Ch 20: The World’s Number One Resort

“Get changed, we’re heading out. Why are you just standing there?”

While Jiang Yaoyao was still in a daze, Qian Dasong came over and nudged her. Earlier, the group had agreed to explore the area nearby—after all, they were on a trip, and staying cooped up in the treehouses the whole time wasn’t ideal. The others had already gone back to get ready, but Jiang Yaoyao had come to grab her phone, and somehow ended up standing frozen in place.

“Dasong, tell me, if I get famous, will I still need you?” Jiang Yaoyao snapped out of it after his remark, turning to him seriously as she closed the livestream.

“You won’t need me anymore. I’ll help you pick out some pretty boys instead. Now hurry up and get changed,” Qian Dasong waved dismissively, thinking Jiang Yaoyao was just joking with him. There was a fifteen-year age gap between them, and although they got along well, sometimes they were just on different wavelengths. He figured she was teasing.

After saying that, Qian Dasong headed back.

Jiang Yaoyao watched him leave and found her earlier question amusing. Sure, she’d married Qian Dasong partly for his money, but she liked the guy too. Over the past year of marriage, despite his brashness, Qian Dasong had always pampered her. She wasn’t even famous yet, so why was she already thinking about leaving him?

Jiang Yaoyao gave herself a playful middle finger, then let her viewers know the stream would continue later before heading back to the treehouse.

Half an hour later, the group had changed into casual clothes and gathered by the Blue Sea Lake.

“Manager Tang, what’s the plan for today? Is there anything fun around here?” asked Xiao Shengguo, wearing walking shoes and carrying a small backpack, looking quite excited. Immersing himself in nature had revived his youthful spirit.

After his question, everyone turned to look at Tang Huai. Among the eight people, Tang Huai was the one most familiar with Sora Island.

“Well, we can stroll through the forest. Sora Island is still being developed, so there aren’t many attractions yet,” Tang Huai said with a slight cough. There were fifty zones on Sora Island, but so far, only Blue Sea Lake was open. In truth, there weren’t many activities available.

“Manager Tang, is the island really just as described on the flyer?” Li Rui glanced at Tang Huai skeptically. They’d seen the flyer before arriving and knew the island’s main features were Blue Sea Lake and the treehouses. After spending a night here, they were very satisfied with the experience.

But now that they’d relaxed, they began to get curious. The Blue Sea Lake was beautiful, and the treehouses were a unique experience, but the guests hoped for more features that would elevate their stay into a luxurious, once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“These are the only activities we have,” Tang Huai’s response dashed their hopes. The system’s marketplace offered [Special Activity Cards] and [Special Dining Store Cards], but each started at 30,000 island credits, far beyond what Tang Huai had. Plus, after purchasing, he would also need to hire AI staff, which would incur even more costs.

“Alright, let’s just enjoy a walk in the forest,” the group sighed with mild disappointment, realizing the island really did offer only what had been advertised.

The Blue Sea Scenic Area covered fifty square kilometers, surrounded by barren yellow canyons. The scenic zone itself was a central plain, lush with green trees, where the Blue Sea Lake and forest made up a large part. The ratio of lake to forest was about 1:100.

The group left the Blue Sea Lake and headed in the opposite direction from where they had come the previous day.

“Yemen dragon blood trees? Aren’t those native to the Indian Ocean? How did they end up in the Pacific?”

“Upside-down umbrella shape, huge like a mushroom—definitely dragon blood trees. Hey streamer, this place has angel oaks and dragon blood trees—it’s totally breaking the rules of nature.”

“I’ve got to agree, there’s not even a single squirrel or insect here. Feels a bit strange.”

It was 10 p.m. back in China, peak time for livestreams. After realizing she’d been featured on the homepage of Lazy Fish, Jiang Yaoyao had kicked her stream into high gear, enthusiastically showing off the natural beauty of Sora Island. The viewers were fascinated, and gifts and Lazy Fish coins were pouring in. In just an hour, her viewership had skyrocketed, and she was now only 50,000 shy of being the top streamer on the platform.

With so many viewers, they started noticing the strange aspects of Blue Sea Forest. Although it was far out in the Pacific, it was still a forest. Yet, in the stream, it was as silent and pristine as a promotional video—far too unnatural.

“Hold on a second… Manager Tang, why are there no bugs in Blue Sea Forest?” Jiang Yaoyao read through the comments and realized she had the same question. She hated bugs, but after wandering the forest for half an hour without encountering a single one, it really didn’t make sense.

