Right under the square service window sat a wooden counter, smooth and spotless. On the left was a wooden bench lining the wall, polished until it gleamed. When she touched it, it was not hard, cold wood. Instead, it held a subtle warmth, close to body temperature. Beneath the bench was a small storage cabinet.
Her eyes immediately fixated on the two shelves mounted on the wall behind the clean counter, covered by sliding glass.
On one shelf rested neatly arranged loaves of bread, each sealed in plastic wrap. Below them was a small tag that stated:
[Item: Bread]
[Price: 1 F-Class Core]
On the other shelf sat one-liter bottles of purified water.
[Item: 1 Liter of Purified Water]
[Price: 1 F-Class Core]
Her eyes hardened. "System, I don't have any cores. Can you open a tab for me?"
The system replied.
[Rest assured. The host can enjoy food and water for free.]
For free?
Isla Lane grinned.
She quickly grabbed a loaf of bread and a bottle of water. She did not expect the bread to still be warm.
She washed her hands with a small amount of water from the bottle.
Then she took a bite. The soft, warm bread sank beneath her teeth, and something fluffy and savory spread across her tongue.
She froze mid-chew and checked the spot she had bitten into. Her eyes lit up when she saw the meat floss.
There was filling inside?
She had thought it was just plain bread. This was a nice surprise.
The fine strands of meat floss melted into the warm dough, sweet and salty at once, the kind of taste that belonged to convenience stores she remembered from before her previous world's apocalypse.
And maybe because this body had been hungry for so long, she found the bread exceptionally delicious.
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed too fast. She had to pause, blinking hard. The cabin light blurred for a second.
"…It's good," she whispered hoarsely. Too good.
Feeling thirsty, she grabbed the bottle. The plastic cap cracked open with a sharp click that sounded absurdly loud in the small cabin. She lifted it to her lips.
The water was clean, cool but not icy. It slid down her throat smoothly. Afterward, she finally felt full.
She looked back at the shelves and only then realized that the bread and bottle she had taken were already replenished.
Intrigued, she asked the system.
[Supplies are replenished. For a basic store, the daily limit is 100 loaves of bread and 100 bottles of water.]
Isla Lane was once again flabbergasted. She inspected the shelves, searching for any hidden mechanism where extra supplies might be stored, but found nothing. Even with the technological advancements of her previous world after the appearance of dungeons, this kind of cutting-edge technology had never existed.
The closest thing was the ten-grid inventory granted when a hunter awakened.
Now that her hunger was solved, she began worrying about other issues, such as the bathroom.
[You need to complete a task to unlock it. The tasks are simple and can be finished in a short time.]
"I'll hold you to that. So where are the tasks?"
The system introduced her to the Floating City system interface.
At the top right corner of the screen was a coin icon representing her wealth. Next to it was a human-shaped icon representing population. Both were currently zero.
Along the bottom edge was a neat row of circular icons hovering steadily, glowing softly in shades of gold and blue.
The first icon was a small stylized house representing the Buildings tab. Tapping it caused a translucent menu to fan out above it: shops, residential blocks, factories, leisure facilities, public buildings, and more. Each icon was detailed enough to hint at its function. For now, all of them were grayed out and locked.
The system explained that these could be unlocked through achievements, received as rewards, or purchased.
Next was the warehouse tab, symbolized by a small stack-crate icon. Tapping it brought up an organized resource grid. It was currently empty.
Beside it, a treasure chest icon represented the Shop tab. Opening it revealed grids of items such as seeds, special buildings, and seasonal items. All of them were grayed out as well.
Next came the scroll icon, which stood for quests. There were currently two available. The first required cleaning garbage within twenty meters of the raft, rewarding her with a raft and cabin upgrade. The second required achieving ten points in sales, which would reward her with a small flower bed for growing crops.
The rewards were good, but…
"What do you mean by clearing garbage? Do I have to do it personally?" That brief dip she took earlier was already more than enough. She did not want to go back into the freezing water.
[Unfortunately, the system can only provide cleaning services for its own products, such as the raft and the cabin. It cannot assist with external debris. However, in the future, when you encounter aborigines of this world, you may employ them to clear garbage. One more thing: you cannot expand the raft unless the surrounding area is cleared.]
Isla Lane sighed, treating it as her initial investment. "Fine. If you want me to do the initial cleaning, can you at least help me by providing a thermal diving suit or a boat?"
[Certainly, Host!]
A splashing sound came from outside. When Isla Lane strode out, she found a small wooden boat about 3.5 meters long resting in front of the cabin door. It was tied to a mooring post that had not been there when she first boarded the raft.
[This is the beginner's cleaning boat. It is free to use. You do not need to row it. It can operate on its own, but its speed is very slow.]