Ch 83: The World’s Number One Resort

“Once you hang up the lanterns, we should be good. The tourists will arrive around eight…”

At 7 a.m. on March 6th, Tang Huai, wearing a cotton jacket, instructed the AIs. The past few days had been calm, and the AIs took the opportunity to clean up every scenic area from top to bottom, leaving the various attractions clean and refreshing.

“Is the accommodation arranged?” As the AIs were diligently working, Xie Yunshu approached. Tang Huai turned around and asked.

Over a thousand people were coming, including group tourists and the pizza contest winners arriving on the 2nd. Considering the subsequent visitors, the resort could expect up to 5,000 tourists in early March. Although there would be many visitors, arranging accommodation was a top priority.

The Blue Sea Lake area has fifty treehouses. Together with the snow cottages in Snow Village and the inns in Bianjing Ancient City, Great Tang Resort can accommodate 5,000 guests simultaneously. Bianjing Ancient City itself has numerous inns; if all were opened, it could host up to 30,000 tourists.

Beyond simple sightseeing, tourists desire a deeper environmental experience. According to feedback from the Chinese Travel Agency Alliance, tour packages that include the “Blue Sea Treehouses” are in much higher demand than others.

Currently, the Great Tang Resort’s official website is up and running, with reservations for the Blue Sea Treehouses already booked through May. For the first time, Tang Huai felt the surreal popularity of Great Tang Resort.

“All arranged,” Xie Yunshu nodded in response to Tang Huai’s question. He had just inspected the rooms, and with the system’s buffs, every room was virtually spotless.

“That’s good,” Tang Huai nodded. Preparations were nearly complete.

“Toot, toot—” While Tang Huai and Xie Yunshu were discussing, a deep horn sounded in the distance. Tang Huai focused his attention and headed towards the Sora Island port.

Great Tang No.1 sailed in first, followed by two medium-sized cruise ships. Since Great Tang No.1 could only accommodate 300 tourists, Tang Huai had to ask Captain Reno to help find two additional ships.

Now that Sora Island was rapidly developing, it was time to consider purchasing Great Tang No.2 and No.3.

“So, this is Sora Island? There’s the windmill, just like in the video.”

“Haha, look at all those lanterns! Love the Chinese vibes.”

“Where are we staying tonight? Is it far from Blue Sea Lake?”

While Tang Huai was lost in thought, Great Tang No.1 and the other two cruise ships anchored. The tourists began to disembark in an orderly fashion.

Many had researched the “Great Tang Resort Forum” before coming. They knew that the windmill was a signature feature of the resort. The windmill in the video looked quaint and charming; they expected something similar to the windmills in Holland. But now, seeing it up close, they realized this windmill was twice as large as the one in the video.

The tourists’ first impression of the windmill was positive, heightening their anticipation for the upcoming journey.

Clap, clap—

“The entire staff of Sora Island welcomes all guests!”

Ten minutes later, with everyone disembarked, Tang Huai looked around and clapped his hands. At this point, the AI representatives of the resort were already lined up at the entrance of Sora Island. Seeing Tang Huai’s gesture, they warmly greeted the guests. At the same time, a red banner with the words “Great Tang Resort wishes everyone a Happy New Year and all the best!” unfurled above the entrance.

Today was the 22nd day of the first lunar month. Though the New Year had passed, this was the resort’s first batch of visitors, so Tang Huai decided to put up some festive wishes.

“If nothing else, Great Tang Resort’s hospitality is impressive.” The gate of Sora Town was broad and majestic, and the resort’s banner matched that grandeur. Seeing the banner, the tourists felt a sense of welcome and respect.

In the resort’s forum, the service quality and attitude of Sora’s staff were often praised by visitors.

“Please have your passports and IDs ready…” The ten ticket counters at the resort were fully operational. After counting the group members, the tour guide raised a loudspeaker and made the announcement.

The tourists had already been confirmed during the registration process. Now, the tour guide collected everyone’s IDs and passports, then proceeded to the ticket counter to purchase the tickets. The Sora AIs worked efficiently. Half an hour later, the tourists queued up for entry. Since many of them carried a lot of luggage, twenty Sora buses were already waiting at the crossroads of First Avenue. Each bus had a temporary sign indicating “Blue Sea Lake” or “Bianjing Ancient City.”

The tourists found their respective vehicles according to their package plans. The large number of people at the entrance resembled students lining up to take an exam…

The morning was for rest and preparation, with the official activities starting in the afternoon.

…

The tourists lined up to board the buses. Those who missed the first round waited at the bus stop. Tang Huai strolled around Sora Street for a while before returning to the Sora office building.

“Manager Tang, the supermarket goods have been fully restocked. The bread and ham slices are all fresh from the latest batch.” In the manager’s office, Xie Yunshu was reviewing the report in his hand. When he saw Tang Huai, he raised the report.

Tang Huai took the report from him.

Ham, bread, cigarettes… These were some of the goods brought over by Great Tang No.1 today.

“You can handle these matters from now on,” Tang Huai said, skimming through the report before handing it back to Xie Yunshu. Currently, Sora Island has seven supermarkets, each about 100 square meters, with one in each scenic spot and three in the town. The supermarkets are managed by the AIs, which is essential for the island’s smooth operation. After all, not every tourist can afford the prices at the Delicious Restaurant…

Tang Huai stayed in the office for a while before returning to the island master’s courtyard. Earlier, a travel agency representative had visited. Now that Great Tang Resort’s visitor flow was relatively stable, the agencies had agreed to schedule future group trips on the 5th, 15th, and 25th of each month. This would standardize the travel agencies’ operations.

