A Stardew Valley farmer came to Gensokyo.

"Were there elves here last night?"

At nine o'clock in the morning, Xia Xun arrived at the farm. The sight before him made him stop in his tracks and exclaim in amazement.

The gentle morning light spilled onto the flat farmland, where sixteen one-square-meter clods of earth were neatly arranged.

However, unlike yesterday, the crops were now fully ripe. The lush green potato seedlings stood tall and vigorous, their leaves swaying gently in the breeze; the strawberry plants were dotted with bright red; the garlic sprouts stood upright, and the mung bean pods were plump and drooping.

In the Stardew Valley game setting, this miracle of maturing overnight is often a gift from farms blessed by sprites.

Xia Xun was pleasantly surprised and quickly stepped forward, squatting down to observe carefully.

On the soft soil surface, three different small footprints are clearly imprinted. Each footprint is about the size of a ten-year-old child, but appears even more delicate and light.

These footprints are scattered among the mature crops, with the most concentrated area being three newly dug pits.

Xia Xun immediately recognized that the three holes were the very places where he had planted the potato seeds yesterday.

"So, after leaving the gifts, the fairy ladies took three ripe potatoes as a reward?" He muttered to himself, a smile unconsciously creeping onto his lips. "What adorable fairy ladies."

Xia Xun couldn't help but picture this scene in his mind: three small and cute fairies quietly descended upon his land under the moonlight, casting spells of shimmering starlight, allowing the crops to grow quietly in the night.

Then, with a few heaves, they pulled out three heavy potatoes, which wobbled a little from their weight. Finally, they flew back to the forest, satisfied with their spoils.

Thinking of this, Xia Xun's smile deepened.

He bent down and began harvesting this unexpectedly abundant plot of land. First, he selected a particularly lush potato seedling, grasped the base of the stem with both hands, and gently lifted it upwards—

Surprisingly easy.

The potato tubers, buried deep in the soil, detached themselves from the earth and were completely pulled out with his movements. Eight plump potatoes of various sizes hung from the roots, gleaming with a healthy pale yellow luster in the morning light.

[Potato +6]

Silver Star Potato +2

A system notification appeared in my consciousness.

Xia Xun's eyes lit up, and she quickly took out a regular potato and a silver star potato from her backpack and compared them in her palm.

The regular potatoes were already the size of an adult's fist, with smooth and firm skin; while the Silver Star potatoes were even larger, with a brighter and more uniform color, and Xia Xun could even faintly see them radiating a silvery glow.

"Hahaha, we're rich! We're rich!"

The joy of a bountiful harvest welled up in Xia Xun's heart like a warm spring, and he couldn't help but laugh out loud. He bent down and began to harvest continuously with nimble movements.

On the sixteen square meters of land blessed by the fairy, eleven potatoes remained after the three that were taken away.

In total, it brought him: sixty-five plump ordinary potatoes and nineteen high-quality Silver Star potatoes.

"There aren't any of the Venus and Iridium quality..." Xia Xun pondered for a moment, "It must be because of a lack of high-grade fertilizer."

Then, he turned his attention to other crops.

In a two-square-meter strawberry field, bright red, juicy fruits are like jewels adorning the emerald green leaves. Each strawberry plant produces an average of four to five fruits, and the planting density is about fifteen plants per square meter.

Xia Xun carefully picked the fruits, and finally reaped a bountiful harvest.

Ninety-three ordinary strawberries, each about half the size of an egg, exude a sweet aroma; thirty-four silver star strawberries, comparable in size to a whole egg, have a more vibrant and translucent color, and their surface seems to be coated with a thin layer of icing sugar.

The crops grown from the mixed seeds were also surprising: on three square meters of land, two square meters grew cauliflower and one square meter grew parsnips.

Thirteen cauliflowers of average quality and five of silver star quality were harvested, each one white and firm; six parsnips of average quality and two of silver star quality were harvested, with slender roots covered in fresh soil.

In the garlic field, the lush green garlic sprouts stand tall and vigorous. On one square meter of land, Xia Xun pulled out sixteen ordinary garlic sprouts and three silver star garlic sprouts. The garlic bulbs were plump and the aroma of garlic was irresistible.

Finally, there are mung beans. The emerald green pods hang densely on the plants, rustling softly with a gentle shake. A single mung bean plant can yield nearly 160 beans, and on one square meter of land—

There were a total of 1,736 ordinary mung beans and 352 silver star mung beans. Although the mung beans themselves are small in size and the total weight is only a little over one pound, the astonishing number is still astonishing.

