09. Jade Space in Forest

Luca carefully looked around, but stepped recklessly. He didn’t know if this was the space inside the ancient jade stone called Ruth or not? All he saw was a dense forest, with no land for houses, gardening, or anything else.

Looking around again, Luca felt that something was wrong with the place. It may not actually be a space in the jade stone. As he walked, something fell right in front of him. He looked down and saw a rolled-up piece of paper.

Luca examined the rolled-up paper and opened it. There was writing on the ancient paper roll.

Paper Roll: This is a truly private and relaxed place, just for you and your partner. You can customize it as you please and make it your own.

Frowning and casting a mocking glance. “Is this a joke? Do I have to handle it myself too? I’ve had enough dealing with madness in my life!”

Doesn’t anyone behind the paper roll know that the world he currently lives in is already filled with exhausting chaos, and he has to manage this place too?

“Okay, this is insane! There’s no reason for me to believe this.”

Luca was ready to throw the paper roll away because he thought he was crazy to believe in an unknown origin paper roll. However, new words were written on the paper roll.

Paper Roll: Hey, don’t underestimate it before you try it! Believe me, everything in this space has incredible benefits for your body and will make you stronger.

Paper Roll: We have fresh fish in the river, clean water in the well, and fertile soil that grows the most delicious fruits and vegetables. And if you want to adventure, there are even animals to hunt in the forest!

Paper Roll: I have a detailed guide to help you maximize this space.

Luca looked at the sentence by sentence on the paper roll and looked around the wilderness filled with forests. He thought to himself, this is too good to be true!

As if justifying the miracle of the space, the tree next to him unexpectedly produced fruit. The paper roll instructed him to eat the fruit in the new sentence written on it.

“Is it safe?” Luca asked unclearly to anyone.

Paper Roll: Don’t worry, it’s completely non-toxic.

Luca hesitantly bit into the apple and chewed it slowly. It tasted much fresher and tastier than the fruit in the real world. Even the fruit was the most delicious food he had ever eaten.

As if there was a flow of energy flowing through his body, filling every part from top to bottom. Luca felt the exhaustion that remained all afternoon had disappeared in one stroke. He smiled satisfied and ate the fruit again.

The more he ate, the more real the effects became.

“I don’t know what to say. The bottom line is this is amazing! Can I take some of these fruits home?” he asked the Paper Roll.

Luca fully acknowledged that he was crazy enough to talk to a paper roll.

Paper Roll: Of course, as long as you take good care of this place and grow the fruit yourself.

After a while, Luca replied, “Cool, I want to practice my gardening skills here. Can you give me a map of this place?”

It will be a profitable business in the end times, where fresh fruits and vegetables are hard to find!

After carefully examining the map, Luca followed the direction and walked far enough to find an empty area near the water well and river, and close enough to the forest. The empty area was not too large, but it was not too small either. It could only be said to be ‘enough’.

However, Luca needed a large piece of land to build a big house and warehouses for storing food and other items. He had to start by cutting down a lot of trees before thinking about building a shelter.

Luca asked the paper roll, “Hey, Paper Roll, do you have any equipment to build a house?”

Paper Roll: Of course! I will give you a discount for the first buyer in the mall.

“Mall?” Luca looked very confused. “Are you serious? You’re making me go shopping for these things?”

Paper Roll: Yes, just see what you need and pay for it.

As Luca looked at the items displayed in the mall, exhibited on the Paper Roll, he was amazed and shook his head in disbelief.

“How can I afford all of this? I’m poor!”

Paper Roll: It’s easy, just insert the zombie crystal core, your points will increase which can be exchanged for items in the mall.

Luca learned about the space and began to understand little by little. The space system was like a game where the player had to start from level 0 and had nothing. When filled with zombie crystal cores, EXP would increase which would make the level go up.

Like most games, the higher the level, the greater the profit gained. The power of the space will also increase which affects Luca’s body.

Paper Roll: Believe me, the stronger your space, the more power you will have.

