Chapter 65 Opening Ceremony (Part 1) (Includes nutrient solution...)
Tian Fan was in first place, followed by Qin Yue and Li Nuan.
The two were originally in the same group. Later, after Li Nuan, also known as "Nuan Nuan Feng," became famous through the Lu Ban worship ceremony in Qinghe Ancient Town, Qin Yue even went to congratulate her. This time, Lu Xiaoqi naturally invited a large group of self-media content creators to experience Qinghe Ancient Town. Both of their tickets were free, and they were also arranged to stay at the same hotel.
Li Nuan and Qin Yue decided to act together.
"You don't mind if I do a live stream, do you?" Qin Yue asked.
Li Nuan smiled and shook her head: "It's okay, you can turn it on as you like, I'm just here to use up some data."
Now her income is very stable, she has hundreds of thousands of followers, and she is much more confident and cheerful when interacting with people. She also knows that forming groups among content creators is actually a good way to attract traffic.
By nine o'clock, there was already a long line of people at the entrance of the ancient town. Most of them seemed to be locals, speaking the local dialect and traveling with their families. There were relatively few people like them who had come from other places in advance.
At 8:40, the gates of the ancient town opened, and the ticket checkers began their work. Tian Fan, Li Nuan, Qin Yue, and the others passed through the ticket verification smoothly and were then handed a gift voucher by a smiling staff member.
"You are among the first ten guests in line at Qinghe Ancient Town. You can use this voucher to receive a special gift at the visitor center. Oh, and sir, you are the first visitor today, so you can wear this." The staff member then handed him a bracelet, saying mysteriously, "There will be a surprise waiting for you later."
Tian Fan took the coupon and bracelet: "Thank you."
He put on the bracelet, curious and looking forward to what the surprise would be.
"You're welcome," the staff member reminded them. "You can wait in front of the city gate. There will be an opening ceremony for the ancient town at 8:50."
Opening ceremony?
Is it to celebrate today's opening?
"No," the staff member said with a smile and a shake of their head. "The opening celebration is a fireworks display in the evening, but the opening ceremony will be held every day from now on."
The group immediately ran inside.
"If I had known there would be a surprise for the first person, I would have walked faster. I'm second!" Qin Yue was running while live-streaming, showing off her coupon to the camera: "See? This is what you call thoughtful. They give you a coupon instead of giving you something in person, so I don't have to carry a big bag to find a place to store it."
There weren't many viewers for the 9 PM live stream, but Qin Yue was born for this, and she could keep talking even when there were no viewers.
"And there was even an opening ceremony, so it was worth getting up at eight o'clock."
The ticket checkpoint is not far from the city gate tower, only a few dozen meters away. The city gate tower was rebuilt by demolishing the original wooden archway, with an exquisite gate tower added on each side. The roof was made from the original wooden components of the archway and was transformed into a hip roof for the city gate tower, also covered with green glazed tiles.
The four large characters "Qinghe Ancient Town" are hung above the city gate.
There are waterways on both sides of the city gate tower, so the only way to get into the ancient town is through this city gate tower.
A considerable crowd had already gathered in the small square in front of the city gate, all eagerly awaiting the opening ceremony at 9:00 AM. Qin Yue took this opportunity to introduce the items she had just acquired to her livestream viewers:
"After you come in, you can get a scenic area map, which is very useful. Besides that, let me see what this is..."
Li Nuan, who was standing next to her, had already looked at it: "It's the performance schedule for this month."
She glanced at the program and found that there were quite a few shows, and a wide variety of them. For example, there was the Hu Xuan dance, which was performed in the tavern in Zone 2, once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once in the evening. There was also a ventriloquism show, which was performed three times a day in the teahouse in Zone 2. There was also a sword dance... The program schedule was packed full.
Qin Yue: "...Some shows run for two days and then take a day off, or three days and then take a day off, but most shows are on weekends and holidays. If you come on a weekday, remember to check the shows you want to see in advance. The monthly program schedule will be released in advance on the official account of the ancient town."
"What should we look at first?" she asked Li Nuan.
