Ch 121: The World’s Number One Resort

Tang Huai grew interested. After some thought, he sat up from the bed and opened the lottery interface.

With the system upgrade, the advanced grand prize draw interface had been redesigned, now featuring a sleek, silver-gray theme—simpler and more elegant than before. After browsing for a bit, he set his eyes on the central wheel of fortune.

The wheel had 50 slots in a random pattern. On the side were two buttons: one red, one green. Tang Huai clicked the green button, and the wheel started spinning smoothly. Thirty seconds later, he pressed the red button…

“Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining the rare card: [Horror Ancient Town].”

A pleasant system prompt rang out. In the blink of an eye, a card the size of his palm appeared in Tang Huai’s hand. The card’s background was white, with a deep red image of an ancient Chinese town in the center, rendered in a stark, minimalist style.

He flipped the card and clicked on the detailed description.

“A serene and quiet Chinese town. Unexpected events occur each night…”

[Horror Ancient Town]: A rare, game-type card that requires a VR technology factory for use.

In the past year of managing the island, aside from [Stroke of the Brush], this was the first time he’d encountered a game-type card. Even [Stroke of the Brush] appeared in the form of a building card.

“FD730, what does it mean by ‘requires VR technology’?” Tang Huai asked thoughtfully, his interest piqued.

“[Horror Ancient Town] is a non-fixed location game and needs to be presented through VR glasses as the medium,” FD730 replied meticulously.

Tang Huai pondered this explanation, gradually grasping the concept of the game card. If [Horror Ancient Town] were a computer game, the card in his hand would be the game data package. Ordinary games load on computers, but [Horror Ancient Town] requires VR glasses.

Considering the system’s advanced technology, it was clear that the VR glasses required wouldn’t be ordinary ones.

“And what about the VR glasses?” Tang Huai continued to inquire.

“They need to be unlocked by the host and produced independently,” FD730 responded patiently.

Tang Huai: …So it’s not a one-stop solution?

He opened the system mall.

From design to production, the [VR Factory] required equipment, VR technicians, VR operators, and more. An estimated initial investment would be around 80 million island points…

Hmm, 80 million, and that didn’t even include the cost of producing the glasses.

He pulled up his personal panel.

Host Name: Tang Huai
Unlocked Areas: [Blue Sea Lake], [Fruit Kingdom], [Sky Forest]…
Current Task: Receive visitors from ten countries, with no less than 1,000 people from each country.
Task Completion: 65%. Time Remaining: 17 days.
Island Points: 1.02 million+
Reputation Points: 702.5 million+
Skills: Language mastery, Physical Strengthening, Transparent Shark.
Inventory: [Windmill] X5, [Species Encyclopedia].

Seeing the reputation points, Tang Huai decisively closed the [Ancient Town] panel. With his current assets not even close to 80 million, he would have to wait until his reputation points grew before considering the use of [Horror Ancient Town].

As the task progressed, Tang Huai felt the island points becoming increasingly insufficient.

He stored the [Horror Ancient Town] card in the inventory. The task was currently 65% complete, and at the current pace, it should be finished by the end of the month.

Tang Huai checked Weibo once more. The “Great Tang Million Dollars” topic was steadily trending at number six. Taking advantage of the hype, he pulled up the promotional video for Sky Forest.

After editing, Tang Huai clicked “send.”

“Ahhh, this really is the scenery of Great Tang Resort! I came across this before and thought it was just computer effects.”

“Oh my, how did they even manage this? It feels even more magical than Bianjing Ancient City.”

“Can’t stop admiring! A floating island at 2,000 meters… it’s incredible!”

…

As soon as Tang Huai posted on Weibo, people erupted in excitement. They had just been reeling from the surprise of the grand prize at the Wild Racing event, and now they were presented with this astonishing video.

Sky Forest had been open for three days now, attracting 70% of the total visitors on Sora Island, making it one of the most popular scenic spots. Due to the novelty, many tourists had already uploaded videos of Sky Forest on platforms like Weibo and Douyin.

However, as Great Tang grew more famous, not only was there a flood of counterfeit fruits but also a surge in fake scenery. Images of “fake waterfalls” and “fake caves” often appeared online, digitally altered and misrepresented.

Seeing videos of Sky Forest, people were unsure of their authenticity. After all, a floating island suspended in mid-air just seemed too fantastical to be real…

Before the “Great Tang Million Dollar Prize” became a trending topic, “Great Tang Sky Forest” had already been on the hot search list for a day, albeit at the modest rank of 46. Now, with Tang Huai confirming its authenticity, people were bewildered.

Was Sky Forest actually real?

Within an hour of Tang Huai’s Weibo post, “Great Tang Sky Forest” skyrocketed from 46th to 5th on the trending list. From the million-dollar prize to the floating island, tourists felt like they were on a roller coaster that just kept climbing!

Everyone was fervently discussing both the “Million Dollar Prize” and “Sky Forest.”

Meanwhile, after posting on Weibo, Tang Huai peacefully went to sleep. With the tasks progressing according to plan, he could afford to relax for a while.

…

“Mr. Nasser, once we pass through this sea area, we’ll reach Sora Island. We should arrive in about half an hour.”

The next day, as Tang Huai went about his usual patrols and report-making, a gray-and-white ship was slowly approaching on the tranquil Pacific Ocean.

Onboard the ship, a tanned man in beach shorts swirled a glass of red wine, admiring the sea view. Next to him stood a black-clad assistant.

After the assistant spoke, the man remained silent, continuing to swirl his wine.

