The moment Yu Yu logged into the game, he saw a girl wearing a simple and ancient sacrificial ritual robe, looking supremely noble, untouchable and unoffendable, gazing into the distance.
From all around came a distant, long, and ancient-sounding voice, saying,
“Shaman, blessing. The girl can act without form, using dance to summon the gods. To deal with ghosts and deities (manifest), pray for good fortune, seek eternal constancy. Favoring abundant years, resisting untimely rain, calming wind and drought, dispelling disasters and troops, averting diseases and crimes. All funerals and sacrifices, national prayers for blessings and disaster relief, natural disasters, diplomatic and war affairs, all are managed by the shaman and the blessings.”
Afterwards, it went on to explain Li Xi’s identity as a goddess, roughly giving the players a heads-up that she could foresee the future, subtly preparing them for the fact that knowing many modern technologies wouldn’t be surprising.
Then, as the ancient narration fell silent, the girl gently closed her beautiful eyes, her clear and melodious voice softly saying, “I am born for the great task of Qin to unify, following the mandate of Heaven.”
Immediately, the scene before him changed drastically, finally freezing in a well-appointed ancient room.
A handsome young man and a beautiful girl sat opposite each other, discussing state policy. “…May I ask, Your Majesty, do you intend to be a heroic ruler, or a conservator of the status quo?”
For the opening CG animation, Li Xi directly let the system play her conversation with Ying Zheng. For a game, it was already enough to hold the scene.
The young man and girl before him, laughing and discussing statecraft, truly felt as if they were really present. Yu Yu, having loaded into the game, could not help but reach forward, only to grasp empty air. Then, seeing all images vanish, leaving only the simple small-seal-script title “Da Qin,” he realized this was only a game.
A… so-called holographic game.
A surge of uncontrollable excitement rose in his heart. If entering the game still maintained such a strong sense of reality, then he thought, this game would surely explode across the internet. This game could very well be his turning point, his great opportunity…
He then tried to calm the surging waves in his heart, warning himself not to have too many expectations beforehand.
After all, there were too many examples of people being tricked by opening CG animations, lured in like dogs to be slaughtered. Moreover, this so-called holographic game was downloaded in under a minute. Better to observe first.
Following the system’s guidance, Yu Yu entered his usual ID, “Squid Eating Cats,” into the floating input box, customized his appearance, and read the game’s unskippable terms—the first being “Players may not kill Qin NPCs at will,” and the last ending with “Never betray Qin.”
Once all was completed, and he confirmed entering the game, a flash of white light appeared before his eyes, and he reflexively closed them.
When he opened them again, the surrounding environment and buildings were entirely ancient.
Perhaps because he stood atop the altar at a very high angle, his perspective of the ancient buildings was top-down.
But none of that mattered. What truly mattered was…
—These houses and constructions, arranged densely, truly… had an extremely strong sense of realism!
—This game really wasn’t a CG scam, holy crap!
Shocked by the in-game scenery, but lacking much culture, he could only mutter “woah” reflexively in his mind.
The modeling, the realism… if it weren’t for the gameplay and story being so-so, this would absolutely be a candidate for the game of the year, or even the big hit for the next few years!
He couldn’t help but scream inside his head.
He then shifted his gaze to directly in front of him, where stood, unmistakably, the Li Xi he had seen in the CG—a robe for sacrificial rituals, face dazzlingly beautiful.
At this moment, the beautiful girl gently closed her eyes, her body enveloped in a faint, ethereal white radiance, just like the scene he had seen before formally entering the game.
Caught off guard by such a stunning face, “Squid Eating Cats” widened his eyes. Although he had seen Li Xi’s beauty before entering the game, seeing a pretty 2D-style girl and then confronting a hyper-real beauty breaking the dimensional wall in reality was on an entirely different level.
Just as his eyes nearly popped out from Li Xi’s “absolute gorgeous modeling,” a voice suddenly rang in his ear, “Mom, I really saw a fairy!”
Startled, he looked to the side. Goodness, it was a well-faced girl. At this moment, she stared at Li Xi like a lovesick fool, drooling almost.
The “Da Qin” game did not allow gender changes. He could not help but think, indeed, male fans really lose all sense when confronted with a pretty girl.
Minutes passed. The number of players appearing gradually increased. Those who had landed first, running around the altar, looking at symbols on the outer circle they didn’t understand, saw Li Xi slowly open her eyes. She took two steps toward the place with the highest concentration of players, lips lightly parted, and said, “Welcome, divine generals from the Divine Court. May you assist my Da Qin in the days to come, and may the kingdom endure long.”
The beauty coming toward them made this group of players, along with their closed beta companions, hold their breath, lower their voices, and cautiously ask, “Your Highness Goddess, may we serve you in any way?”
Li Xi’s face revealed a faint smile, her speech neither fast nor slow, “Wars rage across the land year after year. Da Qin and the other six kingdoms will inevitably clash. Yet, our army is stretched thin…”
“Now our Qin people have only recently finished spring farming. I have heard that in the Divine Court, there is an item called fertilizer, which can increase crop yields.”
Hearing this, the players immediately responded enthusiastically, “Do not worry, Your Highness Goddess, we will surely produce fertilizer for you!”
Although they had no idea what the raw materials were or how to make it, this was the first mission from an important NPC in the game! How could a player refuse?
Hearing the players’ passionate declaration, Li Xi smiled with satisfaction, then continued, “I have instructed the Liyang Magistrate to arrange lodgings for the generals. In future, if anything is unclear, consult the Liyang Magistrate. Although you are all immortal, beyond the five elements, you can still be injured and feel pain like ordinary people, thus, I hope… you respect and cherish your lives.”
