Aya leans back in her chair and glances out the window close to her.
The sun had risen high in the sky letting her know it had just hit noon, she checks her phone confirming the time to be just about 12:13 pm.
She gets out of her chair to stretch and drink some water.
Even though all she did was sit at her computer, her body aches, demanding she take a break and maybe a little nap before continuing.
Her stomach rumbles, growling hungrily for sustenance. Aya pats it, laughing.
"Sounding like a boss battle over here geez."
Just as she's about to make lunch, a harsh rapping comes from her door. Aya narrows her eyes, not expecting any company.
It wasn't too long ago she saw Mars and the other girl wouldn't be at her door at this time, though who could really say?
Aya pulls the door open to find the sour face of her aunt staring at her.
"Aunt Lydia?" Aya asks, folding her arms. "How can I help you?"
The bitter older woman simply looks Aya up and down before scoffing.
"Keep the noise down!" The woman snaps. Aya glares.
"I haven't been making any noise." Aya says nearly stamping her feet in protest. The older woman rolls her eyes.
"I got some complaints." She spits, pointing a finger at Aya.
"You're lucky I let you live here."
"I pay rent though, I'm not exactly coasting off your limited goodwill." Aya snaps back. The woman retracts her bony finger, red in the face from fuming.
She storms off, allowing Aya to shut her door and lock it.
"Geez, what a hag." The girl says returning to her kitchen to make lunch.
After a generous bowl of curry rice and eggs, Aya heads to her bed for a nap. By the time she wakes, she could play another round of Moon Valley.
The girl yawns, flopping unto her bed without a care.
She buried her face in the pillow and soon the world is out of sight.
----------
Waking up to find it was just late afternoon, Aya yawns and gets out of her bed to head straight back to her computer.
"That was some of the best sleep I've had in a while, It almost felt like I was using my own hands to weed the Manor." Aya says logging on to play the game some more.
She couldn't wait until she fixed up the Icarus gear.
The feeling of being present within the world of Moon Valley again sends shivers of excitement up her spine.
"I still have the water stone I got from the Horned Rabbit Queen."
Aya takes her time listing the water stone on the auction house and setting her phone aside to continue playing.
"I hope someone buys it, the asking price is pretty high but Mars said that's just how it is."
----------
Elsewhere a man sits at his desk typing.
A notification pops up informing him of a new listing within the Moon Valley auction house.
He pauses, facing away from one screen containing his work documents, to the other displaying the auction house tab.
Looking through the page he finds many, many, useless things. Common bread, old rabbit fur cloaks, worn armor, and swords of lower grades.
He's just about to click off when he notices a new item, has just been put up.
A fresh listing? He browses the item page skeptically but Moon Valley didn't allow for inauthentic listings. Asides from the highly secure data protocols he himself didn't understand, the items came straight from one's inventory.
Anyone who tried to circumvent this was subsequently banned, though there had been a few.
One group in particular, the Flowers of the Red Dawn, would often try.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
The man's mind goes back to the listing, curious why someone would sell such a thing.
"The wheel of capitalism is ever turning, who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth." He says.
For the person's trouble, he decides to outbid any other price for the water stone, purchasing it for 60 Gold over the 40 Gold the seller had listed it.
"Adorable, they gave it the price of a Medium Grade."
Money wasn't a problem for him, this would only make his build stronger while he had it. He sends a comment to the user, thanking them and including a note to price higher next time.
An item this high could only come from a boss, just who was this seller?
He scans the details of the listing to find the gamer's name.
Yvlena.
"Odd choice for a name, but who am I to say anything." He says returning back to his office work.
He takes note of her though, in the future he was sure she would be useful to him.
----------
Aya finds herself back in the Rose Manor, scythe in hand.
"Time to get to work." She says brandishing the scythe.
[Yvlena Acquired Fibre x5]
[Subclass: Leveled Up
Herbalist(Harvest Guardian) 2/10]
"Huh? Do these things just level up whenever they want?" Aya asks as she continues to weed.
Stepping back to look at her progress, she realizes she's back to where she was before the Manor overgrew.
"Progress is better than no progress I guess."
Aya slashes again but notices, it takes one less strike to clear the bush.
"Huh?" She gasps. She examines the rusty Scythe in her character's hand.
"Did it get less rusty?" She asks herself, the blade seems to change shape as well but for now, it wasn't enough to take note of.
She swings it again cutting down a few more bushes in less time than it would normally take her.
[Yvlena Acquired Fibre x10]
She encounters another bush mimic, and Aya wastes no time leaping into battle with her foe.
She slays it instantly, the thing was no match for her carrot sword and level.
