A farming master in Stardew Valley

Chapter 449: Hearing the Lost Heart Again

Krobus looked at Leon suspiciously and asked, "Do you want to learn about the Elemental City first, or do you want to hear about what I encountered in the Elemental City first?"

"Well, start with your story. I'll ask you questions later."

Krobus was so serious that Leon could only speak in a serious tone.

"Then tell me about my experience first." Krobus understood this time.

"The day before yesterday, a customer ordered a batch of Void Eggs from me, so I prepared something to send to it. It lives in the Dirty Street in the east of the Elemental City. When I delivered the things to it and returned along the same route, I saw explorers searching the entire Dirty Street.

However, they weren't carrying weapons. Instead, they were all looking for something with strange little mirrors. I observed them secretly for a while and found that the people on Dirty Street were actually cooperating with their actions."

"What kind of place is Dirty Street?" Leon immediately cut to the chase after hearing this.

"Dirty Street is the most chaotic area in Elemental City. It once experienced an elemental riot and has become a ruin. The creator of Elemental City has no intention of repairing it, so this ruin has become a stronghold for many scavengers and lawless people. If you don't have enough strength here, everything you have will become a commodity sold on the Dirty Street black market."

Krobus was not at all annoyed by the interruption, but continued speaking to the popular science student seriously.

"It's a no-man's land, quite common, like a slum in the city." Lyon concluded.

"Dirty Street has a manager, but it does not manage the order of Dirty Street. As long as those who occupy Dirty Street do not cause trouble for the main urban area of ​​Elemental City, it will not show up." Krobus shook his head and added.

"Then do you need to pay taxes for the transactions on Dirty Street?" Lyon asked.

"Yes, all transactions on Dirty Street are subject to a 20% transaction fee." Krobus nodded.

"Then I understand."

Upon hearing this, Leon understood the significance of Dirty Street's existence: "What are those explorers looking for?"

"The explorers were looking for a Lost Heart who had somehow infiltrated Dirty Street. I only found out about this when I passed by the Blade's Head Guild and noticed the bounty posted on the sign.

The Bladehead Guild's bounty is very generous. Anyone who can find this Lost Heart will be rewarded with the Explorer's Eye."

Before Leon could ask what the Explorer's Eye was, Krobus continued, "The Explorer's Eye is the head of the sharp blade, the highest honor of the Explorer's Guild. Holders of the Explorer's Eye can enjoy one free commission within their ability, and explorers will do their utmost to complete this commission."

"What a familiar setting." Lyon complained in his heart after hearing this.

"But before I left the Elemental City, no one had found any trace of the Madman. Even though the Dirty Street had been searched thoroughly by explorers and natives, the Madman was still not found." After Krobus finished speaking, Leon immediately asked.

"Why does the appearance of a Lost Heart have such a big impact?"

"Because the Lost Minds are very dangerous. Although the Elemental City is very inclusive, where you can see dwarves, shadow people, mermaids, fairies, and even sub-humans, the Lost Minds are different. They are puppets controlled by the most evil forces. The appearance of each Lost Mind means the arrival of danger. The Lost Minds have a strong assimilation ability. If affected by it, other creatures will also become Lost Minds, just like a virus." Krobus said this with fear on his face.

"Even we Shadow People are extremely afraid of the existence of the Lost Mind. It is the epitome of chaos."

"I have a question. You Shadow People should also be considered as members of the Chaos Camp. Why are you so afraid of the Mad Men?" Seeing that Krobus's expression did not seem fake, Leon was puzzled.

After all, the Madman he understood was actually a kind of bewitched mutant monster, and the Shadow Man also belonged to the category of monsters. Logically speaking, the two should be of the same kind.

"You're right. Most Shadow People are indeed from the Chaos faction, but that doesn't mean we don't have our own will and thoughts. We also have our own racial heritage, culture, and friends. Although we have different positions and beliefs, we are also considered native creatures of this world.

But the Lost Minds are different. They do not belong to this world. At least in the history of my race, there were no Lost Minds when the world was first born. However, the terrible polluting power they possess after their appearance can destroy our will and deprive us of our thinking.

Even if we return to darkness, we cannot continue to reshape our lives in darkness. It is then that the Shadow People realize the threat posed by the sudden appearance of the Lost Minds, and determine that this is a terrifying existence that can erase everything and the future of the Shadow People at the root.

Krobus continued.

This is why we Shadow People fear the Lost Hearts. Once infected by the Lost Hearts, it means that our Shadow People race has permanently lost a fellow Shadow People. If the entire Shadow People race is infected by the Lost Hearts, then the Shadow People race may disappear from this world."

"Is this only true for Shadow Man?" Leon asked, thinking of Shadow Man's elemental constitution.

"Well, other races will only be assimilated if they are infected by the Wretched, but the Shadow People are the only group in the material world that will disappear now." Krobus confirmed.

Leon reached out and patted Krobus, comforting him: "Don't worry, you are absolutely safe in Stardew Valley."

Krobus agreed with this: "Yes, the Guardians are powerful. This is why I returned to Stardew Valley after learning about the danger of the Elemental City."

"By the way, I just introduced Dirty Street. Are there any other places I should pay attention to? Or are there any other areas worth visiting in Elemental City?"

Leon, who had taken the initiative to change the subject, asked Krobus.

"If you want to buy something special, you can go to the southern shopping street. There are basically a lot of goods from all over the world, even from the non-material world. If you want to see other races, you can go to the living area in the west. Most of the creatures that live in the Elemental City gather there."

"What about the east and north?" Lyon asked.

"The east is the arena and guard area, which is a very dangerous place, and the north is where the embassies of various races and branches of forces are located. Don't go there without an invitation or commission. The entire Elemental City is a relatively safe area with only commercial streets and living areas. Outside the Elemental City are dirty streets located around the lava lake, so you should not go there." Krobus reminded.

"But the Guardian will not take you to these dangerous areas, so you must follow the Guardian's footsteps closely in the Elemental City."

(End of this chapter)