In an instant, Zhou Yang felt his consciousness violently sucked into it.
The next moment, although his consciousness was very clear, he found himself as if suspended in nothingness, floating in a dark chaos.
Suddenly, light appeared in the darkness.
Scenes began to revolve around him.
Upon closer inspection, they were all related to him.
From Zhou Yang's birth, his first cry as a baby, to him learning to speak and walk, then to him beginning martial arts, displaying extraordinary cultivation talent, being specially recruited into the academy, quickly rising to prominence, being promoted to a core student, becoming a Heavenly Ranking elite…
These were all experiences from his current life, flashbacks of his memory.
At this moment, a voice (narration) came from the void: "You, Zhou Yang, a favored son of heaven, a dragon among men; your life is a smooth road, your future is limitless, but… is all of this truly what you desire? Have you considered slowing down and resting for a while?"
"Although I know I'm excellent, you don't have to praise me so much, hmm, but I like it, this game's opening is quite good!"
Zhou Yang first murmured to himself, then proudly clenched his fist and replied, "Of course, this is everything I want, and I will certainly not stop my steps. Let any difficulties come; I, Zhou Yang, will surely become the master of this game world!"
Narration: "…"
The voice stopped abruptly.
Suddenly, everything around him began to blur, and Zhou Yang's vision also became indistinct.
Although this process was very brief, it felt as if everything just now was merely a dream.
When Zhou Yang reopened his eyes and his vision cleared, he found himself sitting in a strange white mechanical vehicle called a bus.
This machine was still moving, seemingly a form of transportation; he guessed it was similar to the airships he had seen in "monster hunter," but those flew, while this one traveled on land.
At this time, many other passengers were sitting around, chatting and laughing.
The bus traveled for a while, but soon, it stopped.
The attendant suddenly reminded, "Attention, all passengers, Stardew Valley has arrived. Passengers getting off, please gather your luggage and alight!"
"Stardew Valley!"
Zhou Yang was still a bit confused about how the game would proceed, but upon hearing this, his expression changed; wasn't this the same as the game's name? Clearly, this was his destination for this trip, so he couldn't help but stand up and get off the bus.
As soon as he stepped out of the bus door, he saw a beautiful blonde woman walking towards him, greeting him warmly.
"Hi, you must be Zhou Yang!"
"My name is Robin, and I'm the carpenter here. Mayor Lewis sent me to pick you up and take you to your new home; he's already there cleaning the house for you!"
"The house is over there, follow me!"
Zhou Yang was stunned for a moment, but quickly realized that this should be the same kind of new player guide as in monster hunter, and he couldn't help but show joy: "Okay, lead the way!"
Robin nodded and led Zhou Yang through a small forest path.
Soon, the two arrived at a clearing overgrown with weeds and littered with rocks and branches.
Robin walked and said, "Zhou Yang, don't let the weeds fool you; the soil underneath is very fertile, you know. With a little patience, you'll be able to clear it quickly. Also, Stardew Valley is a blessed land, favored by the Harvest God!"
Zhou Yang, however, listened a bit absently.
What did fertile land have to do with him? And cleaning it up?
He was now single-mindedly eager to quickly get familiar with the game, start his journey, and wreak havoc.
"Alright, we're here. This is your new house!"
Above this clearing was a small hut, and Robin brought Zhou Yang to its entrance.
Zhou Yang looked at the crude wooden hut before him and couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth, feeling a wave of poverty wash over him.
Could such a dilapidated place actually be inhabited?
Fortunately, after a second thought, this was just a game, and he wasn't actually going to live here, so he felt a bit relieved.
Then, with a "creak," the wooden hut was suddenly pushed open from inside, and a long-bearded old man wearing a hat emerged.
"Haha, you must be the new resident!"
The old man looked at Zhou Yang and smiled, "Welcome, welcome! I am Mayor Lewis of Pelican Town in Stardew Valley!"
"Mayor? So you're the boss here?"
"Uh, while not entirely accurate, you could understand it that way. You wouldn't believe how many people in town are very much looking forward to and interested in you, our new resident, because no one has moved here in a very long time…"
Zhou Yang, by this time, was already impatient and interrupted the mayor, declaring like a military order, "Mayor, there's no need to say anything else. Just give me any tasks, and I won't disappoint your expectations. I guarantee I'll complete them!"
Mayor Lewis smiled contentedly: "Good, very good. I had originally planned for you to rest for a day since you just arrived, but since you're so enthusiastic, do you see that box next to you? It contains the equipment I've prepared for you!"
"Equipment?"
"Finally, I can choose a weapon?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yang's eyes lit up with pleasant surprise. He eagerly walked to the box, already thinking in his mind whether he should choose the Taichi Sword or the Dual Blades—no, the Charge Blade was actually quite cool too.
He excitedly rubbed his hands and quickly opened the box. Upon looking closely, his eyes immediately widened: "What is all this?"
A hoe? A scythe? An axe? A watering can?
And a small bag of seeds, with the name "parsnip" noted on the packaging of the small bag.
This was not weapons or equipment at all; it was clearly a pile of farming tools.
"Zhou Yang, are you satisfied with this equipment?"
"I specifically handpicked these for you so you can start working immediately. After you clear the weeds and plant that bag of seeds, come find me at my house, and I'll treat you to a hearty lunch as a welcome!"
Lewis made a gesture of blessing and smiled, "Zhou Yang, our new farmer of Pelican Town, may the Harvest God praise you. See you later!"
With that, Lewis left.
"Zhou Yang, I'm leaving too. If you ever need house upgrades in the future, you can come find me!" Robin also waved to Zhou Yang and turned to leave.
"Farmer? Weeding? Farming?"
Only Zhou Yang was left standing in place, lost in thought, contemplating his life.