“Dear viewers, good evening. Sora Island is a newly developed artificial resort island. The Blue Sea Lake and these plants were all cultivated by the resort based on the island’s terrain and climate. Since it’s relatively new, the ecosystem is still incomplete, which is why you don’t see a lot of wildlife yet,” Tang Huai explained to both the group and the stream.

“Blue Sea Lake is just the beginning. Sora Island will eventually develop projects like Snow Village scenery and a natural horse ranch… We look forward to everyone’s visit to Sora Island,” Tang Huai said with a smile, adjusting the camera closer. Over time, Tang Huai had appeared on camera enough to become quite comfortable with it.

The absence of insects on Sora Island was a bit of a bug in itself, and if future scenic cards were introduced, that would just be bugs stacking on bugs. For now, Tang Huai planted the idea, leaving future developments for another time.

“All of it is artificially cultivated? Such a huge forest… sounds a bit exaggerated.”

“What’s so exaggerated about that? Didn’t they build the unfinished World Islands over in the Arab world? If they can create land out of the sea, making an artificial scenic area isn’t impossible.”

“All artificial… this must have required a massive investment. I wonder who owns Sora Island.”

“My guess? Some Middle Eastern or European billionaire.”

Tang Huai’s serious demeanor left the viewers unsure whether to believe him. According to his explanation, if the trees were transplanted, it would explain their unusual grouping. As for the Snow Village in a place with an average annual temperature of 25°C, that left some viewers amused. A real snow village seemed far-fetched, though maybe a pretend ski resort was possible.

“We’re almost at the summit, let’s take a break and get a group photo,” said Li Rui, the guide. There wasn’t much else to do in the forest, so the group’s entertainment had gradually shifted from admiring trees to snapping pictures. The fresh air and lush greenery made the photos look like professionally edited images straight out of a photo studio.

As the group leisurely walked and took pictures, they found joy in the simple act of capturing the serene beauty of their surroundings. Having worked as a tour guide, Li Rui quickly integrated everyone into a cohesive group after just one night, making this the easiest group he’d ever led.

“Oh wow, there are even more mountains?”

“Among all this gray, just a hint of blue—Blue Sea Lake really stands out.”

“How big is Sora Island anyway? Are they going to develop all of this?”

About half an hour later, the group reached the top of the mountain on the northern side of Blue Sea Lake. Looking out into the distance, they were met with a vast stretch of yellow, barren canyons that seemed to go on forever. Turning back, Blue Sea Lake appeared like a small blue gem nestled in the landscape.

“Click-click, click-click—”

The scenery was so stunning that before Li Rui could even organize a group photo, everyone had already pulled out their phones to snap pictures. It was now noon, and the bright sunlight cast a mysterious and awe-inspiring glow over the endless mountain views.

“Shall we keep going, or head back?” After the group photo and a brief rest, Li Rui turned to ask everyone’s opinion.

“Manager Tang, is it just more mountains ahead?” Xiao Shengguo asked, turning to Tang Huai. The others also looked to him for guidance.

“Up ahead, it’s all mountains—nothing’s been developed yet,” Tang Huai replied earnestly. He had explored the area during his survival stint and knew that beyond lay an endless stretch of desert-like mountains.

“Let’s head back…” After a brief discussion, the group decided to return. They weren’t here to push themselves too hard—compared to endless barren valleys, relaxing by Blue Sea Lake sounded much more appealing.

After a brief rest, the group began their return journey.

For lunch, they once again used the abundant fish as their main ingredient. This time, instead of grilling, Zhao Hongxia prepared boiled fish after consulting with everyone. The light and tender meat provided a refreshing contrast to the grilled fish from the previous day.

Over the next three days, the group experimented with different recipes: boiled fish, sweet and sour fish, braised fish, and spicy chopped pepper fish. With limited ingredients, they created a variety of dishes, which became known as the “36 Ways of Blue Sea Fish.”

In Jiang Yaoyao’s live stream, it was as if the viewers were witnessing a “fish feast.” Despite eating fish for every meal, the group didn’t feel tired of it. Strangely enough, after several days of fish-heavy meals, everyone felt their physical fitness had improved.

Zhao Hongxia, in particular, noticed a remarkable change. She had been dealing with chronic lower back pain, but after eating all the fish, she found that bending over no longer caused her any discomfort. This improvement brightened her mood, to the point where she was no longer as concerned when her friend Chen tried to warn her about “the ten health issues seniors should be cautious of.”

Despite the limited activities on Sora Island, the peaceful and comfortable lifestyle was undeniable.

…

“We can fit more, just pack a few more fish… There’s a freezer on the Storm, and fish can last for a couple of months, no problem,” said Qian Dasong, as he stuffed more fish into his suitcase. After catching quite a few fish that morning and cleaning them, he cleared out half of his suitcase to pack the fish, explaining his strategy as he did so.

