But she didn't dwell on it too long. She had more important things to do. She wasn't really planning to sleep. She needed time to process everything in her mind, especially the memories she had inherited, and the Spatial Farm system that had appeared like a miracle.
If she wanted to survive, she couldn't rely on excitement. She needed a plan.
Inside the Spatial Farm, she had already planted ten acres of radishes. If she sold the harvested radishes directly to the system store later, she could earn at least five hundred gold coins.
That meant even after spending one hundred and fifty gold coins to buy the seeds, she would still gain a large profit. It was not a small amount in this world, especially in a place like the Black Soil Wasteland, where every resource mattered.
But Sienna Vale was not satisfied with just earning gold coins inside the system.
She was thinking bigger.
Could she take the radishes out and sell them in the outside world for an even higher price? That depended on something important. She didn't even know if radishes existed on this continent. Sienna had lived like a spoiled noble, eating whatever was served. She never cared about ingredients. She never asked questions. In her memory, food was just food, not something worth remembering.
That meant Sienna Vale had no clear idea of what vegetables were common here.
If radishes didn't exist in this world, then they would become something special. Something rare. Something that could bring profit and attention. But attention was dangerous. If nobles or merchants noticed that the fallen House Vale suddenly had strange crops that nobody had seen before, people would start asking questions.
That was exactly what Sienna Vale wanted to avoid.
So she needed to be careful.
If radishes did exist here, then she could sell them quietly without standing out. If they didn't exist, then she would have to control the flow, maybe sell only small amounts or use them mainly for food instead of business.
Sienna Vale also thought about the radish leaves. The system store would probably only buy the radish roots, not the leaves. But the leaves were valuable too. She remembered clearly from her childhood back on Earth. Her mother used to pickle radish leaves, and the taste was surprisingly good. If food became scarce here, even radish leaves could be a treasure.
Not only that, but the leaves could also be used as animal feed.
Sienna's memories contained information about beasts and war beasts. Some were hard to raise, but some were not picky at all. If Sienna Vale could grow enough crops, she could raise animals, breed them, and slowly create a ranch outside the space even before unlocking the system's ranch function.
That idea made Sienna Vale's mind move faster.
If she could produce food, she could feed people.
If she could feed people, she could control labor.
And if she could control labor, then the Black Soil Wasteland might not remain a wasteland forever.
Sienna Vale's eyes narrowed slightly as she stared at the stone ceiling. Her future path became clearer with every thought. She wasn't suited to fighting, and she couldn't cultivate magic or battle Spiritual Energy. But farming was different. Farming was safe. Farming was steady. Farming was the kind of thing that could quietly grow into power without drawing too much attention.
She also didn't worry too much about manpower. This world had slaves, something Earth didn't have. As long as she had money, she could buy labor. Those slaves carried the family's brand and couldn't easily escape. Their lives were controlled completely by their masters. It was cruel, but it was the reality of this continent.
However, Sienna Vale also knew that she couldn't suddenly buy large numbers of slaves. The House Vale had just been exiled. If they suddenly began expanding, buying slaves, and producing resources, it would attract attention. The empire might not care about them now, but that didn't mean they would ignore strange changes.
Low-key. Always low-key.
That had to be her rule.
After thinking through these things, Sienna Vale finally relaxed a little. She lay down on the bed, letting her body sink into the rough mattress. Even now, she still felt like she was living inside a dream. Yesterday, she had been an ordinary person on Earth. Today, she was a ruined noble heiress in a cursed wasteland.
The strangest part was the silence.
There was no phone, no internet, no television, no computer. No games. No entertainment. Nothing but stone walls and cold air.
Sienna Vale stared at the ceiling and muttered bitterly, "This is worse than death for a 21st-century girl like me…"
The excitement of the Spatial Farm had kept her nerves stretched tight, but now that the rush had passed, exhaustion rolled over her like a wave. Her mind was overloaded with new memories and new problems. Without realizing it, her eyelids grew heavy.
Soon, Sienna Vale fell asleep.
Not long after, the door opened quietly again.
Tiara slipped into the room, moving as softly as a shadow. She looked toward the bed and saw Sienna Vale sleeping. Her face was calm, nothing like the arrogant expression she used to wear. She hesitated for a moment, then walked closer, gently pulled the quilt up, and covered her properly.
She stood there for a few seconds, watching her in silence. Her eyes were complicated, filled with worry she didn't know how to express. Finally, she sighed and wherpered, so softly it was almost inaudible.