This was a way to further boost the resort’s reputation, which Tang Huai was naturally pleased about. After some thought, he opened his personal panel.

Host Name: Tang Huai
Island Points: 23W+
Reputation Points: 8056W+

Thanks to the koi prize draw and the fame of Great Tang Fruit, the resort’s reputation points had exceeded 80 million. This was a substantial number. However, since new scenic areas could only be obtained through quests and draws, and the various items in the system store were too dazzling to choose from, Tang Huai wasn’t sure what to buy. He planned to go through the system’s merchandise before making any large-scale purchases.

…

“A giant statue, huh? I wonder how this was built.”

“I heard it was an investment by a company called FillTech …”

“Never really looked into it. Must be a big company.”

While Tang Huai was contemplating how to allocate the 80 million reputation points, the tourists, after a half-hour bus ride, finally arrived at their designated accommodations, with most heading to Bianjing Ancient City.

Bianjing Ancient City has twenty inns, each with about fifty rooms. Due to the city’s unique layout, each room could easily accommodate twenty tourists.

Bianjing’s charm lies in the “shared sleeping experience.” For safety reasons, male tourists stayed in one room, and female tourists in another. At night, Sora Island’s staff would patrol the area to ensure the safety of the guests.

“There’s an elevator here? Haha, it’s my first time using an elevator to get to bed; this place is so advanced!” The tourists found their rooms, examining the interior of Bianjing Ancient City while chatting among themselves.

In fact, they were already stunned the moment their bus entered Bianjing Ancient City. The city was even more magnificent than in the videos. Although they were amazed by its grandeur from the videos, the feeling wasn’t as strong due to the limitations of a phone screen. But now…

The crowd stared at the 15-meter-high pearwood bed in front of them, feeling a bit dazed… Had they arrived in a land of giants?

“Everyone, we’ll gather at three this afternoon. Have a good rest,” the guide said as they closed the room door before the tourists could regain their senses. The doors of the Bianjing guesthouses were built to the same scale as the city gates, enlarged to about twenty meters. When looking up, the entire door stood six stories high. Beside the door was an automatic switch mechanism; without it, it would be impossible to open just by human strength.

“This shared bed is so huge! Not to mention twenty people; even thirty could sleep here.”

“There’s a slide by the flower pot? Amazing! This is my first time staying in such a massive house.”

After the guide left, the tourists in each room were like wild horses let loose. They climbed onto the Eight Immortals table and gazed up at the ceiling, suddenly feeling a sense of awe at how small they were.

Kudos to Bianjing Ancient City!

…

“Brother He, Wang Cong and his crew have already settled next door. I overheard them discussing that they want to set the race for the fifth day…” The Lai Fu Guesthouse in Bianjing Ancient City had opened thirty rooms. In Room No. 3A, a lackey spoke cautiously.

In front of the lackey stood a tall young man, about twenty-five years old, dressed fashionably and wearing large, dark sunglasses. His overall demeanor was bold and extroverted.

“Hmph, the fifth day? So be it. Does he think I’m scared?” The young man, He Kun, scoffed as he took off his glasses.

The two had approached the pearwood bed by then, and the lackey sensibly pressed the elevator button.

He Kun was a member of the Luo Hai ST Supercar Club. His family was in the hardware business, valued at nearly ten billion yuan. The ST Supercar Club was full of rich young heirs like him.

Bold and flamboyant, He Kun was a speed car enthusiast who had participated in numerous amateur races in China and won a few championships. Wang Cong, who joined the ST Supercar Club later, came from a family involved in real estate. Their families had similar influence, and after a few minor clashes, the two had become fierce rivals.

In the past six months, they had raced several times with mixed results, unable to establish a clear winner. Last month, they raced again with the same inconclusive outcome. When they saw the Thrilling Racing video from Great Tang Resort, they agreed to settle their score with a wild showdown. He Kun and Wang Cong decided that the prize for victory would be the one-million-dollar jackpot from the resort.

The money was secondary; the real prize was the fame and glory of taking the crown. This way, they could even make an appearance on the trending topics in China.

Both of them were raring to go. Besides He Kun and Wang Cong, ten other ST Club members had come along to watch the show.

Lost in thought, the two made their way onto the enormous pearwood bed.

On the bed lay a red silk quilt.

The lackey lifted it slightly.

The entire quilt was enlarged twenty times, yet despite its exaggerated size, it was as light as a feather, like a thin, fluffy duvet.

“Brother He, I’ll head out now,” the lackey said after helping tidy up the bedding.

The China travel group offered a VIP package that included single-room accommodations, which were significantly pricier than the usual options. He Kun had chosen the VIP package, while the lackey went with the “shared bed” option.

Having said that, the lackey was about to leave.

“Wait,” He Kun called out in a gruff tone just as the lackey was about to step out.

The lackey turned back: “???”

“You’ll stay here tonight,” He Kun muttered, his mouth twitching. The entire pearwood bed spanned over sixty square meters, directly facing the window. From He Kun’s vantage point, he could see a vast expanse of giant statues outside…

Sleeping here alone gave him the creeps.

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️