Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

And so, Akina Sawa, wearing a straw hat, also disappeared into the thick fog.

Chapter 50 Conversations at Suzuna-an

The fog on the road was very thick.

Akina Sawa walked down the street, where everything was shrouded in a white haze, and there were hardly any pedestrians to be seen.

The fog is very thick today; the villagers must all be staying at home.

Tick!

A drop of water fell from the edge of the straw hat, passing right through Akina Sawaya's line of sight.

He reached out and touched the brim of his straw hat.

It was damp, made up of tiny water droplets condensed from the mist.

Akina Ze also shook his hands, getting rid of the water droplets.

"The fog is so thick today, let's hurry over to Xiaoling's place."

This was the first time Akina Sawa had encountered such a dense fog since he had stayed in Gensokyo for so many days.

Thick fog obscured Akina Zeya's vision, and the street was quiet, with only the dull sound of his own shoes walking on the paving stones audible.

All five senses seemed to be frozen in this thick fog, losing their usual sharpness.

Akina Sawa didn't want to stay any longer, but his walking speed increased, gradually developing into a jog.

Fortunately, the layout of the Human Village is relatively simple, and he knows the route to Suzunaan, where Suzu is located, by heart.

It felt as if a ferocious beast was about to leap out of the fog and bite him at any moment. Akina Ze also felt a deep sense of oppression. Whether it was psychological or something else, he was forced to run faster and faster.

However, the clothes that were soaked with fog and felt rather heavy greatly depleted his strength, and Akina Ze began to pant.

"hu~hu~"

Akina Ze was also panting, head down, hurrying forward, only able to see the bluish-green paving stones under his feet.

thump~

Akina Sawa, who was walking with his head down, realized that he seemed to have bumped into something. He looked up and saw that it was Fujiwara no Mokou, whom he hadn't seen for many days, blocking his way.

Her clothes showed no signs of being wet from the fog.

"Captain Mokou, you're out patrolling in this weather?"

Upon seeing an acquaintance, Akina Sawa naturally greeted her.

"That's for sure, after all, monsters always seem to sneak in and cause trouble in this kind of weather."

Fujiwara no Mokou yawned.

Judging from her sleepy appearance, she must have gotten up very early and was sleep-deprived.

"I'm not going to talk to you anymore, I'm going on patrol."

And so, Fujiwara no Mokou, yawning, walked into the white mist under the watchful eyes of Akina Sawaya.

Captain Mokou must be working so hard. I'd better hurry over to Suzunaan too.

Akina Sawa shook his head and walked in the opposite direction from Fujiwara no Mokou.

Strangely enough, ever since he met Fujiwara no Mokou, Akina Sawa felt that inexplicable sense of oppression disappear, and he regained his composure, heading towards Suzunaan.

The foggy day is still the same foggy day, but the people are different now.

……

After traveling for some time, Akina Sawa also arrived at his destination.

The gate to Suzunaan was not closed despite the heavy fog; instead, a gap was left open for people to pass through.

Akina Sawa originally intended to walk straight in, but he suddenly realized that he was still wearing a thick straw hat that had gotten wet.

He left his straw hat outside the door and went inside.

The store was not affected by the fog; it remained very dry, and there was a faint scent of ink in the air.

Noticing someone enter, Motoori Kosuzu looked up and saw that it was Akina Sawaya. She smiled and nodded before lowering her head to continue reading.

Akina Ze nodded in response.

He didn't plan to ask Motoi Kosuzu directly about the Flower Dance Festival; in fact, he had another purpose for coming.

The young lady of the Scarlet Devil Mansion wanted him to brew a few bottles of wine, but he was just a farmer and knew nothing about winemaking. So Akina Sawa also came here this time to find a way to make wine.

So, Akina Sawa also went into the bookshelf and started looking for information about how to brew wine.

On foggy days, no guests choose to visit Suzunaan at this time. Apart from the occasional rustling sound of Kosuzu turning the page, Suzunaan is extremely quiet.

"found it!"

The quiet atmosphere was suddenly broken by a surprising remark.

Motoori Kosuzu adjusted her glasses and looked at Akina Sawaya with displeasure.

"Sorry, sorry!"

Sensing that the reflection in Motoori Kosuzu's mirror must be hiding something rather unpleasant, Akina Sawa quickly apologized.

After Akina Sawa apologized, Motoori Kosuzu continued to read her book with her head down.

However, Akina Zeya's movements became much smaller than before, so as not to make too much noise.

The book on brewing isn't thick, but it's not something you can finish reading in a short time either. Akina Sawa plans to buy it and take it home, since he feels a little embarrassed about always getting it for free.

Having made up his mind, Akina Sawa also walked towards Motoori Kosuzu's desk.

When he arrived, Motoori Kosuzu was still reading, but Akina Sawa wasn't in a hurry and just stood quietly in front of the desk waiting.

