Chapter 332: Tensions Rise in Mingsha City

The first announcement pertains to Mingsha City’s tourism project. It stated that in three days a second entertainment project would open. All visitors are welcome to book in advance!

Chen Yuan’s voice soon rang out.

“Entertainment project? Then what about the second one?”

Gao Nan let out a quiet sigh of relief.

To be honest, he wasn’t very interested in the rivalry between Mingsha City and Dino Park over their initial tourism group. No matter how much they squabbled, Dino Park would have to handle their own affairs.

“The second project is from Mingsha City. They’ve already dispatched a team that is coordinating with various Foreign Affairs Offices. If these offices agree to let Long Kingdom’s professional team scout overseas, take photos, and permanently archive the data, then Mingsha City’s Dreaming of the Past will be officially open to foreign tourists,” Chen Yuan continued.

Chen Yuan went on.

“Really? Just a photo run abroad and then it opens for foreign visitors?”

Gao Nan’s heart skipped a beat.

He had expected Mingsha City to issue a clear explanation regarding this matter, even having speculated on all the possible responses. But he never imagined they’d give such an answer.

Their excuse was a simple technical shortcoming—that they needed to scout overseas so that everything could be wiped clean.

“That’s right. In the announcement, Mingsha Tourism also stated that Mingsha City has never harbored any discriminatory intentions toward foreign tourists. It was merely their technical limitations that kept Dreaming of the Past from being accessible. And that’s not all—Mingsha City even mentioned you in the announcement!”

“Mentioned me? What did I do?”

“Mingsha Tourism said that some influential online figures, without knowing the true facts, incited their followers to unjustly attack Mingsha City. This has severely damaged the city’s reputation and dramatically reduced its tourist traffic, resulting in huge financial losses.

Mingsha City has already hired professional lawyers and will sue the responsible parties.”

At this point, Chen Yuan’s tone grew extremely complex.

His tone and the announcement exuded a strangely familiar aura.

After every announcement,

it was invariably either a beating or a payout—without exception!

“Ha! A dramatic drop in visitors? Chairman Chen, isn’t Mingsha City blatantly lying? Look at the videos netizens have been posting online—tourist numbers haven’t fallen; in fact, after this morning’s meteorite incident, crowds have swarmed into Mingsha City.”

Gao Nan nearly choked on his words at this.

Sure, there was some online debate, but nothing had been definitively concluded. Moreover, with the popularity of both Lanruo Temple and the Dreaming of the Past project, tourist numbers in Mingsha City have not been affected at all.

Especially visitors from the Long Kingdom—they are the most eager when booking Dreaming of the Past every day.

“The point is, you can’t decide this! Many netizens have already changed their tune after Mingsha City’s announcement,”

Chen Yuan said helplessly.

“W-well, I…”

Gao Nan was momentarily at a loss for words.

“How about this: while the issue remains undecided, you hurry and buy a ticket back to M Country! I just called my contact at the Foreign Affairs Office, and all they replied was three words: ‘Mingsha City dreams!’ They’ll issue an announcement soon. Once the Foreign Affairs Office makes its move, Mingsha City’s claims will stick—and no amount of money will cover the losses!”

“Going to M Country now? Chairman Chen, if I leave, the painstakingly built million-level account I’ve managed will be completely wasted! Besides, I believe there’s still room to maneuver.”

A long silence followed.

Gao Nan took a deep breath, his face reflecting traces of unwillingness and defiance.

“There’s still room to maneuver?”

Chen Yuan’s voice suddenly rose sharply.

“You really think there’s any wiggle room left?”

From Chen Yuan’s perspective, once the Foreign Affairs Office gets involved, the matter is already settled. Every critic—including foreign visitors—must keep silent.

“Chairman, first of all, tourist numbers at Mingsha City haven’t dropped. So this announcement is baseless! Moreover, as a media person and citizen of the Long Kingdom, I have every right to question it.

Besides, if Mingsha City had responded immediately, none of this would have happened.”

Gao Nan immediately shot back.

“But…”

Chen Yuan hesitated for a moment.

Upon reflection, it seemed Gao Nan’s argument did have some merit.

“However, that lawyer named Zhang San from Mingsha City is extremely domineering. How can we handle him? In our previous encounters, we couldn’t even put up a fight.”

After a long pause, Chen Yuan said,

“Lawyer? Chairman, if Mingsha City can hire a lawyer, why can’t we? Besides, a friend of a friend of mine knows a rather renowned lawyer.”

“Hmm?”

“And guess what—the lawyer’s surname is also Zhang!”

“If that’s the case…”

“Chairman, let me give it a try this time! What if we win?”

“S-so, you want to try?”

