The following morning, from the first ringing of the bell, people continued to flock to the Farrit pavilion. The Rono clan had many properties, in and out of the capital, but none could match this pavilion in terms of size, capacity, and aesthetics.
Located in one of the affluent areas of the city, the brook and greenery were quite the sight. However, the huge arena in the middle was the most attractive feature.
Poised to hold up to five thousand people, this arena was quite huge and impressive. The towering walls and the impressive seating arrangement made the entire structure look immaculate and dignified.
A lot of effort was put in the various VIP and VVIP spots. Be it decorations, aesthetics, or luxury, none could complain over the Rono clan's diligence. The grandeur of the place demonstrated the prestige of a noble clan.
Below them, the various spots where the commoners would seat were already full to the brim. People had been flocking since morning. Some had tickets, others were buying them on the spot. No one wanted to miss out.
The race would start at Duke Sigis' Jumil pavilion and end at the Farrit pavilion, which was where the final event and presentation would be held. There were more than ten miles between the two, including a large part of the route passing through the city, as well as the countryside.
This was done so as to give the competition some variety. These mounts should be able to have stamina to cross the ten miles in top speed. They should also be able to traverse the city, the forest, and even the wilderness. All these were under test.
One of the rules was that none of the mounts, or constructs were supposed to contain magical abilities. The divine beasts, should any participate, were capped at Tier 0 level.
Much like humans, animals and beasts could also gain special powers. However, unlike humans, beasts that gained magical abilities were classified as monsters, unless they were divine beasts.
Divine beasts all had the talent. The entire race had similar abilities. At birth, they were all at Tier 0. These included dragons, which could breathe fire, and phoenix, which had mastery over the nirvana flames. However, much like everyone else, divine beasts could not challenge these abilities at Tier 0.
As you would expect, divine beasts were rare and far between. Very few people saw these beasts, let alone interact with them. Hence, only the absolutely powerful would consider such beasts as pets or mounts.
To ensure equality in this competition, they did not allow beasts that had powerful abilities to participate. Hence, this was the only way. All mounts and constructs would not have powers or abilities.
As such, all constructs and mounts would be inspected beforehand to prevent any contestant from cheating.
This rule made it such that the pressure on the riders was even more amplified. Now, they could not rely on their mounts' magical abilities.
For those with mounts, they had to figure out how to channel their mounts to be able to run the entire distance at relatively fast pace, without allowing fatigue to come in. The same went to those with constructs. The problem was, for those with constructs, the power came from the riders. As such, these riders needed to channel their strength and stamina.
In the past few weeks leading up to the event, Keita had insisted that Zukov practice by riding forty miles every day. After the first time, he realized he had been worried over nothing. By now, Keita was thoroughly confident of Zukov's victory.
However, he still kept the training regiment, so that Zukov could be prepared for everything.
The boy, Zukov, was literally a kid with a new toy. After watching Keita riding, he had already mastered the moves. Hence, he took less than a day to learn to ride properly. Even Keita was impressed.
After that, he kept riding every day. A long cross-country route had been set up for the boy to practice. This meant that his skills kept growing day by day.
By the time the day was approaching, he had managed to grow his internal power, and his skills by leaps and bounds. In so doing, he discovered a new use for the bicycle, one that would become a great selling point for the construct.
After much practice, he was ready. In fact, he longed for the day to come quicker. The Rono clan matched his efforts as well, amping up the event as though they were assured of success. This galvanized the crowd even more.
For the purpose of showmanship, the clan had organized huge magic mirrors in the Farrit pavilion. Many viewed the huge structures with admiration. To Keita, magic mirrors were a lot like TVs, or an online meeting, only they were powered by vasili abilities.
These structures could show what was happening in one area in a different place. Instead of cameras, the area being viewed was overlaid with a formation to capture movement. For this competition, the formation covered the entire route, allowing the audience to see the entire race.
These items were extremely expensive. Like many others, anything that had to do with enhanced abilities would always fetch a pretty penny. The magic mirrors were so rare to find that only a select few could afford it. Even then, it was not the kind of thing one could buy with just money. The Rono clan were showing off their prestige.
When Keita saw them, ideas on how to bring about television screens started running through his mind, but he had to settle down. First, cross the current hurdle, he told himself.
All the higher ups were seated. Even the various clan heads and clan head representatives had shown up. Everyone waited for the start of the competition.
Finally, it was time. The contestants started taking their place.
First in line was Zukov, with his bicycle. He was pushing it on the side, not riding it. He did not want to reveal its ability just yet. Everyone's eyes were glued to the bicycle, intrigued by the creation. They eagerly waited to see its performance in the race. They knew that this was the reason for the event.
From his seat, Keita looked at Zukov's calm appearance with a smile. He knew his brother would see it through. This made a lot of the pressure he was feeling losen up.
Growl!
A loud sound suddenly interrupted everyone. The one controlling the screen focused up, showing a huge elk with a tiny child seated upon it. Matti looked tiny in comparison to the beast carrying him.
The thing was up to two meters tall and rippling with muscles. As it moved majestically, it dwarfed everything around it. From his perch, Matti was feeling very elated. The previous night's insult still running through his mind. It was time to show them what he was capable of.
From his seat, Keita frowned. It had been said that Matti would be using his personal elk, but from the look of things, that was not the case. That huge monstrosity could not be a child's mount. Clearly, the Sun scepter sect was not taking any chances.
The only consolation was that the elk was still a Tier 0. A huge power such as the Sun scepter sect would not commit such a blatant violation of rules. Not forgetting, there were inspectors to ensure that no one broke the rules. Despite comforting himself, Keita could tell that there would be a lot more surprises in store.
Next up, a large tiger-looking beast matched forward, with a youth seated on its neck. It was unclear how he would be controlling the beast. Immediately, everyone was captivated by the beast. Its majestic and savage aura made it an immediate attention grabber.
"Who is that?" one noble asked, gasping at the magnificent beast. Many people had focused on the celebrity names, Zukov, Matti, even Kassid. Many others were overlooked.
"I don't recognize him," another answered. Such scenes were playing out all over as people wondered who the rider of the beast was. Keita recognized him as one of the quieter vasilis in the previous night's ball.
"Lima of house Nibiro, baron of the Valley lands," the announcer made his declaration. Everyone was announced, but some people did not need announcing.
In the highest seats, where the patriarchs were gathered, Zukov's grandfather turned to a certain corner, where the baron was seated, as did many others.
"What a way to make an entrance," Duke of Sigis remarked as he turned to the baron.
"Just a brat showing off," the baron replied. The glint in his eyes betrayed the pride he felt at that moment.