Perhaps because Akina Sawaya's robust physique was blocking the light from which Motoori Kosuzu was reading, she quickly noticed that someone was standing in front of her.

Seeing that Motoori Kosuzu had noticed him, Akina Sawa also picked up the book and said something.

I want to buy this book.

After paying the amount that Motoori Kosuzu had mentioned, Akina Sawa then asked another question.

"Ms. Motoori, I haven't been in Gensokyo for very long. What's the deal with that Flower Dance Festival?"

"Flower Dance Festival"

Motoori Kosuzu adjusted her glasses; the reflective surface concealed her hidden expression.

"This is a holiday for couples!"

A holiday for couples?

"That's right, it's a holiday for couples. On that day, you can invite someone you like to dance, of course, whether she agrees or not is another matter."

Motoori Kosuzu said casually, then picked up a book from the table and started reading again.

Flower festival? Dancing?

Akina Sawa also muttered to himself.

He had originally intended to ask about the Flower Dance Festival, but then he saw that Motoori Kosuzu was engrossed in reading her book again.

Forget it, I'd better not bother you. You already know what you need to know anyway.

With his books in hand, Akina Sawa squeezed through the narrow doorway, ready to go home.

Outside, the fog had dissipated, and the streets were bustling with people. Akina Sawa put on a straw hat and headed home.

……

Without the fog to interfere, he walked quickly and it didn't take long for Akina Ze to get home.

The sunlight shone on the green leaves that had been moistened by the mist, giving them a sparkling light.

Akina Sawa hung his straw hat on the railing, then went inside and sat on the sofa to read a book.

[Brew barrels unlocked]

Just as Akina Ze finished reading the book and was about to take a break, a notification suddenly popped up from the system.

Brewing barrel? Do I need you to unlock it? Can't I just find a carpenter in the Human Village to make it?

Akina Ze also scoffed at the system's prompt.

Using brewing barrels produced by the system can improve the quality of the wine.

Perhaps sensing Akina Zeya's disdain, the system popped up another notification.

Okay, I'll give it a try.

Since the system had given this suggestion, Akina Sawa decided to give it a try.

Following the system's prompts, Akina Ze placed a large bundle of wood in front of him.

Open the building page and select brewing barrel construction.

The wood in front of them was completely enveloped by a ball of light.

After a short while, the ball of light disappeared, leaving only a brewing barrel in its place.

Hmm, not bad, it can be used for magic performances.

While waiting, Akina Ze also thought about the scene of using the system's function to turn wood into wine barrels in front of a crowd. It should be very popular, right?

【…】

Having dismissed the irrelevant thoughts in his head, Akina Sawa also carried the wine barrel into the cellar.

Now let's try making wine. Following the instructions in the book, Akina Sawa crushed the grapes and put them into the wine barrel, along with some other ingredients, and the winemaking process was complete.

Of course, this is a simplified version of the system prompt. In reality, you just need to put the grapes into the wine barrel produced by the system and treat it as a black box.

This was the first time Akina Ze had ever felt that the system was actually quite capable.

Chapter 51 Going Down the Mine

For certain reasons, Akina Sawa also chose to enter the mine dungeon once again.

It's just that the slime liquid ran out.

This morning, when Akina Sawa was about to fertilize the grapevines, he discovered that the bag containing the slime liquid was completely empty.

With no other option, he had to enter the mine once again, confront the slime, and extract its liquid.

But this time he came prepared. Last time he didn't know there were slimes in the mine and didn't bring any equipment. This time he was very cautious!

The equipment I used to capture the hairy jade last time hasn't seen the light of day in a long time, so it's a good time to use it this time.

Akina Sawa also brushed away the layer of dust that had accumulated on his equipment, revealing the metallic sheen underneath.

Although he hadn't worn it in a long time, he was still very familiar with how to equip it.

Preparations are complete; it's time to go down into the mine.

Akina Ze also selected the mining instance on the system page.

Suddenly, a mine shaft with a ladder appeared on the previously flat floor, and a halo surrounded the entrance to the mine.

Akina Ze swallowed hard a few times, then went down into the mine with his gear.

……

The ladder wasn't long, and in no time, Akina Ze had reached the bottom of the mine. Fortunately, the ladder wasn't long, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to stay on it for long.

Although my physical condition is much better than before, this equipment is still quite heavy, after all, it is armor made of a frying pan.

The environment inside the mine was the same as last time—gloomy and the soil underfoot was damp. Only the torches hanging on the mine walls provided light, and there was basically no change.

Akina Ze, meanwhile, gripped an axe in his right hand and held a shield made from a frying pan in his left, cautiously walking along the cave wall.

Based on his previous battle experience, Akina Sawa knew that the slime's fighting style was also based on impact and...

So when the slime charged at him again, he retaliated fiercely with his shield.

Last time he was startled by a surprise attack, but now, Akina Sawa says, "Bring on the slime! I'm not afraid of you!"

Soon, Akina Sawa spotted a green creature crawling under the torch in front of him.