Kenan took a closer look at the garden in front of him. Definitely not large enough to fully grow the things that would keep them alive, but for now, this was a start. He was also trying his best not to think about his conversation with Kate. So without a doubt, he would be putting all of his attention into the task that was before him. In all honesty, it just seemed as if with Kate, he took one step forward and two steps backward.
But he couldn't blame her. No matter what anybody wanted to say, it couldn't have been easy for her to have seen him in such a state with her sister—regardless of the story behind it. But much more than that, Kenan was nervous. In his emotional state, he'd told Kate that he'd gone to kill her sister. Not that it was a lie, but that was a part of his life he'd wanted to keep buried forever. He had no idea how or what he could do or say when she came to confront him about that, because he wasn't sure he could keep lying to her about that part of him—about who and what he really was.
Kenan made his way to the pylon. A quick glance over it showed that not much had changed. They had 160 unallocated exp, but the exp generation seemed to have increased from 160 a day to 180. He suspected that was due to the quest they'd completed, but it was so annoying how there wasn't really an instruction manual to go with all of this. The system was an enigma, but he hoped one way or another, he'd be able to learn everything he needed to learn so they didn't get caught off guard.
There was a new entry in the pylon's store—a storage cube of some sort. It cost 300 exp, and while Kenan felt buying it would definitely be important, he wasn't exactly here for that. He quickly purchased that random bag of seeds for 10 exp, then returned to the garden.
The options to level the garden up were also quite tempting, if he was being honest. But he'd already learned the value of actually trying things out. The exp they had was finite and the most precious resource on hand. Their survival depended on it, so unless it was absolutely necessary, he had no intention of spending it without due diligence. He focused his attention on the garden. The soil was dark and rich—for that, he was thankful, since he didn't have to worry about whether it was fertile or not.
He turned his attention to the seeds—the blue corn-like seeds and the random seed bag, which held... what seemed to be some sort of watermelon seeds? Kenan suspected none of the seeds he currently had access to remotely resembled anything on Earth. But ultimately, he didn't think the system would have given them something that wasn't edible. Besides, this was a new world—the plants and wildlife here were probably all different from what he was used to.
Now the question that remained was, which seed was he going to plant? The strange watermelon seeds or the blue corn seeds? And then there was the question of how long it was going to take for them to actually germinate and reach full maturity. He grunted softly. There was no need to think so hard about it—they either grew or they didn't. Besides, there was magic now. No telling what would happen. So he got started. The patch of fertile earth that was the garden wasn't that large in the first place, so it didn't take him long to place the seeds evenly, making sure to give enough space so the plants would get enough nutrients.
After he was done, he suddenly felt the urge to water the plants. Usually that wasn't done as soon as a seed was planted, but he got the watering can and moved to the well. It was while he was filling it up that Kate, who had seemingly locked herself in the cabin since his outburst a few minutes ago, came outside. They locked eyes for a second before Kenan looked away. At this point in time, they both needed space—her more than him—to figure out just what was going on with them. Kenan had already given her his truth, everything he believed or understood about what had happened between him and her sister. It was up to her now to come to terms with it.
Kenan walked back to the garden and slowly sprinkled water over the seeds he'd just planted. He didn't stand there long, given how small the garden was, but in those few moments, there was something almost therapeutic about watering those seeds. Something... good about caring for and trying to propagate life. Just as he finished watering them, the pylon let out a ping as a notification screen popped up. Kenan walked up to it, meeting Kate there as she'd also been drawn by the sound.
[You Have Planted Bonnet Corn! Time until Maturity: 3 months and 5 days! Spend 30 exp to Reduce Maturity Period to 1 day]
Kenan blinked. He'd suspected that perhaps something like this would happen, but he hadn't been a hundred percent sure. He turned to Kate.
"From the look of things, it seems we can actually grow things really quickly if we spend exp. As long as we can get more seeds and expand the garden, I don't think food will be our problem."
Kate, for a moment, wasn't sure how to respond. Kenan had just spoken out of the blue, acting like there was no tension between the both of them. It did catch her off guard, especially since she had so many things she wanted to say to him but had no idea where to start.
"That's good for us, right? I mean, if you want to look at it objectively, it means anything else we have to deal with, we can use exp to solve it. Shame we're not sitting on a mountain of it, though. I'd imagine we could get a lot done, or even be free of this damn place if we had enough exp," she quipped.
If Kenan was going to ignore the elephant in the room and talk like nothing was wrong, then she'd do the same. Because if she was being honest with herself, she had no idea how to start this conversation with Kenan—no idea how to confront him about his words, his intent, or his past. So perhaps it would be better if they both just focused on their survival.
"If it's going to take a day to grow, then I assume we'll be completing the quest tomorrow. The only problem I have is the quest about raising the pylon to level two. I don't know how we're going to do that without fighting. It doesn't seem like there are nearly enough things around that can help us generate the exp needed to raise the pylon's level," Kenan observed.
Kate ran a hand through her hair. "I've actually been giving that a lot of thought, and I think perhaps the solution lies in the structures. We can't fight yet until all quests are complete, so the exp we have on hand should be spent toward leveling up the pylon—or rather, the structures. I think they are the reason the pylon can passively generate exp every day. If we can raise that rate of generation, then we'll have everything we need. We just have to... live here, I guess."
Kate had a point. Kenan couldn't deny that, if for nothing else than the fact that they had no other clues or options about what to do. He nodded at her.
"Let's check the pylon stats and see if there are any changes. I skipped most of the information while I was buying the extra seed."
Kate returned Kenan's nod, an awkward expression on both their faces as they shifted their attention back to the pylon.
Pylon Level: 1 (0/10,000)
Unallocated EXP: 160
EXP Generated / Day: 180
Territory:
• Clearing Size: 110 meters (round)
Structures:
• Cabin: Level 0 (5/10) 10 exp/day
• Well: Level 0 (2/10) 10 exp/day
• Garden: Level 0 (5/10) 10 exp/day
• Latrine: Level 0 (4/10) 10 exp/day
System Store:
• Daily Item Slots: 3
• Item Rank: Basic
• Items: 1-Basic Bed (50 exp) / Random Seed Bag (10 exp) Sold Out / 9x Storage Cube (300 exp)
Corruption Index: Hidden
"The structures gained exp?" Kate asked in surprise. She turned to Kenan. "Did you add any exp to them?"
Kenan shook his head in denial. "I didn't. However, I do think these values are there because we've been using them."
"Which means the more we use them, the more they'll continue to gain experience and level up."
Kenan nodded, his eyes focused while his mind seemed to work at a mile a minute. "This solves a lot of our problems and frees up the exp for us to put to use for other things. It's just like our skills leveling up from use and practice. The structures also level up from use. I wonder if there's a way to make the values increase faster? If there's anything we need to worry about, it's how to ensure we keep getting as much exp as possible."
"Well, I have a theory, but I'm not sure about it yet," Kate replied. She moved the stat page to change to the quest about them consummating their marriage.
"I think we're in some Sims-like simulation or something. Remember the game where you work, get married, clean your house, and stuff? I think it's the same. While we have to defend against those monsters occasionally, I think the real reason we're here isn't to fight... it's to be the system's perfect little Sims character. In order to get more exp and leave this place faster, we have to live, Keys. We have to make this place our home, make it our life. Then and only then will we get the chance to be free of it." She paused, her voice dropping softer. "We have to make this place a home."