The appearance of the mission instantly steadied Julianna Garland’s wavering heart.
“Forget it.
I’ll take it one step at a time,” she muttered.
“If I have to dig dirt, I’ll dig dirt.”
She approached the wooden cabin.
The moment she drew near, its alarm system was triggered.
“Proximity alert triggered,” a gentle, automated female voice announced.
“Subject: Female.
Height: [Redacted].
Weight: [Redacted].
Biometrics match confirmed.
Julianna Garland, Master of the Earth Star, welcome to your domain.”
As the electronic voice faded, the lock clicked open automatically, revealing the interior of the cabin to Julianna.
To her surprise, the world inside this wooden cabin was vastly different from everything she remembered about Novus through the original owner’s memories.
There were few decorations, yet some elements inexplicably preserved parts of the decor styles she remembered from Earth.
She stepped inside.
The space was small; a bed sat on the right side directly facing the door, while the opposite side housed a kitchen—a feature that would be considered rather cumbersome by contemporary Novus standards.
The extinction of flora and fauna on Novus had dealt a catastrophic blow to humanity.
Although advanced technology meant that essential human nutrients could be obtained through alternative means—which were far more direct and efficient—it also meant the complete loss of culinary enjoyment.
People could no longer imagine the taste of ancient Earth’s food.
Sating hunger simply required various convenient nutritional packets produced by food corporations.
These were formulated using basic combinations of sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy flavors to meet the absolute minimum requirements for human survival.
To Julianna, the traditional concept of a “kitchen” now more closely resembled a modern bar counter, usually only featuring a water dispenser to mix various nutritional supplements and flavorings.
Yet, this little wooden cabin on the Earth Star actually possessed a fully equipped kitchen.
It featured countertops, a built-in sink, a faucet, and other traditional fixtures.
The counters were made of an unknown material that mimicked the texture of Earth’s stone countertops.
Having never been used, they remained spotlessly clean.
Julianna fell into a momentary daze.
Custom cabinets hung above the kitchen counter.
She reached up and opened one, finding it completely empty.
Aside from the kitchen, the room only held a rectangular wooden table paired with four chairs, giving the entire space a vacant, hollow feel.
To a resident of Novus, this place would seem incredibly bizarre and completely out of touch with modern life.
However, to Julianna, it evoked an uncanny sense of familiarity.
Since her rebirth, her nerves had been pulled taut.
But seeing the various features inside this wooden cabin, she surprisingly felt a wave of relief wash over her.
She ran a hand over the kitchen counter and pulled at one of the stools.
Because the cabin had been unoccupied for years, a thick layer of dust coated the surfaces.
Her touch left distinct fingerprints behind—a phenomenon that would be quite novel to anyone from Novus.
With the progression of technology, households across most Astral Domains in Novus were equipped with advanced filtration devices, rendering dust practically extinct in many places.
But perhaps due to energy depletion on the Earth Star, there didn’t seem to be any air purifiers or filtration devices in the cabin.
CLAP.
She dusted off her hands and ventured further inside.
Towards the back were two smaller rooms: one served as a storage closet, and the other was a bathroom for washing up.
After inspecting the interior, Julianna stepped back outside.
Weeds grew rampant through the wild forest surrounding her.
“Since I’m here, I might as well make the best of it,” she thought.
The spaceship from Novaria had already departed.
“I have to hold out for this half a month at the very least,” she muttered to herself.
Taking a deep breath, she began carrying the supplies left on the ground into the cabin one by one, carefully sorting and organizing them.
By the time she finished, the sky had grown almost completely dark.
As night fell, a sense of cowardice crept into Julianna’s heart.
The area was utterly deserted.
She was the sole human on the entire planet, and after dark, the silence was deafening.
As the cabin plunged into darkness, Julianna’s anxiety sparked a sudden memory.
After Cedric Sutton had completed the planet transfer procedures, he had sent someone to deliver a document pouch to her.
The pouch contained basic information about the Earth Star, including maps, soil surveys, and a catalog of local insect species.
Most importantly, it held information regarding this very wooden cabin.
There had to be some sort of automated energy system installed inside.
The fact that the intelligent security system deactivated upon her arrival proved that the place still had a certain amount of power reserves.
She could only hope those reserves would be enough to last her the next half a month.
With this in mind, she began searching for the document pouch.
Fortunately, having just organized her belongings, she quickly located what she needed.
Flipping through the folder, she found the section detailing the cabin and soon located the power switch and operating instructions.
Lights flickered on, banishing the darkness.
The cabin even had running water.
Hearing the familiar hiss of air and water sputtering from the faucet, Julianna let out a long sigh of relief.
The presence of light eased the tension in her heart.
She then rummaged around the room and discovered a two-meter-long toolbox tucked underneath the bed.
As she dragged the box out, it unlocked and popped open automatically, revealing a single hoe inside.
The mission reward gifted by the Earth Recovery System had been hidden here all along.
