Chapter 370: Fortunes, Fates, and Four-Themed Entertainment Cities

“Is this really just a coincidence?”

After setting down his teacup, Zhu Qiang shot a glance at Luo Peng but didn’t press the topic any further. “By the way, how’s the No.4 Entertainment City on your end? I suspect Dino Park was caught off-guard this time, and they’re bound to target us next!”

“No.4 Entertainment City won’t be ready for another two months!”

At the mention of No.4 Entertainment City, Luo Peng let out a subconscious sigh of relief.

Once No.4 Entertainment City opens to the public, the mission Xu Hao handed over will be fully accomplished. After that, all that remains is to help Daoist Master Cangshan and Canghai tidy up Wuzhuang Temple – a promise of some leisurely days ahead.

“Two months? That’s actually pretty fast! Even if something goes wrong at Dino Park, we can still catch up in time!”

Zhu Qiang nodded slightly.

The common folk might not know what exactly No.4 Entertainment City is building, but he was well aware—and he was convinced that once it launches, its impact will far surpass that of No.3 Entertainment City.

“It’s a shame Brother Hao is now fully hooked on constructing the core district! Otherwise, Dino Park wouldn’t even have lasted two rounds under his watch.”

Luo Peng turned his head to glance at the full layout of Mingsha on the wall.

The three-kilometer square core district had already been marked off as a key area.

“No choice about it! The core district defines Mingsha City’s image. Brother Hao simply can’t afford to slack off.”

Zhu Qiang threw his hands up in resignation.

While his own projects were also being rushed, they were far from yielding instant results. Be it the city wall, the subway, or the riverways linking all the hotspots—it wasn’t something built overnight. “By the way, President Luo, could you sort out some white deer for Mingsha Fudi?”

After a brief pause, Zhu Qiang suddenly remembered something and continued.

“White deer? For what purpose? To distribute them to other attractions?”

Luo Peng paused.

“Not for other spots—recently, a lot of visitors from H Country have been specifically asking for coffee beans, and there have been plenty of complaints. I thought, since they want a taste, why not supply them at a premium? It’ll bring in extra revenue for Mingsha City.”

As he spoke, a slight smile formed on Zhu Qiang’s face.

“You mean those special coffee beans the H Country delegation had at the International Magic Competition last time?”

“Exactly! I heard from someone that after the competitors returned home, they couldn’t stop talking about these ‘coffee beans.’ That’s how the reputation for our Special Supply Coffee Beans spread among the elite in H Country.”

“No problem! But I need to touch base with Daoist Yougong’s apprentice first!”

Coming back to the point,

Luo Peng nodded immediately.

Mingsha City’s motto was all about fulfilling every request. “Touch base with Daoist Yougong’s apprentice? But isn’t Daoist Yougong away?”

Zhu Qiang looked a bit surprised.

“He is. He sent me a message yesterday saying he had to step out for a bit to look for some materials, and he asked me to keep an eye on Mingsha Fudi.”

“Looking for materials? You mean he’s personally heading out for them now?”

“I was surprised too! And Daoist Yougong was all secretive about it—I didn’t feel comfortable asking any further.”

“Alright then! I have a feeling Daoist Yougong is a bit more reliable than Daoist Master Cangshan or Canghai. But if Cangshan and Canghai get all mysterious like that, we’ll have to keep our guard up.”

Snapping back to focus,

Zhu Qiang couldn’t help but add a word of caution.

“Yeah! After all, distributing white deer at Mingsha Fudi isn’t a big deal. His apprentice can handle it.”

Luo Peng waved his hand, reassuring Zhu Qiang not to worry.

With him on the case, there’d be no trouble at Mingsha Fudi. “Alright!”

Two days passed in the ebb and flow of events.

Late at night, in the early hours, online discussions about Mingsha City and Dino Park were still rife. Especially after the first batch of visitors experienced Dino Park’s Underwater World, a minor surge of excitement swept through the forums.

“I mean, overall the Underwater World at Dino Park isn’t bad—the range of marine animals is impressive, even featuring a young orca. Yet, somehow, it left me wanting more! In the old days, even a slight extra payment on a combined ticket would have made it worthwhile.”

“Nonsense! Ever since I went to No.3 Entertainment City in Mingsha City, every underwater world in every city just seems dull to me now.”

“The guy upstairs isn’t wrong! Once Mingsha City’s hyper-realistic Dragon King Crystal Palace debuted, neither orcas nor even killer whales could impress me.”

