Stardew Valley’s Farming Master

Chapter 131: Laziness Is the Driving Force of Technological Progress

Back at Red Star Farm, Leon brushed his teeth and went straight to bed. The next morning, as the sunlight streamed in, he opened his eyes, went through his daily routine of washing up and having breakfast, then headed out to water the crops in the fields.

That watering took over an hour.

“The watering can is still too slow. I need to figure something out.” After finishing, Leon put the can away and began thinking of ways to improve efficiency without upgrading it.

There were plenty of options—like getting some sprinklers or digging irrigation channels—but he hadn’t unlocked the sprinkler recipe yet, and the latter risked flooding the crops

The simplest and most practical idea was to use a water pump with a hose.

The problem was, where to get a pump. Coincidentally, Maru was visiting the farm today, so he could ask her. First, whether her stepmother Robin had one, and second, if Maru could make one herself.

Not knowing when she’d arrive, Leon went back into the cabin after watering and turned on the TV.

“Oh, it’s you again, child of Stardew Valley. Let me listen to the whispers of the spirits and see what fortune awaits you today.”

He switched the channel to Welwick’s daily fortune-telling. Welwick’s face lit up as she sensed him watching. “The spirits are very happy today, child. You’re in for a lucky day.”

Then the channel switched back to the movie Leon had been watching the night before.“A lucky day, huh? Sounds perfect for a trip to the mines.” Hearing that, Leon’s miner’s itch kicked in.

After all, most of the recipes unlocked by the system required minerals, and gems from the mines were a tempting extra source of income.

Besides, he had nothing urgent to do. If he didn’t get something from the mines today, it felt like losing a fortune.

But then there was his appointment with Maru, which made things tricky. He decided he’d wait until nine o’clock at most. If she hadn’t shown up by then, he’d have to skip her visit and head straight for the mines.

A glance at his watch told him it was only a quarter past seven. With plenty of time, he began preparing for a mining trip.

First was clearing his backpack, keeping only the pickaxe, hoe, and ninety-nine stones as an emergency reserve. After his last mining level-up, he’d unlocked a must-have tool for deep mining.

“Staircase: Quickly creates a path to the next level of the mine. Materials needed: 99 stones.”

Of course, he hadn’t made any in advance—he wasn’t sure he’d need them, and spending ninety-nine stones all at once was still a bit extravagant.

Next was his small shoulder bag. It couldn’t hold heavy items, but it was great for light supplies. Last time, his pack space had been enough, but bringing an extra bag didn’t hurt.

This time, he wouldn’t buy supplies. He still had eighteen bottles of mineral water left from last time, and he wasn’t fond of bread. Instead, with some free time, he took a bowl of flour and three eggs from the fridge to make pancakes as rations.

Mixing, kneading, rolling, adding eggs, layering with oil and chopped green onions, then frying until golden on both sides—soon the kitchen was filled with the smell of fresh pancakes. When the first batch cooled, he started the second.

By the time he was done, the pancakes were piled high in a bowl. He stored them in the system backpack.

It took up a slot, but the system backpack froze time for whatever was inside, keeping food from spoiling for days, even weeks—far better than any fridge.

Just as he was washing the pan and mixing bowl, Maru appeared at the entrance to Red Star Farm.

“Hi, Leon! Good morning!”

From a distance, she waved when she spotted him crouched by the cabin washing the pan.

“Morning, Maru,” Leon replied. “Feel free to look around. I’ll be done soon.”

“Okay.” She nodded, immediately turning her gaze toward the neatly organized fields.

A quick glance was enough for her to see that many crops had already sprouted, and some were close to maturity. “Your soil is really fertile, and your farming technique is impressive. The plants look great and healthy. But with this much land, can you handle it all?”

“More or less,” Leon answered modestly.

“I was going to come earlier to help, but it looks like you’ve already watered everything. I can’t imagine how early you must have gotten up.” Seeing the moist soil around every plant, she knew he’d already finished the daily watering.

“Speaking of watering, Maru, do you know if Robin sells water pumps?” Leon asked, now done cleaning.

“Actually, no. You’d have to buy something like that in the city—no one in town needs one,” Maru replied.

“Can you make one?” Leon pressed.

“A water pump? I’ve never tried, but I know the theory. I should be able to.” She tilted her head, thinking. “Why, do you need one?”

“Yeah. I want to pump water from the reservoir and use hoses and a pressurized nozzle to make watering semi-automatic,” Leon explained.

“That’s a great idea!” Maru’s eyes lit up. “I didn’t expect you to think of using tech to ease farm work. I thought you were the traditional farmer type.”

“Well, technology changes life. If there’s an easier way, why stick to tradition? Laziness is the driving force of technological progress, right?” Leon grinned.

Maru pushed up her glasses, her expression full of excitement. “Mm-hmm! That’s a perfect summary, Leon. Definitely sounds like something someone from the city would say.”

“It’s not about where I’m from. You live in Pelican Town, and that hasn’t stopped you from pursuing science, has it?” Leon countered.

“I’ve just studied more, and more widely, than most. My father’s an excellent scientist, so I learned a lot from him,” Maru said quickly, clearly flustered by his praise.

“Oh, right—my dad also wants to see that meteorite. Can I bring him along?”

Remembering her father, Maru realized he was still waiting outside the farm for Leon’s permission.

“Of course,” Leon agreed without hesitation. He understood why Demetrius would want to see it.