After drinking a glass of fruit wine, Old Wang felt warm all over, as if all the bitterness of his life had melted away in the mellow wine.
Just as he was filled with emotion, he heard his grandson, Gou Dan, tugging at his sleeve, his little face flushed with excitement.
"Grandpa! Grandpa! Let's hurry to the underwater dragon palace! Our tour guide said that's the next stop!"
Not far away, a young woman wearing a sky-blue overall skirt and with tiny pearls adorning her long hair was smiling and guiding tourists.
Chen Shuiyi possesses a unique power, capable of transforming into water, which is why she served as the guide after the underwater palace was completed.
"Everyone, please follow me! Ahead lies the Deep Sea Corridor, where you can enjoy the wonders of the ocean without getting wet!"
Chen Shuiyi's voice is clear and melodious, with a reassuring magic.
The group followed her into a circular tunnel made entirely of transparent glass.
As soon as they stepped inside, gasps of surprise rose and fell in waves.
Old Wang felt his feet suddenly give way, as if he had instantly sunk into the deep blue sea.
All around, schools of fish swam leisurely.
Colorful coral reefs grew at his feet, and a giant sea turtle slowly glided over his head, its long fins almost touching the glass dome.
"My goodness! This, this really is the Dragon Mother's house!" Wang Dazhuang leaned against the wall beside him, his legs a little weak, but his eyes were wide open.
"Dad, look! What a big fish!" Granddaughter Chun Tao pointed to a huge fish with a massive body covered in spots, but with an incredibly gentle temperament, and jumped up excitedly.
Chen Shuiyi explained with a smile, "Little sister has a good eye. That's a whale shark, the gentlest big one in our underwater palace. Don't be afraid, everyone. It only eats small fish and shrimp and is very friendly to us."
As she spoke, she gently raised her hand, and a wisp of water appeared out of thin air from her palm. It condensed into a lifelike little fish shape inside the tunnel, swam around the children once, and then suddenly dispersed, turning into sparkling water droplets.
The children watched intently, bursting into laughter.
Dog Egg pressed his entire face against the glass wall, watching the schools of clownfish swimming in and out of the anemones outside, filled with envy.
"Dad, Mom, I want to live here from now on! I want to play with Xiaoyu!" Gou Dan turned around and announced earnestly.
Wang Dazhuang was amused by his son's childish words and reached out to pat his little head: "What are you dreaming about! We're landlubbers, won't we drown if we live in the water?"
"That's right, you silly boy, you're just talking nonsense." His wife chimed in with a laugh.
The surrounding people burst into good-natured laughter, finding the child innocent and adorable.
However, Chen Shuiyi, who was standing to the side, smiled and spoke, her words clearly reaching everyone's ears: "This little brother's dream is not impossible to achieve."
The laughter stopped abruptly.
Everyone was stunned and turned to look at the beautiful woman.
Wang Dazhuang scratched his head, and asked somewhat uncertainly, "Fairy Sister, what do you mean by that?"
“What I mean is,” Chen Shuiyi blinked, her eyes shining like stars, “our underwater palace, in addition to the tourist area, also has a residential area planned. Once all the facilities are complete, we will open up a number of settlement slots to all the people of the Yu, Yan, and Man kingdoms. As long as you pass the review and can afford the fees, you can become a resident here.”
After these words were spoken, the crowd fell so quiet that one could hear each other's heartbeats.
Old Wang had just picked up his water bag to take a sip when his hand trembled, and the bag fell to the ground with a clatter, spilling water all over the floor, but he didn't even notice.
A merchant from the Yan state stammered, "Living in this paradise? Even mortals like us can do it?"
“Of course,” Chen Shuiyi nodded, “The Mountain Goddess’s grace shines upon all people, regardless of their social status. As long as one is a subject of the Goddess, and makes a contribution to the world and has value to society, one has the opportunity.”
The crowd erupted in chaos.
"My God! Living underwater! Who would believe that?!"
"If we could really move in, wouldn't it be like living like a god every day?"
"Quickly ask how much it will cost? Is the money our family has saved from the factory over the past few years enough?"
"You're dreaming! This place would require mountains of gold and silver to be enough to live on!"
Everyone was talking excitedly, their faces filled with longing and disbelief.
In the past, they only sought to have enough to eat and wear; now, they can even dream of a paradise they never dared to imagine.
This world has really changed!
…
Meanwhile, another group of guests arrived at the entrance of the Forest Treehouse Castle.
Several prominent families from the capital of Yan State came to watch as a group, at the Empress's behest.
According to the Empress, she naturally thought that everything about the Mountain Goddess was good, and the palaces built by those believers must be the best. She thought it would be better to learn from them and see if she could build similar palaces in the Yan Kingdom.
Leading the group was Minister Qian, the Vice Minister of Revenue. He wore a dark purple brocade robe, with a fine Hetian jade pendant hanging at his waist. He had an arrogant expression and a scrutinizing look between his brows.
Looking at the treehouses built of vines and logs, and the squirrels and birds leaping through the forest, he couldn't help but curl his lip inwardly.
"Hmph, just some rural wonders, is it really worth making such a fuss about?" he muttered to his colleague beside him.
However, his youngest daughter, Qian Baobao, had long since broken free from her wet nurse's embrace and fluttered into the woods like a happy butterfly.
"Daddy, look! What a beautiful deer!"
When Lord Qian looked up, he saw a sika deer with smooth, satin-like fur and beautiful antlers on its head, which was obediently lowering its head, allowing his beloved daughter to stroke its neck.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
