"Come, come, come, switch to the big cup! Who can drink enough with just this little bit!"
Pelican Town, Star Saloon.
Because it was a festival, Suke had brought a large amount of various alcoholic beverages and drinks, allowing visitors to drink to their hearts' content.
But who could have imagined that Boss Mabel would be so unreserved? In less than ten minutes, she had drunk five whole bottles of Starfruit Wine clean.
If converted into gold coins, isn't she just a proper gold-swallowing beast!
"Drink, drink, drink, drink yourself to death then."
Suke brought another five bottles of Wine and threw them directly onto the table in front of Mabel. Because it was a festival, Suke didn't want to spoil the atmosphere too much.
If she loved drinking, let her drink this time. Anyway, he wouldn't sell alcohol to her afterward; let's see what she drinks then.
"No, I say, Farmer, are you being this stingy?"
"How do you have the nerve to bring out this kind of ordinary stuff? Even if you don't have Ancient Fruit Wine, at least it should be Starfruit Wine to be worthy of Mabel-chan..."
"My apologies, Starfruit Wine is limited to five bottles per person. Yours has already been drunk by you."
"Tch, so stingy."
Seeing that Suke, who was standing behind the bar making handmade burgers, was impervious to her complaints, Mabel was obviously quite displeased.
Her gaze began to wander around, eventually landing on Abigail, who was sipping Starfruit Wine in small sips beside her, chatting and laughing with Lavinia Whateley, who had just arrived from Salem.
Don't misunderstand; Abigail was already an adult, so she could drink alcohol.
She was, after all, the Door Witch who had traveled through the worlds for thousands upon tens of thousands of years with Mabel.
"Little Abi, look at how your Uncle treats you usually..."
"Don't even think about it."
Before Mabel could finish speaking to Abigail, a hand extended by Suke blocked her face.
"If you dare ask others for theirs, from now on, I won't sell you a single bottle of wine."
Although even if you don't ask, I won't sell to you anyway, Suke added silently in his heart.
"?" Mabel froze.
"And you too, Little Abi. If you dare to indulge your Uncle's bad habits again, hehe..."
Suke also looked at Abigail and smiled softly.
Although he said nothing else, it made Abigail silent as a cicada in winter, her face blushing as she dared not speak another word.
"Fine, fine, fine, you're ruthless!"
"Sigh, if I had known, I would have drunk slower! It's all the fault of you country bumpkin, miser, skinflint landlord, perverted l0l!-c0n..."
Seeing that Suke didn't seem to be joking, Mabel didn't dare to push her luck and had to slow down her drinking frequency, beginning to drink sulkily.
Actually, it wasn't that Mabel hadn't tried going to the outside world to buy alcohol or using her abilities to create alcohol and bring it back to Stardew Valley to drink.
But regarding the former, how should one put it? Most of it was 'technology and harsh chemicals.' One sip made Mabel's tongue, which had become accustomed to top-tier tastes, feel nauseous.
As for the small portion of so-called 'top-tier goods' from the outside world that was barely palatable, whether in texture or taste, they couldn't even compare to the cheapest Salmonberry Wine produced on Suke's Farm!
As for the alcohol created by herself, Mabel didn't know how to describe it.
It was just like when you are hungry and thirsty in the middle of the night but can't find a partner, so you choose to resolve it yourself with your hand. Even if you are familiar with your own sensitive spots, it's just not the same thing!
Don't misunderstand; Mabel was talking about scratching an itch with her hand. After all, no one feels ticklish when scratching themselves, right?
As for Suke, who was listening to her muttering slander against him, he could only express that standing at the peak meant enduring endless rumors and abuse.
"Wow, this fish is so cute!"
"I really want to take a pair home to raise. Is this a unique breed here, Big Brother?"
In front of the large fish tank used for decoration inside the Star Saloon restaurant, Sakuraba Emma and Jougasaki Noah were lying against the glass tank, looking at two peculiarly shaped fish swimming inside.
Of these two fish, one looked like a kitten, and the other looked like a puppy.
Puppyfish
This fish loves to be petted and fed treats. [SVE]
Kittyfish
A magical fish summoned by Camilla. It loves to be scratched under the chin. [SVE]
If not for the fish tails growing behind them, bystanders would probably think someone had thrown a puppy and a kitten directly into the fish tank.
Nikaido Hiro and Natsume An-An were also beside them, equally curious about the two unique little things in the fish tank.
