The main road through Heart’s Rest was made of paved cobblestone, which seemed pretty luxurious for a small town I’d never heard of before today. The big city I’d spent the last five years in, Kinok, had paved stone streets, but you expected that sort of thing from what could be considered a bustling metropolis in these parts.

If I had to take a guess, I’d say Heart’s Rest was home to maybe 1,500 people, judging from the size of the place. That put it firmly in the town category on the town-versus-village spectrum, but that was still fairly small for a town.

It was clear the main road was well used, since the rounded stones that made up the paving were worn into barely lumpy pavers in some places. There were signs of horse-drawn carriages and wagons, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find that people rode horses down this road either.

I mean, I would, because the road was clear of excrement and horses weren’t known for being the type of creature that held it in until the next rest stop.

The state of the road—and Heart’s Rest’s quaint little charm—could only hold my attention for so long, however. Like a record skipping to another song, my brain jumped from topic to topic, never giving me a moment’s rest.

Within the span of a minute I had calculated the distance to the foot of the Everbloom Mountains using a few old scouting tricks I’d learned back on Earth, had remembered an old joke about mountains that made me chuckle, and contemplated what monsters I might find if I ranged between those hills and mountains.

With that Griffin guy away on some quest, the local adventurer’s guild might be hurting for helping hands, and I could likely pick up a quest or two to eradicate a monster den.

Not that I wanted to.

I was serious when I told Sasha I was an ex-adventurer. That life didn’t interest me any more. But I was also down to my last fifteen gold pieces and unless Sasha paid really well, I had no idea how I was going to find an inn that would put Mel and I up for the night.

"Ugh. Worry about that later," I told myself, pausing to whistle a short tune. It helped refocus my brain. "You’ve got some pastries to deliver, wheat to gather, and…"

I looked around conspiratorially. There wasn’t anyone on the road with me, and I grinned.

"All right then, Harper. Your covert secondary mission, should you choose to accept it? Figure out if you can get discounted ingredients for the inevitable restaurant!"

That would require me to get my Relationship Status with her to 90%.

In theory, a Critical Success on an introduction could get as high as 90%, but even with my raw stats, it was a long shot.

You could get bonuses from, say, saving someone’s life. Or getting a LCK proc outside the norm. My LCK stat was pretty high, but that didn’t mean I could rely on it. And without a way to manufacture a situation where I was saving her life, or the life of a loved one, I was left with hoping the system was on my side.

Or farming Relationship Status.

But farming Long-Term Status could take a while, depending on what my initial rank started at. It might be too much to be worth it.

But if I could get my Long-Term Relationship Status up over 90%, Florence would be compelled to do nice things for me. And it would only take a little charm to use that to my advantage and get some discounted materials.

Underhanded? Sure.

Smart? Also sure.

I glanced up at the sky. The sun was getting along in its journey, and I figured it was about…two? Three? Somewhere in that range. After lunch but not late enough to eat supper.

There was still plenty of time in the day to get this wheat, butter up the farmer a little, get back and paid, and then meet up with Melanie to figure out next steps. Maybe even grab some dinner, if we could find somewhere that didn’t want to charge an arm and a leg. We needed to be able to rent a room for at least the night, but a week’s worth would be more cost efficient.

Just as I was starting to fret about too many things that didn’t involve finding Florence’s farm, I… found the farm. 

The sign was just as Sasha said. It was a small wooden sign, where someone—presumably Florence—had written Celestial Sprouts in a flourishing cursive. Around the sign were wide-petaled flowers that seemed to stand tall and proud, ranging in colors from blues to yellows. Small white speckles like starbursts covered some of the petals. Made it look very celestial indeed.

Cozy and quaint, which was what I expected out of a place called Celestial Sprouts.

I walked up the dirt path that led to the farmhouse. Along either side were fields that ranged for quite a while, packed with crops that looked pretty mundane. I could see wheat and corn wafting in the breeze, and there were some shorter stalks of green that might have been onions or potatoes.

I was pretty clueless about farming. My grandparents had owned a ranch when I was a kid, and there had been some land set aside to grow feed and to supply the house with ingredients. As a teenager I’d helped out a few times, and I could tell you the difference between basil and mint, but it was mostly just the smell. But my knowledge mostly ended there.

What would be considered in season or out of it was completely beyond me.

Maybe Florence could give me lessons.

The closer I got to the house, the more variety there was in the crops around me. Smaller rows of herbs or vines ripe with tomatoes were clustered together, giving a more personal feel to the planting. These might have been Florence’s own crops, instead of the ones she sold to townsfolk.

There was something about this place. I couldn’t quite put a finger on it, but I liked it. It was cozy in a warm-mug-of-hot-cocoa-on-a-cold-night sort of way. There was an atmosphere that just seemed to emanate from the place. It was as if the very air were infused with kindness, which was a bit odd to think about on a farm that had a faint whiff of manure on the breeze.

