I Think The Lack of Oxygen Is Making You All Crazy

I cross another bridge, leading me under an archway and up a path that winds up into the mountains. I pass a number of houses, buildings, and other villagers along the way. First I meet a young girl name Karin, who tells me again about the young girl she saw coming out of the tech lab. There are a lot of nosy people in this village. Why doesn’t someone just go up there and talk to her?

The face of a woman who desipises her husband.

Most of the houses are empty, though I do find another recipe poster inside one, this one for a poster requiring a Hightail Lizard and a Bokoblin Horn. the windmills turning but what they are milling, I couldn’t tell you. In one home I find a man named Reede, who is...sleeping in the middle of the day. Apparently he works nights somewhere in town. No idea doing what. Further up the mountain I meet Ralera. She moved here from a place called Lurelin Village in the south after she married her husband. Oh! She is married to Reede, and together they watch the windmills. She watches during the day, and he watches at night. That seems...really detrimental to your marriage guys. Like you literally would never see each other. You aren’t sleeping together, literally ever.

What do you need to watch a windmill for anyway? Why does that require sitting on a hill all day and night? Maybe you guys are just trying to avoid your problems. You can’t run from your marital issues, people. After finishing our chat, she also points me in the direction of the tech lab. Don’t really have anywhere else to go, but thanks.

*backs away slowly*

Finally, what seems to be the last building on the mountain climb to the tech lab is a large farm and Hateno Pasture. Sitting on a stool near the entrance is an old man, Tokk, who seems more exasperated than anything when he has to talk to me. Again, he points me to the lab. Thanks Tokk, been a load of fun.

Up ahead I see a woman mumbling to herself about how “They’ll all pay!” Well you seem stable and safe to talk to. Koyin here is referring to the monsters down on Hateno Beach stealing her sheep - she must be the person who wrote on the notice board earlier. She asks for my help directly, triggering yet another side-quest.

 The Sheep Rustlers

Seems to be more direct than a lot of the other side-quests I’ve gotten recently. There’s a spot on the map near the coastline just south of the village that I’ll need to head to. After I get to that fucking lab.

I approach the pasture, which stretches wide in front of me. The entire plain is on a cliff overlooking the rest of the village and the valley. I can see pretty much everything here. Including this odd looking blue-flaming object just outside of the city. Hmm.

*sobbing uncontrollably* YOU ARE THE BEST BOY

There are dozens of sheep and cows, and even a couple of dogs to play with! I immediately forget what I’m doing to spend the next few minutes giving them all my attention. A few dropped apples later, and one of them beckons for me to follow, leading to me to another buried chest, this one containing Silver Rupee. Could have used that earlier, boy.

...you’re still a good boy though…

Before I wander too deep around the grounds of the farm here, I talk to the last person here I have yet to speak to, Dantz. He’s in one of the hay stalls, working away at carrying for all these animals. This is probably the biggest farm in the village and the only one with any livestock now that I think about it.

He guesses that I am a wanderer when he speaks to me. To be fair, it’s not as if there are a ton of humans even left in the world so any new face that isn’t a baby is probably not from around these parts. He needs help, the local deer population in nearby Retsam Forest has grown out of control and they need to be culled, and he's willing to pay me. Lucky for him I AM indeed handy with a bow, so I agree to help him. Never turn down a side-quest.

I'm plopped right in the middle of the forest after agreeing. It's not a side-quest at all, it's a mini-game! I have one minute to take out as many deer as I can, and Dantz will pay me for it when I'm done. I'll have to provide my own bow and arrows. Sounds like a deal.

SO MUCH MEAT

Dantz wasn’t kidding, as soon as I have control of the camera again I swivel around and see a ton of deer in the woods around me. The timer is ticking, so I get to it. As soon as I begin moving, the nearby bucks raise their heads, pausing only a moment before taking off.

Should have worn the stealth suit.

The timer is still ticking, so I keep moving, just a little slower now. The deer are rather resilient, taking two hits with an arrow to take down unless I can land a head shot. I could probably just use a stronger bow, but I don’t really feel like breaking any of those so I stick to my Boko Bow.

I only manage to take out 4 on my first attempt, and Dantz rewards me with...a Blue Rupee. ...Yay. I go ahead and give it another shot - apparently I can do this as much as I like. Which in actuality very useful. I may have only gotten a few rupees, but I also managed to collect quite a bit of Raw Prime Meat, which I’m sure will come in handy cooking later.

The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker 2

My skills improve which each successive attempt. I switch into my stealth outfit as well, allowing me get closer to my prey before they notice. I get better with my aim as well, head-shots becoming easier and easier to land. I manage to get a few Red and Purple Rupees from Dantz for my efforts after that, as well as having a nice little stockpile of meat.

Lake Sumac

Before I continue up to the lab, I’m going to finish exploring the grounds of the farm here. Right next to the field, even larger than the field itself, is a large lake, Lake Sumac, with a small island at its center with a single, large tree on it. Right next to the hay stalls and Dantz is a raft, and right next to the raft a Korok Leaf. Don’t mind if I do! I cut the raft loose and use the leaf to blow me over to the island.

The island is...an island. There’s nothing of interest here. On the ground at least. Climbing up into the tree, among it’s branches is a single rock. And under that rock is my next Korok Seed. Thanks dude. I float back down to the ground and to my raft. Only one more stop to make.

Retsam Forest

...you guys have to be lonely sometimes, right?

The regular version of Retsam Forest, at least. It’s located right next to the farm of course, but now I can explore it without a timer. It’s still chock full of deer, but I leave them alone for the most part. Instead I take the opportunity to gather up resources - there are Ironshrooms, Silent Shrooms, and something new, Sunshrooms, which can raise my body temp when it’s too cold out.

I take my time gathering, leaving no stone unturned. Literally, but I don’t find any additional Koroks here. Before I leave, I put a stamp on my map on the forest - this seems like a great place to replenish resources when I need it, particularly the meat from the deer. Cartography!

I don’t bother with the raft to get back to the farm, there’s a strip of forest along Lake Sumac’s edge I can walk along. Between the grumpy old man, the woman screaming about revenge, and the guy paying me to kill a bunch of deer, this place has just been a barrel of laughs.

...let’s get to the fucking Tech Lab already.

---

Heart containers: 5
Shrines Completed: 11
Koroks Found: 36
Windmills: Watched
Sheep: Rustled
Deer Population: Murdered
Dogs: Played With