Li Nuan decisively chose: "No, of course we should go to the VR virtual experience center first while there aren't many people yet!"
She had been longing for the short VR holographic video she had seen at the last Lu Ban ceremony; it was truly amazing. She had filmed in many places since then, including some high-tech museums, but she had never seen such a realistic and stunning VR experience again.
Qinghe Ancient Town really has something special.
“Okay.” Qin Yue immediately realized, “Then we’ll head over there as soon as the city gates open.”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a clear, crisp sound of a gong was heard.
Ding ding ding!
Everyone fell silent, and looking in the direction of the sound, they discovered that two small boats had somehow appeared on the waterways flanking the city gate. Watchmen stood at the bows, striking their gongs, and the two men shouted in unison:
"As dawn breaks, the water town awakens—!"
The sound reached everyone's ears. Before they could react, another clear and melodious chime rang out.
"It's up there!" someone exclaimed in surprise.
Everyone looked up and saw several musicians dressed in classical attire sitting on the city walls on both sides, some playing the guqin, some the pipa, some the flute, and some the ruan.
The sound of the chime just now was like a pebble thrown into a still lake; the next moment, the sounds of string and wind instruments poured out like flowing water.
The first note of the zither rose, like a gentle drizzle in a mountain valley; then the pipa joined in, like pearls falling onto a jade plate, tinkling and melodious; followed by the flute, its melodious strains rising like a breeze passing through the clouds, carrying the unique dampness and ethereal quality of the water town, swirling and echoing high above...
Everyone listened intently, and no one spoke loudly.
Li Nuan suddenly tugged at Qin Yue's sleeve and whispered, "Quickly look to both sides."
Only then did people notice that a light, gauze-like morning mist had begun to rise on both sides of the river. The mist drifted in and enveloped the small boats on the water, making everything seem even more dreamlike.
Almost everyone took out their phones and started taking pictures. Tian Fan could hear the people behind him whispering:
"Wow, this opening ceremony is quite well done, very unique."
"It's a good thing I woke you up at eight o'clock. You still looked unhappy. If we had been any later, would we have been able to stand so far ahead?"
Just then, someone shouted, "Look! Look up!"
Several girls were screaming. Someone frowned, thinking that their shouting was ruining the mood, but when they looked up, they couldn't help but open their mouths and couldn't stop for a long time.
Everyone excitedly looked up at the sky, and a chorus of "Holy crap!" rose and fell like the croaking of frogs.
A dancer, clad in light gauze robes and with her hair styled in a flying fairy bun, leaped down from the high city gate like a celestial maiden, her figure unfurling in mid-air with the graceful movement of flowing clouds. Her toes lightly touched the air, her arms outstretched like a white crane stretching its neck, letting the wind lift her wide sleeves, like a flying apsara in a Tang Dynasty mural, ethereal and otherworldly against the backdrop of the morning mist.
Her twelve-piece tattered skirt swayed in the wind, her fingertips twirling gracefully, dancing in the air, controlling her form with her breath, using her ribbons as wings, moving like a swimming dragon, as delicate as a startled swan.
Morning mist, city towers, musicians, flying apsaras... these scenes intertwine to form an extraordinary and elegant scroll painting.
The shutter of Li Nuan's camera never stopped clicking.
Unable to contain her excitement, Qin Yue shouted into the live stream, "Did you guys see that? Did you see that? Oh my god, it's so beautiful!"
There weren't many people in the live stream, but they all suddenly appeared in the comments section:
I saw it!
[Thanks to Sister Yue for broadening my horizons. Mom, I saw fairies!]
【beautiful! 】
[It's a bit like the celestial maiden scattering flowers in the ancient city of Luoyi, but why didn't she scatter some flowers too?]
Then, the music ended, the last note of the zither skimming the water like a dragonfly, its lingering sound echoing softly. The celestial maiden, who had been dancing gracefully in the air, suddenly bent low and descended, drifting towards the crowd like a wisp of smoke. An even louder clamor erupted from the crowd.
