Douluo: Things You Live Long Enough to See

The green construction netting and steel scaffolding stood in stark contrast to the aesthetics of this era utterly out of place, yet shockingly awe-inspiring. Even though the building was not even halfway completed and stood less than fifty meters tall, it still towered above all others in Heaven Dou City like a crane among chickens.

The massive tower crane outside the building was even more mesmerizing. Its slender body and long arm made onlookers worry it might topple with a gust of wind. Yet, after a month, as the crane grew taller by the day, it remained just as steady as ever.

Crowds gathered daily to watch the crane grow taller on its own. Each time the jib hoisted a new section and, through a series of dazzling maneuvers, installed it seamlessly into place—raising the height by another level—the citizens of Heaven Dou City couldn't help but marvel at the ingenuity behind it.

As for the power source, that wasn't an issue at all. In a world without electricity or motors, weren't there still soul masters and soul beasts? The core of the tower crane's function lay in the use of levers and pulley systems. In this alternate world, even an ordinary person with decent strength could turn the winch.

A thoroughly domesticated millennium-old water buffalo pulled the winch tirelessly, day and night, with such power that Cheng Ying worried his upcoming steam locomotive project might not be able to compete with buffalo-drawn trains...

Chaotianxiang watched the bustling construction site in amazement, her eyes filled with wonder and her mouth shaped like an "O." She blurted out instinctively, "Whose residence is that? How can it be built so tall?!"

"That's Teacher's new home. It's not done yet, and once completed, it'll be at least twice as tall as it is now," Tang Chen explained helpfully. Though he was also surprised, his basic education prevented him from finding it unbelievable.

"Teacher's residence?" Even Meng Shu wore a stunned expression. He knew their teacher had to be rich, but this was a bit over the top! He nearly thought the man was building a tower to heaven.

In fact, many in Heaven Dou City shared the same thought. A lot of people had started referring to the under-construction building as the "Sky Piercing Tower"—and honestly, there was no name more fitting.

"Well, it's not exactly my personal mansion," Cheng Ying added thoughtfully. "There are only a few of us. We're just taking up a few floors. The rest will be open for lease."

Cheng Ying was already thinking about launching something like a Wanda Plaza ahead of time in Douluo. This building could serve as their headquarters in the future. It had both grandeur and historical significance. With the way commerce was bound to evolve, something like this was inevitable. The market waits for no one—if you don't seize it, someone else will. Cheng Ying mentally reminded himself to dig into his memory and reconstruct Wanda's early business strategies when he had time.

The vehicle stopped at the construction site gate. A group of engineers in blue overalls and yellow hard hats were arguing loudly beneath the scaffolding, each one pointing at blueprints with pencils in hand. It was clear that even as they built, they were also constantly reviewing and refining their techniques.

When they saw the vehicle pull up, all the commotion ceased immediately. Such a strange-looking thing could only have been made by their boss. Without further ado, they all turned to face Cheng Ying and saluted.

"Greetings, Great Sage!"

Their salute came from genuine respect. Once they started hands-on work, they realized how crucial Cheng Ying's earlier teachings had been.

Their once-proud construction experience began to fall apart past thirty meters. Now, every additional meter of height required countless discussions and new breakthroughs. Naturally, they held heartfelt reverence for the one who had made all this possible.

"No need to be so formal. You're all great craftsmen of a powerful nation. It's about time your status reflected that. You're not just tools to be used. When this skyscraper is complete, let's see who still dares to look down on you." Cheng Ying admired this group—every era had its own masters of craft. Their earlier discussion had even begun to go over his own head.

"This is all thanks to you, sir. We wouldn't dare take credit ourselves," said an elderly man with snow-white hair, stepping forward and bowing. Cheng Ying remembered his name—Lou Kong. He wondered if the man had any relation to Lou Gao, who would one day give his life to forge the Buddha Fury Tang Lotus.

"No need for all the polite formalities. Just tell me what problems you're facing. I'll help however I can." Cheng Ying, being a modern person, had little regard for rigid hierarchies.

Lou Kong knew Cheng Ying's temperament and got straight to the point: "There are many issues during construction, but the biggest one is this—our tower crane can only rise another thirty meters. We don't have enough soul beast bones to make the bolts and nuts. While the crane's main structure is strong enough, the joints lack sufficient strength. Eighty meters is the absolute limit.

We've discussed shifting the crane into the interior of the building after eighty meters and raising it together with the structure. But that would reduce internal space. We're not sure if that's acceptable."

"I already said—you're fully in charge. It's fine if the interior space shrinks. This building is meant for you all to train your skills. Even if it collapses halfway, as long as you're still alive, it's worth it." Cheng Ying waved his hand dismissively, signaling: "Go wild—if anything happens, I'll take the blame."

The engineers looked at one another, then burst with joy. Each of them was a master in their field, with their own ideas. What they hated most were micromanaging clients who demanded statues here and shrines there. Some built tiny mansions on a couple mu of land and hovered over the project daily like the workers were going to steal their bricks.

Compared to that, Cheng Ying's attitude was far more valuable than being paid in gold.

"Only Brother Cheng would spend ten million gold soul coins just so his people could get hands-on experience. No one else in Heaven Dou City would be this generous," came a familiar voice from behind.

Cheng Ying turned around to find Xue Ye, gently fanning himself. He was probably the prince most fond of traveling incognito. No one really knew how he eventually became emperor.

"I'll admit—spending ten million still hurt! But it's worth it for technical progress!" Cheng Ying smiled. "And here I thought His Highness was sneaking out of the palace again."

"You wrong me, Brother Cheng! This time, I'm here specifically to inspect your underground drainage system. If the budget falls within Father's acceptable range, we'll begin construction next year. After all, no one wants to step into filth on the streets. Every time Father goes out, we have to lay down yellow earth to cover the road. It's honestly embarrassing."

In ancient times, emperors needed the roads cleaned and yellow earth laid not just for grandeur. On the roads of this era, without those measures, an emperor could very well step into something unpleasant. Sanitation conditions were truly frustrating.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Xue Ye said, as if suddenly recalling something. "My father mentioned that because of your disaster relief contributions, he's preparing to grant you a noble title. The process is already underway."

Cheng Ying froze upon hearing this. The figures of legendary lords like Duwei and Roland flashed through his mind. Without thinking, he blurted out:

"Does it come with land?"

PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/XenTronix