novelraw Chapter 77: Backpack Expansion
Chapter 77: Backpack Expansion
After his conversation with Sandy, Leon took the chance to buy a batch of rhubarb, starfruit, and beet seeds. Although starfruit and beets could only be planted in summer and autumn respectively, it would’ve been a shame not to get some while he was here.
Of course, the main reason was that this was their first meeting, and Sandy seemed to have taken a liking to Leon. As a result, she offered him a discount on her seeds.
Take starfruit, for example. Normally, a packet cost four hundred gold, but after the discount, it was only two hundred and eighty. Leon went ahead and bought ten packets, enough to grow a hundred starfruit plants.
On Earth, starfruit grew on small evergreen trees, with long growth cycles but multiple harvests per planting, yielding an impressive number of fruits.
In Stardew Valley, however, starfruit plants only grew to about one and a half meters tall, and each plant withered immediately after bearing fruit. Worse still, each produced only a single starfruit. The upside was that they matured in just thirty days.
Sandy had been the one to explain all this to Leon. She also offered him a kind reminder: don’t rush to sell the fruit when harvested. Instead, prepare enough kegs beforehand so he could ferment the starfruit into wine right after picking. That way, profits could be maximized.
This advice wasn’t for free. In exchange, Sandy asked Leon to bring her a bottle of starfruit wine once he had brewed it.
After that, just as Sandy suggested, the four of them set up an indoor grill in the Oasis Store. Using charcoal and beef Sandy had provided, they enjoyed a delicious barbecue feast. When the banquet was over, they returned to Stardew Valley together.
Leon drove on the way back, while Emily and Abigail rested in the back seat. They arrived at the Stardew Valley bus stop without incident and parted ways there.
The palm fossil left in the back seat was taken by Abigail. She planned to donate it to the library’s collection in both their names. Since that saved Leon a trip to the library, he readily agreed.As soon as Leon got back to the farm, he tossed the Galaxy Watermelon Knife into his System Backpack.
Earlier, with Abigail and Emily around, he’d had to carry the knife the whole way. It was more troublesome than it sounded.
Every time it caught his eye, Leon couldn’t help feeling like he was about to go pick a fight in town. That feeling always made him want to throw the thing away.
Fortunately, reason prevailed, and he kept it.
I wonder when I’ll have the chance to explore the mines. And this backpack issue is really becoming a problem. With just twelve slots, there’s barely any space left after carrying tools and weapons.
After storing the starfruit and beet seeds in the chests inside his cabin, Leon leaned against the porch railing, glancing over his farm as he muttered to himself.
He wasn’t just talking for no reason—he was dropping hints to the System. Unlike in the game, he couldn’t just buy a backpack upgrade from Pierre’s General Store to jump from twelve slots to thirty-six.
Here in reality, unless the System said so, Leon couldn’t even be sure his backpack could be upgraded at all. For all he knew, it might be permanently stuck at twelve slots.
“Detected that the Host has a need to expand the backpack. Backpack Expansion task is now available. Accept?”
“A task?” Leon blinked, then quickly pulled up his personal menu after the System Prompt, where he saw a new section.
Name: Leon
Farm: Red Star Farm (Activated)
Favorite Thing: CN
Farming: 0
Foraging: 1 (Seed drop bonus when chopping trees)
Mining: 0
Combat: 0
Fishing: 0
Special Abilities: Forest Magic · Rough Green Onion Handling Technique · Mystery of the Ancients
Backpack Items: Axe · Pickaxe · Watering Can · Scythe · Hoe · Galaxy Watermelon Knife (6/12, upgradeable)
Crafting Recipes: Scarecrow · Chest · Campfire · Torch · Wood Fence · Wooden Gate · Wooden Path · Stone Path · Spring Seeds · Field Snack
Quest List: Backpack Expansion (I)
Backpack Expansion: Gather 5 Void Essence and 5 Solar Essence to upgrade the backpack to 24 slots.
Nothing too fancy—just an extra quest line, with the task itself clearly listed. Not complicated either.
Void Essence and Solar Essence usually came from defeating certain monsters in the mines—like ghosts, squid kids, or Krobus’s kin, the Shadow Marauders and shadow shamans. But there were other ways. For example, Krobus himself could supply both magical materials.
Now that he knew how to upgrade the backpack, Leon wasn’t about to waste time. After confirming the requirements, he immediately wheeled out his bicycle and headed for the Coal Forest to the south.
Having been there a few times before, Leon knew the way well. He quickly arrived at the Sewer Drain. The gap he’d pried open last time was still unnoticed and unrepaired, so slipping inside was easy.
What surprised Leon this time was that, besides the faint light from the glowing moss above, the tunnels now had braziers set along both sides. The warm light from them far outshone the moss, chasing away much of the darkness.
Following the line of braziers, Leon soon arrived at the circle of strange statues where Krobus was.
“Leon, you’ve returned. What do you wish to buy this time?” Krobus’s hollow features seemed to squeeze into something like a smile.
“Hey, Krobus. Were those braziers your doing?” Leon asked after greeting him.
“Yes. I made them from materials I had on hand and added a bit of predictive magic. As soon as someone enters the sewer from the drain, they light up automatically. This way, you won’t have to stumble through the dark to reach me,” Krobus replied.
Leon was touched, though he realized such convenience might bring Krobus trouble.
“That’s thoughtful of you. But what if someone else finds you because of them?”
“It’s fine. Aside from guests with special needs, no ordinary person comes here. Even if someone does wander in, if I don’t wish to meet them, they won’t be able to find me. I’m perfectly safe here.”
Krobus clearly appreciated Leon’s concern. His expression became more animated. Though his grin might look menacing to the uninitiated, Leon could tell from the curve of his mouth that Krobus was genuinely smiling.
“So, my friend, what would you like to buy?”