Chapter 391: A Stir for the Treasure

Brother Hao? Did you get it?

On the other end of the call, Zhu Qiang’s voice instantly brimmed with excitement.

While others had no idea about the covert maneuvers in Mingsha City, a top official like Zhu Qiang couldn’t possibly be unaware. Besides, a large portion of the auction funds was secretly raised by him.

“Got it!”

Xu Hao glanced at the time once more.

“Understood, Brother Hao. Rest assured on my end—there will be no hiccups!”

“Alright, if any issues come up, just let me know.”

“Alright!”

With a few more reminders, Xu Hao finally ended the call.

“It’s finally done!”

After a brief pause and a quick scan to ensure nothing was left unsaid, Xu Hao turned to leave his office.

But just then, his phone suddenly rang.

Picking it up, a flash of concern crossed his face as he answered.

“Dean!”

It turned out the call was from Li Jue.

“Xiao Xu, is now a good time to talk?”

A moment later, Li Jue’s slightly dejected voice came through.

“It’s fine—go ahead!”

Xu Hao replied immediately.

“Here’s the situation: you must have heard about the recent Christie’s auction, right?”

“I know!”

Xu Hao promptly responded.

Not only was he aware, but he had even covertly participated in the auction. His aim was to secure the Yongle Encyclopedia and bring it back to Mingsha City without any obstacles. He had confided in only a few top officials.

This secrecy extended even to his closest contacts, including Li Jue and Feng Wancheng.

“Here’s the deal: since our national treasure was eventually snapped up by a foreign company, the officials are worried about potential public backlash at home.”

At this, Li Jue let out a subconscious sigh.

“What do you mean?”

“A senior official just called, asking if Mingsha City could stir things up a bit to divert public attention. Otherwise, things might really go south.”

“Stir things up in Mingsha City?”

Xu Hao’s expression shifted.

“There’s no choice. Right now, only your Mingsha City champions the traditions of the Long Kingdom. At this critical moment, if you create a commotion, the public won’t mind. Besides,”

he continued, “this help isn’t in vain. The officials promised to send a letter to speed up the Mingsha City High-Speed Rail Station project, aiming for a connection with the national rail network by year’s end.”

In short,

“Make as much noise as possible—ideally enough to overshadow the auction’s impact. The better the effect, the bigger the reward!”

Li Jue’s voice dropped noticeably.

Clearly, he felt a bit embarrassed.

After all, this wasn’t the first time they had asked Mingsha City to create a diversion, but there was simply no alternative.

Apart from Mingsha City, they couldn’t think of any other entity in the Long Kingdom with such capability.

“The better the result, the bigger the reward?”

“Yes! That’s exactly what the official said.”

“Dean, understood! I’ll arrange something.”

After a brief moment of thought,

Xu Hao agreed to take on the task.

Not to mention the promise to expedite the high-speed rail for Mingsha City—given his current position, he couldn’t say no.

It made more sense to simply agree.

“Alright! Come up with a plan that creates a big stir, and I’ll report back to the officials!”

Upon hearing this,

a delighted Li Jue quickly exclaimed,

“Alright, Dean!”

“Hanging up for now!”

“Okay!”

In Haishi, under a brilliant sun, Dino Park in the northwest was teeming with visitors—families and groups alike. Its popularity rivaled that of Mingsha City.

However,

Cole, sitting in his CEO office, just couldn’t share in the excitement.

“400 million M gold—a newly registered company.”

He had been confident that the Ross Consortium would easily secure the Yongle Encyclopedia and later showcase it at Dino Park to boost the upcoming Magic Academy’s opening—a strategy promising spectacular results.

But what happened? Someone else ended up reaping the rewards.

“Boss, just now Headquarters called.”

Across the desk, his deputy Adam hesitated before whispering,

“What did they say?”

Cole slowly straightened up.

“Headquarters wants us to fully prepare for the Magic Academy opening without letting the auction affect us. They believe we can attract Long Kingdom tourists even without the Yongle Encyclopedia.”

Moreover, an executive mentioned that our recent efforts had successfully suppressed Mingsha City’s arrogance!

Adam spoke up.

In fact, he agreed with Headquarters that the auction had little to do with Dino Park, though he couldn’t understand why Cole was so concerned.

“They say we effectively suppressed Mingsha City? Let’s hope so!”

After hearing this,

Cole slowly leaned back in his chair.

For some reason, when Mingsha City was quiet due to the No.4 Entertainment City project, there was initial excitement. But as time passed, that thrill completely vanished, replaced by a growing sense of unease.

Especially after this auction, the sense of unease only intensified.

After a pause, Cole collected himself and looked up at Adam.

“But we can’t afford to let our guard down. Tomorrow, find out what’s going on in Mingsha City. We cannot let them steal the spotlight during our Magic Academy’s opening.”

“Got it!”

Time flew by and nightfall came.

It was an ordinary evening, with the scenery as usual.

Yet the citizens and netizens of the Long Kingdom seemed far less enthusiastic about leisure than usual—especially on the forums, where they resembled defeated soldiers, drained of spirit.

“Today has been utterly frustrating!”

Finally,

a netizen, unable to hold it in any longer, posted first.

Before that, everyone had wanted to comment on the day’s events, but each time they began to type, a sense of unease held them back.

“You said it! This afternoon, the Wenmo Group’s official website was completely crashed by some experts. But what good does that do? Even if we take down Wenmo Group, the Yongle Encyclopedia won’t come back!”

The forum’s atmosphere was already oppressive, just waiting for someone to spark a reaction.

Once the post was up, the comments began pouring in.

“Ugh, the more I think about it, the more disheartened I get! Our treasured relic is being contested by four foreign companies right before all of Lanstarr. Do you know what the netizens abroad are saying about us?”

“I know! I can barely bear to look at my screen!”

“It’s truly shameful!”

“I feel like I won’t be able to hold my head up on foreign websites for another six months.”

Without exception, the posts were all bashing today’s auction.

In this way,

it was clear that the public sentiment in the Long Kingdom was remarkably unified on this matter.

Within minutes—even after hours of venting, the forum’s energy remained high, with no sign of subsiding. Some netizens even began criticizing certain organizations.

In their eyes, when it came to such a precious relic, the Long Kingdom would do anything—even disregard international treaties. After all, on Lanstarr, some nations never abide by treaties; if it benefits them, treaties simply don’t matter.

But just as the public grew more agitated, a sudden post on the forum caught everyone’s attention: “What? Mingsha City’s official website just released an announcement?”

“Yeah!”

“What’s the content? I’m quite curious about Mingsha City—it’s been quiet for far too long.”