Ch 129: The World’s Number One Resort

Everyone interacted until 7 p.m., as the sun set. Following the show’s arrangements, the guests dragged their suitcases and walked into Sora Town. It was dinner time on Sora Island, and most tourists had just finished eating, now joyfully enjoying activities like “Stroke of the Brush” and visiting the Sora Cinema. Many others strolled around luxury brand stores such as CC.

The whole town was lively and bustling.

“The greenery coverage here must be around 70%! It’s amazing. We could buy a house here to retire in the future.”

“I heard it’s a high-tech vacation island… Seems like a great investment project.”

“Haha, I’ve already planned it. After the show wraps up, I’ll bring my wife and parents here next time.”

…

After the recent fruit exchange, the five pairs of celebrity parents and children quickly bonded and got along well. Sora Town was so vibrant that it left them feeling exhilarated.

It was a fresh and enthusiastic town. Their interaction was short, as they soon reached a crossroads and went their separate ways to find their accommodations.

“Bus No. 12, this is the one,” Zhang Yun said, relieved after he and Zhang Xinxin wandered around and finally spotted their bus.

Their card had the number “12” on it, indicating they needed to take Bus No. 12.

Zhang Yun placed Zhang Xinxin onto a seat. The bus had been redecorated by the show team, leaving only the crew and six cameras.

“We’ll see the treehouse soon?” Zhang Xinxin sat obediently and opened the card in her hand. The green treehouse on it was so beautiful that every time she looked at it, her heart seemed to melt.

“In just a little while. About fifteen minutes…” Zhang Yun replied while fixing a small braid for Zhang Xinxin. Being a doting father, Zhang Yun was already skilled in braiding hair and taking care of his daughter at home.

Zhang Xinxin sweetly gazed at the picturesque card of Great Tang Resort.

In eager anticipation, Bus No. 12 gradually made its way toward Blue Ocean Forest.

“Wow, is this from Adeline’s Fairy Tale?”

Ten minutes later, as the bus drove into the forest, Zhang Xinxin’s mouth dropped open in awe. In front of the bus stretched a deep corridor lined with towering ancient green trees on both sides. The setting sun and the lush foliage gave the whole corridor a quiet, mysterious vibe, just like something out of Adeline’s Fairy Tale.

“This is the Hedge Corridor, a unique feature of the Blue Sea Forest,” Zhang Yun explained, having just looked up the information on a mobile app.

Zhang Xinxin listened attentively.

Half a minute later, Bus No. 12 stopped, and they got off. The statue of Tang Wangchun stood there as grand and imposing as before.

“Treehouse No. 06… it’s just up ahead,” Zhang Yun noted after checking their prompt card and confidently pointed forward. From the entrance of Blue Sea Road to Treehouse No. 06, there was a neat “pathway” marked by ads, making the location easy to find without any special effort.

“A lake, little fish… it’s really a treehouse!” Zhang Xinxin ran forward excitedly.

“Wow, are they filming a commercial?”

“Not sure, but it probably has something to do with the forest skincare ad.”

…

Many tourists were playing by the lakeside. Upon seeing Zhang Xinxin and her group, they greeted them warmly, most of them being European tourists.

The crowd didn’t recognize Zhang Yun, but from the set arrangements and the filming crew over the past couple of days, it was clear he was a Chinese celebrity.

“Such a lovely little princess.”

As Zhang Xinxin passed by Blue Sea Lake, a blonde woman complimented her warmly.

“Thank you.” Zhang Xinxin turned and blew the woman a kiss. She attended an international bilingual kindergarten and was quite fluent in English. After that, she continued running toward her treehouse.

Treehouse No. 6 was located on the eastern side of Blue Sea Lake. The tree trunk required ten people to fully encircle it. From the base of the tree to the treehouse, there was a two-meter gap, with a series of brown tree steps leading up.

“It’s really a treehouse!”

“Be careful—”

Zhang Xinxin was amazed at the treehouse before her and couldn’t wait to climb up. Just as her hands gripped the tree ladder, Zhang Yun rushed over anxiously.

The tree ladder looked rough, and he was really worried that Zhang Xinxin might get hurt. To his surprise, Zhang Xinxin climbed up swiftly like a little monkey. The tree ladder seemed primitive, yet it posed no danger.

Zhang Yun followed her up.

