Ding dong.
[The centaurs have bestowed you with a new title.]
[A new title <Don't Look Down on a Human Ever Again> has been created.]
Damn.
The message appeared in front of Lloyd's eyes with a pleasant ding. This was the kind of moment he found most rewarding. It made him feel like he achieved something. Feeling content, he cast his gaze on the compliment's description.
[Don't Look Down on a Human Ever Again]
[Title Level: Regional Folktale]
Trot. Trot. There once was a man. He ran in the morning. In the afternoon. In the evening. With his only two legs, he waddled and created a distasteful sight. And he was slow, so slow that even a foal would yawn. But he was faster than four-legged creatures. He ran across the vast plain and reached the territory of the humans. He proved that the one who arrives at the finish line first is faster than the one who runs fast. So, what do you have to do if you wish to run like him? How about you start running southward? Just 372 miles.
[Compliment Effect: With your marvelous show of tenacity and endurance, you have opened a new era of long-distance running to the centaurs. The centaur champion and many others who watched the race genuinely accepted your long-distance running method. Owing to it, your reputation will spread to every corner of the vast plain, and the new running method - running a long distance while saving energy - will be a trend among the young centaurs. Moreover, you have acquired a new passive effect <Fuel Efficiency> that reduces the energy consumption by half in situations where your heartbeat goes over 140 every minute.]
[Title Region: The Great Plain of Klamath. Any plain ground with a land mass of over 1,000m²]
[Active Period of Title: 160 Years.]
[A title's powers can be activated for 24 hours in the region for which the compliment was given. Moreover, time and region can expand or shrink depending on your actions.]
[Monthly CP Earned from the Title: 2]
[Current CP: 1,477]
Hahaha.
Lloyd let out a forced laugh after reading through the compliment effect. He couldn't help it. The effect was more than he expected.
This is pretty awesome. I'll be consuming only half of my energy if my heart beats above 140 times a minute when I'm on plain ground with a land mass of over 1,000m².
At first glance, the required conditions for activation could seem difficult to meet. However, they were fairly simple demands upon further thought.
Of course. A simple exercise can easily bring your heart rate to 140 beats per minute. Moreover, it's quite common for a plain to possess this kind of land mass.
As such, those conditions weren't exactly hard to meet. They were actually pretty generous. Once those conditions were satisfied, Lloyd would only consume half of the energy he normally did.
This is sweet.
The skill would be useful for any risky or urgent situations. Concluding with that thought, Lloyd looked up at Komanchi, who was lying on the ground in utter exhaustion.
"Please wait here while I go and return the items I borrowed."
It was time to return everything Lloyd borrowed to prove his victory: The guard commander's mug cup, rank insignia, certificate, toothbrush, ceremonial sword, family flag, and wife. He summoned Ggoming, fed the red sunflower seed to him, and returned the commander's things to his wife.
Afterward, he came back to Komanchi and helped him get to his feet and on Ggoming's back. And he urged Javier, who dutifully joined him throughout the race from behind him, to come on board. The two humans and one centaur were barely able to fit on top of Ggoming's back. After they returned to the Stone and Wind village, Lloyd announced his victory to everyone.
"After a fierce race, I crossed the finish line first," announced Lloyd to everyone. "Right?"
"Yes, I accept my defeat. Lloyd won this race," seconded Komanchi.
Everyone's eyes widened at the announcement. They all wore a look of disbelief, but Lloyd didn't care about their dismay. He simply proceeded to claim his reward for victory.
"So, may I please have your attention!"
Lloyd's commanding voice silenced the murmuring voices of the centaurs, and everyone put all their focus on him.
"Anyway," Lloyd declared, "The race is over. Yes. Mister Komanchi reigned as the champion of this plain for three years until I emerged and proved to be faster than him."
The crowd was filled with silence. Amidst it, someone dryly swallowed. Everyone wondered in nervous anticipation what the human had to say.
Lloyd continued, "Yes, I am faster than Mister Komanchi. That means that I am faster than all of you here and any centaur in this world. Now, do you remember what the ex-champion said right before the race began?"
Lloyd smiled meaningfully. At last, everyone's bad feeling was actualized. "Centaurs never listen to the words of a slowpoke. Right?"
The crowd remained deathly silent.
"Am I correct?"
Still, no one spoke.
"Hmm?" mused Lloyd as he narrowed his eyes. "Are you all sleeping?"
Despite Lloyd's questions, they all clamped their mouths shut.
"Well, since you're not answering me, I'll answer my question then. Mister Komanchi did say those words without a doubt. With that in mind, it is also true that I am faster than everyone here. In conclusion, from now on, you all must obey my orders."
Ba-dump. Everyone's heart sank. Lloyd, not giving any mind to their reaction, continued to speak.
"As such, I will enact a few rules. The rules that I tell you now do not apply only to the Stone and Wind tribe. It applies to every centaur who inhabits the Klamath Plain." Lloyd's gaze raked over everyone at the lot. His eloquent smile deepened. At last, he made his declaration, and it shocked everyone.
"Rule number one. No more sprinting in the village."
"What?!"
"Oh, what kind of rule is that?!"
Young centaurs protested aloud as soon as they heard Lloyd. But once again, he completely took no notice of them. Even if they did a tumbling or headspin in surprise, they were invisible to the man.
"Rule number two." Lloyd continued nonchalantly. "From now on, courtship races will only take place in the coliseum, which will be constructed soon."
