Chapter 287: Mingsha City Chronicles

“By the way, Mingsha City has always been known as a mecca for filming IPs—a constantly visited hotspot. What kind of costume light-hearted comedy are they shooting now? Is it like Wulin Wai Chuan?”

On the forum, netizens were chatting when someone brought up “Longmen Escort Agency.” In their eyes, while Haofang Culture’s ancient sci-fi series was highly anticipated, a costume light comedy would be finished much quicker—maybe it could even air in a month or two.

“I’m not sure of the exact genre, but judging by the registered title and leaked photos from tourists, it’s unlikely to become a trendy check-in spot!”

“Wait, it won’t be a check-in spot? Don’t tell me you think a costume light comedy lacks interesting settings!”

Curious by the netizen’s remark, someone immediately asked.

Two years after the fame of Tongfu Inn, its buzz still lingers. Besides, Wulin Wai Chuan has become a legendary series replayed every holiday on Yan City TV. Booking a room at Tongfu Inn remains incredibly difficult.

“It’s simple. The series is called Longmen Escort Agency! According to tourists, Mingsha City has built a bunch of identical Longmen Escort Agencies. Would you really want to check in at a place where you see the same building over and over?”

The netizens soon shared their opinions.

“They built so many Longmen Escort Agencies? What’s Mingsha City planning?”

Many netizens were instantly stunned.

In theory, one classic scene is enough for any drama! “Who can guess Mingsha City’s intent? How many people ended up at that Cultural Expo?”

Unbeknownst to the online chatter, while netizens debated the purpose of Longmen Escort Agency, at a construction site behind barricades in Mingsha City, Xu Hao, Zhu Qiang, and Luo Peng were standing atop a mound of earth, surveying the scene.

The construction zone buzzed with massive machinery at work. Three large and several small Shaji structures were taking shape, while excavated soil from other areas continuously flowed toward the sandy beams.

“Brother Hao, our lake spans about four kilometers east to west and roughly five kilometers north to south, with an average depth of two meters. We need a huge volume of water. I’m worried,”

Zhu Qiang took a deep breath and couldn’t help but speak.

He had thought Luo Peng’s ideas were wild enough until he saw the revised plan they all discussed with Xu Hao—then he realized what true madness looked like.

According to the blueprint, the artificial lake will have four man-made islands. The largest one lies on the west, while three smaller ones form a triangle at its center, each roughly four to five hundred meters apart. Each of these islands is no shorter than Langya Mountain, which shows just how tall the western island must be.

“Don’t worry!”

On hearing this, Xu Hao glanced over his shoulder.

To finish construction by the end of April, they opted for simultaneous building.

At the northern edge where the artificial lake meets Taiyi Hospital, embankments, pedestrian paths, carriage ways, and docks for tourist boats were already taking shape. Below the banks, riverbeds were paved with cobbles and rounded stones.

“Tomorrow we’ll start transporting ice from outside and spread it over the areas already laid with river sand and pebbles!”

After a brief pause, Xu Hao looked at Zhu Qiang.

The base of the Overseas Three Immortals’ artificial lake was dug deep, and since it will eventually connect with river channels and lakes from various oases, they deliberately skipped waterproofing. Waterproofing would only hinder the formation of the underground water system.

“Brother Hao, I’m concerned about how fast we can extract the ice,”

Zhu Qiang added under his breath.

In the northwest, most rivers are shallow and their ice layers thin; once you take a block, it takes ages to refreeze solid.

“That way, while we source ice from outside, we can also harvest ice from the Qingming Scroll and the guesthouse along the river. Some of the ice-related attractions for tourists can be temporarily suspended.”

After a moment’s thought, Xu Hao made further arrangements.

Though the river in Qingming Scroll isn’t particularly wide, it stretches for twelve kilometers, and the guesthouse area covers five kilometers—plenty of ice can be harvested there.

“That works too!”

Zhu Qiang nodded silently.

“Also, we need to speed up work on that small island. As soon as Daoist Master’s list of items is complete, Biyou Palace will begin construction too. If we delay, time might not be on our side!”

Xu Hao raised his hand to check the time.

Although Mingsha City’s workers can operate in three shifts around the clock, the team at Yougong under Daoist Master wasn’t so certain.

“No worries, Brother Hao!”

Luo Peng quickly assured from the sidelines.

Despite the massive project, the three central lake islands and the artificial hill on the west did most of the heavy lifting by storing all the excavated soil and stones. Otherwise, the sheer volume from the lake area would have been a colossal task.

Xu Hao’s directions on the small pathway were already taking shape, with layers of compacted earth and concrete piles being set down.

“Alright!”

“Brother Hao, once the Longmen Escort Agencies near Nanzhao Ancient City finish construction today, can we move our team over? They could start preparing the wood, carving the Qing bricks, and laying the gray tiles.”

After a moment’s consideration, Luo Peng spoke up again.

“All the Longmen Escort Agencies are completed?”

