Chapter 319: Trouble in Magic and Media

Leader, the call went through last night, but this morning it couldn’t be reached.

At that, the staff member whispered hurriedly.

“Not reachable? What’s going on?”

Cole raised his eyebrows.

“We’re not sure of the details!”

The staff member shook his head. They’re in Haishi while the other party is in Yan City—far apart. If it were Haishi, they could meet face-to-face without needing a call.

“There’s no way something’s wrong, right?”

After a moment’s thought, Cole’s frown deepened.

It isn’t easy to nurture someone in Long Kingdom; the cost is exorbitant.

“It shouldn’t be the case! Once they find the right candidate over there, they’ll contact us.”

After a pause, the staff member shook his head slightly.

The International Magic Competition wrapped up over a month ago and was long settled! The people of Long Kingdom have forgotten about the leak of the Traditional Magic trick, especially with H Country suppressing any backlash. What could possibly go wrong?

“That’s a relief!”

Cole let out a small sigh of relief.

“Leader, what do we do now? The Magic Academy issue is still unresolved, and Mingsha City stirred up trouble with that movie. If it continues, Mingsha City will completely overshadow us.”

The staff member hesitated for a moment before whispering again.

Mentioning Mingsha City now is such a headache; it seems like endless controversies. A simple film scene has already trended twice.

Next, there’s an upcoming costume drama and a mid-September tech expo. With Mingsha City’s notorious nature, these events are sure to attract significant attention, especially the tech expo.

Meanwhile, our planned response has fallen flat.

“Completely overshadow us? Even if we can’t act now, we can’t let Mingsha City ride on our coattails.”

Cole’s face turned stern.

“But right now…”

The staff member hesitated.

“Alright, here’s what—we need you to enlist some online propagandists. Start promoting our Magic Academy, saying it’s opening to the public soon. At the same time, build up the narrative of East Dino and West Mingsha!”

Cole glanced at his computer screen.

“East Dino, West Mingsha?”

The staff member’s eyes lit up.

“Yes. If we can push that concept online, no matter how Mingsha City develops, we’ll remain unbeatable. When the people of Long Kingdom hear Mingsha City, they’ll think of Dino Park.”

Cole added,

“Leader, that sounds good. I’ll get to work on it right away.”

The staff member couldn’t help but think Cole’s idea was brilliant—a free publicity stunt during prime time on Long Kingdom’s top TV station.

“Be quick! And besides waiting for news from them, try to reach out to others. See if we can solve the peculiar issue with the Magic Academy.

Oh, and this must be kept under strict wraps! If it gets out now, it might dampen the visitors’ spirits, making things seem ill-omened.”

“Understood!”

Before long, it was already five in the afternoon.

Online discussions about Lanruo Temple were still raging, when suddenly a post exploded onto the scene and quickly shot to the top-banner. Comments poured in one after another, poised to trend.

“East Dino, West Mingsha? Actually, that tagline isn’t far off! Across Long Kingdom, only Haishi’s Dino Park can challenge Mingsha City! Who else could ever compete?”

“Honestly, in my opinion, Mingsha City doesn’t even qualify!”

“Doesn’t qualify? What are you talking about? Although Mingsha City is located in the western desert, its daily footfall is now on par with Dino Park. How can it be unqualified!”

“Heh, don’t quarrel! If you’re not convinced, we can debate it. I won’t deny Mingsha City’s current buzz, but it’s a long way off from matching Dino Park.”

“Exactly!”

“First off, Dino Park has branches throughout the stars, and Haishi’s is just a small project—about 1/26th of M Country’s Orlando Disney World. And what about Mingsha City?

It only exists in Mingsha County, with no presence abroad.

“Uh…”

At this point, many Mingsha City fans were left speechless.

Truth be told, from this perspective, Mingsha City pales in comparison to Dino Park. If Mingsha City could launch similar projects overseas, it might stand as a major tourism group.

“Now, you might argue that Mingsha City’s ancient architecture projects are outstanding, catering to every need. But don’t forget Dino Park’s Magic Castle and Food City! Especially Food City, with international snacks galore, compared to Mingsha City’s Ancient Snack Street and Zhaixing Pavilion, which only offer traditional Long Kingdom fare.”

At that moment, a netizen commented.

“And what about accommodations? Mingsha City offers guesthouses, but does Dino Park not have them?”

“Uh…”

Mingsha City fans fell silent once more.

“You might say Mingsha City has a bunch of film IPs! But are Dino Park’s that scarce? Besides, Dino Park’s IPs are famous internationally, while Mingsha City’s only known locally in Long Kingdom.”