Luca had never heard of this from Ruth, so he was a little skeptical. “Why should I believe your words?”

Paper Roll: This space is really connected to you, the outer part of this space is absorbed into your body. And if you find a partner, you can also share the space with them.

When the paper roll mentioned a partner again, Luca thought of Ruth, but he quickly dismissed the thought. So he responded vaguely, saying, “Yes, maybe... I won’t have a partner in this life.”

Luca sighed with regret, realizing that there was nothing he could do at the moment.

“Oh hey, I have something! I can bring some wild plants that can be eaten.”

The paper roll responded positively.

“Can you give us some guidance on what is good to eat and what is not?”

Paper Roll: Of course.

Following the Paper Roll’s guidance, Luca made a bag using large leaves and put various plants in it to bring out to the space. The plants he brought were enough for a few days.

There was nothing else Luca could do, so he spoke in his heart, “I’m done. Let’s get out of the space.”

It was already morning when Luca returned to his room, carrying a large bag of plants. Suddenly, the door opened and Ruth’s voice echoed throughout the room.

“Luca, I want to talk about... What are you holding? And where were you just now?”

“Oh, you caught me off guard!” Luca held his chest and calmed down before saying, “These are very healthy plants. I got them from the space.”

“Space?!” Ruth looked at him suspiciously.

“Yes, the jade space. The jade stone changed color and melted in my hand, and then I found myself in this space.”

“So this is really ancient jade. What’s inside? Is it safe to use?” Ruth observed Luca and his belongings. “From what you’re carrying, it seems like you found it in the forest. Is that right?”

Luca nodded slowly. “Yeah, it’s from an untouched forest. So I had to handle it myself to use it.”

“No way, really?”

Luca explained in detail his experiences in outer space, including every word recorded in the Paper Roll.

Hearing Luca’s story, Ruth showed an excited expression. “Wow, that’s crazy! But it’s good for building your muscles, you know?”

“That’s right! But we need to harvest as many crystal cores from those zombies as possible and make storage space for all of our loot. That way we don’t have to carry a lot of stuff in the car when we go hunting.”

They talked about a lot of things regarding space and how to utilize it to the fullest. Then the conversation shifted to their plan to hunt zombie crystal cores while collecting as many supplies as possible. Even if they had space that could produce other types of plants, they still needed the common food that existed in the end times to conceal their true power.

“But we have to wait a bit before heading out again because Dash hasn’t fully recovered yet.” Luca sounded a bit regretful.

“That’s actually why I wanted to talk to you. We can start collecting crystal cores from the zombies outside the base gate for now,” Ruth explained his intention.

“Okay, that sounds good to me. I’ll put this potion in the fridge.”

Luca exited the space carrying a large bag, and Ruth followed him. They cleaned the plants first before putting them into the refrigerator. Although Luca felt it was troublesome, he still complied with Ruth’s orders.

“Next time, don’t bring too much. We still have plenty of supplies left.”

“Haha, okay. By the way, I want to invite you to help me organize my space, but...”

Ruth looked at Luca calmly, she could guess Luca’s next words. So she said casually, “Only your partner can enter there.”

Surprise flickered in Luca’s eyes, he looked momentarily foolish before reacting. “What?! How do you know that?”

“That’s just how it works.” Ruth continued so calmly and naturally, “If you have a jade space, only your partner can enter it.”

“Oh, and one more thing. Keep it quiet. Not many people have jade space, so this is a secret.” Ruth’s tone was calm but sounded serious and slightly threatening.

So Luca obediently replied, “I understand.”

Ruth helped Luca separate the plants before putting them into the fridge. Suddenly, a strange sound came from the storage space.

Crack! Crack!

The sound of cracking filled the air as they saw an open door. As they tried hard to see into the darkness, they saw a figure moving towards them in slow motion.

Ruth had sharp eyes and could see clearly in the dark. She was surprised and angry at the same time, she exclaimed, “What are you doing?”