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

Zack grinned sheepishly, patted his chest to assure me, and then tentatively asked...

"Were you just... cutting stone bricks?"

I nodded and gestured.

“Just call me Marcus. As you can see, I’m making some bricks. There are so many places on this ranch that need repairs. From houses to roads, from infrastructure to equipment, you can’t do anything without the materials.”

"Could you demonstrate it for me? You were moving too fast just now, I couldn't see it clearly."

"Okay, then I'll make another one."

After I finished speaking, I reassigned the work tasks and started a new round of general-purpose stone brick making. In no time, I placed a complete piece of general-purpose stone in front of him.

Zach stared in disbelief and began to speak.

"You're going too fast, can you slow down a bit?"

I demonstrated it again.

"Please do it again, I'm sure I can learn it!"

Zach was furious, like a defeated rooster, his eyes wide open, ready to seize my every move.

I glanced at the panel, which showed the manufacturing speed details.

Manufacturing speed

This affects the speed at which this person crafts weapons, machinery, parts, and tools. Note: Crafting skill affects the quality of the produced items, but not the crafting speed.

Base value: 100% (based on the maximum speed of a standard human)

Other attribute offsets:

Global processing speed: *110%

health:

Operational capability: *100% (weight 100%)

Visual ability: *100% (weight 60%, maximum value 100%)

Final value: 110%

I bet 1.1 times the human limit on speed, I guess your next sentence will be...

"I thought I came here to learn some technical skills!!!"

Chapter 10 Night on the Ranch

"Okay, I give up."

Zach said to me, who was still busy at the stone-cutting table, with a sense of despair.

Although I was busy with my hands, it didn't affect my speech at all, and I replied.

"Zack, don't be discouraged. Try it tomorrow. It'll be easier than it looks."

Zach recalled the methods I had just used, which were almost like splitting rocks with my bare hands and manually grinding flat surfaces, and quickly shook his head to shake the terrible thought out of his mind.

Mayor Thomas, seeing that I had stopped working again, finally found an opportunity to speak to me.

“Mr. Marcus, I spent the afternoon running around the whole town and got some investments going for you.”

The chubby mayor put on an innocent expression again, making his fleshy nose look even more comical.

"For example, if a chicken farm is willing to provide you with a batch of chicks, the blacksmith will provide a batch of tools to use... if you need them."

He glanced at the simple tools on my stone-cutting table and the generic stone that was comparable to mass-produced products.

I looked at this fat guy who loved to trick people with a bit of surprise. I never thought he could be so reliable!

"Dear Thomas the Tank Engine... Oh, no, Mayor, of course I need one! You must be tired after walking so much today, please have a seat!"

As I spoke, I took down two pieces of general-purpose stone of suitable size and arranged them on the ground to form a stone bench, gesturing for the two of them to sit down.

Mayor Thomas, looking flattered, sat down and continued.

"Then the winery owner is willing to offer you a job, mainly manual labor such as hoisting wine barrels and cleaning the cellar. You can contact Dick directly if you need it."

After he finished speaking, he took out two simply packaged bags from his pocket and placed them in front of me.

"These seeds were kindly provided by the grocery store. However, given the rather intense nature of this exchange, I suggest you refrain from contacting them for the time being."

He pointed to the green bag and said, "These are pasture seeds, which can be fed to various livestock, but chickens and ducks need to be selected for them."

Then it pointed to another bag.

"These are potato seeds, a good variety that is drought-resistant and can withstand poor soil. The land here has never been turned over before and is severely compacted. It's best to use these to plant one crop first."

Then it pointed to Zach.

“Zack is in charge of liaising with the outside world in the town. He also transports and sells the goods every day. You can ask him to purchase any external supplies you need.”

After saying that, he patted off non-existent dust from his silk trousers and turned to leave.

"Alright, alright, I've walked as much as a camel and Harris have in the desert today. I'm going back to rest now. Marcus, keep up the good work!"

I looked at the two bags with some excitement. It was like a dream come true. It seems I can start planting tomorrow.

"Thomas the Tank Engine... Mayor, take care, come visit again sometime!"

I warmly saw him off and made an appointment with Zack for this time every afternoon as the shipping time. We would pile the products at this spot next to the site, and he would collect them and bring them over as profit the next day.

…………

After seeing off the two guests, I processed two more batches of stone, and then it got completely dark.

