Chapter 1648: NO．263: A Negotiation with a High Basic Threshold

NO．263: A Negotiation with a High Basic Threshold

Generally speaking, triple-crown events with integrated achievements such as the Classic Triple Crown, the Triple Hua Crown, and the Spring and Autumn Ancient Horse Triple Crown usually consist of a fixed lineup within a single generation.

Even if someone withdraws midway and is replaced, such occurrences rarely exceed three people.

There are many reasons for this, but they ultimately boil down to two.

First, competitors find it hard to truly give up their desire for glory; second, it is due to the association's inability to go against public sentiment.

After all, the entrants in these GI races are usually the most popular horse girls of the generation. They naturally have a massive fanbase and bear immense expectations; even if the athletes themselves choose to withdraw, the association must consider, when issuing this announcement, whether the fans are angry at the athletes or at the association itself.

Therefore, when some horse girls face shaken confidence, injury worries, or other preoccupations, the URA Association instead takes the initiative to inquire and, if possible, help resolve the matter.

It seems counterintuitive, but once you imagine the economic losses and publicity gaps caused by a sudden replacement of entrants, it becomes easy to understand.

Moreover, this situation can easily trigger a massive fan backlash; a mishandled response would test not only the network's defenses but also the quality of the headquarters building's security system.

Yes.

You can always count on extreme idol fans; their potential for frenzy always exceeds your imagination.

The URA Association, which has operated and packaged many generations of horse girl idols, has always understood this point more deeply than anyone, and thus in this segment it acts like the ultimate fan, wholeheartedly ensuring these athletes' appearances.

Even the makeup tables in the preparation rooms are of top‑star and idol caliber, short only of turning the entire winner's stage setup into a full‑immersion simulation worthy of a first‑class opera house.

However, this year is indeed different from the ordinary.

As early as the end of last year, many industry experts, based on the planning of the Dream Cup, declared that Star Calendar 614 would be an extraordinary year.

It will be recorded in the horse girls' history textbooks.

Although the Dream Cup consists of three stages, it occurs only once every few months.

What will fill this agonizing wait in the middle?

The Classic Year events provide a rather perfect answer.

Gaoyue Prize: Four pursuers straddling the line between joint pursuit and breaking records.

Jidong Derby: Rare changes in the entry list, and furthermore a fierce five‑way battle to break records.

Once the champion is decided, the extreme pressure formed by the leading group is already enough to make other athletes' fans anxious and worried about whether their favored horse girl can persist to compete in the October Kikka Prize.

After all...

In the Jidong Derby under everyone's gaze, losing composure, losing rhythm, and suffering a comprehensive defeat that forfeits a good placing is already enough to reduce many athletes to tears while preparing after the race, even before the victor's stage makeup table.

Subsequently, some scandalous media reports directly exposed individual athletes' suspected self‑destructive post‑race schedules—reaching this point, it becomes a lowly state where even if the association announces that certain athletes have withdrawn from the Kikka Prize, fans find it hard to resort to conspiracy theories.

In their place comes the active state of the five horse girls' fans, each with their own expectations, each making noise, each reveling.

Before one can fully immerse in those opposite emotions, the fervent cries surrounding the Dream Cup's midway stage arrive almost in tandem with the Jidong Derby discussion, yet they extend even further.

The growth path of the newly crowned king has just passed the halfway mark, yet countless former kings have already come forth in succession.

No one will quibble over fairness or whether it hinders youth development; all spectators will simply shout, 'I see it the same way!' and join the debate.

From this moment on, whether they are old-timers who witnessed the legends back then or newcomers who grew up hearing the legends, they can find familiar names in the entry list; even the low spirits brought by the Jidong Derby will gradually be washed away by this, ultimately turning into a vibrant wind that the entire Umastagram platform is passionately discussing.

And this is precisely the charm of the legend.

To contend with the strong of past ages, to resist the world's visitors, to battle again that fate like a curse, to shatter the heavens‑covering tempest—thus proving oneself stands at the utmost peak; that position will be a hero, an emperor, or a hegemon and ace……

When those myriad stars gather, no one will have any superfluous thoughts.

Even if those stars do not appear in a fixed order, even if the symbol of Sirius occupies the Diamond Jubilee listing, and the fine opera replaces the sequence of the Flying Fox, the change in entry quotas will still not provoke resistance from the audience.

The reason is simple: this is itself a part of public opinion.

Eligibility for the Dream Cup is tied solely to real‑time voting on the association's official website; as long as you register you get a name, and with a name you can vote, so you can gain popularity and topics through recent consecutive battles.

But at the same time, if you performed poorly in the previous round and failed to retain the fans who already supported you enough—those who voted for you simply because they liked you most……

The cruelty of a merit‑based system will also be revealed in this most simple and brutal manner.

【So I believe you will be willing to cooperate with us, Trainer Lindun.】

In the temporary chat room built from a virtual energy server, the faceless man whose very appearance looks hastily assembled explains his remarks in a comic‑style speech‑bubble format.

【Overlord, Strange Stone, Pharaoh, Sports Car, Ace, and moreover those names that stand high above all things like the scorching summer sun】

「DeepImpact。」

The low, trembling tone, the sharp blood‑red eyes—his gaze fixed on the tall demon etched on the man's shirt where the words 'Uma-musume' are written—this is the default image of Aomo Lindun used across all deep‑immersion chat channels.

Even though he has now truly mastered demonization, and despite occasional shifts in detail due to changes in mindset and nature, he has not the slightest intention of altering his virtual avatar.

Although choosing to immerse in the internet and detach from reality is common these days, even the outsourced worker who contacts himself via Nishizaki Yutaka to chat for the Pursuers of Light Club opts for this face‑to‑face communication, as if it could substitute real conversation, yet Aomo still believes the internet is the internet and reality is reality.

Although he has a partner Digimon called the Witch Beast that can easily come from the network into reality, turning into a Bellstar Beast that even claims this form consumes more energy, he furtively drinks the beverages he puts in the fridge and performs on‑site an unsolved mystery demonstration of converting data into real‑world energy consumption.

Moreover, when he squeezes his sofa hard, it exhibits clear tactile sensation and temperature, causing Miss Akane to storm over, grab her sleeve, and shout that there's a seat beside her, telling her not to learn bad habits from good ones.

But the digital world where the Digimon capable of appearing in reality resides, and the world of online social interaction, are obviously two different things.

Putting it simply, even a very perfunctory makeshift avatar can still have certain non‑random features serve as 'evidence of a silent opening,' revealing some information about the creator.

Although a unique algorithm can change appearance and thereby interfere with emotional expression, perhaps the other party's single‑person facade is actually a rapid interchange and analysis among multiple people behind the scenes.

But this side is not an ordinary person who makes no preparations.

Gilbarlis's computing power has already been engaged, the Bellstar Beast's twin guns are on standby, and the AI Three Goddesses are distantly monitoring this wobbling data layer; although he does not intend to reveal these preparations to the other party, he also does not mind if they are discovered.

After all, this is merely the foundation of deep‑immersion network communication.