With a determined mind, Lin Shuyao exited the space.
The moment her consciousness returned to the real world, she groaned. The distress in her body, which had seemed to vanish in her space, hit her like a truck.
Her eyes shifted to the spider still crawling on the same strand of hay. It hadn't moved at all.
"So… time freezes outside when I'm in there?" she muttered. "That's good. Really good."
But even that didn't fix her most pressing problem — food.
Seeds were great, but they wouldn't grow overnight. And if she didn't eat something soon, this body might not last another day.
With difficulty, she pushed herself up, using the wall for support. Every step felt heavy, but she forced her legs to move. One small step at a time, she opened the worn wooden door and stepped outside.
The cold breeze greeted her first.
She took a moment to catch her breath and looked around. From where she stood, a few distant cottages could be seen — tiny, as they were far off. Her own cottage stood on the very edge of Mount Wuyin, a dense mountain covered in trees and wild undergrowth.
The original Lin Shuyao had survived by gathering fruits that grew along the edges of Mount Wuyin. She had also tried to teach herself how to catch small animals — rabbits, pheasants — anything she could get her hands on. But she never ventured deep into the mountain. No one did.
The villagers always warned each other to stay away. Ferocious beasts lived deep within Mount Wuyin, and anyone who wandered too far never came back.
Lin Shuyao sighed, rubbing her aching arms.
She brought her hands together and chanted,
"Where is food? Food is where? Oh dear Gluttony Lord, show me the way to food!"
Right after finishing her dramatic act, she cringed — hard. She rubbed her temples, embarrassed at herself.
'Why am I like this?'
'Okay okay! Now back to business. So yeah— food, yes, food.
There aren't many trees bearing fruits around the edges of Mount Wuyin, and I don't want to go into the mountain — yet. I also don't know hunting, buuuuuut… I do know fishing!'
In her previous world, she had lived near the coast and would often go fishing when she was left hungry.
She didn't even remember her parents' faces — they had died when she was very young. She had been left to live with her uncle, and he… he didn't beat her or anything. He just didn't care whether she existed or not. So she was often left to fend for herself — and that's how she learned to fish.
Okay back to reality.
There was a big river that flowed through the village and later emptied into the sea. The river divided the village into two parts, which were connected by several bridges. The bridges were built across narrower parts of the river, so it didn't take long to cross them.
She looked around for a "weapon" that could help her fish. Soon, she found a branch that was sturdy and sharp enough for her liking. With her weapon and a broken basket, she left for the quieter part of the river near her cottage.