Chapter 431: The Street of Magicians

Lin Suyang told the story with a rhythmic cadence and a masterful control of tone, making the entire tale quite engaging and enjoyable.

After finishing, Lin Suyang turned his gaze to Chen Jianhai, with a look that seemed to say:

"See, boss!"

"Did I not embarrass you?" There was a hint of pride in his expression.

"But wasn't the sacrifice supposed to be a child without a father?"

Chen Jianhai didn't catch Lin Suyang's pride. Instead, he looked puzzled and asked:

"Even if Merlin is a half-blood born from a demon and a human woman, his father is still a scoundrel..."

"But you can't say Merlin doesn't have a father, can you?!"

The smile on Lin Suyang's face instantly froze.

Xiao Lang also chimed in, not to be outdone: "I have a question too."

"Earlier, you said Merlin had strong magical abilities from a young age and could foresee the actions of the new king. So how could he still get captured?"

"That doesn't make sense!"

"And," Xu Bo added, confused, "since he was captured, how did he manage to escape?"

Xie Zhu Longxiong also raised a soul-searching question: "Since the new king was burned to death, that means Arthur is the Red Dragon, and the new king is the White Dragon."

"This carriage should belong to the Red Dragon, not the White Dragon, right?"

Lin Suyang: ...

Are you all deliberately here to torture me?!

Are you all illiterate?!

What's the point of nitpicking a stupid magic legend?!

Just as Lin Suyang was drowning in awkwardness and unsure how to continue the conversation, a warm and considerate voice came from the carriage:

"The train will soon arrive at Magic Century Park. Please mind the gap between the train and the platform."

Saved!!!

Seeing Chen Jianhai and the others shift their attention away from him, Lin Suyang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

As soon as they stepped off the subway,

the first thing Chen Jianhai saw was the iconic flying broom of Magic Century Park, bathed in dazzling lights.

Behind the broom were three spacious overpasses, at the end of which stood the massive logo and security entrance of Magic Century Park.

And right next to Magic Century Park was Chen Jianhai's Zaomen Hotel.

Unfortunately, the Zaomen Hotel was now completely blocked by the tall construction barriers of Ocean Star, making it impossible to see inside from the outside.

Although the view was somewhat obstructed, Naiyou Road was originally a desolate area filled with shabby, old, and small houses.

Now, with the Ocean Star barriers, the surroundings actually looked a bit brighter and less out of place.

To maintain an air of mystery, Chen Jianhai spent 100 points to set up a layer of "hazy mist" on the barriers.

Even from a high vantage point, outsiders couldn't see the full interior of the hotel.

"If only the subway could have a small entrance right across from my hotel."

Chen Jianhai glanced enviously at the entrance of Magic Park, then tilted his head to look at the small side entrance he had reserved for his hotel, feeling a slight pang of jealousy~~~

But hey!

No big deal!!

A few days ago, Rui Keya mentioned that they could negotiate with the rail transit company to reserve a subway exit, so he'd just have to get that done!

If it worked out, he'd adjust the main entrance's location and move it over here.

If it didn't, he'd deduct Rui Keya's salary, bonuses, vacation days... and even his meals!!!

Hehe~~

The black-hearted boss secretly plotted his future, then happily followed Xiao Lang and the others, striding confidently toward Magic Park!

...

Although the subway exit was right across from Magic Century Park, there was still a distance of over 200 meters to cover, which took a few minutes to walk.

It was already nighttime,

and a dense crowd was either leaving Magic Century Park, heading to the subway, or walking toward the parking lot.

Their faces were all etched with exhaustion, forming a stark contrast to the enthusiastic group of five led by Chen Jianhai!

"Brother Hai! Look over there!!"

Suddenly, Xiao Lang pointed excitedly at a distant overpass.

Chen Jianhai looked up and couldn't help but exclaim: "Holy crap!"

On the overpass, the lights projected a massive golden flying broom into the air.

Around the broom's image, five animated little witch fairies wearing wizard hats and riding brooms darted about nimbly.

