A Stardew Valley farmer came to Gensokyo.

Why do you have to pick them yourself?

Although they didn't understand, they still nodded obediently.

“Okay,” Sunny agreed first.

“Okay, then Xia Xun can pick it herself,” Luna said softly.

“We’ll be right there and tell you where the good stuff is!” Starr added.

"Thank you for understanding." Xia Xun breathed a sigh of relief.

He needs to gather the materials himself to trigger the Stardew Valley system's harvest check and gain experience points.

With three little forest sprites familiar with the forest as guides and detectors, Xia Xun's collection efficiency was greatly improved.

They would fly ahead, using their uniquely elven senses to discover the things that could be gathered hidden in the forest, in the crevices of rocks, or among the roots of trees, and then excitedly point them out to Xia Xun.

"Xia Xun, Xia Xun, over here! There are mushrooms behind the rocks!"

"There are several dandelions under that big tree!"

"Here! Red berries! So many!"

Following their directions, Xia Xun busied herself in the outer area of ​​the Magic Forest.

He carefully avoided the thorny bushes, parted the thick moss to pick rare herbs from the crevices, and plucked clusters of berries from the low bushes.

Dandelion +1

[Common Mushroom +1]

Red berries +5

【Wild Wasabi +1】

[Scallions +1]

System notifications rang in my mind one after another, and the experience points I collected were slowly and steadily increasing. The slots in my backpack were gradually filled with various gifts from the forest.

Chapter Eighteen: A Sudden Encounter

As they continued to reap the rewards, they unknowingly ventured deeper into the magic forest.

The surrounding scenery subtly changed.

The trees grew taller and thicker, their canopies almost completely blocking out the sky, the light became dim, a thin layer of mist began to permeate the air, and the birdsong and insect calls that were usually heard in the forest became much sparser.

Even the three usually lively and mischievous little fairies quieted down at this moment. They stopped laughing and joking loudly, lowered their flight altitude, and followed closely beside Xia Xun, their three big eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

“Shh—” Star suddenly raised a finger to his lips, his voice extremely low, his brown eyes fixed on the dense forest to his left. “There’s a monster over there!”

There was a hint of nervousness in her voice.

Luna subconsciously moved closer to Xia Xun, her small hand gripping the hem of his clothes, while Sunny pursed her lips, her orange eyes sharply looking in the direction Star indicated.

"We'd better hide quickly!" Starr said urgently.

Xia Xun's heart raced. Without any hesitation, her gaze swept quickly across the surroundings, and she chose a large tree with a thick trunk and lush foliage.

"Climb the tree!" he shouted, and rushed toward the tree.

Thanks to the restoration of his youthful body and the initial condensation of the magic seed last night, his body is much more agile than before.

He grabbed a drooping vine, used it to propel himself upwards, grabbed a thick branch with both hands, and with a burst of strength from his waist and abdomen, he nimbly darted to the top of the tree and disappeared into the dense canopy.

Almost at the same time he hid himself, three little fairies landed lightly on the branches beside him.

Sunny waved her small hand lightly in the air, and a barely perceptible halo of light spread out from her, emanating from the surrounding area.

The light began to distort and refract, perfectly blending their figures with the dappled shadows of the surrounding trees. From below, it seemed as if there was only a swaying patch of light and dense foliage.

Luna held her breath, pressed her small hand lightly, and absorbed and erased the surrounding sounds, completely disappearing into the air.

I just finished hiding, less than a minute ago.

"Shh...shh..."

Heavy footsteps, accompanied by the crisp sound of snapping dry branches, came from the depths of the fog, growing ever closer.

A huge, dark shadow parted the dense bushes and appeared below.

That was a wolf demon.

It is about the size of a calf, with a shoulder height close to Xia Xun's chest. Its gray-black fur is rough and thick, its limbs are strong, and its claws are deeply embedded in the soft humus.

