Day One

This is Catherine’s first trip to China, so her visa is at zero. Not only does this limit Catherine’s trip to just three days, but it means that when Catherine touches down in China, she is dropped off at base camp.

In China, base camp is actually quite lovely and accommodating. The giant facility has everything she needs inside, such as beds, a kitchen, and bathrooms.

First things first: check the Adventure Board.

The Adventure Board is Catherine’s first stop because I want to make sure she can spend more time in China on her next visit. To do this, I need to earn points for her visa.

The best way to do this is to undertake adventures offered by the locals. When you first visit a destination, there is always an adventure waiting for you on the Adventure Board.

The first adventure in China is called Seeking Adventure? It is the first step in a multi-part adventure that will take Catherine into a tomb. The message on the board asks for a traveler (Catherine in this case) to contact

Xi Yuan. When you accept this adventure, it gets added to the Adventure Tracker above the moodlet panel.

Left-clicking on it sends Catherine directly to Xi Yuan, although if you zoom out to map view, you can also see Xi Yuan highlighted with a small token bearing her face.

When Catherine visits Xi Yuan to follow up on the next step of the adventure, she is awarded a handful of visa points. See we’re already on our way to increasing the visa level to 1. Xi Yuan tells Catherine about the next step of the adventure: Treasure Hunter.

Treasure Hunter is a mission to seek out a relic at the bottom of a nearby tomb. This tomb is actually beneath the Hall of the Lost Army, which is the giant temple in the center of the Forbidden City. (The Forbidden City is the massive city center at the heart of China.)

If Catherine can recover the ancient relic rumored to be at the bottom of the tomb for Xi Yuan, she will reward her with visa points, Simoleons, and Ancient Coins. “Yes, please” to all three of those things!

Before leaving, Catherine receives a keystone, which is a critical object for opening a door in the tomb.

When Catherine visits Xi Yuan to follow up on the next step of the adventure, she is awarded a handful of visa points. See we’re already on our way to increasing the visa level to 1.

Xi Yuan tells Catherine about the next step of the adventure: Treasure Hunter. Treasure Hunter is a mission to seek out a relic at the bottom of a nearby tomb.

This tomb is actually beneath the Hall of the Lost Army, which is the giant temple in the center of the Forbidden City. (The Forbidden City is the massive city center at the heart of China.)

If Catherine can recover the ancient relic rumored to be at the bottom of the tomb for Xi Yuan, she will reward her with visa points, Simoleons, and Ancient Coins. “Yes, please” to all three of those things!

Before leaving, Catherine receives a keystone, which is a critical object for opening a door in the tomb.

Before going into the tomb to seek out the treasure, though, Catherine needs some survival gear.

Because I want to get the most out of the three days (trust me, three days can fly by when you are first exploring a destination and undertaking an adventure), I do not want to spend too much time traveling back to base camp at night to use the facilities.

So, we head for the market inside the Forbidden City.

The shops in the market are all neatly aligned, making it easy to pop in and out of the bookstore, food place, relic shop, and the general store.

Catherine can shop at the other stores later, and she will because I definitely want to pick up the entry-level Martial Arts skill book and at least one recipe from the bookstore.

But because time is of the essence, we go straight for the general store and buy a tent, two Showers in a Can, and several portions of dried food.

I spring for the medium quality so Catherine gets a pleasant moodlet bump when she eats them.

With the goods in Catherine’s inventory, it’s off to the Hall of the Lost Army. Standing on the floor switch opens up the stairs leading down into the tomb.

Using the keystone on the panel next to the door at the bottom of the steps opens the tomb.

Catherine explores the first part of the tomb, using floor switches to open doors.

There’s an electric trap in one of the tomb chambers. Catherine can turn the trap off by pushing one of the statues on top of it.

Some of the switches must be uncovered by clearing away rubble piles. Clearing away the rubble piles increases Catherine’s Athletic skill.

Because Catherine got something of a late start on the day and spent a little time in town, it’s already starting to get late. Catherine’s mood is starting to go south because she is sleepy.

Because I want to get right back into that tomb first thing in the morning, I send Catherine back up to the surface to pitch a tent right next to the Hall of the Lost Army. We’ll sleep out here for the night.