Stardew Valley’s Farming Master

Chapter 241: The Old Man Who Thrives on Stirring Trouble

When the time felt about right, Leon turned off the TV and went to bed. By the time he opened his eyes again, the morning sun was already shining.

As usual, he washed up, had breakfast, and watered his crops. Around 8:20 a.m., Leon wrapped up his daily watering routine.

Back inside the house, he checked the day’s fortune. Welwick’s divination channel now had a black background—it seemed she had left Stardew Valley and gone back.

“The Spirits are in good humor today. You’ll have good luck.”

“Finally, a lucky day.”

Relieved by this news, Leon exhaled deeply. It had been a long time since he last went mining.

With his good fortune confirmed, Leon began preparing for the trip underground. Water and food—check. Backpack cleared out—check. With everything ready, he stepped out the door.

Robin was scheduled to repair the coop today, but Leon didn’t think she was the type to follow formalities. Yesterday, when she came to Red Star Farm, she’d started working without so much as a hello. So there was no need for him to wait around.

Heading north from the farm, Leon passed through the far forest and took a quick look at his tree sap collectors. The resin barrels were already full.

Fortunately, none of the resin had overflowed, thanks to the floating piston mechanism at the collection spout. Much like a toilet’s flush system, once the liquid covered the piston, the inlet would seal automatically—preventing awkward waste from overfilling.It was a pity Leon didn’t have the right container on hand. Otherwise, he’d have collected some maple syrup for Brother Bear already.

But he wasn’t in a rush. He had already placed an order with the Traveling Merchant’s Guild. By tomorrow at the latest, he’d have his 100 large-capacity containers. He could deliver the syrup then.

Leon made straight for the mines. Using the elevator, he went directly to the twentieth floor. To his right was the massive, shadowy underground lake. He hesitated for a moment before giving up the idea of casting a line.

As usual, he pulled out his pickaxe and began breaking rocks. Once he found the ladder to the next floor, he went straight down.

With plenty of mining experience under his belt, Leon always prioritized rocks with distinct mineral veins over regular stone—maximizing both profit and efficiency.

When he hit dense clusters of rock, he didn’t hesitate to use Cherry Bombs, clearing wide swaths at once and speeding up his descent.

Thanks to his lucky day, Leon reached the 30th floor before noon and unlocked the elevator there.

Unfortunately, the thirtieth floor had no treasure chest—not even many rocks. The space was much smaller than other levels, and the ladder was simply sitting in a corner, no searching required.

Instead of rushing down, Leon took the chance to have a simple lunch and rest a bit. Mining ten levels in one morning drained not only stamina but focus.

After all, the abandoned mines weren’t like regular mines—they were crawling with monsters. Aside from copper, coal, stone, and gems, Leon had also collected Slime jelly, bug meat, and other monster loot.

If not for the Galaxy Watermelon Knife’s built-in cleaning function—which kept monster remains from sticking to the blade—Leon would have had to clean it at least twice by now.

It was proof enough of how many monsters he’d cut down.

Just as he finished his flatbread and drained a bottle of mineral water, leaning back against the cavern wall to rest, Leon noticed something strange—the elevator he’d just unlocked was moving on its own. The lights on the control panel shifted from the 30th-floor button upward, one by one.

When the light reached the 0 floor—ground level—the elevator began descending again. It stopped right at Leon’s floor, and with a ding, the doors slid open.

Out stepped a girl in casual jeans and a leather jacket, holding a longsword, tiptoeing her way out of the car.

Leon didn’t even need to see her face—just that head of long purple hair was enough to know who it was.

“Abigail? What are you doing here?”

He got up and walked toward her, greeting her.

But instead of a smile, what greeted him was a flash of cold steel.

Leon instinctively drew his Galaxy Watermelon Knife, blocking the strike and deftly knocking her longsword aside. With a touch of exasperation, he asked, “What’s this? Planning to kill me and hide the body down here?”

“Ah! Sorry, sorry! I didn’t see it was you, Leon—you scared me when you suddenly called out.”

Only now realizing what she had done, Abigail quickly apologized.

She moved closer to Leon, practically curling into his side, paying no attention to the sword lying quietly on the ground, waiting for her to pick it up.

“Sorry… I didn’t expect it to be so dark down here, and the air is so heavy. I… I got a little scared.”

Seeing Leon’s puzzled look, Abigail stammered her explanation.

“You’ve never been in the mines before?” Leon asked.

“No, this is my first time. I was just curious. I only meant to take a look from outside.” Abigail shook her head. “But then I ran into Linus—at least, I think that’s his name. He told me you were in the mines and encouraged me to come find you, saying we could go on an adventure together.”

“So the old man talked you into it?”

Leon raised an eyebrow. He couldn’t figure out what the old man was thinking, convincing Abigail to come down here. Was this his way of slowing Leon down? Giving him some ‘extra weight training’?

Wasn’t he worried that his little scheme might put Abigail in danger?

Though, to be fair, the risk was minimal. And if the old man had dared to send her, it meant he was sure she could reach Leon safely. Whether that confidence came from himself—or from a certain petty wizard—Leon couldn’t say.

He glanced at Abigail, who had somehow grabbed onto his sleeve without realizing it, and sighed.

“How about I escort you back to the surface? This floor is safe, but the next one is different.”

“You think I’ll just slow you down, don’t you?” Abigail muttered, sounding a little hurt. “I can handle myself against monsters, you know.”

“I’m worried about your safety,” Leon said firmly. “Monsters aren’t exactly gentlemanly. To them, humans are enemies. The moment they spot one, they’ll rush to attack.”

“It should be fine. Before I came down, Mr. Linus gave me a charm. He said it would keep me safe until I found you.”

“???”