A farming master in Stardew Valley

Chapter 903 Krobus's Help

After being with Sofia, Leon has reached the point where he can drink wine like water. It's a pity that he doesn't drink alcohol, but Sofia likes to give Leon wine. In the morning, when she was making breakfast in the kitchen of Sofia's house, she would move a box of wine from the wine cellar in the basement for Leon to take away.

"Thank you." Krobus gladly accepted the gift, no longer shy and polite as before. It was obvious that he had truly regarded Leon as a good friend.

"Business has been pretty good lately, but I'm running low on inventory. I'm planning on going to the Elemental City to stock up on some special merchandise. Is there anything you need me to bring?"

"Not for now. Things in the Elemental City are too expensive." Lyon joked with a smile.

"And I can already provide most of what I need on my own."

"It seems that your farm is developing well. I remember when we first met, you asked me about the iridium sprinklers." Krobus exclaimed.

“You make it sound like a long time has passed, but it’s only been less than five months,” Lyon complained.

"Yeah, it's only been five months. I thought it was a long time ago." Krobus finally realized what was happening and rubbed his hands awkwardly. "Sorry, I recently returned to the Shadow Realm where my people live, and my memory is a little confused."

"The Shadow Realm, the world where the Shadow People live?" Lyon's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he smelled a new scent of intelligence.

"It's not really a world, it's just a plane, an extension of this world," Krobus explained.

"Are you going back for something important? Or to restock?"

"Yes, we're attending a grand festival, Hatching Day." Krobus nodded. "You know Hatching Day? It's the day Shadowmen are born from the dark elements. Although most Shadowmen are born randomly, the shadow elements on Hatching Day are exceptionally strong, so the largest number of Shadowmen are born on that day."

"Is it every year?" Lyon asked.

"No, there's no fixed hatching date. The last hatching date was decades ago." Krobus shook his head.

"Then how do you know when to celebrate Hatching Day?" Leon continued to inquire.

"The Shadow Priests will perceive the reaction of the Dark Elementals before the Hatching Day arrives, thus determining the exact date," Krobus replied. "This Hatching Day was the day before yesterday. It was originally supposed to last several days, but yesterday the Dark Elementals suddenly began to shrink, so the Hatching Day only lasted one day. The Priests say the number of Shadow People born this time is the lowest in hundreds of years."

"It ended yesterday?"

Hearing this news, Leon was stunned for a moment, and then thought of the Guardian Network Branch Suppression Ceremony he participated in yesterday.

His intuition told him that there was definitely a connection.

"Well, it ended yesterday. What's wrong? Are you regretting not attending the ceremony? No, Leon, you must not go to the Shadow Realm. The shadow people there are not as weak as me. They are hostile to all non-shadow life forms. You will be in big trouble." Krobus persuaded Leon with a serious face.

"No, I just thought of something that might be related to the sudden end of your birthday."

After Leon finished speaking, he described his guess to Krobus.

After listening to Leon's words, Krobus suddenly understood.

"I see. No wonder the shadow elements of birthdays are so active. No wonder there's no fixed time for birthdays. It turns out all this is related to the strength of the barrier that covers this world. This is really bad news." When he said this, Krobus's eye sockets narrowed into slits, and his mouth began to bend upwards, as if he was in pain.

"What's wrong with you?" Leon looked at Krobus in confusion. It was the first time he saw Krobus so depressed.

"Lion, the barrier protecting this world was created by Ba to keep out evil creatures. When this barrier weakened, the Shadow People held a major festival to welcome a large number of new members. This means that we Shadow People are also hostile and wary of this world. Hearing this news, I feel very sad."

Krobus grimaced, almost unsteady on his feet: "I, we are still enemies after all."

"Not really, Krobus. You said it yourself, you are special, and the Guardian allows you to live in Stardew Valley, proving that he, the defender of the world, also recognizes your kindness, so we can't become enemies." Leon comforted Krobus seriously after hearing this.

"And even if we become enemies, that won't hinder our friendship. At least you won't want to hurt me, and I won't want to destroy you, right? Your birth doesn't determine your future. You have the right to choose. Whether we become enemies or friends is up to you."

"Thank you, Leon. What you said makes me feel much better. We will always be friends, and I will never hurt you. Even though you wiped out my people in self-defense in the mine, I know you didn't do it on purpose. You just wanted to protect yourself, right?" Krobus looked at Leon blankly, and after listening to his words, he suddenly felt confident again.

Yes, it was originally despised and unacceptable by its people. This was because of its own uniqueness and personal choice. It did not want to be an executioner like its people who only knew how to kill and destroy. It just wanted to travel freely to every corner of the world to find precious goods that ordinary people could not obtain, and provide a channel for those who needed it to obtain them.

Although it is still a shadow man, it is no longer just a shadow man, because it has human friends that other shadow men will never have in their lives.

"Of course, I wish the Shadow People would ignore me so that I can have more time to mine ore." Lyon smiled and nodded in agreement, but unfortunately these were all extravagant wishes.

Just as Krobus said, the Shadow Man is very manic. If Krobus were really as friendly and easy to communicate with, there wouldn't be hundreds of Void Essences stored in his box.

"Indeed, they are too dangerous." Krobus also agreed with great approval.

Then it seemed to have an idea: "Perhaps I can provide you with some help so that you can avoid their invasion."

"Hmm? How?" Leon asked.

"Using a special ritual, this is a statue used by the shadow people for sacrifice. By worshipping it, you can obtain the blessing of the dark element. If you carry the blessing of the dark element, they will ignore your existence in their perception. As long as their eyes don't see you, you will not be noticed by them." Krobus explained and added.

"Furthermore, this blessing carries no danger. Although it's an extension of the dark element, it's not corrosive or contagious. It's the purest form of the dark element. I remember there was a statue like this in Bladehead, and it's used quite frequently, so you shouldn't have any problems using it."

"Where is the statue? Let me try." Leon asked Krobus with interest, stroking his chin.

"I haven't made it yet. It will take some time. Perhaps you can come and take a look tomorrow," Krobus replied. "Also, during this time, you can consult the guardian about the statue to avoid any accidents. After all, the forest magic you possess may conflict with the dark elements, so you must ensure that everything is safe."

"Okay, I'll come back tomorrow to check it out. I'll be leaving now. Bye."

Leon nodded and waved goodbye to Krobus.

"Goodbye Leon, be sure to check with the Guardian."

When saying goodbye, Krobus did not forget to remind Leon again to avoid some unknown dangers and troubles.

(End of this chapter)