The celestial maiden finally stopped above Tian Fan, looked down at him slightly, and said softly, "Are you the first guest today?"
Tian Fan put down his camera, his mouth slightly open, a mixture of panic and joy in his eyes. He didn't even dare to look at the celestial maiden's dignified yet beautiful face, adorned with a flower on her forehead. He nodded haphazardly, "...Ah? Yes, it's me!"
He then noticed that the bracelet on his wrist was sparkling.
The celestial maiden smiled gently, extended her fair wrist, and a bunch of keys slid down. She took the keys and handed them to him: "Honorable guest, please open the gate to the ancient town."
The time displayed was exactly nine o'clock.
Tian Fan: "...Me, me, me?"
He was so excited he could barely speak.
At this moment, the watchman standing on the boat struck the gong again and shouted loudly, "The auspicious time has arrived! The ancient town is opening its doors to welcome guests!"
With the help of the wire, the celestial maiden returned to the high city gate, while Tian Fan, surrounded by staff, arrived at the gate of the ancient town with the key, leaving a group of people behind him filled with envy and jealousy.
If they had known it would be like this, they would have run to be the first to have their tickets checked!
Qin Yue was screaming in the live stream: "Aaaaaah, I'm so angry! I was second! Why didn't I move just a little bit faster? Then I would have been the one to open the door!"
They will also gain the right to converse with celestial maidens.
It wouldn't be so bad if she were ranked further down, but she's ranked second, and I'm really not happy about it!
Xiaoqi didn't even give her a chance to pull some strings behind the scenes! I'm so angry!
The gates of the ancient town finally opened, and Tian Fan stood to the side, grinning from ear to ear. He was the one who actually performed such a ceremonial gesture! He'd remember it for the rest of his life! He decided not to wash his hands today, hoping to ride this wave of good luck and buy a lottery ticket later.
Tourists entered the ancient town in twos and threes, still savoring the experience as they walked. Those who came in later, having missed the wonderful performance, sighed with regret.
Meanwhile, atop the city walls, the musicians had already packed away their instruments and descended the stairs.
"That scared me to death! I almost played the wrong note because I was so nervous."
"What's there to be nervous about? We've played for His Majesty so many times before, look at you, so pathetic."
"Wow, it feels different."
Li Guinian stroked the guqin and smiled, "Alright, alright, everyone did a good job today. There are other performances later, so everyone can go home now. Those who need to rest, rest; those who need to prepare, prepare."
“Yes, Li Gongfeng.” The musicians bowed to him.
Li Guinian asked the dancer playing the celestial maiden, who was also the bravest dancer in the former music academy, "Are you afraid?"
The dancer was extremely excited: "I'm not scared, it's a lot of fun. However, it will take a lot of strength to support yourself towards the end."
It felt like I was about to fly, but doing things in the air is definitely several times more difficult than doing them on the ground.
Li Guinian walked at the back, peeking out to see the throngs of tourists passing through the city gate, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face. He had come today specifically to play the qin (a seven-stringed zither) and see how the tourists would react to his performance.
Now he is completely at ease.
Thinking of the dry ice machine that creates fog, and then of the wire harnesses and drones that can carry people in the air, Li Guinian couldn't help but sigh in his heart, "Ah, if only we had such wonderful things back then! The 'Rainbow Dance' could truly be transformed into a heavenly palace."
However, it's not too late now... A fervent glint flashed in Li Guinian's eyes.
After standing on the city gate for a while, lost in thought, he picked up his guqin and leisurely walked down.
......
After passing through the city gate and truly entering Qinghe Ancient Town, Qin Yue and Li Nuan suddenly felt as if they had traveled back to ancient times.
"Wow!" Qin Yue exclaimed, turning the camera around. "Let me show you what Qinghe Ancient Town looks like now."
On New Year's Day, those who had already gotten up early or were still lying in bed scrolling through their phones captured this scene through their cameras: white walls and black tiles, flowing water and houses, stone arch bridges and wooden bridges like rainbows lying on the water, connecting the main bluestone street in front of them with the surrounding areas.
