Thanks to the Sovereign's promise, the previously useless solar-powered generator had been transformed into a functional powerhouse. However, it was no longer "solar-powered" in the traditional sense; it now relied on energy extracted from crystal cores.
Fortunately, Ruyi had an instinct for collecting valuable items. Whenever time permitted after slaying zombies, she would meticulously gather the glittering cores, stacking them in her vast spatial realm. After a quick tally, she realized she had amassed 123 crystal cores in total.
The Sovereign had somehow reconfigured the generator to run on these cores. Though Ruyi didn't understand the intricate details, she reaped the immediate benefits. After disposing of the monstrous corpse with much effort and disgust, she was finally able to enjoy a hot shower—a luxury that felt almost sinful.
Her delight was short-lived, however, when she discovered that heating a single tank of water had consumed ten cores. "This is outrageous," she muttered, marveling at the extravagance.
Determined not to waste the precious water, she filled a large tub to capture her used bathwater. While rinsing herself clean of grime and blood, an idea struck her. Ruyi dragged a small stool over to the black-and-red soil of her spatial ground and stared at it intently.
From her limited agricultural knowledge, dark, rich soil was supposed to be fertile. Could this space's soil grow crops? But without sunlight for photosynthesis, how could anything sprout? Perhaps the Sovereign could conjure a solution—he'd already managed to convert solar power into core power.
The Sovereign's curt affirmation left her ecstatic. Nearly dying had made him surprisingly cooperative, or so it seemed.
Ruyi had learned to navigate the Sovereign's peculiar temperament. As long as she diligently undertook her trials and strengthened herself, accelerating his acquisition of energy, he rarely interfered. If her requests were simple, he might grant them without fuss. But if they demanded more effort than he deemed worthwhile, no amount of pleading would sway him.
With the constant threat of Wen Xinyu looming over her at Yun'an Base, Ruyi abandoned her plans to confront Tong Yinyin for the time being. Self-preservation came first. She needed strength—not just to survive, but to act on her own terms.
To keep her thoughts private from the Sovereign, Ruyi never allowed herself to dwell on Tong Yinyin's existence while inside the spatial realm. She didn't trust what he might do with such information.
Ruyi spent two days at the gas station, rigorously completing her Level 2 and Level 3 trials while venturing out to clear nearby zombies and collect more cores. When the area was relatively secure, she retrieved her car from the space and followed the road signs toward the nearest town.
This route, it seemed, had become a vital corridor for refugees heading to Yun'an Base. Along the way, she passed three convoys of fleeing survivors. Their calls for help fell on deaf ears as Ruyi sped past without a second glance.
After departing at eight in the morning, she finally reached the outskirts of a small town by two in the afternoon. The town was only 150 kilometers from Yun'an Base—a two-hour drive at most.
Predictably, the stores and supermarkets had been ransacked by waves of desperate survivors. But Ruyi wasn't disappointed; food wasn't her primary goal.
She selected an abandoned two-story house on the town's edge as her temporary shelter. The high, sturdy walls surrounding the courtyard provided excellent security, and the proximity to the highway offered a quick escape route if needed.
After locking the gate, Ruyi dragged heavy stone tables and chairs to barricade the entrance. Only then did she venture inside to inspect the premises.
The house was empty of both people and zombies, the unlocked gate suggesting its previous occupants had fled in haste. A thorough search of the house yielded half a bag of rice, a sack of flour, and some dried legumes—still in usable condition—which she stowed in her space. She chose a second-floor bedroom near the courtyard wall, replaced the bedding with her own, and promptly fell asleep.
Although the spatial realm was safer, its eerie silence and unnatural hues unsettled her. Prolonged stays often left her mood sour. If she stayed too long, she feared she might succumb to depression.
The next morning, Ruyi emerged from her space feeling refreshed after another night of trials. Her goal for the day was to clear all zombies within a 500-meter radius, gather crystal cores, and scavenge for useful items.
By nightfall, she had collected 166 cores, a stash of grains and oils, and a random assortment of jewelry and trinkets. Her excitement at the potential discovery of another spatial treasure was quickly dashed when the Sovereign, unimpressed by her findings, unceremoniously threw her into another grueling trial.
Over the next two weeks, Ruyi systematically cleared out nearly half the town's zombie population, amassing over a thousand crystal cores. She advanced to Level 15 in her trials, her stash of food and seeds growing steadily.
Today, however, she decided to take a break from the bloodshed. Armed with a shovel and a bundle of small saplings she had picked up from an earlier scavenging trip, she began planting them in a roughly square formation around her chosen shelter.
Her efforts resulted in a slightly misshapen rectangle, roughly twenty meters long and wide. Ruyi didn't care about aesthetics; she just wanted the trees to form a barrier.
Next, she pulled out a sack of mixed seeds. With the same lack of precision, she dug shallow pits, tossed in handfuls of seeds, covered them with dirt, and watered them with recycled bathwater.
"Farming is so easy," she declared smugly, wiping imaginary sweat from her brow. She envisioned lush crops sprouting overnight, just like in the farming-space novels she had read.
What she didn't foresee was the months of waiting ahead, only to be greeted by sparse, reluctant sprouts. But that was a story for another day.
For now, Ruyi set up two unused children's tubs from her scavenged loot, scrubbed them clean, and arranged her supplies. Bags of flour, rice, and various condiments emerged from her space. With a roaring fire and a large pot in the courtyard, she set about cooking her first proper meal in weeks.