This time, no one jumped. But not because they accepted Lloyd's announcement. They simply understood from Lloyd's shameless face and adamant voice that there was no room for negotiation. Lloyd wasn't having a discussion with them. He was making an announcement. This was a notice not a debate. His last words confirmed their thoughts.
"Okay, I will ask you then. Is there anyone who is against my rules?"
No one voiced any objection.
"I knew there wouldn't be. After all, you all are slower than me.”
No one responded once again.
"If you feel wronged, then you can always challenge me and prove that you're a faster runner."
Still, no one spoke. This time again, they realized that challenging the man would be useless. The result would be the same as the previous race. The reason was simple.
He's going to use his right as the challenged individual and choose the most advantageous finish line for himself! It'll be around 300 miles from here then too!
Everyone shuddered. There could be no other human who was as cunning, conniving, and deceiving enough as him to put their champion centaur in such a terrible state.
On second thought, are all humans like him?
It would be a large problem if that was true. The possibility was horrifying. Everyone shuddered at the thought. Even though they found the whole situation unfair and shudderingly unacceptable, they couldn't oppose him. They couldn't think of a way to outrun him. Eventually, everyone reluctantly nodded.
As soon as he convinced everyone, Lloyd zoomed back to the head chief's stable and announced, "I have persuaded them to follow my rules."
"You persuaded them?" Chief Cherokan frowned.
"Yes."
"Really?"
"Certainly," said Lloyd with a smug.
"Hmm, you see, I also have eyes and ears of my own."
"Then you should've seen and heard it clearly."
"Tsk... Who knew you would resort to such a sly scheme," the chief scratched his neck.
"Anyway," Lloyd said as he ignored the remark, "Everyone agreed to comply with my safety regulations, taking one burden off your shoulders with it, Chief. We're not just talking about the centaurs in the Wind and Stone tribe but everyone across this plain."
"Well, I will give you that. That was truly amazing." Head Chief Cherokan expressed his genuine admiration. The emotion was so intense that he smiled wryly. "I wondered what your plan would be that made you possess so much confidence. However, it never crossed my mind that you would suggest racing across such a stupidly long distance and end up as the winner."
"Is that so, Chief?"
"Yes, if I'm being honest. Hence, my surprise. Since you kept your promise, it's time for me to keep mine."
"Thank you, Chief. Please sign here."
Flap! Lloyd immediately fished a document out of his embrace at Cherokan's words.
Cherokan knit his eyebrows. "What is this?"
"It is a construction contract."
"Construction... contract?"
"Yes." Lloyd nodded. Licking his lips he said, "Do you remember how we signed the conditional agreement a few days ago? About how you would accept my suggestion and allow the coliseum construction to begin if I persuade your centaurs'?"
"Y-Yes, I did."
"This contract clarifies all of our contract terms, so to speak."
"Are you talking about the paper you're holding out to me?"
"Yes," replied Lloyd, "Time to keep your promise."
For a second, Cherokan wondered if all humans were like the one in front of him. Nonetheless, he stamped the new contract, but not without a slight feeling that he had been bewitched. The contract promised that Head Chief Cherokan would teach Lloyd where Taupo was if the latter built a coliseum for them.
"Very well," Lloyd said as he smiled as bright as his face. "You have made a wise choice."
"Are you going to start the construction now?"
"Yes, Chief. I should. And as mentioned in the contract, you must assist by providing as much labor and construction materials as possible."
"I see. I ask that you do a good job with the coliseum or whatever if it's going to be built."
"You've got nothing to worry about," assured Lloyd before leaving the stable. It was only then that he was able to breathe out loud.
"Haah..."
He did it. He got the contract for the coliseum project. But he didn't have any time to relax or recharge.
Recharge, my ass! Time to work!
Lloyd planned to enjoy life. And that could only happen if he had a solid foundation for it, which was the Frontera County for him. The first thing was to stop the restoration of destiny from happening.
As such, there was no time to relax. Lloyd decided that he had to bust his tail until the relaxed life of abundance he always yearned for would actualize. He then immediately proceeded to survey the area. Thankfully, the open land offered a lot of space for him to put up the coliseum. And since it barely rained in the plain, he didn't have to concern himself with building drains as well.
It was such a great location for construction that he couldn't help but repeat to himself, "I wish I could construct in a place like this every day!" Anyway, Lloyd didn't intend to build a coliseum as big as the one in Rome.
It's not necessary to do that. I just have to create a track where they can sprint without worry. A space that's separated from their everyday life.
That was the crux of this project. As such, the coliseum he planned to build wouldn't look like the ones in ancient Rome. Instead, it would look very similar to race car tracks or horse tracks.
So, I have to set aside a vast amount of land for this project. The track needs to be well-built. And this area will be where the audience can spectate...
Apart from those things, Lloyd worked on several other sections of the coliseum, like the waiting and rest areas, as well as the areas for emergency treatment. He ran thousands of different scenarios that could happen during a race and designed the facility accordingly.
The track is the most crucial structure for a racing competition. It's directly related to everyone's safety. But it can't be hard to maintain and should be sturdy enough to be free from damage in the long run.
Lloyd designed the coliseum with a fine-tooth comb and ran countless tests, skipping sleep and focusing on the project. Ten, fifteen days passed. Around the time the bags under his eyes couldn't get any larger, he completed the design for the coliseum.
The next step is to freeze time.
Finally, the time had come. The time had come to use the Time Freeze skill to save the time that would be used for construction.
