When NPCs Start Exploring the Game World

[One-on-one, NPC girl who acts like a machine x game designer]

Xi Jianyü is an ordinary mortal living in a small mountain village.

Her life is simple, leisurely, and carefree.

But one day, she realizes that every day of her life repeats itself: get up early to feed the chickens, go up the mountain to chop wood, swim and catch fish, then go down the mountain to sell forest produce...

And every time she goes to sell her goods, she encounters a terrifying mountain demon, only to be rescued by a different person: a chivalrous swordsman in blue, a woman in ornate clothes, a cultivator with an immortal air, a mysterious masked man, a lively and spirited young lady from an official family...

They are all people who should never appear in the wilderness.

They always rescue her in time, then ask her for directions.

She can't make head or tail of it, until one afternoon a passerby drops a map.

[Location One: Haunted Mansion]

[Location Two: Hundred Blossoms Valley]

[Location Three: Sword Sect]

[Location Four: Painted Realm]

Her own village is on it too: You Shui Village.

And the moment she picks up the map, she leaves the village where she has no idea how long she has been stuck.

*

Anyone who has played The Path of Demons and Spirits knows the fixed guide NPC in the starter village.

As long as they rescue her, she'll mechanically repeat her thanks, point them toward the next quest location, and give them some worthless forest produce.

Few players skip the starter storyline, and everyone remembers this NPC well. There's even a dedicated fanfic thread for her on the forums.

But that's as far as it goes.

The NPC is cute, sure, but she still can't compete with the strange and wondrous world of demons and spirits!

At first, that's what all the players thought.

Until one day, the NPC appeared somewhere she wasn't supposed to be.

At the same time, a new thread dedicated to the NPC appeared on the player forums:

[Check-in thread: Where did Xi Jianyü go today?]

[We're all players, so why does Xi Jianyü have a higher affection rating with them than with me?!]

[Why?! Why does she smile and say she remembers me when I ask Little Yu if she still remembers me, but my affection rating is zero?!]

[Reading Guide]

1. It's sort of a supernatural road-trip story, with romance at its heart.

2. In this setting, players can return to the village after completing the starter storyline.

3. A machine-like girl takes on players, other NPCs, and the game designer trying to force the game back onto its intended track.

4. The blurb has been saved.

Theme: Courage is the best companion for exploring the world.