novelraw Chapter 92: Yoba’s Blessing
Chapter 92: Yoba’s Blessing
After speaking, Gunther reached under the counter and pulled out a dark green strip-shaped object. It seemed like stone, yet also resembled some kind of gemstone. Leon couldn’t tell what material it was.
“Take this. It’s the key to giving the Ancient Seed its vitality,” Gunther said, handing it to Leon. Leon accepted it with curiosity. It felt smooth, like a piece of jade that had been polished for many years, and it was heavy—clearly very dense.
Just like when he had received the bone fragment from Gunther last time, the moment Leon took the object, the System Prompt appeared.
“Yoba’s Blessing (???): A gift from the most ancient god. The bearer can draw upon the Power of Nature to awaken the vitality of life. Only effective on non-sentient beings.”
As before with the Ancient Mystery, the dark green object crumbled into powder after the System Prompt appeared, transforming into a special ability on Leon’s personal panel.
Gunther wasn’t surprised. Instead, he urged Leon, “Try it on the other seeds. I’m curious to see what an Ancient Seed will look like once it regains its vitality.”
Leon nodded and took out another seed. The moment it touched his hand, he felt a faint sense of longing from it. Almost by instinct, Leon gripped the Ancient Seed tightly.
In the next moment, a bright green glow surged from his palm. Wrapped in the light, the Ancient Seed radiated joy toward him. When the glow faded, Leon opened his hand and saw that the once dry husk of the seed had cracked, and a delicate sprout had emerged.
“Ancient Seed (Seed): An Ancient Seed that has sprouted. But can it really grow?”
The System promptly changed its classification from an artifact to a seed.“This is a miracle—like a phoenix reborn from the ashes,” Gunther said, gazing at the Ancient Seed in Leon’s hand, clearly delighted.
“I wonder if it can actually grow,” Leon said with a wry smile. The System’s description was not exactly reassuring.
“Why not try and see? You own the most fertile land in Stardew Valley, Mr. Leon. I believe that in your care, these plants from an ancient era will regain their former glory,” Gunther encouraged.
“More than the seed, I’m curious—do you know where the item you gave me came from?” Leon smiled, putting the revived Ancient Seed into his System Backpack, making it vanish into thin air while watching Gunther’s reaction.
But Gunther simply shook his head as if nothing unusual had happened. “I only know it holds great vitality. I don’t know the specifics. It was given to me by a friend. It doesn’t belong to me.”
“I see. Well, I won’t trouble you further. Just as you said, I should head back and plant these Ancient Seeds to see if they can have a second spring on my farm. Goodbye.”
Leon didn’t take Gunther’s evasiveness to heart. There were no such coincidences in the world—he showed an Ancient Seed, and Gunther just happened to have Yoba’s Blessing to revive it. But if Gunther didn’t want to say more, Leon had no way to force it.
In the end, he was the one benefiting. As for the truth—who really cared? When smart people dealt with each other, it was better to see through without speaking up. That avoided many unnecessary problems.
“Goodbye, Mr. Leon. I wish you success in your work,” Gunther said, removing his hat, placing it over his chest, and giving a slight bow.
Leaving the library, Leon rode back to the farm, reviving each Ancient Seed in his bag and planting them in a separate plot. He even made a scarecrow just for them.
Compared to his other crops, these four Ancient Seeds were far too valuable. Leon didn’t want some brainless crow eating them. Otherwise, he might just decide to wipe out every crow in Stardew Valley.
After planting them, Leon opened his panel and checked Yoba’s Blessing under the special abilities tab. The description was the same as when the System first announced it.
The note about it only affecting non-sentient beings left him a little disappointed. Without that restriction, could he use this power to resurrect the dead?
After all, this ability was connected to Yoba, the creator god of this world. It should be possible. But with the restriction in place, he wasn’t sure how far “non-sentient” extended. Humans obviously counted as sentient, but many animals also had some intelligence. Did that mean it wouldn’t work on them either?
Although curious, Leon wasn’t cruel enough to catch a small animal and kill it just to test the range. He decided to set the thought aside until an opportunity arose naturally.
With the Ancient Seeds planted, Leon found himself idle again. Seeing there was still time before nightfall, and with nothing better to do, he grabbed his fishing rod, got on his bicycle, and headed for the Coal Forest.
That morning’s fishing trip had been fun—he might even be getting addicted. With nothing urgent to do, why not cast a few lines? If he caught something, it would mean a better dinner and some extra income. Win-win.
When Leon arrived at the pier on the lake in the southern part of Coal Forest, he awkwardly realized he had forgotten to bring bait.
That morning’s bait had all come from Willy. Leon himself had none.
He stared at the empty hook, wondering if the fish in Stardew Valley would bite without bait, when he heard someone calling him.
“Hey! Leon!”
He turned toward the northwest side of the lake and saw Leah sitting by the shore with an easel in front of her, waving a paintbrush in greeting.
“Oh, it’s Ms. Leah. Good afternoon!” Leon called across the lake, raising his voice because of the distance.
“Good afternoon!” Leah shouted back, then realized how tiring it was to talk like that. She tucked her easel under her arm and began walking toward him.