Time flew by, and over a month passed.
Summer, Day 28. Sunday. Weather: Overcast. 1:40 PM.
The Bluegrass Hills, Mine Floor 119.
Smash!
Daeron swung his pickaxe one last time. The red rock shattered, revealing the ladder to the next floor.
Without hesitation, he climbed down.
The moment his silver hair disappeared down the shaft, the cavern behind him was left in ruins, littered with the still-dissolving black energy residue of several slain Shadow Brutes.
Daeron had cleared the mines!
Floor 120.
The narrow space was characteristic of a treasure chest floor. On either side stood eerie stone pillars entwined with green and red serpent statues, looking like an altar sealing away some ancient terror.
Creeeak!
The red treasure chest opened, and a Skull Key floated up from inside.
Immediately, the system panel provided a prompt:
[You found a Skull Key! You aren't sure what it's for, but it looks important. It has been added to your wallet.]
Daeron caught his breath.
"Finally got the Skull Key," he said.
He knew exactly what the Skull Key was for.
In Stardew Valley, once the farmer repaired the bus and traveled to the Calico Desert, this key was used to unlock the desert-exclusive Skull Cavern.
It was essentially an upgraded version of the regular mines.
Serpents, Mummies, Iridium Bats, Pepper Rexes—
All sorts of powerful monsters were unlocked inside the Skull Cavern.
But the cavern also offered rewards the regular mines didn't have.
Every time you entered, the Skull Cavern reset from floor 0. The deeper you went, the higher the chance of encountering treasure chest floors, which could yield incredibly rare items.
Like the Auto-Petter.
It was a machine you could place in a Coop or Barn to pet the animals for you, steadily increasing their friendship levels.
At the same time, the depths of the Skull Cavern held a scarce resource not found in the regular mines: Iridium Ore. Iridium Bars, smelted from the ore, were essential for upgrading tools and constructing advanced buildings.
Things like Warp Totems and Junimo Huts.
"Now that I have the Skull Key, I just need to figure out where the Calico Desert is."
Daeron figured it had to be somewhere in the Dornish desert.
As he thought about it, the system panel updated.
Under the Special Abilities & Items tab, the Skull Key appeared.
Forest Magic was no longer alone on the list.
The panel also issued a new quest:
[The Mystery of the Stardrops: You found a strange key at the bottom of the mines.]
Objective: Discover the purpose of the Skull Key.
Ever since the beginner tutorial quests ended, the quest log rarely updated.
This only strengthened Daeron's resolve to find the Skull Cavern.
"But I have to hold off for now. I even have a Prismatic Shard, but I still can't trade it for the Galaxy Sword."
Right after upgrading to the Gold Pickaxe, the first thing he did was smash the Meteorite.
It dropped a Prismatic Shard, six Iridium Ores, a pile of coal, and several Omni Geodes.
Normally, after getting your first Prismatic Shard, you'd head to the Calico Desert, find the Altar of Yoba, and offer the shard to receive the Galaxy Sword.
But he didn't know the dangers of the Dornish desert, nor could he pinpoint the Calico Desert's exact location.
Without a reliable guide, the Dornish desert was a death trap.
"The Young Dragon," King Daeron I, had unparalleled military prowess, but when his army got bogged down fighting the Dornishmen in the desert, they were ground to dust by the sand and wind.
Daeron wasn't about to risk his life.
Of course, the more pressing issue was that with his current strength, going into the Skull Cavern was just asking for a beatdown.
Even when playing the game, he hated going to the Skull Cavern.
Nine times out of ten, he'd get knocked out and lose a ton of items and gold.
"That's all too far in the future. Let's look at the loot right in front of me."
Daeron opened his inventory, and a smooth, round, brown seed appeared.
Ancient Seed: "Could it still grow?"
!!
Daeron was ecstatic. He held the Ancient Seed and kissed it twice.
Once the Ancient Seed artifact was processed into a plantable pack of Ancient Seeds, it would grow Stardew Valley's ultimate crop: the Ancient Fruit.
