He turned and walked towards the exhibition area on the left.
Emily stood up, the Cotton Candy in her arms still trying to reach the stream, but she pressed it down.
"Stop fooling around."
The little fox let out a pitiful whimper.
The exhibition area on the left is larger than that on the right.
Pushing aside the makeshift dust curtain, the salty, damp smell of the sea breeze rushed in.
A miniature tidal pool of 200 square meters occupies the entire space.
The bottom is covered with dark, coarse sea sand, with basalt reefs scattered throughout the water.
The wave generator is operating at a low frequency, and the water surface experiences a slow rise in tide every fifteen seconds.
The water level fluctuates precisely between high and low tide, revealing the erosion patterns on the reef surface caused by seawater.
The air was filled with a rich ocean scent.
Emily took a breath, stood frozen in place, her lips slightly parted.
The Cotton Candy calmed down in her arms, the little one tucking her head back into the collar of her down jacket, her blue eyes half-closed, her breathing becoming long and even.
Emily glanced down at the Cotton Candy in her arms, then looked up at the tide pool.
Her fingers unconsciously stroked the little fox's ear.
wrong.
This is more than just an indoor water feature project.
Any wealthy resort hotel can afford to spend money to create a beautiful artificial seawater pool.
But no artificial water feature can make a wild animal lower its guard within thirty seconds.
Animals' senses cannot be deceived by ornaments.
The Cotton Candy's reaction indicates that this is not just an ordinary landscaping.
She looked up at Su Wei, who was standing opposite the tidal pool.
What comes next?
Su Wei leaned against a load-bearing column.
"The deer exhibit and the sky exhibit on the second floor are still under construction."
He paused.
"Once Old Hope's brown bear specimen is finished, we'll put it in the very center of the first floor. Add the elk antlers, and the central core area will be complete."
"Only then will the museum be complete."
Emily stood by the tide pool without saying a word.
Miniature tides rose and fell on the water's surface under the lights. The deep hum of the wave generator filled the silence.
Then she sighed.
" Su Wei."
"I admit, there's something... special about these two exhibition areas."
She carefully chose her words.
But I must tell you this in my capacity as an evaluator.
"If the guild sends people, what will they see? A museum still under construction. An artificial stream. An artificial seawater pool."
"There are no accommodation facilities, no catering services, no transportation connections, no shooting range, and no functional buildings that allow customers to stay for more than two hours."
She moved the Cotton Candy to her left arm and gestured in the air with her right hand.
"Your membership fee is between two hundred thousand and three hundred thousand US dollars per seat."
"A top client who spent 300,000 yuan flew 6,000 kilometers to Kodiak Island, and you show him an indoor stream, and then what? You let him sleep in your drafty two-story wooden house?"
Su Wei didn't move.
She's right.
All correct.
The museum is the soul, but the soul needs a physical body.
Without the support of facilities such as accommodation, catering, and shooting ranges, even the most impressive exhibition area is just a tourist attraction.
A tourist attraction alone cannot justify a four-star hunting area rating.
"I know."
Su Wei straightened up from the supporting column.
He walked to the edge of the tide pool, squatted down, scooped up a handful of coarse sea sand, and let the grains slowly slip through his fingers.
"Later, we will build at least six individual cabins for accommodation. They will each have a different theme: lake, mountain view, snow scene, stream..."
"There are also restaurants, but not the fancy restaurants you find in the city."
"The firing range utilizes the natural terrain of the hill behind the site, with three firing distances: 50 meters, 100 meters, and 300 meters."
"A helipad. A client of Charles's caliber wouldn't drive two hours through the mountains to get here; it has to be able to park a helicopter."
"Of course, there's more. For example, fishing..."
All the sand had leaked out. Su Wei stood up and patted the salt off his hands.
"But you also know what the weather is like outside."
He gestured with his chin towards the outside of the dust curtain.
"The temperature drops to minus twenty degrees Celsius. Blizzards come every few days. Under these temperatures, foundation excavators can't operate continuously for more than four hours before they have to stop to remove ice. Concrete needs to be at least five degrees Celsius to solidify."
"No matter how hard I try, I can't defy the laws of physics and conjure a row of buildings out of thin air in a blizzard."
This was said very calmly.
There were no complaints, no lamentations. It was simply stating an objective fact.
Emily listened quietly.
She glanced down at the Cotton Candy in her arms.
The little fox had fallen asleep completely sometime during the night, its tiny pink tongue slightly protruding, and its breathing was even.
Do you have a schedule?
"Once spring arrives and the ground thaws, construction will begin immediately. At least the main framework of the accommodation area and restaurant must be completed by June."
Su Wei reported a specific timeframe.
This is not a number that was just thrown out there.
Last night, he had already calculated the construction period for each building down to the week in his notebook.
Emily remained silent for about ten seconds.
"After I get back, I will submit a progress report to the guild."
Her tone was full of helplessness, but it was out of consideration for Su Wei.
"The report will accurately record the current completion status of the exhibition hall, including the Ecological Landscaping standards of the two exhibition areas. The quality of these two exhibition areas is enough to prove that you're not just making a PowerPoint presentation."
"But I will also state that the supporting facilities are severely lagging behind. This is a fact, and I will not cover it up for you."
Su Wei nodded. He never expected anyone to lie for him.
"But."
Emily changed the subject.
"The wording of interim reports can be flexible."
"I can emphasize in the report the objective constraints that extreme weather poses on the construction schedule, and suggest that the guild postpone the next on-site verification until after the spring thaw."
"This is not favoritism. It is a professional judgment based on the actual situation."
Su Wei looked at her.
"Thanks."
Su Wei uttered two words.
Emily snorted and turned her face away.
"Don't thank me. Thank that stinky fox who made you look good. If it weren't for the Cotton Candy's reaction just now confirming that there really is something in this exhibit, I would already be writing a strongly worded denial report."
Cotton Candy rolled over in her arms, kicked her hind legs twice, and continued snoring.
Su Wei walked towards the entrance of the exhibition hall.
Let's go.
He pushed open the windproof door, and the moment the cold wind rushed in, Cotton Candy suddenly opened her eyes, her fur stood on end, and with a whimper, she shrank into Emily's down jacket collar.
Where to?