Spring Day 13, Siblings Reunite

Nightfall.

Inside the cabin at Dragon Tongue Farm.

The fireplace crackled overhead as Daeren lay in bed, a Dragon egg beside his pillow.

He had saved enough funds to buy Strawberry Seeds tomorrow.

Thanks to the chance of finding various gems in fishing Treasure Chests, his funds were much more abundant than planned.

"How can I hatch you?"

Daeren tossed and turned, unable to sleep, cradling the Dragon egg against his chest.

It had been nearly a week.

The Dragon egg showed no signs of life, as if it couldn't be hatched.

Dragon egg: ...

"You can definitely hatch, I'm just not using the right method."

Daeren examined it back and forth, murmuring to the Dragon egg.

Recalling Daenerys hatching Dragon eggs in the show, the prerequisite was a blood sacrifice.

Daeren didn't quite agree with that method.

Setting aside whether the means were righteous, the main issue was the lack of a trustworthy blood mage and fire mage to assist.

One wrong move could lead to the same fate as his great-grandfather, Aegon V.

"Blood sacrifice is a cruel and bloody ritual to reanimate dormant Dragon eggs and force them to hatch."

"Or it's to awaken the lost life within the Dragon eggs; the situation is similar."

Daeren held the Dragon egg, his eyes vacant, his thoughts drifting.

The panel should be able to help hatch the Dragon egg!

In the game Stardew Valley, many quests and material sources were related to "dragons."

If he hadn't discovered it yet, it only meant the farm was just starting out, and he hadn't encountered those rare items.

"I must brave the mines; metal ingots are too crucial for early development."

"Once I craft sprinklers, I won't be confined to just one plot of land."

Daeren rubbed his temples, pulling his mind back.

He outlined a long-term plan.

Hatching eggs -- Farming

Two important goals.

The initial difficulties of farming were mostly overcome; all that was left was sprinklers to replace manual labor.

As for hatching eggs...

"I must visit Dragonstone and the towering spire in Oldtown when I have time."

"The hatching rate of one Dragon egg is too low; I need to gather more Dragon eggs to hatch them together."

Daeren leaned towards rationality, focusing more on data and details.

He had asked Lord Owen to keep an eye out for a ship capable of long-distance voyages.

Whether it was old or damaged didn't matter.

As long as it could cross the Blackwater Bay, it would be better than Fisherman's Willy's boat in the game.

To be clear, the royal family had ships.

There was even a royal fleet stationed at Dragonstone.

But the command of this fleet was in the hands of his elder brother, Rhaegar.

If Daeren asked the royal treasury for funds, having a ship was uncertain, but his father, Aerys, would definitely not agree to him going out to sea.

"Planting Strawberries, sprinklers..."

With hope for his future life, Daeren fell asleep, succumbing to a wave of weariness.

2:00 AM.

Daeren's eyes were closed, and the crackling of the dying fireplace was exceptionally soothing.

A ray of moonlight shone through the glass window into the cabin, illuminating the Lucky Ring on his left index finger.

The golden crescent moon on the ring emitted a faint halo.

The Dragon egg, placed by his pillow, was bathed in the light of the Lucky Ring. The red scales on its shell seemed to gain a touch more luster.

Brilliant golden spots shimmered, and the black spirals grew deeper.

A subtle change was quietly unfolding.

Daeren was still asleep as the panel automatically settled.

[Farming: 0 Gold]

[Gathering: 60 Gold]

[Fishing: 752 Gold]

[Mining: 1900 Gold]

[Other: 40 Gold]

[Total: 2552 Gold]

Spring, Day 13, Saturday, Sunny, 6:00 AM.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo~~"

With a rooster's crow, Daeren's eyes snapped open. He jumped out of bed, brimming with energy.

Today was the long-awaited Spring 13th, a crucial day to get rich by buying Strawberry Seeds!

"Buy Strawberry Seeds!"

