Stardew Valley’s Farming Master

Chapter 59: Well, We’re Broke, Aren’t We?

Leon picked up the prismatic shard from the anvil, brushing away the bits of grit still clinging to its shell on his sleeve. He then carefully slipped it into his pants pocket.

Of course, the moment it disappeared from Clint’s sight, he sent it straight into his System Backpack.

After all, that was the safest, most hidden place there was. Unless Leon took it out himself, no one could ever find this prismatic shard.

Clint heard Leon’s reply and looked a little disappointed. Prismatic shards were truly one in a million, and he needed the mysterious, rare mineral for many things.

Still, he could understand why Leon wouldn’t sell it. Aside from its use in blacksmithing, prismatic shards held plenty of other purposes and meaning. Even Clint wouldn’t part with such a gem if he had one.

“Thanks to you, my first Crystal Orb blind box turned out great. Let’s grab a drink at the Starfruit Saloon sometime. My treat.”

Ever since he’d tucked the shard away, Leon hadn’t stopped smiling. He was so pleased that even Clint, with his scruffy beard and slightly greasy look, seemed downright handsome to him now.

“The Infinity Crystal Orb can hold anything—just like its name suggests. But this is the first time I’ve seen one produce a prismatic shard with my own eyes. You’ve certainly earned Yoba’s favor. I hope next time your crystal geode opens up with all sorts of treasures.”

Clint sighed, then realized he’d ignored Leon’s drink offer. “Uh, I don’t have a set schedule for going to the saloon, but if I see you there, I’ll say hello.”

Leon wasn’t sure what to make of Clint’s social awkwardness, so he shrugged and changed the subject. “By the way, can you tell me exactly what blacksmithing services you offer here?”“Of course. Selling various ores and upgrading tools and weapons—that’s our family tradition. Every Clint blacksmith in Pelican Town has been the best in the business.” Clint’s voice was instantly full of pride.

“Wait here.” Leon stepped outside the shop, took the axe from his System Tools, then brought it back inside and handed it to Clint.

“Can you upgrade this axe for me?”

“Hm? Fine craftsmanship. Seems to hold a special power. I’ve read about this forging method in my family’s records, but your axe is still in its most basic form. To strengthen it, it’ll need to go through gradual reforging.”

Clint lifted the axe to eye level, studying it for a long time before lowering it again. “If you bring me five copper bars and pay two thousand in gold, I can give it copper-grade properties. That’s the first stage of reforging—sharper and more efficient.”

“Two thousand? That’s way too much.” Leon frowned. The price was exactly the same as in the game, and his heart filled with silent complaints. Clint’s prices were outrageous.

“It is pricey, but that’s already at cost. You won’t find many blacksmiths outside who can do this special upgrade. The time and effort it takes are immense—when I work on your tool for those two days, I can’t do anything else,” Clint explained quickly.

“And copper-grade is just the first step. From there, you can upgrade to steel-grade, then gold-grade, and finally the strongest iridium-grade. Each upgrade needs the matching metal bars and a higher fee, but I can guarantee the results are worth it.”

Leon could understand that. He’d used iridium tools before—they were worlds apart from the starter ones. But thinking about the cost for each stage still left him bitter.

Copper upgrades cost the same as before. That meant the rest wouldn’t be any cheaper: five thousand for steel, ten thousand for gold, and twenty-five thousand for iridium. With four upgradeable tools—watering can, axe, pickaxe, and hoe—that was no small sum.

If he upgraded them all to iridium-grade, he’d need twenty copper bars, twenty iron bars, twenty gold bars, twenty iridium bars, and a total of 170,000 gold.

And that didn’t even include the trash can. Not that it mattered—his System didn’t provide one, which at least saved him some money.

Still, 170,000 gold… Back when Leon worked for Joja Corporation at 2,000 gold a month, that would mean saving every single coin for seven years and one month—without eating or sleeping.

And that was a manager’s salary. Ordinary workers would take even longer.

After crunching the numbers, Leon waved Clint off. “I’ll think about it later. I can’t go mining for now anyway.”

“If you’re in a hurry, you could buy some ore from me,” Clint offered, pulling out a price list from under the counter.

One glance at the prices and Leon finally felt some relief. At least something in Clint’s shop didn’t match the in-game economy.

Copper ore was 7.5 gold per piece, iron ore 15, coal 15, and gold ore the most expensive at 80 each.

The gold ore was tempting. Who didn’t like gold? If he could, Leon would fill his home with gold bricks for flooring—now that would be cool.

But buying now was a waste. He’d be going to the mines eventually, and when he could mine it himself, he wouldn’t spend gold on it.

“No thanks. I’ll get it myself.”

Clint looked at him in surprise. “But don’t you still have a farm to run? Mining yourself is too much work.”

“Can’t be helped. We’re broke, remember?” Leon grinned. “Gotta be self-sufficient.”

Clint went quiet. He couldn’t argue with that. But then he remembered that the mining rights in Stardew Valley were privately owned now.

“But the new mine here in Stardew Valley is privately operated. All the mineral veins in the eastern mountains are under state contracts with a mining company. They won’t allow anyone but their workers to collect ore.”

“Of course I’ll go to the abandoned mine,” Leon replied.