Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

Chew slowly and savor the flavors before swallowing.

Akina Ze nodded in agreement. Although reheating cold dishes would affect the taste slightly, they still tasted alright now.

When Akina Sawa woke up at Kirisame's house before, Marisa hadn't developed the habit of eating breakfast, and time was tight, so Akina Sawa went home without eating.

Now we can fill our stomachs with the leftover food, which is a good way to show that Miss Wenwen's kindness in making these dishes was not wasted.

Fortunately, although Aya Shameimaru's cooking was a bit burnt, the ingredients she used were not greasy, with only a few grains of salt, and it was even too bland.

Sitting at the dining table, Akina Ze also picked up his chopsticks and ate his breakfast, glancing at the study with the door tightly closed—Shameimaru Aya was working inside as usual.

After cleaning up the leftovers, Akina Ze sat down and pondered for a while.

For a novice cook, the most annoying thing is having a lot of food left over after they've put their heart into making it, while the most enjoyable thing is receiving praise after the food is eaten.

Akina Ze also felt that Miss Wenwen might need such encouragement, so he gently pushed open the wooden door of the study and went in.

"Miss Wenwen, I'm coming in."

But the smell of ink that hit him made him frown. Looking up, he saw Aya Shameimaru holding an open bottle of green ink, pouring ink into the small opening of the printing press.

The foul smell permeating the room must be coming from here.

Akina Ze also noticed that the cat mushroom on the desk was absorbing the scents in the air at full power.

However, it's possible that because too much odor was released at once, the cat mushroom couldn't fully tolerate the overflowing stench.

Looking at Aya Shameimaru, who was pouring ink into the printing press without changing his expression, Akina Sawa couldn't help but ask:

"Wenwen, have you already gotten used to this smell?"

“How is that possible!” Aya Shameimaru glared at Zeya Akina standing at the door, then said, “But it’s much better than before. It only smells bad for a while when the ink is poured, and it’s absorbed by the cat mushroom after a while, so it’s still tolerable.”

Akina Sawa had originally wanted to praise Shameimaru Aya for her good progress in cooking, but the smell of this aroma immediately changed his mind.

Watching the dark ink flow continuously down the bottle opening, followed by a constant stream of foul odor that billowed out and was eventually absorbed by the cat mushroom.

This still won't work... Akina Sawa frowned.

......

Chapter 121 A Letter

After casually closing the wooden door to the study and taking a few deep breaths of fresh air, Akina Ze felt as if he had finally come back to life.

Compared to the stench in the study, the air in the yard was quite fresh, though it still carried a slight chill.

It's another beautiful day.

Watching the blue sky and white clouds drift by outside, Akina Ze stretched comfortably and sat in the rocking chair, the loose wooden structure suddenly tightening.

Creep~Creak~

Akina Ze also half-closed his eyes and let his mind go blank... Recently, one troublesome thing after another has happened, and there are very few times like now when he can be alone in peace and quiet.

The cucumber plots set up in the greenhouse... those cucumber vines have almost covered the wooden frame, haven't they?

Akina Ze glanced in the direction of the greenhouse, and as he swept his gaze across the courtyard gate, he noticed what appeared to be a letter in the mailbox that Shin-il was standing by the door.

In the village of Renjian, technology and humanistic atmosphere are intertwined like a spider web. The technological atmosphere is strong, but most people still use email and envelopes for communication.

Therefore, an email address is essential.

Alice sent letters to the doll before because the Akina family didn't have a mailbox, so she could only leave them on the doorknob.

Fortunately, mailboxes don't need to be purchased from a specific place; all you need is a square box that stands upright.

The mailbox that now stands in front of the Akina residence was built by Akina Sawaya using just a few pieces of wood.

It was possible he was mistaken. Akina looked at it carefully a few more times and indeed there was a white letter sticking out of the slot.

Although he didn't really want to move around, Akina Sawa still went up and took the letter down.

The simple white envelope was different from Alice's, which had a patterned surface. After opening the stamp, Akina Sawa also pulled out the paper with writing on it.

The first thing that catches the eye is the neat and formal font throughout, which doesn't reveal any special features.

When he saw what was written inside, Akina Sawa frowned.

"...The authority to renovate the ruins of the Scorching Hell is now entirely entrusted to you. I hope you will not break your promise to Komeiji Komeiji..."

The final signature is Komeiji Satoru.

