After lunch, Jin explained the finalized details.
That said, since no official announcement had been made yet, minor adjustments were still possible.
"There will be ten teams participating."
Holding the list he had received from Sion, Jin read off the names one by one.
Hearing them, Marikka spoke up.
"Ah, Imimir is entering as well, I see."
Apparently, she was Marikka's disciple.
Furthermore, Byusack and Kondak were her grand-disciples.
"They're quite talented, so I'm really looking forward to it."
In the end, the roster of participants stood as follows:
Entry Number 1: Lordtoss of the Puppet Clan Entry Number 2: Harnata of the Puppet Clan Entry Number 3: Archista of the Gospel Clan Entry Number 4: Sergela of the Gospel Clan Entry Number 5: Zedice of the All-Creation Clan Entry Number 6: Imimir of the All-Creation Clan (Marikka's disciple) Entry Number 7: Byusack of the All-Creation Clan (Marikka's grand-disciple) Entry Number 8: Nikeris of the Puppet Clan Entry Number 9: Kondak of the All-Creation Clan (Marikka's grand-disciple) Entry Number 10: Puppet of the Puppet Clan
"As for the competition itself, as the name 'air race' suggests, it will be a circuit race contested by all ten craft."
Jin explained that they would start on the Toka Village side, turn around at the Kutsudo Mine side, and complete several laps around the course.
Since human pilots would be on board, acrobatic racing like the event they had previously held on Onogoro Island using model aircraft was out of the question.
"Right now, I'm considering whether to make it five laps or ten."
He explained that one lap around the course would be roughly ten kilometers.
"As for the layout, I'm thinking a simple ellipse... or rather, just erecting two turning pylons and having them loop around them would be fine."
Since the speed of a Blow Floater was likely between 50 to 100 kilometers per hour, one lap would take about five to ten minutes.
"What do you all think?"
Jin looked around at the gathered group.
"Yeah, that sounds good to me. I'd recommend ten laps. If it doesn't take around an hour and a half, the spectators who gathered might not feel satisfied."
"I agree. If it ends in the blink of an eye, it'll leave people wanting more."
Reinhard and Louis gave their thoughts.
"I see."
"What about safety?" Saki asked.
"Even if they're Northern People, a crash would still be dangerous, wouldn't it?"
Jin nodded.
"Regarding that, I'm thinking of setting up a barrier beneath the course."
Jin explained that it would be a barrier capable of absorbing impacts, designed to easily cushion a weight of about one ton.
"I see. That would certainly put everyone's minds at ease." Beena nodded in agreement.
"Though is there any risk it could be repurposed for warfare?"
She pointed out that a barrier capable of deflecting physical weapons could potentially be adapted for military applications.
"While it could be repurposed, it is purely defensive."
Since it wasn't an offensive tool, that aspect was somewhat manageable, Jin noted.
"Besides, I'm planning to have golems deploy the barrier and retrieve them once it's over."
"I see. That makes sense, then."
Beena was satisfied with that explanation.
"What about the qualifying rounds?" Marcia asked next.
"A time attack on a qualifying circuit of about two kilometers per lap."
"Ah, that sounds exciting."
It was decided that timekeeping would also be handled by golems provided by Jin or Maquina.
"For the time being, I want to keep safety and complicated management tasks under my or Maquina's responsibility."
"Mm-hmm, that's probably for the best," Saki agreed.
"Though it would be nice if someone reliable stepped up whom we could hand things over to."
"Speaking of which, wouldn't entrusting it to the Nord Federation be an option?" Lishia chimed in.
"That's true. However, if we do that, there won't be any merit in holding the race on the Lauren Continent anymore."
"Ah, that's true..." Lishia replied, looking slightly disappointed.
After all, the original purpose of hosting it in Toka Village had been regional revitalization.
"Air races can easily turn into catastrophic disasters if an accident happens, after all."
Even on Earth during Jin's era, air races were held around the world, but a single mistake could lead to a crash and severe casualties.
Though it was a sport fraught with danger, it had captivated countless enthusiasts.
As far as Jin was concerned, however, he wanted to protect human life wherever possible.
"Well, there's no need to decide on future matters right this second, is there?" Goose said.
"You're right about that."
There was no point in fretting over things five years down the line right now. For this race, and the next—assuming there was one—Jin was more than willing to handle the arrangements himself.
"With that in mind, does anyone notice anything else we might have missed?"
Jin looked around at everyone to reset the discussion.
"What about the guests?" Hanna asked.
"A hotel has been prepared for lodging. Depending on the person, some might stay in Kaina Village or Rakuno Town. I plan to host the people I personally invited at Jin Nidou."
"Um, what about the response if someone suddenly falls ill or gets injured?"
Prompted by Hanna, Jin had a sudden realization.
"Ah, I hadn't thought of that. Let's dispatch the healing mage Lise and the assistant automata Nurse."
"If push comes to shove, I will help too."
Elsa volunteered. Naturally, she would be providing support through Erna, but that would be more than enough.
"Hanna, thanks for bringing that up. It really helps....Now then, is there anything else?"
"Kufu, won't there be any stalls?"
Saki asked whether there would be booths selling souvenirs and light refreshments.
"I was thinking of leaving that to the Toka Village Chief, but..."
When Jin answered, Reinhard cautioned him:
"No, having him handle something he's completely unfamiliar with might lead to trouble. You should set up a few as well, Jin."
"Is that so... In that case, maybe a stall selling 'Original Toka Village Pashta', 'kemeria oil', and perhaps handkerchiefs made with 'Aisugo dyeing' would be good?"
Aisugo was a close relative of the blueberry, though it was far too astringent to eat.
It grew wild in the mountains near Kaina Village and Toka Village, and Toa had discovered that a blue dye could be extracted from its berries.
If left untreated, the color would quickly fade, but by applying the magi-craft 'Stabilize' developed by Stearena, it became resistant to ultraviolet rays as well.
"We don't need to make much of a profit; let's just set them up to liven up the atmosphere."
And so, it was settled.
In this manner, preparations for the 1st Marikka Cup proceeded steadily, step by step.