While its base sell price was slightly lower than Starfruit, its true value lay in the fact that once planted, it continually produced fruit, creating a perpetual harvest.
Whether sold raw or brewed into wine, Ancient Fruit generated massive profits.
Daeron carefully put the Ancient Seed away and checked the rest of his inventory.
The floor 110 treasure chest reward: a pair of Space Boots.
Space Boots: "Defense +4, Immunity +4."
They essentially combined the full effects of the Crabshell Ring and the Immunity Band.
They were one of the absolute best defensive items in Stardew Valley.
In addition, he had found Dwarf Scrolls I, II, and III, a Lead Mace, a Bone Sword, and various gems.
He had a mix of tools, special weapons, and minerals.
Daeron paid special attention to the Dwarf Scrolls and noticed he was still missing the fourth volume.
"I have multiple copies of the first three scrolls, but the fourth one just refuses to drop," he said with a sigh.
Collecting all four Dwarf Scrolls and donating them to the Museum rewarded the Dwarvish Translation Guide.
This allowed you to understand Dwarvish.
But the four Dwarf Scrolls were distributed across the 120 floors of the mines based on monster drops and tilling dirt. Collecting them all required relentless grinding and a bit of luck.
"Oh well. Clearing the mines and finding the Ancient Seed is already a massive haul."
Daeron was more than satisfied. He packed up his loot and left the mines.
Back at the farm.
Daeron donated the Ancient Seed artifact and a few other items to the Museum (via the Shipping Bin), unlocked the plantable Ancient Seed recipe, and received his first pack of Ancient Seeds.
"Should I plant it?"
Daeron tilled a new spot of soil and sprinkled some Basic Fertilizer, but then he hesitated.
Normally, if you found an Ancient Seed in year one, you'd plant it outside, keep harvesting the Ancient Fruit, and run them through a Seed Maker to multiply your seeds.
By the time you unlocked the Greenhouse, you'd have a nice stockpile of Ancient Seeds ready to go—a perfect setup.
Daeron opened his status panel.
[Farmer: Daeron Targaryen]
Farming: Level 10 (Tiller, Artisan)
Mining: Level 9 (Miner)
Foraging: Level 10 (Gatherer, Lumberjack)
Fishing: Level 10 (Fisher, Pirate)
Combat: Level 8 (Fighter)
At the bottom of the panel, an extra note indicated that in the Summer of Year 3 in Stardew Valley, he had eaten a Stardrop.
Daeron thought it over.
"I can't plant it now," he muttered.
The Community Center bundles required to unlock the Greenhouse were almost complete. Unlocking it by Year 3 certainly wasn't considered a speedrun.
It was better to wait for the Greenhouse to unlock and plant it directly inside.
Note: "The Greenhouse ignores seasonal restrictions and is immune to crow attacks, lightning strikes, and fairy events."
"Tomorrow is the change of seasons. I'll worry about this later."
Daeron quickly tidied up and started preparing for tonight's Dance of the Moonlight Jellies.
Summer, Day 28. The Dance of the Moonlight Jellies.
The premise of the festival was that everyone gathered at the beach on the east coast to watch the moonlight jellies migrate, serving as a farewell to summer.
But Daeron had discovered something deeper about it.
Nighttime, 11:30 PM.
Daeron returned to the cabin, pulled the covers over his head, and went to sleep.
The Dance of the Moonlight Jellies festival was complete!
He had invited Shaena, Elia, Cersei, and a crowd of his followers to attend the festival, treating them to the breathtakingly beautiful migration of the moonlight jellies.
During the event, he felt a surge of magic.
Howland and the witch, who had also attended the festival, gave him a few hints.
The moonlight jellies were a newly emerged, special species that migrated along currents of magic, always seeking out better environments to survive.
The fact that they could travel back and forth to the east coast beach every year meant that the Prince's territory was brimming with magic.
The "things" Daeron was looking for would also be drawn to his territory.
They just needed a little nudge.
Early morning, 2:00 AM.
