novelraw Chapter 165: Clearing Out
Chapter 165: Clearing Out
After riding his bike back to the farm, Leon still had some time before his dinner appointment with Maru. It was the perfect window to plan out the farm’s next steps.
The first thing he did was take out all the tree seeds he had stored. In the empty northwest corner of the farm, he began planting them in neat rows, sorted by type—maple, oak, and pine—three rows in total.
He adjusted the spacing between each seed, leaving about two steps’ distance.
In the game, wild tree seeds weren’t as precious as fruit trees and didn’t require a set growth space. You could even plant two seeds right next to each other, and they’d both grow just fine.
But in real life, Leon wasn’t taking chances. He kept some distance between them to avoid competition for nutrients and uneven growth. After all, the farm was huge; there was no need to crowd them.
He was also thinking ahead. These trees weren’t meant for logging but as a future source for tree sap collectors. Having extra space would make it easier to install the collectors later and harvest resin without trouble.
Previously, to level up his Foraging Skill, Leon had chopped down nearly all the mature wild trees on the farm. Now, the place looked bare and a little desolate.
Still, there was no shortage of wild trees in the Coal Forest and the distant woods. After planting the seeds, Leon went back to the cabin, grabbed some ore and wood, and crafted three tree sap collectors.
It couldn’t be helped—he had other plans for his remaining copper ingots. For now, three collectors would do. Once his planted trees matured, he’d consider producing them in bulk.
With the three collectors stored in his backpack, Leon headed to the distant woods. After a careful search, he found three trees—different species but growing side by side—and began installing the devices.As always, the System Tools made things easy. The tree sap collector looked like a small bucket with a vertical pipe, its curved base perfectly fitting the tree’s trunk.
All it took was pressing it against the bark; the half-round pipe would automatically align, pierce through the bark, and embed itself without harming the tree’s nutrient flow.
Leon observed the process: the ring-shaped pipe siphoned resin from inside the trunk and dripped it into the bucket. The pace wasn’t fast—about one drop every ten seconds—but Leon was pleased.
Slow meant sustainable. The tree wouldn’t be drained to death, and he could keep harvesting indefinitely. It was a perfect sustainable development model.
He also noticed a spout beneath the bucket. Unscrewing it would release the collected resin, but it required a container to catch it—unlike the game, where the collector instantly produced a neatly packaged product.
That was more realistic anyway. If it could gather and bottle resin all at once, it wouldn’t be called a tree sap collector; it’d be a full-blown resin-collecting-and-bottling production line.
Once the collectors were installed, Leon didn’t head back right away. He wandered the area, gathering wild spring plants—wild horseradish, dandelions, leeks—whether buried under the soil or exposed on the surface.
These plants didn’t refresh overnight like in the game, but in Stardew Valley’s unique environment, they grew at an incredible pace. It hadn’t even been a week since he last harvested, yet new shoots were already everywhere.
It would be a crime to ignore nature’s generosity, so into his pack they went.
After finishing up in the distant woods, Leon made a trip to the Coal Forest to check on the green onions. This time, the patch was much sparser than the first time he’d come here.
However, the new green onions were fully grown. Leon pulled them all out without hesitation, then headed to the water’s edge. With practiced hands, he peeled away the roots, letting the little worms inside drop into the water.
Soon, the struggling worms attracted the river’s residents. Schools of smallmouth bass swam over to enjoy Leon’s free buffet.
On reflex, Leon reached for a cherry bomb, eyeing the clustered fish. He hesitated for a long moment before quietly putting it away.
Blowing up fish is illegal.
Blowing up fish is illegal.
Blowing up fish is illegal.
He repeated it three times to smother that wicked impulse. When the green onions were all cleaned, he took the more socially acceptable route—baiting his fishing rod with red worms and casting into the water.
The worms were perfect for attracting fish, and with the bass already gathered, Leon had instant results. Each cast brought in another smallmouth bass, none of which could resist him.
Twelve fish later, the greedy little things finally scattered, fleeing to safer waters.
Leon checked his watch—about 3 p.m. now. Strangely, he wasn’t hungry despite skipping lunch; the wild horseradish he’d munched that morning had been surprisingly filling.
For a moment, he even considered making wild horseradish his daily meal. That thought lasted all of two seconds before he dismissed it. He was a real person, not a game character—why suffer when he could have fish, meat, eggs, milk, noodles, and rice?
Back at the farm, Leon sorted through his haul. He placed the fish needed for Community Center bundles—red snapper, eel, catfish—into the chest, along with a normal-quality wild horseradish for the Spring Crops Bundle.
Then he pulled out items with no special value—wild plants, gemstones—and moved them to his backpack. He headed outside, opened the shipping bin, and dumped in all the pre-sorted goods.
“This batch, plus the support funds from Lewis, should be enough,” Leon muttered, staring at the now-empty bin.
After all, he’d been eyeing that Starfruit for sale at Krobus’s shop for a long time. Such a rare, mysterious fruit… Leon couldn’t help but wonder what it would do. He’d already made up his mind to make it his.