Chapter 1

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As a fan of construction simulation games, Li Yue purchased the newly released title the moment she discovered it. The game's main title was "Pirate Simulator." After making the payment, Li Yue browsed the game information and noticed a tiny subtitle:

What exactly is the legendary Great Treasure One Piece?! I'm determined to become the king of farming!

...The main title seemed respectable enough, but the subtitle felt oddly unserious. Was this truly a farming and construction game? It seemed more like an RPG.

After clicking through several other promotional images, Li Yue felt even more uneasy. The images were filled with adorable little animals—dozens of fluffy creatures of different outfits, appearances, and races, clustered together, grinning foolishly.

Cute, certainly... In fact, it was this cuteness that convinced Li Yue to give the game a try!

Upon launching the game, Li Yue was greeted by a simple introductory narrative:

"You have discovered an uninhabited island—it appears to be in the New World."

Li Yue smoothly interpreted "New World" as simply "a new world."

"Your origins are mysterious, and your identity is perhaps unusual. Please select your race."

Direct and to the point—the character creation phase began.

A list of options appeared. To her surprise, there were many varieties:

[Human], [Fishfolk], [Giant], [Long-arm Tribe], [Long-leg Tribe]...

What were these bizarre races? The game offered no explanations.

Li Yue stared at the options, utterly confused by the differences between "Merfolk" and "Fishfolk," and wondering just how long the arms of the "Long-arm Tribe" might be. Then there were races like the "Mink Tribe," which made no sense from the name alone, and still the game provided no clarification.

Fortunately, Li Yue was steadfast in her preference for humans. Although curious about the other races, she didn't dwell on it and unhesitatingly chose [Human].

But unexpectedly, after choosing her race, perhaps due to a hidden mechanic or a fixed process, the game presented another set of options:

"Please select your lineage."

[Clan of D]

...What was this?

[Kozuki Clan]

...And this?

[Celestial Dragon]

...Huh?

[No special lineage]

Normally, such specifically selectable options would have special significance, right? Hopefully they wouldn't trigger some disastrous plotline or negative debuff.

Li Yue felt none of these terms made any sense, and still the game offered no explanations. What a poor tutorial! She mentally deducted a point from the game. Not bothering to agonize over it, she casually picked the third option.

No particular reason—just that "Celestial Dragon" sounded cool.

A dragon! How cool is that?

Yet, upon entering the character creation stage, the so-called "Celestial Dragon lineage" didn't add anything to the human appearance, except for a peculiar headgear.

And it was ugly.

"Remove?"

[Yes]

Li Yue promptly chose to remove the inexplicable headgear, revealing the face of a blonde, red-eyed girl, expressionless and unmasked.

So much for "character creation"—the only selectable option was whether or not to remove the headgear. The customization for hair color or face shape she was hoping for never appeared.

Did these developers truly not understand players' desires? Without proper character creation, half the anticipation for the game was lost!

Li Yue mentally deducted another point.

...Come to think of it, does this in-game character look a bit like me?

Li Yue scrutinized the blonde, red-eyed girl on the screen. Aside from hair and eye color, it was like a chibi version of herself.

Probably just a coincidence, she thought, and clicked to finish the character creation.

"Please name your character."

Li Yue hesitated for a moment.

Mainly because the options were endless. But relying on her vast knowledge, she quickly settled on a new name:

[Ah! My dear master!]

No hidden meaning—Li Yue liked to name herself [Grandpa] when playing otome games, and then enjoy a heart-rending, beautiful familial bond:

Male Lead One: "Yes, I love you, Grandpa!"

Male Lead Two: "How could this happen! Grandpa, Grandpa! Don't leave!"

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Male Lead Three: "Let me take care of you for the rest of your life. Grandpa, I'll provide you with the best material comforts."

Or, in RPGs, she'd name herself [Uh, may I go to the restroom first], and then witness a comedic, dramatic performance:

Ally One: "I've gathered all the items, our wish is about to come true! Uh, may I go to the restroom first!"

Boss One: "I'm going to kill you! I'm going to kill you, uh, may I go to the restroom first!"

And so on.

Li Yue had beautiful imaginings, but...

System: "Forbidden words detected, this character name is not allowed."

Li Yue: ?

No freedom at all?

Well, that's settled—this must be a trash game!

Li Yue mentally deducted three more points.

[Character [Li Yue] has been loaded.]

Li Yue's game account used her real name. She pursed her lips, surprised that the game denied players a second chance at naming, instead forcibly adopting the account name to start the game.

Another point deducted!

Within the first five minutes, Li Yue had subtracted four points. At this rate, the rest of the game was likely to be just as disappointing.

She might as well play for an hour and forty minutes before requesting a refund.

With no expectations, Li Yue clicked [Start Game].

After a brief black screen, an opening animation played—performed by the little animals.

The narrator, with an exuberant voice, proclaimed:

"Wealth, fame, power. Once there was a short-tailed quokka that achieved all this—"

"Gol D. Roger."

A black-bearded, captain-hat-wearing animal, resembling a mouse, was placed on the execution platform.

Yet even at the scaffold, the quokka maintained its signature smile, looking genuinely happy.

...It was, admittedly, a bit cute.

The quokka smiled, opened its mouth, and solemnly cleared its throat.

