"To enter the high seas, one first needs to go through the relevant applications, and also board a registered vessel... The risks at sea are quite substantial, and the strength requirements for vessels are pretty strict; it’s not advised to go there privately... Why is it so troublesome!"
Looking at the answers he just received to his questions online, Zhang Xiaoman felt utterly depressed.
Many things seem very simple when one first thinks of them, but when it comes time to actually do them, reality often proves to be much more difficult than imagined.
Feeling somewhat gloomy, he closed the web page. According to his original plan, Zhang Xiaoman intended to rent a fishing boat from local websites, find a guide, prepare some supplies, and then set off to explore.
But now, after some research, he realized that things were far from that simple.
Let’s not even talk about the issues with documentation; the severe conditions in the center of the Pacific Ocean are not something a small fishing boat can handle alone.
Thinking about the scene of 10-meter-high waves crashing into a small boat, even Zhang Xiaoman couldn’t help but feel a bit faint-hearted, not to mention those terrifying 30-meter-high killer waves.
With a somewhat helpless shake of his head, Zhang Xiaoman’s gaze involuntarily shifted towards the anti-gravity car parked in his bedroom.
"It’s not like I can just take this thing there... Unless it has an invisibility cloak, such a big object would surely cause a sensation as soon as it takes to the skies," he mused.
Zhang Xiaoman had sat in the car during his free time over the past few days and had figured out a bit about it.
He felt that if he were to drive it out directly, he should at least be able to manage that much.
At the end of the day, this vehicle was no different from a regular car; operating it wasn’t actually that difficult. The main headache was dealing with traffic regulations.
Perhaps because the anti-gravity car was a civilian model, or maybe there were many functions Zhang Xiaoman had not yet discovered,
in any case, he had not found that so-called invisibility feature inside the vehicle.
Looking at the time, it was almost five o’clock. Zhang Xiaoman had promised Su Fu to attend a dinner party that evening, so he couldn’t delay any longer.
He got up, got ready, and headed out the door.
Since he was not going out to fight monsters this time, Zhang Xiaoman did not bring any of his equipment.
Wearing these items not only looked odd but was also incredibly heavy. He even left his cloak at home.
After all, with the recent upgrade, the cloak had become quite large. If he were to wear it out as he had before, hanging it behind him, it would be too conspicuous.
Zhang Xiaoman left his house lightly equipped, casually hailed a cab, and headed for the Qionghua Hotel.
The Qionghua Hotel is a five-star hotel in Qionghua City, which Zhang Xiaoman had only heard of and never seen, especially given its considerable distance from his home.
After about half an hour, Zhang Xiaoman had arrived in front of the hotel.
Looking up at the towering building in front of him, he couldn’t help but be amazed. It truly lived up to the "five-star" reputation touted in numerous novels.
Even from the outside, one could tell it was different from other places; just the height of the building alone, at a glance, seemed to be around 100 meters.
Indeed, since acquiring the system, life had been different.
In just over half a month, he was already being invited to dine in places .
Lost in his thoughts, Zhang Xiaoman even felt a surreal sense of being in a dream.
He shook his head to cast aside these strange ideas and walked into the building with a smile, full of confidence.
"Hmm, I can’t show weakness here... after all, I’m a future Great Transcendent... Right, what did that ’How to Pretend You Often Visit Five-Star Hotels’ guide on the internet say? Didn’t it mention that you’re supposed to call the waiter in English? But what’s ’waiter’ in English again?"
The waiter saw Zhang Xiaoman walking over by himself and politely approached to ask for the restaurant number, then led him to his destination, without the occurrence of any ’judging a book by its cover’ scenario.
This restaurant was on the twenty-first floor, and Zhang Xiaoman wasn’t very familiar with this kind of hotel.
He had only heard a wealthy second-generation colleague who claimed to be "experiencing life" talk about it when he was working.
Such hotels mainly provide top-notch accommodation services, and as for the taste of their restaurants, they might not even be as good as those of some large restaurants that specialize only in cuisine.
Zhang Xiaoman followed the waiter through the corridors, and he had to admit, in terms of decoration alone, this was indeed the most luxurious place he had ever visited.
When he arrived at a luxurious private room, Zhang Xiaoman pushed the door open and entered.
He looked around the spacious hall, somewhat surprised, and didn’t expect that in such a large room there were only five people seated.
And he recognized all five of them.
They were Su Fu’s family of four and Xiao Shun.
As soon as Su Fu saw the guest arriving, he immediately stood up to greet him, saying:
"Mr. Zhang, thank you for coming; it’s truly an honor. Please, have a seat, and we’ll start serving the dishes!"
Zhang Xiaoman sat down at his indication, then looked around and asked:
"Eh? Is it just us few today? Mr. Su, didn’t you invite anyone else?"
He had thought he would meet a crowd here, but surprisingly, there were only a mere five people.
However, he didn’t like dining with strangers, anyway, so this was more comfortable for him.
"Mr. Zhang, today is a family dinner, no outsiders. I specifically wanted to thank you, and these are my wife and two kids, whom I believe you’ve already met."
With that, he turned to the two children and said, "Come on, hurry over and thank Brother Zhang."
Su Changqing quickly stood up and gave a slight bow to Zhang Xiaoman, expressing his gratitude:
"Thank you, Brother Zhang, for saving me. I will never forget this kindness."
Zhang Xiaoman looked at him. This guy appeared only slightly younger than himself, but he had fair skin and a gentle, refined appearance, almost resembling the graceful young masters from ancient times.
"No worries, no worries. I wouldn’t have let those monsters go if I’d encountered them, so saving you was inevitable. Besides, Mr. Su gave a substantial reward at the time, so there’s no need for such formality."
Meanwhile, the little girl Su Kuangkuan also stood up and imitated her brother, saying:
"Thank you for saving my brother. I won’t forget your kindness in the future either!"
Zhang Xiaoman couldn’t help but laugh heartily, cajoling the endearing little girl while exchanging pleasantries with Su Fu and his family before finally moving on from the topic.
At this moment, the waiter began serving the dishes, and Zhang Xiaoman watched as the table was gradually filled with food.
He was internally amazed, now experiencing the feeling of luxury for himself. Such a large table and only six people dining, this indeed felt novel to him.