Chapter 1156: NO. 61: This is Central, every step has a story, and Thunder Pond

NO. 61: This is Central, every step has a story, and Thunder Pond.

Telesen Racecourse, 7400 meters, autumn, rain, slightly heavy.

The rain drops with a hint of chill began to fall, and neither side's simulated entry into the gate was delayed too long,

Hardly anyone expected to see the scenery of the peak of the world gate from this battle.

Regarding the peak period, the industry has long held a consensus: that the peak period of horse girls is closely related to the final stage of the formalization process.

It is not in the classic years of the growth period, but in the mature years of the ancient horse years, which is also usually the final stage of the horse girls' formalization process.

This is the stage where the running potential of the horse girls, a nearly divine-favored species, is finally unleashed, and after those ancient horse years, the horse girls will naturally gradually go downhill.

The peak period is over——by the current degree of involution in the horse racing world, this already counts as a career death notice.

It can be said that precisely because of this, the reputation of Narita Bai Ren back then was so complicated.

Because she fell before reaching her peak, and in that fall she missed the peak period, yet she never issued a retirement statement.

This somewhat gives people the illusion that she could still make a comeback, while also showing a bit of stubbornness unwilling to accept reality.

She is both like and unlike her, once drawing countless sneers and criticisms.

Even in that race video, although Narita Bai Ren clearly surpassed her original record, it still arouses countless comments like "Just a bit stronger than before, putting it in this year's records doesn't count as a championship."

It's hard to say whether it's contempt or jealousy, but the speakers seem mostly to be those same people from before.

Leaving aside how the parties feel, the audience here indeed follows the widely believed "peak period consensus."

Thus they deemed that the Qianming representative, who should likewise have been out of the peak period for many years, is the most suitable opponent for Narita Bai Ren.

This judgment is like many people's high school math problem.

The answer is correct, but the process is another matter.

Unrelated to reputation or stage, when Aomo gazes at the warm-up segment in the synchronous virtual image, he has already reached a conclusion sufficient to sway the hearts and minds of those fans.

Flexibility, explosive power, and control over that force—these points visible from the warm-up stage already prove the vitality of this brown-haired adult horse girl.

Unbelievable, yet it should be so.

Because that free-spirited posture, since her debut, has been known for breaking conventions, just as now, at the moment the virtual gate opens, the two figures' chaotic airflow shatters the raindrops and makes the small numbers above the virtual gate display an initial speed shocking to many juniors.

"Qianming she, perhaps she still secretly runs on a daily basis..."

Watching the racecourse after the gate opens, even though Aomo hasn't spoken yet, Ludaofu Xiangzheng will likewise mutter in a moment of astonishment.

The same astonishment also appears throughout this academy, for this place is ultimately Central.

A gathering place of elites, the academy's headquarters cultivates outstanding individuals; whether horse girls or trainers, talent is abundant, and so is vision.

Even in the contact and understanding of the two athletes—this information base is inferior to that of a certain new trainer by a notch, but once those two horse girls start running,

Even if they are late to realize, they will be among the quickest to react, finding it unbelievable to see the picture of consensus on this challenge.

But Ludaofu's astonishment differs from theirs.

After all, as a friend who is "likewise retired for years" and "likewise a Triple Crown winner," confirmed to make a comeback next year, she too has been in rehabilitation.

Based solely on her own experience, she can declare that the industry's "peak period consensus" is not unbreakable.

Based on this gain, when she sees Qianming and Bai Ren similarly challenging the consensus, her heart is not particularly surprised.

At most it's just a feeling of "Surely they can do that too?"

But the sharp-minded emperor also likewise derives her own astonishment from this picture.

For she knows that a retired horse girl wanting to return to the peak period is not impossible, yet it still requires a considerable cost.

That cost includes effort, includes talent, and includes proper methods; it is certainly not something achieved by just running casually, and it also means that Qianming, who appears to anyone as carefree, pressure-free, and even very leisurely, has been harboring something she never noticed in her heart.

Yes, what astonishes her is also that her concern for those around her may have been too superficial, failing to reach the inner depths.

"Where would there be a horse girl who doesn't want to run?"

On her right side, the youth sitting upright and gazing at the screen murmurs in a dreamlike whisper, as if responding to her muttering.

"Where would there be a horse girl willing to lose?"

""

"?"

Such words are rather sudden for the air intake, so she became the person who questions together with the witch beast.

Even though she actually knows the president's generation's deeds, and even though the president and Gechengwangpai are silent now, she could not connect past events from the two short sentences of the Lin Dun trainer.

After all, knowing the deeds does not mean one also experiences the emotions.

Pursuing similar glory, running on the same racecourse, the horse girls should also have similar worries and pains.

But it is precisely in this segment that the differences between people become so evident.

Triple Crown bearing, three challenges, in the posture of the loser, pursuing relentlessly, yet ultimately ending in the feeling of total defeat; under that oppressive atmosphere, what is on the loser's mind?

What is on the winner's mind?

What feelings does the pursuer of the loser, who also surpasses the winner, have when looking back?

Entwined with the Qianming representative, Ludaofu Xiangzheng, and Gechengwangpai across eras, for the empress this is obviously too complex.

But in the student council room, the holographic projection of the run continues.

Amid the sound of heavy running that shatters raindrops and tramples grass, her attention is diverted for just a few seconds, not to the enigmatic Lin Dun trainer, but to look at Qianming representative, who starts slower than Narita Bai Ren but quickly catches up.

Then, in her surprise, she voices the abnormality that her discernment can instantly spot:

"Qianming senior's condition seems better than Bai Ren's?"

This exclamation nails the point, nails that—something most people never expected, yet seems to have been preparing all along for this moment, appearing like a throat-sealing sword the moment it arises, the topic of Qianming representative's condition.

Although she didn't keep up with the trio's regret, the empress still grasped the focus of the moment.

And Aomo also has no intention of prolonging that oppressive atmosphere, nodding along with her exclamation:

"Her condition is indeed excellent, and at the same time, Bai Ren's side also has some problems."

"Problem?"

Because the witch beast seldom runs into the mortal world, and also hasn't picked up any horse‑racing sense from its partner, sitting here it's just like a layperson purely watching the excitement.

"She hasn't adjusted yet."

"Rudolf, who didn't care about the layperson's opinion, calmly explained in Aomo's place."

"Whether it's this race, or this length."

"She still hasn't adjusted."