These little witch fairies were dressed in large cloaks.

One was holding a wand, brewing potions in a floating cauldron.

Another was lazily lying on her broom, sleeping, but a thin black cat's tail dangled from her arm.

One was reading through a crystal ball, while another was mischievously causing chaos, riding her broom to knock over the cauldron, steal the crystal ball, and tug on the cat's tail, then gleefully circling the golden broom to evade her companions' pursuit.

The designs of these little witch fairies were incredibly three-dimensional, yet they moved as fluidly as real people, as if they had flown straight out of a cartoon.

"This actually has a storyline!" Xiao Lang watched for a while, utterly mesmerized.

"That black cat is actually a male wizard in disguise!!!"

The cauldron tipped over, and the purple potion inside spilled like stardust.

Even though Chen Jianhai knew it was all just a light effect, he couldn't help but reach out to catch the "potion," watching it dissolve in his palm with a look of amazement.

"This Magic Park, funded by foreign investors, really went all out. Just the entrance alone is so elaborately designed."

Chen Jianhai's eyes lit up!

His Zaomen Hotel was right next to Magic Century Park, and its客流流量 depended entirely on the park!

The more fun Magic Century Park was, the more visitors it would attract, and the better his hotel's business would be!!

After watching the flying broom storyline,

Chen Jianhai and the others eagerly walked across the overpass, showed their IDs and test passes at the security checkpoint, and entered the park.

...

Since Magic Century Park covered a vast area, visitors had to pass through a "Whimsical Avenue" before reaching the main park.

As soon as they stepped onto Whimsical Avenue, Chen Jianhai's eyes lit up with wonder.

What lay before them wasn't just a commercial street filled with food, drinks, and entertainment, but rather a fantastical, fictional magical world that transcended reality.

All the buildings, lights, storefronts, and benches were imbued with a mysterious and peculiar charm.

For example, there was a giant candy house on the outside, but inside it was a bakery selling various desserts, drinks, and pastries.

There was a cloud palace in the sky, but it was actually a themed store selling blind boxes and dolls.

A red gemstone dragon cave turned out to be a fragrant hot pot restaurant.

And a crystal ball-shaped storefront belonging to an astrologer was actually a shop selling Magic Century-themed merchandise...

Walking through it felt like stepping into a mysterious and beautifully crafted magical world.

Chen Jianhai had never personally experienced such a bold and unconventional environment before, having only seen it in movies and games. He was both amazed and astonished.

After passing by a buttered mushroom soup pot shop and a wooden nose house, and walking past a unicorn fountain and a peach wine house,

Chen Jianhai spent 30 yuan on a wand-shaped ice cream when an excited voice called out from afar:

"Look!!! There's a ghostly little orchestra over there!"

Chen Jianhai and the others followed the sound and saw a crowd gathered at a street corner.

They joined the onlookers and saw,

in a small corner of the street,

a slender rose-colored glass streetlamp stood next to a storefront, softly emitting a purple light that spread like an umbrella over the surrounding area.

Under the streetlamp was a brown flower stand bench.

In front of the bench, a music score was placed at an angle.

Facing the score, an unmanned accordion happily expanded and contracted, its black-and-white keys rising and falling. On either side of the accordion, a flute and a violin hovered in mid-air.

The violin's bow danced across the strings, producing lively and elastic notes.

The self-playing instruments, the quiet street corner, and the purple, Gothic-style lighting... the scene looked like a ghostly little orchestra performing with gusto.

As the music grew more festive, it felt like the next moment, the Corpse Bride might emerge from the ground to marry a tourist.

The most impressive part was that the sheet music would flip on its own, as if an invisible hand were turning the pages.

"This is interesting..."

Chen Jianhai watched the "ghostly" little band with fascination and said:

"Da Bo, what do you think about moving this band to the hotel?"

Xu Bo: "In the lobby?"

Chen Jianhai took a big bite of his wand ice cream, shivering slightly from the cold: "Not the lobby! The hallway!"