"Komeiji Satori? Is that the master of the Earth Spirit Palace?" Akina Sawa also realized that he seemed to have received an unusual letter.

Development rights for the Scorching Hell Ruins? That's a huge area...

Komeiji Komeiji hopes to build a hot spring inn there, and yesterday she even urged him to take action in a dream, and today this letter has arrived...

Akina Sawa also turned the letter in his hand, staring at its contents and pondering.

First of all, building a hot spring hotel is indeed very difficult; it's not something that can be accomplished simply by putting in more effort. The constantly erupting fissures there could easily wash away any newly built structure or even the newly laid foundation.

This massive project cannot be accomplished by Akina Sawa alone; external assistance must be brought in.

In Gensokyo, the only one who can truly be considered a master of civil engineering is the kappa of Youkai Mountain...

"Do I have to deal with them again...?"

Akina Sawa wasn't really keen on communicating with the kappa... They were completely obsessed with cucumbers and wouldn't do anything to get their beloved little cucumbers.

But now... Akina Ze also glanced at the tightly closed greenhouse, his face showing discomfort.

The cucumbers planted specifically for the kappa are not yet ripe; even with their accelerated growth, it will still take several days.

Building a hot spring inn at the ruins of the Scorching Hell is a huge undertaking, and without cucumbers as a form of exchange, Akina Ze didn't think he could afford to hire them.

Especially now that they are busy with the Scarlet Devil Mansion reconstruction project, so many large machines don't even have enough electricity, they certainly don't have the spare capacity to work for him.

"etc?!"

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and Akina Sawa remembered a plan that might allow the kappa to take over the construction of the hot spring inn.

......

Lake of Mist, the ruins of the Scarlet Devil Mansion.

The once orderly kappa camp was in complete chaos, with a large number of kappa gathered together in protest. Even Kawashiro Nitori, the project leader, was standing at the front of the kappa group, holding a sign in protest.

"We want cucumbers! We want cucumbers! We want cucumbers!"

The sounds rose and fell like waves of a tsunami, and the kappa named Ako, who was in the lead, was the one shouting the loudest with a megaphone.

The project has come to a complete standstill... and the Scarlet Devil Mansion still has its clock tower and Patchouli's underground library yet to be rebuilt.

Remilia gracefully swirled the wine in her glass, the red liquid sliding and swirling along the glass... She sat upright in a high stool, one hand supporting her cheek, exuding an air of authority.

"I'm sorry, Miss, the mission was not completed." Sakuya Izayoi bowed and reported to Remilia, "The kappa don't agree to us using antique artworks as collateral for our wages... They just want cucumbers."

Dang~

After listening to Sakuya Izayoi's report, Remilia gently tapped the glass, causing the blood-red liquid inside to ripple.

"These mere kappa are so ignorant!" Remilia bared her fangs and waved her little hand angrily, saying, "If they don't want them, then we don't want any of them!"

"Young lady, I should remind you that the Scarlet Devil Mansion has not yet been fully rebuilt."

No sooner had she finished speaking than Izayoi Sakuya poured cold water on the idea, saying, "And the Kappa are the only construction team in Gensokyo capable of rebuilding the Scarlet Devil Mansion."

"What should I do?"

Having her opinion rejected by the loyal head maid, Remilia looked at Patchouli, the culprit who had caused the destruction of the Scarlet Devil Mansion and was currently trying to remain silent to minimize her presence, and asked, "Patchouli, what's your opinion?"

“I can use my magic book to pay off their debts.”

After thinking it over, Patchouli closed the book she was holding and replied to the question.

"Lady Patchouli, let me remind you," the head maid Sakuya Izayoi, standing in the shadows, continued, "those kappa only want cucumbers, so they don't need your spellbook either."

"Then I have nothing else to my name..."

Patchouli lowered her head slightly, thinking of that black and white mouse... The value of knowledge in books is clearly limitless, and so many people have devoted their all to it.

"This won't work, that won't work! It's so annoying!"

Remilia swallowed the grape juice in her glass and jumped to the ground, a dangerous glint in her red eyes.

"Remi, Remi~ I want to eat pudding~"

At that moment, Flandre skipped happily into the room, seemingly unaffected by the protests outside.

Perhaps, in Flandre's eyes, those kappa were just playing some novel tricks.

Looking at Flandre who walked in, Remilia suppressed her inner irritation and smiled, saying, "Not now. Let Sakuya prepare one for you later."

