October of the year 3898 of the Continent Calendar was little different from previous years. In Bunta City, situated in the southern part of the continent, the coolness of early autumn had just driven away the last lingering warmth of summer, leaving the whole city fresh and pleasant.
Such crisp autumn days were naturally an ideal time for people to gather.
In many parts of the Sains Continent, people took advantage of this season to go on autumn outings to the countryside with their families, enjoying the distinctive scenery of leaves turning red and fields turning golden as autumn arrived.
For the people of Bunta City, however, the annual Bunta City Circuit Road Bicycle Race had turned this time of year into a grand festival.
Countless people, whether they normally enjoyed cycling or not, made time to practice during this period, hoping that some last-minute training would help them achieve a good result in the race.
After all, this year marked the tenth anniversary of the road bicycle race, and the Xinfei Merchant Guild had therefore substantially increased the prize money for the event that had always borne its name.
According to the figures published in the Bunta Daily, the winner of this year's road bicycle race would receive a generous prize of a full thousand gold coins!
Although incomes in Bunta City had risen substantially across the board compared with the past, a thousand gold coins was still an immensely tempting prize for the vast majority of people.
Even those who failed to win the championship could still receive five hundred gold coins for second place or three hundred for third.
Even fourth through tenth place would receive a hundred gold coins each, while eleventh through hundredth place would receive a consolation prize of twenty gold coins.
Never mind