"Young Miss… you have to change. The House Vale can only depend on you now."
After that, she turned around and left the room, closing the door carefully behind her.
As she stepped into the hallway, she almost bumped into Harold, who was walking toward the room. Harold glanced at her face and asked in a low voice, "Tiara, how is the Young Miss?"
Tiara replied quietly, "She's sleeping."
Harold nodded, but her expression remained heavy. After a moment, she said, "Go see if your grandmother has dinner ready. We'll call the Young Miss later." She paused, then shook her head with a bitter smile. "Since we've come to this place, noble etiquette doesn't matter anymore."
Tiara watched her grandfather walk away. She understood her better than anyone. Harold had devoted her whole life to the House Vale, and now she had to watch that family collapse like a broken wall. How could her heart not hurt?
Tiara headed toward the kitchen, her steps slow. Mirella was the only cook now, but she only prepared food for their small group. The slaves had their own rough meals, distributed under Harold's orders. Tiara actually agreed with that. The slaves were poor people, and at least here, they were still being fed. If it were another noble family, those slaves might have been left to starve.
But feeding slaves was not kindness. It was a necessity. Without them, the Vales couldn't survive in this wasteland.
Tiara clenched her hands slightly as she walked.
Their money was almost gone. Their power was reduced. Their land was cursed. Their future was uncertain. The only thing they still had was the family name, and even that was hanging by a thread.
In the end, everything depended on Sienna.
If the Young Miss continued to be foolish, then no matter how strong Harold and Mirella were, they could only delay the family's death for a few years.
But if Sienna truly changed…
If she could learn, endure, and grow…
Then maybe the House Vale would still have a chance.
Tiara looked toward the direction of Sienna Vale's room, her eyes filled with quiet hope.
Because whether they lived or died in this wasteland…
The answer was lying asleep behind that closed door.
*
Night slowly fell over the abandoned castle, covering the Black Soil Wasteland in a layer of cold darkness.
Inside the castle, only Sienna Vale's room still had a soft glow, coming from the magical lamp fixed on the wall. Everywhere else, torches burned, their flames flickering and casting long shadows along the stone corridors.
Magic lamps were not something that could be wasted.
On the Ark Continent, light stones were made from magic spar.
Those crystals came in two ways.
One kind was mined underground, dug out like ore. The quality depended on how much energy the crystal carried. High-grade ones could power magical equipment. Low-grade ones could only be used for lighting. But no matter how good they were, those crystals were disposable. Once their energy ran out, they became worthless rocks.
The other kind of magic spar was far more valuable, formed inside the bodies of magical beasts. Even then, it was rare. Ten beasts might be killed, and not a single one would leave behind a crystal. But these crystals had stable energy and could slowly recharge by absorbing the natural magic in the air. Mages used them as assistants when casting spells, and noble families treated them like treasures.
Either kind was expensive enough that common people could never afford them.
The House Vale was no longer rich.
Harold had brought a few crystals, but each one was precious. Lighting the entire castle with magic lamps would be no different from burning gold coins in a fireplace. That was why torches were used everywhere, and only Sienna Vale's room had the luxury of magical light.
By the time the sky had completely darkened, the slaves had already eaten and returned to their sleeping quarters. Mirella had finished preparing dinner for the household and sent Tiara to call Sienna Vale.
Meanwhile, Sienna Vale was sleeping deeply, so deeply that it almost looked like she had fallen into another world again.
Since arriving here, she had fainted again and again, and Mirella had used water magic to stabilize her each time. Water magic soothed the nerves and calmed the body, and Sienna Vale had also stopped struggling against reality.
Once she accepted that she was Sienna Vale now, the tension in her mind loosened, and her sleep became unusually peaceful.
Tiara stood outside Sienna Vale's door for a moment and listened. The room was quiet. Not even the sound of movement came from inside. She knocked gently and called out.
"Young Miss, it's time for dinner."
There was no response.
She called again, a little louder this time, but the room remained silent. Tiara hesitated, then pushed the door open carefully and stepped inside. The warm glow from the magic lamp filled the room, and the first thing she noticed was the steady rhythm of breathing.
Sienna Vale was sleeping like a stone.
Tiara walked to the bedside with light steps and stared at her for a moment. Her expression was complicated. She didn't know whether she should call her lucky or foolish. At a time like this, in a place like this, she could still sleep so soundly.
She reached out and gently shook her shoulder.
"Young Miss… please wake up. Dinner is ready."