"Have you heard, the competition among the noble vasilis is about to happen?"
"What competition?"
"What hole have you been sleeping in? Have you not even heard of this?"
"Apologies, I am new to the city."
"The racing competition among the young noble vasilis. Everyone is talking about it."
"Are they going to be running?"
"No, better, they will be riding on mounts," the first person replied.
"Not only mounts, but also constructs too," A third interjected.
All across the city, and indeed the kingdom, similar conversations were taking place. Those in far places who wished to attend had already started traveling, some had already booked proper accommodations.
Finally, the D Day was upon us.
The competition was finally here. The venue had been decided and so had been the route. As the challenger, the Rono clan had taken the responsibility of organizing the entire event.
They mapped out the route and prepared the various venues, that is, the kickoff and finishing venue. They were also in charge of laying the relevant formations and preparing the watching post, for those who could not enter the final grounds.
Such events were very frequent, especially among the vasilis. Cultivation for a vasili was a combination of talent, effort and resources. However, something else was needed. Opportunity, and a proper mindset.
Having something hanging on your mind could disrupt one's cultivation. Hence, the young vasilis were encouraged to brave any challenge they encountered, boldly pushing forward to enhance their inner self.
These young vasilis needed to face down obstacles and win opportunities, hence such friendly competition was strongly encouraged. Of course, this was mainly among the upper society.
Since there were no sports, and not much in the way of pastime activities, such competitions drew the attention of the people. Boys and men alike wished to be such competitors, while the ladies idolized the victors. All in all, it would usually lead to a carnival, people celebrating and forgetting their tiring lives.
This was why, the moment the competition was announced, several others jumped on board, making it a huge affair. Not just to garner some reputation, but also to enhance the prestige of their respective backgrounds.
In such events, the organizing clan, sect, or institution would have to host a banquet, a chance to gather all the elites that have travelled or intend to partake in the event. As such, one day prior, there was a huge ball at the Rono clan manor, the home of the patriarch.
Beginning at the gathering dusk, the ball would include all those who had the intention of attending the occasion and of some repute, or background. As such, it was an opportunity for the elite of the noble families and various other lofty backgrounds to gather, and network.
Be it prestige, or networking, all these were adult reasons. For the children, they were here to meet up with their crush, reconnect with friends and acquaintances.
In absence of proper schooling, balls like these provided opportunities for the children to mingle. In fact, plenty of upper-class weddings had resulted from such balls.
Dressed in their sharpest, both twin boys and their younger sister got into a carriage headed to the manor. The family lived in a different castle, but quite close. These two were playing the role of hosts, but they were also the main attraction.
Similarly, the bicycle was going to be revealed for all the world to see, and hence it was carried. The one on display would be a show pony, not the heavy-duty machinery that Zukov would be using. Therefore, for marketing's sake, this bicycle was made of gold with silver trims. The contrast made the silver pop out, as with chrome.
The whole thing looked extremely ostentatious; however, the basics were all there. Due to the various heavy metals that it was made of, it was somewhat bulky and less efficient, but it would still get the job done.
It had already arrived at the manor and was on display. A lot of people would immediately go to check it out once they got wind that it could be seen. In fact, a lot of people who had come had gone there to inspect this latest creation by the genius of the Rono clan.
Even the patriarch has come to admire the invention, wondering how it worked. He took pride in the fact that one of his grandsons had developed this thing. Even if the competition was lost the following day, to Count Rono, the purpose of this even had been fulfilled.
For a long time, many people wondered if the Rono clan was just amping up one of their juniors. From their perspective, the supreme swords were not Keita's creation. However, with this bicycle, the patriarch knew that those rumors would subside. Keita had gone and done it, proving his genius for all the world to see.
He looked forward to seeing it the following day, when his other grandson used it to win the event. He was very confident of these two boys.
Yes, even the patriarch expected great things from the twins. The stronger of the two, Zukov, was very impressive and highly talented. To breakthrough to Tier 2 at such a tender age was no mere feat, and the boy did not look like he was done.