A tree bed, a bath, brown wooden windows… the Blue Sea Treehouse had simple furnishings, but from the tree bed to the lighting, every detail exuded a sense of refinement.

Zhang Yun put down their suitcase and adjusted the camera by the bed. Perhaps it was because of the abundance of greenery, but as soon as he entered the Blue Sea Forest, he felt a soothing sensation from head to toe.

“Do you like it?” Zhang Yun asked Zhang Xinxin after surveying the room. At this moment, Zhang Xinxin was lying by the window, looking outside. The window of Treehouse No. 6 faced directly toward Blue Sea Lake, making it one of the rooms with the best view in the forest.

“It’s amazing!” Zhang Xinxin was completely satisfied; it was exactly how she had imagined it. The two of them washed up diligently.

“Are there Blue Sea Fairies here?” An hour later, lying in bed with the golden moonlight shining in, Zhang Xinxin looked at the natural roof and curiously asked Zhang Yun.

“There are Blue Sea Fairies. They only appear at night, and when you fall asleep, they’ll visit you in your dreams…” Zhang Yun thought for a moment and said seriously.

“I’ll sleep right now!” As soon as Zhang Yun finished, Zhang Xinxin quickly closed her eyes. At that moment, she felt like a forest princess, waiting for the fairies to arrive.

“Tuck in…” Zhang Yun was amused by her reaction and then turned off the lights. The Blue Sea Forest was peaceful and serene; if fairies did exist, this would certainly be the place they’d appear.

The Blue Sea Treehouse was well-insulated, and with the moonlight pouring in, they quickly fell asleep.

…

“Old Zheng, how much longer until we get there? It’s already dark.” While Zhang Yun and Zhang Xinxin slept soundly, on Bus No. 27 in Great Tang Resort, Zheng Lele looked outside in frustration. The bus was rumbling along, surrounded by endless dark brown canyons.

They were headed to Sky Forest, the farthest area in Great Tang Resort.

“Just a bit longer; we’re almost there…” Zheng Haitao reassured him. Although he said this, he wasn’t entirely sure about the exact location of Sky Forest.

“How much longer?” Zheng Haitao pondered and asked the staff beside him.

“Just past the intersection up ahead,” the staff member replied after checking the Sora access card. With the upgraded access card, a real-time map was displayed. According to the map, Sky Forest was right ahead.

Zheng Haitao nodded and then glanced at the time; it was now 9:05 p.m.

“Lele, just hang in there for five days,” Zheng Haitao said, picking up Zheng Lele. Throughout the journey, Lele had been sulking, his mood downcast. Zheng Haitao understood that although Lele had agreed to exchange for the tent, from a child’s perspective, it wasn’t exactly a joyous decision.

“I know,” Lele replied sullenly. His mom had always taught him to be a man like his dad. Today, he thought, he was acting like a man, right?

“Ding—Sky Station has arrived.” As Lele was lost in his thoughts, Bus No. 27 came to a halt, and a cheerful station announcement echoed.

“Time to get off.” Zheng Haitao got off first with the luggage and then picked up Lele. It was evening, and Sky Station was quite busy with tourists. As Zheng Haitao and the group got off, individual travelers lined up to board the bus.

The small Sky Station signpost was surprisingly bustling.

“Is it up ahead?” In front of the signpost was a bend in the road. After taking a short break, Zheng Haitao looked at the staff beside him and asked. With so many individual travelers around, he only knew that Sky Forest was ahead, but not exactly what it looked like.

“Yes,” the staff member confirmed after Zheng Haitao’s question. He then continued forward, carrying Zheng Lele.

“Oh my god.” Ten minutes later, the group arrived at the entrance of Sky Forest. The scene before them left both Zheng Haitao and Zheng Lele stunned.

In front of them was a vast glass clearing, illuminated by strips of bright blue lights. Because some visitors were returning, threads of various colors were interwoven among the blue lights. Under the moonlight, it looked like a magnificent blue ocean.

Above this “ocean” were several transparent “light beams,” within which many tourists were ascending and descending.

Zheng Haitao and Zheng Lele slowly looked up.

Above the ocean was a massive, sky-covering island. The “light beams” connected the ocean to the island above.

“Dad, is this Sky Forest?” Zheng Lele asked in disbelief.

“Yes,” Zheng Haitao replied, still dazed.