[Yvlena Acquired
EXP: 456/600
***
Fibre x5
Wild seed x3
***
Moon Points: 20]
"There better not be a bush mimic boss." Aya grumbles. The Rose Manor itself, from falling into decay is just like another dungeon.
Similar to Bloom Meadow or even Bloom Forest. Aya's mind wanders back to the Verdant Woods' path and the Miasma wolf.
Could it infect an NPC and turn them into some sort of miasma zombie?
The thought chills her.
"Necromancers would probably have a field day with that." Aya says.
Her scythe hits something, making a loud thunk as it strikes the object. There among the thick bushes, Aya spots a watering can.
"How did it end up here?" She asks, picking it up. "It's like it was dropped here years ago...as though someone left in a hurry." Aya reasons.
[Yvlena Acquired Rusty Watering can x1]
[Story of the Harvest Guardian 6.7% Completion]
Aya gasps.
"So Rael was in a hurry to go somewhere before he disappeared? But where did he go? It must have been during the war of the gods before the miasma became such a problem."
Aya leans back into her chair to ponder some more, resting her hand on her chin she thinks out loud.
"Now that I think about it Beatrice's Daughter also left Bloom Haven, but how did she even leave?" Aya asks. "Tom said she was in Rosenheim, I'd have to see if there's a map or something."
Now having enough space for a few squares of farming space, Aya retrieves the hoe to till the soil.
Easily setting up a three by three grid, Aya plants the wild seeds from the Bush mimics, she encountered.
She waters the crops with some of the water still inside the can.
"I'd say that's a job well done." She says. To her surprise, the rusty tools once again are given some shine.
"Hmm? Maybe they're enchanted?" She says, equipping the scythe and swinging again. This time it takes even fewer cuts than last time to remove a bush of weeds.
[Yvlena Acquired
***
Common Spice (Herb) x2
Fibre x10]
"Maybe I can try something." Aya says. She takes out the Cauldron and sets it down like before. Aya tosses a piece of Rabbit Meat in along with the Common Spice Herb.
The cauldron bubbles and soon the menu informs her of her creation.
[Yvlena Acquired
***
Rabbit Meat Soup x1]
[Discovered: Rabbit Meat Soup recipe (Common)]
"If only there was a way I could see the grade of the meal I just prepared. I know it's going to be low though." Aya sighs in frustration.
From her previous interactions with the Moon Valley forums, she knew food was a hot item on the auction house.
The cooking skill was pretty rare as not many subclasses even had the option to unlock it.
"I guess I could try it out on myself."
Aya directs her character to consume the Rabbit Soup.
Her character eats up, shaking her head as she does.
"Didn't taste too good huh."
[+ 5HP
+3 min speed boost]
Aya blinks first, reading the menu notification again to process it. She was already expecting to receive a bit of HP from the food but the additional speed boost surprises her.
Even for a meal so common.
Aya moves her character, indeed noticing the elf moves faster as she cuts through the weeds.
"I've got to look into cooking more, what will happen if I add the Fox Tail? If I recall the menu said it was useful for cooking and alchemy."
Staring the Cauldron up again Aya cooks the recipe again.
[Yvlena Acquired Rabbit Meat Soup x1]
"What will happen if I give this to an NPC?"
Without wasting a moment the girl runs out of the Rose Manor, just in time for her speed boost to wear off.
She doesn't stop until she meets Beatrice's house. Aya knocks but there's no answer.
"Isn't she around?" Aya asks. She knocks again, waiting for a few moments until she decides to head towards the Market District.
----------
It doesn't take long for Aya to find Beatrice conversing with another NPC over some fruit at the stall.
"Oh Yvlena my dear, always a joy to see you."
[Affinity with Beatrice increased +1]
"Hi, Beatrice. I have something for you." Aya says,
"Oh for me? What is it?" Beatrice asks.
"Um." Aya grimaces, realizing she didn't know how to give the food to the NPC.
The girl quickly pulls up the help menu for some guidance.
"Hello player, so you want to give gifts to others no problem!" The mascot fairy says with a giggle.
"Sometimes you come across an in-game friend or even an NPC who deserves a token of your appreciation.
What better way to show them you care than a gift? Simply head to the item in question and select it. The option to 'give as a gift' will appear and you'll have to select from a list of NPCs or friends you have.
Simply select the individual and the gift shall be received.
Item grades also matter when gift giving to NPCs but, what matters more, is the individual likes and dislikes of the NPC."
The tutorial closes and Aya scrambles to her inventory to select the food and select Beatrice as the recipient.
[Affinity with Beatrice increased +5]
[Beatrice considers you a friend]
"Oh, dear girl you shouldn't have." The old woman says beaming at Aya.
"It's the least I could do." Aya says, running off once again.