The moment Julianna grasped the hoe, her agrarian bloodline instantly unlocked.
The progress bar in her vision flickered, and a system prompt promptly chimed in her mind:
“You have grasped the hoe.
Do you feel the sudden urge to start digging right now?
“You are a descendant of the farming people of old Earth; the agrarian bloodline flows through your veins.
You were born a master of the soil.
“It is dark now.
Go to sleep.
A true farmer works at sunrise and rests at sunset.
Wake up tomorrow morning and start digging.
“A good farmer knows how to farm.”
Then, the message in her mind shifted:
“You have acquired a hoe.
“A skilled farmer should till at least fifty square meters of land a day.
“Due to soil mutations in Novus, none of its planets are suitable for cultivating crops.
“But that does not matter.
You are a successor of Earth’s farming heritage, born with a green thumb.
“When you reclaim a suitable patch of wasteland, you will receive bountiful rewards.
“Mission 1: Dig up a plot of land suitable for farming.
“Note: Must be at least sixty square meters.
“Upon completion of the mission, you will be rewarded with a bag of rice seeds.”
“Good heavens,” she thought.
“To prevent me from slacking off, they even specified the exact area I need to till.”
Hearing the prompts echoing in her mind, Julianna felt an intense, nearly irresistible itch to grab her hoe and take a few swings outside right this instant.
But as she glanced through the glass window, the world outside was already pitch-black.
She was in a completely foreign environment.
Attracted by the cabin’s lights, thirty-six different species of mosquitoes and insects were densely plastered against the windowpane. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
The cabin’s soundproofing was surprisingly effective, blocking out any buzzing or chittering from outside.
The insects varied in size and looked rather horrifying.
The moment Julianna took in the sight, any lingering urge to go out and dig instantly vanished.
She was exhausted from the day’s ordeals anyway.
Retrieving a portion of dry rations and a bottle of water from her supplies, she forced down the tasteless meal just to fill her stomach.
Only then did she head to the back bathroom, planning to turn on the tap and wash up.
Resources on the Earth Star were limited.
The water here hadn’t undergone the rigorous sterilization and purification processes typical of the main Astral Domains in Novus.
When she turned on the faucet, the water that poured out carried a faint yellowish tint.
Julianna’s heart skipped a beat in apprehension.
However, recalling the inspection report Cedric Sutton had mentioned brought her some comfort.
Novus maintained incredibly strict standards for such reports; falsifying data was a criminal offense with severe consequences.
The water on the Earth Star might not be pristine, but it was definitively usable.
Her body wouldn’t experience any immediate adverse reactions, though she couldn’t be certain about the long-term effects.
Regardless, she had no other choice right now.
After hastily washing up, Julianna collapsed onto the unfamiliar bed she had just made.
Having traveled all day and relocated to an entirely new environment, she had expected to suffer from insomnia.
She pulled out her terminal to access The Interstellar Network, only to find that no one had left her a single message.
She mindlessly browsed the web for a while before finally logging off, turning out the lights, and going to sleep.
Perhaps due to the system’s influence, she spent the entire night dreaming about digging dirt with a hoe.
In the dream, she quickly evolved into a master pioneer and received grand accolades.
At the best part of the dream, she couldn’t help but laugh out loud—a laugh that abruptly jolted her awake.
She hadn’t drawn the curtains before going to bed.
When she opened her eyes, she found that the sky outside was already tinged with the hazy light of dawn.
Unable to fall back asleep, Julianna immediately rolled over and sat up.
After freshening up, she took out another portion of prepared instant food, planning to fill her stomach and immediately test her digging skills so she could max out the progress bar hovering in her vision.
The taste and texture of these meals were utterly bizarre.
Professionals in Novus had spent years endlessly refining them, even going so far as to mold the food into the shape of strawberries.
Based on fragmented data unearthed by archaeologists, they knew that a plant called a “strawberry” had once existed on Earth.
They were even fortunate enough to possess a photograph of one.
However, modern humanity only knew its shape; they had no concept of its flavor.
The data fragments merely recorded that strawberries were sweet, sour, and intensely fragrant.
As for the actual nature of that fragrance, no one could replicate it.
Future generations were left to rely entirely on their own imaginations.
Even the “sweet and sour” flavor profile turned out incredibly strange after their synthetic blending.
The tartness was not the crisp, refreshing acidity of a fruit, but rather an uncomfortable, sharp taste that violently stimulated the salivary glands.
Fortunately, the artificial sweeteners neutralized the worst of the sting.
Paired with an unusually soft texture, the food was just barely palatable.
For Julianna, who had actually eaten real strawberries, it was impossible to consider this concoction remotely delicious.
However, the efficacy of nutritional supplements in Novus was truly astonishing.
Just one portion of instant food settled in her stomach, rapidly eliminating any pangs of hunger.
In the brief time she spent eating, the sun had fully risen.
She washed her hands, picked up her hoe, and pulled open the cabin door, ready to get to work.