Chapter 246: 1.5-27

In Haven Online, crops can begin to wither because of various reasons, and Xinya knew this to be a fact. The most common causes would be if the plants were exposed to environmental stresses such as lack of water, fertilization or if they were not harvested in the allotted time.

However, there had to be something more to the deterioration of these plants. It would be ridiculous for Xinya to assume that it was as simple as farmers forgetting to water their crops.

For one, if he understood what old man Tan had said, this was happening to professional farmers with businesses to run. So they would definitely not forget to take care of their land.

Secondly, Xinya knew that unless the farmers worked in a glacial or desert environment, the ingame climate would not be a major factor in their crops' growth. There had to be something more going on, but it was the 'what' that was eluding him.

What the old man described sounded so familiar; it was like he heard or read about it before. But the memory of it just kept escaping through the recesses of his mind. 'Come on, Xinya, think! Whatever it is must be very important. I'm sure it has something to do with the game...'

Out of nowhere, the answer came to him like sunlight piercing through clouds on a rainy day. If he had been alone at that very moment, he would have slapped himself. He couldn't believe that he had forgotten about the 2nd mini-update trigger quest.

The details about it came flooding into his mind, and he knew that the withering was just the beginning of the terrible things that would start to happen.

Thankfully, this withering of produce wouldn't touch Arkala; no, this plague will only affect the towns in Haven's rural areas.

After the Tall Man failed to conquer Errinisworth, the other Tall Man monsters that were stationed in the other major towns of Haven were destroyed. This caused the leader of monsters to rethink its plan.

This time it decided to begin small and take over areas where there are fewer people. So it sent a monster similar to the Tall Man to do the job, and the first step of this new monster's plan involved the withering of the crops.

Xinya knew that he would have to take care of this problem soon because it could affect the town's trading economy if it became too bad. 'I will go in three weeks when things are kind of sorted here.'

So immersed in his thoughts, Xinya wouldn't have noticed that they arrived at the center of the town if it wasn't for Mr. Tan speaking up.

"This is where I have to leave you. My daughter's store is on the west side of town, quite far from the library where you said you were heading," stated Mr. Tan as he shifted his hand inside of the satchel that was tied to his waist. Pulling out a metal pin with an emblem of a cornstalk on it, he handed it to Xinya. "Take this; it will show everyone that you are my apprentice."

[You have received an apprentice emblem!]

After getting down from the wagon, Xinya took the shiny metal pin from the old man's calloused fingers and began to examine it. It was beautifully detailed, and the quality of the workmanship was terrific. Xinya could only wonder where the old man had it crafted.

"Wow, that pin sure is nice," Melting Snow said, as he stared at it from Xinya's side.

Seeing the awed look on both of the lad's faces as they examined the pin, Mr. Tan couldn't help but feel proud; it had taken his wife days to create it for him, but it was worth it with how wonderful it turned out.

Mr. Tan never thought he would be able to use it, and as he watched the green-haired boy pin it to his trousers, he knew that his wife would be happy that it would no longer be sitting on the bottom of his bag collecting dust.

"Beautiful isn't it, but it isn't just for looks; it will show individual shop owners that you are my apprentice. It won't matter in most shops, but if you go to Nóngyè shāngchǎng, the best store for farming equipment, and tell Wen Gui that I sent you. He will give you a 35% discount on all of the items you need to buy."

'Sometimes I really love my luck,' Xinya thought while taking a glance over to Melting Snow, who was still admiring his pin. "Thank you so much, Mr. Tan, for all your help, I don't know what to say."

"You don't need to thank me, is you hadn't saved my Píngguǒ, I would have been heartbroken. What you did for me and what I'm doing for you can't compare," Mr. Tan told him.

Hearing the truth in the old man's words, Xinya just nodded, giving the man a gentle smile.

Just as the old man was about to give the reins a snap so he could continue on to his daughter's shop, he remembered something very important.

"Oh, before I forget," The old man said, digging inside of his satchel once again for something. "Here is my farm's address; meet me there at sun up, and I will start training you in the basics."

After taking the small yellow business card with flowers all over it from the man's hand, Xinya gave it a once-over before sending the man a strange look.

"I know what you're thinking, but my daughter made the business cards for me," Mr. Tan sighed, giving Xinya a look of 'What could I do?.'

Grabbing the card out of Xinya's hand, Melting Snow looked it over. He didn't see anything wrong with it; although it was a bit girly, it was way better than the boring ones his brother uses. "I like it! It's very cheerful and would make me think that the person who gave it to me is a nice guy."

"Well, I do like to think that I'm a nice guy," Mr. Tan laughed heartily. He really liked how sweet and bubbly the wolf boy was. He hopes that Drifting Cloud will bring him along when he comes over tomorrow.