To her credit, she only nodded as if she expected the outburst. "Of course, Master."
She floated a little closer, her voice softening. "When you died in your last world, a spiritual fragment of your soul resonated with the dying core of this dimension. The Farm System, what you now oversee, chose you as its new Master to stabilize and revive it."
My brows furrowed. "So I wasn't chosen by a god or a reincarnation system or anything like that?"
Green shook her head, green hair bobbing lightly. "No divine selection, no prophecy. Just... coincidence. Or fate, if you prefer it to sound poetic."
"How comforting," I muttered under my breath. "It would've been nice if I got one of those cheat systems, but beggars can't be choosers I guess."
She went on. "The bond was formed when your soul and this dimension's core aligned. You fed it life, and it gave you power in return. That's how I was summoned—I'm a part of the system, here to guide and assist you."
I leaned back, trying to digest her words. "So this place, this whole dimension, is mine to cultivate and use?"
Green nodded. "As you grow, so does it. And what it produces, you can bring into the real world. Water, food, medicine—eventually even tools and... more."
I stayed still, silent.
"How much can I bring over?"
"That," she said with a glint in her eye, "depends entirely on you."
Green floated over to the television and waved her hand. The screen flickered to life—and what appeared wasn't a normal broadcast.
It was my family.
I leaned forward instinctively.
On the screen, my mother was crouched by the hearth, carefully tending to the fire while sipping water from the chipped wooden cup. Her movements were slow, but not weak, almost as if strength had begun returning to her limbs. A faint glow radiated from her skin, subtle but visible to my trained eyes.
"She's drinking more of the well water," I murmured.
"She can sense it helps, even if she doesn't understand why," Green said softly beside me.
The image shifted. My father, Qin Bolin, walked along a narrow path with Shanyuan, Yaoting, and Yubing following behind him. They each carried rough woven baskets, spears, and makeshift fishing rods. Their faces were serious, determined.
"They're going out to hunt and fish for dinner,"
Green didn't say anything this time.
"Master, I am only a fragment of you. A guide, like I said," Green said gently, pointing toward the open field beyond the window. "I grow when this dimension grows. And as I grow, I can help make your life easier."
I closed my eyes for a moment, taking in her words and assessing everything. "So this really is like a game," I muttered. Then, without missing a beat, I cracked a small smile. "Where's my newbie pack? Bonus pack? Daily login reward?"
Green let out a small giggle, fluttering slightly higher in the air. "Indeed! It's best if Master treats this place like a game."
With a graceful flourish, she opened her hands wide. Three glowing boxes floated just above her palms—one red, one silver, and one gold.
"As Master guessed, these are your newbie packs," she said, her eyes twinkling. "There's no bonus pack, unfortunately. But—there is a daily reward box once the dimension levels up."
My smile widened a little as I looked at the floating boxes. Even if this world made no sense, at least the rules were familiar.
She handed me one of the boxes while continuing her explanation. "Would Master like to open it now?"
I simply nodded, eyes fixed on the glowing box that floated gently in the air.
When Green closed her hands, the boxes disappeared.
[Items Received]
• Watering Can (Lv. 1)
• Gardening Hoe (Lv. 1)
• One Plot of Land
"Master, please check your items. You've received three," Green said, turning to look at the TV screen, where the words floated like subtitles. "Would you like to put them into use?"
"Yes, please put them into use," I replied, curiosity stirring inside me.
Outside the window, I watched in silent awe as a fresh, empty plot of land materialized, perfectly rectangular, the soil rich and dark. Then, beside it, the watering can and hoe shimmered briefly before stabilizing, as if they had always belonged there.
"Master," Green beamed, "the hoe and the watering can reduce the crop growth time from five hours to three."
I blinked in surprise. "Wait—so if I level them up, will the time reduce even further?"
She nodded, her green wings fluttering softly. "Exactly. The higher their level, the faster your crops grow. And, of course, their efficiency will also improve."
"Say, when the crops are fully matured, how many do you think we can harvest?"
Green floated lazily around the couch, her pointer finger tapping thoughtfully against her chin. "Hmm... the apple trees bear twenty-five fruits per harvest. And the corn yields about fifty cobs." She drifted closer, this time laying on her back mid-air like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"If we sell all the fruits and veggies, we get one gold per piece," she added nonchalantly.
I narrowed my eyes at her, the simplicity of it all setting off alarms in my mind. Too easy. Too clean. There was a glint—just a flicker—that passed through her eyes, that tells, me there's more.
"That is, of course... if master can sell the fruits at the original price. Or if you can even sell them at all."
"What is that supposed to mean?" I narrowed my eyes at the mischievous look spreading across Green's face.
Instead of answering, she simply waved her hand.
The TV flickered, then changed again.
[TRADING CENTER]
...is what it now said in blocky grey letters.
I stared at the greyed-out text, confusion creeping into my features.
"You see, master," Green began, her tone playful as she wagged her pointer finger at me, "you're not trading with the system directly."
My frown deepened.
"You'll be selling to people connected through the system's interworlds." She spun slowly in the air, as if this revelation wasn't jaw-dropping.
Interworlds?
I slowly nodded my head.
I understood. It seems like getting gold was harder than I thought.
A second ago, I had foolishly assumed that I could just toss some crops into a magical void and receive neat little piles of gold in return.
I glanced back at the floating TV screen, the greyed-out words [TRADING CENTER] glaring back at me like a locked door waiting for the right key.