Chapter 1656

No. 271: Intermission – Two-Breath Walk

Compared to the vast majority of events hosted by the Association, the Dream Cup will always be the most special.

Because among the competitors in this event, active ones are a minority, while the majority are those veteran powerhouses who, despite being retired, still have countless fans.

When those long-absent figures appear on stage, waves of cheers erupt in response to the commentator's words, filling the arena; even the professionals inside the circle are moved to tears, as if time itself rewinds, and everyone at this moment recalls the passion and emotion of years past.

The stars that guided one into this world.

The stars that imprint points of light deep within the heart.

In this world, many are tinted by authority, led by leaders, and often swayed by different authorities, like a spilled palette, unable to discern their own selves.

They gradually become those who echo others, follow the crowd, and do not think.

But at this point they still have a chance. They have a chance, through that authority unrelated to themselves, to gaze upon the brilliance where they can find similarities in their life's trajectory, and thereby sense their own mottled self.

Sense the faint embers hidden beneath the cold, still capable of reigniting.

The allure of the Horse Girls' races lies right here.

The more stagnant one's life, the more it needs a flash of strong light; and when that strong light gradually fades, and you grow accustomed again to life's repetition and dullness—

Yet you see that gleam light up again, slightly changed yet still that familiar radiance appearing, and you feel as if recalling the sensation of lying on the ground as a child, gazing at the starry sky, your eyes never wavering as you watch it all.

This is the Dream Cup.

Here every audience member has a chance to find their own youth, but the mainstream often shifts from young people to the youthful middle-aged, those thirty and up.

And what about those young people who are already in their adolescence?

Those who entered the circle early can instead sync their state with that of the youthful middle-aged.

They go to shout loudly at the names they've heard since childhood.

However, those whose time in the fandom is still short are naturally drawn to the up-and-coming new kings and strongers of the previous generation, yet they are the most uneasy group among the entire audience.

This should also be the moment they have felt the least confident while following the Horse Girls' journey all along.

After all… although the Dream Cup's entry requirements are extraordinarily free, so free that anyone who isn't a pure rookie of the classic year can even temporarily enter as a retired competitor.

But in today's easily searchable history of horse racing, everyone knows the Dream Cup has another name—

The Berserk Battlefield of Retirees.

Yes, the protagonists of the Dream Cup are usually retired Horse Girls.

Although athlete retirement usually means declining condition, deteriorating quality, accumulating hidden injuries, and other negative effects, the veterans who make a temporary comeback in the Dream Cup always overturn this conventional wisdom while displaying an astonishing peak that active competitors can only dream of.

This also leads to each edition's organizers being questioned for years, mainly doubting whether the extra venue medical checks and source-energy limitation calculations they prepared for the Dream Cup have actually been implemented.

It was promised that the Horse Girls' venue would allow only the Three Goddesses' source energy, that the influence of other source-energy systems on physical condition be kept within limits, with any excess requiring additional source-energy seals—but has this truly been done?

The losing players might not say anything, but the fans supporting them inevitably face this questioning.

Moreover, it must be repeated questioning over and over, as if only then does one feel they are defending their fave's dignity, rather than indirectly embarrassing her.

All one can say is that, in fan operations management, even hiring a professional team struggles to truly restrain those fans who harbor a different understanding in their hearts.

When they firmly believe they are doing good, acting for the sake of their fave, and even start to feel self-moved, the logic in these people's minds has already closed off.

What you say is useless.

Only physical, or perhaps spiritual, interference can yield results, and that often cannot reach everyone.

So…… something like the Demon-Sealing Tower is necessary.

Since you cannot precisely and thoroughly control those groups that not only have their own logic but are also easily provoked, infected, and led, nor can you eradicate them.

Then it might be good to promote a homeland that they would gladly embrace, that can divert their attention, and that cannot cause trouble outward.

As long as you periodically stir up a dispute, letting them fight internally and wear themselves down to curb the possibility of their expansion, it likewise counts as purifying the community environment and lowering the chance of 'we help you against the whole world.'

Therefore, from this meaning.

The existence of the Light-Chasers Club is also very necessary.

The demons and monsters in the Horse Girls' circle are already countless; a 'Demon-Sealing Tower' formed by gathering a crowd of such beings could fill page after page of a list. At this point, rather than completely destroying it, it would be better to silently swap it out from above, quietly turning this monster-gathering place into a true Demon-Sealing Tower, turning it into a genuinely time- and labor-saving regulatory measure.

A certain demon once thought so, but before this idea could be put into practice, they first saw the Light-Chasers Club's boundary line.

Cooperation with the Beast Sect, interference with the second of the classic Triple Crown, and even earlier had already been eyed by the Carrot Hero Group; for that group whose organizational nature is dedicated to eliminating evil and upholding good as a vigilante team, saying one can cast a long line to catch a big fish is fine, but saying to retain the organization's main body while only dealing with the core team……

Then they would surely kick you out together as a villain.

A demon with the identity of Poltorodo sees the organization's internal operation clearly, and it's not hard to imagine that, in the eyes of those horse-eared girls, this organization consists of not a single clean evildoer; even if not killed, they should be sent to prison to operate sewing machines to contribute to society.

Then forget it……

Aomo gave up quite cleanly.

There are plenty of candidates in the circle that could serve as embryos for a Demon-Sealing Tower; it's not lacking this one, not worth clashing with the circle's sole band of masked hero teams over it, let alone that team still having a senior on good terms.

Xi Qian Feng's existence destined this team to be seen by Aomo as a long-term investment, with future cooperation opportunities bound to arise.

Moreover, the Demon-Sealing Tower plan isn't well suited to sharing with those three AIs, which, although they are AIs, aren't appropriate as shadowy figures for children; instead, the Dream Journey Lady and the Association represented by Zhouri Ningjing have more room for cooperation.

But lately, with matches coming one after another, interpersonal relations are visibly tense; the evident busyness leaves him little room to discuss that other major project requiring effort, and some ideas remain only at the idea stage.

But looking back, regarding this club's senior officials who use off‑board tricks to give the Horse Girls self‑styled help, and who indeed also get self‑moved in the process, Aomo had long ago given up trying to profit from them, and naturally remains as before.

Attempt to become someone who causes side effects for the organization.

When these people, at the moment the competition starts, finally can't hold back and plan to covertly harmfully capture the attention blind spot of the digital beasts led by Ekusa Beast, Li Mingqing can share ideas with them, who are disturbed by other interfering 'peers', and provide a more feasible new action plan.

The cost is merely to invest more manpower and material resources, so that the entire club, together with all its branches, the lower-level departments can also start operating.

After high-speed verification by AI algorithms, being able to seize the initiative in this current online field melee, such a cost is completely justified, even can be said to be a great bargain, right?

The other side also has to politely thank.

Just like the young spectators who are paying attention to the field at the same moment, they also have to, in the midst of the swift electric flashes, thank the appearance of the Dream Cup, thank this event that allows those they support, who should have already been at the forefront of the current era's new king, to have a chance to show their skills again, pushing their performance to even stronger.

What grandeur! What vigor! The noble lady and the gold master have taken the lead in the vanguard group! Only half a horse's length of floating distance separates them from the Maruzen Sukiki ahead! Even Ludaofu Xiangzheng and Dazhenhan can only fall behind!!