"Hello?" I called out as I reached the farmhouse. I didn’t want to just head inside, but I also didn’t see anyone around. "Is anyone here?"

"Around the back!" a soft, lilting voice called, presumably from behind the house.

I started in that direction, but the owner of the voice met me about halfway around the side.

The young woman—who I assumed was Florence—radiated with the same warmth and kindness as the rest of her farm. Like it was a perfume she’d coated herself in it from head to toe. Her long, chestnut-brown hair was pulled back in a loose braid and tucked under a giant straw hat. Despite the protection, her sun-kissed skin still bore the signs of her days under the sun, and freckles coated nearly every inch of her. She was smiling at me, and those full, rosy lips were just so inviting I almost forgot myself.

"Hello there! Can I help you?"

"Good afternoon! Are you Florence? Sasha asked me to stop by and pick up her wheat order. I’m Harper, her new Assistant Baker."

The woman smiled, and it was so brilliant I almost had to look away. "Oh, wonderful! Yes, I’m Florence. It’s so nice to meet you!"

New Relationship Unlocked!

Florence - Human, Farmer
Long-Term Relationship: ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▱ 90% (270, Best Friend)
Short-Term Relationship: ▰▰▰▰▰▰▱▱▱▱ 60% (150, Affectionate Interest)

Critical Success x2 (LCK bonus)! Relationship gain modified by CHA and LCK!

Warning! Current Short-Term Relationship below current Long-Term Relationship. Estimated equilibrium point at 210.

"Lovely to meet you as well," I said, trying to suppress a grin at the double critical success. Easiest 90% I’d ever gotten.

I’d almost forgotten what it was like to be outside of the big city. Everyone in Kinok had a negative modifier attached to their initial Long-Term Relationship Status, since they were so distrustful of others. But out here…everyone was rainbows and sunshine.

This would make opening a restaurant super easy.

"What do you have there?" Florence asked, eyeing the pink box in my arms.

"Ah, I got so distracted by your lovely farm I almost forgot… Sasha allowed me to bring you some pastries as a peace offering, since she wasn’t able to make it up. She sends her best, and hopes my presence isn’t too distasteful."

Florence threw her head back with laughter. "Oh, you stop that right now." She playfully swatted me on the arm. "You’re too much Mister Harper."

"Please," I said, tipping her a smile and a wink, "just Harper."

"Well then just-Harper, let’s go ahead and put those inside and we can get you on your way." She moved past me to go towards the front door, but made no motion to collect the box from me.

Taking the very subtle hint, I followed her.

"What did Sasha send along today, do you know?"

I pretended to think about it. "I think she said something about eclairs and chocolate croissants?"

Florence gasped. "You’re pulling my leg…those are my favorites!"

Relationship Increased!

Florence - Human, Farmer
Long-Term Relationship: ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▱ 90% (270, Best Friend)
Short-Term Relationship: ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▱▱▱ 70% (210, Truly Bonded)

Warning! Current Short-Term Relationship below current Long-Term Relationship. Estimated equilibrium point at 240.

"I simply adore baked goods," Florence said, something I absolutely filed away for later. "There's something so comforting about the smell of fresh bread and pastries."

"Ah, a kindred spirit. Nothing brings people together quite like the shared appreciation of a good croissant, don't you agree?"

"Absolutely!" Florence laughed, her warm smile making my heart skip a beat. She opened the door to her farmhouse and held it for me.

The inside of Florence’s farmhouse matched well with the outside. A similar atmosphere of warmth and tranquility followed us inside. The cozy, rustic interior was full of exposed wood and stone. A giant wooden staircase—with craftsman-style carvings on the banisters and along the railings going up—filled up the area to the immediate left, while two archways led out of the foyer on this floor. The one right ahead of us seemed to lead into a living room area, as I could see a few giant, overstuffed sofas and bookshelves absolutely packed with leather-bound books. It was all lit up by giant windows facing to the west. 

Off to our right was the kitchen, and this was the way Florence led me. An imposing iron cauldron hung from a book above a massive unlit fire, and smaller hooks hung empty along the hearth. Wooden shelves lined the other walls, displaying an assortment of clay pots that were lovingly marked with cursive letting one know what was inside. Where there weren’t shelves, there were big windows with minimal coverage, allowing a great view of the fields and plenty of sunlight.

To the left of the kitchen was a small dining area, with a quaint little circular table surrounded by four mismatched chairs. A simple unlit candelabra sat at the center of the table.

"Now then. Before we get this wheat order sorted, there’s one thing we need to take care of."

Florence turned to me, and the wicked grin on her lips awoke a hunger in me. 

"And, uh, what would that be?" I asked, trying to keep the hopefulness out of my voice.

"I believe we need to just give in to our desires, don’t you?"

I grinned.

She snatched the pink box away from me and held them between us like she was offering my salvation. "Let’s have a pastry!"