Chapter 9: Cooperation

The third day of spring, early morning.

Amy woke up bright and early (by now she was already used to this healthy schedule), munched on two leftover burger buns from yesterday, and drank a glass of cool mint water to refresh herself—that was her breakfast for the day.

With her stamina bar full, she felt completely secure.

Thanks to the sticky note by her bed, she hadn’t forgotten to water her crops today. Right after breakfast, she dutifully carried her watering can to the well.

After three days of steady watering, her lettuce and tomatoes were thriving, their leaves strong, healthy, and beautifully green.

Especially the lettuce—though it wasn’t supposed to mature until tomorrow, its leaves already looked lush and ready to harvest today.

But what would happen if she picked crops a day early?

Amy didn’t plan on trying.

Unlike real plants, crops in the game grew on a much shorter cycle, changing every single day. Yesterday the lettuces had been tiny, barely sprouting their leaves, but today they looked nearly ready to eat.

Harvesting them now might mean missing out on tomorrow’s even bigger, fresher leaves. That would be a waste.

Amy had always been frugal.

She brushed some droplets of water from the leaves with her fingertips, set the watering can aside, and headed toward the western forest outside the farm.

Even on her second trip here, the freshness hadn’t worn off. Having spent most of her past life confined to an office cubicle, she never grew tired of these pastoral views.

Suddenly, something fluttered across her vision.

Pure reflex—Amy stretched out her hand and caught it.

A soft, tiny creature rested in her palm.

A butterfly.

【You have unlocked Gathering Codex: “Monarch Butterfly”】

Monarch butterfly?

Amy looked down at the delicate creature in her hand.

Its wings were orange and black, rimmed with white spots—slender and fragile. She vaguely remembered seeing something like it in a nature documentary, though she’d forgotten the name.

Despite being caught, the butterfly wasn’t panicked at all. Its thin legs rested calmly on her fingers, its wings occasionally flapping lightly, but showing no intent to escape.

Luckily, she hadn’t squeezed too hard. Otherwise, it might not have survived—after all, she was officially recognized as “extraordinarily strong.”

The butterfly still sat quietly in her hand, its patterned wings strangely tempting to touch.

After watching for a moment, Amy lifted her hand and released it.

What if its wings were poisonous? She didn’t want to end up in the hospital for grabbing a butterfly.

The butterfly flapped gently, then floated away, disappearing as if it had never been caught at all.

Still, since it appeared in the codex, it probably had other uses. Maybe she could ask Nancy about it sometime—Nancy was the expert, after all.

Amy left the butterfly incident aside and knocked on the door of Ryan and Eric’s cabin.

Hopefully, she wouldn’t smack Ryan’s nose again today.

To her surprise, the door opened quickly. But instead of Ryan’s familiar youthful face, a man in a blue leather cap greeted her.

“Good morning, beautiful lady. How may I be of service?”

He looked every bit the charming gentleman.

“Good morning.” Amy felt she should introduce herself. “Hello, I’m the new farmer in Hot Spring Town. My name is Amy. And you are… Eric?”

Though she phrased it as a question, she was sure of his identity—Ryan had said no one else but him and Eric lived here.

“That’s right, that’s me! Ah, Miss Amy, such an ordinary name sounds so lovely when spoken by you. What an honor.” Eric doffed his hat and bowed.

Amy gave an awkward little laugh. “Mr. Eric, you don’t need to be so polite.”

So this was Ryan’s teacher’s usual demeanor?

“I have a few bundles of freshly cut cedar I’d like you to collect,” Amy said. “Please don’t worry, the quality is excellent. And this isn’t our first deal—yesterday your apprentice Ryan came to pick up a batch.”

She kindly omitted Ryan’s reckless tractor driving.

Eric’s expression lit up. “So you’re the one! Miss Amy, the considerate new friend Ryan mentioned! Those cedars were unforgettable. Such fine wood… they could make a magnificent bed.”

“I still have several more bundles at home,” Amy added.

“No need to say more, Miss Amy. Let’s go at once.” Eric eagerly fetched his keys.

