Chapter 8 - The HG Spring
Return to Lectenbury to check in with Docy, but he's not around. Ver pops up to meet the visitors in his hometown, as the sprite senses that all the other Harvest Sprites have awakened. Though, he wonders why Tiny is still so... tiny. The mini goddess wonders the same. She assumes she needs to return to her spring to regain her powers fully, but that's a task for another time.
As for Doc Jr., Ver explains the inventor looked concerned and had headed to the volcano with some equipment.
Head to the Foot of the Volcano warp point and follow the path through the lava field. In the distance, you see Doc looking at some readings on his super-special DocPad. He becomes upset when he realizes you've come to this dangerous place to search for him. You see, the volcano is acting suspiciously. Earthquake frequency has increased, and smoke is coming from the mountain's summit. Suddenly, Doc's equipment starts going haywire, and the ground begins to shake. Let's get out of here!!
The two of you catch your breath at the beach, some distance from the volcano. Tiny appears and mentions she hopes it isn't as bad as last time because she isn't back to her full strength yet. You see, the volcano typically erupts every few decades! What?! Turns out, Tiny and her sprite crew have always protected the towns from the fiery mountain's stones and ash, but the eruption 10 years ago was more violent than they've seen in the past. The usual tactics they used to protect the people of Anthos weren't going to be enough to save everyone, so they came up with a new plan: the sprites would protect each town while the Harvest Goddess concentrated on dealing with the catastrophic eruption. That's when they all lost their powers. Now that the sprites are back, and if she can restore her powers, Tiny should again be able to protect the villages from the volcano.
Tiny instructs you to go to the Harvest Goddess Spring, a place near Providence where the source of her power is located. Head back to the magical spring to meet up with the Harvest Sprites, who also notice that she's still small. Heims guesses they must get Tiny back to the spring to restore her powers fully. Alas, the path that leads to the Harvest Goddess Spring is covered in rubble. Doc Jr. volunteers to come up with a solution and recruits you to bring him some materials: 10 Titanium, 3 Opal, and 10 Energy Mushrooms.
- Titanium Ore can be found around floor 15 of the Lilikala mine and floor 25 of the Volcano mine. Take the ore to a crafter to convert it to metal.
- Raw Opal Gemstone is in the Zimagrad West mine. You can find it in the dirt around floor 11 and in nodes around level 17. It is rather uncommon, but you'll find 3 pieces eventually. (Finding the Opal took me longer than collecting the other two materials.)
- The mushrooms are on the ground in the snowy mountains. You can also receive them as a reward for completing a villager request from Agnes in Herbstburg. If you still need to collect an Energy Mushroom, you can find some north of Zimagrad, near where you went to tame the Valais Blacknose Sheep. Instead of going west down the path towards the sheep, go east, and you'll find some Energy Mushroom.
Energy Mushroom is one of Nikolai's special items you can give to boost his friendship.
Bring the three materials back to Doc Jr. His latest invention, the Heavy Thing Mover-er will make short work of that pile of junk!
Back at the magical spring area, Doc's latest contraption clears the debris from the path to the Harvest Goddess Spring. Now, there's a new problem - a river blocks the way forward, and there is no bridge to cross over. Tiny chuckles and mentions the mysterious key that was in the bottled message. She instructs you to hold it out, and with a little bit of Harvest Sprite power, the key unlocks a hidden bridge leading to the Harvest Goddess Spring.
When everyone arrives, it's a terrible scene! The mystical waters in the spring have dried up, just like with Prividence's mini-spring. As the Harvest Sprites start to panic, you suggest the oasis water might also work for this old fountain. Though, this spring needs a lot more water. Luckily, Doc Jr. already has a solution. He had made a second 4D Water Container, in case you broke the first version, then improved it to create the 4D Water Container+! This nifty gadget will hold enough water to refill the Harvest Goddess Spring.
Head to the oasis to collect the water, but something isn't quite right. Tiny looks closer at the water and realizes that it doesn't have enough moonlight power. You see, both the oasis and the Harvest Goddess Spring receives moonlight that gives the water its healing energy. Haven't you noticed that crops grow faster when the moon is out? (No, that I have not...) The Harvest Goddess Spring is situated at the best spot to absorb as much moonlight as possible, making it more powerful than the water here at the oasis. The oasis water should work as a substitute for the HG spring's water when collected on the night of a full moon when the moonlight is at its strongest.
You don't have to worry about looking up at the moon every night. Tiny will let you know in the morning when there will be a full moon that night, typically around the 8th and 22nd of the season.
Tiny and the sprites will be waiting next to the dried-up Harvest Goddess Spring until you visit the oasis on a full moon night. This is the only time you have to give Tiny gifts to increase her friendship. Once the story is complete and her size is restored, you can only give her a gift at the Harvest Moon Festival on Autumn 22. Both Tiny and Full HG will be listed in the Friendship list with separate friendship meters.
Return to the oasis after 7:00 pm on the full moon night. Tiny checks out the water and confirms it is more potent than usual. You use the 4D Water Container+ to collect the oasis water.
Back at the Harvest Goddess Spring, filling the dry well has restored Tiny to her normal size. The Harvest Sprites are joyous to have their diety back to her old self. Indeed, let's have a feast to celebrate her return! Suddenly, the ground begins to shake violently. The volcano has started to erupt again!
The heartbroken villagers of the towns that you had just restored start running to safety once again as they did 10 years prior. The difference this time is the Harvest Sprites and the Harvest Goddess are at their maximum power level thanks to your work. By their powers combined, the volcano is lulled back to sleep.
In Providence, Vivi and Westly are calming the townsfolks now that the volcano has miraculously stopped rumbling. That's when you and Doc Jr. arrive with a message from the Harvest Goddess. She wanted the villagers to know that her power has been restored. The people of Anthos will be fully protected by the Harvest Goddess no matter what happens in the future. They'll never need to worry about the volcano again. Vivi is excited that they were saved by the powers of the goddess and her sprites, while Westley is a bit more skeptical, but since the message came from you, it must be true. Westly volunteers to take the goddess' message to the other villagers so you can take a well-deserved rest.
Back at the Harvest Goddess Spring, the not-so-tiny goddess congratulates the Harvest Sprites for another job well done. She also thanks you and Doc Jr for delivering her message to the villagers. They couldn't have saved everyone without your help and the help of the other people. Everyone in Anthos did their part to save their island home. Harvest Goddess then gives her heartfelt thanks to everyone.
The End
The game will continue in freeplay mode after the credits finish. You can now set up your farm in the space behind the Harvest Goddess Spring and by the hot spring in the Volcano. Since the goddess enjoyed her time with you, she'll pop up in her tiny form as she always did to let you know about festivals and bad weather.
The powers of the Harvest Goddess Spring are now available. The goddess will use her powers to convert crops into seeds or turn 1 bag of seeds into 3 bags of seeds; basically, she becomes an all-powerful seedmaker. Her other new function is keeping track of the Power Wisps, letting you know how many of the 160 Power Wisps you've found so far.
You'll also be directed by the big lady to talk to Doctor Sinel. He'll be in Herbstburg reminiscing about the old Harvest Moon Festival that used to occur in the autumn town. Collect 5 Strawberry Milk, 5 Strawberry Pie, and 5 Strawberry Gelato and bring them to the apothecary in Zimagrad.