[ It is now, 6:00AM. It is Thursday, day 4/30 of Summer. Good morning!  Your energy has been fully restored.

Overnight your items have been collected for the following gold rewards:

Small Trout (4x) - 20 Gold Pieces

Medium Trout (3x) - 60 Gold Pieces

Large River Trout (1x) - 100 gold pieces

Small Catfish (2x) - 10 gold pieces

River Trash (5x) - 10 gold pieces

TOTAL: 200 gold

Some mail came for you overnight, please check your mailbox! ]

I got up and searched my new home for any sign of either Frannie or Max, but it seemed this morning I was all alone. Max was likely out playing in the sun and Frannie I wasn't so sure about. I was a little sad if she was gone for good but at least I’d been able to help her. I would accept that if need be. Though the mystery of who she was would always niggle at me.

I got out into the field and began the days work first of all. I watered the plants, for it was another sunny day and there were now two types of crops to water. The tomatoes were growing taller and little seedlings had sprouted out of the summer seeds. I smiled at that. Midway through my watering a wet and happy Max came to join me and we played a little. I took another driftwood piece out from the chest and just played fetch with him for a while.

But I couldn’t spend all day just enjoying my time with Max, eventually I had to get back to work.

I had a new chunk of change and I had to decide how to properly invest it. I was a little disappointed in my ROI for fishing, it had been a fun activity but it definitely wasn’t going to get me rich quick. At most I could buy a handful of new crops, or a new book.

I figured crops were the best option, I needed to get this farm up and running while summer was still going to make sure I got some renewable income that could actually scale. I resolved to make today a farm day, now that I was done watering I could go into town, buy the new crops and plant them. If I had time left over after that I could maybe make some new farm equipment. I did need a new chest at the very least.

But first, the new crops! I ruffled Max's and said my goodbyes then headed into town to shop.

On my way out I noticed something flashing in the sunlight and stopped. A mailbox. Has that always been there? I walked up to it and it opened on its own, a window popping up. I could see there was space for multiple received messages but only one was available. It had a little exclamation mark icon and a subtitle that read:

[ “Congratulations! Please accept this gift.” ]

I opened it. The full note expanded and filled my vision, it read:

[ Dear George,

It has been four days since we met? Can you believe it? You have hit over 200 gold and made several new friends! I am very impressed. I can see you are taking to Halfmoon Hills already. Your aura of negativity is fast fading.

Hehe, I knew you could do it! You just needed a little push.

Now as a reward I want to give you this delicious pink cake! Eat it yourself, or treat a lovely friend with it. But choose wisely! It’s one of a kind!

Finally, I want to offer you a quest. I have been unable to leave my hideout for some time due to reasons I cannot get into. If you can find me a moon-eyed cave mushroom I would reward you handsomely. All you have to do is find it, then deliver it to me. Instructions for reaching me will be sent to you once you receive the mushroom.

I’ll pay. Handsomely.

Best regards,

Your old friend

-The Wizard ]

I accepted the gift first. The cake went into my inventory. I inspected it further, It looked absolutely delicious. I read the letter again, and again. A creeping sense of anxiety gripped me. I had almost forgotten about the wizard and I liked it that way, but now I was confronted with a concrete way to meet him. If I found him, what would I say? Would I ask him to take me back?

Of course, I can't stay here forever… and yet…

I shook all of that from my head. I had a plan for the day, and I wasn’t letting the chaos of that magician ruin it. I would deal with his quest in due time but even if I did find him, he had assured me it wouldn't be so easy to return, especially without funds so there was little point in jumping to conclusions. He wasn't exactly trustworthy. I would focus on my own abilities here in Halfmoon Hills.

And so I went, ignoring the note, back to Barbolds store once more. I bantered a little with the dwarf and asked him, casually, if he’d ever heard of that particular mushroom. He chuckled and said he had not, but judging by the name he'd bet it was to be found in a cave. I asked Barbold if there were any cave’s around the town and he stroked his beard thoughtfully.

“North of town, there is a cave. Right next to the adventurer’s guild, you should stop by there. But I warn yah, it's dangerous business spelunking or getting mixed up with those folk!” he warned.

