2038, California. Stan is doing his mandatory "volunteer" service years on a collective farm when he encounters Thousand Tales, a game that offers immortality to the super-rich. He can't afford to have his brain uploaded like those elite customers, but maybe he can turn a profit out of the game instead of just playing it. Not as a legendary swordsman or a brilliant wizard, but as a dealer in the junk no one else seems to want. If he plays his cards right, he can draw the attention of both the farm's supervisor and the game's ruling, meddling AI. Should he, though?

LitRPG. Part of the world of "Thousand Tales", a novel series on Amazon, though no knowledge of it is expected. This story is around 12K words long. I'd appreciate feedback to help write a much longer version! Updates every few days. Cover art from game-icons.net, by Lorc, CC-BY.

Update! This story was originally called "Gleaners' Guild". It came out on Amazon under the name "Crafter's Passion" and has many reviews there, thanks in part to the support of RR readers like you. Thanks! It even has a sequel, "Crafter's Heart".