneliness in her eyes.

I pointed to the stars in the sky, which are completely invisible during the day, and said to Poppy.

"Would you like to hear my story?" I said to her. "I actually come from a planet that is very, very far away, a place called Shining City."

"Actually, there are many places in the Star Sea where war is raging, and many places are still barbaric and ignorant, but in the place where I am, there is a father who truly cares about me."

“Some people say I am a cyborg created by him, and in fact I have never met my mother, but I know that my father is the one who truly cares about me.”

“I received the best education there, the best care, and the most precious family affection in that indifferent society.”

"Until he disappeared..."

Upon hearing this, Poppy suddenly felt a pang of anxiety. She saw that the young man beside her, named Marcus, seemed to be peeling away his playful facade to reveal his true feelings.

This person is completely unlike the one who was just pretending to be crazy and stupid with Rick.

“I was stripped of my inheritance rights and relegated to a construction job, where I was locked in a cage every day and forced to sell my labor, only able to enjoy the time after midnight.”

“At that time, I was also desperate. I even gave up on myself and thought that I had been abandoned by the whole world.”

I gave Popuri a genuine smile. "Actually, I envy you too. You have a mother who loves you and is always there for you, and a brother who cares about you even if he doesn't say it."

“When I received this ranch from my father as an inheritance, I also received a gift from fate.”

“Sometimes I think that maybe my destiny was to come to Mineral Town, to truly begin my life that was forcibly interrupted here.”

"I love every life, cherish every hope, and even enjoy every mystery and adventure."

"For me, this is what it means to truly live."

"This is my father's final blessing to me."

A gust of wind blew by, and Popuri lowered her head, pretending that the sand had gotten into her eyes, and secretly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

This was the first time she had ever completely confided in someone, expressing her dissatisfaction, her unease, and her longing.

She knew that this behavior was childish, like a child complaining that their toys weren't as nice as others'.

But she didn't care; at least she had found someone else who shared her plight.

This person brought his courage and perseverance, pulling her out of her long-standing confusion.

I didn't notice what Popuri was up to; I just happened to empathize with her. Such an opportunity is too precious for me. I have so many things to do and no right to wallow in self-pity.

I said to Poppy.

"Publi, would you like to make a bet with me?"

Poppy's big, bright eyes, her rose-colored pupils swirling, seemed to be asking me a question silently.

"I bet you, even though I'm not as good as you now, I'll definitely surpass you in the future and become a happier person than you."

Poppy puffed out her cheeks and said with dissatisfaction.

"It's not fair! I'm the one who'll be happier than you. Just you wait, I definitely won't lose to you!"

As we walked, we returned to her doorstep, and we parted ways there, I said as I left.

"Come visit the ranch sometime. Just you wait, I'll be happier than you, hahaha."

I deliberately dodged her stomping foot with a mischievous grin, drifted past her in the fragrant breeze, and walked away into the distance.

What I didn't know was that the pink-haired girl behind me, who was pretending to be angry, was actually praying silently with her hands clasped together in the direction I left, saying something I didn't know.

It was a prayer from a young girl.

Chapter 26 Doesn't this make you look like a sharpshooter?

People without thought, he must worry about.

After reading the long monologue from the hot spring mine, I deeply felt that we must prepare crisis plans during peacetime in order to face changes that may come at any time.

If they had expanded the lone sheriff into a guard unit earlier, wouldn't they have been able to suppress the rumors detrimental to the town in time? Would they have been able to handle the mysterious murder case promptly? Would they have been able to overcome the sensational events described in the monologue?

Whether for my own sake or for the sake of that meme-worthy little pony at home, I need to start making some preparations.

When I got home, the little pony emoji was still strolling freely in the open space, occasionally lowering its head to nibble on some wild grass, before revealing a contented expression:

(。→?←。)！

As long as you're happy...

Ignoring the pony that tried to rub against me as I returned home, my attention was focused on the colony system with the gear symbol, and a familiar voice rang out.

Welcome to Tynan Sylvester's Colony Simulator!

It was only then that I noticed a notification message in an inconspicuous corner. I had been so focused on reading the monologue text that I hadn't noticed it at all.

"A threat has been detected against the player!"

"System Function: Architectural Planning - Defense System Officially Launched!"

"Unlock buildings: fence, fence gate, simple trap, sandbag, barbed wire."

"First-time unlock reward for the defense system: fence (50 meters), sandbags (50 meters), barbed wire (50 meters). Please choose one."

Building Name: Wooden Fence

Building Description: An old-fashioned wooden fence, impassable.

Cover effectiveness: 35%

Flammability: 100%

Durability: 98”

Building Name: Sandbag

Building Description: A bunker formed by fixing nearby soil or sand with steel bars. Although it is somewhat ugly, it can effectively reduce the chance of being hit by long-range weapons.

Cover effectiveness: 65%

Flammability: 0%

Aesthetics: -10

Durability: 450”

Building Name: Barbed Wire

Building Description: A special type of barbed wire that provides cover during gunfire; it can be climbed over but will slow down your movement.

Cover effectiveness: 30%

Flammability: 0%

Aesthetics: -10

Durability: 300”

Very good!

This defense system reward is exactly what I need right now.

Although these three things don't seem to be harmful on the surface, they can effectively improve the safety of the ranch and save me a lot of labor in building fortifications!

After analysis and comparison, I decided to choose this wooden fence (50 meters).

From a functional perspective, barbed wire is used to slow down the enemy's attack speed, but it cannot prevent the enemy from invading, so it can be ruled out.

Sandbags are useful as cover during gunfights, providing protection. But I don't even have a gun right now. If I hide behind a sandbag when the enemy attacks, it's just a countdown to my death.

Only this fence with the sign "Do Not Cross"...

I've disliked this dilapidated ranch for a long time!

With the fence, I can designate a grazing area and a planting area, protecting the crops and animals inside. At the same time, I can expand the house inside, turning it into a small estate within a large ranch.

What could be safer than a manor?

From now on, as long as I enclose the buildings and fences into a whole, I will have a fortress that can be attacked or defended, enough to temporarily defend against attacks from outsiders!

In my excitement, I immediately chose this reward.

"Choose Reward: Wooden Fence (50 meters)"

"Please place fences on the available green areas of land."

A long, blurry fence appeared in my field of vision, its shape shifting as I directed it.

First, I took my house as the center and extended 8 meters to the left and right, completely encompassing the house, and together they formed a 16-meter-long side.

I then constructed a trapezoidal area, extending from near to far, according to my envisioned shape, as my defensive zone. This slightly fan-shaped distribution facilitated my capture of the enemy.

Whenever the enemy wants to attack, they will inevitably start looking for a breakthrough along the narrow edge in the distance, which I easily discovered.

This paranoid defensive fortification is the most reasonable design I can think of.

Afterwards, I also plan to place a sandbag area in front of my house as defensive cover in case of attack. Normally, it will be disguised as the marble flower bed in front of the door. Once an attack occurs, I can receive the news from inside the house and use the sandbags for cover to fight back or escape.

However, this plan had to be put on hold due to a system notification that there was a shortage of steel resources.