The ship sounded its horn, slowly departing from the shallow bay.

Qiong stood at the stern, reluctantly bidding farewell to her fellow expedition members. After spending a winter together, her relationship with the witches had progressed significantly. Perhaps it had been too long since she had experienced being cared for and missed, which made this hard-won friendship feel exceptionally strong.

The somewhat awkward and stilted phrase, "Goodbye ah," which she repeated over and over, was the farewell she had learned.

Lightning looked quite dejected, staring in the direction of the stern with vacant eyes, making Roland repeatedly resist the urge to tell her that Thunder was on the ship. But remembering the latter's entrustment, he ultimately suppressed the thought.

Maisie covered her mouth, her shoulders trembling, her eyes brimming with tears, unable to utter a single word of farewell for a long time, probably afraid that she would burst into tears if she opened her mouth.

Only Lorgar was the most calm, holding Maisie with her tail, holding Lightning with one hand, and waving to Qiong with the other. For the Mojin, life and death farewells were commonplace, and she was already accustomed to such send-offs.

In Roland's eyes, the Wildflame Third Princess, who had initially arrived in Neverwinter alone, was undoubtedly undergoing a change at this moment, something perhaps even she herself had not noticed.

This was also one of the reasons why Roland didn't say anything.

With such a group of companions, he believed Lightning would eventually return to her former energetic self.

And the temporarily separated sisters would eventually be reunited.

…

The day after Thunder left, Roland announced the news of the first All-People Games to be held in the new royal capital through the Graycastle Weekly.

There was only one event: long-distance running.

Starting from the main urban area of Neverwinter or the Longsong District, the finish line was at the heart of Kingdom Avenue. The entire course was twenty kilometers, and the top ten finishers would receive gold dragon rewards ranging from one hundred to ten. The champion would also receive a commemorative badge personally awarded by the king.

The news instantly caused a sensation throughout the Western Region!

For a time, the streets and alleys were filled with inquiries about the games' regulations, and its momentum was no less than the public screening of the Shadow Film.

It should be known that one hundred gold dragons, as a down payment, were enough to buy a house equipped with water, heating, and electricity in the neighborhood closest to the castle district. This was the goal of most Neverwinter residents, except for the earliest migrants.

Although the new royal capital did not have the traditional division of inner and outer cities, and there were no walls separating the various districts, people still hoped to be closer to His Majesty the King.

In the past, this goal required a lifetime of accumulation to achieve, but now there was a possibility of achieving it in one step!

This was different from the Outstanding Contribution Award and the Combat Hero Award. The former were master-level figures in their respective industries, who would not be troubled by money even without the gold dragon reward, while the latter required risking one's life, with courage and luck being indispensable. But what about the Games?

As long as you could run, you were good to go!

Who didn't have two legs?

In the eyes of the people, this almost became another proof of His Majesty's compassion, love for the people, kindness, and generosity.

What made most people even happier was that the previously quite favorable policies were only implemented for formal residents, but this time, as the title of the Weekly stated, it was shared by "all people."

Not to mention Neverwinter residents, even merchants from other cities could participate in it.

It was no wonder that this novel activity could have such a great impact.

Of course, what Roland wanted to do was not just to appreciate a race and see who could run faster. The Games themselves had the effect of enhancing cohesion and encouraging people to challenge themselves and strive for progress. As an aftereffect of the Victory Day celebration and a bugle call before the start of the war, nothing was more inspiring than a Games.

In addition, he had a small plan.

That was to promote the comeback of bicycles.

As a failed product of early policy, he had always been somewhat concerned. The Graycastle King's proud invention, Chief Manager Barov's friendly advertising appearance, and the posters that were hung all over the square at that time, all ended in a dismal failure after only two hundred or so vehicles were produced due to insufficient productivity. The factory was converted into a steam engine assembly plant, and half of the finished products were given to the workers as remuneration.

The scenario of everyone riding bicycles between the various districts that he had envisioned not only did not materialize, but also resulted in a loss of resources due to improper planning. For example, the dedicated machinery and equipment produced for processing frame parts were all remelted, and the remaining half of the bicycles were not delivered to the First Army due to their small scale, and were all sealed in the warehouse.

It could be said that among the many projects he had arranged, this was the only one that did not create any profit.

Such a black spot naturally had to be found a way to erase.

The situation in the city was now completely different from what it was two or three years ago. The rapid expansion had led to a dramatic increase in the area of the city, and the newly built residential areas were lined up along Kingdom Avenue, farther and farther away from the main work locations such as factories, docks, and mines. Walking had become a time-consuming and laborious task. The improvement of the city streets also gave cyclists more places to reach easily.

Secondly, Neverwinter's productivity had also greatly improved. With the application of Jia Rubber Worms and new machine tools, de-witchification could be achieved from the very beginning, without causing any impact on existing projects.

Now was the best time to launch bicycles.

As long as the Second Army rode bicycles along the long-distance running team, acting as guides, traffic guides, and emergency rescue personnel, everyone would naturally discover the advantages of this means of transportation.

In that case, his biggest mistake since taking office would no longer exist.

Roland thought with confidence.

…

"Oh? Is this the city of the Grand Chief?" Gulds Burning-Fire walked out of the cabin, rubbing his cheeks. "This stone boat has great strength, but it's a bit too noisy. If I stay for another two or three days, I'm afraid my ears will be deafened."

"Father, are you really not going to cover up the tattoos on your face and change into some Northern clothes?" Lohan followed closely behind him, "Those people on the dock... are all looking at us."

"What does it matter? Let them look to their heart's content."

"But..."

"Are you worried about discrimination?" Gulds glanced at him, "If even Mojin passersby are so unbearable, what kind of life is my daughter living? The Grand Chief said that in his territory, everyone is treated equally. I want to see if he has deceived the Three Gods."

Mentioning Lorgar Burning-Fire, Lohan shut his mouth and stopped persuading.

The chieftain shook his head secretly. It seemed that his sister, who possessed outstanding martial strength, was still a knot in the other party's heart.

Going to this place from Azurewater Port was not a whim of Gulds. The revenge war that lasted for two months finally came to an end. The Small Oasis Sand People, who advocated migration, won the final victory under the command of Brian. The perpetrators of the Yinchuan tusha, the Raging Tides Clan and the Bone-Shaving Clan, were wiped out, and the six-clan system of Iron Sand City became history.

He was there to report the news on behalf of Brian.

It was not necessary for the head of a clan to do this kind of thing in person, but because of the war, the Wildflame Clan missed the Grand Chief's enthronement ceremony, so it would naturally be more sincere for him to deliver the good news of victory as a late congratulatory gift.

Moreover, Gulds was very concerned about how Lorgar was doing now.

She never wrote about her difficulties in her letters, so it was better to see some things with his own eyes.

There was no lantern-fire wine or roasted sand worms here, would she lose weight?