The King of Black Fog

"Let us welcome, the Empire's Extreme Speed—Silvia!"

"Oh!" "Oh!" "Oh!"

It was clearly a wilderness, yet there were so many people whose origins were unknown.

The mecha spaceships hovered in the night sky, and the huge searchlights rotated, illuminating the mountains and fields brightly.

Various types of mechas were packed on both sides of the racetrack, drones flew low, spraying ribbons and fireworks.

"Silvia! Silvia! Silvia!"

Amidst the uniform chants, a mecha descended from the sky with a bang and smashed into the ground.

The humanoid mecha landed, transforming instantly with the squeal of machinery, into a black motorcycle with green energy light strips; a woman in a fitted power armor sat on the motorcycle.

A virtual projection magnified her to the size of a mountain.

She raised her right hand.

"Ah!!!" A female spectator beside Li Changzhou screamed as if she was about to tear apart her own chest cavity.

"Silvia!" "Silvia!" "Silvia!"

Cheers echoed like thunder.

Not to mention the four country bumpkins from Earth's village, even Beia Triss was momentarily distracted by the scene before her eyes.

"Silvia, the Empire's Extreme Speed, has won the championship in the Mecha Racing World Championship for three consecutive times," Beia Triss murmured.

"You know her?" Li Qianxia asked softly.

"Mhm," Beia Triss gazed at Silvia's virtual projection, "I used to watch racing competitions often. I prefer these over combat mechas. Last year on my birthday, my father... he even gave me a Silvia autographed Extreme Speed model."

As she spoke, the excitement of seeing her idol gradually faded, and Beia Triss's expression turned dim again, her voice growing weaker and weaker.

"And second, the brother of {Burning}, the fastest man in the Empire! Aznavour!"

The brother of {Burning}?

All five of them turned their attention to the virtual projection.

An eight-meter-class mecha came charging over from the top of another hill with a furious demeanor.

With a wave of its arms, trees and straw were knocked down in swathes; with a leap of its legs, craters were left wherever it landed.

A drone that got too close with its camera was grabbed by the mecha, stuffed into "its mouth," and eaten.

"Hahahahaha!" A wild laughter erupted as the mecha soared into the sky and landed on the racetrack.

The mecha's forelimbs touched down, transforming and unfolding into a wild, domineering off-road vehicle.

The cockpit became a seat, and inside, besides Aznavour, was a woman whose figure was suitable for a tender model.

"Damn it, remember this!" Aznavour stomped on the off-road vehicle, flipping off everyone with his middle finger, "One day, I'll make it so when {Burning} makes an entrance, the announcer's words will be—Aznavour's sister..."

"Go!" The crowd burst into a huge chorus of boos.

Obviously, this was not Aznavour's first time saying this in public.

"Is this guy any good?" Li Qianxia asked again.

She, herself curious about this world, was also trying to divert Beia Triss's attention.

"'Mach 10 Seconds' says that Aznavour's talent in racing mechas is equivalent to his sister's talent in combat mechas," Beia Triss explained.

"That impressive? Then why is he no match for that Silvia?"

"He only debuted last year, having always competed with his sister for the {Burning} pilot seat before that and lost. By the time he was defeated, the last World Championship had already ended. But in this year's spring {Moonlight} Speed Competition, he lost to Silvia by only half a second. Many authoritative media including 'Mach 10 Seconds' are saying he might take the championship at this year's grand competition."

This was the first time Li Qianxia heard Beia Triss talk so much.

Beia Triss turned her head towards her, her face half-illuminated by the light, the other half in the dark shadows.

"Xia, I want to be willful one last time, let me finish watching this race, okay?"

"Of course you can..." Li Qianxia started to respond and then pursed her lips.

It was not up to her to decide.

If the Imperial Mecha caught up with them, their lives would be in danger, and surely the Turquoise Pool would kill Beia Triss, leading the mission to fail.

"Not possible," Li Changzhou and the other two came over.

Beia Triss looked at them, the shadows on her face growing.

She nodded slowly: "Okay, I understand, let's go."

"What's the fun in just watching?" Li Changzhou laughed, "We're going to participate."

"What, what?" Beia Triss was stunned for a moment, lifting her head, her face growing brighter with light.

Yang Qinglan pulled out a flyer: "The endpoint of this race is Lank Lake in the outskirts of the Imperial Capital."

She handed the flyer to Beia Triss and continued to explain: "We need to find a few people, borrow their clothes and identities, but you must pilot the mecha—can you pilot a racing mecha?"

"... Thank you." Beia Triss lowered her head, her golden hair shining almost translucent under the fierce searchlights.

"We're not doing this for you, whether you like racing or not, we'd still choose this way to reach the Imperial Capital by noon tomorrow," Yang Qinglan said.

"I know." Beia Triss lifted her head, smiling shyly, "I'm very happy to be with you guys in the end."

"Beia..." Li Qianxia looked at her, her eyes pooling with moisture.

"Alright, alright, choose," Li Changzhou pointed at everyone present who was in a frenzy of excitement, "pick whichever you like, I'll go borrow."

"Yes!"

It was a lengthy and professional process.

Some famous racers were being introduced on stage, the atmosphere heated, as the four followed Beia Triss, picking and choosing among the crowd.

"This is a no-rules speed contest, all models of mecha can participate as long as they're not equipped with weapons."