Ch 89: The World’s Number One Resort

“Sora Town, 3rd Street has arrived. Passengers getting off, please use the rear exit. The departure for Bianjing Ancient City will be in ten minutes.”

“Sora Town, 3rd Street has arrived…”

While Luo Liang was feeling extremely frustrated inside [Stroke of the Brush], on Sora Town’s main street, Reno had changed into a leather jacket and was curiously exploring his surroundings.

The last time Reno visited Sora Island was in October of last year. At that time, the entire island was empty, with only a few workers dressed in blue busy with their tasks. Though Reno was curious, he didn’t think much of it; he assumed Tang Huai was just building some lighthouses or something. Half a year later, instead of lighthouses, a dreamy little town had appeared out of nowhere.

“I can’t believe I’m eating authentic lamb stew here. This is amazing!”

“The Blue Sea Fish is also delicious, just like they advertised!”

“Now that we’re full, should we head to the cinema or Blue Sea Lake?”

…

Reno continued his stroll, and half a minute later, he found himself in front of a two-story building with traditional Chinese architecture.

A three-meter-long gold sign hung in the center of the building, with four Chinese characters engraved on it. Many tourists were coming and going from the building.

Reno couldn’t read Chinese characters, nor could he understand the Chinese language, but judging by the environment and the aroma from within, it seemed to be a restaurant.

After a moment of thought, Reno decided to go inside.

“A bearded guy? Looks like he might be Mexican. Is he part of a tour group?”

“No idea, maybe he’s a solo traveler.”

It was 1 PM, and quite a few tourists were dining inside the Delicious Restaurant. Seeing Reno, they began to chat curiously. There were over a thousand tourists on the island, all of Chinese descent. Although they didn’t know each other, after spending five days together, they could at least recognize familiar faces.

Reno, with his tall stature and distinct Western appearance, was clearly not a part of the tour group.

Given the globalized world we live in, foreigners aren’t as rare as they were thirty years ago. After a brief glance, the tourists lost interest—if Reno hadn’t appeared so suddenly, they might not have paid any attention at all.

Reno looked around, feeling a bit disoriented. Was this really the Pacific Ocean?

It felt just like another Chinatown.

“Hello, here is the menu.” While he was still lost in thought, a pleasant-looking waiter approached, handing him a menu with a flawless smile.

Reno let out a sigh of relief; the waiter spoke English, and the menu was bilingual in both English and Chinese. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have known how to order.

“Good lord, are these prices for real?” Reno opened the menu, intending to support Tang Huai’s business. However, upon seeing the prices, his eyes widened.

A simple grilled lamb chop cost $200? A small cake was $50? It was insane.

“Waiter, one more order of grilled fish.”

“And another serving of iced sugar lotus seeds, please.”

While Reno was feeling unsure, the surrounding tourists ordered their food cheerfully. After three days on the island, they had become familiar with the dining style of the Delicious Restaurant. Despite the high prices, the quality was outstanding; they considered it akin to having Michelin-level cuisine overseas.

The tourists were eating happily.

Reno: …

China really is as rich as they say.

After some hesitation, Reno gritted his teeth and ordered a plate of spaghetti for $50—the cheapest item on the menu. Five minutes later, the dish was served.

Spaghetti, or pasta, is one of the simplest dishes in Western cuisine. When it was served, Reno grabbed his knife and fork, expecting the taste to be the same as usual. But after taking a bite… the noodles were incredibly springy, and the pepper sauce was perfectly balanced. Reno had been eating pasta for over forty years, but this was the best he had ever tasted.

Reno ate with great satisfaction. He had originally intended to order just one dish as a gesture of support, but after finishing, he found himself wanting more.

“Another one, please,” Reno called out, feeling unsatisfied. His appetite was large, and one serving of pasta was far from enough. The second serving quickly arrived, and Reno took a couple of photos before savoring it.

“This is a complimentary fruit platter from the restaurant. Please enjoy,” came a rather loud female voice just as Reno was wholeheartedly enjoying his meal. He looked up to see a middle-aged woman in her forties, dressed in a white chef’s coat. She was considerably bulkier than the average woman, especially in her arms and waist, radiating strength.

