So I just saw this picture of a fantasy magical market and thought... what if Shen Wei was a wizzard and Zhao Yunlan a captain... hmm... of the Griffin Riders' Squad! And how to mix Western fantasy with Eastern? Muhaha, let's try!
The nighttime sky looked clear from inside of the Academy window. Shen Wei was sat in the library, for a moment thinking of the Captain. He wasn't able to see him during the last few days. It was probably for the best, since Zhao Yunlan had to train hard for the dangerous race... Shen Wei felt a shiver run down his spine at the thought of last year's tragedies during the race. Thankfully, he himself never witnessed them but the overall statistics claimed that only about 1/5 of the participants finishes the race and half of the rest might suffer serious or fatal injuries.
The race itself takes place in the flying space around the Capitol. They start off from the top of Griffin Riders' Rock. The same place Zhao Yunlan and him embarked from on their journey to the borders, a similar free fall, except the participants have to descend much lower and grab their scarf before ascending high again. Experts say that there's always one or two participants who fall during this. Afterall, the Griffins they're riding aren't silly animals willing to die during a stupid human race so they might stop the fall too soon, shaking off their rider into the depths bellow or if they do follow their rider who doesn't give the command at the right second, they might both get shattered on the rocks underneath.
And that's just the first challenge.
Shen Wei remembered, Zhao Yunlan talking about his collegues Zhu Hong who will be joining the race as well. As the first female rider ever qualifying for the mad ralley. Zhao Yunlan didn't even have to mention this to him, actually. There were hoards of fans already cheering for their Goddess. Certainly, Zhao Yunlan had a lot of female fans - as last year's Champion of the Wind God, he had the biggest fanclub of all MALE participants. Almost every rider joining the race had a pre-existing group of fans, however, Zhu Hong's seemed to be bigger than all other fanclubs together. (Truth be told, Zhao Yunlan did complain about this fact a lot... but of course not in front of Xiao Wei.) Another fact that was "a first" this year was the fact that the 1st fleet had applied two of its members for the race. Another unheard precedence. Applying only 1 key member of the fleet was crucial, since usually "the best Rider" of the squad attended, if anything were to happen to them, it would still be only one member risking their life during the race. Also, the subscription fee was high, because it also served as a kind of insurance - if needed, the subscription fee would cover the medical and funeral expenses. This meant that practically all the racers needed a wealthy sponsor. As last year's winner, Yunlan succeeded in getting the King's favor in sponsoring and as a very famous and active idol of several minorities, Zhu Hong's sponsorship came from the people themselves, almost half of the fee payed by the Snake clan.
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Shen Wei looked at the big clock above the main library entrance as he noticed another wizzard get up and leave the hall. It was almost time for the night assembly of prefects, he should hurry up. He carefully put together the books he'd barely touched and went to return them. He preffered to put them back in place himself rather than to bother the person in charge. After collecting his writting utensils, he also left the library. Strolling through cold corridors of the Academy, lined with slender pillars of sandstone, masterfully decorated by long-departed artisans. His steps resonated through the silent halls. Entering the herb garden atrium, he crossed quickly through the gardnerer's path, not wanting to miss the meeting.
