novelraw Chapter 25: Striking It Rich
Chapter 25: Striking It Rich
Watching the girl’s retreating figure, Leon made no move to chase after her. Once Abigail had gone, he let the smile fade from his face, turned, and went to the water trough to wash the dirt from his hands as planned.
Then he left the farm altogether, heading south toward the forest.
It had rained yesterday, so Leon hadn’t gotten the chance to properly explore the southern forest. For anyone newly arrived in Stardew Valley, the time right after planting the first batch of seeds was the perfect season to forage for wild goods—easily the best way to earn that very first handful of gold.
At the southern edge of the forest, near the drainage outlet of the sewer, lay one of spring’s best gifts: green onions.
As for the old-timers’ tried-and-true path to wealth—fishing—Leon had no plans to touch it yet. He was very aware of his own lack of skill with a rod. Rather than waste time starting from scratch, he preferred to rely on foraging to build up his initial funds.
Fishing could wait for a day when he had some free time and could go with Willy. Having an old fisherman by his side would spare him the embarrassment of squatting by the water with a pole, staring blankly at the ripples.
This time, stepping into the southern forest was a very different experience from his rain-soaked visit before. Now the air was alive with birdsong and the rustle of wind through the leaves. The forest seemed to breathe and stir.
Perhaps because it was so close to Pelican Town, the trees here weren’t particularly dense. Closer to the Wizard’s Tower the woods were more pristine, but near Marnie’s Ranch, the trees thinned noticeably.
Leon cast a distant glance toward the cows, sheep, chickens, and ducks inside Marnie’s Ranch and quickly lost interest. Those were things he couldn’t even think about yet. The cost of building a coop or a barn was far too high—better to wait until he had money before discussing livestock with Marnie.
Wandering through the southern forest, Leon felt an indescribable sense of comfort and ease. It was like returning to a warm house after being out in the cold. He knew this was the effect of Forest Magic.And along with it came another gift of that magic—his foraging radar. The moment he stepped into the southern forest, it began to work, leading him almost effortlessly to wild horseradish and dandelions poking up from the soil.
A glance into his backpack showed that he had already gathered the four iconic spring forages: daffodil, dandelion, leek, and wild horseradish.
That made him think of another use beyond selling them—bringing them to the old Community Center for the Junimos.
In the game, this was part of the story: you offered the Junimos gifts of Stardew Valley’s bounty—plants, ores, fish, and other things closely tied to the player’s life. Complete one set, and the Junimos would reward you.
Fully completing an entire category of offerings would see them repair one wing of the Community Center and, at night, restore some abandoned facility vital to the player’s life and farming.
For example, by finishing the set for the gold vault that handled Pelican Town’s finances, the Junimos would repair the long-distance bus wrecked by some drunken fool, reopening the route to the Calico Desert.
Of course, if you joined Joja Mart as a premium member, the store’s manager Morris would fix the bus for a fee—once the Community Center had been turned into a Joja warehouse.
But Leon had no intention of doing that. Joja’s path might be simple money-for-service, but he had no money. More importantly, the Junimos were tied to the mysterious side of the valley. Compared to that, what was a national chain store?
Since I’ve already awakened Forest Magic, should I stop by the Community Center and make an offering?
The thought was tempting, but a round trip would take at least two hours. That was too much of a delay. Leon decided to keep exploring the southern forest instead.
Half the forest was taken up by rivers and ponds—that was why the plant life here thrived. The abundant water kept them lush, and the insects and small creatures of the forest provided food for the fish, making it a complete ecosystem.
Being so close to Pelican Town, the southern forest also showed signs of human touch. Wooden bridges spanned the river in two places, built for tourists to cross and enjoy nature—and for foragers like Leon to pass with ease.
Crossing both bridges, Leon came to a wide-open stretch of land. Mountains loomed to the east, a rushing river lay to the west, and a sheer cliff dropped to the jewel-blue Gem Sea in the south. This was the very edge of Stardew Valley.
“Mountains, water, and an ocean view—this is prime land,” Leon muttered, eyes sweeping the scenery. “There must be treasure here.”
No one answered, of course. He was only entertaining himself. But he wasn’t wrong—he remembered that somewhere nearby there was a hidden room inside the mountain.
So, while searching for green onions, he also kept an eye out for that secret door.
Then he stopped short.
His foraging radar had gone wild. Ahead, on a patch of level ground, a soft golden glow shimmered over the soil.
As he drew closer, he no longer needed the radar. The bright green leaves pushing up from the dirt told him all he needed to know—his main target was here.
What he hadn’t expected was the sheer number of them. In the game, finding a dozen green onions in this spot was already lucky. But now, before his eyes, stretched an endless field of them.
Leon’s eyes went wide.
If not for the lack of farming marks or footprints, he might have thought he’d stumbled into someone’s cultivated onion patch.
“Now that’s what I call striking it rich.”