This year, the gala stage wasn’t going to be in Li Xiang’s backyard. Instead, it would be set up in the open space by the tourist area.

The backyard was originally the size of a soccer field, but more than half of it was later sectioned off to build the tourist area. The remaining part of the original backyard had been landscaped, with many flowers transplanted and Tai Lake stones arranged, making it no longer suitable for hosting large-scale events.

So, the open plaza in front of the shops in the tourist area became the top choice.

Originally, Yao Yao had suggested holding it indoors, specifically in the Phase Two Shelter. Inside, there was an "activity plaza" about twelve meters high (roughly four stories), twenty meters wide, and fifty meters long. It had a domed ceiling, and the space was quite spacious—more than enough to hold the event.

But Zhao Xueqing and Lei Xiaohui felt it was better to have it outdoors. For one, the view was wide and open. For another, on the day of the village gala, many people would surely come to watch, and the shops could do some business on the side, bringing in some extra income.

Furthermore, the Phase Two Shelter hadn’t been decorated; it was still a bare shell. The restrooms, plumbing, and drainage systems inside were not yet operational.

News of the village gala was already out. Program auditions had begun long ago, and efforts to attract investment (renting ad space, finding sponsors, etc.) were underway simultaneously.

Needless to say, businessmen from the province and county flocked to invest. The county’s culture and tourism bureau even pitched in some money after hearing about it, and the county TV station would also be coming to do a live broadcast.

The trio of Yao Yao, Zhao Xueqing, and Lei Xiaohui immediately felt immense pressure and became even more meticulous about every detail.

On the open ground of the tourist area, a temporary stage had been set up where program auditions were being held. From all the surrounding villages, representatives from seven or eight of them had already come to sign up.

This was because there was an appearance fee for those who were selected. Based on last year’s standards, a main performer received at least two thousand yuan. Some who performed exceptionally well, like Yao Yao and Zhao Xueqing last year, each received five thousand.

To the villagers, this was a very substantial income.

The villagers were also very dedicated. Some came up with unique ideas, like a family of blacksmiths spanning three generations from the He Family Platform. The six of them, grandfather and grandsons, used an anvil as a drum, tongs as drumsticks, and other blacksmithing tools to perform a high-energy rock song titled "Iron-Boned Bountiful Harvest."

Meanwhile, a father-and-son pair of bamboo artisans from Zhangjiawan used traditional bamboo weaving techniques to create a giant "Zodiac Dragon Lantern" embedded with LED strips. They performed to "Descendants of the Dragon," accompanied by the village’s suona band. The suona’s sound had incredible penetration power, its music passionate and soaring, rising straight to the clouds.

Some tourists, taking a break from sightseeing, also gathered around to watch the excitement, raising their phones to take pictures and videos.

It had to be said, once this event got going, the New Year’s spirit had truly arrived.

Jiang Cai’er came over with Li Xiang to take a look. An idea suddenly struck her. She leaned in close to Li Xiang and whispered a few words in his ear.

Li Xiang slapped his thigh. "That’s a great idea."

It turned out Jiang Cai’er planned to use the "Mirage Realm" Attribute of her Purple Mirage Armor to create an even more realistic Illusion Realm on the night of the gala.

The CCTV Spring Festival Gala’s stage is incredibly magnificent. It reportedly uses numerous cutting-edge technologies like glasses-free 3D, LED AI spatial rendering, spatial computing, virtual reality (VR), and real-time rendering (UE effects). Including the costs for renovating lighting and stage sets, the production cost is as high as two to three hundred million yuan.

Ordinary companies can’t afford that at all. Even if Li Xiang were willing to spend that much money, for a village-level gala, it would still be a massive, massive loss. The key issue was, with so little time, where would he find all the necessary talent and technology?

Even if he found them, there wouldn’t be enough time to prepare the programs.

However, Jiang Cai’er had thought it through. She didn’t need two or three hundred million, nor did she need all those people and equipment. She could do it all by herself, at zero cost. The effect would be absolutely top-notch, even better than the CCTV Spring Festival Gala.

However, to create a convincing cover, Jiang Cai’er needed a swarm of several hundred drones. When the time came, they could just say that all the special effects or projections were created by the drone swarm. It didn’t matter if people believed it or not; at least they’d have an explanation, which was better than having everything "appear out of thin air."

Li Xiang was naturally supportive. With money in his pocket, there was no need to rent. They’d just buy them.

Besides, Jiang Cai’er could definitely make use of these drones in the future. Never mind a few hundred—even with tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands of drones, Jiang Cai’er alone could create wonders with them.

For now, Li Xiang couldn’t help Jiang Cai’er much with her cultivation. He could only place his hopes on their future Dual Cultivation, where they could complete each other’s Spirit Body, harmonize their yin and yang, and complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Perhaps that could give her a helping hand.

A man of action, Li Xiang got right to it. He immediately contacted manufacturers and took Jiang Cai’er to inspect and order them on-site.

Drone technology is a domestic strength, so they chose a local company, which could be considered a contribution to the GDP. He bought six hundred drones in one go. As for the paperwork, there were no issues. After all, he now held a few official positions.

Afterwards, Li Xiang, Jiang Cai’er, Yao Yao, Zhao Xueqing, and Lei Xiaohui held a meeting to finalize the plan and details for the village gala. They determined in advance which parts would need special effects and what kind of effects were required.

They could make adjustments and improvements later, but they needed to get a first draft done.

Before Jiang Cai’er returned to school, Li Xiang gave her the Twenty-fourth Tier Extraordinary Item he had obtained in Thailand—the Sukhothai Buddha’s Tears Bead Necklace—to give her an extra means of protection.

This Sukhothai Buddha’s Tears Bead Necklace was exquisite. It was made of jadeite, gold, silver, and Pigeon Blood Rubies. Its style was classical and graceful, yet it possessed a magnificent exotic charm. It could be worn as a necklace and had two Extraordinary Attributes: "Buddha’s Radiant Light" and "Blood Tears Curse Binding."