-346- The first day

"Today's competitions include running, weightlifting, and three rounds of boxing matches, right?"

"Yes, the running is divided into several groups, and the best result of the day will determine the winner. The weightlifting competition follows the same format as running."

"Why is boxing different?"

"You're silly. In running, it's obvious who's the fastest with just a second's glance, same with weightlifting, whoever lifts the heaviest weight is obviously the winner. But can you determine the winner in boxing just like that? You need to have a match to determine the outcome."

"It seems like there are participants from the Twin Cities in both running and boxing, right? Do you think they'll..."

"I don't think so. The chief referee mentioned yesterday that if anyone cheats and gets caught, it would be like Twin Cities humiliating themselves, right?"

In broad daylight in Piltover, the atmosphere was bustling, with people gathering everywhere. Looking up, one could see several large screens, even taverns and restaurants with decent facilities had small TVs.

Not everyone could attend the venue in person, so besides the participants and their supporters, there were also notable figures present. However, even if not physically present, watching through this novelty called television satisfied the curiosity of most people.

The first day of the sports event, from morning till night on the 21st, featured running, weightlifting, and boxing competitions.

The chief referee announced the schedule of events towards the end of yesterday's opening ceremony, allowing everyone to schedule their time to watch the matches. Since the sports event would last for fifteen days, most people, except for nobles and wealthy merchants, couldn't afford to spend the whole day watching TV. Therefore, announcing the event schedule allowed them to plan their time and watch the events they wanted to see.

At 9:57 a.m., TVs around the world turned on simultaneously with a "beep," followed by snowflakes patterns and a hissing sound, annoying those who were listening.

At 9:59 a.m., the screen lit up, and the lovely girl seen before appeared on TV.

"Good morning, everyone. I'm Seraphine, the host of this sports event. I will briefly introduce the rules of the events and guide everyone through today's matches."

On TV, Seraphine smiled brightly. As an idol with exceptional professional abilities, after half a month of training, she had already adapted to the camera. Now, she could easily find the camera and show her "perfect" smile.

Sweetly curling her lips, Seraphine continued, "The participants for the first day's matches are ready. Now let's go to the venue."

Seraphine paused for a moment, and then, the TV screen changed.

"This is the track for the running competition. We can see that the athletes have changed into their clothes, and they are all ready."

On TV, Linwin, the chief referee, was flying low above the ground, wearing a blue striped short-sleeved shirt, blue sports shorts, and a pair of blue sneakers.

Linwin had a large whistle hanging around his neck, and he was using his hand to signal something.

"The chief referee is having the athletes do trial runs. Although they have been running on this track day and night for the past six months, this stage is crucial to avoid pre-race jitters and overlook any small details!"

In the town square, Ayelia sat on a bench holding a cup of barley wine. Drinking during the day was a habit Ayelia had never had before, but now, she was forced to hold a cup of wine in her hand.

Watching the TV screen and listening to Seraphine's pleasant voice, Ayelia felt a little excited. Previously, at this time, she would be either weaving or gathering berries in the forest. She had never gathered with everyone to watch a competition from such a distance, with so many people.

Seraphine's voice seemed to have a magical charm. While being pleasant to listen to, it also made unfamiliar viewers understand the rules instantly.

"It's against the rules to run into someone else's lane during the race, so on tracks with bends, the starting points for the athletes are different."

"And this running competition will be divided into a 300-meter sprint and a 1200-meter long run. The sprint will be in a straight line, so you'll see the athletes standing on the same starting line."

Seraphine said loudly.

Ayelia also heard the voices of people nearby. "Do you think Little Stone can win?"

"It's too difficult. Although Little Stone has been running fast since he was young, growing up in the forest, but look at his opponents, there are soldiers from Demacia!"

"That's right. That Shagu from the Qiyasha tribe in Shurima, the chief referee said he's an excellent goalkeeper, although I don't know what a goalkeeper is, but I understood that he runs exceptionally fast."

"Will people from the Twin Cities cheat?"

Ayelia heard someone ask this question.

On TV, Seraphine began to introduce the athletes on the track.

"This beautiful short-haired lady is Vi, a participant from the Twin Cities!"

"The Dauntless Vanguard warrior of Demacia, Kaeya!"

"Little Stone from the Valoran town of Stonewall!"

When the camera focused on a short, skinny black-skinned girl, Ayelia noticed the chubby woman next to her involuntarily clenched her hand. She was Little Stone's mother, Aunt Liz, and as for Little Stone's name being a bit strange, it was because Aunt Liz married a man from Ionia.

Uncle Stone was the best hunter and warrior in the village, as well as the leader of the resistance against Noxus in Stonewall Town.

At this moment, he nervously pressed his fist against his thigh, with another hand holding a mug of barley wine to his mouth, but he didn't take a sip.

"And Shagu from the Qiyasha tribe!"

Soon, Seraphine finished introducing the names and countries of the ten participants.

A wave of anticipation surged in the hearts of every spectator.

The cheers of the audience echoed in their ears.

"Get ready!"

The chief referee descended above the crowd, placed the whistle to his lips, and raised his other hand.

Having heard the rules, Ayelia knew what it meant.

When he counted to three, lowered his hand, and blew the whistle simultaneously, that would be the start time.

A large screen also displayed the countdown.

---

At the scene, Linwin's gaze scanned the faces of the participants in the first group of the competition.

Then, Linwin focused on three individuals.

Kaeya, Shagu, Little Stone.

As the administrator of the Twin Cities village, Linwin certainly paid attention to the training of the athletes. However, the reason why Linwin didn't pay attention to Vi, who was clearly in the first group, was probably because of Vi herself. It's not that Vi runs slowly; she has good physical fitness, and running is indeed one of her specialties.

Let's put it this way, Vi, who is half a head shorter than Caitlyn, can pull a distance of two hundred meters from Caitlyn in less than a minute. However, compared to individuals like Kaeya and Little Stone, Vi is not really competitive.

But this is largely related to Vi's focus on fighting. Running is not just about running, it also requires diligent training and mastering necessary postures.

"3"

"2"

"1!"

"Beep!"