The crops on the Bakersfield farm had been watered. This left Alexei enough time to focus on other parts of the farm, but the young man considered getting a sprinkler system at some point. Having to wake up every morning to water the crops had become such a tedious chore and it would have been better to spend his energy elsewhere. Until then, he would have to make do as he lifted his pickaxe from his shoulder and took a crack at a large pile of stone in the way.

Trying to traverse throughout the farm was a difficult matter of itself since it involved chopping trees and wood. However, the stones were much worse with his pickaxe in no shape to properly remove the larger ones. Thankfully, he learned that the town had a blacksmith who could improve his tools for a price and provided him the materials as well.

When he cleared a small set of stones from becoming a problem, a jolt of pain reverberated throughout his whole body. His pickaxe kicked up dust from the ground as his hand tried to comfort the area where he pulled a muscle. There were many words in his dictionary where he could react to anything; however, Alexei needed to be blunt with this situation. "Fuck!" Hopefully, this wouldn't be permanent, but he needed to get an appointment with the town's doctor. Maybe he could recommend something for this.

The pain ached as he walked through the opening to see more of his farm. He'll have to do a better job of using his pickaxe to prevent this from happening. As he reached the other side, he found himself walking up a stone staircase that led up to an elevated position on his farm. Yet, there was something here that seemed different from the rest of the farm.

A shrine was built into the side of a hill as unlit waxed candles were placed in these slots. Whatever it was, it seemed to have some strange writings he could not read. However, there was a detail that seemed out of place for the shrine - a letter that had managed to be away from the elements.

He approached the shrine to open its contents. The words it relayed had surprised the former cavalry officer. The person who made this letter had written this directly to his grandson - which meant only one thing - Alexei. Apparently, the grandfather he knew very little of had written that he would return to this world on his third year to see how he had been doing since the move in on the farm. Such an idea that his grandfather would rise from the grave would sound preposterous to any sensible person and it made him question the kind of person his grandfather was when he had been alive.

The letter also managed to reveal some of his grandfather's secrets to him. If Alexei was to have the farm to himself, he deserved to know about the secret cellar underneath his cabin to where he could get his inheritance in the form of unused money. The more he read into this, it turns out there were directions and schematics on where he could precisely get his hands on his new funds. Although he questioned his grandfather's eccentricities, it was somewhat comforting he had left enough money for his grandson.

Alexei immediately slipped this newly acquired letter into his pockets and remembered to check for mail. He carefully grabbed his tools off the ground and went back to his cabin after traversing past the boulders, fallen trees, and bridges. When he arrived at his mailbox, there was apparently a letter meant for him. This one came from the town's fisherman who wanted to have a word with him at the beach. He'll have to check that matter out once he checked for his grandfather's secret stash.

His tools were left outside of the house as he walked into the cabin and looked around to see where he could find his money. Then he grabbed the carpet off the ground and tried to move it away, but he could see a discrepancy that the rug was placed beside his bed for a good reason. It appeared to be a wooden hatch with an iron handle for him to pull up.

When he opened the hatch, the young man was met with an immediate light flickering underneath his house. Unlike the wooden cabin's simplicity, the cellar was nothing he had expected. He climbed down the ladder to find cobwebs and dust-covered glass containers with jewelry placed inside. This was less of a cellar and more like a secret room that one could expect from spy films. Perhaps there was more to his grandfather than a simple farmer from the Ferngill Republic.

Alexei entered the medical clinic to find a dark-skinned girl waiting behind a counter. She took a quick glance at him before it was followed by a smile. "Hello, there. What can I do for you?"

He approached the counter with his hand pressed against his back. "I seem to be getting back pain for using my pickaxe."

"Back pain? Give me a moment." She immediately focused on her computer and started typing information through the keyboard. "Harvey is not available for any appointments today, but we can check things out tomorrow. Is that okay with you?"

The farmer nodded his head. "Yes, I'll be fine with that."

"Tell me, how is the pain? Is it too much for you to handle?"

"Well, I came here to ask if I can get some medication in the meantime. Something to ease the pain until then."

Once the woman was given the information, she quickly reached under the counter and placed a bottle for him. "The muscle remedy will help deal with back pain, but take it before you go to sleep. It should help."

Now it was time to tackle the practical issue. "How much for the medication?"

"One thousand. That is it."

He nodded his head before reaching into his wallet and pulled out the amount required to pay it off. Once the transaction was complete, he slipped the bottle into his pockets and decided to become informal in this discussion. "What's your name?"

She seemed surprised by the question, but she spoke nonetheless. "My name is Maru, I'm Harvey's assistant at the clinic. Why do you ask?"

"I just want to properly thank you for this." He answered before departing from the clinic.

When Alexei walked out, he made his way towards the beaches south of the town as he noticed that one girl walking accompanying two children. The little boy beside her was quick to walk up to him. "Hey, mister. I heard you're the new farmer. My name's Vincent, it's nice to meet you."

Strange how this moment made him miss his innocent days as a child. Now he had the opportunity to entertain the boy for a moment. "I am Alexei, what's a young man like you doing today?"

He stole a quick glance from the adult escorting them before smiling. "Ms. Penny is bringing Jas and me to the museum for school. Where are you going?"

"To the beach." The farmer replied. "Someone named Willy wanted to see me."

"The fisherman? I hope you don't catch his icky smell."

"Perhaps you can tell me when I visit the museum on my way back. I didn't know that your town had one and now I'm interested."

"Cool, I'll see you later."