"Hmm~ okay." Flandre looked around at the silent people, blinked, and nodded.

......

Chapter 122 Kappa Meow~

Knowing the way well, Akina Sawa walked through a few corners and soon pushed open the door of the Kappa Human Village Office in front of him.

This place was specially set up by the kappa of Youkai Mountain so that the residents of the human village could easily find them if needed.

After all, it is quite difficult for ordinary humans to leave the human village and go to the monster mountain, not only because the journey is long.

“Welcome~”

As soon as he opened the door, Akina Zeya heard a warm greeting and turned to look.

A white ribbon tied in the middle of her light blue twin ponytails stood out, and the kappa, dressed in a black and white maid outfit, was bowing at a standard 30-degree angle.

The kappa's hat didn't actually cover his bald head... Akina Sawa thought with a touch of regret.

"It seems the guest is thinking something impolite."

"Huh? How come it's you, Kawashiro Nitori?!"

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Akina Sawa was surprised to discover that the kappa dressed in a maid outfit in front of him was actually Kawashiro Nitori.

"Aren't you the project manager at the Scarlet Devil Mansion?" Akina Sawa asked.

"It's because of this that I'm in such a mess now." Waving his hand, Kawashiro Nitori sighed, his face full of dejection, and made a self-deprecating gesture as if reaching into his pocket, "Right now, I'm completely broke..."

Wasn't everything going smoothly and perfectly when you last went to the Scarlet Devil Mansion? Akina Sawa also recalled Kawashiro Nitori's rosy complexion when they met back then, a stark contrast to her current dejected and haggard appearance.

It's clear that Kawashiro Nitori wore light makeup around her eyes, but it couldn't hide her heavy dark circles, which looked quite out of place on her cute little girl face.

"What exactly happened?" Akina Sawa asked curiously.

“It’s simple, because Scarlet Devil Mansion can’t afford the final payment…” Kawashiro Nitori paused for a moment and continued, “As the project manager, I have to take full responsibility. I’ve been ordered by the Kappa Council to confiscate all my personal property (cucumbers) to pay the Kappa construction team’s wages, and I’m working here to pay off my debts.”

Although Akina was also surprised that the dignified Remilia and the head maid, whom he remembered as cold and strict, couldn't pay the final payment, he still asked curiously, "Since the Scarlet Devil Mansion can't pay the final payment, shouldn't you be squatting there urging them to pay? Why are you here?"

"..."

Kawashiro Nitori silently looked up at Akina Zeya, but said nothing... There were still several full-body portraits of Miss Remilia that had been forcibly shoved into her home.

They can't beat them in a fight, and they can't go back either, so they're stuck here.

"Hey you over there, don't chat during work hours." Kappa, the receptionist who was one level above the maid Kawashiro Nitori, interrupted their conversation.

"Okay, I'll guide the guests to their seats right away." Upon hearing the reprimand, Kawashiro Naritori immediately lowered his head and admitted his mistake.

The current situation is beyond one's control. Kawashiro Nagoro is still a convict trying to redeem herself, and she is flexible and adaptable; otherwise, she wouldn't have become the project manager.

Akina Sawa also looked bewildered. Under the standard kappa-like smile of the receptionist, he was led by Kawashiro Nitori to the waiting area and sat down.

Once out of the sight of the kappa at the front desk, Kawashiro Nitori immediately made a face at that spot and said sarcastically, "You dare to lecture me, Kawashiro Nitori, with just a mere kappa at the front desk?"

Looking at the childlike Kawashiro Nitori in front of him, Akina Sawa couldn't help but laugh and cry. However, he didn't dislike them. After all, the kappa were all loli-like figures under 1.5 meters tall. With this filter on, he saw it as just children bickering, although the truth was darker than he imagined.

"I haven't even asked you what you're doing here yet." Kawashiro Nitori, having made a provocative move, sat casually on the opposite sofa and asked suspiciously, "Are you here to continue expanding the house?"

Akina Sawa also shook his head, "No."

"Are they here to buy the core power source for pickled cucumbers?"

"Not at all."

"Then what are you here for... Don't tell me you just came to chat with me..." Kawashiro Nitori retorted.

Despite being dressed as a maid, Kawashiro Nitori is not only a maid but also a salesperson. She earns a commission for every customer who makes a purchase or signs a contract.