Gel still hasn’t given up. He hasn’t felt such pressure in many years and originally planned to head to the Flashing Field, but recently heard that disasters over there have disrupted the competition, and the Guild recommended not to go.

Even if I went over there, I was confident I would be among the top. Where did this boat come from?! Where did this contestant come from?!

"Damn it!"

No matter how unwilling to concede, reality is reality. In a race of speed, there’s no reasoning, only accepting the loss.

This suddenly appearing silver speedboat did not intentionally take any shortcuts outside the course to disrupt the competition, indicating it came to squarely defeat these twelve boats.

Just as it passed over the bow of his ship, Gel already knew he and the other eleven had completely lost; it was a thorough frontal defeat.

He gritted his teeth and turned his head, determined to see clearly who had surpassed him, and then froze as if immobilized.

In the eyes of the audience in the City of the Ship’s Rudder, The Flame of Skybreak, which had shown such flair for many days, was overtaken by the fluid-lined silver speedboat. The latter did not slow down, swiftly skimming over everyone’s heads, its trailing phantom even made one wonder if it was just an illusion, questioning if this boat even existed or if the twelve racing boats in the competition were effortlessly defeated by it.

The Howling Wolf quickly decelerated, transitioning from motion to stillness in only a short time. In the eyes of the people standing at the finish line, it seemed like a ghostly apparition of a phantom condensed into a solid form. When it crossed the finish line and stopped completely, who the true king of the airship race was became self-evident.

Reed’s background story for the race also reached a conclusion.

"—So, this is the undefeated ace galloping across the Flashing Field."

The cockpit cover was pushed open, Andasu stretched out her long legs, her long boots stepping on the Flying Wings of The Howling Wolf. In the sunlight, she shook her white beast ears, also stirring her ivory short hair, and her elegant and gentle face displayed a dashing heroism.

From the back of the crowd, from not far away to the end of the road, everyone who had seen the race was moving forward to the start and finish line of the race. Voices emitted chaotically from the distant crowd, while those nearby were briefly silent.

Until someone broke the silence.

"Platinum Ace! It’s really the Platinum Ace! I’ve seen Platinum Racing!"

Gathered at the forefront were not only the player fanatic fans swept along by the promotion but also the real enthusiasts of airship racing. Initially, these people, amidst the shouts, were not outvoiced by the loudest, but clearly, that has been reversed.

They rushed forward to The Howling Wolf, surrounding Andasu.

Huo Zui Reed stood on the high platform, with his chin raised, still holding that young man who called himself "Ryder."

Ryder awkwardly smiled and said, "Uh, Mr. Reed, I’ve long admired your reputation, never expected to meet you here, how to say it... Haha, the Platinum Ace even came to the City of the Ship’s Rudder, truly unexpected."

"Platinum Racing is temporarily shelved, so we decided to travel and relax a bit, right? Who knew there’d be a race at the festival here, and even a, hmm, Ryder, is that right?"

"Uh, well, it’s because of my admiration for you that I took this name, um, I fully understand that you and the Platinum Ace have opinions about us, but the festival still needs to be held, shall we find a place to talk?"

Still sitting in the cabin, Li Ang, with spiritually enhanced hearing, overheard the conversation between Reed and Ryder. The former seemed quite reliable, and now things were proceeding according to the plan.

Ryder regained control of the loudspeaker and began to stop the gathering crowd.

"Haha, who would’ve thought?! There’s a powerful thirteenth racer; this final training race is her debut!"

...

No matter how the crowd surged, The Soul Apex, which had already coordinated with Empire forces to control the City of the Ship’s Rudder from behind the scenes, still had the ability to manage the situation. At Ryder’s signal, some combatants with Transcendent Realm abilities appeared, stopping any chaos that might have arisen due to the competition’s unexpectedness.

So far, everything was proceeding as planned. Of course, the competition organizer couldn’t admit their twelve racing boats were easily overturned by a suddenly appearing speedboat; they quickly declared it their hidden surprise.

Introduced by Huo Zui Reed, Ryder didn’t have to waste many words. The spectators at the finish line already spread the news through word of mouth to the crowd behind.

In no time, many who were just there for the excitement, relying solely on promotions for knowledge about airship racing and couldn’t even name all twelve contestants until today, now heard the brand new story of the "Platinum Ace."

Some were excited, some dismissive, some immediately became fans of a new figure, and some were quite unconvinced, but nonetheless, Andasu had already come to the stage.

Since ascending to the stage, it was natural to merge with the forces already present on the stage.

"So, Mr. Reed, Ms. Platinum Ace, shall we gather at the shipyard for a chat?"

Dodging the passionate crowd, backstage at the event, Ryder, on behalf of The Soul Apex, extended an invitation.

How exactly to incorporate this suddenly appearing thirteenth racer into the festival was up to those making decisions backstage, beyond his authority.

This was part of the plan all along, so Li Ang’s side didn’t hesitate to agree. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

And overtly, the guidance of events was led by Huo Zui Reed.

"Who is this?" Ryder noticed Li Ang, cloaked, following alongside Reed and Andasu.

Aside from deliberately concealing part of his face, Li Ang wore work clothes borrowed from the Shadow Shipyard, posing as a worker.