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"Ran, what does 'This message has been recalled' mean?"
Yukari, clutching her stomach like a retiree and nibbling on a slice of apple, was lounging on the sofa. She squinted at Ran's phone, which displayed the chat history with Leo.
"Oh, that..." Ran's tail stiffened for a microsecond. "It means a message was sent by mistake. You can recall it to delete it. I was asking the Lord when he could sell fish and made a typo."
Her voice was steady, betraying nothing.
"I see. Convenient."
Yukari didn't suspect a thing. She let Ran handle the small stuff—mostly because every time she messaged Leo, her username's age increased by one year. She was currently "Forever 20-Year-Old Beautiful Girl" and refused to let it hit 21.
"Huh? Ran, come look at this. What is a 'Pre-Order'?"
Yukari noticed the shop interface had changed. The previously empty window now displayed pictures of various crops with a "Pre-Order" button.
Ran walked over and sat down. Taking advantage of the proximity, Yukari slid her bare feet into the warmth of her Shikigami's massive tails. Ran, long accustomed to being a living foot warmer, ignored it and studied the phone.
Stardew Valley.
Leo, lying in bed and bored out of his mind, was tinkering with his backend store settings.
He listed all his current crops with a pre-order limit. This was a safety measure. He needed to keep enough food for his own survival. If he didn't set a hard cap, Yukari might buy everything and leave him starving again.
As for the product descriptions? He was in his element.
World's Best Parsnips! Unique in the Entire Universe! 100% Organic, Gluten-Free, Interdimensional Superfood!
Since there were no advertising laws here, he went wild. And technically, he wasn't lying. He was the only farmer in this universe. If he wasn't Number One, who was?
"Alright, time to sleep. Tomorrow, I clear the cave."
Day 6.
Leo spent the entire day clearing debris. He chopped logs, scythed weeds, and smashed rocks, finally opening up clear paths to the Mountain in the north and the Cindersap Forest in the south.
But his main goal was the Cave.
Yesterday, while eating the mushroom skewer, he remembered a crucial feature of the farm that he had totally forgotten: The Farm Cave.
In the game, once you earned 25,000 Gold, a scientist named Demetrius would show up and offer to set up a research station in the cave. You had to choose between:
Fruit Bat Cave: Bats would leave random fruit. Good for completing bundles and gifts.
Mushroom Cave: Six boxes that produced mushrooms daily.
Leo stood at the entrance of the small mountain crevice. He shone his phone's flashlight inside and snapped a photo.
He opened the chat with Ran.
Leo: Are you there? I need a favor.
Back in the Lost Village, Ran immediately abandoned her lesson on "What is Pre-Ordering" and sat at the table to reply.
Yukari, losing her warm tail-pillow, grumbled and grabbed a passing cat (Chen), stuffing it onto her feet as a replacement warmer.
Ran: I'm here. Please go ahead.
Leo: I have a cave here perfectly suited for growing mushrooms. I was wondering if Marisa Kirisame would be interested in a collaboration?
Normally, the Fruit Bat Cave was more profitable long-term. But having lived through a certain pandemic in his old world, Leo was psychologically scarred by the idea of flying rats in his food supply. Even if they were just fruit bats, he couldn't do it.
Besides, Gensokyo had plenty of fruit. He didn't need to farm it.
Mushrooms, however, were vital. Common mushrooms for food. Red mushrooms for... "special purposes." And the rare Purple Mushroom—which restored massive Health and Energy—was basically a Full Elixir.
Ran: Mushrooms? I see. Are you at the farm? I will consult Marisa immediately.
Leo: Yes. Thank you. When the mushrooms are ready, let's have a mushroom feast together.
Ran put away her phone, sighed at her lazy master, and stepped into a gap to find the Magician.
The Forest of Magic.
One of the two largest forests in Gensokyo, covering 70% of the landmass. It was humid, dark, and teeming with poisonous plants and mushrooms—a youkai paradise.
Marisa Kirisame ran a small, chaotic potion shop here. The quality of her potions was... variable. Sometimes they healed you; sometimes they exploded. She had close business ties with Eientei (mostly because Eientei needed guinea pigs).
Since the Human Village vanished, Marisa and her neighbor Alice Margatroid had become the biggest winners. Living in the forest meant they had direct access to the remaining food sources. They were currently the wealthiest people in Gensokyo, living a prosperous life while everyone else starved.
Why didn't anyone rob them?
Two reasons.
1 Reimu Hakurei. Marisa was best friends with the Shrine Maiden. If you touched Marisa, Reimu would arrive in three minutes and end your bloodline with a single punch.
2 Shinki. Alice possessed a grimoire from her mother, the Creator God of Makai. Even if you defeated Alice (unlikely), you'd have to deal with her doting, world-destroying mother.
The Forest of Fairies was similarly rich in resources, home to infinite respawning fairies. Their leader was Cirno, the Ice Fairy, whose combat power was roughly equivalent to a goose.
Logically, she should have been easy to bully.
However...