It was the fifth day of their trip, and with the Storm arriving around 10 AM, they were preparing to leave. Of course, all their luggage would be transported by ALi. In the group’s minds, ALi was presented as a native of Sora Island, with a whole tribe backing him. After a few curious questions at the start, they had stopped asking.

With few distinct attractions on Sora Island, the Blue Sea fish was by far the standout. Its delicate flavor and freshness convinced the group to bring as much as possible back home.

Xiao Shengguo and the Evans each packed five fish, while Qian Dasong managed to squeeze in ten after reorganizing his luggage multiple times.

The price of the Blue Sea fish remained two hundred per fish, but after enjoying it during their stay, they all agreed it was a bargain. Everyone felt like they were getting an amazing deal by bringing it back.

“Let’s head out.” After packing up, ALi made his appearance. Following Tang Huai’s instructions, ALi lifted two suitcases and led the way.

The group, feeling refreshed and energized, followed behind, making sure they hadn’t forgotten anything. Oddly, what had seemed like a difficult trek on their way in now felt much easier, as if they had become attuned to the landscape of Sora Island.

Two hours later, they reached the shoreline.

“Tang.” Captain Reno greeted Tang Huai with a pipe in his mouth, giving him a big bear hug.

“Captain Reno,” Tang Huai returned the embrace. The Storm had arrived about half an hour earlier than expected.

“Manager Tang, are you really not coming back with us?” Jiang Yaoyao looked around the island one last time, feeling a sudden reluctance to leave.

Despite Sora Island having only Blue Sea Lake and the treehouses as attractions, with even fewer features than a small county-level tourist spot, Jiang Yaoyao found herself unexpectedly attached to the place. She had initially thought Sora Island would just be another stop on her journey, but now that it was time to leave, she felt a twinge of sadness.

“Come with us, Tang. We can play cards on the way back,” the others chimed in, warmly encouraging him. They had assumed Tang Huai would leave with them, but as it turned out, he had already booked a cargo ship and planned to stay a few more days.

Tang Huai’s intelligence and easy-going nature had made their time together thoroughly enjoyable. Now, as much as they were reluctant to leave Sora Island, they were equally sad to part ways with Tang Huai.

“I still have some things to take care of, so I’ll leave in a couple of days,” Tang Huai politely declined. He had a card, 【Boatman A Lang】, sitting in his inventory for over half a month, and planned to test it out while alone on the island.

“When we have time next year, we’ll come back as a group,” the others said with regret after seeing Tang Huai’s resolute decision. They had already planned their schedule, otherwise they would have stayed a few more days.

As the Storm raised its anchor, everyone waved at Tang Huai from the deck. Tang Huai waved back, feeling a surprising twinge of sadness at this brief parting.

Xiao Shengguo and the others were the very first group of visitors to Sora Island, making them significant to the island’s development.

Five minutes later, the Storm disappeared from Tang Huai’s view. He collected himself and opened the task interface.

Sole Host: Tang Huai

Occupation: 【Main】 Island Master of Sora Island. 【Secondary】 Owner of Great Tang Fruit Store.

Unlocked Areas: Blue Sea Lake, 1/50

Current Task: Receive ten visitors within a month. Progress: 7/10. Days Remaining: 15.

Task Reward: 3,000 island points, 【Snowy Village Scenic Area】, one spin of the Lucky Wheel.

Inventory: 【Boatman A Lang】

Island Points: 10,600【Initial Reward】

With half a month passed, Tang Huai had completed 70% of the task. He calculated that he had already booked a cargo ship and would be heading to Hawaii in two days, followed by a flight back to Mexico. His remaining task was to find three more visitors within the next ten days.

This was only a basic task, and after his recent experiences, Tang Huai felt much less anxious about it.

After considering the task, Tang Huai turned his attention to 【Boatman A Lang】.

The image on the card showed a rough-looking man with a small boat on the open sea.

【Use Immediately】【Store in Inventory】

The card was still the size of his palm. Tang Huai flipped it over and clicked 【Use Immediately】.

The card slowly dissolved, and a surreal mist rose before him. From within the mist, a sturdy figure gradually emerged.

The figure wore a coarse cloth jacket, resembling a dockworker from the previous century.

“Host?” the figure rumbled, his voice deep and booming as he appraised Tang Huai.

At the same time, a status panel appeared in front of Tang Huai.

Name: A Lang 【Intelligent AI】

Level: Beginner, 2/100,000.

Loyalty: 62 【Note: Barely passing. Host, please beware of betrayal!】

Tang Huai thought to himself: Should I just keep smiling?

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️