For a full hour, Xia Xun was immersed in the joy of her harvest.

As he put the last handful of mung beans into his backpack and straightened his slightly aching back, an unstoppable smile spread across his face.

"If only the fairy could come and help again..." he murmured to himself, gazing in the direction of the magic forest.

He then shook his head and laughed at his own greed.

To receive such a miraculous gift even once is already a blessing.

But the feeling of a bountiful harvest is truly wonderful.

Hey~!

A clear and lively shout suddenly came from overhead.

Immediately afterwards, with a soft "thud," a fresh potato, still covered in dirt, hit Xia Xun squarely on the head and rolled to the ground.

Xia Xun was taken aback and looked up.

In mid-air, three petite fairies fluttered their wings and floated there. They were all less than a meter tall and wore different gorgeous dresses. Their transparent wings reflected a rainbow-like luster in the sunlight.

The leader was an orange-haired fairy who was standing in mid-air with her hands on her hips, her cheeks puffed out, glaring angrily at Xia Xun.

She was holding a potato in her hand, and Xia Xun recognized it at a glance as the Silver Star quality potato from her own field.

When the orange-haired fairy saw Xia Xun looking over, it flapped its wings even more rapidly and called out in a clear, bell-like voice:

"Human! Why aren't you angry? That way, our pranks won't work at all!"

Her voice was full of frustration, and she seemed quite dissatisfied with Xia Xunping's calm response.

The other two fairies, one with straw-colored hair and three spirals tied on the side, and the other with long, brown-gray hair and a blue bow on her head, also came over, blinking their big eyes and curiously looking at the human who had been hit on the head but was still laughing.

Xia Xun rubbed the top of her head where she had been hit, then looked at the potato on the ground, then at the three puffed-up but expectant little faces in the air, and finally couldn't help but—

He burst out laughing.

so it is.

The fairy ladies who visited his Stardew Valley farm last night were none other than them.

They weren't some benevolent fairy, but three mischievous kids who just wanted to have fun and play pranks.

But these little guys are so cute that it's impossible to get angry with them.

Chapter Fifteen: Games with Fairies

However, as a mature adult, he certainly wouldn't disappoint the child who was full of expectations.

What's more, these three adorable little fairies helped him a lot.

Xia Xun's expression changed instantly. He suddenly shrank back, his eyes widened slightly, and he looked frightened. He even patted his chest in a cooperative manner.

"Wow! You scared me!" His voice held just the right amount of surprise and a hint of exaggerated admiration. "You guys managed to hide right on top of me without me noticing! That's amazing!"

Then, he frowned and pointed, feigning anger, at the Silver Star potato still covered in fresh soil in Sunny's hand: "And what's more! You actually stole my potato! I worked so hard to grow it! That's outrageous!"

His performance was slightly exaggerated, but combined with vivid body language and tone of voice, the effect was immediate.

The lead orange-haired fairy, Sunny Milke, immediately raised her little head proudly, her wings flapping rapidly behind her back, leaving shimmering streaks of light in the sunlight.

"Hahaha!" Sunny let out a clear, bell-like laugh, clearly very satisfied with Xia Xun's reaction. "You seem like a very friendly human! Want to take your potatoes back from us?"

She gently tossed the potato in her hand up and caught it again, a sly and excited smile on her face.

"Then, come and find us, the 'Three Fairies of Light'! If you succeed, we'll return the potato to you!"

She puffed out her small chest and declared formally, "Remember this! I am Sunny Milke, the fairy of the sun!" Her tone was full of pride.

"I...I am Luna, Luna Cherud, the fairy of the moonlight." Luna beside her answered timidly but with barely suppressed excitement, her pair of transparent wings flapping incessantly, her large, blinking red eyes showing some nervousness.

"I am Star Saffia, the fairy of starlight." Star introduced herself last, looking at Xia Xun with curiosity and her eyes sparkling.

“Then—” Sunny raised her little hand high, her voice full of energy, “The great fairy hide-and-seek battle, get ready to begin—!”

"Oh—!" Luna and Starr immediately raised their little hands in agreement, their three little faces filled with eager anticipation.

Seeing this, Xia Xun also raised her arms in a very cooperative manner and cheered like they did: "Oh—!"

