Forty-eighth quarter game

Ashrufat's gaze swept over his future opponents.

Although the race was held in a small place, the quality of the horses that came to the race was really high. Here Ashruphat saw several extraordinary horses. In addition to the 'Red Lightning' he had seen yesterday, he had seen several fierce rivals: one gray but very tall, one medium but unusually muscular, and the last well-proportioned, with a small head and a long neck, and dark fur, but white from the four hooves below the knee.

The other horses also have their own characteristics. In fact, any horse in the race is worthy of the title of "good horse", and if it is put in the horse market, it can be regarded as a high-priced famous horse. However, with his own eye for admiring horses, Ashrufat knew that the real rivals of the Dao should be these four. Through small talk and listening to the words of the audience next to him, Ashrufat had now learned that all four of his rivals had come from out of town—for the prize money. They came to the tournament without an element of glory at all, it was all about the prize money. And judging by the behavior of the other party, Ashruphat believed that these people were most likely not the real owners of the horses, they were just professional riders.

Time passed little by little, and the audience in the open space grew. The previously empty clearing became lively. People who came to visit the game greeted each other and began to look for suitable viewing spots. One of the great things about this place is that it's big enough to accommodate everyone. However, there are not too many good places to watch the game, which leads to the real good spots always being crowded.

It was still early in the race, so people were busy taking their seats, chatting, discussing today's wins and losses, and all sorts of chores, and hardly anyone cared much about the horses and the runners. And those contestants are also making the most final preparations - the state of the horses, the condition of the saddle and belly belt. Almost every contestant has a servant or friend to assist him in the work.

So at this time, Lyle came alone to the place where the horses gathered at the foot of the mountain, and did not attract any attention at all.

Lyle looked left and right, and quickly found his goal. It was the same horse that Ashrufar had noticed earlier. The color of this horse is gray and unremarkable, but it is very tall and strong, with thick hooves. With so many sources of information, Lyle knows a lot about the horses that will be racing this year. This horse, known to spectators as "Grey Fur", is one of the favourites for the championship and also raced last year. Unfortunately, last year due to bad luck lost to "Red Lightning". When Lyle arrived, the out-of-town rider and two assistants were making the final preparations for the race.

"Hey, friend. Lyle walked over and said to the rider.

"What's the matter?" the gray-haired rider was a short, stocky man in his thirties. He looked at the well-dressed young gentleman in front of him with a somewhat suspicious look.

"I'm here to negotiate a deal with you. Lyle said with a smile. "A small deal. ”

"I'm sorry, I'm here for the championship. The rider replied. "I don't want to make any deals in this regard. ”

"Oh no, you misunderstood. Lyle made an exaggerated gesture. "My trade has nothing to do with your championship. He said.

"Oh, what a deal that's that, I'd like to hear it. ”

"See that horse?" he said, pointing quietly into the distance, "the white horse." ”

The rider looked over and saw Ashrufat and his white horse. Just like the normal logic in this world, as long as you are a participant, you have some ability to appreciate horses. So by this time all the riders had already seen Ashrufat as a fierce rival.

"What happened to the horse?"

"Our deal is all about him...... You have to try to make it as easy as possible to keep him out of the picture...... In return, a hundred Quillies!"

"Big Kim Oli?"

"Big Kim Oli!"

"Just need to 'do your best'?"

"Hehe, of course not, where is the money so easy to make. Only if he doesn't win the championship, then the 100 Gollies belong to you. Lyle said. "I'll admit that the money is insignificant compared to the prize for the champion. But you have to think about it, but no one else has won anything but the championship. At this point, a hundred Quioli is worth paying attention to, isn't it......? I have a good position for the audience to be able to see it clearly. ”

"Lest you doubt my sincerity, though. Lyle pulled a handful of golden objects out of his pocket and shoved them into the other's hands. "This is my deposit. ”

The rider of the "Grey Fur" hesitated, but eventually put the money away.

"May I ask what this is for?"

"For what, of course, because I don't want him to win!" Lyle smiled and patted the other man on the shoulder. "As for why I don't want him to win, that's a personal matter. By the way, although you are a veteran, I think it is necessary to remind ......"

"Reminder of what?"