The man was Nasser, whose father was a Kuwaiti oil tycoon and whose uncle was a powerful parliament member in Kuwait. Born with a silver spoon, Nasser owned countless luxury cars and mansions, and even had exotic pets like tigers and lions. At thirty years old, as long as he didn’t act recklessly, his family’s wealth could sustain his extravagant lifestyle for a lifetime.

Nasser was a classic second-generation rich kid. Besides indulging himself, his greatest pleasures were sampling exotic foods and exploring breathtaking landscapes. He embodied the ultimate hedonist.

Nasser had a Twitter account where he regularly updated his followers on his lifestyle. Over two years, his collection of luxury cars and mansions had attracted three million followers. Nasser enjoyed his life. A few weeks ago, during his uncle’s spring campaign, he stayed off Twitter for a few days. Upon returning, he found his feed flooded with posts about “Great Tang Fruits.”

Phrases like “Fruits kissed by the gods” and “The world’s most delicious pineapple” were among the most common praises for Great Tang fruits.

Nasser was intrigued. As a wealthy man, how could there be fruits in this world he hadn’t tasted? It just didn’t make sense. He instructed his assistant to buy Great Tang fruits online. However, not only in the Middle East, but even in North America, Europe, and South America, the fruits were sold out.

The next batch wouldn’t be available until early May.

Nasser was not pleased. It wasn’t that he absolutely needed Great Tang fruits, but knowing that others could enjoy something he couldn’t was frustrating. Most people would wait until the next batch became available.

But Nasser was different; he was a rich man who didn’t care about money. Upon discovering that Great Tang Resort was a newly established tourist island, he decided to go there in a straightforward and direct manner. He initially planned to travel on his private yacht or plane, but to avoid negative press during his uncle’s campaign, he opted for a low-key journey on the Great Tang No. 1.

Of course, “low-key” was relative.

“Are the rooms booked?” Nasser asked, finishing his wine and turning to his assistant.

“We reserved a room at the Bianjing Inn…”

The assistant, named Abdul, had been specifically instructed by Nasser to book a treehouse. However, the rooms on Great Tang’s official website were incredibly difficult to reserve. As soon as there were vacancies, they were snapped up by either travel groups or other tourists. They simply couldn’t get one!

For this trip, Nasser brought along a translator, five assistants, and five bodyguards. Bianjing Inn is known for its communal sleeping arrangements, so Abdul initially wanted to book three rooms. However, since there were limited rooms available at Great Tang Vacation, he barely managed to secure just one…

The more Abdul thought about it, the more nervous he became. He knew Nasser had a short temper.

“I’m not staying at an inn,” Nasser declared, immediately rejecting the idea after hearing it.

He was Nasser, and the thought of sharing a room with others was simply out of the question.

The atmosphere on the deck of the Great Tang was tense.

…

“Quite the extravagant show, isn’t it?”

“The world is full of surprises.”

“Judging by the language, he seems to be from the Middle East.”

…

Half an hour later, the Great Tang No. 1 sounded its horn as it entered Sora’s port.

Liu Ke and a few staff members carried their luggage onto the deck. Nasser led the way down the gangway, with his five assistants and five bodyguards following close behind. The blonde woman from earlier was now in Nasser’s embrace. Although they didn’t speak the same language, the allure of wealth was undeniable.

There were many other independent travelers onboard as well, hailing from places like Japan, North America, and Australia—truly a diverse group. People curiously watched Nasser’s entourage before turning their delighted gazes to Sora Town. With the sunset casting a warm orange hue, the town looked incredibly inviting.

After Nasser and his party disembarked, the rest of the passengers queued up to leave.

“This setting is perfect for filming,” Liu Ke commented ten minutes later as he and his team lugged their luggage off the boat. It was now 6 p.m., and many tourists were enjoying the beach near the port. Liu Ke surveyed the surroundings and then fixed his gaze on the gates of Sora Town.

From a director’s perspective, Sora Town was not just satisfactory—it was perfect.

“Director Liu, should we head to the ancient city first or take care of business?” Wang Lu asked after a brief rest. She had visited Great Tang Vacation last month and was considered a regular.

“Let’s go meet with Manager Tang first.”

Liu Ke checked the time and contemplated his response. Although it was already 6 p.m., the weather here at this low latitude was still similar to 3 or 4 p.m. back in China. Since the main purpose of their visit was to discuss a partnership, it would seem improper not to meet right away.

With that in mind, Liu Ke, Zhang Min, and Wang Lu headed toward the Sora office building while the rest of their group took the luggage to the inn.

“Ms. Amanda? The treehouse has been prepared in advance, and we warmly welcome you all,” Tang Huai said, speaking pleasantly over the landline in his Sora office.

The call was from CC’s side. After a luxury brand settled in last time, Tang Huai had signed an advertising deal with CC. They were planning to shoot a new series of nature-based skincare ads in the Blue Sea Treehouses. As part of the contract, Great Tang Vacation agreed to provide a set number of treehouses and security services.

At the time of signing, CC had not yet finalized their global spokesperson. Tang Huai assumed they would choose a renowned supermodel like Jane Manny or Bridget, but to his surprise, they picked Amanda…

Amanda’s full name was Amanda Clough. She was 23 years old and had shot to fame last year with her role in Future Mirage. Unlike established actresses like Bridget, Amanda was quickly labeled as just a pretty face with little acting skill.

Despite her popularity, Amanda’s reputation was mixed. CC’s decision to make her the global ambassador, just like their forest-inspired skincare line, was a bold and innovative move.

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