Her concern made the players, all die-hard face-value lovers, tear up emotionally, wailing, “Yes, Goddess! No problem, Goddess!”
“Woohoo! The Goddess is caring about me, yay!”
“Oh my, the Goddess is so kind! I must bear children for her, wuuah!”
For a moment, the altar scene became extremely chaotic. Li Xi took advantage of the players’ wailing to walk down from the altar, no longer concerning herself with the players’ ensuing madness. She had already given the initial mission, and other matters had been conveyed to the Liyang Magistrate in advance. Remaining tasks did not require her to coordinate with players directly.
—As an important NPC, she had to maintain a bit of dignity.
Soon, the players left the altar, looking at each other, “The Goddess is gone, what do we do now?”
“Make, make fertilizer?”
Seeing their hesitant expressions, “Squid Eating Cats,” the professional streamer, stepped forward, analyzing seriously, “This mission from the Goddess isn’t something completed in a day or two. ‘Da Qin’ is a construction game, so this is definitely a small long-term task. Daily, didn’t the Goddess just say, if there’s anything unclear, to consult the Liyang Magistrate?”
“But who is the Liyang Magistrate?” The girl who had almost drooled over Li Xi just now asked.
“Who cares who it is, let’s go figure it out first.”
Soon, players realized worrying about who the Liyang Magistrate was had been unnecessary.
Not long after descending from the altar, among the commoners in plain hemp garments, they saw the conspicuous Liyang Magistrate, with a small label above his head, “Qin Official, Liyang Magistrate,” clearly revealing his identity.
Seeing the slightly plump Liyang Magistrate, the players exchanged glances, then rushed to surround him, asking, “Sir, is there anything we can help with?”
“Yes, sir! Please don’t be polite with us. Whatever you need, just tell us!”
“Our purpose is to help the people of Da Qin live better lives! If there’s anything, we must handle it ourselves!”
Hearing the players’ sincere words, both the Magistrate and the townsfolk were moved to tears. Truly, these divine soldiers were exactly as the Goddess had said: helpful and selfless.
“They are upright and kind, brave and fearless, never calculating costs. Their only wish is to help Da Qin’s people live better lives, and seeing everyone thrive makes them content.”
Watching the players request work around him, the Liyang Magistrate remembered what the Goddess had told him, and spoke, “The walls of Liyang city haven’t been repaired in many years. I wonder…”
Before he could finish, a player immediately answered, “No problem! Don’t worry, sir! Repairing walls is our specialty!”
After shouting, the player looked at the surrounding villagers and exclaimed, “Does anyone have any tools we can borrow?”
As he spoke, the street first murmured, then quickly became bustling, “Divine soldiers use my tools!”
“Your tools haven’t been replaced in ten years! You’re just slowing them down! Mine, mine is new!”
“Don’t rush, neighbors, stay calm and avoid injuries. There’s enough for everyone! Do your houses need repairs? We can do that too!”
“Small matters only, Goddess… I mean Your Highness, we were summoned by the Goddess to serve the villagers. Don’t be polite!”
This player, meant to complete a daily task from the Magistrate, in a moment built rapport with all villagers, a social skill shocking the other players.
—Damn, where did this social genius come from? Too talented for just a game, bro.
Seeing this, Li Xi, leaning against a tree, smiled knowingly.
It seemed she had really found a treasure.
Even if he couldn’t repair everything as he claimed, his social and organizational skills alone were extraordinary.
Repairing houses for villagers? That was a good entry point.
Infrastructure, after all, is basically these aspects: scholar-farmer-tradesman, food, clothing, housing, transportation.
For now, only the economy could be actively developed.
Originally, she had intended for players to farm, accumulate grain, ensuring every household had full granaries even after taxes.
But this approach was fine too. Step by step.
Essentially the same. Summon players, increase productivity, enrich the country, prepare for conquering the Six Kingdoms later.
As long as home resources were sufficient, consumption could be handled. Moreover, the Qin army was strong; on the battlefield, seeing the enemy would make players’ eyes light up—they’d see the future, money, security.
As for her little sidekick, handed to her by Ying Zheng, who called her a demon girl, she decided he could develop animal husbandry and become the greatest pig farmer of all time.
Thinking this, Li Xi, having promised to take good care of Chengjiao, looked at the young man in black, also watching the players chatter, and lightly said, “Your Majesty, you’ve never seen such a person, right?”
Ying Zheng replied calmly, “It’s evident, they come from a good place.”
Hearing the youth’s words, which seemed both praise and disdain, Li Xi lightly smiled, not continuing the topic, and instead asked, “When will Your Majesty return to Xianyang?”
“Not returning.”
Hearing this, Li Xi widened her peach-blossom eyes in surprise, looking at him, “Your Majesty?”
Ying Zheng slightly raised his eyelids, a faint mocking arc on his lips, and said coldly, “Xianyang Palace—does it matter if I am there or not?”
Knowing he referred to Zhao Ji and Lü Buwei controlling state affairs, Li Xi calmly said, “King Huiwen did not concern himself with state affairs for three years. But who can say King Huiwen was not a heroic ruler? And now, it’s only the third year of Your Majesty’s reign.”
Hearing this, the narrow phoenix eyes fixed on her. The noon sunlight filtered through the trees, illuminating the girl leaning on the branch, covering her in radiance, making her appear extraordinarily beautiful.
Then Ying Zheng withdrew his gaze, no longer leaning on the branch, standing tall, walking forward a few steps. After a distance, he softly said to Li Xi, “Leave tomorrow.”
Hearing this, Li Xi’s peach-blossom eyes softened, and she called out to the boy ahead, “Then I wish Your Majesty a smooth journey!”
Li Xi’s words received no reply, but a faint soft curve appeared at the corner of the boy’s lips.