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[This game contains content that may not be suitable for all ages or for access during work hours.] (1)
[View Interface] [Close]
The mouse cursor suspiciously hovered over the [Close] button...
After a moment, Jiang Jiuli decisively clicked [View Interface] and entered the details page.

“Spirit Valley Story” is a globally bestselling pixel-art farming game.
In it, players take on the role of a corporate drone tired of the 996 grind, inheriting land left by their grandfather, returning to their rural hometown, and starting a new life in Pelican Town. Farming, gathering, fishing, mining, combat... players can develop their farm through a variety of activities.
...Of course, every one of these is incredibly time-consuming.

Starting farming at two in the afternoon and looking up when logging off—it’s suddenly three in the morning.

Jiang Jiuli spent a month grinding away, sleeping less than five hours a day, until she just couldn’t take it anymore. With heavy heart, she deleted the game.

...Only to see news of a new DLC for Spirit Valley released.

Huh?

Didn’t the developer say after the 1.6 update they’d focus on a new title, “The Haunted Chocolate Workshop”?

Whatever, it’s none of her business.

Besides, she wasn’t playing it anymore anyway—playing any longer would be deadly.

...Or maybe she should just take a quick look.

Looking doesn’t mean buying.

...

Five minutes later, Jiuli’s game library had new content added.

She really couldn’t be blamed...

She had only intended to glance, but the new DLC’s tags included [Erotic Content] and [Not Suitable for Workplace]!

That’s impressive—had to take a look!

Jiang Jiuli immediately downloaded it and quickly set the game to private mode—so familiar with the process it hardly seemed like her first time.

When the download finished, Jiuli double-clicked the desktop icon and launched the game.

Martial arts—rooted deep in the Chinese spirit—though Jiuli had never read a wuxia novel, she was curious to taste its flavor.

Shader loaded, the game interface officially opened.

For a content-rich expansion, it was best to start a new save file.

Jiuli completely forgot “playing any longer would be deadly” and eagerly began character creation.

Of course, the hair had to be silver—white hair was a national obsession!

Eyes turned green.

To fit the martial arts theme, the new expansion added many new hairstyles and outfits, though in pixel art, the shapes were indistinct.

Farming was about delicate clothing, right? Jiuli chose a long, draped hairstyle and casually selected a black dress.

Next was naming the character.

[Name: Sephiroth]
[Up to three characters only, please modify and try again.]

Ah... since when was there a limit like this?

Whatever.

[Name: Jiuli]

Then came the martial arts nickname.

After all, this was a wuxia DLC; no one in the martial world went without a sobriquet.

What kind of nickname should she choose... Ah, got it.

[Martial Arts Nickname: The Perfect Woman]

The farm owner who could both farm and fish, fell trees and mined—how could she not be versatile?

Then came naming the farm.

...So many names to come up with.

Jiuli was annoyed and just picked a system-generated random name.

[Farm Name: Divine Water Palace Farm]

Finally, selecting the farm type.

Spirit Valley offered eight different farm types, each emphasizing different gameplay styles—for example, forest farms favored gathering, beach farms favored fishing.

This new DLC kept that system, but each farm type corresponded to a completely new map, with unique interactive NPCs and stories.

Of course, limiting each save to one map would be unfriendly to players. So, the developer highlighted an important item in the promotional video—the Teleportation Totem.

By collecting materials and completing tasks, players could craft a Teleportation Totem to enter the next map, bringing their existing farm along to start a new adventure.

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This amount of work is practically a new game... and it’s free? Developer, you are a saint!

Jiuli browsed the maps with respect.

[Grassland Farm], Map: Border Town.
[Oasis Farm], Map: Desert.
[Standard Farm], Map: Bianjing.
[Island Farm]
Map: Bat Island
Description: Bat Island hides in the southeastern seas and is known as the most mysterious “sea gold den” in the martial world. The climate is humid and currents warm, with multiple fishing seasons each year.

Perfect for fishing gameplay!

That’s the one.

Since she could later teleport to other maps, Jiuli didn’t deliberate much and entered the game.

[Loading...]

She didn’t skip the opening animation, so the storyline began immediately.

Shades of blue and white pixel blocks formed the sea; a three-masted wooden ship sailed toward the rising sun, cutting through the waves.

The horizon melded sky and sea into a distant, hazy line, and at the edge stood sharp, dragon-tooth-like reefs—

The reefs were a dull gray.

The shore was also a dull gray.

A small pixel figure clad in black climbed the deck, walked to the bow, and gazed toward the island.

[???]: “The new shipment has finally arrived...”
[???]: “Everyone, stay sharp. If any goods are missing, heads will roll!”

The screen went black the next moment.

The black screen flickered—a simulation of a human blinking open their eyes.

[Jiuli]: “...”
[Jiuli]: “Where is this... my head hurts...”
[Jiuli]: “Ah, the abandoned cabin I found yesterday...”

Whoa~

This smells like a conspiracy!

Jiuli clicked furiously and officially entered the game.

At the start, pixel Jiuli awoke inside a small cabin.

