Chapter 242: Race Against Time in Mingsha City

“Brother Hao, will we still make it on time?”

Snap out of it.

Zhu Qiang asked hurriedly.

“If we want to build, we’ll need to construct three more ancient pavilions. Right now, the main team from Mingsha Labor is all tied up at Mingsha Academy and Taiyi Hospital. We might even have to postpone the Longmen Escort Agency project. I’m afraid we just won’t make it.”

“Building three might be too ambitious, but one should be no problem. We can always reassign manpower later!”

After a brief thought, Xu Hao said.

“Once Jixia Academy is finished, the rest of the construction won’t be as daunting as we imagine.”

“Especially at Taiyi Hospital.”

“Every medical department follows its own reference. The Department of Traditional Medicine uses the historical Taiyi Hospital as a model, while other departments base their designs on local architecture and specialty clinics.”

“One pavilion?”

“Yeah, at worst, we build one grand structure that can house three high-end banquets! Meanwhile, you and Little Luo should hash out a preliminary plan, and then we’ll work it out together.”

Xu Hao added.

“Building a large pavilion versus a small one isn’t very different – it’s like renovating a house. A big project only costs a bit more in materials and labor compared to a small one.”

“Alright, Brother Hao!”

After wrapping up business, Xu Hao suddenly remembered something and asked,

“By the way, how’s the procurement for the Taoist Temple’s basic materials? Especially that Kunlun Jade!”

“Brother Hao, some of the Kunlun Jade has already been transported back; the rest should be on its way,”

Zhu Qiang replied immediately.

“Now the temple’s area is completely cordoned off, and the first batch of temporary structures has been moved over. Once the materials arrive, dedicated personnel will guard them.”

“Good. When they arrive, make sure some is left here – don’t send it all over to the Xianxia Zone!”

“Got it, Brother Hao!”

Zhu Qiang didn’t question why the academy needed the jade – after all, Xu Hao said so, and he couldn’t be wrong! The next day, as the sun rose, by eight in the morning Mingsha City was buzzing with life. According to various critics, the box office for A Chinese Odyssey had already soared to 3.3 billion.

Thus,

it secured the tenth spot in the box office history of the Long Kingdom.

However, as time passed, A Chinese Odyssey neared its theatrical end, and its final total might only be around 3.4 billion.

Based on the profit-sharing ratio,

Haofang Culture is set to earn roughly 1.1 billion this time, and with online rights included, nearly 1.2 billion will come in.

Even so,

Haofang Culture has made a massive profit! Visitors to the A Chinese Odyssey area in Mingsha City aren’t decreasing – in fact, their numbers keep growing, especially among young couples. It seems Demon King Village is teeming with Sunset Warriors and nameless heroines.

“Director, the team in Mingsha City is simply incredible!”

A man in his thirties glanced at the newly risen barricades south of the City Gate and then at the tourists dressed in various ancient costumes beside him, speaking with admiration.

“Exactly!”

His companions immediately chimed in.

This group was none other than Meng Yuan, the future dean of the Ancient Architecture Institute at Mingsha Academy, along with the instructors. Apart from Meng Yuan, a Level 2 Ancient Architecture Researcher, the rest were all Level 3 researchers.

That said,

while Meng Yuan was confident, the other teachers had been overly optimistic before coming to Mingsha City. They even grumbled when they learned Xu Hao had assigned them to repair river guesthouses instead of working at Mingsha Academy.

But after more than ten days, they were genuinely impressed – and they weren’t just saying that.

“Now you see how impressive it is?”

Meng Yuan glanced at his group.

“Yes!”

They all nodded in agreement.

Back in Yan City, they’d only heard about Mingsha City’s pace without much concern. But once they got involved, they realized just how insanely fast the work was moving.

Just yesterday at noon, nothing was happening at the south side of the City Gate. By evening, the Mingsha City construction team’s internal chat was already buzzing with assignments, and by this morning the barricades were up.

Such pace is truly astonishing.

Moreover, the progress at Mingsha Academy was equally mind-blowing. When they heard that the outer walls would use miniature city walls and that work had already started, the shock was beyond words.

In contrast, even with two construction teams, their progress paled in comparison to the projects led by Mingsha Tourism’s top brass.

“That’s why we must speed things up. This is the first project given to us by Dean Xu – if we can’t even nail the simplest assignment, what credibility will we have as teachers at Mingsha Academy? A group of Ancient Architecture instructors look no better than a construction crew. It’s downright laughable!”

After a pause, Meng Yuan continued,

“Over the past two days, other teams have already planted willows and other trees along the riverbanks, and numerous stone arch bridges have been erected. Now, we only need to finish the guesthouse we’re responsible for.”

“If the guesthouse is completed, this street will undoubtedly become a favorite destination for many tourists.”

“Director, rest assured – we’ll push to complete the river guesthouse as quickly as possible,”

several young teachers assured hastily.