“From now on, enjoying No.3 Entertainment City in Mingsha City is all I need.”

“This round, Mingsha City has totally won!”

“Absolutely!”

Smack! At Haishi, Dino Park Headquarters.

Cole stared at the forum posts. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, until he finally shut his computer down.

Even though he had been mentally prepared since catching wind of Mingsha City’s No.3 Entertainment City two days ago, seeing the reality and the netizens’ feedback was hard to swallow.

So much money, so much manpower—and in the end, it turned into a stepping stone for Mingsha City. Cole’s anger kept mounting.

“Boss, even though our Underwater World has been overshadowed by Mingsha City, we’re not empty-handed! There should be plenty more visitors coming. With over two billion people in Long Kingdom, not everyone can flock to Mingsha City.”

On the other side of the desk, Adam whispered.

“Visitors? What good are a few extra visitors if our reputation is at stake? Right now, Mingsha City’s momentum has completely eclipsed us! And on top of that, who knows how this whole fiasco reached Headquarters? They’re not happy with our work at all.”

Cole narrowed his eyes.

“What? It reached Headquarters?”

Adam was taken aback.

Every time they reported to Headquarters, they only mentioned their own projects—never Mingsha City.

“I have no clue which idiot leaked the video of Mingsha City’s No.3 Entertainment City to the Long Kingdom internet. It’s garnered a ton of foreign interest! Many international netizens are even saying they’d love to visit Mingsha City if they get the chance.

Our mermaid project didn’t catch on, yet it gave the Dragon King in Mingsha City a boost in visibility.”

“So what do we do about it?”

“That’s that for now. By the way, what’s the situation over at Fengdu Scenic Area?”

Cole waved his hand dismissively.

He knew what Adam was hinting at, but with the Underwater World already a lost cause—and given that just a few days ago, none of the leadership at Dino Park in Haishi had any strategy in mind—there was little he could do now.

“Boss, Fengdu Scenic Area is proceeding with its projects while also preparing for a lawsuit against Mingsha City.”

Adam added when Fengdu Scenic Area was mentioned.

“In that case, make sure you nudge them tomorrow to focus on the collaborative project! No matter what, we must turn this around.”

After a moment’s thought,

Cole looked up at Adam.

Their current collaboration with Fengdu Scenic Area was the Cultural Integration Experience Park. Soon, elements like vampires, dragons, angels, and demons would emerge in Fengdu Scenic Area—a first for Long Kingdom! It was bound to draw a lot of hype.

“Boss, I’ve already followed up with them. They keep insisting they’re pushing forward.”

Adam paused and then replied sharply,

“Pushing forward full throttle? If that’s the case, then why did Mingsha City manage to pull off a surprise attack? Tell them they must finish within two months, or we pull our investment out.”

Cole glowered.

At this point, his only viable answer was something deliberately ambiguous.

“Two months? Got it!”

Upon hearing the concrete plan, Adam nodded.

“Boss, it’s getting late. Look—”

After saying that,

Adam checked his watch, then continued,

“We haven’t rested at all these past few days because of the Underwater World issues. We’re truly at our limit.”

“Of course!”

And it wasn’t just Adam—Cole felt the same! He’d yawned several times while they spoke.

Back home, such working nights would never occur, but here in Long Kingdom, burning the midnight oil under pressure from Mingsha City had become the norm.

“You head out first. I’ll check if there are any more documents awaiting approval at Magic Academy. Every other project is negotiable, but Magic Academy must not falter.”

Cole waved his hand,

signaling Adam to leave first.

“Oh—before you go, Boss, I heard from Cui Xiaozhong of H Country that during the magic competition in Mingsha City they served a special supply coffee that was incredibly energizing. Should I try to get some for you?”

Adam initially planned to leave, but he thought better of it and added,

“Oh? Special supply coffee? That works—if you can get your hands on it, make sure to get plenty!”

At that, Cole straightened up instantly.

Under the dark night, Mingsha City still shone brilliantly.

In the core district, inside a makeshift workshop, Xu Hao glanced at the nearly two-foot-thick blueprints on the table and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At long last,

all the blueprints for the core district project were complete, and construction would soon begin in earnest.

Ring ring ring! But just as Xu Hao was about to get up to stretch his legs, his phone rang unexpectedly.

“Huh? A call at this hour?”

Frowning, Xu Hao picked up the phone and his face instantly lit up with surprise.