The woman accompanying them had given the kids a quick nod. "Why don't you two run along? I'll be there shortly." As the kids made their way towards their destination, the redhead approached him. "Alexei, right?"

"Yes. That is me." He answered as he slipped his hands into his pockets.

She reached her hand out to greet him and he was quick to return the gesture. "I'm Penny - Vincent's and Jas's teacher. What brings you out of your farm at this time of day?"

"Had to pick up some medication. Back pain from getting rid of a few rocks."

"I'm sorry that had to happen." Penny apologized. "I hope it's not permanent."

Alexei shook his head. "Likewise. You're a teacher from the museum, correct?"

"I teach at the museum. Yes. There is no proper school here that these kids can learn from so I have to make do until then."

"I see." He acknowledged. "It must be tiring to work with those two."

"You have no idea."

"Well then, it's good to have a proper introduction with you, Ms. Penny."

When the teacher departed, he proceeded to continue down the south to find this Willey. The transition from the valley's lush green environment was a stark contrast to the warmth of the beaches and its calming atmosphere. Seagulls flew above him before moving on with their lives. As he made his way to the docks upon his right, he noticed that there was a single building attached to the wooden planks. This had to be the fisherman's house.

An old man stood in front of his home with two fishing rods in hand as he played around with his hooks. As Alexei approached him, he turned his full attention towards the young man towering over him. "You must be the farmer. I've heard a lot about you, but I haven't personally met you until now." Then he handed one of the fishing rods to him. "I'm doing my best to keep the spirit of fishing alive so I want you to have this."

When he was handed the fishing rod, there was an odd sense of premonition that things would not go so well. "Thank you, I appreciate it."

"Consider this a welcoming gift into Pelican Town," Willy replied. "Do you want to know how to use it?"

Well, it was a good time to learn. It's not like he'll be able to figure it out without any help. "Yes, I'll give it a try."

Mayor Lewis had to personally investigate to figure out the commotion about what happened at the docks. Alexei and Willey were the only two people that were there and so he came to learn about the truth in order to calm the rest of the town down. Of course, he began with Willey since he was a good old friend.

The fisherman was quick to defend the newcomer as he was handed a cup of coffee at his table. "Lewis, I know this might seem worrying, but he was just frustrated. He's a bit confused, but he got the spirit of fishing in the most unconventional way imaginable."

The mayor sipped his coffee before he placed it back down. "Alexei was tossing dynamite at the ocean and shooting fish with a handgun. He practically scared the entire town into thinking the Gotorran Empire was invading that beach."

He nodded his head from side to side. "That is true, but I'm not going to lie that he knows a thing or two about explosives and shooting. I'll do my best to make sure he becomes a bit more patient in fishing, but I think we could use him in those mines."

Lewis raised an eyebrow. "Him in those mines? You sure that's a good idea to do that. He just got here and is trying to settle in, I'm not going to let him get in danger all of a sudden."

Willy shook his head. "I know you like to go in those tunnels to take a quick dip and go wild. Given how old-timers - like ourselves - want to find a place to relax, I think it would be a good thing for Alexei to be sent there. Besides, Marlon is constantly fretting over that ladder whenever something rustled his jimmies."

"Alright, I'll see if I can convince Alexei to clear the first few levels. After that, he's not going any further."

"I think he'll be fine." The fisherman assured him.

"How can you be so sure?"

He was quick to drink his mug. "The lad has a keen eye for shooting the quick fish out of the water. I think it could be useful for the occasional grub or cave fly."

The mayor became silent as he slowly considered his decision. On one hand, he seemed to know a thing or two about Alexei's keen skill with weapons, but on the other hand he didn't want his friend's grandson to get hurt in the process. Yet, the man's capabilities could be useful in keeping the monsters cleared in their respective areas. "Okay, I'll get a word with him and try not to get him in too much danger. You take care, old friend."

Willey tipped his hat. "Likewise, mister mayor."

When the two walked out of the house, Alexei was sitting in a yard chair where his leg was shaking a bit before the smelly old man notified him of the mayor's presence. Then he walked off to the south as Lewis took his seat beside the farmer. "Hello Alexei. How was the fishing?"

The young man scratched the back of his head in shame. "Mayor Lewis, I am truly sorry I scared the hell out of everyone in the town. Let's just say that I didn't like how the fish avoided my hook."

"That's understandable. Not everyone can be a fisherman." He replied.

Alexei stopped shaking his knee before he let out a sigh. "Are you about to berate me for throwing explosives around?"

Lewis shook his head. "Not really. The ground shaking is quite a normal thing. Joja has a mining operation nearby and they often notify us about what happens every now and then. What isn't normal is explosives being used outside."

"My apologies, but I know that an apology might not be enough to get me off the hook."

He smiled at his consideration. "No, you won't be punished for something like that, but Willy thinks you might do some good in the mines. He says you'd do well in that kind of environment."

"The explosives?"

"Somewhat." The mayor stated. "There are monsters in those caves and I'm sure that shooting them will do you more justice with someone of your skills."

The farmer was surprised, but not at the suggestion. "Monsters? What monsters?"

"You don't them where you're from?"

He shook his head.

"I suppose Marlon will do more to inform you than I." Hopefully, he wasn't resting in his lodge with his fellow adventurer. "It's almost night time. Are you going to join us at the pub?"

"No, I'm just going to relax in my house. Just taking the day off, really."

"Alright, I won't stop you."

Dysentia: I will do my best not to make this story depressing, but sooner or later someone is going to learn more about Alexei.