With its long, narrow snout slightly parted, the wolf demon revealed its gleaming white fangs, drool dripping from the corners of its mouth. Its pair of oily green beast eyes gleamed in the dim light, slowly and carefully scanning every inch of land and every bush around it.

It stopped, its massive head turning, its nostrils flaring as it inhaled heavily, carefully discerning the lingering scent molecules in the air.

Xia Xun hid in the tree, holding her breath, her body pressed tightly against the rough trunk, not daring to move even a finger.

He could clearly hear his heart pounding wildly in his chest, thump thump thump, as if it were about to jump out, and his palms were sweating profusely.

He stared intently at the wolf demon below, watching it follow the path they had just taken, sniffing the ground as it tracked them step by step.

Those oily green eyes, sharp claws and teeth, and massive, powerful body all exuded a deadly threat.

'Don't find us! Don't find us!' Xia Xun prayed desperately in her heart.

The three fairies of light can fly, so if they can't win, they can at least escape. But he can't. In this dense forest, facing a predator that is clearly skilled at tracking and running, his chances of escaping are extremely slim.

However, reality is often cruel.

Sunny's ability can distort light to conceal their forms, and Luna's ability can silence them to cover their movements, but their abilities do not have the effect of eliminating odors.

For a wolf demon with a powerful sense of smell, visual and auditory interference might temporarily confuse it, but the lingering scent of fresh humans in the air is as clear as a lighthouse in the dark.

It followed the scent and finally stopped under the big tree where Xia Xun and the others were hiding.

The wolf demon raised its head, its oily green eyes fixed on the space above, where, to its sense of smell, the strongest human scent emanated, mixed with a faint aura of fear that excited it.

Although in its vision, there were only intertwined branches and swaying light and shadow.

But it trusts its own nose.

"Damn it, this guy has spotted us."

Sunny glared at the wolf demon pacing around the big tree below, its nostrils flaring, her little face puffed up with anger.

"What should we do?" Luna's voice trembled noticeably as she gripped Star's sleeve tightly, her transparent wings quivering slightly with unease.

Although Star was calmer than Luna, her brown-grey eyes were filled with anxiety. She looked down at the wolf demons that were eyeing her menacingly, and then at Xia Xun, who was clinging to the tree trunk with a pale face.

The three little fairies knew very well that if the wolf demon really attacked, they might be able to escape safely with their flying ability, but Xia Xun, the human who had just become their friend, would absolutely not be able to escape from the clutches of this ferocious beast.

Xia Xun's brain was racing, and cold sweat soaked the back of her clothes.

He had even considered the worst-case scenario: pull out his axe, jump off the tree in a desperate attempt to escape, and then most likely become the hungry wolf demon's lunch delivered to his door.

Before they could come up with a feasible solution, Xia Xun, who had been keeping a close eye on the wolf demon's movements below, suddenly narrowed his eyes.

"not good!"

He let out a low growl and, almost instinctively, spread his arms wide, using all his strength to hug the thick tree trunk tightly, clinging to it like a koala.

Almost at the same moment—

"boom!!!"

A dull, terrifying crash suddenly rang out!

The entire tree trembled violently, as if it had been struck by an invisible giant hammer. Leaves fell like rain, and the branches made a teeth-grinding creaking sound.

Xia Xun felt a tremendous shock coming from the tree trunk, which made his arms go numb and his internal organs churn.

Worse still, this sudden and violent impact was completely beyond Sunny's ability to sustain.

The inscription on the wall, which had been carved and smeared, dissipated into nothingness.

Xia Xun and the three little fairies were completely exposed to the wolf demon's sight.

"Waaah—!"

The wolf demon under the tree raised its head, its oily green beast eyes fixed on the pale-faced human clinging tightly to the tree trunk, and the three panicked little creatures beside him.

It opened its gaping maw, filled with fangs, and foul-smelling saliva dripped from the corners of its mouth, its eyes gleaming with a cruel and excited light.