"Pew, pew!!"

Xie Zhu Longxiong and Lin Suyang's gazes instantly shot over like laser beams.

"Imagine this: someone comes back to the hotel late at night, steps out of the elevator, and sees this band right at the entrance. Wouldn't that be super thrilling?!"

"Or we could place it in the staff area, right outside the door of anyone working late. Best to scare them so badly they never dare to work overtime again!"

Xu Bo's expression didn't change: "Good idea, you're right, you're absolutely right!"

Xie Zhu Longxiong and Lin Suyang helplessly averted their eyes, not daring to respond.

Only Xiao Lang looked shocked and said: "Bro! Are you sick? Have you lost your mind?"

"Usually, I'm the one who comes up with these terrible ideas, and you're the one who scolds me!"

"Why are you stealing my lines today?!"

Chen Jianhai casually tossed the "wand" of his ice cream into the trash and patted his hands: "Terrible? This idea is great!"

"Want me to set one up in your barbecue shop too?"

At this, Xiao Lang got excited!

"Can I get a suona player? And an erhu too!"

"Deal!!" Chen Jianhai gave a thumbs-up.

"Two idiots..."

As Chen Jianhai and Xiao Lang excitedly planned new highlights for the hotel and barbecue shop,

the cold-hearted head chef muttered under his breath, then strode ahead with the anxious HR manager and the gloomy PR manager in tow, leaving them far behind.

Whimsical Avenue wasn't particularly large, but it wasn't small either.

However, as a transitional space between the real world and the magical park, it effectively served to immerse visitors in the environment.

At least for Chen Jianhai, walking through Whimsical Avenue made him feel, at least for a moment, that he was truly in a fantastical world, and it filled him with anticipation for the magical park ahead.

Among all the elements that contributed to this sense of anticipation, the one that most impressed Chen Jianhai was the "Street of Magicians" beneath their feet.

The entire Whimsical Avenue was about 40 meters wide. Aside from the brick-paved sidewalks on either side near the shops,

the central area was a 20-meter-wide "Street of Magicians," paved with long, rectangular stones laid vertically.

The street ran the entire length of Whimsical Avenue, dividing it into eastern and western sections.

The reason it was called the "Street of Magicians" was that each stone was inscribed with the name of a great magician.

Below the names, either text or images depicted the magician's life, classic stories, and legendary deeds.

Some stones even had carvings of the magicians themselves.

Depending on the magician's fame, achievements, and the stories surrounding them,

the size and number of stones varied.

Some magicians had only a small name, while others had what looked like a long scroll, with each step revealing a new chapter of their life, like flipping through a comic book.

Fortunately, it was still the testing phase, and it was nighttime, so most of the park's visitors had already left.

Chen Jianhai and the others took their time, carefully examining each magician's stone to avoid missing anything. Once the park was crowded, they wouldn't even know which magician they were stepping on.

But Magic Century Park had clearly thought of this.

To ensure a good viewing experience and allow visitors to walk and watch at the same time,

the "Street of Magicians" was flanked by realistic AI light effects.

Just like the giant broom at the park's entrance, the magicians' stories were projected into the air as light displays.

Among these, the most central, expansive, and visually stunning stone belonged to the "Great Magician Merlin."

In addition to the stories and images on the ground,

nearly 50 meters above,

key events from Merlin's life were displayed like an epic.

Red clouds spread over a medieval castle, twisting the edges of the image into light.

Amidst the clash of cold weapons and thousands of soldiers, a thin wizard stood on a hill, holding a wand and releasing a dazzling light from it under immense pressure.

"Seriously, they even made a portrait, as if it were real."

Chen Jianhai watched and couldn't help but voice his doubts.

If Merlin, with his notorious reputation and close ties to King Arthur, had left behind a portrait or two, that would make sense.

But many of the wizard names were ones Chen Jianhai had never even heard of.

How did they know what these people looked like?

And besides!!

Why didn't they draw Merlin's father?