Ch 99: The World’s Number One Resort

Half an hour later, Tang Huai returned to the island master’s courtyard. The rain was still gently falling outside, and he changed into a fresh jacket before opening the Island Master System.

The interface in front of him remained the same fantastical 3D display, but it had changed from the previous nearly transparent, minimalist pale white to a vibrant, lush green. Tang Huai first switched to his personal panel.

Host Name: Tang Huai

Scenic Areas: [Blue Sea Lake], [Snow village]…

Island Points: 22 million+

Reputation Points: 600,000+

Aside from the background color changing to a bright green, the personal panel was the same as before. After glancing through it for a moment, he opened the details panel.

Scenic Area: Upgraded from lv.2 to lv.3, air freshness increased by 20%.

Coastline: Unlocks Sora’s marine area, with a range of 300 nautical miles. No limit on vertical height within the sea area.

Upgrade Gift: Encyclopedia of Species.

…

The details panel had updated with over twenty new entries. Apart from the coastline and the upgrade gift, most of the updates pertained to optimal water temperature and wind conditions around Sora. Tang Huai scanned through them before focusing on the coastline and the upgrade gift.

Coastline: Unlocks a 300-nautical-mile marine area; no limit on vertical height within the sea area.

Tang Huai pondered this sentence for a moment and soon understood its implications. While Sora Island was indeed a sea island, most of its attractions, such as Blue Sea Lake and Snow village, were on the island itself. The only seaside activity available had been coastal foraging. Other ocean-based activities like underwater exploration, parasailing, and yachting were practically nonexistent. For a thematic island resort, this had made things a bit one-dimensional.

According to international standards, the maritime zone within a 350-nautical-mile radius of Sora Island belonged to the island. Now that the marine area had been unlocked, Sora Island could significantly develop its marine industry.

Tang Huai was quite pleased with this newly unlocked “coastline.”

After examining the coastline, he turned his attention to the upgrade gift.

Encyclopedia of Species: Contains 16,000 species; can be used across different regions. Note: Some species are aggressive; please use at your discretion.

The description of the Encyclopedia of Species was quite brief, featuring only a one-sentence summary and a 3D book icon beneath it. Tang Huai clicked on the icon.

Bengal Tiger, Persian Lion, Bush Elephant, Nightshade, Elderberry… The Encyclopedia of Species included a wide variety of species, primarily focusing on rare flora and fauna. Seeing names like the Bengal Tiger and Persian Lion, Tang Huai finally understood what “use at your discretion” meant.

AI animals exhibited behaviors similar to their real-life counterparts. While they wouldn’t actually harm visitors, their mere presence, lively and imposing, would certainly be quite awe-inspiring.

The Encyclopedia of Species was more akin to an expanded version of a wildlife sanctuary than a typical mid-level area. Without the system’s unlocking, the animals within this encyclopedia would be restricted to specific areas.

One marine area, an Encyclopedia of Species, and numerous island perks… This island upgrade had brought a wealth of benefits.

Tang Huai knew that the island was now at level 3, and the maximum level was 5. Once it reached level 5 and all areas were unlocked, the main task of the Island Owner would truly be completed. However, Sora Island had been bound to level 2 from the beginning, and it had taken nearly a year to upgrade to level 3.

Given that it typically gets harder to level up as one progresses, the future tasks would likely be even more challenging.

After contemplating for a moment, Tang Huai closed the details panel and returned to the personal panel. Upon claiming the system’s gift package, a “personal gift package” symbol appeared on his personal panel.

Tang Huai clicked to claim it.

Personal Gift Package: Transparent Shark of the Ocean. This innate skill allows the host to roam freely in the sea. Permanent.

Tang Huai was a bit surprised when he read the description of Transparent Shark. Was this a skill gift?

He had been undertaking tasks for nearly a year, and apart from the initial skills of [Enhanced Physique] and [Language Mastery], he hadn’t drawn any talents that could be considered skills…

“FD730, what exactly is the Transparent Shark of the Ocean? Does it turn me into a shark?” Tang Huai finished reading the description, his interest piqued.

Transparent Shark… Was this some kind of human-to-shark transformation? He knew the Grand Island Owner System was magical, but transforming a person into a shark seemed too fantastical.

“The Transparent Shark is just the name of the skill. The host remains in their original form,” FD730 replied, interrupting Tang Huai’s speculation. The system had no intention of turning humans into sharks.

Tang Huai: …

Either way, the rewards from this island upgrade were already far beyond his expectations.

After examining the newly upgraded 3D interface for a bit, Tang Huai decided to activate the Transparent Shark skill.

Three seconds later, the personal gift package was empty. It might have been his imagination, but Tang Huai felt a closer connection to Sora Island and its surrounding waters.

After all this, the time had shifted from seven in the morning to nine. Outside, the rain was still gently falling, so Tang Huai grabbed an umbrella and headed out.

“That picture is too ugly. Let me stand by the doorway; take another one.”

“This air is so refreshing, it feels like I’m in a forest in China.”

“You’re right, the air here is even better than my hometown.”

As Tang Huai strolled through the central street of Sora Town, he saw many tourists walking around with umbrellas.

The spring rain had started at three in the morning, and it had been drizzling for six hours now. Initially, the tourists worried that the rain might disrupt their seven-day itinerary. However, when they woke up in the morning, they found the surrounding air fresh and natural, bringing a sense of comfort akin to being in a rural forest. The feeling was even better than a full day of sightseeing.