Xu Hao’s expression shifted slightly.

Before the New Year, he had already added several more agencies to the plan; from now on, every agency in Mingsha City would serve as a hub for the Internet of Things. Since they’re building them, they might as well get it done right.

“They’ve even cleared out all the construction debris!”

“That works too! By the way, since the Longmen Escort Agencies are finished, notify the managers of all the check-in spots so that they can take over the agencies and start operations tomorrow!”

After a moment’s thought, Xu Hao turned his gaze back to Zhu Qiang.

With Mingsha City expanding rapidly—especially after the Cultural Expo—nearly every popular spot was eagerly awaiting the opening of the Longmen Escort Agency. Once it went live, many things would become incredibly convenient.

“They’ll operate tomorrow? Brother Hao, aren’t we waiting on Mr. Fang’s project?”

Zhu Qiang was taken aback.

“No more waiting. The Longmen Escort Agency isn’t some mystical scene that needs build-up—and the earlier we open it, the more the public will feel involved!”

Xu Hao waved his hand dismissively.

In reality, the Longmen Escort Agency functions much like a courier service, which requires plenty of manpower.

Last year, Mingsha City’s top brass had devised a plan: each agency would only hire five staff, and the remaining escorts would be recruited from among tourists.

This approach allowed tourists to enjoy the feel of ancient escort missions and earn extra money—comparable to today’s delivery fees. The agencies would pay the escorts, enabling tourists to spend their earnings in Mingsha City.

If a tourist was lucky enough to consistently land the “big one,” they might earn enough to cover all expenses, or even pocket some extra cash at the end of their visit.

In this way,

Mingsha City would have its own self-sustaining economy—killing two birds with one stone.

For now, as long as tourists take on escort tasks at the Longmen Escort Agencies, the launch of the new system will have a dramatic impact.

“Alright, Brother Hao! I’ll hold a meeting tonight to organize everything.”

Hearing this, Zhu Qiang quickly responded.

“Okay!”

Under the clear, blazing sun,

in New Country, with a gentle breeze blowing in front of a towering building,

Su Jie was on the phone, clearly agitated.

“Mr. Smith, why have you suddenly decided not to invest in Mingsha City? If it weren’t for last year’s unexpected plane accident, the deal would have been sealed by now! Besides, I know Mingsha City has many major projects coming up that require huge funds!

and once these projects go live, the returns are sure to be substantial.”

He said this firmly.

Just minutes earlier, Su Jie had received a call from the Vice President of the Ross Consortium’s Investment Department, informing him that they no longer planned to invest in Mingsha City. This news had left Su Jie utterly panicked—the loss of the investment meant his title as “Long Kingdom Regional President” was in jeopardy.

“Mr. Su, the Board received notice yesterday that after the International Magic Competition, Mingsha City might face a serious trust crisis. Whether Mingsha City can survive from then on is another matter entirely! So, the Board has decided to pull out of Mingsha City.”

After a brief pause,

a faint foreign accent came through on the phone.

“What? Mingsha City facing a trust crisis? How is that possible! From what I know, its reputation reached its peak after the Cultural Expo, with hordes of tourists every day!”

Su Jie was momentarily stunned.

The reason given was unexpectedly valid.

“Heh heh, we can’t say too much. Although we’re not investing in Mingsha City, that doesn’t mean we won’t fund other attractions in Long Kingdom. If you’re willing, you can head over to Haishi to lend a hand.”

It was as if they had anticipated Su Jie’s concerns. The caller continued,

“Haishi?”

Su Jie was stunned again.

“The Board believes Mingsha City’s success is highly instructive. They plan to kick off the second phase of Dino Park and introduce some of our magical IPs so that more Long Kingdom citizens can engage with Western culture!”

“Magical IP?”

“So, if you’re willing, head over to Dino Park. If not, we’ll have to find someone else, Mr. Su.”

“I’m in! I’m in!”

Though he wasn’t sure what kind of Western-magic fusion they had planned, Su Jie couldn’t pass up this rare job opportunity.

“Then Mr. Su, report to Dino Park in Haishi tomorrow!”

“Roger that!”

Days passed quickly. Two days later, at eight in the morning,

at Yun Province TV,

Cui Fangshan, who had just made a cup of tea, started his workday by booting up his computer.

However, minutes later, when he checked the entertainment headlines, he was stunned and even rubbed his eyes. Only after confirming he wasn’t mistaken did he mutter,

“What’s going on? Is Haofang Culture now promoting a new series? That shouldn’t be—the norm in Mingsha City is to launch without much promotion!”

The entertainment headline boldly read, “Mingsha City Launches New Longmen Escort Agency—Absolutely Hilarious! Looking Forward to Yun Province TV’s New Series!”

And that wasn’t all;

the comments below had reached hundreds of thousands in heat.

“What exactly is happening?”

Coming back to reality,

Cui Fangshan hurriedly clicked on the article to catch up on the news.