Chapter 87: New Beginnings and Old Artifacts

“You didn’t bring out the old relic?”

A flicker of embarrassment passed briefly over Wang Jianhuan’s face.

“Exactly! Mingsha Tourism has promised notarization and will arrange for an official collection certificate locally. It won’t be like those online claims where they dangle a big red ribbon and hand you 500 bucks before taking your item away. (Brothers, keep your heads down—let’s not get roasted!)”

Han Zi curled his lips in a slight smirk.

“Really?”

Wang Jianhuan glanced at Han Zi.

Han Zi’s eyes widened.

“Of course it’s real. If it weren’t, all those domestic antique markets would have shut down already. But the catch is, the item’s provenance has to be legal. We can’t exactly start mimicking tomb raiders, can we?”

“Alright then!”

From that point on, Wang Jianhuan said no more and, along with the onlookers, turned his gaze back to the construction site.

The sun dipped below the horizon.

At Guesthouse One, Zhu Qiang and Luo Peng arrived at the restaurant’s kitchen, turning on the tap to test the water pressure and sharing a look of delighted surprise.

“No problem.”

“Phew, that’s one major hurdle cleared. Next up are the communication fiber cables. Many guests have been complaining that they can only use mobile data instead of Wi-Fi here.”

Zhu Qiang exhaled deeply.

With the water and power connected, construction on the desert plot could now extend well beyond the Oasis.

“Not only fiber optics, but our waste incineration plant and sewage treatment facility can now be fast-tracked!”

Luo Peng shot a glance at the trash bin in the corner of the guestroom.

Until now, the guesthouse’s garbage had been collected, bundled, and transported out to the desert for centralized processing—a costly procedure that greatly limited the guesthouse’s capacity.

Just like during the first surge of guests, the trash took an entire day to clear out.

In fact, back when developing Oasis Two, the locations for the sewage treatment and incineration plant were already chosen for the plot’s northeast corner—deep in the desert with a consistent southeast wind. With today’s mature waste-to-energy technology, as long as emissions aren’t under-hand, the local and peripheral environment stays unaffected.

“That definitely moves things forward!”

Zhu Qiang nodded in agreement.

With water and power sorted, there was a mountain of work ahead for Plot 256.

It was just a pity that the account at Mingsha Tourism still had only a pittance. After Qixia Town opened, the guest reception capacity had improved a lot, but almost all the profits were funneled into repairing the underground pipe gallery.

This time, the underground gallery was built to high standards, designed in line with the Long Kingdom’s requirements for a sponge city. Besides housing various cables, the gallery also handled part of the underground water piping.

“By the way, General Zhu, Brother Hao called—he says the leadership at the Ancient Architecture Research Institute will be here in the coming days.”

Ring, ring! Just as Luo Peng was about to add something, his private phone suddenly rang.

Glancing at the screen, he nodded at Zhu Qiang before stepping aside to take the call.

“Uncle, what’s up?”

The call was from Village Head Wang Jianhuan.

“Xiao Peng, have you noticed that guest numbers at the guesthouse have dropped recently? Is it because Tengwang Pavilion hasn’t officially opened yet?”

In no time, Wang Jianhuan’s slightly anxious voice came through the phone.

“That’s partly true,” Luo Peng replied.

Actually, the guest count at the guesthouse hadn’t really fallen; it just seemed that way because the newly opened Qixia Town was so vast that even hundreds of people got lost in it.

Of course, it was also undeniable that fewer tourists were coming from Wei City and Nieshi.

“Got it, Peng. Do come over to my place tonight—I’ve got something to discuss with you.”

“Tonight? What about—can’t you say it over the phone?”

Luo Peng was taken aback.

“It’s hard to explain over the phone. Just come over, alright? And bring General Zhu along, too.”

Wang Jianhuan’s tone remained firm.

“Alright then, Uncle. Zhu Qiang and I are still at the guesthouse. We should be at your place by about 10 tonight.”

After a brief mental calculation, Luo Peng replied.

“Alright!”

Early Morning

As the first rays of the sun crept over the horizon, workers were already bustling on the streets—especially in the first-tier and second-tier cities of the Long Kingdom.

Yan City, Ancient Architecture Research Institute

In the Dean’s Office, aside from Li Jue and Xu Hao, the two Vice Deans, Liu Shan and Cao Jun, were also present.

“Xiao Xu, we’re really fortunate to have you this time. Otherwise, the restoration of Wanchun Pavilion might have been delayed indefinitely!”

Looking at Xu Hao, Li Jue beamed with pride.

Under Xu Hao’s leadership, the restoration of Wanchun Pavilion was completed smoothly, and it would soon reopen to the public. For the Research Institute, that was one tough nut cracked.

“Dean, you’re too kind—it was our duty. However, restoring 49 Imperial City might take a bit longer.”

Xu Hao waved it off with a smile.

After finishing Wanchun Pavilion, he had been assigned a new task: to lead the restoration team for the closed-off halls and courtyards of 49 Imperial City.

“That’s for sure—if we can start next year, the process will be swift. But the procedural hurdles for 49 Imperial City are endless!”

Li Jue gestured reassuringly for Xu Hao to relax.

“Exactly. Xiao Xu, don’t rush into the 49 Imperial City project. Focus on getting the guesthouse and the ancient buildings back in order first! The transfer orders were sent out to Su Province last night, and I expect Mingsha County to receive them today.”

Standing nearby, Cao Jun hurriedly added.

Ever since Xu Hao arrived in Yan City, he’d been shuttling between departments. Finally, the arrangements for his title at the Ancient Architecture Research Institute and his temporary assignment were all set.

With that, his biggest hurdle had been cleared.

“Dean Cao, taking on the temporary assignment at Mingsha County is fine—just don’t…”

Xu Hao hesitated at Cao Jun’s words.

He could manage over there without issues, thanks to the talent acquisition contract he’d pre-arranged with the Institute. But once he assumed the role of a temporary official, many complications might arise.

“Don’t worry! Just stick to your own pace and ignore the county’s other matters. As long as Mingsha Tourism keeps growing, you’ll have done an excellent job. Of course, you’re at a high enough level now that you must attend some key county meetings.”

Cao Jun, understanding Xu Hao’s concerns, quickly reassured him.

“Alright then, I’ll follow your lead!”

Once Xu Hao was convinced that his temporary assignment wouldn’t interfere with the desert plot’s development, he said no more.

“Xiao Xu, are you heading to Haishi tomorrow?”

After a pause, Li Jue looked at Xu Hao.

“Yes, I have some personal matters to attend to in Haishi. Once that’s done, we’ll return to Mingsha County. Our team is set to depart tomorrow—I already called Mingsha Tourism, and they’ve reserved the guesthouse for us. Once you get there, just ring up General Zhu.”

Xu Hao nodded.

On his first evening at the Ancient Architecture Institute, the leadership announced that after Wanchun Pavilion’s restoration, the whole team would visit Tengwang Pavilion for a study trip. So, Xu Hao made early arrangements.

From that day on, after the guests departed, Guesthouse One by Oasis Lake was no longer booked—it was reserved exclusively for the Institute.

“That’s great. This time, we’ll stay a few extra days so that besides visiting Tengwang Pavilion, we can also tour your newly restored Ancient Building Courtyard.”

Hearing everything was set, Li Jue couldn’t help but express his anticipation.