When we flew to the beach, I was reminded of the time that I had gone on a helicopter tour of Hawaii with my parents. The two of them had spent the entire time hugging, giggling, and whispering sweet nothings to each other. I had been a child at the time, and I had cringed at their shameless public displays of affection. Now I would give anything for them to be with me right now, embarrassing me with their lovey-dovey interactions.

I shook off those melancholy thoughts and tried to enjoy the trip.

The hidden cove was tucked away in a small inlet surrounded by a tall cliff, and the area around the cove was filled with lush vegetation. From above, it looked like a peaceful place with white sand and crystal clear waters that glistened in the sun.

When Shuye landed the flying cart, I felt my stomach lurch, but I was immediately soothed when I took off my shoes and felt how good the powdery white sand felt beneath my bare feet. Waves gently lapped against the shore, and the air was warm and filled with the sound of seagulls and the occasional splash of a fish.

“The sand is so soft! It feels great,” I said to Shuye. “Thank you very much for showing me this place.”

“I knew you would like it.” Shuye smiled down at me. “Look up there. Does that place seem like a good place for the house?”

I put my shoes back on, and we climbed halfway up a winding path to a flat area well above the high water mark. There was a small shed there that contained firewood and tinderboxes.

“This is where people normally camp.” Shuye gave me an expectant look.

He wasn’t the only one. Deming, Fengying, and Mo also had the same expression on their faces. I remembered the time that I had the System dig a well. Everyone had been excited by the “magic.”

“This is fine. Can everyone please stand there?” I pointed to a spot below the camping area.

Mentally calling up the System menu, I navigated to the Cash Shop and searched until I found the [Sunset Radiance Resort], selecting the “elegant” option. In Adventure Incarnate, this building was purely decorative. When a player bought it, all they got was a short animation where they were given three random costume sets of resort wear. However, I was betting that it would be different here since this was real life. I crossed my fingers and mentally clicked on the [Build] button.

A glowing magic circle made of runes and mystical symbols appeared on the ground.

Yes! It was working.

Moments later, the building appeared. The [Sunset Radiance Resort] was a large, two-story building with a wraparound porch, several balconies, and plenty of windows that allowed natural light to fill the interior. The exterior was painted a light blue with white trim, and it had a bright red door, giving it a cheerful, inviting appearance.

We all went inside, excited to see what this large building had to offer. The spacious living area had comfortable-looking sofas, armchairs, a grand piano, and a wall of bookshelves. I eagerly checked out the books, but they were all decorative and the pages were blank. An inviting fireplace was the centerpiece of the room, with a marble mantle that was decorated with tiny crystal and wood sculptures.

The kitchen was top of the line, with stainless steel appliances and plenty of cabinet space. It was stocked with all the necessary cooking and dining essentials, as well as a collection of fine china and crystal glasses. The center island was stacked with a dozen food crates full of basic cooking ingredients like rice, flour, pasta, noodles, olive oil, salt, sugar, pepper, and so forth. Deming only said one word when he saw it: “Acceptable.”

Upstairs, eight identical bedrooms featured luxurious king-sized beds with crisp white linens and plush pillows. The attached bathrooms were equipped with large soaking tubs, separate showers, and double vanities.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

The others oohed and aahed over the place except for Shuye, who simply shook his head silently at me.

“This is surprisingly restrained, for you,” said Shuye.

I remembered his reaction when I had shown him the [Jade Treasure Tree]. This resort must seem pretty ordinary compared to that.

“I’m glad you like it,” I said.

Once we finished touring the place, Shuye said his goodbyes and left.

I chose a corner bedroom and flopped down on the bed. “I’ll take this one, and you guys should go settle in. Please let me know when dinner is ready.”

The others went off to unpack. I, of course, had my inventory space, so I didn’t need to do that. I took off my shoes and lay on top of the covers, enjoying the feeling of having absolutely nothing to do for the rest of the day except have fun.

Mmm. I could really get used to this! Would it be too decadent of me to just lie on this bed and do nothing for the rest of the day? It was roughly three hours before sunset. The only problem was that the central air conditioning felt like it was set to “Arctic freeze,” so I got up and dialed it down a little. Then I changed into my pajamas, placed Mr. Bear on the nightstand, and had a long nap.

After a pleasant dream of playing with a cute dragon, I awoke to the sound of seagulls outside my window. I got out of bed and opened the curtains, revealing a gorgeous view of the sun setting down over the horizon, casting a brilliant orange and pink light across the sea and sky.

Now would be a great time for a walk on the beach, so I put on my most comfortable clothes and headed out. When I reached the beach, I saw that Mo was there picking up seaweed and seashells. We waved to each other, and I went off in the other direction, since I wasn’t in the mood for company right now. The sea breeze was delightful, but my long hair was getting tangled, so I tied it up in a ponytail. As I walked on the fine white sand of the beach, I took in the smell of the sea, feeling relaxed and refreshed. The sky turned a dark blue as the sun slowly descended.

When it turned dark enough that it was difficult for me to see Mo’s figure on the other side of the beach, I decided that it was time to return to the resort.

“Did you find anything good?” I said to my apprentice when we met each other on the way back.

She showed me her haul. It was all junk, but she seemed excited about foraging on the beach for the first time. “Look, I found a lot of pretty seashells, and I think some of these seaweeds are edible!”

“Tomorrow we can go fishing. I’ll show you how to do it,” I said.

“Yes, teacher.” Mo didn’t seem too eager about it. She never did like fishing.

Dinner was, as usual, absolutely scrumptious. Afterward, I decided to do a little herblaw. To me, that was the most enjoyable and relaxing skill to train. I turned off the air conditioning and opened the windows in my bedroom to let in the sea breeze. The smell of the herbs and sea combined was so delightful that I seriously considered abandoning my farm and moving to the beach.

Alas, I could never really do it because the forest lands in Adventure Incarnate were always the most fertile, and I wouldn’t want to give that up.

Three hours of making potions tired me out, so I went to bed immediately after taking a shower. As I turned off the lights, I thought about my plans for tomorrow. It was sure to be another fun day. Big net fishing was like going to the casino because one’s results depended almost entirely on luck.

***

They do say that, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”

It’s a good proverb, but it can be annoying at times, like right now. Swimming in the ocean was a little dangerous in this world where there were no lifeguards. Therefore, I had decided to go on a beach vacation with a few members of my household.

I regretted that a little because Fengying was adamant that I shouldn’t wear any of my swimsuits because they were considered extremely immodest in this world. Instead, I had to wear a sack-like garment that went down to mid-calf and had sleeves up to my elbow.

“The sun is so hot and bright,” said Mo.

It was midmorning. We were both barefoot and had on wide-brimmed hats. Mine was a straw hat that had dried flowers, ribbons, and Mr. Bear decorating it.

“We made a mistake. It was cooler earlier. We should’ve gone fishing and then had breakfast,” I said. “You woke up too late.”

“The bed was so comfortable that I slept late,” she said.

“Hmm. It does seem a bit too hot. Why don’t we go fishing in the late afternoon instead?”

“What should we do now?”

“Let’s go back. I have an idea.”

I led her up the path to the resort, but didn’t stop when we reached the building. We went higher up, to the top of the cliff.

“Look at that view,” I said as I waved down at the sea below us. “Isn’t this a great spot for swimming? We can wear our swimsuits.”

Mo looked at me as though I had lost my mind. “Swim? On land? And those ‘swimsuits’ are too revealing.”

“Hahaha! I will not be denied! Swimming is a must when you’re on vacation, and I won’t swim in a sack.” I rubbed my hands gleefully.

I had a plan, and it was a good one.