starhuevalley | [Action] Look for the something necessities

1. Welcome to the Farm

For all that I was talking about settling down and growing some crops, I am not entirely certain I meant it.

[Chen regards the quaint farm, with its open fields and run-down greenhouse, from the fence gate -- one hand on his hip, the other still supporting the long staff he has slung over one shoulder, using its length as a lever to keep his massive keg upright.]

[Honestly, at his size, girth, and species, he can't help but stand out as something out of the ordinary.]

[At last he ventures on forward, taking the first step onto his new home.]

...Li Li would laugh at me, and then be bored. [That sentiment certainly brings a smile to his face.]

2. In Starhue Valley, Bear Welcome You!

[In a situation like this, there is only one thing to do: greet the neighbors!]

[So Chen sets out on a circuit around his farm and winding his way to every point of interest around, looking for people to say hello to. Out on the road? He's pacing his way over with a friendly hello. At home? Someone's knocking on your door! Out in your field hard at work? He's cheerfully vaulting the fence to approach.]

[...honestly that last one might be a little impressive.]

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[Chen can probably hear the calculations rolling through Scrooge's mind. On the one hand, he's retired, he's not interested in doing business. On the other hand, a horse would be useful for when his bad leg won't allow him to make the journey into town on foot. Or, at the very least, he could save up for a cellar that much quicker...]

You have five minutes to make your case or get out.

I need ingredients to brew beer. If you have some available, I will purchase them when the time comes that I need them.

[How's five seconds? Chen is never in a hurry, but he can cut to the chase when need be.]

This is a dairy farm. Unless you need milk or eggs to brew beer, you're fresh out of luck. Unless you want to buy some manure for fertilizer.

Actually, I know of at least two or three drinks I can make out of milk. If you are not familiar with them, that seems all the more reason for me to try -- it's quite an experience!

Alcohol. From milk.

[Skeptical duck is skeptical.]

Absolutely. It requires a culture which I will need to obtain, but that is of no matter. There are other recipes I can try, but if your skepticism is common, I believe I should stick to the more common creations first.

[Again, Chen can probably hear the calculations in his head.]

[On the one hand, it's a risk because he doesn't know the details.]

[On the other hand, beer will be common enough soon. A splash of something different could make a pretty penny to further fill the cave of coins. ~~He's not aiming to make a financial empire here, but old habits die hard.~~]

[He limps out of the house, shutting and locking the door behind himself, to sit on his front porch steps.]

All right, you've got my interest. Tell me more about this venture of yours.

Edited (One day I will stop editing.) 2018-07-21 15:13 (UTC)

It is honestly as simple as I have portrayed it. [Chen leans back against a support for the roof, letting himself sink down without having to lower his bulk under his own musclepower.] I can grow my own ingredients here, but there will be many I cannot grow, such as milk, or that I simply do not have space for.

I see. And what precisely is this particular brew that you'd be needing the milk for?

The drink is called 'kefir', though it may very well be known under other names. It is a fairly old one as these things go.

"Kefir". Now why does that sound familiar?

[He ponders this for a moment, but it seems that he only heard it in passing rather than knowing anything in particular about it.]

So other than the milk, what else would you need?

I will need to find the proper grains. That may prove difficult, but I have found stranger and rarer ingredients in my time. It is, as I understand, a bigger world than simply this valley.

And I take it you intend to grow these yourself.

[Because he's got a dairy farm to run. His vegetable garden is small for a reason.]

Oh, not in the least. The 'grains' in question are in fact yeast and a curious mixture that grows within them. I do not think I can make them, so I will need to find or purchase them.

Ha, but an excuse to have an adventure never goes wrong!

[Once, he would've agreed. But now all the mention of adventure does is make him sigh.]

You won't find any of that here. Though once you've got a supplier on that end, I can start seeing about delivering milk directly to you.

And I will in turn see that you get the pick of my first batch. [Chen claps his hands together, then rubs them in anticipation.] Excellent! It seems we will achieve great things!

Aye. I suppose so.

[Did he have brewery holdings back home? Bah. Didn't matter.]

Though I doubt I'll be samplin' much of what you'll be brewing. Depending on what you plan to price it as, I'll just be taking my cut.

Are you not a drinking man, then? Assuming that is the appropriate term. If there is another one, I would gladly hear it.

[Chen has met enough different creatures in his many travels that anxiety over such terms is out of the question.]

I'm not opposed to it, but it's an expensive habit. I'd rather drink on someone else's dime, not mine. If I do buy anything, I only drink the cheapest available.

I intend to make it affordable. I am not in this for the money, after all.

[Horrors!]

Good. More customers that way.

[And that means more product that can sell, resulting in higher profits. More money for the ~~Bin~~ Cave. Yay.]

So is that all you wanted to talk to me about?

I think that is the other way around. I am quite interested in getting to know the people here, and hearing their stories.

[Chen glances meaningfully at the signs which he had so brazenly ignored to get this far.]

But I have a funny feeling you do not much go for social calls. Call it a hunch.

Now why would you possibly think that?

[All the sarcasm ever.]

As for swappin' stories, I'll pass. All you need to know is that I run a small-time dairy farm to support me and my animals, alone.

That is quite all right. I have already learned much about you anyway. [Chen simply smiles. Stories do not always come from words, after all.]

Edited 2018-07-26 03:44 (UTC)

[Oh, yes, Scrooge knows that you can find out a lot from observing someone. Likely the panda figured out that he used to be a businessman.]

[Still...]

You can also find out a lot by reading but that didn't seem to stop you.

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