Narrator:

"Before dying, it left behind a phrase: 'Do you want my treasure?'..."

Then the narrator coughed lightly:

"Oh, apologies, it's too early for all that."

"Currently, Gol D. Roger is merely a young, unremarkable novice at sea."

With the narration, the quokka shrank into an even fluffier, smaller form, and the execution platform vanished without trace.

The little quokka looked around in confusion and hopped away.

Li Yue blinked, a bit lost at the abrupt turn, but kept watching.

"Before Roger's rise to fame, there was an absolute tyrant, infamous and feared by all on the seas—a name that struck terror into every heart:"

"Rocks D. Xebec."

A fierce-looking black lion appeared on the screen.

...Fluffy, adorable.

No matter how the narrator painted its cruelty, Li Yue could only think:

So cute!

I want to squish it!

I could squish it bald!

"The Rocks Pirates, based on Hive Island, pursued treasure as their goal. The crew members were formidable, but not harmonious. Even among comrades, they would kill each other for personal gain."

After the lion, a bearded polar bear, a pink-haired piglet, a golden lion, and a silver-pink python appeared.

"As their captain, Rocks was especially brutal, aiming to become the king of the world..."

The game scene shifted to a series of maps, and a scrolling subtitle began:

"The history of this world involves..."

Once the adorable animals disappeared and the background story filled the screen like an essay, Li Yue immediately hit the skip button.

Players' patience rarely lasts more than a minute.

Regardless of whether it's the introduction, cutscene, or tutorial—too long, too wordy, too many characters, and it's not worth reading.

Yes, players are just that capricious.

Besides, if everyone's a cute animal, all fluffy and adorable, and you're telling me they're pillaging, burning, and destroying islands—it's impossible to feel immersed with that art style!

...Whatever, let's just continue the game.

Game system:

"You have arrived on this unfamiliar island..."

Skip.

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"You once carried a name laden with your family's glory:..."

Skip!

"Since venturing out to sea alone, you decided to forget the past,..."

Skip!!

"You gave yourself a new name. From now on, you will be called [Li Yue]."

...The irrelevant information was far too lengthy!

Li Yue cared little for backstory or character setup. She frantically hit the skip button, and once her character could move freely, she eagerly started running around the environment.

Surveying the area around the camp, Li Yue was quite satisfied.

Just like the start of most farming games she'd played, the initial camp was free from dangerous beasts. Insects abounded, but posed no threat to the player—perfect for a beginner's start.

Ahead of the camp was a beach, scattered with numerous shellfish, promising abundant food supplies.

From the shore, she could often spot fish shadows in the sea. With a fishing rod or spear, she should be able to catch fish.

Beyond the camp was forest. Scattered trees grew there, some bearing fruits she recognized, others unfamiliar.

Having surveyed the environment, she checked her inventory:

Her backpack contained a pot and a fire starter.

Li Yue felt even more at ease—this starting scenario was hardly challenging! She had expected to struggle for food on an isolated island.

But with the pot and fire ready...

Li Yue immediately set up the pot, tossed in the insects and lizards she'd caught during exploration, then added a few fruits, a flower, and some weeds out of curiosity.

Since the game allowed rocks to be added, she threw one in as well.

She drew a scoop of seawater and poured it into the pot, gathered some dry branches for fuel, and lit the fire.

What kind of dish would emerge?

Li Yue stirred the increasingly black and sticky mass in the pot, and soon the game displayed:

"Cooking complete!"

"Congratulations, you've obtained an SR-grade dish: [A Delicacy That Instantly Kills the Appetite]!"

A pixelated black food item appeared in Li Yue's hand.

Description: "A mysterious dish made from mysterious ingredients. Even a starving stray dog would rather die than eat it."

Effect: "Restores 5 HP."

But it could restore 5 HP!

As long as it heals HP, who cares about appearance? And it's even SR-grade!

Pragmatism above all!

Li Yue carefully stored the food in her backpack.

She was about to search for other ingredients to experiment with, when she heard a rustling behind her—the sound of something being washed ashore.

A faint whisper reached her ears:

"Hungry..."

"So hungry..."

Just as Li Yue finished crafting a life-saving (?) dish, an animal on the brink of starvation appeared.

Curious, Li Yue approached the beach and discovered a starving calf.

This was her first encounter with an animal after entering the game. The dialogue box showed its avatar—a round-faced, juvenile calf.

The bluish-black calf sprawled on the sand in the shape of a big letter, its belly rumbling loudly.

Li Yue mused: I wonder what kind of gameplay this is.

Would she really be capturing animals, defeating four kings, and eventually becoming the champion of Pokémon?

Would feeding them increase their affection?

Confidently, Li Yue took out her mysterious dish and nervously approached the calf.

The calf repeated:

"About to... die... of hunger..."

System prompt:

"Would you like to feed Kaido?"

[Yes/No]

Li Yue unhesitatingly chose [Yes].

She offered the dark, pixelated, intimidating dish to the calf.

It seemed injured, too. Just as well—this dish could restore 5 HP. Li Yue thought.

She compassionately placed the food beside the calf, watching as it mustered its last strength to stretch out a hoof—

The calf grabbed the black, pixelated lump and swallowed it in one gulp.

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