novelraw Chapter 201: With This Setup, We Could Be Pirates
Chapter 201: With This Setup, We Could Be Pirates
“Is that okay?” Gus asked, looking pleasantly surprised.
“Of course.” Leon smiled as he handed over Old Hans’ hat.
“Thank you, Leon. This means a great deal to me.” Gus gripped the hat tightly in one hand and shook Leon’s hand with the other, clearly overcome with emotion.
“We’re friends, aren’t we?” Leon said reassuringly.
“Yes, we’re friends.” Gus nodded seriously, then patted Leon’s arm. “Don’t leave at noon. I have to treat you to lunch, Leon—you can’t say no.”
“All right.” Seeing how earnest Gus was, Leon knew it would be hard to refuse, so he simply agreed.
“There’s still some time before noon. I’ll need to fix up this hat first,” Gus said, holding Old Hans’ hat. “You can go take care of your own things and come back for lunch.”
“Okay.” Leon nodded, said his goodbyes, and left the Starfruit Saloon ahead of him.
The hat was now out of his hands, so Leon decided not to think about it anymore. Whatever secrets it held—if any—were no longer his concern.
Leaving the saloon, Leon didn’t head straight back to the farm. His chores there were done, and going back would mean lazing around indoors. As for the cave, it made no difference whether he checked it during the day or at night.So, to pass the time before lunch, Leon wandered over to the river that circled Pelican Town and went fishing.
On sunny days, the river was dominated by Smallmouth Bass and Sunfish. Sunfish, which never grew longer than thirty centimeters, made up the bulk of Leon’s catch that morning.
By the time he hauled in his last Sunfish, Leon glanced at the time—it was already noon. He packed up his rod and made his way back to the Starfruit Saloon.
When Leon stepped inside, Gus wasn’t waiting at the counter. In fact, he was nowhere to be seen in the entire front room.
Puzzled, Leon circled behind the counter and peered into the kitchen through the serving window without barging in. The large kitchen was empty—no sign of Gus.
“Gus?”
He called out instinctively, but got no answer. Just as he was wondering whether to check the living quarters in the back, the front door opened, and Gus walked in—with Willy at his side.
“Did you go invite Willy to lunch?” Leon asked, seeing them return together.
Instead of answering directly, Gus leaned in with a conspiratorial air. “Leon, while I was repairing Old Hans’ hat, I found a secret hidden inside.”
“Oh?” Leon, who had already pushed the matter of the hat from his mind, perked up again. “What secret?”
“Let Willy tell you. He knows about it. I’ve got to get lunch ready for you two.” Gus grinned and headed into the kitchen.
Willy waved Leon over from a corner table. “Over here, Leon.”
“Did you find something?” Leon asked, sitting down beside him.
“Hahaha, you bet. It’s a big one.” Willy lowered his voice. “That hat you gave Gus? It had a hidden lining. Inside it, Gus found a sea chart. One island on the chart—an unknown one—was circled in red. Gus thinks it might be Old Hans’ treasure site.”
“You know Old Hans too?” Leon asked, skipping past the treasure for the moment.
After all, Willy would explain the treasure sooner or later, so Leon was more curious about his connection to Old Hans. One was a fisherman, the other a pirate—by rights, they should have been on opposite sides.
Even if Gus claimed Old Hans was just a wild adventurer with a pirate’s name, no one could say for sure he hadn’t dabbled in piracy. And confirming that mattered—if the man wasn’t a real pirate, his so-called treasure might not be worth much.
“Of course. When Old Hans was forced to dock in Stardew Valley, I repaired his ship. He even stayed with me for a while. We got along pretty well,” Willy said.
“Do you think he was a pirate?” Leon pressed.
“No. He was… strange. He never relied on robbery—earned everything from treasure hunting. Even his supplies were self-sufficient. Hungry? He’d fish. Thirsty? He’d drink stored rainwater. Life at sea was tougher for him than for me. When I fixed his ship, he even paid me with money we earned fishing together,” Willy explained.
“So, is his treasure even worth going after?” Leon muttered.
From that description, Old Hans sounded like a pauper. His “treasure” might just be a joke.
“It’s worth a look. The chart not only marked the exact location, but also listed the estimated value—around ten WG,” Willy said firmly.
“Ten WG?” Leon’s eyes went wide. That was no small sum.
“Yup. So we’re going to check it out. With the chart, I can find the place easily. Gus and I already agreed to cut you in, whether you come or not—the hat came from you, after all,” Willy said.
“I’m in. Why wouldn’t I be? Treasure hunting at sea—that sounds like fun.” Leon rubbed his hands together, already intrigued.
Still, he asked, “How long will it take?”
He did have a farm to think about. In games, skipping a day of watering might just pause crop growth—but in real life, he wasn’t sure if they’d die. If the trip took too long, he’d have to pass.
“About a day. We leave after lunch and get back tomorrow afternoon,” Willy replied.
“No problem then.” A single morning without water shouldn’t hurt the crops.
“Hahaha, great. If you weren’t coming, we’d have to hire a professional adventurer. The unnamed islands in the Gem Sea aren’t safe, and Gus and I aren’t much in a fight. With you around, we save on the hiring fee,” Willy said with satisfaction.
“With a boatman, a cook, and a fighter, we’ve got a crew that could pass for pirates. This treasure hunt is going to be a blast.”
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