At the end of the main street, you can see an elegant little hall and the Qinghe Tower high up behind it, with its upturned eaves and corners, exuding both grandeur and bustling atmosphere.
There were pedestrians dressed in ancient costumes walking on the street; there were peddlers carrying loads and calling out their wares; and occasionally, there were simple or ornately decorated horse-drawn carriages passing by, with servants and drivers sitting in the front; there were grasshopper boats loaded with flowers docking at the small pier at the bridgehead, with boatwomen calling out to sell flowers.
It was as if a scroll depicting a glorious past was slowly unfolding before their eyes, and these tourists were like fishermen from Wuling who had wandered through the peach blossom forest, intruding into this place and disturbing its tranquility.
[I love it! Hiding under the covers, I quietly opened the Qinghe Ancient Town mini-program to buy tickets!]
Wow, there are so many NPCs! They really went all out.
[It looks like an ancient town from TV dramas and movies; it would be even better if tourists wore period costumes too.]
[You're overthinking it. Modern TV dramas don't offer real sets like that. They're lucky if they can even build a studio; most of the time, they use green screens for everything.]
It's unrealistic for all tourists to wear ancient costumes; I'm already quite satisfied with the scene we see now.
[Host, host, those flowers on the boat are so beautiful! Can you buy a bouquet? I'd love to see them. I'll pay for it.]
[Oh yeah, I'd love to know how NPCs interact!]
A series of donation notifications rang out in the live stream room.
Qin Yue was of course willing, and she herself was curious about how these NPCs would react.
She walked briskly across the arched bridge, admiring the beautiful scenery of the water town for a moment, then walked to the small dock under the bridge and asked the boatwoman, "Hello, do you sell these flowers?"
The boatwoman laughed and said, "Of course we sell them. A bunch is only twenty coins. What kind of flowers does the young lady want?"
Wow, little lady! I love that title.
[The boatwoman is so beautiful! And look at her hairstyle and clothing, they're so ancient. To be honest, her hairstyle looks much better than some of the styling done in photo studios.]
[I noticed, the makeup is very classic, and the language is very elegant. The NPCs in this ancient town are so well-mannered!]
Qin Yue asked for a bouquet.
Originally a courtesan from the Jiangnan region, Yue Niang was summoned here to be reborn because of her beautiful voice. She also became a boatwoman because she knew how to row. She turned around and picked out a bouquet of flowers from the boat and handed it to Qin Yue.
This beautiful scene was captured by Li Nuan, who was standing nearby, with her camera.
Qin Yue took the flowers, hesitated, and asked, "Scan the QR code or...?"
The boatwoman smiled and said, "The ancient town only accepts paper money and copper coins. Since you're new here, you can exchange them at the money exchange shop next door first. May I keep this bouquet of flowers for you?"
[This is fun! Streamer, hurry up and exchange some money!]
I think I just saw a money exchange; it's right there on the bridge back.
[It feels like the blogger has traveled back to ancient times; scanning QR codes is definitely pointless.]
Qin Yue also found the setup quite fun, and quickly went with Li Nuan to exchange money.
Li Nuan said, "I just forgot. It was written on the map that we need to go to the bank to exchange money after entering. But I think the reminder could be made more obvious so we can remind Boss Lu later."
In addition to creating travel guides and promotional videos, these women are also responsible for testing and raising questions to the scenic area from the customer's perspective so that they can make improvements.
The two quickly returned to the main street via the Flying Rainbow Bridge and found the money exchange, one on each side, where many people were already exchanging money.
“We could actually set up a shop at the main entrance of the scenic area, otherwise if there are too many people, some people will find it annoying to have to queue to get in,” Qin Yue said, “especially older tourists.”
Li Nuan nodded.
However, the money exchange here is very fast, with multiple windows open at the same time, and the two of them quickly exchanged their money.
"See this? These are the silver coins we got in exchange." Qin Yue showed them to her fans in the live stream. "They even included a small pouch to hold these silver coins and copper coins. That's a nice touch; they've thought of everything."