And just like that, Amy was back on the familiar tractor less than a day later.

This time, though, Eric drove steadily, not recklessly. The ride was so smooth Amy almost felt like she was in a quirky little car, not a tractor.

Still, she couldn’t deny—though she’d never admit it to Ryan—that she almost missed the wild thrill of his driving.

“By the way, where’s Ryan?” Amy asked.

“He went to the city to buy supplies for making furniture—with your wood!” Eric’s mood was clearly good.

Amy smiled, then remembered something. “Mr. Eric, I wanted to ask. My farm’s axe is dull and heavy. I’d like to replace it. What do you think?”

Her farming level was still only at the beginner’s rank, and according to the game’s rules, she couldn’t buy upgraded tools without leveling up. Still, she wanted to hear his answer.

Sure enough, Eric hesitated before saying, “Well… Miss Amy, if you can’t fully handle a beginner’s axe, you certainly couldn’t manage a higher-level one. But don’t worry—when you’ve mastered your current tool, come back to me. I’ll make sure you have one more suited to you.”

So that was how he answered.

More humane than the usual game NPC who just repeated, “Sorry, your level is too low. Please upgrade.”

Amy nodded without complaint.

“I understand. Thank you, Mr. Eric.”

With the tractor, they reached her farm quickly.

Eric’s eyes immediately spotted the neatly stacked cedar logs by her house. “Ah, there they are—just as lovely as yesterday’s.”

The process was routine now. He weighed the logs and paid her.

“803 gold, Miss Amy. Congratulations to us!”

“Congratulations to us,” Amy echoed, handing over the wood and taking her money. When Eric began hauling the bundles, she stepped forward to help.

At first he politely refused, but soon accepted. “No, no, Miss Amy, I can’t let a young lady do such heavy work… Miss Amy, you’re astonishingly strong!”

“I’ll take that as a compliment, Mr. Eric,” Amy said with a laugh. “Ryan said the same thing.”

“A good student indeed!”

When the last bundle was loaded, Eric didn’t leave right away. He looked at Amy with a serious expression. “Miss Amy, please forgive my boldness, but I must ask—would you be willing to form a long-term partnership with us?”

“Long-term partnership?” Amy asked. “You mean selling cedar to you regularly?”

“Exactly.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Eric.” Amy shook her head regretfully. “I’d love to, but as you can see, my farm doesn’t have a single cedar left. Today might be the last time.”

Saying it made her a little sad—her only source of income was gone.

But Eric laughed heartily. “The last time? Nonsense!”

He explained, “Miss Amy, you’re new here, so you may not know. Cedars grow year-round. Even if you cut them all in spring, they’ll grow back by summer. They even grow in winter, just slower. So no, this isn’t your last cedar harvest.”

Amy blinked. “So I can sell cedar to you all year?”

“Of course.”

Wonderful!

Even if she had to wait until summer, at least she had a steady source of income.

“I’d be happy to cooperate,” she agreed.

“Oh, I could drink a glass of red wine right now—to the greatest partnership in the world!”

Amy chuckled. “By the way, Mr. Eric, since my farm has no trees left now—sugar maples aside—where should I go if I want to chop more?”

“That’s easy. Just head into the forest. There aren’t cedars like yours, but plenty of ordinary trees. They may not sell for much, but you can use them for furniture, or upgrading your house—come to me or Ryan anytime!” Eric pounded his chest proudly.

“Thank you in advance, Mr. Eric.”

“No thanks necessary, Miss Amy. You’re Ryan’s friend and our partner—it’s our duty to help you. You must have other work to do, so I’ll head off. Until next time!”

“Goodbye, Mr. Eric. Take care on the road.”

After he left, Amy’s first act was to stash away the 800 gold.

Together with her earlier savings, she now had 1,800 gold. A tidy sum, but still 200 short of the fiberglass fishing rod she wanted.

Where could she make that extra 200?

As she was fretting, a cheerful voice called from outside her door.

“Amy, are you home?” Leslie’s voice rang out, excited. “Come see what I’ve brought you!”