The Neverwinter people soon welcomed the day of the competition!
Although the first Victory Day Games were arranged hastily and simply, with no opening ceremony or live commentary, it was undoubtedly another grand celebration for the locals.
Without anyone calling or organizing, people spontaneously flocked to Kingdom Avenue as soon as the sky turned bright, trying to occupy a good spot in the front. Since the snow had not yet melted, small benches or felt cushions were almost a must-have, and many families came out together. This migratory scene made the traveling merchants click their tongues, and peddlers who had anticipated the situation in advance carried backpacks full of food and drink, shouting loudly along with the crowd.
At the heart of the avenue where the race ended, it was already crowded by noon, conservatively estimated to be around ten thousand people, and people were still coming from both directions—this made Roland once again appreciate the enthusiasm of the masses for entertainment activities in this era. It should be known that walking twenty kilometers is definitely not an easy task. He deliberately set the race time at two o'clock in the afternoon to allow the people ample preparation time, but he did not expect that everyone's response would still exceed his expectations.
As the King of Graycastle, he naturally did not have to squeeze with the people. As early as a day ago, the construction department built a stepped grandstand that could accommodate a hundred people here for use by Neverwinter's senior officials. Around it was a defense line built by the First Army, separating the grandstand from the crowd.
"Your Majesty, this is the list of participants, a total of one thousand four hundred and sixty-two people." Scroll walked over with a thick stack of paper, "However, limited by the registration time, there is only the simplest classification and statistics on the surface. If you could give me two more days..."
"It's okay," Roland waved his hand, "The games themselves are to strike while the iron is hot. If it is delayed until after the expedition, it will lose the original intention of holding it."
He casually glanced at the list and found that the other party was indeed a bit modest—the classification on the surface was not only refined to the residential area, but also included the simplest life summary and work experience. Only Scroll could find out this information in such a short time.
In the list, he saw a few interesting names.
For example, the old buddy Yoko.
Lucia's younger sister, Ling.
And the original alchemist association trio, etc...
Without a doubt, even if this games did not have witches participating, they would have little hope of winning, and were basically going for the "participation is what matters" slogan that was being promoted.
And those who were most likely to win were mostly concentrated on the first page.
Roland focused his eyes on the two people ranked at the top—Dawnlight Filin.Hilt and Chief Knight Carter.Lannis, "Do you think the champion will be born between these two?"
Scroll smiled slightly as she tucked her hair behind her ear, not answering directly, but her expression already gave the answer.
"Your Majesty, it's almost time." Barov, sitting in the lower seat, reminded.
"Hmm," Roland put down the list and picked up the telephone prepared beside him, "Then let the race begin."
……
"Well, there's one thing I don't understand," Gouldes, wearing desert-style combat shorts, warmed up in the crowd while pondering, "The Great Chieftain's city is divided into two districts, right? Since everyone is running towards the middle together, how can he ensure that everyone starts at the same time? The most important thing in a sacred duel is fairness. If fairness is lost, not only will this honor be out of the question, but it may also damage the Great Chieftain's reputation."
Who knows, and that's not the point, okay? "Father..." Rohan said with difficulty, "Can you take off that hairband on your head? And the sable fur wrapped around your waist..."
He never expected that after spending a fortune to watch 《Wolf Heart Fate》, his father would be as if possessed, repeatedly lamenting his daughter's beauty, while feeling heartbroken that he used to be afraid of being criticized by everyone and forced his daughter to cover up her wolf transformation parts. According to the other party's original words, it was both stupid and cowardly, causing Roja to endure too many unnecessary grievances, and also made her miss the most dazzling years as a goddess, which can be said to be not fulfilling a father's responsibility at all.
Okay, even if all of this is true, that doesn't mean you have to wear a hand-sewn cloth ear headband yourself, and tie a piece of fur as a tail!
You are the patriarch of the Mad Flame Clan! Rohan shouted in his heart, if this image is spread back to Azure Water Port, how will he face the leaders of other clans?
"This is my compensation to her, don't say more." Gouldes said sternly, "The fearless courage she showed in the Shadow of the Devil really made me feel ashamed. Not caring about the eyes of others, insisting on the path she chose, I taught her this way, but I couldn't do it myself. If you want to quell disputes, instead of hiding flaws, it is better to show them generously—if more people can accept this appearance, then the wolfified Roja is not called a monster."
"..." Rohan opened his mouth, but didn't know where to start persuading for a while.
"Did I hear you questioning His Majesty the King's fairness just now?" Suddenly someone chimed in, "Outsider, you know nothing about His Majesty's talent. The masterpiece he created can instantly connect two places, allowing conversations hundreds of miles apart to be like face-to-face! Did you see the things hanging overhead?"
Rohan looked in the direction of his finger, and saw two huge cylindrical objects hanging on the trees along the road. The black exterior could not be associated with sound transmission at all.
"That's called a loudspeaker! It can amplify the sound dozens of times. When it is connected to the telephone—which is also a divine creation that can communicate between two places—it can ensure that we and the people in Changge District hear His Majesty's command at the same time." The man said triumphantly.
"Oh! I see!" Gouldes clapped his palms, "Since it can ensure fairness, then I have to take it seriously!"
"But uncle, your body is really strong... It's just past winter and you're wearing short clothes, aren't you cold?" He curiously looked at Gouldes, "And this pair of pointed ear headdresses—"
It's over, it's coming... Rohan closed his eyes with difficulty. The other party will definitely sneer, and the result will be nothing more than two: his father will endure it, and the two of them will lose face; or he will be furious and beat the other party half to death, so the bad impression it will give the Great Chieftain cannot be estimated.
"Are you imitating the Ice Snow Princess, right? It's quite interesting..." The man continued, "Can you tell me where you bought it?"
Eh—! ?
Rohan couldn't believe his ears for a moment.
"Hahaha, well..."
As Gouldes was about to answer, the black cylinder called a loudspeaker suddenly made a piercing buzzing sound—
"Hello everyone... buzz... I am Roland.Wimbledon."
The noisy crowd at the scene suddenly quieted down.
"Presumably you already know the rules of the race, but I would like to reiterate here that the result is not the most important thing. This will be a challenge to yourself. As long as you do your best, whether you run to the end or not, you are a great winner. So don't put your mind on speculation or hindering others, focus on your feet, and win the honor with your own strength."
"I will be waiting for you at the finish line, and I wish you all good results."
"Then I announce."
"The race—begins!"