The morning sun had increased in both brightness and heat as afternoon drew closer.
After the twin left, Ragnar decided to stroll around the settlement a little bit to observe and understand its layout. Only after understanding its layout would he be able to devise means to develop it.
After the storage house, there was a large plot of severely infertile land where even the grass that could survive the worst conditions found it difficult to grow.
Strolling past the barren plot, which took around five minutes to complete, Ragnar arrived at the farmlands where the adult men and some little children could be seen working tirelessly.
He even spotted Noah assisting an elderly man on his farm. Noah dug small holes in the ground, and the old man placed the seeds inside.
When Noah spotted him, he called and waved.
Ragnar smiled and waved back at him.
The other farmers halted their tasks and waved at Ragnar with smiles on their faces.
|| Urgent Quest has been triggered ||
Urgent Quest: Speak with your farmers
Reward: 25 XP, improved relationships with all the farmers.
Penalty: Scorn from all farmers.
Hearing the urgent quest, Ragnar, who had made up his mind earlier to stroll past the farmers as fast as he could to avoid conversation, was forced to stroll into the farmlands and have the same conversation he was trying to avoid.
"Ragnar, how are you doing today?"
"Ragnar, your speech last night was incredible. I slept with a smile on my face for the first time in several years."
"Kiddo, have you eaten? My watermelons have matured, come and have a taste of my harvest."
The farmers were easygoing. When he walked past them, they praised him and even offered to gift him some of their harvests.
"Thank you, sir, your farm looks really green."
"I would love some watermelon, thank you. May the ancestors increase the fertility of your land."
"Wow, look at those fine grains. Our people won’t starve because of your hard work, may the ancestors bless you."
Ragnar spoke to all the farmers with a smile on his face. He praised and commented on their hard work, brightening their moods as well as the smiles on their faces.
When Ragnar arrived in front of Noah and the old man, he also offered his praises.
Nevertheless, the old man flashed him a warm smile and asked him to wait.
Ragnar halted in front of the two of them. The old man placed his hand inside his robe pocket, produced an expensive, elegant star-shaped gold pendant of remarkable design, and passed it carefully to Ragnar.
"Ragnar, this is a good-luck charm passed down from my grandfather, who was a great enchanter. It has been in my family for so many years. One time, I almost died after slipping on banana peels, but this precious charm miraculously saved me from the claws of death," the old man introduced as he passed the item to Ragnar.
Ragnar held the star-shaped pendant in his hands and observed its intricate designs. He could tell just how valuable and special the item was with a simple glance.
He could not help but wonder what kind of rewards he would get from offering it as a sacrifice.
’If I accept something this valuable at once, it would look awkward. Let me act like those righteous protagonist and try giving it back,’ thought Ragnar.
He turned to the elderly man.
"This looks really valuable, sir. I cannot accept it. Also, a good-luck charm would help boost the fertility of your farmlands," he said, stretching out his hands to give it back.
One would think he was trying to be kind, but his heart fervently prayed that the old man would reject it.
Thankfully, the elderly man pushed it back gently and smiled at him before saying, "If you have the good-luck charm, your good luck will reflect on the entire village, so it is better in your possession than with me. Also, stop addressing me as ’sir’, call me Old Man James instead."
Ragnar sighed inwardly and flashed a grateful smile at the old man. "Old Man James, thank you for this precious gift, I will cherish it with my life!"
"Haha, no need, no need. As long as it’s in your possession, I’ll have peace of mind, and even if I die right now, I will die with no regret," Old Man James said with a wide smile, the wrinkles on his face becoming more visible.
Hearing the old man speak of death, a frown appeared on Noah’s face that only Ragnar noticed.
’He didn’t react when Merlina spoke about the death of his parents, but he is reacting for Old Man James?’ Ragnar wondered.
Ragnar thanked Old Man James once again for the gift and bade both of them farewell.
Then he continued his stroll and greeted the other farmers, most of them tried offering him gifts, but unlike Old Man James, they all offered their farm produce.
After Ragnar was done greeting all the farmers, Onyx’s voice appeared, announcing his quest success.
|| URGENT QUEST: Speak with the Farmers has been completed, 25 XP has been awarded, your familiarity with the farmers has deepened ||
Ragnar ignored the notification as he bade everyone farewell and strolled out of the farmlands.
He brought out the good-luck charm and observed it once more.
"I wonder what sort of rewards I would get from sacrificing this," he muttered. "Onyx, this gold pendant looks really valuable. What item grade is it?"
|| Running analysis... ||
Item: Low-grade luck-improving pendant; Increases the luck of its holder by 12%
Grade: 1-star (High-tier)
NOTE: Rewards from this grade are significantly high, considering host current level
Seeing the analysis, a smile appeared on his face, and he prepared to activate his innate skill for the first time.
"Nice... Sacrifice!!"
DEATHSKETCHER:- Do not forget to leave comments and drop power stones. If we can reach 40 power stones before reset today, I’ll drop 2 extra Chapters!