"Although they look very cute, it's hard to imagine such creatures existing in nature..."
Nikaido Hiro tried to think about what kind of evolutionary lineage would produce such marvelous life.
But a moment later, she gave up. She realized her brain must be glitching—she herself was both a Witch and a Soul Reaper, yet she was talking about science in this world.
[I want to raise them too!]
Natsume An-An raised her sign with slight excitement. Actually, she had always wanted to raise some small pets during her life at the Island of Witches mansion.
But she couldn't even take care of herself completely and needed Saeki Miria's help, let alone taking care of cats and dogs.
To avoid causing trouble for others, such thoughts had always been put aside.
But if it were Kittyfish and Puppyfish, it would be completely different!
Raised in a fish tank, they wouldn't shed fur, cleaning up their waste would be very convenient, and she would almost only need to feed them!
"Oh, those are Puppyfish and Kittyfish. Catching them is actually quite difficult."
Noticing everyone gathering in front of the fish tank, Suke prepared the ingredients for the [Big Bark Burger] according to the latest recipe that appeared in the Saloon, and explained to the group of little witches in passing.
These two fish, looking just as their names suggested, were caught by him at the 'Seagull Bridge' area to the east of Pelican Town.
That's right, 'Seagull Bridge' was the second SVE expansion location to appear in Stardew Valley after the 'Aurora Vineyard.' These Puppyfish and Kittyfish were also unique products of that place.
If not for Elysia, who liked to wander around, reminding him, he wouldn't even have known when a new path had appeared there.
"If you guys want to raise them, I'll go catch a few more later. Although I don't know if they can live normally in the outside world."
"Thank you, Big Brother~"
Jougasaki Noah seemed very happy. She was already thinking about raising the fish in her room at the Island of Witches mansion and sketching them every day.
"Hiro-chan, let's raise a pair in the dormitory too!"
The ordinary girl, Sakuraba Emma, proposed.
Currently, she was renting a dormitory apartment next to Tsukinomori Girls' Academy with Nikaido Hiro.
Although the target demographic of this kind of dormitory obviously didn't include a wealthy young lady like Nikaido Hiro.
But there was no helping it; Sakuraba Emma refused to accept any more financial assistance from her in the material sense, referring to work at a café to pay her own rent.
So Nikaido Hiro could only wrong herself and move into this commoner apartment. She was now co-renting with Sakuraba Emma to alleviate the economic burden on her childhood friend.
"Although the apartment manager seems to say that pets like cats and dogs aren't allowed, fish are definitely no problem!"
"What do you think, Hiro-chan?"
"...Suit yourself."
"Great! I saved some money working at the café before, just enough to buy a larger fish tank..."
The pink puppy revealed an expectant expression.
"Little Emma, the 'Big Bark Burger' you ordered is ready!"
Big Bark Burger
Very juicy and chewy. It tastes so good it makes you want to bark. [SVE]
[Dish: Big Bark Burger]
Very juicy and chewy. Delicious to the point of making one bark.
+213 Energy
+95 Health
+1 Speed
+3 Attack
"Oh, oh, okay!"
Suke's shout from behind the bar brought Sakuraba Emma back to her senses. To distinguish her from the Emma on the Farm, Suke would specially add a 'Little' before her name.
"It smells so good! Hmm? This burger meat filling is actually in the shape of a tongue?"
"Wait, why does this tongue feel a bit like..."
Taking the burger from Suke's hand, Sakuraba Emma was just about to taste it, but when she saw the burger meat revealed from within the buns, she suddenly hesitated.
She looked at the burger in her hand, then looked at the bright red tongue sticking out of the Puppyfish's mouth in the fish tank before her, and suddenly fell into deep thought.
"Animus, I'm a bit hungry too. Make one for me as well."
"Coming right up!"
Sakuraba Emma turned to look behind her, only to see Tsukishiro Yuki ordering the same burger as herself.
Because her attention was on the fish tank just now, she hadn't seen Suke's burger-making process. But now, she saw it clearly.
It was a lively Puppyfish. The moment Suke pulled it out of his inventory, it was immediately flattened by him using two spatulas and placed onto the iron griddle to grill.
The Puppyfish's physical body vanished upon touching the high-temperature hot oil, leaving only that fleshy red, thick tongue. Under the frying of grease, it produced a Maillard reaction, emitting a wonderful fragrance.