After learning about it today, I found that the ranch is located in the southwest of the town. To the south is a freshwater river that flows from the town to the sea. The upstream water supply provides water for the entire Mineral Town, while the downstream water supply ensures irrigation for three farms in the town—Mineral Town Ranch, Chicken Farm, and Yudel Ranch, in that order.

Therefore, as cattle and sheep return to their pens and chickens return to their nests, this area becomes completely quiet, devoid of any signs of human activity.

Only the dejected setting sun made its last stand on the mountain ridge before crashing down and fading into darkness.

The sun sets over Mount Mads, which is the backdrop of Mineral Town.

This mountain range resembles a reclining dragon, stretching a long, narrow spine from north to south. The abundant spring water on it even irrigates a lush forest south of Mineral Town, where coniferous, broad-leaved, deciduous, evergreen, and shrub trees grow in alternating patterns.

Upstream from this spring is a lake located halfway up the mountain.

Unlike the towering Maders Mountains, this lake is round and harmonious, like a captivating eye on the mountain, forever filled with vibrant blue water, watching over the creatures below.

Judging from the rumor of a mine in the center of the lake, one can imagine that the history of this lake must be far greater than the prosperous era that the town experienced before.

A hot spring that emerges halfway up the mountain remains the most popular recreational activity for the town's residents.

When the tavern owner talked about the climbing route of Mount Mades, his eyes dimmed for some reason, and he simply added a sentence.

"The scenery at the top of the mountain is beautiful; I go there once a year."

Having discussed the mountains, let's move on to the sea.

Following the town's pathways past Rose Square in the town center, you'll arrive at a beach.

This beach is quite large and is the town's only port, responsible for the town's external connections. Residents can only travel to and from the town by ferry on irregular routes.

Of course, this excludes celestial beings like myself.

"If I have time, I'll go to the beach tomorrow."

…………

Back inside, I pieced together a standard stone stool and sat in the empty room, pondering as the surroundings gradually dimmed.

Currently, I need to consider two aspects.

The first is the living environment.

The ranch house is missing too many essential items, so I need to furnish it from scratch.

I currently have universal stone as a versatile material. As long as I process enough of it, and with the versatile operation of the colonist system, I can furnish the house with relatively complete tables, chairs, and beds, make some wardrobes and cabinets, divide the various rooms, and establish the initial structure of this home.

However, improving the ranches outside requires a long-term process.

There are many rocks and trees inside, all of which I need to process slowly with the help of tools. I can process the large rocks into general-purpose stone, and I also plan to use the smaller stones as building materials for future expansion of houses, pools, and road paving.

The wood will be treated the same way, and I must make good use of it. Small pieces of wood can be collected as firewood to rekindle the long-abandoned fireplace in this house. Larger trees will be felled and stored for use as building materials.

If conditions permit, some of the mature trees can even be preserved to serve as a natural barrier for the chicken farm.

Speaking of tools, those people the mayor mentioned should visit their neighbors in town as soon as possible.

The second issue, the human environment, must be addressed as soon as possible.

Based on my current interactions, the neighbors in town seem to be very easy to get along with. This may also be related to the stable and harmonious semi-closed environment of Mineral Town.

But I care about more than just interpersonal relationships.

As a rancher, the foundation for establishing oneself here lies in producing enough goods as soon as possible and forming a stable and reliable trading model with the various residents of the town.

If I continue in this state of freeloading and fooling around, even if Boss Dart and the others don't have any complaints, I won't be happy to waste my life like this.

What's the difference between that and being a construction worker in a glittering city?

Thinking of Shining City reminds me of that brief, happy childhood and that tedious, long virtual world experience that followed.

What is the purpose of being born as a human being?

Immediately, I recalled what seemed to be past life memories flashing through my mind during my sleep: the peaceful years of that era, and the magical system in this game that I was living with.

I shifted my attention to the sign in my field of vision, and then, in the deserted environment, a cheerful sound that brought me endless hope rang out, a sound that only I could hear.

Welcome to Tynan Sylvester's Colony Simulator!

Yes.

I came here to change my destiny; other goals are too far away.

Perhaps one day in the future, I will be able to break free from the pursuit of an uncertain and invisible fate that follows me, and then I may be able to freely pursue some things that I truly want.

Perhaps they're herding livestock or fishing on the ranch.

Perhaps they'll chat or take a walk in town.

Perhaps it's about venturing freely into the outside world.

Not now.