Farmhouse, Dining Room.
The fire crackled in the hearth, bathing the somewhat spacious dining room in a cozy warmth.
A long mahogany dining table was draped with a high-end silk tablecloth, adorned with various exquisite, fragrant dishes.
It was clear that Suke had put quite a bit of effort into this welcoming feast, even if all he actually had to do was pull these pre-made dishes—prepared months ago—out of his inventory.
In fact, he didn't even need a refrigerator. If he just tossed them into a wooden chest, these cooked meals wouldn't spoil for a year; they'd even still be steaming when taken out.
Stardew Valley's prepared meals... truly a miracle.
However, sitting at the head of the table, Suke was currently facing a problem. He looked at Abigail, who was sitting to his left, and felt a twinge of doubt in his heart:
'Did I do something wrong? Why does this child look like she's about to be sent to the gallows?'
The blonde girl sat bolt upright, her spine as stiff as a board, her hands clutching her napkin with a death grip.
Her emerald eyes stared fixedly at the piece of chocolate cake before her—a dish radiating a lethal level of temptation. Her throat moved as she swallowed hard, yet she didn't dare pick up her spoon.
In her upbringing, food made with so many spices and exuding such a cloyingly sweet aroma was absolutely not something a Puritan should enjoy.
This was a sin. The original sin of 'Gluttony.'
This dark, sweet, fragrant pastry—made from heaven knows what—must be bait used by a devil to tempt a soul into depravity. If she ate it, the Lord would send down punishment, and her uncle would discipline her...
"Um, little Abi?" Suke spoke up tentatively.
"Is it not to your taste? If you don't like sweets, I have some light Parsnip Soup as well."
Abigail flinched, looking up like a startled rabbit, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum.
"N-No, sir..."
"This food is too precious. I am a sinner; I am not worthy of enjoying such a... blessing."
She looked at the cake with a flash of longing in her eyes, but it was quickly overshadowed by a bone-deep sense of unease and terror.
Suke paused. Based on Abigail's current personality and behavior, he could basically deduce that she wasn't the Abigail from Chaldea.
Looking at the girl's brow bones—slightly prominent due to long-term malnutrition—he sighed. He picked up his spoon, scooped a piece of cake, and popped it into his mouth.
"Hmm, it's a bit too sweet, but there's nothing wrong with the taste."
Suke swallowed the cake, casually wiped his mouth, and then scooped another piece, placing it on the plate in front of Abigail.
"Look, Abi. This cake has already been touched. If you don't eat it, it'll just have to be thrown away later."
"As far as I know, wasting food is an original sin in the faith you follow, isn't it?"
His voice softened, carrying a hint of firm reassurance.
"Eat. Indulging in pleasure and gluttony is the essence of original sin.
"See? This is just a simple dinner to fill your stomach and welcome you home. If you don't eat your fill, you'll have nightmares tonight."
Abigail stared blankly at Suke, then at the cake with a missing corner.
That dark, sweet sauce made of unknown ingredients looked like an abyss, but this time, there were no whispers in the abyss—only a tiny bit of frosting stuck to the corner of the man's mouth.
She reached out timidly and picked up the silver spoon. Her first bite was cautious, as if she were testing a forbidden boundary.
However, as that pure sweetness—far more delicious than pancakes drizzled with maple syrup—melted on her tongue and warmed her long-chilled stomach, tears began to pitter-patter onto the plate.
"Ugh... hnn..."
She didn't gorge herself. Instead, she wept quietly while taking small, delicate bites of the chocolate cake.
She chewed each mouthful for a long time, as if confirming that this wasn't just a dream.
"Oh my, you really are a gentle farmer, aren't you, Mr. Farmer♪~"
On the other side, the pink-haired elf lady watched the scene, a meaningful smile curling the corners of her lips.
"Ahem, let's get down to business."
"So, Miss Elysia, you're saying that after experiencing death in your own world, you boarded that bus and ended up here?"
Suke poked a piece of fragrant Cheese Cauliflower into his mouth and chewed as he casually asked about their experiences before boarding the bus, trying to gather information.
"Ah, that's right..."
Elysia didn't mind sharing what she had experienced 'in life.' She spoke of revealing her identity as the Herrscher of Human to her comrades in The Moths to unite them, and then dissolving her body into the source of the Honkai to seek a glimmer of hope for future civilizations to fight against it.
After merging with the source of the Honkai, the next time she opened her eyes, she was sitting on that old bus.
