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

This is a very simple logic.

With a large influx of people into town, spending will increase, and the tavern, being the only entertainment venue, will inevitably become a hot commodity. Even the second-floor inn that Boss Dart used to raise mosquitoes has been booked out long ago.

All I can say is that the boss earned more in this month than he did in the previous three years combined. It's hard to tell whether the regret in his tone was for the once quiet and peaceful town, or for his no-longer-bustling tavern business...

“So please don’t kick me out. I don’t have any other guests. Once the last people on the beach leave, the neighbors can finally live in peace,” Sebala suggested tentatively.

Mr. Dart glanced at him sideways: "If you could settle your recent outstanding debts, I'll reconsider your suggestion."

But for some unknown reason, Thomas, who had been lost in thought and dreaming, suddenly jumped up: "What cash journal! I've already balanced everything! Don't come looking for me! I'm resigning right now!"

Good heavens, another one has gone mad.

I couldn't help but laugh out loud in the back row, and both Sebala and Boss Dart yelled at me at the same time, "What are you laughing at! Reflect on your behavior!"

I turned away sheepishly and continued writing my self-criticism.

It's one thing for Sebala, who did free labor, to hold a grudge against me, but why are you so resentful, Mr. Dart? It was Lynn who cleaned my house for a month, not you…

As for why I am writing this self-criticism here, and what has happened in the past month, it takes a long time to figure that out.

…………

The storm clouds that had been triggering a frantic alert off the coast of the Federal Republic eventually transformed into a tropical depression, gracefully passing by the edge of Mineral Town, leaving only the memory of that chaotic stormy night.

Some of those who got separated in the night rain never appeared again, while others returned one after another.

The next morning, after the clouds cleared and the rain stopped, people discovered that many more refugees had appeared on the beach.

These people, rowing their dilapidated boats and barely clothed, landed in twos and threes on the beach of Mineral Town. They then dug campsites, pitched tents, and lit fires without any instruction, as if the Beggars' Guild meeting was going to be moved from Junshan to Mades Mountain this year.

Thomas the Tank Engine, as the mayor, was arrested in his sleep and sent to negotiate, where he happened to run into their gang leader... cough cough team leader. At the same time, he watched as the other party produced a special executive order from the federal government—the blank kind—and filled in the order in front of Thomas, requisitioning houses throughout the town as resources for the action team.

Thomas then became incredibly busy, tirelessly working to provide food, clothing, and shelter for the hundreds of survivors. A long, narrow strip of land, stretching from the Mineral Town beach to the edge of Gots's forest, was transformed into a large camp to house the wounded and await emergency rescue from the Federal Navy.

The council paid close attention to this force, which was expected to be almost entirely wiped out, with most survivors remaining. As a result, resources from all the island colonies in the eastern suburbs were channeled here, ultimately leading to a successful evacuation.

Ada Wong stayed in town for half a month before leaving by helicopter to report back on the operation's results. She supposedly even sneaked onto my ranch during that time, wandering around suspiciously before leaving. I don't know what she was up to, but Lin just happened to see her.

Sparrow, who wasn't an administrative staff member, stayed until the very last minute. This rich young man had retreated to the inn after arriving on the island and become withdrawn, with a constipated expression that seemed to provoke everyone he met. When he was alone, he always carried a long handwritten bill in his hand, gritting his teeth.

However, there were too many mentally ill people in this team, and his symptoms did not attract much attention.

Kay and Gray, who were brought back, were in a daze and in a coma, respectively. They stayed in the hospital in Dort for two weeks and were discharged only after being confirmed to be alright. They had actually recovered almost completely in the first three days, but they had to stay for another week or so after taking a new drug developed by the doctor.

None of the above are important.

Of course, this doesn't mean these people's lives weren't important. Under the island's impoverished medical conditions, many seriously wounded would be left with disabilities or even face death. It was only through Dr. Dort's artificially cultivated wild herbs, used day and night to treat them, that the crisis of non-combat casualties was averted.

But all these things paled in comparison to the news of Mr. Rhodes' return.

Rod is back!

After being away from Mineral Town for more than ten years, Mr. Rod finally set foot on the island again, saw his wife and children whom he had not seen for a long time, and returned to the chicken farm that he had founded.

Just like his departure back then was shrouded in mystery, his return now is equally perplexing. However, some people have a vague idea of ​​what's going on based on the respect he receives in the Federal Operations Forces.