Moreover, that purse is very pretty; it would easily sell for five or ten yuan in those tourist attractions.
After leaving the money exchange, they found themselves at the beginning of the main street, so they decided to show it off: "This is the main street of Zone One. It's very spacious. This street mainly houses functional areas, including the money exchange we just visited, the visitor center, and cultural and creative shops."
"Now it must be to celebrate New Year's Day, so they've hung up beautiful lanterns. The night view should be very beautiful."
"There are streams on both sides of the main street, and I can hear the sound of flowing water..." Qin Yue brought the camera closer and exclaimed, "Wow, the water is so clean!"
The clear water flowing on the bluestone slabs is a delightful sight.
“It’s clean,” a friendly tourist chimed in. “Look at that river, it’s so green, a transparent green, you can even see the aquatic plants at the bottom. I’ve only ever seen water this clean in a few towns at the foot of the snow-capped mountains. This town is really well-managed; they’ve clearly invested a lot in it.”
Qin Yue chatted with them for a few minutes and then learned that they were from the next city.
The tourist smiled and said, "My son usually likes to watch videos of handicrafts and follows several bloggers in the ancient town. He kept pestering us to come this time. Unexpectedly, it's been great. I'm even thinking of buying an annual pass. Anyway, it only takes a little over an hour to drive here, so it's not far."
After saying goodbye to the family, Qin Yue and Li Nuan returned to the boatwoman's place.
The boatwoman's boat was very eye-catching and had already been surrounded by tourists with long lenses, taking all sorts of photos. Li Nuan joined them, and only then did she notice that the water in the river really was like transparent jelly, and she could see the carpet-like aquatic plants below and the koi carp swimming leisurely in it.
Help! It's so beautiful, like a painting.
These koi fish are so lucky!
I bought tickets, but hadn't made a reservation yet, and was hesitating about whether to go. I just decisively booked for next weekend. I'm so excited!
[If only it were a flowering aquatic plant, it would be absolutely gorgeous.]
I'm crying, I want to wear my Hanfu for the photoshoot!
After receiving the flowers, Qin Yue took a photo with the boatwoman. The tourists nearby, surprised by this, exclaimed and started wanting to buy the flowers. The two then carried the flowers and ran towards the VR virtual experience center.
They ran into Tian Fan, the person who opened the VR pavilion that day, in front of the pavilion. He was taking pictures of various parts of the pavilion with a camera, looking completely absorbed in the experience.
Qin Yue was a social butterfly, and with a quick thought, she decided to interview him and ask him what he felt about opening the ancient town to the public.
Tian Fan was a homebody, but he couldn't bear to refuse a beautiful woman. He scratched his head and said shyly, "I was really surprised. When she flew in front of me, I really felt like I was the chosen one by a goddess."
Qin Yue and Li Nuan couldn't help but chuckle: "I feel like the first ticket check spot will be in high demand from now on."
Li Nuan observed more closely and noticed that he was only photographing architectural details, so she casually asked a question, which unexpectedly turned on Tian Fan. He completely changed from his previous shyness and started talking non-stop, giving the two of them a comprehensive introduction to ancient architecture, from various bracket sets to different roofs and eaves details.
Originally, they only thought the small hall and the Qinghe Tower behind it were beautiful, but now they seemed to understand why they were beautiful.
"...In short, this should be the best-restored ancient town in the Tang Dynasty style that I have ever seen. As you all know, most Tang Dynasty buildings are now located in the Northwest, in Shanxi Province and Luoyang. They are very rare in our Jiangnan area. Moreover, when it was restored, it did not simply copy the style of the Northwest, but incorporated the graceful and elegant style of Jiangnan. It doesn't feel out of place at all, which is very, very rare."
"Most importantly, it didn't replace Tang Dynasty with Japanese architecture! I believe everyone has heard the saying that if you want to see the true prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, go to Kyoto or Nara. That's nonsense! In fact, many buildings in these two places have incorporated a lot of Japanese elements during later renovations and reconstructions, and they are no longer what they originally looked like."