After the woman spoke, five or six waiters emerged from the kitchen, each carrying a long black tray with three or four fruit platters on them. The waiters placed the fruit platters on each of the guests’ tables.

Reno’s table received a banana salad. He glanced at it but didn’t pay much attention; instead, his gaze was fixated on the woman in the chef’s coat.

“Enjoy your meal.”

“Thank you, Aunt Miley.”

“I absolutely love Aunt Miley’s post-meal fruits! So cool!”

After the waiters finished distributing the platters, Aunt Miley wiped her hands and spoke. In the two months since she began live streaming on the Lazyfish app, her followers had grown to over 500,000, making her a big influencer on the food channel. Compared to before, she now carried herself with much more confidence.

She was about to head back to the kitchen when she noticed a warm gaze following her. Aunt Miley turned her head in puzzlement.

At table six of the Delicious Restaurant sat a foreign man in his forties. Judging by his attire, he was a tourist on Sora Island.

Aunt Miley smiled politely at the man and walked back to the kitchen without looking back.

However, seeing Aunt Miley’s smile and her retreating figure, Reno felt as if an arrow had struck his heart.

Reno was forty-three years old. He had married once when he was young, but due to personality differences, they divorced three years later. He had been single for thirteen years, thinking he would never find true happiness. But that one glance just now shook him to his core.

A high nose bridge, thick lips, and deep, gleaming eyes…

This was his Venus, his goddess!

…

While Reno was infatuated in the Delicious Restaurant, Luo Liang was still looking despondent in the [Stroke of the Brush] game hall. Five minutes had passed, and the image of Karoshu gradually faded away, leaving Luo Liang struggling to get over it.

“Hey, young man, how about helping me out with a painting?” Luo Liang was in a daze, while the surrounding tourists were bursting with unprecedented enthusiasm. The middle-aged man from before held up his tablet, pushing his way to the front of the crowd.

The man’s tablet had a golden case, standing out among the sea of phones.

Luo Liang looked up in confusion.

On the tablet was a painting of an octagonal pavilion, inside which sat a young woman in a thin red dress. Her calves were bare, her collar slightly open, and a bell hung on her ankle. Her long black hair covered half her face, leaving only a pair of eyes that seemed to express both anger and joy…

A small pavilion, a round lake, and a crescent moon.

The entire painting exuded a sense of seductive beauty.

“Young man, this is [Drinking Alone Under the Moon], painted by the Song dynasty poet Zhao Qingshan over a thousand years ago. There shouldn’t be any copyright issues, right? Five hundred dollars—can you paint it for me?” the man continued, seeing that Luo Liang was showing interest.

Zhao Qingshan was a poet, but like many ancient scholars, he was skilled in various arts. Besides poetry, he had also painted many works over the years.

[Drinking Alone Under the Moon] was one of his creations. In the painting, the young woman was playfully splashing water. It was clear that the “drinking alone” scene was a reference to the poet himself.

The middle-aged man was a straightforward person, and [Drinking Alone Under the Moon] was one of the few artworks he truly admired.

The innocence mixed with allure in the painting made him wonder what it would be like if the scene came to life…

The middle-aged man looked at Luo Liang with eyes full of anticipation.

Luo Liang remained silent.

As the middle-aged man and Luo Liang spoke, the lively scene in the [Stroke of the Brush] hall gradually quieted down. The allure of the girl under the moon was undeniable. Not only were the men present captivated, but even many women were eager to see the real-life version of the moonlit girl. In today’s society, both men and women openly appreciate beauty.

Desire knows no gender.

“How about a thousand dollars?” The middle-aged man saw that Luo Liang had not responded and directly took out ten green bills from his pocket. For the sake of the girl he admired, he was willing to go all in!

A thousand dollars was a significant sum, but for an artist of Luo Liang’s caliber, it wasn’t particularly substantial.