In the time since Mr. Rhodes returned, he has only visited two places.

One is Boss Dart's tavern.

Mr. Dart eagerly arranged to meet him immediately, and after a long, secret conversation, the two went their separate ways. Afterwards, Mr. Dart resumed his poker face and began receiving wave after wave of new customers at the tavern.

The second is Father Carter's church.

Perhaps out of a spiritual need, Cliff saw Mr. Rhodes, a stranger, enter the confessional. The priest, who usually slept soundly inside, was unusually awake, dutifully completing his duties—and then Father Carter slept even more naturally.

Oh, right, Zach is back too, barely clinging to life. His symptoms include, but are not limited to, scalp hematoma, comminuted fracture of the right shoulder, fracture of the right arm, fracture of the pelvis, fracture of the right kneecap, and various internal and external bleeding complications.

During his hospitalization, Father Carter repeatedly inquired about his condition and offered his prayers, saying that they were inexpensive and fair to all, and that for a "fairly reasonable amount of money," Zach would be able to see the Father embrace him as a brother as soon as he entered heaven.

But according to the town's gossip "Three Phantom Gods," these events were subtly linked together, becoming a story of Mr. Rhodes returning with his troops, ganging up on Zack, who had been harassing his wife for a long time, and beating him into a vegetative state. Meanwhile, Mr. Dart, who wanted to uphold justice, was forced to abandon his actions due to the circumstances.

Overwhelmed by guilt after committing the crime, Mr. Rhodes went to church to pray. After purchasing enough indulgences, Father Carter absolved his sins, and his soul will ascend to heaven with a clanging sound.

Yes, the story was so vivid and plausible that most residents believed that even if it wasn't entirely true, it was at least somewhat believable.

I also feel that this logic is too bizarre. When you think about it, it's like the saying "Lu Bu is invincible in cavalry battles, Dian Wei is invincible in land battles, and Lu Bu riding Dian Wei is invincible in the world." It's so ridiculous that I can't help but spread it around.

Under the influence of these variables, the entire Mineral Town gradually went from being as calm as still water to being in complete chaos. Every day, something strange would happen, such as when Sparrow invited a chef to compete with Boss Dart in cooking, and the boss casually made a mashed potato dish that actually scared him so much that he fainted. It was all very strange.

…………

After finishing my long self-criticism, I stood up and stretched. Through the window, I saw that the sunset outside had turned dark blue. The conversation inside the room had stopped, leaving only Thomas's even and soft snoring.

After autumn quietly arrives, the night always comes unexpectedly, just like the day I returned to Mineral Town.

I don't know why, but that day I emerged from a mine cave by a spring in the Mads Mountains—a cave that always seemed to lead to magical places.

It feels like I had a long dream.

I dreamt that I died and came to a place that looked like the Bilibili building, and it was pitch black with no lights around.

In that building, I met a man who looked like Emperor Sima Rui of the Jin Dynasty. He hugged my leg and said that being a content creator was too miserable. He said that the incentive for creating content was not enough and that he would starve to death if things continued like this. He kept begging me to save him.

I said that these vampires hiding in the shadows aren't scary, but there's never been a savior or a god-emperor. As long as we sing the Internationale together, we can break free from this cage and regain our freedom...

Well, actually I've forgotten most of those memories too.

"Boss, I'm leaving now that I've finished writing my self-criticism. What? You want me to stay for dinner? No, no, I have some wild vegetables and leather shoes at home, that'll do for dinner. Goodbye!"

I dropped my pen and paper and took off running. As I sprinted away, I heard Boss Dart roar, "Damn it! What the hell is this apology letter?! You copied my name so many times, what kind of curse ritual is this?!"

Don't worry, boss, if I find the Death Note, you definitely won't be the one who suffers.

"Hey, here's a notebook. Never mind, I'll just write my name down first."

Walking back to the ranch, the night wind was a bit chilly, so I had to wrap my coat tighter and quicken my pace. I passed Lady Lilia's chicken farm with its lights on, and then I saw Sebala's blacksmith shop.

During the month that my fate was unknown, everyone's emotions were remarkably stable, to the point of being inhuman, whether it was the girls like Poppy and Karen, or Gray and Kai who knew where I was.

Everyone, I've disappeared!