"If you want to see the most textbook-perfect Tang Dynasty architecture, you can go to Xi'an, Luoyang, or Shanxi Province. If you want to experience the bustling streets of the Tang Dynasty, then come to Qinghe Ancient Town. Although it is just a newly built scenic area, it is really well done and has a great feel to it."
Tian Fan spoke with great passion.
Knowledge entered my mind so suddenly and unexpectedly; I am no longer illiterate!
[That's quite interesting; I didn't realize there were so many intricacies involved in ancient architecture.]
[The guy's expression changed noticeably when he talked about ancient architecture. Is this what true passion is? Biting his handkerchief, he felt a little warmer in his otherwise listless, lethargic state.]
[Yueyue, following Brother Gujian is like having a free tour guide.]
[The old architecture guy is right, it's annoying to see so many tourist attractions in China that use Japanese architecture to represent the Tang Dynasty.]
Tian Fan originally wanted to go directly to Deng Qinghe Tower, but Qin Yue and Li Nuan strongly persuaded him to queue up for the VR experience center with them.
He originally thought that the dragon's eyes and the several holographic display videos he had seen online were all edited, but after talking to them, he found out that they were actually real.
“I saw it with my own eyes; that video was filmed.” Li Nuan smiled.
Tian Fan's eyes widened, and he immediately changed his mind: "Line up!"
It's only 9:30, just half an hour since they opened, and there aren't that many people in line yet. There are only about a dozen people ahead of them, so they should be able to get to the front of the line soon. Behind them are a brother and sister.
The older sister seemed very gentle and patient, but the younger brother was a bit impatient, leaning against the wall, looking like "one of those pretentious, rebellious young men in school" in Qin Yue's words:
"What's so fun about this place? Why did you have to drag me out here? I could have just stayed home and played a couple of games."
Although the ancient town was quite pretty, he wasn't really interested in the scenery. He'd rather stay home and play games, or maybe go out for a couple of rides on his motorcycle. Wandering around the ancient town was too fussy and boring.
My sister said very kindly, "Don't you get tired of playing games all the time? Besides, it's no fun staying at home all the time. Young people should go out more often; it's good for their health and eyes."
The younger brother clicked his tongue: "I'm perfectly healthy, and besides, what's wrong with playing games..."
Before she could finish speaking, she saw her older sister suddenly rub her temples, and when she looked up again, her expression changed completely, becoming sinister: "Zhou Yuhang, is that enough? Are you done yet? I paid to take you out to play and you're still whining. Have I given you any face?"
Zhou Yuhang immediately fell silent. Although there was still a hint of resentment in his eyes, he appeared exceptionally obedient: "Okay, thank you, sister."
The older sister from the Zhou family immediately regained her gentle demeanor: "See, isn't this better? You had to force me to lose my temper."
Qin Yue and Li Nuan, who had watched the entire thing from beginning to end, bit their lip hard to keep from laughing, lest they anger the young man. Qin Yue's phone wasn't pointed at a stranger, but everyone in the live stream listened to the whole thing and laughed heartily.
This is what bloodline suppression is all about.
In the cheerful atmosphere, it was soon their turn. At the same time, apart from a few scattered individuals, the rest of the group that had just come out did not choose to leave, but instead flocked back to the back of the line.
"Holy crap! That's so damn amazing, I want to watch it again."
"Me too! I'm going to watch all three of them."
Chattering away, Li Nuan and Qin Yue exchanged a glance, and Li Nuan whispered, "I knew it would exceed expectations. Luckily, we arrived early."
Tian Fan suddenly felt that his choice was right, and even the pale-faced young man Zhou Yuhang couldn't help but feel a bit curious. Is this thing really that amazing?
Staff: "Next group. Children under ten are not allowed inside. Thank you for your cooperation."
The first twenty people in line were let in.
In stark contrast to its classical exterior, the VR pavilion's interior is actually very modern and minimalist, somewhat like stepping into a museum. After passing through a large door, they entered a long corridor-like passageway.
"It's the Seven Star Lamp!" Li Nuan exclaimed in surprise.
