The next day, Dante, Crule, and Ming followed Turf to see his parked vessel. Gumb and Shallot went out to resupply for the race. Food, water, and other supplies were needed for the week long competition.
They reached a wooden boat with a wide hull. The boat was actually quite large. It was around thirty meters long and ten meters tall. The inside had two rooms and on the deck was enough space to stand. The bottom was two large metal blades that seem to dig right into the ground. It allows sleek and rapid movements through the desert. On the back was a large nose shaped rudder for steering.
The whole vessel looked like a dark oak monstrosity. It was however, covered in a thin layer of dust and looked aged.
[Turf]: Ah, my old vessel, how I missed you. I remember the days of my youth when I built this thing during my coming of age ceremony. The months I spent making it, the blood sweat and tears…Turf was reminiscing about the past. The others just look at the strange vehicle with slight amusement.
[Dante]: How fast does it go? [Turf]: If the winds are in our favor, a good hundred twenty kilometers an hour. [Ming]: So this thing is wind powered? What if the winds are blowing in the opposite direction? [Turf]: Ah, that shouldn’t be possible. The time during which the race is held is special. A unique wind that blows a full circle across the Sangrias desert appears during this time of year. Every year, around the same time. This is why the race is held during that time. [Crule]: So it’s a seasonal wind? [Turf]: Indeed. Now, help me clean up my old baby.Large buckets of water and mops were brought over.
[Dante]: Eh, if I knew there was going to be manual labor I would have just gotten Gumb to do it. [Crule]: No harm done. A good day of manual labor can keep the body healthy.Ming nodded.
Wearing crude cotton cleaning uniforms, they began cleaning the wooden ship.
______
Meanwhile, on top of cliff facing the City of Janus. A black vortex appeared out of nowhere. It slowly swirled for several minutes before suddenly speeding up and expanding. From the hole, a man walked out. His uniform was unlike anything seen in this world. A shining black overall with an olive green line running across it.
On his face was a pair of sunglasses that occasionally flash red before coming to a complete stop.
[Mysterious being]: So the anomaly is here…But it seems I am in a negative zone…my tools won’t work as well…The man look down at the pistol on his hip and the bangle he wore around his right wrist.
[Mysterious being]: No matter, capture of the anomaly is no troubling matter without my tools.The man grumbled to himself before jumping off the cliff. He rapidly descended like a missile and hit the bottom with a veritable shockwave. He patted the dust from his uniform and continued walking toward Janus.
______
The ship was starting to regain its former luster. Crule, Ming, and Dante was covered in dirtied water and sweat. The job was not finished, but now is the time for lunch.
Gardenia brought over some sandwiches for everyone along with a cold refreshing glass of cider. She also brought along some cold wet towels. They gratefully accepted the towels and wiped the dirt and sweat off their face and hands.
After lunch, the cleaning process was quickly finished. The suns were setting by then.
Everyone cleaned up and had a good dinner. The race will be the day after tomorrow.
______
The entire town of Janus was excited. More and more game participants appeared throughout the day. These participants were no beginners too. To be able to reach Janus, they either followed a trade caravan or had the strength to get there on their own. Most of them were in the mid-30s in lvl.
Mix between them were some warriors and mages who decided to participate in the games too. They had no need for the nanodes and were fully capable of taking care of themselves. If they die, it’s their own inadequacy and they accept their fate. These warriors and mages had face years of trial by fire through hunts and adventures in the Wild.
Soon, the number of teams participating in the race reach two hundred. Since many of them was in a hurry, the ship workshop had their hands full making new vessels left and right. None of them got a single wink of sleep in the past three days, continuously making new ships for the participants left and right. Some brought their own, some made their own, but most bought standard ones.
The city was fully decorated for a festival. Streets stalls became more profound and numerable. The whole city was bustling with anticipation.
______
Crule and the rest prepared everything for the race tomorrow. He didn’t seem to sense any disturbance these past few days. His cultivation was coming along nicely. He will soon establish his final gate. At times he was extremely thankful for his past self for gathering and saving so many things. His hoarder mentality actually paid off.
Ming had been playing with her new pet on and off. Snuggles had been doing nothing but sleep and eat. Its adorableness really help it earn its keep.
They spent the entire day in a carefree yet excited mood. The race was about to start soon. That evening, a filming crew from Metallurgy Inc. arrived. They set up an intricate filming setup. A flying drone that doesn’t seem to run on electricity flew up into the sky. Everything is saw was sent back to a large monitor that looked like a polished crystal. Several more drones was tested and almost all of them worked.
The race will start tomorrow. That night, few people could sleep due to anticipation.
All the ships lined up on the largest street in Janus. The street was covered in sand to allow the ships to move. Drones hovered left and right, recording everything as the ships and team come one by one. Soon the entire street was full and covered with ships. The audience on the sidelines cheered. A powerful warm wind was blowing through the street. None of the ships had their sail opened but if they were, they would be traveling at high speeds soon.
Crule and the rest were wearing their battle-ready uniforms. Of course Crule and Ming always keep their living armors on standby.
Their vessel shined sleek dark brown as its dark oak shined in the twin suns.
The mayor walked up on the podium, gave a short speech and welcomed all the new participants. He thanked the film group and Metallurgy Inc.
He pulled out from his pocket a red flare gun and aimed it up toward the air.
[Mayor]: Ready? Set?! GOOOOOOOOO!He pulled the trigger and a stream of red smoke following a bright light flew up. The fireworks were set off and confetti rained from the sky.
The ships opened their sails nearly all at the same time and the race was on.
[Mayor]: May the wind guide you to victory!Everyone shouted the same thing. The race had begun.
