Volume 3 Chapter 24 Frestech Cycling Race
At the last press conference, CEO Kennard had represented Xu Yi in announcing in fervent words that the Frestech Chamber of Commerce would be entering a high speed expansion phase.
However, in everyone’s eyes, this chairman Xu in this month really was…..ignoring his job.
In the beginning when Xu Yi announced in the «Banta Times» that he would be releasing three theoretical magic machine books and announcing that he would be opening a Frestech Academy, making people stunned.
It had been a long time since Xu Yi said he would be opening a school, but after everyone learned the curriculum, they were all confused.
It was fine for him to set up a magic school, but why was there language, math, physics, chemistry, astronomy, geography, and history……Why were there all these different curriculums?
To many people, the useful things were astronomy and geography, but as for what language and math…..Teaching people how to be literate and learning simply math, wasn’t this something that should be taught when kids were young?
As for the response that Xu Yi gave in the «Banta Times», he said that teaching language wasn’t anything special, but math, physics, chemistry, and the other topics were all related knowledge for the foundation of magic machines, they were all things that could greatly promote the magic machine industry.
According to this explanation, the school could be considered related a bit to his work.
But as for the following matter, people couldn’t relate it to Xu Yi’s work at all.
After a month of preparation, the Frestech Chamber of Commerce’s Frestech Cycling Race was being held on a crisp fall day in the middle of October.
After being promoted by the Frestech Chamber of Commerce in all the major newspapers and in posters all over Banta City, not only did people of Banta City come, even people of the other cities knew about this race.
They knew from the advertis.e.m.e.nts that this cycling race was a compet.i.tion held by the Frestech Chamber of Commerce. The contents of the compet.i.tion were very simple, it was to compete in who rode bicycles faster.
According to the rules of the compet.i.tion, the compet.i.tors started in Banta City and rode to the end point of the Falling Rain Valley, going in a line of over sixty kilometers.
Because this was the first compet.i.tion, the Frestech Chamber of Commerce stated that this was just the beginning and didn’t offer prizes that were too rich. But the first place compet.i.tor would still earn a full set of the Frestech Chamber of Commerce’s Frestech Brand household magic machines.
Calculating this, this set of household magic machines had a value of over two hundred gold coins, so it wasn’t little.
Other than first place, the Frestech Chamber of Commerce had second place prizes for ten compet.i.tors. They could receive a set of Frestech Brand kitchen household magic machines, which had a value of close to a hundred gold coins.
After that, there were fifty third place prices. They could receive a Frestech Brand Variable Temperature Magic Air Conditioner, with a value of thirty gold coins.
With so many enticing prizes, it drew many people to partic.i.p.ate. There were many people who hadn’t bought a bicycle before who had bought one to practice all month, planning to use this training to receive a prize.
When it came to the day of the compet.i.tion, there were a terrifying ten thousand people who had partic.i.p.ated.
Because this surpa.s.sed their expectations, the Frestech Chamber of Commerce announced these ten thousand people would be divided into five groups. Then they would have their rank determined based on their time of start and their arrival time at the goal.
Because it was like this, the compet.i.tion that they expected to be held in the morning was extended to all day.
But the over ten thousand people partic.i.p.ating didn’t complain at all.
After all, in the opinion of most people, partic.i.p.ating in a cycling race was already a novel experience. The prizes were just an additional part, it was good if they got them and there was no problem if they didn’t.
Moreover, the Frestech Chamber of Commerce had given everyone a pleasant surprise. Before the compet.i.tion began, Xu Yi actually rode in with Still and Great Magician Camilla who hadn’t been seen in a long time to line up at the starting line. They were actually planning to set off with the first batch of contestants!
Seeing the honest gazes around him, Xu Yi teased Still beside him, “Hey, don’t you think that these fellows have suddenly become more excited after seeing the three of us?”
Still rolled her eyes, “Anyway, it’s not you.” She took her hands off her handles after saying this and raised both hands to wave at the crowd, instantly drawing out loud cheers. Then she revealed a proud smile to Xu Yi, “How about it?”
Xu Yi couldn’t help smiling, as he thought that Still still acted naughty in front of him, it was the same even after getting married.
“Let’s compare then.” Seeing Still’s actions, Xu Yi became more childish. He raised his hands like Still and exhibited a stance that he considered very handsome as he waved to the people around him.
The crowd was filled with a cheer again, but this time there were the voices of females that covered up the male voices.
Still gave a soft snort, “Chairman Xu, I never thought that you were so welcomed by girls.”
Xu Yi laughed, “I’m unworthy of this praise.”
The two looked at each other before breaking out in laughter. Then they looked at Great Magician Camilla on the side.