She immediately recognized the seven-star lamps that were placed on both sides of the corridor as the ones she had seen during the Lu Ban worship ceremony. There were eight in total, and each one was taller and more exquisitely carved than the one she had seen before, and was also painted with colorful lacquer.
Compared to that, the previous Seven Star Lamp was practically an unfinished version.
“There are nine lamps.” Tian Fan pointed to the top of his head.
When everyone looked up, they discovered that there was a lamp hanging in mid-air in front of them.
Suddenly, the already dim light went out, plunging the entire passage into darkness, but almost immediately, one after another, the Seven Star Lamps began to light up.
"They're here, they're here!" Li Nuan thought to herself.
The momentous moment has arrived.
When all the seven-star lamps were lit, the dragons coiled on the lampposts suddenly opened their eyes, radiating brilliance. Then, as if adding the finishing touch to a painting, the next second, they soared into the air from the lampposts, and the surrounding corridors seemed to disappear, transforming into a starry sky.
Zhou Yuhang's mouth was wide open, as if he could swallow a whole duck egg.
Holy crap! No wonder kids under ten can't get in; this illusion is just too amazing! It's like a real dragon. He can see the dragon closest to him with shimmering silver scales and long whiskers, and he can almost feel its snorting breath.
They seemed to stand in the vast universe, surrounded by glittering stars, feeling utterly insignificant. The nine dragons danced and soared through the cosmos. Sometimes, a single flick of their tails would send up even more starlight, spreading like ripples.
Zhou Yuhang couldn't help but reach out and touch it, but he only touched thin air.
This really is just a VR projection.
He became very excited.
This...this is way more awesome than playing games?!
Lu Xiaoqi's job today was to patrol the venue. At this moment, she was in the monitoring room of the VR experience hall. After the nine dragons disappeared and the corridor returned to its original appearance, everyone looked disappointed, and she couldn't help but smile.
Hmph, this is just a small appetizer before the main course, and it's already making you all dumbfounded. So what's next?
Having already experienced those three memories, Lu Xiaoqi said that this was nothing.
This part was added to the system after she pleaded and begged, eventually using rewards from several weekly tasks. The video of this performance during the Lu Ban ceremony went viral, showing that visitors definitely loved it, so this time it's an upgraded version.
This provides a nice transitional experience for visitors after they enter; otherwise, serving the main meal right away would feel a bit monotonous. And it seems to be working quite well so far.
She asked the security guard in the monitoring room, "How is it? Was anyone frightened?"
While the VR experience is realistic, she worries that its realism might cause some customers to experience adverse effects or have physical problems. As a precaution, the ancient town has a rule that those who are too young or too old, or have heart conditions, cannot participate.
The security supervisor quickly said, "We've given instructions, and there are notices posted at the entrance. So far, everyone's experience has been quite good."
He even had the staff stationed there calculate that after several batches, about 70%-80% of the tourists returned to queue again, which is a terrifying repurchase rate.
Lu Xiaoqi was satisfied to see the increasingly long queue, as queuing twice would incur additional charges.
"Okay, keep an eye on the tourists' behavior. Maintain order, prepare some time reminders and one-meter lines, and make sure they don't get into any conflicts."
The security supervisor immediately nodded: "Understood, we already have contingency plans for this."
After giving a few more instructions, Lu Xiaoqi turned and left, heading to her next destination.
She asked the system, "Can we add another point like the Kowloon Corridor to the VR exhibition hall?"
System: "Yes, but it will have to wait until the ancient town is upgraded."
Lu Xiaoqi sighed, "Then we'll have to wait a while."
She received a system notification at 9:00 AM today, confirming that the main quest she had been waiting for for over half a year had finally been completed!
[Congratulations, player! Your main quest—to revitalize Qinghe Ancient Town and open it to the public with the theme of promoting traditional Chinese culture—is now 100% complete!]
You can claim the following rewards: 5 million in cash and a treasure chest.
[You have a new main quest to complete: The scenic area 'Qinghe Ancient Town' that you have linked to is currently at too low a level. Please work hard to manage it, aiming to receive two million tourists within one year and spread the fame of Qinghe Ancient Town to a wider area.]