Not long after, the tongue, grilled to aromatic perfection yet unchanged in color, was stuffed between burger buns, fixed with a toothpick, and cut in half with a table knife for easier consumption before being handed to Tsukishiro Yuki by Suke.
Sakuraba Emma: "..."
Sakuraba Emma ultimately didn't muster the courage to lift the burger bun and check what the meat filling underneath looked like.
She swallowed a mouthful of saliva. In the end, she couldn't resist the temptation of the aroma, stuffing the burger into her mouth and taking a bite.
The mellow meat juices exploded in her oral cavity, combining with the wheat aroma of the bread. The degree of deliciousness nearly made Sakuraba Emma bite her own tongue.
So delicious...!
But clearly, it shouldn't be like this, so why can't I stop myself...
Maybe I should ask for Hiro-chan's opinion and raise a few more?
But wouldn't that be too...
No one knew the thoughts of the pink puppy who was currently engaging in cannibalism.
She even cast her gaze toward the other Kittyfish swimming with the Puppyfish in the fish tank, wondering what she was pondering.
But if he knew Sakuraba Emma's thoughts, Suke would support Haji-Hiro in executing justice upon her.
Incorrect! Born-evil Sakuraba Emma, I will now...
Well, to be honest, worthy of being Iridium-quality boutique fish, the taste of Puppyfish and Kittyfish was indeed incomparable to ordinary fish.
This was the sentiment of Suke, who had tasted both fish. The flavor was only slightly inferior to the Legendary Fish of the four seasons.
Another day, he planned to go to the river directly below the Aurora Vineyard in the western part of Cindersap Forest to take a look. He remembered that one could catch the King Salmon, which was also an Iridium-quality fish, there.
The SVE expansion's enlargement of the Stardew Valley land area was quite significant. Currently, Suke speculated that the loading of this expansion should be related to the greenery he had the Junimos expand into other worlds.
The first expansion of greenery in the Deep Sea Cyber Paradise caused the accessible area of Cindersap Forest to increase sharply, revealing the Aurora Vineyard.
The second expansion of greenery on the Island of Witches caused the Seagull Bridge to appear, increasing the catchable fish species. Calculating the timeline, it all matched up.
He wondered if he could expand out the border of the Ferngill Republic. In that case, Suke's Farm's usable land area would have to double at least.
This Farm System Panel was really something; it didn't even give a reminder after opening a new map. He had to rely on the wandering Miss Pink Elf to discover it.
Moreover, the Farm System Panel hadn't popped up any Junimo quests for a while. Suke even wanted to go find Starfruit to ask if they had any clues about other missing Junimos.
The gathering in the Saloon continued, with young girls from different worlds chatting and laughing.
Suke checked the time; it was now 9:30 PM. The sky outside the window had turned dark, but it didn't affect the liveliness inside the Saloon.
The places for staying overnight had already been arranged. During the two-day festival period, he also rarely didn't have the trait of falling asleep forcibly at 2:00 AM, so his margin was quite sufficient.
The chattering little witches went without saying; Suke focused his attention on Star, who was playing together with Gudako.
They each brought a pink-haired sidekick (Mash and March 7th) and were chatting about something, looking like they were having a great time.
Seeing Elysia, bringing along Seele, also join their chat, Suke thought that with this Miss Pink Elf watching over them, Star shouldn't be led astray.
Ignoring the cup Mabel pushed over in an attempt to pass off fish eyes for pearls, Suke poured a glass of Ancient Fruit Wine into the cups of Tsukishiro Yuki and Abigail respectively in front of the bar. Suke intended to lean closer to hear what those few were chatting about.
"Actually, in Miss Pink Elf's eyes, Dear is still very amazing."
"Before Little Abi and Miss Tsukishiro Yuki arrived, at that time, only the powerless me and he depended on each other on the farm~"
Suke: "?"
Listening casually wasn't a big deal, but upon hearing this, a question mark popped directly out of Suke's head.
"So, regarding the question raised by Little Ritsuka about whether Dear eats soft rice, Miss Pink Elf holds a negative attitude~"
"He has never backed down, always prioritizing our safety. And after Miss Tsukishiro Yuki and the others arrived, he never treated me differently just because Miss Pink Elf is an ordinary person~"
"At least in my eyes, Dear is a remarkable 'hero'~"
No, what are you guys chatting about?
