"Ding!"
"Order received. The system will begin the cleanup operation at 2 AM tonight."
"This cleanup will be carried out by the Ocean Star Construction Team."
"Cleanup duration: 15 days."
Chen Jianhai contentedly clicked the "×" in the upper right corner of the panel.
Next, it was time to choose the design for the main building of the Zaomen Hotel.
Chen Jianhai selected the system's marketplace and the hotel theme option.
Since the system's points marketplace was updated, he hadn't checked it out yet. Upon opening it now, he found four gray icons that had never appeared before.
"Chocolate Factory Theme, Open-Air Bullfighting Hotel, Waterfront Resort Hotel, Fantasy Wonderland Hotel..."
Chen Jianhai looked at each of these themes, pausing for a moment on the Fantasy Wonderland Theme Hotel.
"This Fantasy Wonderland Hotel seems to be somewhat related to Magic Century."
He opened the theme description, and a dialog box popped up on the system panel.
"Fantasy Wonderland Theme Hotel: Want to experience something bold and thrilling?"
"Want to enter a 'Psychedelic World' and fully immerse yourself?"
"When elements of horror merge with the world of art, each room's design and furniture are infused with unique personalities, extending the hotel's style from gentle to extreme."
"Note: For your safety and the safety of hotel property, please carefully read the room's exclusive user manual before fully enjoying the hotel's interesting designs and artistic atmosphere. You'll discover more experiences and fun."
This won't work, absolutely not.
After seeing the words "bold and thrilling," Chen Jianhai decisively closed the theme.
Next to it was Magic Century Park, and he was supposed to create a fantasy horror-themed hotel here?
Forget whether the style fits or not, Chen Jianhai himself wouldn't dare to stay in it.
"This system update isn't very useful! Not a single theme I want."
Chen Jianhai looked at the existing hotel themes with frustration and called out in his mind:
"System!"
"Is there a Magic Century-themed hotel?"
As soon as he spoke, the familiar, cold voice of the system echoed in his mind:
"Ding!"
"The system currently has two themed hotels available: a Western Magic-themed hotel and a Chinese Magic-themed hotel."
"Exchange price: 30,000 points."
"Please choose the specific theme you wish to redeem."
Then, two different themed hotel icons appeared in the center of the panel.
Looking at those two themed hotel icons, Chen Jianhai hesitated.
These themes are really expensive!
They cost 30,000 points each!
Although he had a bit of a surplus now, with 230,000 points in hand, no one knows what could happen when building a hotel in the future, and every point is precious.
The most crucial thing is that his hotel is backed by the Magic Century Park, so at the very least, the operating style needs to be aligned with it.
Otherwise, if Magic Century Park builds a Chinese Magic-themed style, and he goes with a Western style, that would be a mess.
"Looks like I'll have to find out more about the style of the Magic Century Hotel later."
Chen Jianhai looked towards the construction site on the right side of Cream Road, hoping to see if he could figure out the style.
But unfortunately, the entire site was tightly enclosed, and as an ordinary person with no special vision, he couldn't see anything beyond the large cranes.
Just as he was about to call the taxi driver to come pick him up, the system's voice rang out again:
"Ding!"
"The system has detected that the host has completed the task: acquiring a large enough hotel site."
"Congratulations to the host for earning 29,999 points."
Chen Jianhai: ???
Wasn't this reward supposed to be given just now? Why did it suddenly appear now?
Is the system delayed again?
Chen Jianhai tried calling out to the system in his mind a few times, but the system completely ignored him, seemingly not wanting to answer the question.
But no matter what, looking at his points balance, Chen Jianhai's mood improved significantly.
"Plus the 1 point the system gave me earlier, I've now earned the 30,000 points needed to buy the theme."
At this moment,
As Chen Jianhai stood alone on the ground, gazing at the virtual panel, enjoying the joy of his full points wallet, on the highway,
a black sedan was following the road signs, turning onto a side road, heading towards Cream Road.
Looking at the desolate scenery on both sides, the rear window of the sedan was rolled down by someone,
Since there weren't many trees on Cream Road,
the wild wind swept straight across the ground, through the walls of uninhabited houses, carrying a hint of chill and desolation.
An elderly man with white hair, sitting in the back seat of the sedan, sighed with some emotion:
"Who would have thought such a large piece of land would be bought up so quickly?"
The young man in the passenger seat turned back and said, "I heard it was bought by a hotel owner from Nanjiang."
"This piece of land is huge, and it's right next to Magic Century Park. The investment required is no small amount."
"I wonder which hotel in Nanjiang bought it."
The white-haired elder chuckled, "Speaking of Nanjiang, that little hotel owner once wanted to hire me as a mascot."
The young man also laughed, "That little owner really dared to think big, even wanted me to go with him, offering food and accommodation for the both of us."
...
The weariness from the journey faded a bit amidst the laughter.
"Strange."
The white-haired elder suddenly spoke, "The original residents here should have all moved out by now, so why is there still someone standing over there?"
The young man responded, "Maybe they haven't had time to move? Or they're just slow in packing?"
The white-haired elder shook his head, not quite agreeing with the young man's view.
"Doesn't that person look a bit familiar to you?"
The young man became more attentive, looking carefully ahead, a thoughtful expression crossing his face.
This person indeed seemed somewhat familiar...
Just as he was pondering, the young man suddenly realized, isn't this the little hotel owner from Nanjiang?"
...
On Cream Road, Chen Jianhai was hesitating whether to go inside his Squirrel Hotel for a rest.
After all, three hours of walking had truly worn him out.
The sweat on his body, now cooled by the wind, even made him feel a bit chilly.
"Sigh! I should have called the taxi driver to pick me up earlier."
Chen Jianhai sighed inwardly and decided to return to the Squirrel Hotel for a while.
Although the hotel was a bit cold inside, at least it offered some shelter from the wind.
Just as he took two steps, he saw a black sedan approaching.
"Brother, why are you here alone? Do you have a car? If not, hop in, and I'll give you a ride."
The passenger side window rolled down, and the young man spoke enthusiastically.
Chen Jianhai was stunned for a moment,
but then his sharp memory, honed from years of hosting guests, allowed him to instantly recognize the young man in front of him.
"It's you?!"
"How's your grandfather? Is he still doing well?"
As he spoke, the rear window of the black sedan slowly rolled down,
"Thank you for your concern, I'm still in good health." The white-haired elder smiled at Chen Jianhai and asked,
"Would you like a ride?"