[Mission Rewards: Ancient Town upgraded to C level; 10 million cash; one treasure chest.]
The system always delivers rewards quickly and never delays; in this respect, it's an absolutely excellent system. Lu Xiaoqi soon received a text message from the bank informing her that five million yuan had been deposited into her account.
Including the ticket revenue she redeemed today, she has returned to the ranks of multi-millionaires.
She decided to think about the treasure chest and the new main quest in detail later that night.
With the financial crisis resolved, Lu Xiaoqi walked briskly and cheerfully to the next area she was to tour.
......
The twenty people who had passed through the Kowloon Corridor arrived at a large hall-like place.
Even though they didn't know each other very well, everyone chatted excitedly and enthusiastically:
"That was amazing! When that dragon flew up, my legs went weak and I didn't react for a moment."
"It's even more stunning than the video I filmed last time."
"Of course, being there in person is a completely different experience."
Zhou's older sister glanced at Zhou Yuhang sideways: "Are you stupid? Is that all the courage you have? How about we send you back to play games now?"
Although Zhou Yuhang was excited, he didn't want to lose face in front of his sister, so he stubbornly said, "It's fine as it is... What should I give it? I want to see what kind of tricks it can come up with next!"
Zhou's older sister: "Heh!"
Qin Yue hadn't witnessed the Lu Ban ceremony live before, and was so shocked that she didn't speak for a while. She quickly glanced at the live stream and found that the comment section was flooded with messages.
【I'll buy it, I'll buy it, okay?!】
[I've already placed the order, bought enough for the whole family. It's only an hour by high-speed train from Qinghe City, so I think it's worth it.]
Good heavens, I checked and this scenic spot's ticket price of 80 yuan includes a VR experience! How can they even make money? This VR effect looks incredibly expensive; I wonder if they'll eventually go out of business and go bankrupt?
[Pah! Shut up, you jinx!]
Qin Yue didn't have time to reply. She had already seen what she was going to experience and could only regretfully say goodbye to the people in the live stream for the time being: "Family, we can't record anymore for a while because the next experience requires wearing a helmet!"
There are twenty chairs in this hall, somewhat like the chairs in VR experience halls in shopping malls, with a helmet on each chair.
To be honest, Qin Yue only felt a sense of reality after seeing them—this is normal, what kind of VR experience doesn't involve wearing a helmet and glasses? That short VR experience with the naked eye was just too unreal.
"Please select your location, put on your helmet, and the experience will begin in one minute."
"This helmet has a heart rate monitoring function. It will sound an alarm and automatically disconnect if the heart rate is too high. If you feel any discomfort during the process, you can remove the helmet immediately."
Everyone took their seats and put on their helmets.
Qin Yue put her phone aside, no longer caring about the live stream; she wanted to have some fun first.
After putting on the helmet, my vision went dark, as if my entire consciousness had been pulled into a virtual world. Then a line of words appeared before my eyes:
"Please select the video you wish to watch."
There are three options in total.
A: Dujiangyan (Qin Dynasty); B: Ascension to the throne (Qin Dynasty); C: Appointment (Qin Dynasty)
Qin Yue was a little confused. What kind of strange options were these?
Qin is understandable, but what about the Qin state? The Qin dynasty?
Seeing the countdown in the upper left corner getting smaller and smaller, Qin Yue immediately stopped thinking, hesitated for a moment, and then chose option A. She had been to Dujiangyan and wanted to see if this VR experience resembled the real Dujiangyan.
After making her choice, Qin Yue felt a sudden darkness engulf her vision.
The next second, when she opened her eyes, she immediately felt the moisture on her nose and the scorching sun hanging in the sky, which made her skin sting. She could even smell the subtle fragrance emanating from the trees and flowers around her.
And not far from her feet, the Minjiang River surged with towering waves!
Qin Yue realized that she was currently on a narrow path on a cliff, in danger of falling into the river at any moment.
"Ah—!!!" she couldn't help but scream loudly.
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