Many romantic female tourists were taking misty and dreamlike photos in the rain. Surprisingly, the photos turned out to be quite stunning.

“Freshly made sheep’s milk cake. Want to try some?” After wandering for a while, Tang Huai headed to the Delicious Restaurant. Inside, several tourists were already enjoying breakfast. Upon seeing Tang Huai, Auntie Miley came out from the kitchen with a freshly made cake.

The sheep’s milk was milked by Tang Huai himself at the pasture yesterday, entirely handmade.

“Not right now… I’m heading out and won’t be back for lunch,” Tang Huai replied, grabbing two slices of bread. He glanced at the small, plate-sized cake and felt a bit helpless.

The sheep’s milk had a strong odor. After all the effort yesterday, he had no appetite for cake.

“It’s really tasty,” Auntie Miley insisted, cutting a slice with a knife to persuade him again.

As she began cutting, Tang Huai quickly made his exit. Auntie Miley was too enthusiastic. If he stayed, he feared he’d be caught in conversation for half an hour.

After leaving, Tang Huai didn’t go to the scenic areas. Instead, he walked around the Sora port and finally came to a hidden reef.

Now that he had unlocked the ‘Transparent Shark’ skill, it was time to test its practicality.

Tang Huai took a pair of swim trunks out of his backpack and changed into them in just a few moves.

The swim trunks were ones he had bought last year but had never worn before.

“FD730, do I just jump into the sea like this?” Looking at the vast, surging ocean before him, Tang Huai couldn’t help but ask.

The reef where Tang Huai stood was on the farthest edge of Sora Island, facing the boundless Pacific Ocean. The reef was more than thirty meters above sea level. Although Tang Huai knew some basic swimming, jumping directly from this height, ignoring possible underwater whirlpools and currents, was a bit nerve-wracking.

Tang Huai was starting to regret this… Perhaps he should have entered the water from Sora Harbor instead? Although it would have looked strange, it would definitely be safer.

“The host can jump directly. With the Transparent Shark skill activated, there will be no mishaps,” FD730 replied patiently as Tang Huai hesitated.

FD730’s tone was calm, indicating that jumping into the ocean was no big deal in the system’s view.

Tang Huai glanced back at Sora Town, then looked at the vast sea in front of him. Finally, he closed his eyes and took the plunge. He had already crossed the Crystal Bridge and walked the Ice and Snow Path. If he treated the Pacific Ocean like another part of Sora Island’s attractions, maybe it wasn’t so frightening after all.

“Bang—”

Three seconds later, a loud splash echoed across the sea surface. Waves rose five meters high, then gradually subsided, returning to calm. The drizzle had ceased, and the sun hung high in the sky. By the rocky shore on the southern side of Sora Island, only a set of linen casual clothes remained, with nothing else in sight.

…

“Cough, so this is the underwater world of Sora’s waters?” Sora Town operated as usual, while ten kilometers away in the ocean, Tang Huai coughed, looking around curiously as he murmured to himself.

Strictly speaking, he was not yet in the deep sea but rather in the shallow waters near the town.

Tang Huai tried to take a breath. Breathing was effortless; neither his ears nor eyes filled with water. His body floated in the water but remained highly maneuverable. He wore only swim trunks, yet he didn’t feel cold at all.

Tang Huai moved forward experimentally. His body encountered no resistance and glided through the water with even more ease than walking on land. The sensation of swimming felt a bit odd, but not uncomfortable. It was almost like soaking in a hot spring.

After swimming a few strokes, Tang Huai found it surprisingly smooth.

Thus, he followed the current, swimming farther and farther.

Five minutes later, he poked his head above the water. The vast ocean still stretched endlessly before him. Off to his right, a massive silver-gray ship floated on the water. A few ‘tiny dots’ beside it were busy taking pictures. Tang Huai recognized it as the Great Tang No. 1, and the ‘dots’ were tourists who had come out to collect seafood now that the weather had cleared.

Tang Huai did a quick calculation—he had swum roughly a hundred meters in five minutes.

“FD730, is there a distance limit for the Transparent Shark skill?” Tang Huai swam around in place and asked after some thought. His curiosity had been piqued from the swim.

“It can only be used within the area permitted by the island system,” FD730 replied precisely.

Currently, the permitted range of the island was within three hundred nautical miles, with no restriction on vertical depth.

Tang Huai made a mental note. Three hundred nautical miles, unlimited depth… that sounded like quite a large area. Suddenly, he thought of Hollywood movies. In those films, the sea was often the perfect setting for hidden treasures.

Amused by his own thoughts, Tang Huai rested for two minutes. Then, like a small fish, he swiftly swam farther out.

As he swam, he continued diving deeper. The pressure on his body increased with depth, but it remained within a tolerable range.

Yellow croakers, small yellow fish, prawns, mackerel… During his journey, Tang Huai saw various marine creatures. Thanks to the system’s cheat-like abilities, his vision was unaffected by the underwater environment, remaining as clear as on land.

Half an hour later, Tang Huai had reached a depth of five hundred meters. Previously, he had been in the shallow waters; now, he was about to venture into the deep sea.

He estimated that he was about a hundred nautical miles away from Sora Island, far beyond its visible range.

To continue or to turn back—that was the question…

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️