But unlike the original game where the player inherits their grandfather’s farmstead, here the character was a mysterious woman with a mysterious past, arriving on a mysterious island.

The cabin was an unclaimed, abandoned hut.

Its walls were bamboo, with no ceiling cover, exposing the roof’s structure and bundles of thatch. Inside was a bamboo table, a three-legged bamboo stool, and the bamboo bed she lay on.

Since it was a wuxia DLC, of course there was no television.

In the main game, the TV served three important functions: weather forecast, fortune telling, and recipe learning.

Jiuli guessed these roles would be replaced by NPCs here—someone who “counts on fingers” or “observes stars at night.”

Checking the inventory.

The initial inventory had 12 slots, meaning the player could carry 12 different items at once.

The first six slots were filled with starter tools:
Axe, pickaxe, hoe, sickle, wooden bucket, and fishing rod.

On the first day of a new map, there was no need to plan much—just wander around.

Pixel Jiuli jumped off the bamboo bed and energetically ran outside.

At the abandoned cabin’s door was a patch of tillable land, though small. Weeds, scattered logs, and stones littered the field, waiting to be cleared.

The farm was nestled within three surrounding mountain walls, with only a hidden path for entry and exit. The shape resembled a long-necked bottle, with the bamboo hut at the base, backed by a mountain, facing the path—evoking a sense of security.

There was also a path behind the mountain, flanked by a large grove of bamboo ready for harvesting.

To get rich, first chop trees—this truth applied everywhere.

Jiuli picked up the axe and began chopping, her stamina decreasing with every swing.

[Bamboo: A versatile and easy-to-obtain plant material.]

Collect 50 bamboo, open crafting interface, use starter recipe: Bamboo Chest.

[Bamboo Chest: You can store items inside the chest.]

With two-thirds of her stamina remaining, Jiuli put away unnecessary tools in the chest and explored another direction.

Pixel Jiuli stepped onto the farm path, making “crackling” sounds.

Soon she heard waves washing against the reefs and beach—a crisp, rustling sound like breaking biscuits.

Outside the farm was a beach.

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The day was clear and sunny; the sea sparkled like a crystal lantern, shimmering blue and bright.

A sea snake lay basking on the reef but jumped into the sea before Jiuli approached. After a while, it floated back up, sunning itself motionlessly, drifting with the waves.

Sea snakes really behaved like this—shy and wary, they floated to sunbathe when the sea was calm. From afar, many colorful pixel strips floated on the sea.

A school of bamboo fish swam by, mistaking the snakes for floating logs and sheltering beneath.

The sea snakes remained still.

They silently ate a few fish, pretending nothing happened...

Jiuli: (*/ω＼*)

So detailed! Such a subtle scene!

A prompt appeared in the lower right corner: [A frenzy of bamboo fish has arisen by the shore.]

How could she not catch some fish?

[Wooden Fishing Rod: A simple fishing rod made from willow, the previous owner’s vital tool for survival.]

Then—charge, cast!

!!

A bite!

[Obtained: Bamboo Fish!]

[Bamboo Fish: A common sea fish, can be sold fresh or made into salted fish.]

After a dozen casts, Jiuli caught five bamboo fish, one sea snake, two driftwood sticks, and three clumps of seaweed.

Her stamina bar was nearly depleted.

Not wasting a drop of stamina, Jiuli felt very satisfied and headed home with her catch.

With daylight left, Jiuli decided to gather some resources in the back mountain.

Pixel Jiuli wandered through the forest, picking up mangoes, coconuts, and wild yams. Given Bat Island’s description as a secluded island in the southeastern seas, Jiuli guessed it was tropical. (2)

But why was it called Bat Island?

Suddenly, a cave appeared in the cliff ahead!

Inside was pitch darkness, exuding a faint ominous aura...

Pixel Jiuli stopped.

She stared expressionlessly at the black cave entrance.

Suddenly, a swarm of bats screeched and flew out—

Ferocious! Pitch black!

As if from the depths of hell!

The player’s heart leapt!

Ah, so that’s the origin of the name.

In the base game, the player’s farm also had a cave which could be converted into a bat cave after progressing far enough. Fruit bats living there regularly produced delicious fruit.

Due to story reasons, the DLC likely couldn’t replicate this, so it simply replaced it with a wild bat cave. After all, the island was called Bat Island—perhaps there were multiple wild bat caves.

Sounds great!

In this game, most player actions consume stamina, and food is vital for restoring it, especially scarce early on.

Getting free delicious fruit every day from bat caves would be perfect.

Pixel Jiuli expressionlessly charged into the bat cave!

But it wasn’t what she imagined... The ceiling was indeed densely hung with bats, but the ground was only soft soil—nothing else.

Strange rain fell.

Falling on the overly soft soil, falling on pixel Jiuli.

A big exclamation mark appeared above her head.

[Obtained: Bat Guano!]
[Jiuli seemed to have an epiphany...]
[Unlocked recipe: Glow Sand!]
[Glow Sand: Collected from soft cave soil, sifted and dried...]

Jiuli: “...”
Jiuli: “............”
Jiuli: “..................”

What is this thing?!