I nodded and thanked him for the information. I resolved to check my map when I returned home. I was annoyed with myself for not bringing it but I could always wait. Next I scrolled through the available plants

After surveying my options I decided to double down on tomatoes. I used my money to buy 8 new tomato plants from Barbold. I had 60 gold left.  After saying my goodbyes I headed back home and planted them.I knew I was spending gold very quickly, but I was certain this was the best way to do things.

It was an investing lesson I learned early, you had to put your money to use and not just leave it in the bank. In this case the bank was my inventory. The tomatoes were my stock market, and to be honest I preferred them a lot more to real stocks. It was lovely to watch them grow and care for them. I wiped the dirt off my hands and smiled. I now have 12 tomato plants and 6 wild summer plants. Beautiful!

I did some math on when the crops should be ready according to the guidebook.

The first four tomato plants should fruit on day 11 then again on day 14, 17, 20, 23, 26 and 29th.

The summer plants should fruit on day 7 and then be finished

The new 8 tomatoes should fruit on day 14, 17, 20, 23, 26th and 29th.

How am I supposed to keep all this in my head?

[ Would you like a system reminder each time a crop is ready for harvest? ]

Yes! Yes 100 times yes!

I breathed a sigh of relief. That would keep me from having to do algebra every day. With that settled, I tried to think about what else I had on the docket for today. Right, a new chest! I opened the existing one and withdrew 20 chopped wood. I mentally selected the wood and an option to construct a chest appeared in a window above me. I selected “yes” and the wood disappeared and its place a chest poofed into existence. It hovered in the air.

[ Where would you like to place Wooden Chest? ]

I pointed beside the existing one and the new one fell from the sky and settled into the dirt. I shook my head in disbelief. Would I ever get bored of having all these powers? I hoped not. I was enjoying this. I took a step towards the two chests and examined each one:

[ CHEST 0/20 ]

[ CHEST 17/20

* Hoe (Rank 1)

* Scythe (Rank 1)

* Axe (Rank 1)

* Rusty Rod (Rank 1)

* Mining Pick (Rank 1)

* Watering Can

* Rusty Fishing Rod

* Fibrous plant materials (37 / 99)

* Driftwood (5)

* Seaweed (5)

* Pebbles (5)

* Chopped wood (25)

* Small Trout (4)

* Map of Halfmoon Hills

* Coal (4/99)

* Clotted Dirt (4/99)

* Stone (10/99 ]

It occurred to me that it might be nice to find some kind of paint or marker to use on these two chests to differentiate between them. I guessed that I could leave that for another time. For now I was just happy I was making progress. I went back inside and did some reading in the guidebook, taking it easy as I leafed through it. There was nothing in the book on mushrooms, but I did find a large section on items and buildings that I began to pour over. It seemed like there were tons of options and I was getting excited just thinking about them.

I liked the idea of building some barrels for fermentation and preservation for my crops to last longer after harvest. They only required wood and stone. There were also quite a few buildings that appeared to be used to process larger products as well as even house animals. I was a little lost in the giant catalog and instead of picking any one thing I decided to just go out and do some cleanup on the farm. After I’d spent most of my energy I would reward myself with a trip to the bar.

And if I see Leyanna there, that’s just a bonus…. right?

I made good use of my time and energy, harvesting wood and stone until I had fifty stone and fifty pieces of chopped wood, then added them to the chest.

[ CHEST 17/20

* Hoe (Rank 1)

* Scythe (Rank 1)

* Axe (Rank 1)

* Rusty Rod (Rank 1)

* Mining Pick (Rank 1)

* Watering Can

* Rusty Fishing Rod

* Fibrous plant materials (37 / 99)

* Driftwood (5)

* Seaweed (5)

* Pebbles (55)

* Chopped wood (75)

* Small Trout (4)

* Map of Halfmoon Hills

* Coal (4/99)

* Clotted Dirt (4/99)

* Stone (60/99)  ]

I stowed my items then freshened up as best I could in the washbasin, and headed out. I was still just clad in overalls and trousers and felt a little chilled as the sun began to dip behind the horizon. I would need to buy a new shirt soon

Frannie still had mine.