Chapter Nineteen: The Seven-Colored Puppet Magician

"You damned thing, get out of my way!" Sunny was both shocked and furious. She grabbed a dry branch and threw it with all her might at the wolf demon below.

Unfortunately, his aim was poor; the branch flew past crookedly, not even touching the wolf demon's fur.

"Woof!" The wolf demon let out a short, mocking bark, as if laughing at her helplessness.

It took a few steps back, its thick hind leg muscles tense, its head lowered, clearly preparing to launch another attack.

Although it can't climb trees, as long as it breaks this not-so-thick tree, the human on the tree, exuding an alluring scent, will be its meal!

however--

"Boom!"

A fist-sized, sharply angled stone whistled through the air and struck the wolf demon precisely on the forehead, producing a dull thud.

"Awooo!" The wolf demon cried out in pain, letting out a short, mournful howl and shaking its head violently.

On the tree trunk, Xia Xun maintained his throwing posture, his heart pounding, but his eyes were unusually sharp.

Just as Sunny threw the branch, he suddenly remembered that he still had the stones he had collected while cultivating the land yesterday stored in his system backpack!

Fortunately, he had planned to go fishing after inspecting the farmland today, and for self-defense, he did not put the stone in the storage box, but left it in his backpack.

Unexpectedly, it became their lifeline at this moment.

Having landed a successful blow, Xia Xun did not hesitate. With a flick of his wrist, another stone appeared in his palm, which he threw with all his might once again!

But this time the wolf demon was on guard, and with a nimble leap to the side, the stone grazed its fur and flew past before crashing into the bushes behind it.

"Waaaaah!!!"

The wolf demon, having been repeatedly provoked, was thoroughly enraged.

It let out a low, threatening roar, bared its fangs, and stared intently at Xia Xun in the tree, its front paws scratching the ground anxiously, splattering dead leaves and dirt.

Xia Xun met his gaze without flinching, another stone appearing in his hand, which he held high, poised to throw it at any moment.

For a time, a strange standoff ensued between the two sides.

The wolf demon, wary of the precise and powerful flying stones, dared not charge at full force; Xia Xun, relying on his superior position and limited ammunition, barely maintained a fragile balance.

During this time, the wolf demon tried to launch several feint attacks or quick pounces, but each time it was forced back or harassed by the stones thrown by Xia Xun in time. The stones hit its thick fur or the tree trunks next to it, making muffled "bang" sounds.

Seeing Xia Xun's bravery in temporarily holding off the wolf demon, the three little demons gradually recovered from their panic and were eager to help.

"Xia Xun, give us stones! Let's hit it too!" Sunny shouted, waving her little fists.

Upon hearing this, Xia Xun immediately took out a few stones from his backpack and handed them over.

However, for the small, powerful goblins, these stones were like heavy blocks of lead.

Sunny struggled to pick up a stone, wobbled it into the air, and tried to aim, but she couldn't throw it far at all. The stone fell straight down to the ground. Luna and Star tried twice, with similar results.

“It’s too heavy…” Sunny put the stone down in frustration.

But they did not give up. Soon, the three little fairies changed their strategy and began to pick everything they could throw away from the surrounding branches—pine cones, hard-shelled nuts, twigs, and even a few unripe wild berries.

Then, like three miniature bombers, they circled above the wolf demon's head, hurling these things down on its head.

"watch out!"

"I'll smash it on you!"

"You evil wolf demon, get away!"

Although these things didn't hurt or itch the wolf demon's thick fur, and were even somewhat comical, the constant harassment, especially the fairy play that was originally considered a snack, greatly insulted the dignity of this forest predator.

The wolf demon grew even more agitated and furious, occasionally raising its head to bar its teeth and growl at the sky, yet it was helpless.

……

A little further away, deep in the magic forest, lies a quiet and elegant Western-style mansion.

A stunningly beautiful girl with shoulder-length blonde hair, wearing a blue short-sleeved dress, is sitting at a desk by the window, holding a thick ancient book in her hand.