novelraw Chapter 192
Chapter 192
As soon as the machine swallowed the ticket completely, the lights on the screen began to flash wildly. They were gaudy, a swirl of clashing colors—just like the mirror balls in a disco hall from the late eighties or early nineties. Pure light pollution.
“Press this button.”
Lewis, standing beside Leon, saw him covering his eyes and thought he didn’t know how to work the machine. He quickly offered the reminder.
Leon tapped it without hesitation. Of course, he could tell at a glance how the thing worked;he’d only covered his eyes because the glare from the lights was blinding.
The moment he pressed the button, the icons on the screen spun rapidly. A golden frame locked into the center, and countless images flew past inside it. Finally, it stopped—right in the middle was a green packet of seeds.
That meant Leon had won the seeds. A small basket popped out from the bottom of the machine, containing a packet identical to the icon on the screen.
“Carrot Seeds ×40 (Seeds): Plant in spring. Nine days to mature.”
“Carrot seeds?” Leon was a little surprised. In all his knowledge of Stardew Valley, carrots didn’t exist in the game. Yet here they were, an entirely new crop.
“Seeds, huh? Not bad, not bad. Looks like you’ve got more work ahead of you.” Lewis grinned and teased.
Having watched the entire process, he was satisfied the machine was working as intended.“Yeah, I guess I’m naturally blessed for farming.”
Leon recalled the flashing icons as the reel spun—there hadn’t been many seed types, yet somehow he’d still drawn seeds.
Unfortunately, Lewis didn’t get the joke. Not wanting to seem clueless, he simply asked, “What kind of seeds?”
“Carrot.”
“Carrots, huh? That’s rare. You won’t find carrot seeds in the Fanjier Republic, but across the Gem Sea, the Gotro Empire produces them in abundance,” Lewis said with some admiration.
“Are they worth much?” Leon asked.
“Not really. Carrots are basically the Gotro Empire’s parsnips. Same growth time, similar yield. The price isn’t much different. But since they’re uncommon in the Fanjier Republic, they might fetch a little more,” Lewis explained.
“Oh.” Leon’s shoulders slumped. He hadn’t expected them to sell for much, but he’d hoped for something special. Lewis’s explanation dashed that hope.
Seeing his disappointment, Lewis patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t be discouraged. Next time you might get something really good.”
Leon gave him a look of pure resentment. If it hadn’t been for Lewis pushing him to test the machine, he’d have saved the ticket for a luckier day.
Still, it was done. He said nothing more, picked up the seeds, and told Lewis, “I’ll head back and plant these.”
“Right, right. Farm work comes first.” Lewis didn’t keep him, sending him off warmly.
Once outside, Leon hopped on his bike, tucked the seeds into his System Backpack, and headed toward the farm. Passing Pierre’s General Store, he glanced at the notice board to check for requests.
Sure enough, there was one—Robin needed 200 pieces of wood to restock her supply.
Leon took the slip and stuffed it into his pocket. Back at the farm, he plowed, planted, and watered all forty carrot seeds in one go, then went inside to fetch the wood before riding to Robin’s place.
Knock, knock, knock.
The door swung open almost instantly, and Robin’s face lit up. “Hey, Leon! Finally! I thought you’d forgotten your very first friend in Pelican Town.”
“My first friend was Lewis,” Leon quipped.
“Hahaha, is that so? Then what brings you to your second friend’s place? Planning to build something on the farm?” she asked, playing along with his banter.
“If so, I can get started right away. I’ve been looking forward to an order from Red Star Farm for ages.”
“I’m here about your request.” Leon pulled the slip from his pocket.
“First time taking a request, huh? You just need to remember what’s on the paper—you don’t have to take it down,” Robin explained.
“If I don’t take it down, someone else might see it and steal the job,” Leon said with mock seriousness.
“Hahaha, fair point.” She grinned, then added, “Didn’t know you had a competitive streak. But I do need that wood soon—planning to repair the miner’s dorm in the eastern mines. If you can’t get it to me within two days, I won’t wait.”
“It’s ready. Question is, do you have the payment ready?” Leon teased back.
“What? Already? Oh, right—you’ve got your own farm. You must have plenty of logs. One log makes about ten pieces of wood, but if you just brought logs, I’d need to process them myself. I’d have to pay you less. And if I have to haul it from your farm, I’d have to deduct transport costs, too. You get that, right?”
“They’re proper planks, not logs.” Leon pulled out a sample piece and handed it to her. “Standard size. What do you think?”
“Perfect. Better than the ones I process myself. Looks like you know your way around woodworking. We should talk shop sometime.”
Robin’s eyes lit up as she inspected the wood, clearly impressed.
“You’re not curious where I pulled that from?” Leon asked. “Most people would’ve noticed me taking something out of thin air.”
“Maru’s told me all about the meteor-watching incident at your farm. More than once,” Robin chuckled. “Of course I know about your little trick. How about you show me again? I’ll even act surprised to play along.”
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