The layout of the twelve shipyards had been generally understood before, but the specifics, such as the exact locations of detained individuals, remained unclear.

The headquarters hosting the airship race wasn’t even among the five shipyards that sided with the Empire; instead, it utilized a warehouse from a shipyard named Wamos, which matched the expectations of Li Ang and Xiaomo at the time.

The racers came to collect their money and get things done, scattering them across the twelve shipyards would have been troublesome, making it more convenient to gather them to issue tasks. Being accustomed to business practices from different regions, they had no objections to the inconsistencies between the publicity and reality.

Upon entering the Wamos Shipyard, Li Ang switched to the Spiritual Horizon under his cloak, perceiving the strange spirituality emanating from the main factory. It was precisely the reaction of the Annihilation Star Soul’s power infiltrating the internal battleships.

"Here we are, everyone, this is our office."

Ryder led Li Ang and the other three into the warehouse, which was filled with documents and event samples, appearing to be the planning room for the entire festival.

Apart from Li Ang’s party, several curious racers also followed, or rather, except for two people, everyone was there, paying keen attention to the competitor who had easily defeated them.

"Miss, are you really the ’Platinum Ace?’ "

As professional racers, these people could not have been unaware of the Platinum Ace. Having been easily defeated themselves, they were mostly convinced and were using this opportunity to start a conversation. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Before Andasu could speak, Reed interjected, "Of course, I’ve seen her legend unfold from the beginning. Shall I tell you about it?"

The former host observed that White Wolf did not wish to engage in much conversation with these people and proactively intercepted them.

"Alright, alright, everyone, let’s not cause a scene. Today’s matter is a case of us bumping into ourselves, given so many attendees at the Double Eagle Helm Festival. Let’s not ruin the days of planning we’ve put in."

Ryder presided with a long-standing tone, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Li Ang and Reed, "Since we’re all experts here, we know how difficult it is to host an event, right?"

"Indeed, our intention is to make the festival more lively," Li Ang suggested, appearing to be compliant and agreeable.

"Well, if you hadn’t invited the Platinum Ace, could you really say this is the world’s strongest race? Of course, we had to showcase something." Reed replied strategically.

"Of course, of course, we did plan to invite her, but we were negligent in our work."

Ryder raised his hand, offering a wry smile, and asked, "I understand you all want to showcase your skills. Can I offer some suggestions for you to consider?"

He avoided steering the topic towards "causing trouble" to keep the festival running smoothly.

This, in fact, was beneficial to Li Ang’s group’s plan, so they listened attentively to his words.

Ryder’s plan was as Reed had anticipated, or rather, due to Reed’s deliberate guidance in public, Ryder had already issued a statement to the audience about a "surprise thirteenth contestant," making it difficult for things to proceed any other way.

"Join your competition officially..."

Li Ang pondered for a moment, then agreed.

"That’s great."

Ryder breathed a sigh of relief, refraining from speaking further, while the racers gathered around.

"How was your boat built? Is that speed its limit?"

"Have you raced any tracks besides the Flashing Field? Is this your first time at the City of the Ship’s Rudder? Unbelievable."

They each harbored different intentions; some sincerely wanted to exchange ideas, others had special thoughts mixed in, and some aimed to balance both, or rather, everyone had a bit of each; it was just a matter of degree.

Andasu found these topics quite engaging, not feeling bothered at all, still maintaining a cool, indifferent expression but replying with a few words.

Meanwhile, Ryder spoke with Li Ang and Reed, "It’s great that you all are willing to settle on this arrangement. Rest assured, the rewards will not fall short, but the final decision has to wait for the in-charge to arrive."

"The in-charge?" Reed asked.

Ryder turned slightly, tugging at the cloak on his back, "See the team emblem, The Soul Apex, currently ranked fifth in the Celestial Group."

"Hmm." Li Ang chuckled.

Ryder looked at him with slight confusion but didn’t ponder on it.

The title of the Celestial Group, given such a ranking, should offer reassurance, right? The opponent clearly recognized the title and decided to cooperate with the festival.

"In any case, the main force of the Celestial Group is here. As for me, I’m part of a sub-group, mainly assisting with tasks. However, the main leader said that if we do well, we’ll share in the team’s resources. It gives hope that one day my family might join the sub-group, and after training, entering the main group isn’t impossible either. Well, I’m digressing. In short, although I’m in charge of operations, the main force needs to be here to make the final decision."

In this warehouse, apart from Ryder, the racers, and Li Ang’s group, there were also a few workers who seemed to be helping with daily event planning.

"What is the main team doing?" Li Ang asked.

"I don’t know. How could I dare ask about the main team’s tasks? Anyway, we’re just hosting events as instructed. This place and the other islands are different; the city’s operations are primarily factory-led, with a weak commercial sector. All we need to do is maintain order."

Ryder appeared very candid, seemingly unaware of The Soul Apex’s real schemes, "I don’t understand why they’re organizing events here; it’s crowded. Isn’t the City of Trade better?"