Everything she described matched perfectly with what Suke knew before he transmigrated. But on Abigail's side...
"Abi, you're saying that a terrible famine broke out in your hometown of Salem because of the presence of witches? And that the townspeople launched an indiscriminate witch trial against all women, and you..."
"Yes."
Abigail nodded blankly. Seeing her like this, Suke hesitated to speak.
Part of his earlier speculation was correct: the Abigail before him was the original Abigail from Salem, not the Servant summoned by Chaldea.
She didn't even seem to have awakened her powers as a Foreigner; she was just a completely ordinary little girl.
But some things were unexpected. If he remembered correctly, wasn't the existence of the Taboo Descent Garden, Salem, a stage set up by a Demon God Pillar to trigger Abigail's potential as the Priestess of the Outer Gods?
Since it was a stage, even without Chaldea's interference, everything that happened should have existed for the sake of the 'protagonist,' Abigail.
What kind of stage play kills off the lead actor halfway through? Did the Demon God Pillar get kicked in the head by a donkey?
Furthermore, in the Salem that Chaldea visited in the game, there was no such thing as a famine.
While the residents of Salem were frugal Puritans, the town's situation had never reached the level of a famine.
If a famine had broken out in the original plot, why would the Demon God Pillar have needed to kill Abigail's friend to make her awaken?
It would have only needed to stay hidden behind the scenes, and Abigail would have naturally connected to the 'Bubbles' and blackened on her own!
"Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh: For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags..." (*Proverbs 23:20-21)
"This is the Lord's punishment for us... If Abi weren't a witch, everyone wouldn't have... sob..."
As she spoke, Abigail actually began to sob, her voice gradually dissolving into uncontrollable weeping.
Suke couldn't continue his questioning. After a simple meal and clean-up, he took Abigail to a nearby room to rest.
As for Elysia, he didn't intend to have her stay in his house.
There were several vacant wooden cabins on the farm. In the game setting of Stardew Valley, these were meant for other players in multiplayer mode; now, they were perfect for Elysia.
He led Elysia out of the main house as dusk approached.
The setting sun dyed the entire pumpkin field an intoxicating golden-red. In the distance, the automated Silos cast massive shadows under the fading light.
A few well-fed black Void Chickens were lining up, walking back to the coop automatically like disciplined soldiers, drawing a curious gaze from the Pink Elf.
"You'll be staying here for the time being, Miss Elysia."
Arriving at the other end of the farm, Suke pointed to the small houses in front of them.
"Since it's always just been me, these houses have been empty. Just pick one you like and move in."
"They're fully furnished, and the bedding is clean—don't worry about dust from neglect; they have a self-cleaning function. They're brand new every day."
"Oh~ is it really that wondrous? Could it be that Mr. Farmer made all of these~?"
"Of course not. I'm not that powerful... You can just think of it as a kind of 'Rule.'"
Facing the Pink Elf, whose eyes were full of curiosity as she looked around, Suke found himself at a bit of a loss for words.
Actually, he was quite curious to see what would happen if Elysia, as an outsider, moved into a multiplayer cabin intended for players.
Suke had tried it before; as the farm owner, although he could enter and exit the cabins at will, he didn't have the 'permission' to place items inside.
This was different from the game. He had originally wanted to use the interior space of these vacant cabins for wine-making.
In the end, anything he brought inside would disappear by the next morning. That experiment had cost him over a dozen Kegs.
"Alright, it's getting late. I'll go back and check on little Abi."
"The door isn't locked, just push it open. Let me know if you need anything inside."
"Mm~ It seems this Elf Lady is finally going to live a pastoral life in retirement~"
Elysia gave an affirmative hum and reached out to push the door open. But the moment she touched the handle, a sudden change occurred—
[Ding—!]
A sharp electronic sound—not coming from any device, but exploding directly within the minds of both Suke and Elysia.
[Farmhand 1 — Registered]
[Name: Elysia]
[Status: Farmhand (New)]
[State: Bound to current Farm Owner (Suke)]
[Farm sl—... Farmhand regulations are as follows:]
[① All items obtained and all value created by the Farmhand belong to the Farm Owner.]
[② The Farmhand may not leave the farm boundaries without the Farm Owner's permission, may not attack the Farm Owner, and may not disobey the Farm Owner's management commands (e.g., sleeping, waking up, working).]
[If there are any objections, please negotiate with the Farm Owner yourself.]
[Thank you for your contribution to the Farm's restoration!]
Suke's expression changed instantly.
___
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