Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes

The players were very attentive to the first batch of crops, except for the inability to monitor them 24 hours a day; there were no oversights.

So Sanhua timed the ripening time of the white radishes perfectly and launched a decisive attack, sweeping across most of the fields like a whirlwind.

However, the points for the carrot were still too few, and after this incident, players will definitely be more vigilant, making it harder to succeed in the future.

Just then, a series of footsteps sounded below the lighthouse.

Judging from the noise, the players seemed to have gathered together, like exploited tenant farmers preparing to unite and demand an explanation from the landlord.

Sanhua felt a little guilty, but she quickly suppressed it and straightened her back.

What's there to be afraid of! I have my master backing me up!

It tried to look as if it had been woken up and was still sleepy, and slowly walked down from the lighthouse and opened the door.

“Village Chief,” Uesugi’s voice was filled with barely suppressed resentment as he spoke first, “this is our harvest, and we would like to exchange it with you for points and contribution value.”

Sanhua was somewhat surprised that the players didn't directly question the vegetable theft, but instead followed the procedure to offer crops.

But why do their eyes all look so strange? They're like knives, especially that guy named Uesugi, whose eyes are like a leopard's.

[Moon: I can't take it anymore! Seeing its innocent look makes me want to pounce on it and scratch it!]

[Zhi: Calm down, calm down! Proceed according to plan.]

[Correct: Apply eye contact and maintain composure.]

Uesugi initially wanted to settle scores, but reason quickly prevailed over emotion.

Players don't expect the village chief to look like a village chief; they aren't the game's designers.

But what does it mean for the village chief to steal vegetables? It's only the third day. If this continues, he'll steal twice in six days, four times in twelve days, eight times in twenty-four days, and eventually become an eight-tailed fox.

As villagers of Peach Blossom Village, they might have to overthrow the village chief, really. (Bible quote.jpg)

After internal discussions, it was ultimately decided that it would be best to avoid conflict with the fox village chief for the time being, but they could not simply swallow their anger.

So they had all the guild members log on and come together to exchange points.

They used silent glances to put pressure on the village chief who had embezzled from his post.

Sanka is the reincarnation of the Killing Stone, so how could she be afraid of this little bit of pressure from a gaze?

However, this is work, and it's also part of their performance record, so they have to do it no matter what.

It waved its paws with feigned composure, signaling the players to line up and offer their crops one by one.

The first one is Uesugi Hitomi.

She practically dragged herself forward to present the white radishes she had worked so hard to harvest.

These radishes represent the cost of her seeds (30 points), the cost of watering (9 points), and three days of diligent weeding and pest control.

Finally, the system calculated: 21.6 points (after tax) and 12 contribution points.

Uesugi stared blankly at the numbers popping up on the virtual screen.

That's it? They didn't even recoup the cost of the seeds!

"Look on the bright side, the contribution can offset the watering cost, so we don't lose much in the end," Taki said, looking at Uesugi, who was shrouded in gloom.

Uesugi simply nodded blankly, then silently retreated to the side like a walking corpse, his back view filled with an aura of utter despair.

Nobi did the math and roughly calculated that the profit from white radishes was negligible, or even on the verge of losing money.

"Eek!" The three-colored fox looked at Uesugi's dejected appearance, perhaps having a change of heart (or perhaps feeling that the leeks shouldn't be harvested too much at once), and suddenly gestured with its paws and cried out a few times, as if conveying some message.

Standing at the back of the line, Yui, who had come to join in the fun and was also preparing to make a move, understood what was going on.

"It says that the stolen vegetables won't result in a loss of contribution points, only a loss of points," Yui sent a private message to Iwasaki.

Iwasaki received the message and a thought struck him.

If we calculate it this way, the contribution is enough to cover the water source costs and there will be a small surplus, provided that ordinary river water is used.

The profit from points is indeed low, but that's only with three fields right now. If they aren't stolen, then each field will consistently produce 2 points + 1 contribution every three days, which adds up to a considerable amount.

"You can already interpret its body language?" Iwasaki asked Yui.

Yui nodded expressionlessly.

Iwasaki had made up his mind.

The line moved forward slowly, and after the players had exchanged their crops one by one, most left with a rather unpleasant feeling.

Finally, only Yui remained. After everyone else had left, she walked up to the three-colored fox, and instead of immediately exchanging her crop, she said:

"Village chief, these are gifts for you."

She handed over all the stolen and harvested white radishes to Sanhua.

The calico fox was clearly stunned, tilting its head suspiciously: "Eek? (A gift...a gift for me? Really a gift? Not for exchange?)"

It cast a confirming glance.

Yui didn't actually understand, but she roughly guessed that he was seeking confirmation, so she nodded seriously.

The calico fox's body trembled slightly, and then an indescribable joy welled up in its heart.

This is much better than sneaking around to steal vegetables. I never expected this seemingly taciturn villager to be so conscientious.

It finally tasted the intoxicating flavor of power. It didn't even have to lift a finger; tributes were obediently delivered. This feeling was truly irresistible to the fox.

"Waaaaah! (Okay, okay!)"

The three-colored fox happily spun around on the spot, then put away the radish, afraid that Yui might change her mind.

"I have a small question I'd like to ask the village chief," Yui said, seeing that it was in a good mood.

The three-colored fox found Yui incredibly pleasing to the eye at that moment and nodded generously, "Eek!" (Go ahead and ask!)

A dozen minutes later, Yui successfully extracted key information from the excited Sanhuazhao through guiding questions and body language observation, and then sent it directly to Iwasaki.

Iwasaki looked at the chat history, his brows furrowing more and more as he read.

If this information is correct, the benefits of planting are quite counterintuitive.

It seems that the one that earns the most points is not the tomato, but the white radish. Thanks to the three-day fast cycle, it slightly outperforms the carrot and tomato in terms of points.