"There is no rule in the rules of horse racing that 'no competitors should interfere with each other'. Lyle said. "Of course, I'm just reminding you. ”

With that, he left. Of course, he didn't turn back, but walked to another rider, who was the owner of the "Red Lightning".

"It should be a jealous game......" the gray-haired rider muttered to himself. "Why should I care about such a trivial matter, it is not a difficult thing to do anyway, it would be nice to have money to make!" he turned his head, and no longer cared about the young rich man. He has to focus all his energy on the game and care about it when he has the chance.

After a short while, after all the runners were ready, several clerks who were referees began to come over and urge the runners to assemble at the starting position.

The time has finally come for the game to start.

A loud and majestic trumpet sounded from the top of the mountain, resounding through the sky, making the whole area seem to shake a little. This announced that the horse race was about to begin. The crowd that had just filled the entire open space in twos and threes, after hearing this loudspeaker, quickly converged towards several suitable places for watching the game, as if a soldier had received an order. Soon, people were divided into several distinct groups, concentrated in different regions. But every area is crowded with people, and the water is not clear.

The exciting horse racing race is about to begin.

Several ceremonial officers led the trumpeters and attachés to appear in this way, and each was stationed in a key position in the race schedule. They carry red, brown or purple flags to show their presence. At the same time, a small group of armed soldiers also arrived at the scene, responsible for maintaining order and protecting the safety of the spectators.

As was customary in previous years, an old nobleman of high local morality, accompanied by the priests of several churches, came to the middle of the hilltop, on a small temporary platform on the edge of the pergola. He then delivered a message of no novelty, nothing more than a blessing for the future of the kingdom, the development of the land, and the harvest. However, the old man clearly knew that his statement was not welcome, or that he was anxious to wait for the match to start, so he ended the opening remarks with the shortest possible words.

Next, the local sheriff will speak in place of the Governor. But the sheriff, also known as Falode, was clearly a man of intellect—that is, his speech was concise and to the point, and it took very little time to finish.

At the time of the regular opening ceremony of the horse race on the flat ground at the top of the mountain, the riders were already in position at the starting level. After careful preparation, all the horses were enthusiastic and in good spirits at this time. The riders had to struggle to keep their mounts under control, and they were so excited that they scrambled.

Ashorufat had already seen the venue more than once. It was a race full of tests, even from the starting position. On the surface, the first leg of the road – like all trail races in the world – was smooth and barrier-free. The problem was that the starting position was wide enough for hundreds of horses to line up, but after the start, the flat road quickly became narrow, almost like a bell. In this case, the horse that starts a little slower will be forced to the back of the horse and miss the opportunity. To put it bluntly, among the horses in the race, those who fail to lead on this part of the journey will inevitably be forced to be squeezed behind, in an extremely disadvantageous position, and may even be pulled down by the first runner by a large distance.

Because of this, all the riders were focused on preparing for the opening sprint.

A ceremonial officer led his men, holding a flag aloft and walked back and forth on the starting line, which was considered to have reviewed all the participating horses, while the attendants raised their voices and repeatedly emphasized that the riders should start after hearing the gong. If there is a rush, it will be severely punished.

Ashrufat gently patted his slightly restless mount with his palm. The atmosphere of the race affected not only the people, but also the horses. The white steed was already on the move, but there was still a little way to go. The ceremonial officer and his men were still running in front of the riders, shouting something that everyone already knew about the horse racing system.

From the left and right, you can see a whole row of attentive riders and their horses eager to start. The riders' attire is also distinctive. Traditionally, each rider wears a cape of the same color as his mount as much as possible. For example, the "Red Lightning" not far away, his rider wears a pale red cape. And the black steed named "Treading Snow" has a black mantle for its rider. In fact, Ashrufat himself was no exception, wearing the white cloak made by the elves.

The craftsmanship of this cloak is extraordinary, and according to Aunt Mary, it should be a cloak made by elves. But even among the elves, this is not an ordinary cloak. In one of his dreams, the cloak was invulnerable, and even bullets could not penetrate it.

A second loud horn sounded to remind the participants to get ready and to get out of the starting position.

The ceremonial officer quickly left with his men. Soon after, a third horn sounded. This is the last signal that the game will start at any time.

Then, Ashruphat heard a loud gong.