Chapter 353: The Enigmatic Mechanized City

“Is there a problem?”

At these words,

Kang Tianhe looked utterly astonished.

He then took full charge of greeting the tourists. Initially, he had expected the tech CEOs to be in awe, but he had never imagined such a reaction.

“No problem? Are you really stirring up trouble in Mingsha City? You’re so preoccupied with boosting your own hype that you don’t care about the exhibitors at all!”

At that moment, Li Yan’s composure completely crumbled.

Because what unfolded before them wasn’t the familiar exhibition hall—it was a pitch-black ancient city.

The ancient city sprawled over a vast, square area. Its walls, rising more than twenty feet high, were only slightly lower than the outer wall of Mingsha City, and between each crenel were bizarre wooden contraptions alongside figures clad in wooden armor.

At each corner of the ancient city, four enormous wooden windmills turned slowly.

Looking to the right along Qing Brick Avenue, there stood a solid black wooden gate, riveted and boldly emblazoned with the five characters of “Mo Mechanism City”.

And that wasn’t all.

Above the ancient city, several wooden birds were circling back and forth.

It was as if an animated scene had come to life—a surreal blend of fantasy and technology that was hard to ignore. Sure enough, once the Technology Expo began, every media outlet would fixate on the oddities inside Mingsha City, relegating everything else to mere background.

“This…”

Kang Tianhe was left dumbfounded once again.

“Mr. Li, I’m not going in. You all go ahead.”

Before Li Yan could respond further, a middle-aged man behind him glanced up into the air with a complex expression.

He was the CEO of a civil drone company—just as the VR company’s head had earlier bailed upon seeing Mingsha City’s Dreaming of the Past exhibit—because he knew that with these ‘wooden birds’ in play, his company had no reason to be present.

“Mr. Su…”

For a moment, an unprecedented awkward silence filled the room.

At three in the afternoon, under a blazing sun with Yan City reaching 38.6°C, the streets were nearly empty, as most people hid indoors enjoying the air conditioning.

Inside a cultural department in the Second Ring, the chief leader had just opened his folder to tackle the afternoon’s work when a rapid knock sounded at the door.

“Come in!”

“Leader.”

The deputy leader pushed the door open.

“What’s the matter?”

The chief leader looked up in surprise at the deputy.

“Leader, there’s trouble over at Mingsha City!”

“Trouble at Mingsha City?”

Hearing this, the chief leader’s eyes widened as he quickly closed his folder.

Although Mingsha City was always buzzing, to him it was like a mischievous yet brilliant child—cursing when needed, but always his top pick.

“Leader, the Science Association’s staff just called to say that several tech companies are withdrawing from the expo.”

The deputy leader exhaled deeply, a rueful smile crossing his face.

They had assumed that advancing the expo by two months would keep Mingsha City in check, but they had clearly underestimated it.

“Withdrawing? Why? Is it because Mingsha City’s service was lacking? Even if they had used the old buildings, it should have sufficed for the expo.”

The chief leader furrowed his brow even more.

“It wasn’t that the service fell short—it was too over the top. This time, Mingsha City didn’t even use the old buildings; they built a brand new facility.”

The deputy leader added.

“A new facility? You mean they actually constructed an exhibition hall in advance over in Mingsha City?”

The chief leader was instantly stunned.

“Yes! Mingsha City’s speed in crafting ancient architecture is simply unparalleled.”

“This…”

After a moment of shock, the chief leader, regaining his composure, asked, “Even if Mingsha City built a new hall, it shouldn’t force tech CEOs to withdraw altogether. Sure, the new building might generate temporary buzz, but with over ten days until the expo, that hype should dissipate well before the event.”

“Leader, that may be so, but Mingsha City has unveiled the ancient Mo Mechanism City—a marvel lost for over two thousand years—that completely unsettled the tech CEOs!”

After saying that, the deputy immediately handed his phone to the chief leader.

“Huh? Mo Mechanism City?”

“Take a look at this layout of the Mechanism City. It’s already sparking endless debates online.”

A few minutes later, the chief leader returned the phone to the deputy, remarking, “The design is undeniably impressive and meshes well with modern tech—I actually think the fusion is brilliant.”

After a brief hesitation, he continued.

“Leader, that’s just the appearance. The staff said that as soon as the CEO of a drone company saw a wooden bird being tested above the Mechanism City, he immediately decided to withdraw.”

The deputy picked up his phone to fetch the image again.

“A wooden bird? A flying wooden bird?”

At first he tried to dismiss it, but as more details emerged, the chief leader’s eyes widened in shock.

In the history of the Long Kingdom, there were two preeminent mechanical schools: the Mo School and the Gongshu School.

According to Han Feizi’s ‘Wai Chu Shuo Zuo Shang’, Mozi built the wooden bird in three years, yet it only managed to fly for a day before failing.