However, that's not entirely true. The other two crops contribute significantly more to the plot, requiring a large amount of contribution points to unlock new plots. Furthermore, the longer cultivation period means you don't have to constantly worry about being robbed.

Contribution points cannot be used outside of Peach Blossom Village. If you urgently need points, planting white radishes is the best option.

Alternatively, if there is a large contribution value, the growth cycle of tomatoes can be shortened by using high-quality spring water/nectar. Since it is calculated as a percentage, the longer the cycle and the higher the harvest base, the better the effect.

The vegetable-stealing farce ended, and no one discussed it much anymore, but an invisible arms race silently began in Peach Blossom Village.

The pine forest, which had gradually quieted down after the houses were built, has become lively again.

Players began logging trees to build walls and fortresses around their farms.

Some have even gone so far as to set up traps overnight.

On the bright side, the village is becoming more and more presentable.

If someone insists on stealing crops despite this level of defense, it might lead to a siege.

But none of this could stop the invisible Iwasaki!

He is only restricted in his movement, not completely unable to use his abilities.

As a result, a large number of players' second batch of mature crops were destroyed, and he even forcibly stole them right in front of them! Yui and Ethan were also watching from the sidelines as cover.

The atmosphere in Peach Blossom Village became tense. Since they had been robbed, they had to take it back!

Every time a player's crop matures, it's a war.

It was during this brawl that they discovered another rule of Peach Blossom Village: players cannot inflict fatal damage on each other.

This gave them free rein, and the two sides even drew a boundary.

Swish!

Uesugi solemnly erected a sign outside the yard.

[We'll defend the carrot to the death!]

8 month 15 day.

The sea breeze, carrying a warm, salty scent, blows onto the beach.

It was already late, close to eight o'clock. Beside the makeshift barbecue grill, Meiyue was enthusiastically flipping the skewers, humming an old song.

Today is a birthday barbecue.

Since his, Higashiyama Doku's, and Chiba Shion's birthdays are all in August and are quite close together, they started celebrating their birthdays together at some point.

This year, we celebrate August 6th in Higashiyama Shinichi, and next year we celebrate August 15th in Chiba, alternating like this.

Wasn't it supposed to be three people? Sorry, my younger brother has no right to speak on August 9th.

This year it was August 15th, so Chiba Mizuki specially arranged this beach barbecue, just to find an excuse to get out and relax.

Higashiyama awkwardly tried to pick up a squid tentacle that looked cooked, only to be burned and wince in pain.

Chiba Shion sat quietly to the side, taking small bites of roasted corn, her gaze occasionally drifting to Higashiyama Shin, who was sitting alone on a beach chair not far away, facing the sea and eating pork sausage.

While eating, Dongshan Shen glanced at the game system.

After the version update, even the monthly rotating game time has changed, now it's 8 PM on the 15th of each month, just a few minutes later.

He was wondering where he would place the game theme that appeared in the new version.

Judging from the plot and reality, Ashiya Doman's plan has come to an end and has completely failed. It is obvious that he is going to change the map.

It's most likely from the West, but there are significant differences between different parts of the West.

Higashiyama's absent-mindedness was very subtle; in fact, to others, it didn't seem like he was daydreaming at all. But Chiba could tell that his mind wasn't on the subject.

She didn't say it aloud, but silently made a note of it.

"Ziyuan," Meiyue shoved a handful of freshly grilled meat skewers into Ziyuan's hands, giving her a meaningful look, "Why did you grill so many? Don't just eat them yourself, you can't finish them all."

Chiba looked at the pile of food that had suddenly appeared in his hand, then glanced at Mizuki's suggestive gaze. After a moment of silence, he picked up a perfectly grilled salted salmon skewer, got up, and sat down next to Higashiyama Shin.

Is this cooked?

She handed the salmon to him in a very soft voice.

Higashiyama Shin's gaze shifted from the sea surface to the grilled fish in front of him. After just one glance, he said with certainty, "The skin is crispy and the inside is translucent. It's cooked."

"Oh."

Chiba responded, took a small bite, chewed it carefully, and then frowned slightly: "Bitter."

"Bitter? Really? I don't believe it."

Dongshan should not pretend to be stupid.

Chiba didn't argue, but simply handed him the salmon she had already taken a bite of, her eyes drifting elsewhere: "Then you try it."

Higashiyama Shin took it naturally and without hesitation bit into the spot where she had just bitten, savoring the taste.

Chiba's eyelashes trembled almost imperceptibly.

“It’s not bitter.” He swallowed the fish and stated calmly, “It’s probably because you bit into the charred outer skin that it has a slightly bitter taste.”

"Is it."

Chiba's voice was light and airy, devoid of any emotion.

"Hmm, try it again." Shin Higashiyama handed the salmon back.

Chiba opened her eyes slightly, took it, and stared blankly at the gnawed area.

Higashiyama Doku, sitting on a small stool nearby, was struggling with a skewer of slightly overcooked squid tentacles. He watched this scene silently, a silent smile curving his lips.

Ha, nothing to worry about. He was completely unfazed, and even felt a little tempted to continue gnawing on his squid.

“Du,” came Higashiyama Shin’s voice, “go get two cups of lemon tea.”

"I'm busy." Dongshan Du didn't even look up, his tone tinged with sullenness.

Higashiyama Shin raised an eyebrow. It seemed that after more than a month without a fight, his little brother had grown too big for his britches.

However, seeing his cowardly appearance, I immediately understood that he was complaining that the promise he made to him to go to Nagoya to find his girlfriend had not yet been fulfilled.

"I see," Higashiyama Shin said casually, his tone flat and unchanging. "I also booked you a flight to Nagoya for the day after tomorrow. Looks like you're quite busy."