I shot myself in the head!

I've been missing for a whole month!

Are you all forming a group to inherit the legacy of my Grand Line?

I asked Lin about this in secret.

The girl who was cleaning my house looked at me innocently and asked in confusion, "Why don't you think I'm worried about you?"

She tied her hair into a bow, propped her chin on her hand, and said with a troubled expression, "I don't think I've ever thought about this... If I had to say, I've always felt that you're going to do something very important, and that you'll come back as long as you succeed."

"If you keep cleaning like this every day, what if I never come back?" I countered.

Lin neatly spread out the sheets and carefully tucked in the corners before seriously considering what was happening.

"Everyone thinks you'll come back..."

She said firmly, "If you haven't come back yet, it just means you haven't succeeded."

Chapter 661 Beware of the New Type of Intelligent Machine Crisis

There are many kinds of trees on both sides of the street, such as tall elm, oak and maple. The leaves, which are already beginning to wither in this season, rustle in the night wind, and occasionally one or two fall with the wind.

But if you just look up, you can see the soft moonlight replacing the fallen leaves, shining on the houses standing on the pasture, and also on the tall elm, oak and maple trees.

The main house of Mineral Town Ranch has beautiful fan-shaped windows and a simple yet beautiful style, which makes me wonder why the house was built so sturdily and solidly, because it was meant to be passed down to several generations.

But where did Old Man Hook get the confidence to think he would have offspring?

I had just lain down back at the ranch when I heard a loud bang. The punk-style wild horses slammed open the gate, shaking off the dust and turning the area into their favorite sandy playground. Then they huddled together, heads in and legs out, and started to sleep standing up.

"Hiss, this is the house Lin just cleaned. Look at the mess this place is in. By the way, do you guys have fleas on you?"

I immediately wanted to push the horses out, but then I thought that they probably saw me come back and that's why they've crowded into my room and won't leave.

Thinking about it this way, I slowed down my movements and instead patted their backs, deciding to tolerate them this time.

Yes, trees will shelter singing birds, and the moon and stars will shine on glistening dewdrops and blooming flowers. As a peaceful rancher, I should have such a broad mind.

But just as I lay down, another uninvited guest barged in and rushed into my room.

I sat up in bed and saw a small head peek in.

"Emoji...it's you again..."

The little horse strolled into the house, and even remembered to close the door behind it.

It spotted the strangely shaped wild horses in a bizarre formation at a glance, raised its head, and tried to nudge itself into the group.

After two attempts to squeeze in, its small size couldn't budge the other's foot an inch, so it could only awkwardly squeeze under its fellow creature's hooves, forming a double-decker bus formation...

"Stop messing around. Haven't you noticed that ever since we came to the ranch, they've refused to form a battle line with you?"

Back in the wilderness of the edge of the world, these wild horses probably took pity on this little wanderer and barely protected him among the herd.

Since arriving at the ranch, the punk wild horse has reverted to its arrogant punk aristocratic demeanor, gathering at the village entrance every day with its own cement, and has completely abandoned its usual emoji pony persona.

Feeling wronged, the little horse rubbed its hooves on the ground, then angrily ran to my bedside, lay down, turned its head to the side of the bed, and displayed its profound emoji skills.

(????)！

The horse's mouth even got stuck on my trouser leg.

"If you change your habit of using too many emojis, maybe other horses will be able to understand what you're trying to say."

I patted its head and lay back down to try and fall asleep.

But after I closed my eyes for five minutes, I suddenly heard a rhythmic clanging sound, like water dripping from the eaves onto a plastic sheet, continuously appearing at the doorway.

...What's going on this time? Can't a person get any sleep?!

I stood up angrily and immediately saw two white, furry creatures perched in front of the main house window, their heads bowed and tapping the glass with their beaks in a very strange frequency and rhythm, with the intervals between them quite particular.

"Are you guys trying to become telegraph chickens?!"

The more I thought about it, the more frightened I became—could those two really send telegrams?

Luckily, I can't understand Morse code, otherwise, would I have triggered the Hailebu side storyline?

As soon as I opened the door, the two furry creatures darted back through the crack and landed on either side of my pillow. They adjusted themselves, shook their feathers, and then tucked their heads under their wings to sleep.

If I were to pull the blanket up a bit and fart in the bed at that moment, I could let them know the treacherous nature of people's hearts.