Daeren checked his status panel. His gold count had reached an astonishing 4542 gold.

1790 gold was from the bountiful potato harvest, and 2552 gold was from fishing profits.

Of that, selling lake fish only earned him 725 gold.

The bulk of the profit came from minerals, specifically the gems found in the fishing Treasure Chests.

Diamond: Sold for 750 gold.

Emerald: Sold for 200 gold.

Each fishing Treasure Chest yielded two of each, netting a massive 1900 gold.

"4542 gold. That's enough to buy 45 Strawberry Seeds."

A smile crept onto Daeren's lips. He headed straight for the shipping bin.

Clink, clank, clatter!

A cascade of coins echoed as his gold plummeted to 42.

In exchange, he acquired 45 Strawberry Seeds.

"Today is Easter, and there's an egg hunt competition. I need to clear the land for the strawberries first."

Daeren's mind was clear. He grabbed his scythe and hoe and headed out.

Passing by a Treasure Chest, he took out some Stone to craft 12 "Stepping Stone Path" floor tiles.

He used the scythe to clear weeds and the hoe to till the soil.

Twelve smooth "Stepping Stone Path" tiles were laid out in a 6x2 grid.

Each "Stepping Stone Path" tile left a 3x3 empty space nearby.

He tilled a plot of Farmland above, below, left, and right of each tile, forming a cross shape.

"All done."

Daeren wiped the sweat from his brow, admiring the reserved space for sprinklers.

Basic Sprinkler: Irrigates four plots of Farmland each morning.

One Basic Sprinkler placed on a "Stepping Stone Path" tile would perfectly water the four adjacent Farmland plots.

He was reserving the space now so he could use it directly once he mined more Copper Ore and Iron Ore.

"The annual Easter celebration wouldn't be complete without the egg hunt."

Daeren checked his panel.

8:30 AM. Still plenty of time.

The egg hunt was an Easter event. Whoever won would receive a mysterious grand prize.

Daeren was determined to win.

The Mailbox had given a heads-up: the egg hunt couldn't be entered alone.

Insufficient participants would lead to cancellation.

However, Daeren could invite others.

The condition was that participants must not have reached the legal age of marriage.

In modern society, that was 22 for men and 21 for women.

"Time to rope in those two brats."

Daeren chuckled.

Of course, he would invite his sister Shayani and his two foolish younger brothers.

10:10 AM.

Daeren planted the strawberries, petted the chickens, and collected eggs.

He pondered for a moment, then cleared away more weeds.

Dragon Tongue Farm was still undeveloped, overgrown with weeds, littered with stones and logs, with most of the area covered by trees.

His sister Shayani and his two younger brothers were out for the first time. They hadn't found any Easter eggs and had gotten themselves lost.

A short while later.

Ser Jon arrived at the farm entrance in an exquisite carriage.

"They're here?"

Daeren went to meet them.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and a strand of soft silver-gold curly hair fell first, followed by Shayani's beautiful face.

"Oh, charge!"

"..."

Viserys let out a strange cry and jumped off the carriage, holding a small wooden sword.

Daeren's eyelids twitched slightly.

"Second brother."

Jaehaerys also peeked out and greeted him with a smile.

"Let me help you."

Daeren grabbed his younger brother by the waist and easily lifted him off the carriage.

When it was Shayani's turn, she looked at the height difference between the carriage and the ground, bent her knees slightly, and opened her arms.

Daeren helped her down and asked Ser Jon, "Was the journey smooth?"

Since their father Aerys's madness worsened, his desire for control over his children had reached its peak.

Even on Rhaegar's wedding day, he hadn't allowed his younger siblings to attend the wedding at the Great Sept of Baelor.

Just as Ser Jon was about to speak.

"It was very smooth. Father happened to be in Mother's chambers."

Shayani said softly, her voice faint, "We encountered Cersei Lannister on the way. She stopped us and insisted on coming along."

Daeren: ...