“Chairman, trust me! If we lose, I’ll shoulder all the consequences by myself.”

Gao Nan added.

“Alright then. Contact that lawyer first and see if he’s willing. If he refuses, we’ll come up with another plan.”

“Okay!”

After a few more minutes of conversation, the two ended their call.

“I don’t believe you’ll always get your way!”

Muttering to himself, after a brief pause, Gao Nan picked up his phone again and dialed a number.

Beep beep beep—the call connected quickly.

“Hey, Lao Liang, could you ask your friend if he has the number for that so-called Great Law Firm?”

8:00 PM

Haishi

Neon lights flickered as traffic surged along the bustling streets.

Yet, standing by the full-length window, Cole just couldn’t muster a smile.

“I never thought Mingsha City would pull a stunt like this.”

After a while, he stubbed out his cigar on a nearby trash can and returned to his executive chair.

Afternoon

The moment he saw Mingsha City’s announcement about scouting abroad to upload data for the Dreaming of the Past project, he knew it was over. No amount of hired water army would salvage the outcome.

Because, more than anyone, he knew the truth:

The Foreign Affairs Office would never agree.

“Mingsha City’s move is extremely underhanded—first, they deliberately ignored questions to appear nonchalant, then stirred up public opinion! Now they’ve launched a second entertainment project, riding the wave of this controversy.”

Feeling frustrated, he ordered another cigar.

At moments like this, lighting one cigar after another was the only way to soothe his tangled emotions.

“What’s the name of this second entertainment project? I hope it isn’t just another Dreaming of the Past…”

Ring ring ring! Just as Cole was about to run his fingers through his hair and scrutinize Mingsha City’s official website once more, the phone rang.

He answered immediately.

“What’s up?”

“Boss, our people have made contact with that guy called Canghai!”

A staff member’s voice came through the phone.

“Made contact? What did he say?”

Cole, still on the line, asked immediately.

“They… they rejected us!”

“Rejected?”

Cole, who had been filled with hope, was stunned upon hearing the reply. He had waited for this moment for far too long—there was no time to delay any further! “Mm!”

A weak reply came from the other end.

“Why? Was it because the terms weren’t settled or did they demand too much? I thought I told you, as long as they aren’t too extreme, we should try to meet their conditions.”

Coming back to his senses,

Cole pressed on, “If not that, then what?”

“Well…”

The voice on the phone hesitated, clearly faltering.

“Speak up! What are you hesitating for?”

Seeing this, Cole’s irritation grew.

With matters heating up, what reason could they possibly have to hold back?

“Boss, they said… they refuse to work for foreigners.”

“They won’t work for foreigners? Damn it! That’s outrageous!”

Bang! Unable to tolerate the news any longer, Cole slammed his fist onto the desk.

He never expected that the reason for Dino Park’s rejection was simply this.

“Boss, now what do we do? Finding someone like that in the Long Kingdom won’t be easy…”

“What do we do? Do you think we can just resolve this? At worst, we tear down that whole area, turn it into a plaza, and rebuild a Magic Academy!”

The more Cole thought about it, the angrier he became, feeling deeply insulted.

“Huh? Boss, that area is already mostly built. Tearing it all down and rebuilding will cost a fortune! Maybe I should scout around and see if there’s any other expert in the Long Kingdom.”

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line.

Remember, the Magic Academy isn’t just above ground—it has underground parts too. If we demolish the whole thing, everything has to be re-planned and redesigned.

“Scouting for another expert? Mingsha City has already issued its announcement—three days from now the second entertainment project will officially open. Do you really think we have time? And if we can’t find someone, what then? Besides, the Magic Academy has 1.5 billion M gold invested by H Country. Even if we tear it down completely, it won’t be a huge loss.”

An enraged Cole retorted,

“Fine then!”

There was no further reply from the other end.

“Also, call Headquarters tomorrow and ask them to send more manpower and a high-tech team over. The Magic Academy must surpass Mingsha City’s project!”

“Okay, Boss.”

Meanwhile, at the back yard of Mingsha City’s Wuzhuang Temple, Daoist Master Cangshan and Canghai were carefully planting a small sapling on a platform of five-colored soil. They even watered it generously with talismanic water, only straightening up once everything was finished.

“Senior Brother, why do you think the City Master ordered us to flat-out reject Dino Park instead of fanning the flames further?”

After a moment’s pause,

Canghai answered casually,

“It’s simple! I believe the City Master doesn’t want us to be too exposed to public scrutiny. Think about it: if you go over there and stir up trouble and Dino Park blows it out of proportion—

then Mingsha City will never be able to shake off its ‘Believe in Science’ reputation!

After all, the City Master holds a respectable position in society.”

Daoist Master Cangshan glanced at the small sapling and added.