Chapter 100: Racing in the Air
Chapter 100: Racing in the Air
Fangflare woke up early and rummaged through his backpack, searching for a particular pair of sunglasses. After a long while, he still couldn’t find the flashy pink ones he was looking for.
He paused, tilting his head with a puzzled look on his face.
He distinctly remembered the gaudy pink sunglasses were in the bag.
Fangflare didn’t worry for long and turned to Qiao Sang.
When in doubt, always go to your Beastmaster.
Fangflare carried the backpack in his mouth and approached Qiao Sang, who was tying her hair into a ponytail.
“Ya!”
“Ya Ya!”
Qiao Sang calmly tied the last elastic band and said, “The ones you’re looking for? I forgot where I put them. Why don’t you wear the red ones? They match your fur, and you’ll look great.”
The Treasure Seeker, who was about to take off its Ring, was taken aback.
Didn’t Qiao Sang put the pink heart-shaped sunglasses in its bag last night?
The Treasure Seeker glanced at Qiao Sang, just in time to see her wink at it.
It instantly understood.
Qiao Sang was doing this on purpose.
“Xun...”
The Treasure Seeker instinctively covered its mouth.
So this was a secret!
Fangflare, upon hearing this, immediately forgot about the pink sunglasses and started searching for the red triangular ones, putting them on.
“Ya!”
With the sunglasses on, Fangflare wagged its tail and barked at Qiao Sang.
“Really good look!” Qiao Sang said with a genuine smile.
Compared to the pink heart-shaped sunglasses, any other pair would look better.
“Ya.”
Fangflare wagged its tail even more enthusiastically.
Too bad there wasn’t a full-length mirror here; otherwise, it would have gone to check itself out.
...
Qiao Sang, who had participated in a formal competition before, felt no anxiety about the Marathon Relay.
After all, she was just there to make up the numbers...
However, when she arrived at the venue, she was still taken aback by the scene.
Pine Oak Street.
The starting point of the race.
The street was lined with people from one end to the other.
Looking up, she saw that the Cloud Track, created by Flying-type familiars, stretched from west to east, seemingly endless.
On both sides of the Cloud Track, dozens of Beastmasters were riding their Flying-type familiars, whether they were staff or spectators, it was hard to tell.
Qiao Sang looked at the bustling crowd on both sides of the street, seriously doubting if the entire Qi Tang Town had shown up.
The Treasure Seeker, perched on Qiao Sang’s head, blinked its eyes curiously, taking in the surroundings.
This was the first time it had seen so many people.
Soon, it made eye contact with several people.
Then, those people smiled at it.
The Treasure Seeker was taken aback, feeling confused.
“Xun?”
In the past, people would always look away when they met its gaze.
Why was it different this time?
“Ah Sang, come here to pick up your equipment,” Ye Ranran called out from a spot marked as the contestant check-in area.
“I didn’t expect so many people to come,” Qiao Sang remarked as she walked over.
“Probably everyone in town. There’s not much entertainment around here, so people don’t miss out on Beastmaster competitions,” Ye Ranran explained.
Qiao Sang nodded. In the city, there were many Beastmasters and frequent competitions. Small events, if not well-publicized, often went unnoticed.
The Newcomer Competition was a perfect example.
In contrast, in the town, there were fewer Beastmasters and fewer competitions. Any news about a Beastmaster event would spread quickly through word of mouth.
“Ah Sang, don’t be nervous. Just stay calm,” Third Uncle suddenly said from the side.
Qiao Sang: “...”
While she was surprised by the crowd, she wasn’t nervous at all. After all, she wasn’t the one running...
“Fangy, are you nervous?” Qiao Sang asked, looking down.
“Ya.”
Fangflare, wearing sunglasses and looking cool, wagged the middle short toe on his right paw.
"Third Uncle, we’re not nervous, so you don’t have to be either", Qiao Sang said, looking up.
Third Uncle: "…Okay."
Qiao Sang lined up, picked up the two bibs, and attached them to Fangflare and Treasure Seeker.
Fangflare was A071, and Little Treasure Seeker was C166.
The bibs were marked with A, B, or C at the beginning, indicating the first track (land), second track (river), and third track (sky) respectively.
These bibs not only marked the personal race numbers but also contained timing chips that could be read at timing points to record arrival times, which would then be uploaded to the timing system to calculate race results.
"I’m heading to the second track now. Third Aunt and Jingwen will be waiting there. We’ll meet up later", Third Uncle said.
"Third Uncle, you go ahead. We’ve got this", Ye Ranran said.
Qiao Sang nodded in agreement.
Third Uncle’s familiars, the Bellowing Swamp Crocodile and the Inky Fish, both belonged to the second track.
After Third Uncle left, Ye Ranran said, "I can have Aunt Lin drive you to Jin Song Village. You know Aunt Lin, right? She’s the one who went with me to Yellow Bright Mountain last time. She really likes you and has been mentioning you a lot lately."
Ye Ranran’s Desert-Tail Fox was the first leg of the first track.
Qiao Sang’s Fangflare was the second leg, which started 10 kilometers away in Jin Song Village.
"No, I’ll go by myself. It’s not good to trouble others, and with so many people on the streets, it’s not easy to drive", Qiao Sang declined.
"Alright, I’ll call you when Amo is almost to Jin Song Village", Ye Ranran said, not pushing the matter.
…
30 minutes later, Qiao Sang regretted her decision.
It was her first time participating in such a race, and she had no experience.
Who could tell her why the first leg and the second leg were so far apart!
Qiao Sang pedaled furiously on her bicycle through the streets.
Had the race started?
It must have…
What if the Desert-Tail Fox had already reached the first checkpoint by the time she got there!
"Ya!"
"Ya!"
Fangflare cheered from the bike basket.
Treasure Seeker clung to Qiao Sang’s hair with his short claws, his round eyes squinting in the wind.
Qiao Sang’s heart was pounding as she rode.
It would have been so much better to take a ride from someone else.
Why did she decide to bike for no reason…
Now, she thought she was just coming to go through the motions, but it looked like even that might be in jeopardy…
"Hey, beautiful, want to fly?"
Qiao Sang looked up, hopeful.
A Great Winged Sparrow was flying above her, carrying two men and a woman.
The man in front looked to be in his 40s, while the two in the back appeared to be in their 20s.
As Qiao Sang cycled, she shouted, "I’m heading to Jin Song Village. Is that your way?"
The Great Winged Sparrow flew to her right and followed.
The middle-aged man on top heard her and said cheerfully, "Sure, sure! They’re also headed to Jin Song Village. I’ll charge you 800. How about it?"
The two young people exchanged a look, realizing that the middle-aged man was trying to take advantage of the young girl.
They were each paying 600 for a shared ride, and he was asking 800 from a child.
Qiao Sang had never flown before, but her mother was a professional flyer.
While it was for sightseeing, she knew the prices well.
"400, fly or not!" Qiao Sang shouted.
The middle-aged man decided, "Fly!"
The two young people were stunned. They were the ones being taken advantage of?!
(End of Chapter)
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