Under the veil of night, three dragons were curled up in the southeast corner of the farm. Their massive bodies reflected red, diamond-blue, and spectral hues in the moonlight.
"Skreee?"
Caraxes suddenly lifted his head. Doubt flashed in his molten-gold, slitted eyes as he looked toward the cabin where his rider slept.
But he didn't move, resting his head back onto the grass.
Daeron had given strict orders: no flying around at night.
They would scare away some of the guests.
Inside the cabin.
Daeron was deep in sleep. In his dreams, a little green apple bounded out of a thick white fog.
A Junimo!
"Squeak, squeak—"
The green Junimo waved its stick-like arms, chattering away somewhat nervously.
Daeron was groggy in the dream, but he understood perfectly.
The little Junimo was introducing itself. Its name was Apple.
And Apple lived up to its name.
Junimo Apple explained that they weren't a species native to Westeros. They had suddenly appeared on the continent when the Red Comet arrived.
Before Daeron started the farm, they had been bullied and forced to live as nomads with no safe place to call home.
Daeron strongly suspected the ones bullying them were the Children of the Forest.
Both were spirits of nature; they were direct competition for the same ecological niche.
"Squeak, squeak—"
Apple pointed outside the cabin, explaining that the three dragons were absolutely terrifying. It was why, even after wandering into the Prince's territory, they hadn't dared to show themselves to Daeron.
Even now, they didn't dare manifest physically.
The dragons' innate fire magic would severely hurt the tiny Junimos.
"Squeak, squeak—"
Changing the subject, Apple brought up the Community Center bundles.
Once Daeron completed all the bundles, and the Junimos gathered all the required crops and items, they would fully acclimate to Westeros. They could then put down roots in the Prince's territory without fear of being bullied again.
They also promised that they were a harmless species. They wouldn't appear in front of normal people or interfere with reality.
And in return for Daeron completing the bundles, they would provide the corresponding rewards.
For example—
Poof!
The crisp sound of a hammer striking wood echoed across the farm. On the ruins of the greenhouse next to the waterfall, two or three Junimos of different colors suddenly appeared out of thin air.
The Junimos waved their stick-like limbs, their invisible mouths murmuring an incantation.
A brilliant flash of light swept over the area.
In the blink of an eye, the Greenhouse stood completely restored, as good as new.
"Squeak, squeak—"
Apple proudly put its hands on its hips, explaining that while the Greenhouse bundle was still missing a few fruits, they could unlock it for Daeron in advance. He just needed to provide the missing fruits later.
Daeron was delighted and reached out to pet the little apple.
"Thank you," he said.
But his hand passed right through.
After repairing the Greenhouse, Apple was visibly exhausted. It waved its stick-like arms and said in Dwarvish/Junimo, "Goodbye—Farmer."
Then, with a little pop, it vanished from the dream.
The next day.
Fall, Day 1. Monday. Weather: Sunny. 10:00 AM.
In front of the cabin.
The 28 Quality Sprinklers had finished their morning watering. Green sprouts poked through the tilled soil—the newly planted Pumpkin Seeds.
"Cluck cluck— Moo— Baa—"
Out of the Coop and Barn, chickens, ducks, cows, sheep, and pigs strolled out to graze on the blue grass, looking impossibly relaxed.
Inside the Greenhouse.
Daeron planted his Ancient Seed. While he was at it, he planted an Orange Sapling—which he had redeemed using a Prize Ticket—on the tiled border of the room.
Prize Tickets were rewards earned from completing tasks on the quest board once it was unlocked.
Each ticket could be exchanged for one prize.
The Orange Sapling had been one of them.
"Perfect. The great wine-making empire takes its first steps."
Daeron dusted off his hands, beyond satisfied.
Out on the farm, on the untillable grassy areas, he had already planted a small forest of Oak Trees.
Many of them had Tappers attached, slowly producing Oak Resin.
At the base of the oak trees, he had placed newly crafted Mushroom Logs, which periodically grew various types of mushrooms.
Daeron hadn't forgotten: he needed to harvest mushrooms to craft Life Elixirs.