Sadly, for reasons unknown, the wooden bird technology was entirely lost afterwards.

Later generations even dismissed it as myth, believing that without modern technological assistance, a flight lasting an entire day was impossible.

Who would have thought that if the wooden bird were to reappear now, it would justify the drone companies’ decision to withdraw?

“But even if the drone company pulls out, aren’t there plenty of other tech firms?”

After a long pause,

the chief leader handed the phone back to the deputy once more.

“Leader, according to the staff, the wooden bird is just one feature. Inside the Mechanism City, the legendary Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse prompted a power battery tech company to pull out as soon as they saw it.”

“Uh!”

The chief leader subconsciously rubbed his brow. An ancient Long Kingdom text, Lun Heng, mentioned that the Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse were such formidable devices that once set in motion, they wouldn’t stop.

There had long been online theories claiming they were nothing more than unicycles, but that simply wasn’t true.

If Mingsha City really resurrected the Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse, it would only heighten public intrigue.

“Leader, aside from the Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse, Mingsha City has also introduced robots! As soon as a tech company focused on robotics heard about it, they too withdrew.”

The deputy initially reached for his phone again but then decided to tuck it back into his pocket.

It seemed inevitable—

that tonight, every forum would be buzzing with news and videos of the Mo Mechanism City.

“And robots too?”

“Yes. Besides robots, there’s also the legendary ballista, the gan carriage, the rotating shooter, the Ji carriage, the cloud ladder, the hanging door, the tuan, the xuan carriage, and the yo carriage. Even the city gates operate automatically—it’s like an ancient tech expo where every conceivable contraption is on display.”

“Even the Ji carriage?”

By now, the chief leader’s expression was beyond description.

What exactly is a Ji carriage? It’s an armored vehicle with iron cladding on the outside, partially buried in the ground, capable of launching burning coals and operated by several men—a genuine ancient tank.

Who knows how many years this technology had been lost?

If it had endured, the entire history of the Long Kingdom might have been rewritten.

“Now, the only tech company left is one that deals with artificial intelligence! But then again, having just a few AI companies at a tech expo isn’t enough. Expecting companies to participate solely for product promotion is unrealistic.”

The deputy leader wore an expression of resigned helplessness.

The evidence was clear—

there was simply no room for error with Mingsha City.

“So, should we bring in experts? With everything Mingsha City has unveiled!”

After a long silence,

the chief leader fell silent on the expo matter.

“This time, we won’t need to explain much. Countless netizens have already done their homework online—saying the Mechanism City’s powertrain is driven by four giant fans, with several waterwheels sharing the load.

And as for the wooden bird and the Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse, they’re said to run on gear technology, much like those wind-up toys that only need a few twists to get going.”

The deputy leader shook his head.

“No need to explain further!”

Hearing this,

the chief leader let out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief.

“Leader, what are we going to do about the Technology Expo now?”

After a brief hesitation, the deputy replied,

“If worst comes to worst, let’s say that Mingsha City’s exhibit constitutes the first half of the expo—primarily showcasing the ancient technologies of the Long Kingdom. For the second half, focusing on modern tech, we can secure another venue. Extending the expo a bit should do the trick.”

After much thought, the chief leader spoke up again,

“The first half of the expo? That actually sounds good!”

The deputy leader’s eyes lit up, and he immediately responded,

“But if another expo or competition comes up in the future, we really need to think twice. If possible, avoid involving Mingsha City—other companies just won’t be able to handle it.”

“Agreed!”

The deputy leader nodded in agreement.

But as he turned to leave, he suddenly remembered something and added, “By the way, Leader, yesterday I saw a file from the Evaluation Committee indicating that Mingsha City’s 5A Scenic Area application was rejected. Should we suggest a review to the relevant departments? It just doesn’t add up for Mingsha City not to secure a 5A rating now, especially with the addition of the Mo Mechanism City.”

“Mingsha City applying for 5A? I’ve already submitted a dual application for World Natural and Cultural Heritage to the relevant authorities. Whether it’s 5A or not is immaterial!”

At this, the chief leader’s brow furrowed ever so slightly before he replied,

“World Natural and Cultural Heritage? Fine! Let them mess around—we won’t interfere.”

“Agreed!”

As the setting sun slanted and evening settled in, Mingsha City remained as crowded with tourists as ever. Yet, at that very moment, many visitors began converging toward the Qingming Scroll area, causing significant congestion.

“Brother, what’s going on here?”

Seeing this,

tourists who had planned to visit Wuzhuang Temple looked puzzled.

Lately, the liveliest area in Mingsha City had been west of Mingsha Fudi, and such commotion was rare in the Historic District.

During this period, the area west of Mingsha Fudi in Mingsha City had become the most bustling spot, while the Historic District had rarely seen such activity.