The smuggler in the village
The Smuggler is a character the game also calls the Adventurer in his description, and he shows up in the village in connection with the cooperative. He brings exotic fruit seeds and other useful items free of charge, but he expects the whole cooperative to look after his ship. The better the cooperative takes care of the boat and its cabin, the better the rewards and bonuses you can expect from his future deliveries.
The Smuggler is worth it mainly for the free exotic fruit seeds, which are hard to get hold of otherwise - all it takes is agreeing within the cooperative to keep the ship maintained, so the deliveries don't dry up and the rewards keep growing.
The smuggler brings exotic seeds to the village for free
The game talks about him as the Adventurer, who delivers exotic fruit seeds and other useful items free of charge. So this isn't a regular shop with a fixed selection - he's a character tied to the cooperative who rewards teamwork.
That's exactly why looking after the Smuggler pays off. Exotic fruit is hard to come by otherwise, and free deliveries are a welcome bonus on top of your farm's usual production.
Better rewards only come when the cooperative cares for his ship
For the cooperative to get even better rewards out of the Smuggler, it has to help him maintain his boat and gradually become his best friends. Repairing the ship isn't a one-off job, then, but long-term teamwork that pays off over time.
The game confirms it right in the line you get after a repair - the Smuggler says thank you and promises to add an extra reward to his next delivery as a token of gratitude for the help.
A neglected cabin falls apart and the deliveries stop
The cabin on deck needs regular maintenance. If the cooperative doesn't look after it, it will eventually fall apart and the Smuggler has to stop his deliveries of goods completely.
In practice that means it's worth keeping on top of repairs rather than dealing with them only once the deliveries have stopped anyway. Repairing the ship is also the way to get the deliveries going again.
Behind the character is a story about the sailors Yarnacle and Barnacle
The game also gradually unlocks short stories tied to the smuggler's past. The narrator, whom everyone calls Yarnacle, is shipwrecked at sea along with his mate Barnacle and ends up on a tropical island farm run by Barnacle's son Johnny and his girlfriend Vicky - a farm full of oranges, coconuts and peanuts.
To get home to Big Farm and reach the ailing Matilda, they need a new ship and a map, and for that they need the trader Omar, who deals exclusively in exotic goods. Along the way, a tangled family story unfolds about who owes whom an apology and who loves whom, but it all ends happily - Matilda recovers, Barnacle is welcomed back into the family and Big Farm celebrates two weddings at once.
In the same collection of tales you'll also find a shorter detour about Tessa and her scout troop, who teach the children of Big Farm how to use a map and compass while hunting for the best decorations for the farm.