Truth be told, since arriving at Mingsha they had finally felt a real sense of urgency.

“Yes, especially for those independent courtyards near Oasis 1. Aside from the timeline, quality and attention to detail are absolutely non-negotiable.”

Meng Yuan instinctively glanced down at the blueprints in his hands.

“Director, what exactly are these courtyards for? They hardly look like guesthouses!”

While nodding, one of the teachers couldn’t help but ask.

He could clearly distinguish good guesthouses from mediocre ones. According to the blueprints, the closer a guesthouse is to Oasis 1, the more upscale it should be. Initially, guesthouses were built using basic wood and sand bricks – but as time went on, the materials got upgraded!

Especially in the fifty courtyards near Oasis 1, all the wood was switched to Oil Cedar, and even the Qing bricks became the ancient carved kind instead of plain sand bricks.

Even the flora in these courtyards evolved from ordinary apricot and pomegranate trees to peonies and orchids.

Overall, these fifty courtyards are even more exquisite than some traditional courtyard houses in Yan City’s Second Ring!

So, how could these possibly be for ordinary tourists?

“These? According to the Dean, they’re meant for experts visiting Mingsha City!”

Looking at a young man, Meng Yuan remarked.

“Experts? Are they coming to Mingsha Academy?”

“No!”

“Then who exactly?”

“I’m not entirely sure; but if Xu Hao commissioned such high-level courtyards for visiting experts, they’re anything but ordinary. It might even be a preparation for the Cultural Expo! Even though this is only a sub-venue, leaders—and even some international guests—will be arriving.”

“Oh!”

“Alright, some details will become clear later. For now, our priority is to do excellent work. Let’s not embarrass the Ancient Architecture Institute.”

“Yes!”

Time flew – before they knew it, it was already noon!

“A pavilion that can accommodate three high-end banquets?”

At the foundation of the small city wall of Mingsha Academy, Luo Peng’s face filled with astonishment as he listened to Zhu Qiang.

He knew that the Kongfu Banquet required the entire Vermilion Bird Building. Initially, they had underestimated the scale of the Four Great Banquets, thinking the Vermilion Bird Building would suffice – but reality hit hard.

So in Luo Peng’s view, at least three ancient pavilions on the scale of the Vermilion Bird Building would be necessary for the Four Great Banquets.

“There’s no choice. Brother Hao said building three more pavilions might be impossible given the time constraints! According to him, by the Cultural Expo all the barricades in the scenic area must be removed.”

Zhu Qiang spread his hands in resignation.

“Then that one ancient pavilion must be spacious enough!”

Luo Peng took a deep breath.

“Yes!”

“So, did Brother Hao mention where it should be built?”

“He hasn’t specified the location, but I believe that isn’t the issue. West of the Qingming Scroll, there’s a vast expanse waiting to be developed. The challenge now is deciding what kind of ancient pavilion to build. I checked some historical records, and none of the ancient pavilions seem to meet our requirements!”

Zhu Qiang looked towards Luo Peng.

Unconsciously, they had been led by Xu Hao to a whole new level – no matter what they built, they’d instinctively refer to historical texts. It seemed that a new landmark without any historical flavor didn’t deserve to represent Mingsha City.

“What kind of ancient pavilion are we talking about?”

Luo Peng stroked his chin.

Ring, ring, ring.

At that moment, Zhu Qiang’s phone suddenly rang.

He took it out, nodded at Luo Peng, and stepped aside to answer the call, while Luo Peng continued to mull over the pavilion plans.

After about ten minutes, Zhu Qiang hung up and returned to face Luo Peng.

“General Zhu, what’s the matter?”

Before Zhu Qiang could speak, Luo Peng couldn’t help but ask—Zhu Qiang’s furrowed brows clearly signaled trouble.

“The staff just called. There’s another internal post online about our Mingsha City!”

Casting a wary glance around, Zhu Qiang said.

“Internal post?”

“Yes! It’s similar in nature to the one from a few days ago, and the poster used a virtual IP. Although it still shows the Mingsha Tourism office building, it appears to be coming from overseas.”

“Is that even allowed? What does the post say?”

Luo Peng’s expression darkened.

“Although the last post not only failed to cause harm but even sparked some useful ideas, such antics are never a good sign – clearly someone is trying to stir up trouble for the Cultural Expo.”

“This time the post claims that our ancient architecture performance project in Mingsha City will feature a recreation of the Zhou King’s Palace from Chao Ge Ancient City in the Xianxia Zone! It even mentions that the area was originally reserved for a Taoist Temple. How are we supposed to respond to this?”

Sighing, Zhu Qiang pinched his brow.

“Wait a minute, General Zhu – you said Chao Ge’s Zhou King’s Palace?”

Yet, as sometimes happens, unintended words sparked a thought. Luo Peng’s mind suddenly lit up with another idea.

“If we can construct that, not only could it house the three major banquets – even including the Kongfu Banquet – it would be a breeze.”