Luo Liang glanced at the money in front of him, then at the eager crowd. Finally, he smirked and said, “I’ll take it.”

The allure of [Stroke of the Brush] for an artist was immense. Even without the moonlit girl, Luo Liang would have continued painting. Now that he had a theme to work with and an additional thousand dollars on the line, he had no reason to refuse.

After adjusting his mindset, Luo Liang returned to the oval table.

The [Drinking Alone Under the Moon] was a meticulous painting. Luo Liang specialized in sketching and watercolor, but he had practiced copying [Drinking Alone Under the Moon] during his studies.

Recalling the details of the painting, Luo Liang took a deep breath and slowly put on the VR glasses.

His frustration from earlier was palpable; he needed an outlet.

…

“Dear guests, welcome to [Stroke of the Brush]…”

As soon as Luo Liang entered, the system’s voice echoed again. With the experience of having drawn [Karoshu] before, he had a basic understanding of how [Stroke of the Brush] worked.

After the system finished its introduction, Luo Liang picked up the black electronic pen in his right hand and began to sketch.

Zhao Qingshan was a renowned poet of the Song Dynasty, known for his delicate and romantic style. He entered officialdom in his youth but was dismissed in middle age. Thereafter, he spent many years amidst the entertainment venues of Qinhuai, winning the favor of many courtesans. [Drinking Alone Under the Moon] was a famous painting. Later generations, analyzing Zhao Qingshan’s life and the sensuality in the painting, speculated that the girl was likely a courtesan from Qinhuai. Who she was specifically, however, remains a mystery.

Replicating [Drinking Alone Under the Moon] was relatively simple.

An octagonal pavilion, a circular lake, the gauze curtains fluttering in the wind… With a few strokes, Luo Liang outlined the basic environment of [Drinking Alone Under the Moon], followed by the girl in red.

With meticulous strokes, he brought to life the girl’s delicate legs, her slipping garment, and her shy yet inviting eyes. Luo Liang managed to recreate ninety percent of the original painting’s likeness. Once the sketch was complete, it was time to add color.

…

“Impressive! This is what real skill looks like.”

“Drawing it on the spot… This isn’t just normal skill!”

“Did you get a photo? I want to post it on social media!”

“Shh, it’s the final step. Don’t say anything.”

While Luo Liang was busy coloring inside [Stroke of the Brush], the visitors outside were chattering excitedly. But as they reached the final step, everyone held their breath.

Luo Liang had already finished the hem of the dress. Whether the artwork could be fully rendered as a hologram now depended on the system’s evaluation.

The wait was… excruciating!

“Ding! Game over. Please name your piece.”

“[Drinking Alone Under the Moon].”

“Artist…”

“Original by Zhao Qingshan, replicated by Luo Liang.”

“Would you like to enable holographic access?”

“Yes.”

“Ding! Holographic access granted. Enjoy your game!”

Inside [Stroke of the Brush], Luo Liang completed the final steps and answered the system’s prompts one by one. When it came to the last question, he was nervous, worried that he would encounter another copyright issue. However, this time, things went smoothly.

As soon as Luo Liang exited the game, the title [Drinking Alone Under the Moon] slowly appeared, followed by a high score of 85.

This score was six points lower than [Karoshu]’s but still placed it solidly in the top three of the leaderboard.

“Access granted! [Drinking Alone Under the Moon] is now playable!”

“Ahh, I’m so excited! Will the girl come to life?!”

“Let’s hurry! Otherwise, all the game pods will be taken!”

Luo Liang stepped down from the oval table, expecting to be greeted with cheers and applause from the visitors. However, after glancing at him and confirming that holographic access was available, they immediately rushed to the second floor like a crowd heading to a market fair.

Thirty seconds later, the main hall of [Stroke of the Brush] was almost empty.

“Hey—”

“Sorry, kid, no time! We’ll chat later!”

The middle-aged man from before hurried past Luo Liang, giving him an apologetic smile before briskly moving on.

Ten seconds later, the entire hall was deserted.

Luo Liang looked at the empty room and thought: …Visitors really are fickle!

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️