"Wow, it's fantastic," Barov exclaimed while stoking his beard. "I never expected a long-distance race to be so thrilling!"

"Indeed. I felt my heart racing when those three guys were running neck-and-neck toward the finish line," said Petrov, the governor of Longsong District. "Unfortunately, only the champion can get the souvenir badge. What a pity."

"Is it really a pity for you?" The City Hall Director smiled before adding, "The champion is from Longsong District. If I were you, I couldn't have too many regrets like that."

"Come on, Ms. Sunflower was just lucky. If nothing else, you'll get what you want at next year's Victory Day Games."

"Really? I'm a little worried that something unexpected will happen."

"Aha, if it happens all the time, then it's not an unexpected thing."

Hearing these two veteran politicians, who had a 20-year age difference, having a nice chat with many subtle jabs woven in, Roland thought, "Well, well, you guys are so well-matched. Both of you are amazingly skilled at debate."

After Roland announced the top three runners of the race, all the spectators felt more relaxed. They continued talking about the match in low voices, while waiting for the other partic.i.p.ants to cross the finish line. Apparently, everyone was deeply attracted to this sports compet.i.tion, which catered to their desire to see people push themselves to the limit of human endurance.

Even the witches, who had superhuman abilities, were caught up in the compet.i.tion.

Seeing the girls so excited, Roland could not help smiling.

Considering that their magical powers might discourage regular people from partic.i.p.ating, he forbad them and the G.o.d's Punishment Witches from taking part in the race. But now, he was thinking that he should hold a special game for the witches.

What will happen if I organize a special sports compet.i.tion for them?

"Is this what sporting events look like in your previous world?" Anna's voice interrupted his thought. "In the first half of the race, you seemed a little bit distracted."

"Because I couldn't see or hear what was happening in the race," Roland sighed.

"Are you saying that there was a way to instantly let people know what was happening during a match in your previous world?" Anna's eyes shone with excitement. "How did you do that?"

"That's a little bit complicated," he replied with a smile. "Do you remember the television that I told you?"

Despite the race not being broadcast live on television or having someone to give a running commentary, it was still a successful event. It was exciting and suspenseful, with its result being totally unexpected. It attracted lots of spectators and many partic.i.p.ants in this game had his or her own unique style, such as Carter, who wore a knight's cloak, or Rohan, who cosplayed the wolf girl, both of whom were among the most talked-about figures today.

As for the champion, Sunflower, she also seemed to have legendary life experiences. According to Scroll's roster, she had been a Rat on Black Street, and then she became a mail carrier after Roland took control of Longsong Stronghold. Since then, she had been running in the streets and lanes of Longsong District every day to deliver mail. Because of this, she outshone all her opponents and won this long-distance race.

She was not as strong as Ferlin, Carter or Rohan, but she was the champion. This result was completely outside of everyone's expectations, but it pleased Roland. Her victory embodied the hope of many ordinary workers and made them believe that hard work could really change their fate.

When the sun began to set, the first National Sports Event was drawing to an end.

The spectators flocked to the stands to watch the award ceremony.

For Roland, this was the most important part of today's event.

He stood up and nodded to Echo, then stepped forward to stand at the front of the stage.

Neverwinter was going to wage a war against demons in the Taquila ruins. To boost his people's morale, he decided to give a prewar speech to them at this ceremony.

He looked down and saw a sea of faces. Seeing the king, the crowd gradually quieted down.

"Citizens of Graycastle, you've just witnessed a miraculous race. In less than four hours, many partic.i.p.ants ran 28 kilometers, which is exactly half the length of Kingdom Main Street."

"I want to remind you all, especially the new residents, that in the past, it took us at least three days to travel from Border Town to Longsong Stronghold and we had to travel day and night to do so. Back then, if someone told you that he could run to Longsong Stronghold in a day, you would think it was a joke. But today, you've witnessed it!"

"Citizens of Graycastle, you've already created many miracles. You're able to run 28 kilometers in less than four hours. You're capable of building roads through mountains and many other great projects in this city. For you, anything is possible and nothing can stop you from achieving greater success!"

The crowd burst into cheers.

Roland paused to give the people a sign to quiet down. After that, he continued, "Now, we're faced with a brand new challenge, demons. We've arrived at a crucial juncture in our war against them. Soon, the First Army will go deep into the Fertile Plains and wage war against the demons at Taquila once again."

"Demons are the most brutal and greedy invaders we've met. They've destroyed many thriving kingdoms and ma.s.sacred millions of people. Wherever they have been, cities and towns crumbled into ruin, and bodies were piled up like hills!"

"So we must fight before such a disaster strikes!"

"We will fight them on land; we will fight them on the sea; we will fight them in the sky. We will fight until demons no longer exist in this world. And then, no one will threaten our survival anymore!"

"I'm so glad to spot some Mojins and people from other lands among you. I enjoy seeing you dispel prejudices and barriers and to form a close-knit community. I promise you that this is going to be the new normal! Demons intend to eliminate all human beings, men, women, and children, no matter where you come from or how old you are. In this war, we fight not only for Graycastle, but we fight for the entire human race!"

"My fellow citizens, when you feel fear in front of dreadful enemies, think about today's miracle. As long as we have faith in each other and stick together to the end, we will certainly win!"

"Now, let's welcome the top 10 runners to the stage to receive their awards!" Roland announced loudly.

The crowd burst into cheers once again, and this time, the people cheered much louder and longer. The ceaseless cheers and applause reverberated around the stands.

"The great chief is such a good speaker..." Guelz, who stood beside the stand, took a deep breath and said, "I can't wait to go into battle after hearing his speech." He looked at Rohan and asked, "Are you ready to go on stage and receive your prize?"

"Father, but I..." Rohan bit his lip and looked sad.

"But you didn't win first prize?" Guelz grinned and rubbed his son's head. "You tried your best. That's enough. Go up there and stand tall. Let everyone marvel at what the successor of the Wildflame clan has achieved."

Rohan was startled. He looked at his father quietly and then nodded his head vigorously.

He strode toward the stage and did not feel embarra.s.sed to be wearing the wolf girl outfit anymore.

Guelz watched his back in the glow of the setting sun. He found that his son looked tall and confident now, just like Lorgar.