“Well…”

“Of course, these aren’t the most crucial factors. The key is the attractions. Dino Park boasts rides like the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, spinning honey pots, and more. What does Mingsha City offer? Across Mingsha City, only the newly opened Lanruo Temple qualifies as an adventurous attraction, while Dino Park has Adventure Island!”

The discussion grew heated. The original poster’s tone grew increasingly forceful, while supporters of Mingsha City fell silent once again.

If you think about it, visiting Mingsha City is mostly about marveling at ancient architectural wonders. There really aren’t many purely recreational attractions.

“But Mingsha City does have its share of mysterious spots—like how the old crone was subdued in the Demon-Locking Tower, and there’s also Mingsha Fudi.”

After a while, a Mingsha City fan replied.

He didn’t want to be completely shut down by the poster.

“Mysterious spots? If it weren’t for that foolish player from H Country making unauthorized moves, the Demon-Locking Tower wouldn’t be so hyped! At best, it’s just a man-made light show. Honestly, its visuals pale in comparison to Dino Park’s nighttime illuminations.

And besides, does Dino Park lack its share of quirks?

What about Mingsha Fudi?

Heh, Dino Park now even features an Alice in Wonderland maze. And Mingsha Fudi? What can visitors actually do there, besides the mindless act of burning incense with zero tourism value?

Most importantly, soon Dino Park’s Phase Two will officially open to the public. Once the Magic Academy at Dino Park is accessible, what will be left for Mingsha City?”

The original poster immediately fired back.

“Magic Academy?”

Many netizens, upon hearing this, found themselves at a loss for rebuttals.

“Do you think that’s all?”

Even as the poster continued with a barrage of counterpoints:

“Besides, Dino Park has stage shows, like The Call of the Jungle, etc. Does Mingsha City offer that?”

“Uh…”

“And most importantly, Dino Park has not one but two enormous water parks. Does Mingsha City have any?”

“Uh…”

“Not to mention Dino Park’s futuristic tech expo zone, where you can even experience backpack flying, rapid light wheels, a Star Wars base, and the Starry Pavilion restaurant. Tell me, does Mingsha City have any of that?”

“Uh…”

Minute by minute, as the poster ranted on, Mingsha City’s fans grew increasingly quiet.

They secretly thought visiting Mingsha City could be fun, but were left speechless and even a bit embarrassed by the poster’s barrage.

“So the idea of East Dino, West Mingsha isn’t that Dino Park is unworthy; it’s that Mingsha City doesn’t deserve to be compared with Dino Park. I won’t deny Mingsha City is the top cultural tourism project in Long Kingdom, but it simply cannot match Dino Park.”

“Uh…”

A long silence fell over the comments.

Perhaps due to online propagandists or because Lanruo Temple was already trending, within an hour the East Dino, West Mingsha concept topped the cultural tourism sections of portal sites—and was on the verge of trending nationwide.

At 7:30, Mingsha City in the northwest still hadn’t seen nightfall. Workers at various construction sites had just started their shifts.

At the Mingsha Tourism office, Zhu Qiang was busy signing a slew of documents.

As Mingsha City grew, so did the workload. Just signing off on expenses took ages.

Knock, knock, knock! Just as Zhu Qiang finished one document and was about to stretch his legs, there was a sudden knock at the office door.

“Come in!”

“General Zhu!”

In the next moment, the door was pushed open and Luo Peng stepped in.

Judging by his expression, there was even a hint of excitement on his face.

“President Luo, what’s up? Are you finally done with your work?”

Seeing Luo Peng, Zhu Qiang asked casually.

Since the completion of Lanruo Temple, Luo Peng had been preoccupied with matters at Mingsha Amusement Park, only occasionally meeting Zhu Qiang to coordinate with construction teams.

“Not at all! The workload is enormous!”

Luo Peng waved his hand dismissively.

“You seem to be in good spirits; I thought you’d been swamped.”

At the tea station, Zhu Qiang poured a cup of green tea for Luo Peng.

“Good spirits? It’s just that this afternoon, a report from a staff member got me a bit fired up.”

Accepting the tea, Luo Peng sat down on the sofa.

“What happened?”

Zhu Qiang paused.

To be honest, seeing Luo Peng so excited reminded him of the last time he had to deal with those bizarre animal and evergreen tree issues at Mingsha Fudi.

“Today, something went down at Dino Park!”

Luo Peng nodded.

“Hmm? What happened at Dino Park? Do tell!”

At that, Zhu Qiang’s eyebrows shot up.

“Around noon, a post suddenly emerged online boasting the East Dino, West Mingsha concept. Goodness, the comparisons in that post completely dissed Mingsha City, even saying it only deserved a minor role in the northwest.”