Great Magician Camilla glared at them, “What are you looking at me for? Could it be that you want me to be as compet.i.tive as you kids?”
The two laughed before looking at each other. They suddenly came off and came to Great Magician Camilla’s side, as they both grabbed a hand and raised them at the same time.
Seeing the appearance of the three, the surrounding people erupted in an ear shattering cheer. It was clearly much louder compared to before and it was filled with excited shouting.
“See, grandfather, you have a very high position in the minds of Banta City’s people. So you should come out more and let everyone see you, they will feel much more a.s.sured.” Xu Yi said with a smile.
“Right, grandfather, you should come out more when you have nothing to do. It isn’t good to stay in the lab all day.” Still also said.
Great Magician Camilla looked at the two of them before revealing a happy smile. He shook his head and said, “Alright, I know you’re worried about my body, but there’s nothing to worry about. Let me tell you, I’ve already reached the threshold and perhaps not long from now, I’ll become a Fifth Grade Great Magician. I want to try hard to become a Arch Magus and live a few more years.”
Xu Yi and Still were stunned at the same time.
“Wa! Grandfather, you’re about to become a Fifth Grade Great Magician? This fast?” Still called out with a face covered in pleasant surprise.
Great Magician Camilla revealed a faint smile, “I don’t know why, but after I started researching magic machines, I’ve found that my magic level has grown faster compared to before.” He looked at Xu Yi after saying this, “Hey, kid, even an old man like me is about to break through, you shouldn’t loaf around. Otherwise if you can’t even become a Great Magician before I become an Arch Magus, that wouldn’t be right.”
Xu Yi nodded with a bitter smile, “I will work hard.”
Still took Xu Yi’s hand with a smile, “Grandfather, be a.s.sured, I will definitely urge him to become a Great Magician. When our family has two Great Magicians, mom and dad will definitely die of happiness.”
Great Magician Camilla laughed before he waved his hand and said, “Alright, let’s talk about this later, we’ll partic.i.p.ate in this bicycle race today. Speaking of this, this kid Xu Yi, you really have all kinds of ideas. You’re actually holding a compet.i.tion to sell bicycles.”
“This isn’t just for promotion, this kind of compet.i.tion also promotes being healthy, right?” Xu Yi said in an aggrieved voice.
“Un, I agree with this. So you two don’t need to care about me today, I will ride the sixty kilometers myself!” Great Magician Camilla heroically waved his hand, not giving Xu Yi and Still a chance to say anything.
The two could only nod in agreement.
It was a good thing that although Great Magician Camilla was close to seventy, because of his physique as a Great Magician, his body wasn’t weak. As long as he didn’t think about the compet.i.tion, it wasn’t hard for him to slowly ride these sixty kilometers.
The three chatted for a bit and the host specially invited brought the atmosphere of the compet.i.tion to a climax. The time for the compet.i.tion came and the host loudly announced the beginning of the compet.i.tion. After an explosion, with Xu Yi, Still, and Great Magician Camilla in lead, the first batch of two thousand compet.i.tors raced forward.
Seeing that Great Magician Camilla was taking the lead, Xu Yi and Still smiled at each other before slowing down together.
The other compet.i.tors pa.s.sed the two of them and there were people who greeted them from time to time before charging forward with a roar.
After a while, the two of them had fallen to the back of the pack. All around them were compet.i.tors who were focusing on the compet.i.tion.
In this kind of nice fall weather, bathing in the warm fall sun and riding along the streets, it was quite an enjoyable time.
The two of them didn’t have any idea of going fast, as they slowly went along while chatting, feeling quite relaxed.
Xu Yi looked at the shining ears of wheat in the farmland around them and he suddenly said with a laugh, “Speaking of this, I really have to thank these wheat for this race being held.”
“Because Count Stagg wanted a smooth harvest, he had to compromise with you and accept your conditions?” Still said with a faint smile.
“Right, our dear Lord City Lord will accept any condition to obtain a good result in this fall harvest. Not mentioning agreeing to hold this bicycle race that doesn’t have much influence, he would even accept reopening the Sandton industrial district if I asked for it.”
“But I don’t feel he receives much benefit from this.” Still doubtfully pointed at the wheat on the sides of the road, “In last year’s fall harvest, Banta City’s wheat fields were as full as now and Count Sean said that there wasn’t much room to increase the harvest yield in Banta City. Even if Count Stagg thinks of solutions, I feel that it isn’t likely to increase the fall harvest by too much?”
Xu Yi laughed, “Relax, our dear Lord City Lord isn’t a fool, he definitely has his ways.”
“Really?” Still looked at Xu Yi before looking at the golden wheat besides the roads, still looking confused.