novelraw Chapter 235: Striking It Rich
Chapter 235: Striking It Rich
Leon had no fear of the Traveling Merchant’s Guild playing petty tricks on him. As long as he could keep producing high-quality crops, that would remain his strongest bargaining chip to protect his own interests.
After all, the Traveling Merchant’s Guild wasn’t the only commercial organization in this world. There was also Joja Corporation. As long as the market wasn’t monopolized, Leon didn’t have to worry about his premium crops being undervalued.
Not to mention, from the intel he had gotten from Linus, it was obvious that the big boss of the Traveling Merchant’s Guild knew Linus personally. If things really came to that, Leon could always ask Linus to help mediate.
So when it came to Gus’s worries, Leon wasn’t nervous at all. Don’t ask why—when you’ve got food in your hands, your heart stays calm.
“You’re right. With your smarts, it would be strange if they could trick you. I was overthinking,” Gus said, slapping his leg in relief.
“Still, thank you, Gus. I know you’re genuinely concerned for me,” Leon said, offering his thanks.
“Hahaha, we’re friends. Of course I’d look out for you.” Gus grinned. “By the way, what do you want for lunch? Order whatever you like, I’ll make it. We have to celebrate properly.”
“Just a regular meal is fine. I trust your cooking,” Leon replied with a thumbs-up.
“Alright, I’ll handle it. You go take care of your things, and just come by when it’s time to eat,” Gus said with a nod.
“Need me to let Willy know?” Leon offered, figuring he didn’t have much else to do.“No need, we’ve got phones. Last time I went to see Willy in person, it was because I needed to check the nautical chart, and the phone wasn’t convenient. But just inviting him to eat? A phone call’s enough. Actually, Leon, you should think about installing a phone at your farm too—it’d be easier to keep in touch with everyone. If you do, remember to give me your number,” Gus explained.
“Got it. I’ll head back now. See you at lunch.”
“See you.”
After sending Leon off with a smile, Gus headed into the kitchen to start preparing.
Leon rode his bicycle back to the farm. Before he could even check the mailbox, he noticed Robin already hard at work at the designated chicken coop site.
Skipping the mailbox for now, Leon walked over to the construction site. “Morning, Robin. I thought you might not come today.”
“Why wouldn’t I? We agreed on this job ahead of time. Besides, you still haven’t paid for yesterday’s kitchen renovation,” Robin replied, setting down her tools. “It wasn’t until halfway here that I remembered. You’re not planning to stiff me, are you?”
“Of course not. With a farm this big, I’m not exactly hard to find,” Leon said with a laugh.
“I really don’t get your metaphors sometimes. Must be the generation gap. What’s this about monks and temples?” Robin asked, baffled.
Leon just shrugged, realizing it was a cultural difference, and didn’t explain. Instead, he pulled out 1,800G in cash and handed it over.
“Thanks, Leon. If you’ve got more building work in the future, call me. I like customers who pay without fuss,” Robin said cheerfully, pocketing the money.
“Let’s see… after this, I won’t have much left,” Leon said. Aside from the 10,000G farm subsidy from Lewis, the money he had earned himself was nearly gone.
Now, he was down to just over a thousand G in savings.
Still, he had some assets—like the pearls he hadn’t sold yet.
Not that it mattered. The money from yesterday’s tulips, potatoes, and cabbages was sitting in his mailbox, so he wasn’t worried.
“No problem. Your farm’s just getting started. I’m sure you’ll be one of Pelican Town’s richest in no time,” Robin said encouragingly.
“Let’s hope so. I won’t keep you from your work. Want me to bring you lunch?” Leon asked.
“I brought food with me. You focus on your own tasks,” Robin said, waving him off and getting back to work.
After saying goodbye to Robin, Leon went to check the mailbox.
Inside, he found a small package and a letter.
The letter was thin—just a Price List Parchment, with no money inside like before.
But Leon wasn’t worried. Opening the small package revealed a neat stack of hundred-G bills. At first glance, he almost thought he was seeing things.
When he checked the price list, it all made sense.
Aside from yesterday’s crops, most of this payout came from the Void Essence he had sold earlier.
One hundred sixty-five Void Essence, totaling 52,800G—an average of 320G each. That was 20G higher than Marlon’s offer, probably because the Traveling Merchant’s Guild had waited to sell them at peak market price.
By comparison, the crop prices were much more modest.
Regular potatoes sold for 8G each, tulips for 6G, and cabbages for 15G apiece. Not as crazy as parsnips’ fivefold price jump, but still a decent profit—except for potatoes, which cost 5G to grow and sold for only 8G, barely worth it.
High-quality potatoes were a different story.
Silver-star Quality potatoes sold for 80G each, while Gold-star Quality potatoes fetched an astounding 300G apiece. The numbers made Leon swallow hard. If he could mass-produce premium potato seeds, the profits would be unimaginable.
Tulip prices for high quality were disappointing—40G for Silver-star and 80G for Gold-star—but cabbages fared better: 100G for Silver-star and 420G for Gold-star.
Between the crop sales, the Void Essence payout, his savings, and Lewis’s subsidy, Leon now had nearly 80,000G in hand.
In just over two weeks in Stardew Valley, Leon had already matched Pelican Town’s annual GDP during Willy’s bad market years. The thought left him deeply moved.
Back at Joja Corporation, he’d worked a month for just 2,000G. Comparing that to this… it was downright embarrassing.
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