Chapter One: The Floating Island?

"Welcome to the Sky Island~"

As the voice echoed in her ears, Chi Sui opened her eyes in confusion.

She looked around and saw a white hospital bed, curtains, and an IV stand by her side—this was... a hospital?

Before Chi Sui could process what was happening, the owner of the voice approached her.

“Are you Chi Sui? Your grandfather once told me he had a granddaughter who, due to certain reasons, went to the Abyssal Realm and lost contact. This is your first day on Sky Island, isn’t it? Welcome.”

The woman before her was about fifty or sixty, with hair dusted in white but a voice full of vigor, delivering four or five pieces of information in a single breath.

So shocked and unfamiliar with her surroundings, Chi Sui could only nod when she heard her own name called.

Noticing her bewilderment, the woman smiled sheepishly. “Look at me, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Ella, mayor of Fufeng Town. You can just call me Aunt Ella. Your grandfather was once the largest ranch owner in our town, but due to health issues, he hasn’t visited in nearly ten years. Half a year ago, he sent word that his granddaughter would soon come to inherit his ranch, and he gave me your name and age.”

Chi Sui barely had time to be surprised at suddenly having a grandfather before something in Aunt Ella’s account caught her attention. “To inherit?”

There was a brief, sorrowful silence on the other side before she answered, “I’m sorry, your grandfather passed away last winter.”

...

After being taken by Mayor Ella to the ranch she was to inherit, and bidding her farewell, Chi Sui finally had a chance to sort out her tangled thoughts.

First, she was certain she had crossed into another world. Having grown up in an orphanage, she had never heard of having a grandfather, let alone any Sky Island or Abyssal Realm in her old world.

There were hazy fragments of the original owner's memories in her mind. She had finally gotten a ticket for the airship to Sky Island, thinking she would soon reunite with family, only for the ship to arrive just as the island’s wind season came early. Before she could even disembark, she experienced a full 360-degree tilt inside the airship—which explained why she woke up in a hospital.

Through her conversation with Mayor Ella, Chi Sui had gained a general understanding of this world.

As the name suggests, Sky Island is a floating island in the clouds. There are currently six inhabited ones, with Fufeng Town located on Violet Island, one of the six. This island, thanks to its unique geography, boasts the richest biodiversity, and residents often become ranchers by profession.

Yes, profession.

This was what Chi Sui found most fantastical. On Sky Island, every resident receives a Book of Enlightenment the moment they become self-aware. It records their age, profession, and skills, and on the last day of each winter, it automatically logs their accomplishments from the past year.

As she heard this part of Mayor Ella’s explanation, Chi Sui couldn’t help but think, though she hadn’t seen it herself, that this system was uncomfortably reminiscent of the annual performance reviews back at her old company... Well, it seems the year-end here is also a “technological” achievement.

Professions are determined at the age of self-awareness, while skills are developed later. But without the corresponding profession, any related work is twice as hard for half the result. On Violet Island, which produces so many ranchers, Fufeng Town hadn’t seen a new rancher in the ten years since her grandfather left. Even the owner of the other ranch in town was not a professional, just someone who had learned the skill of animal husbandry. This explained why Mayor Ella was so eager for Chi Sui’s arrival—she was more than welcome.

After Mayor Ella left, Chi Sui imitated her demonstration: she rotated her left wrist upward, rubbed her middle finger and thumb together, and snapped her fingers.

With a soft sound, a thick, intricately patterned book appeared out of thin air.

A twisted, elaborate character was embossed on the cover, and on closer look, it appeared to be the symbol for “Enlightenment.”

It seemed she wouldn’t have to relearn the written language of this world.

Before Chi Sui could reach out to flip the cover, the book, as if sensing her intent, opened on its own.

[Name: Chi Sui]
[Age: 17]
[Status: Resident of Violet Island, Ranch Owner of Fufeng Town]
[Profession: Ranch Owner]
[Skill: Culinary Mastery]

She tried to turn to the next page, but it was as if the pages were glued together—she could not flip any further. With no choice, Chi Sui could only study the handful of words on the first page.

Her name—no need to mention, from Mayor Ella’s words, nothing had changed there, nor did her family background seem any different... Thinking of this, Chi Sui felt a pang—she could sense how eagerly the original owner had longed for this reunion before coming to Sky Island.

Taking a deep breath, she turned her gaze back to the page. Her status was now that of a Fufeng Town resident, with all the ranch inheritance paperwork briskly handled by Mayor Ella. She had a home and her own enterprise on Sky Island, though, at the moment, the ranch might be little more than a patch of land.

Sitting on the steps of the wooden cabin at the ranch’s center, she surveyed the waist-high weeds, the fields, and the animal pens with broken fences. The daunting task ahead made her feel a headache coming on.

As for culinary mastery, Chi Sui felt the book was flattering her. In her previous world, she’d spent several years in the orphanage kitchen, learning from the cook—who was, in reality, just the director’s wife, and together the two adults managed all the children’s meals and needs. Chi Sui only learned to cook to help lighten their load.

Later, Chi Sui worked odd jobs at small diners, rarely allowed near the stove, but quite skilled at washing and chopping vegetables. After graduation, she leveraged these basic skills to become a modestly popular food blogger, always experimenting with ways to make dishes look and taste better. But to call it mastery—with so many cuisines and dishes—she could hardly claim that, only that she had some experience.

Who would have thought, after sixteen years of hard work, her only official “skill” would be cooking?

Touching her face, she felt warmth rising—though there was no mirror, she suspected she was blushing.

After confirming that was all the content, Chi Sui repeated her earlier gesture and put the book away.

With a flash of white light, the book vanished, and Chi Sui couldn’t help but marvel—no matter how many times she saw it, it defied everything she knew.

Steeling herself, she opened the pack the original owner had prepared. Inside were only two changes of clothes and a handful of coins, which she counted carefully.

One silver coin and thirty-seven copper coins. According to the local exchange rate, one silver coin equals one hundred copper coins, assuming no wear and tear. Yet the doctor had told her the medical bill was ten silver...

Chi Sui drew a sharp breath.

Could she not even afford the hospital bill?

This was bad. She was already deep in debt before she’d earned a single coin.