“Human, you can’t fly.” Sunny landed back on the ground, hands on her hips, striking a cool “I’m fair” pose. “So, for the sake of fairness in the game, we can’t fly either!”

As she spoke, she landed steadily on the grass with her two little companions, then pointed her tiny finger at Xia Xun with high spirits.

"Alright, let the game begin! Come find us!"

“Okay!” Xia Xun replied, her eyes fixed on them.

As soon as Sunny finished speaking, the three little ones in front of Xia Xun vanished into thin air as if erased by an eraser.

Not only that, even the slightest sound they might make as they moved fell silent.

This is the combined effect of Sunny's ability to refract light and Luna's ability to eliminate sound, while Star's ability is to sense life force, ensuring that they can perfectly conceal themselves while pinpointing Xia Xun's location.

Xia Xun's gaze quickly swept over the patch of grass where they had disappeared.

Although the visual and auditory traces were perfectly concealed, three small, delicate footprints were rapidly extending towards the Magic Forest on the soft, muddy ground.

Suddenly, Xia Xun noticed a small, human-shaped indentation on the ground, with the surrounding grass blades bent over.

Although there was no sound, the marks were clearly from a clumsy little fellow who had tripped and fallen on flat ground.

For the sake of the three little ones' gaming experience.

Xia Xun suppressed a laugh and deliberately counted loudly for ten seconds: "One, two, three... ten! Are you all hidden? I'm going to start looking!"

Then, he raised his voice and shouted in a slightly threatening, joking tone, "Hmph! The Three Fairies of Light, I'm coming to catch you right now!"

He paused deliberately, letting the sound echo at the edge of the forest.

"Kids who play pranks and get caught... will be severely punished!"

Before he finished speaking, a clump of dense grass not far away suddenly swayed unnaturally, leaving a very obvious mark.

Xia Xun couldn't help but curl her lips upwards.

Although she's a fairy, she really has the heart of a child; it's so fun to tease her.

He set off, following the three sets of footprints on the grass, whose owner was not visible but were extremely clear, and began the chase.

For the next hour or so, Xia Xun was completely absorbed in this fun-filled game of hide-and-seek.

He followed the various "mistakes" left by the three little ones on the edge of the forest: suddenly fallen blades of grass, footprints that appeared out of nowhere, and tiny handprints occasionally left on tree trunks... He was immersed in the joy of interacting with them.

He even discovered that his newly acquired "blessing of plants" seemed to be quietly activated at this moment, bringing a subtle perception similar to "elemental vision".

He could see more clearly the subtle signs and traces of life left behind after plants were touched and squeezed, which made it easier for him to track them down. However, he deliberately did not expose them immediately, maintaining the tension and fun of the game.

As noon approached, the sunlight became quite scorching.

Xia Xun felt that the game should be stopped.

He seized an opportunity, suddenly quickened his pace, and in a few strides, attacked with both hands—

They caught Sunny and Stare, one in each hand, before they could run away!

"Ah!" The two little ones exclaimed in unison.

Xia Xun skillfully tucked one of the pigs under her arm, and with her free hand, she gently and quickly reached out to Luna, who had just performed another "flat-ground fall" because she was running too fast, and gently pulled her up.

"Are you alright?" He crouched down, his voice filled with genuine concern, his gaze quickly and carefully sweeping over Luna's knees and elbows.

It's fine to play around, but it wouldn't be good if you actually got hurt.

"Ugh... N-no, it's okay." Luna let out a small, embarrassed whimper, her face flushed red, and she quickly shook her head to indicate that she was fine.

Looking at Luna, whose face was flushed with embarrassment and whose eyes still had a few tears from the pain of her fall, yet who was trying to appear strong, Xia Xun felt her heart melt.

This is so cute...

A thought involuntarily popped into Xia Xun's mind: I must get along well with these three little devils in the future! Maybe one day, I can take them home as body pillows, they must be so soft and comfortable.

But the next moment he quickly suppressed the thought, put on a gentle smile, and winked at the three little captives who had finally been "captured".

"So, Three Fairies of Light, the game is over—I won, right?"

Chapter Sixteen: Making Friends

"Damn it, they've all been caught..."

Sunny hung her head, her golden hair swaying gently with her dejected movements, and her wings drooped listlessly behind her.

But the next second, she abruptly raised her head, a defiant flame rekindling in her orange eyes. Hands on her hips, she declared in a clear voice:

"But don't think that just because we won this time, we'll admit defeat!"