(Thanks for all the support so far. Since we've reached the Powerstone goal twofold now, here's the second Bonus Chapter as thanks^^)
Inside the manor estate, a pair of hands pushed open the exquisitely carved wooden door. A well-dressed middle-aged male elf entered the room.
"Clara... Clara..."
Soft calls whispered in her ear!
Clara was somewhat puzzled. She exited the Dreamscape.
"Huh! Dad, you're back!"
Count Charles looked at his daughter lovingly.
Ever since his wife passed away, he'd thrown himself into his work. It had been ages since he'd spent time with his daughter.
Nearly two hundred years old before having Clara, after his wife passed, he never remarried.
But today, he'd specifically postponed all business matters, planning to come home and properly spend time with Clara.
"Hahaha, Sweetie! Did you miss your dad?"
"This time I specifically took time off to be with you!"
Clara pouted.
"Not one bit. Dad, please leave. I'm very busy right now." She still needed to return to the farm to water crops.
Charles's heart instantly sank.
His little princess seemed to have truly deflated, as she didn't even want to acknowledge him anymore.
'Sigh! It's all my fault for being preoccupied with work, neglecting you.'
"Clara, it's all my fault. I've neglected you for so long, now you have the right to ignore me too!"
"Dad... I'm really busy right now. I still need to farm."
"Farm??? Farm what?"
Charles was somewhat confused.
"We're nobility! Farming is something commoners do!"
He said with slight sternness.
"Ugh, you wouldn't understand even if I told you. Just go busy yourself, Dad!"
Pain!
Heartache!
Watching his daughter shoo him away, Charles felt like he failed as a father completely. He felt like it was all his fault for neglecting her. Now she didn't want anything to do with him anymore.
This couldn't continue. He had to find a way to remedy this.
"Drew, what happened? Why does my daughter hate me now"
He urgently wanted to know what was going on.
"My lord, you must be mistaken."
"Mistaken? What's going on?"
"Recently, Miss Clara has become obsessed with a dream game called Stardew Valley. She doesn't hate you!"
The butler was somewhat helpless, having to explain her obsession to Charles.
"Stardew Valley? A dream game has that much appeal?"
"My lord, you don't know, recently..."
The butler explained in detail what had happened recently to Charles.
From Plants vs Zombies to Stardew Valley, down to the smallest detail about how their young lady became obsessed with it.
"So that's it!"
Charles paused, thoughtful.
"Ok, go out right now and immediately buy me a Moonstone of that... what's it called, Stardew Valley."
"Yes, my lord."
The butler moved quickly. Before long, an exquisitely crafted Moonstone appeared before Charles.
He picked up the Moonstone and activated it directly.
"Ding!"
"Your friend requests to join..."
Another sunny day.
Clara was currently working hard tending the fields.
The town had many residents. Thanks to Alto's optimization, these residents all had a very capable AI and were no longer just rigid NPCs.
And Clara, in particular, loved chatting with them.
Giving them gifts was naturally very important too, but she didn't like fishing. Mining was even more out of the question, looking at that pitch-black mine made her anxious. She didn't dare go down at all.
So her money-making could only rely on farming and foraging outdoors.
Plus, these crops not only sold for money, but some could also be used to gift residents and raise friendship levels.
So every morning she'd plant vegetables and water the fields.
Sometimes, if she rushed out, she'd make up for it when returning at night.
Right now, she stood in a large field, watering her crops.
Seeing the request prompt, she immediately knew her dad had arrived.
"Clara, you did all this?"
Charles currently stood at the farm entrance, looking at the large expanse of neatly arranged crops.
He felt somewhat incredulous.
Seeing Clara busy on the farm, like a little sprite among the flowers, no, she was already an adult.
Then seeing those legs, disabled in reality, in the dream world, perfectly healthy...
Charles's eyes reddened slightly. His emotions got the better of him.
"Dad, what are you spacing out for?"
Clara waved at Charles.
"Nothing, Clara. I just remembered something... Is this farm yours?"
Charles looked at his daughter with a loving gaze.
"Yeah, obviously. Quick, come help! I still have tons of fields to water!"
Clara pulled her dad into the fields, explaining some important points and how to use the tools.
Then Charles slowly got to work.
"Ugh, you're way too slow! You can stand in the middle of nine plots, that way you can water nine plots without moving!"
"Oh oh oh! So that's how it works."
"Is this big radish ready to harvest? There's a 'harvestable' label appearing?"
"That's not a radish, that's parsnips!"
"Some crops are already mature; you need to collect them, then put them in the box by the door."
Charles was now like a doting father, carefully working under his precious daughter's instructions.
"Alright, Dad, I've told you all the basics. The farm's yours now. Today's the Flower Dance, I'm going to town to play!"
"Bye, Dad!"
Watching his daughter skip away, Charles showed a gratified smile. He'd never seen Clara this happy before.
This even sparked some fondness toward the creator of this Stardew Valley in him.
Clara arrived at Pelican Town, discovering people all heading toward the southwest forest direction.
Every year, the Flower Dance was held in Cindersap Forest.
The venue had been set up early. Right now, Pelican Town's residents had all entered, looking exceptionally lively.
People gathered in small groups, chatting.
Clara excitedly looked everywhere.
"Hello, Clara!"
"Hello, Auntie Caroline!"
"Haley, you look so beautiful today!"
"You too, Clara."
"Hello, Mayor Lewis!"
"Oh, Clara's here! Ahaha!"
She didn't know why, but ever since Clara saw Mayor Lewis and Auntie Marnie looking for the lost kitten together last time, Mayor Lewis seemed slightly awkward every time he saw Clara.
Seeing that most people had arrived, Lewis straightened his clothes and began speaking.
"Since everyone's gathered... Then I declare this year's Pelican Town Flower Dance has now officially started!"
As Mayor Lewis finished his announcement, the crowd erupted in cheers.