Robbing a mine before or after the apocalypse would be a challenge and would require a lot of planning if she didn’t want to be incarcerated.

Not to mention, there were no gem, jade, or even special metal mines in their country! They did have mineral deposits as well as iron, copper, and tin, but those (sadly) weren’t very useful to her space so she didn’t care for them.

This meant that she also had to go abroad!

But...she didn’t even have a passport! 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Even if she decided to ’come to the light’ and apply for one, it would take a while, wouldn’t it?

Did that mean she’d have to smuggle herself?!

Granted, such ’criminal’ acts weren’t very heavy on her conscience. She had, after all, killed a few people back in her day. However, Nadia’s modern sensibilities still had an effect, so there was still discomfort every time she committed (what this timeline would define as) a crime. Not to mention, there were very real dangers in using unofficial routes.

While planning, she decided to go around Grandma’s farm, waiting for inspiration while sunbathing.

By this time, the children had finished their lessons and had dashed out to play with their friends. The teens had gone to do their own thing, mostly online.

Naia, on the other hand, went with her grandmother to check the crops on her personal farm.

Grandma truly knew a bit of everything related to farming and very deeply on some things.

However, there were also some things shewasn’t very familiar with (yet). For example, the current technologies including how to handle vertical farms.

But no worries. With such a deep foundation, Grandma would be able to learn in no time. There were plenty of resources to study from.

Anyway, back to the actual farm. Naia studied diligently, pages of her notebook already filled within a few hours.

One of the first lessons Grandma discussed was what farmers called ’The Three Sisters’ often planted together. These were Corn, Beans, and Squash.

The Corns acted as natural poles for the beans, the beans fixed nitrogen into the soil, and the pumpkin’s big leaves shaded the soil.

This was the first time Naia encountered such arrangements, causing her to be very interested in this type of farming. Seeing this, Grandma discussed a few other techniques.

For example, in a few adjacent farms that didn’t focus on potatoes, they planted some rice, though usually consumed locally. They used wet farming systems for these.

Rice thrived in flooded fields, and these flooded fields contained fishes, ducks, or crabs, depending on the owner’s mood. The critters would eat pests, stir water, and their wastes fertilized the soil.

Some farms also planted sugarcane and other moisture-loving crops next to the rice fields. Sugarcane itself was a great companion plant since it provided partial shade, high humidity, and wind protection. It was also a good companion for taro, ginger, and sweet potato.

Other combinations in grandma’s farms were tomato and basil, with basil repelling pests and improving tomato growth; carrot and onion and/or garlic; lettuce and taller plants like corn and sunflowers (since lettuce liked shade), and so on.

These were the crops Grandma planted most of the year. In the short winter season, she just focused on her small greenhouse and nursery at the side. The winters here weren’t very long, and they just take this chance to take a break and do other things.

Anyway, the cost of living in the village wasn’t high, and people were generally self-sufficient. The smart ones with no vices and excess luxuries could survive without output for months.

The weather in their Danian Republic was very good. It was part of the humid subtropical climate. It had mostly a temperate climate with longer summers and spring, and shorter and milder fall and winters.

Perhaps it was this ’relatively mild’ weather that the majority of survivors in the apocalypse ended up from here, and the last base standing was from here, too.

Of course, mild was one thing, but it was still very, very deadly. What Danian experienced was still in Inferno Mode, just that many other countries had it harsher.

What a pity for this beautiful world, she thought.

Anyway, after the lessons, Grandma went back inside to prepare dinner. Meanwhile, Naia, who could not cook, simply went around the farm and the surrounding land.

She passed by a shrub filled with berries. The foodie in her could not stop herself and grabbed a few pieces. She knew they were not poisonous, so after wiping it on her shirt, she plopped them straight into her mouth.

It was very sweet and tart, very refreshing. Before she knew it, she had eaten a few more pieces, and the purple pulp coated her tongue with delicious juice.

She stared at the shrub—still with a handful of berries hanging— in deep thought. She stared at it for a few moments before coming to a decision.

She looked around, and sensing that there was no one nearby, she stretched her hand to touch the shrub. With a thought, she pulled it—along with its roots and some part of the soil—into her space.

She gasped a bit when a shallow hole on the ground replaced the shrub, but before she could check the results of her actions, she felt her vision blacken, and her body tilt to the side as if the energy in her body was sucked out.

Fortunately, she gathered herself a second before she completely fainted, but she was already on her knees by the time she caught herself.

"Whoa...I gotta be careful next time," she muttered to herself, taking a deep breath of relief.

It seemed like taking in a patch of land took a larger toll on her mental strength than she initially thought.

She shook her head and stood up again. Her energy was sucked, but she knew what could fill it up—food!

Thinking of this, she turned around to head back to the house, wondering what Grandma was cooking for dinner today.

.

.

What she did not see was that after she left the space, several crawling bugs like worms and beetles emerged from the displaced soil, confused at the sudden change in atmosphere.

Soon, a bee and a butterfly revealed themselves as well, flying around their mysterious new home.