Mu Li looked at the brightly lit manor on the island and couldn't help but ask, "Is this whole area yours?"
Charlie chuckled and replied, "Of course it is."
Mu Li's mouth twitched involuntarily: "Holy cow, I didn't expect you to have a Northeastern accent."
Not only Mu Li, but everyone else was shocked.
This was the New Kapu Islands, a tourist hotspot. To have such a large manor in the central area of this place, the other guests couldn't imagine how rich this guy named Charlie truly was.
Zhang Ruoyun couldn't help but ask, "Buddy, how much did you spend to buy such a large plot?"
"Money? I didn't spend any money at all!" Charlie said, puzzled, "When we first moved here, they told me to choose an island to settle on first, so I chose an island closer to the center."
"It's just inconvenient to get to this island," Charlie complained, "It's big, but I don't have many friends coming over to drink and chat with me. It's a good thing you all came today; I'll definitely treat you well."
Everyone fell silent.
The production team also seemed unsure what to do.
Everyone saw Li Chao frantically making a phone call, gesticulating non-stop.
Clearly, the current situation was completely out of control.
Not long after, Li Chao finally finished his call and walked over to Zhang Ruoyun, looking exhausted. He asked, "Ruoyun, what's going on with Mu Li? Having you all stay here has completely disrupted our subsequent plans."
"Plans? What plans do you have?" Zhang Ruoyun asked, puzzled.
"It's about your upcoming tourist attractions and arrangements," Li Chao explained, "We arranged a few must-visit attractions for you, and for the remaining time, you can visit as many as possible, which also contributes to the local tourism culture."
Zhang Ruoyun didn't know what to say. He pointed at Mu Li and said, "How about you ask him later? I don't know what's going on either right now."
Li Chao sighed, "Never mind, let's talk after you all get settled in."
The other guests on the side were still asking Charlie questions.
However, after this brief period of understanding, Charlie also figured out the identities of Mu Li and the others.
"I know you all!" Charlie suddenly exclaimed, "Our tourism and culture department mentioned this before, saying that a TV show from China would be coming here to film soon."
"It's just that too many people from other countries are coming to film shows recently, and we can't entertain them all," Charlie explained apologetically, "It's also peak tourist season recently; otherwise, we would definitely deal with that kind of homestay immediately."
Charlie still hadn't forgotten the homestay that had tarnished their reputation.
Mu Li estimated that the owner of that homestay would definitely not have an easy time in the future.
"Charlie, how do you know Mu Li?" Song Ling'er asked the question on everyone's mind.
Charlie was stunned, looked at Mu Li, and said, "Don't they all know?"
Mu Li shrugged, "Not completely."
He pointed at Fu Peiyao and said, "Except for her."
Charlie nodded, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, and explained to everyone, "We didn't know each other before. As for why I know Mu Li, you'll find out in a bit."
Mu Li's mouth twitched: Heh heh, you really understand variety show effects.
Not long after, the yacht arrived at the dock.
As soon as Mu Li got off the speedboat, he instinctively looked towards the front of the dock.
A Pokémon, shaped like a half-open eggshell, was looking over from the front.
Upon seeing Mu Li, she quickly flew towards him.
Mu Li also rushed over and hugged her. The Pokémon that had arrived was none other than Tapu Fini.
"Ouch, that's sharp!" Mu Li was accidentally poked by Tapu Fini's sharp horn.
At this moment, everyone who had just disembarked was stunned.
"Is that a Pokémon?" Cai Ming murmured.
"It should be, she can fly. But why does she look so familiar?" Song Ling'er murmured.
"I think I've seen her somewhere too." Li Xian also frowned, staring at Mu Li and Tapu Fini.
Fu Peiyao just smiled quietly, watching the reunion of the human and the Pokémon.
Zhang Ruoyun seemed to remember something and took out their tourist map from his bag, opening it to the Kapu Islands Celebration page.
"Look, isn't that Pokémon the one on the map?" Zhang Ruoyun was somewhat unsure.
The others were about to go and look when Charlie, standing nearby, smiled and said, "You don't need to look. That is one of our Kapu Islands' Tapu Guardians—Tapu Fini."
Upon hearing Charlie's confirmation, everyone's eyes were filled with even more shock.
"No, do A Li and Tapu Fini know each other? Why do they seem so close?" Xin Zilei asked, puzzled.
"They don't just seem close; they're unusually close," Song Ling'er murmured, "Tapu Fini is even nuzzling him!"
Everyone instinctively looked at Charlie, their questioning gaze very obvious.
But Charlie spread his hands and replied helplessly, "I don't know their story either."
Song Ling'er suddenly looked at Fu Peiyao, who was watching the scene, and tentatively asked, "Pei Pei Jie, do you know what's going on with them?"
Fu Peiyao smiled and nodded, "It's simple! Tapu Fini used to be A Li's Pokémon!"
"Hey, don't joke around." Zhang Ruoyun chuckled awkwardly, "That's their Guardian…"
He hadn't finished speaking when he met Fu Peiyao's gaze.
Fu Peiyao's eyes were clear, with no hint of joking.
Zhang Ruoyun forced a smile and probed, "You're not serious, are you?"
Fu Peiyao nodded, "Of course! Why would I lie to you? You'll find out sooner or later anyway."
"Didn't the Kapu Islands relocate before? At that time, the Kapu Guardians didn't follow them," Fu Peiyao narrated.
Charlie nodded and echoed, "Indeed, when we relocated, it took a lot of time to persuade the Tapu Guardians, but they were unwilling to come with us. They only wanted to guard the old Kapu Islands."
"But wasn't that island submerged?" Song Ling'er asked, puzzled.
"That's right, that island was indeed submerged," Fu Peiyao explained, "So the three Guardians, besides Tapu Fini, all turned themselves into a frozen state and sank to the bottom of the sea, deciding to perish with the Kapu Islands."
"Ah? They're too..." Song Ling'er didn't know how to describe it.
Charlie sighed, "They loved that small island too much. Perhaps we can't understand their feelings for that small island."
Fu Peiyao nodded, "For them, that small island isn't just a habitat; it's where they've lived since childhood. It can't even be described as home; to be precise, it's their entire world."
"If one day our world is destroyed, many of us would probably make the same choice."