He used to laugh at Elysia for being 'Old Prison Nine', unable to keep up with version updates, and now it was his turn, right!
"I think so too. It's you, Fujimaru, who is too obsessed with appearances."
"The way I see it, the Boss and we aren't walking the same path at all!"
Star nodded; she also approved of Elysia's words.
"Really?" Gudako muttered something unintelligible.
"But didn't you say the thing about the Boss suffering a setback under some Lord Ravager in your world?"
"I didn't say suffering a setback. I said it was the Boss's strategic transition as an Aether Spirit Trainer."
"Isn't that a euphemism for suffering a setback?"
"Not at all. Fujimaru, you don't quite understand the Aether Spirit Trainer code of our world..."
Star was explaining some complicated terms related to Aether Spirit Trainers to Fujimaru Ritsuka:
Such as "Need to suppress HP," "Need to bait," and other tactical strategies, causing the air around the table to be filled with cheerfulness.
Because the distance wasn't far, Tsukishiro Yuki and Mabel in front of the bar also heard the conversation at Star's table clearly.
The former was fine, just narrowing her eyes and smiling elegantly at him.
"Pfft...! Gugu, cough cough~!!"
The latter raised a hand to cover half her face, looking like she was suffering from holding back laughter. She even started coughing to suppress her stifled laughter.
Suke finally knew how to write the two words 'Red Warm' (malding/embarrassed) from BB.
Fortunately, because the little witches were gathered together playing board games, the face lost wasn't too great.
"What are you chatting about?"
He walked silently to the table, his two hands resting on the shoulders of Star and Fujimaru Ritsuka from behind respectively.
"So, putting it plainly, isn't it just relying on soft r... Eh, Boss?"
Gudako's whole body shook. The words she was about to say got stuck in her throat.
Under the frantically signaling eyes of Mash across the table, she turned around somewhat stiffly, meeting Suke's gaze, which looked at her like she was a dead person.
"...Boss, if I say we were just chatting casually, do you believe me?"
"Wait, whoa—!"
But unfortunately, it was too late, because Suke's tangible large hand had already gripped the top of her skull!
That is, he determined that there was no sarcasm towards him in Star's clear eyes; otherwise, he would have definitely let her enjoy the same treatment as Gudako.
"It's fun to badmouth others behind their backs, isn't it!"
"Every time you come, you specifically look for trouble with me, don't you!"
"Look at what you're eating and drinking now; who provided it to you? A dog's mouth can't spit out ivory, right!"
"No, whoa, Boss spare me!"
"I meant I really admire that you possess the same charisma as me... No, I meant I am honored to possess charisma similar to yours, Boss—"
"Stop squeezing, Boss, wooah, if you keep squeezing, my head is going to become pointy!"
Seeing the scene of Gudako being grabbed and refined by Suke, Elysia and the others very sensibly shut their mouths.
So this is what Dear looks like when he's angry? It's truly memorable~
"What's wrong, Boss? I don't quite understand..."
"Shut up, you!"
"Woo woo~~"
Star, who couldn't read the room, originally wanted to say something with a puzzled face, but her mouth was covered by March 7th beside her.
Children speaking without restraint is fine for a sentence or two, but continuing to speak would be impolite.
But because of this, Suke hardened his heart, feeling he couldn't continue this life of debauchery day and night.
Looking at the message in the public channel from BB, who was working overtime even during the festival in the Star Rail Universe, stating that the 'Path' had been completed, Suke had only one thought at this moment:
He wanted to go find BB!
Immediately, right now!
"A real man born between heaven and earth, how can he live under others for long!"
"Hiro!"
Dragging the half-dead Fujimaru Ritsuka, he walked to the side of Nikaido Hiro, who was playing the classic board game Splendor, and patted her shoulder heavily:
"Didn't you tell me before that you wanted to continue becoming stronger to protect justice? Now, come with me!"
Being patted on the back by Suke, Nikaido Hiro almost reacted on the spot, displaying her Red-Black Haji-me Spinosaurus form!
But upon hearing Suke say he was taking her to become stronger, the Rabbit Head controlling the Big Head immediately became spirited!
"Okay, I'll get ready and set off."
She pushed away the real gems Suke had brought out to increase immersion in the board game, which were acting as various chips. She picked up her Zanpakuto placed by the table and followed Suke.
Leaving only the little witches at the board game table looking at each other in dismay.
What happened?
____
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🔥 New history: Group chat of the Dead
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