With the rise of online entertainment, Zheng Haitao had done some research on Great Tang Resort before coming here and had heard of Sky Forest. However, seeing it in person was entirely different from looking at pictures online. It was like watching a sci-fi blockbuster; the actual scene was far more breathtaking than any movie effect.

“Let’s go,” Zheng Haitao said, gathering his thoughts before moving forward. According to the instructions on the “Treasure travel” card, they needed to take Elevator 60.

Zheng Haitao found the nearest track car station and entered their destination: 60.

“Screech—”

Zheng Haitao pressed the “Start” button above the track car. The car made a screeching sound before slowly starting to move.

The car’s speed gradually increased, and its color changed from bright blue to light purple.

“So cool!” Lele exclaimed as he looked around, unable to hide his excitement. This was even more fun than the amusement park in Luohai. Zheng Haitao smiled; this was the first time on their journey that Lele seemed genuinely relaxed.

The track car sped along at 120 km/h, and two minutes later, they arrived at Elevator 60. Since it was nighttime, each elevator was no longer transparent but changed to random colors, similar to the track car.

It was then that they realized the “light beams” they had seen earlier were actually the Sky Elevators.

“Should we take the elevator or the airship?” Zheng Haitao asked Lele, looking around. According to the card, they could choose either mode of transportation.

“The elevator,” Lele decided after a moment of hesitation, pointing to the elevator nearby. The airship was similar to an airplane, but he was more eager to try something new.

Zheng Haitao made an “OK” gesture, then proceeded to open the elevator cabin following the operating manual.

“Is it safe?” he asked out of habit as he was about to step inside. The Sky Elevator was 2,000 meters high, and if it were to fall… it would be no small matter.

“Rest assured, Mr. Zheng. We have conducted thorough safety tests,” the filming assistant replied with a smile.

Zheng Haitao hesitated no more. The group boarded, and Elevator 60 slowly began its ascent. The moment it started, the cabin turned orange, which was quite beautiful.

“Wow, how was this built? Is the Sky Island really floating up in the sky?” As the elevator rose higher, and the ‘Blue Ocean’ below gradually shrank, Zheng Lele’s mind could hardly keep up with what he was seeing.

“This is the marvel of technology,” Zheng Haitao replied, equally amazed. After some thought, he could only attribute everything to technological advancements.

Amidst this sense of wonder, the elevator reached the top and was suddenly plunged into darkness.

Ten seconds later, the cabin was flooded with light once more.

Zheng Haitao and Zheng Lele opened the elevator door and curiously stepped out.

As the elevator slowly closed, they looked up. They now stood in front of a massive, colorful castle surrounded by pumpkin lanterns. The interplay between the moonlight and the lanterns made the entire castle glow brightly.

Zheng Haitao and Zheng Lele were left in awe once again.

“Welcome, visitors from afar, to the Sky Kingdom,” came a voice. As they were about to search for their tent in the vast expanse around them, the castle gates opened, and a woman dressed in black and red finery stepped out.

The woman had a distinctly English appearance, flanked by several soldiers holding spears.

“Brave warriors, welcome,” the woman said as she approached Zheng Lele, offering him a small crown.

The woman spoke in English, but thanks to the Sora translator, her words were simultaneously translated into Chinese for everyone to understand.

Zheng Haitao and Zheng Lele: ???

…

“That’s some serious spending,” Zheng Haitao muttered in confusion as he and Zheng Lele processed the scene before them. Meanwhile, in his courtyard, Tang Huai reviewed the revenue reports from this period, murmuring to himself.

Sky Forest had been open for about half a month. As more players explored, the storyline of Sky Forest became increasingly clear. Visitors discovered that, while the main storyline remained unchanged, they could interact with “NPCs” in pre-determined script-based encounters.

These scripts were designed by the players themselves and, upon approval from Sky Management, could be performed at designated times. Of course, visitors needed to pay a substantial fee for these experiences.

For instance, the script “The Return of the Warrior” was designed for “Treasure travel.” The NPC’s total performance time was five hours over five days, costing a total of 50,000 USD. Recently, many visitors had begun playing out scenarios like “Village Chief” and “Blacksmith,” all self-designed scripts priced between 500 to 10,000 USD, depending on the number of characters involved.

Great Tang Resort shared the revenue with the “NPCs” on a 50:50 basis. When you think about it, this was a rather profitable source of income for the resort.

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️