Upon entering the Aqua Area, everyone was immediately struck with awe. Despite being only one of the seven themed regions, the scale was breathtakingly vast. One half was dominated by a rugged Rocky Zone filled with jagged peaks, while the other stretched out into a massive ocean dotted with several islands.
"Are all of these really just for play? Amusement parks are truly staggering facilities."
"Actually, even in our world, you wouldn't find an amusement park on this scale. Maybe for a single area, but with seven zones of this size... there's likely nothing on Earth that can compare."
I answered Lilia-san as she murmured her amazement. In truth, the Aqua Area alone might have been comparable to—or perhaps slightly larger than—a major Earth theme park, but considering the facility was seven times that size, a real-world equivalent simply didn't exist.
Maintaining a place this large would normally incur astronomical costs, and the operational expenses would be through the roof. According to Alice, the central amusement park Shiro-san built operated on a Mysterious Infinite Power Source and cost nothing to run, but I wondered if that efficiency extended to the Aqua Area as well.
If energy could be funneled from Shiro-san's creation to power the rest of the park, it would certainly keep costs down, making a facility of this magnitude feasible.
"Anima, it feels like the sightlines here were carefully calculated, doesn't it?"
"Indeed. To ensure the view remains unobstructed from the entrance, the taller attractions were installed with significant space between them. The layout was designed so that one can grasp the sheer vastness of the area at a single glance."
As Caraway and Anima discussed the design philosophy, I had to agree. The immediate sense of scale we felt upon entry was a direct result of a layout that allowed the overall magnitude to be visible right from the gates.
Then again, given that the park was a joint venture between Kuro—the world's wealthiest person who owned multiple massive trading companies—and Alice, who was an expert on Otherworld Culture, such meticulous planning was only to be expected.
"Um... Dragon Adventure should be... probably over by those rocky mountains?"
"So, it starts at the front, winds through a course inside the mountains, and finishes by plunging into that lake in the back? Based on that, it’s definitely a Splash Coaster-type! Come on, let’s go see!"
Urged on by Hina, whose excitement had already redlined and whose eyes were sparkling with delight, we headed toward the attraction called Dragon Adventure, just as we had originally planned.
The entrance was positioned on high ground to provide a clear view of the surroundings, and the path led us slightly downhill as it wound through the Rocky Zone.
The road itself was quite wide and, as Anima had noted, the visibility was excellent. We were able to look out over the various attractions and shops scattered along the way as we walked.
"Ugh... everything looks so fun. I wonder what that Excavation Game is like?"
"Since it's in the rocky area, I’d guess you dig for ores or fossils. I'm sure they’ve adjusted the difficulty so that anyone can do it easily, though."
"It sounds great... but there's just not enough time! Not nearly enough!"
Hina seemed pained as she looked at the attractions we were passing, yet she continued to hold herself back. If time permitted, I was sure she would have wanted to dive into every single ride she saw, but the park was simply too big to conquer in a single day. Entering an unplanned attraction would make it impossible to finish all seven areas, so she was firmly suppressing her desires.
"It seems there is no doubt that the Dragon King-sama served as the motif. There are incredibly elaborate Dragon Models placed all over the area..."
"Indeed. Thus far, we have seen models of the Blue Dragon, Funnytail, Grapple Dragon, and Red Wing. Every one of them was crafted to be life-sized and finished with exquisite detail. In particular, the wing color of the Red Wing is often mistaken for red because of its name, when it is actually an orange-ish hue. To see it rendered so accurately is quite impressive. I have high expectations for Dragon Adventure. Bearing that name, it must be an attraction focused on the Dragon Species, so we should be able to see multiple varieties. I would be delighted if we could see rare species that one seldom has the chance to encounter. I am truly looking forward to it."
"I-I see... As expected of Milady, her passion for the Dragon Species is immense... Sieg, what do you think?"
"I was wondering if there might be a corner where I could touch cute Monsters..."
"Based on what I've heard, I don't think there are any attractions like that in an amusement park, but..."
Luna-san let out a soft sigh as she watched Lilia-san, who was completely energized by the detailed Dragon Models, and Sieg-san, who seemed more interested in interacting with living creatures than looking at static models.
This area probably wasn't quite to Luna-san's taste. She loved cute things, so I suspected her excitement would pick up once we reached a zone with a more fancy, whimsical atmosphere.
Serious-senpai: "This is all so heartwarming... Where is it? When is the moment coming? Is it still a bit too early... where is the lovey-dovey?"
???: "You're on extremely high alert, aren't you?"