The weaker one, Keita, was now showing great potential as well as ambition, a desire to break out of his brother's shadows. This was a good thing for the family. If well nurtured, these two could become the pillars of the family in their generation.
From the late evening, honored guests had already started streaming in. By nightfall, the event was underway, and the whole place was packed. Luckily, the Rono clan was well versed with hosting such events, and they would not let a single hair be out of place. How could they lose their prestige in such a gathering.
The various challengers had brought their mounts or constructs. Much like Zukov, they too were eager to show what they were capable of, and more importantly, what their mounts were capable of.
Having grown up in the capital, the boys, and their sister, were no strangers to such events. They were already in their respective cliques. More people continued to stream in, even some being fashionably late
By the time Miss Chon arrived, many people were gathered around the various exhibitions, each eager to see these mounts and constructs, some even making a comment or two about them.
With her shadows, Young Miss Thea and Young Miss Ellen, flanking her, they made their way to the exhibition. This seemed the gathering point of all the youngsters.
Each of the three girls were a sight to behold. When they came together, they became formidable in appearance and temperament. Despite being still just children, they were already quite the eye candy, and their temperaments had begun forming.
In their mind, every eye landed on them, every man desired them, every woman desired to be them. This was not far from the truth since their attractiveness was through the roof. Boys would sigh in admiration and girls shot them looks of jealousy.
From a corner, Zukov caught sight of these three beauties. Coincidentally, they were headed in his direction. The twins had been busy with hosting matters, but they soon made their way to the exhibit, where they were interacting with the crowd
Unfortunately, from another corner, Matti, and his Sun scepter sect members, were also in the gathering. They were very loud and conspicuous, since they were the winners of this competition last time.
Matti had a soft spot for the girl, but she did not even pay him any mind. Instead, she went to chat up the two boys.
Zukov was already well acquainted with the girls, so he introduced them to Keita.
"Young master Rono, we finally meet," With her beautiful eyes that seem to bore through the soul, Miss Chon approached Keita.
"Miss Chon, you are too kind. Please call me Keita," Keita replied, while bowing slightly. She was a daughter of a duke, and he was a grandson of a count, her status was higher than his.
"Then, Keita, you must call me Chon," she answered with a brilliant smile, "I insist." This was a high honor for a lady to offer to be addressed without her title. Especially one such as Chon. Not even Zukov got such privilege. Keita could not refuse her.
"Alright, Chon," He hesitated, "What do you think of the bicycle?" As he turned, she reached out her hand and hooked it into his. She half-expected Keita to freeze with awkwardness, as would many boys.
To her surprise, he took it in stride, without missing a step. Little did she know Keita was not a normal boy. The man had as many memories and life experience tucked in his brain as her grandfather.
"Is that what you are calling it?" she asked as she reached out her hand to touch it. One could see the fascination and wonder in her eyes. Despite himself, Keita was quite pleased to see this.
"It looks so plain and simple. Take out the gold and what do you have? An empty shell!" one of the Sun scepter sect members interjected. "This is what the fuss was all about?"
To these guys, such a machine was nothing more than a desperate attempt by the Rono clan to save face. Regardless, their elk would take down any that stood in its path. The poor bicycle did not even stand a chance.
Matti had his eyes on Chon, and he was extremely vexed by how close Keita was to her. However, as a dignified person, he had others fighting his battles for him.
"I think it looks pretty," Young Miss Thea said, pushing back the critics. She couldn't let Chon lose face. This led to a heated discussion, but the main people in the group hardly made a remark.
Both Keita and his brother did not even try to defend the creation, leading to the others speculating that the thing had some problems. This was brought up by the Sun scepter sect members.
"Well, are you going to keep us in suspense, how does it work?" Miss Chon asked, flashing her smile at Keita. This time, that beautiful smile was quite close to Keita. He was not made of wood, and hence, he too found himself staring at her prettiness.
At this sight, even Keita paused momentarily, a fact that brought her immense glee. Deep down, Keita was wondering how to explain it all, but Chon misunderstood his response, thinking he was being shy.
"Nope, no explanations," Zukov jumped in. "You just have to wait for the competition."