​"Good day, everyone!" Lola's voice boomed, perfectly amplified, reaching every corner of the vast stadium and resonating with the hundreds of excited attendees.

​"We are all gathered here to celebrate our best drivers! From the youngest prodigy to the oldest veteran! And thanks to a completely new and utterly generous guest… the cash rewards have been multiplied by a colossal amount! And this important guest is…" She dramatically gestured to the massive screen overhead.

​The screen lit up, prominently displaying a photo of Sunny.

​"God Wolf!" Lola announced, her smile dazzling.

​"Wow! That is God Wolf!" a person screamed, shock turning to elation.

​"Yes! He increased the rewards! That means the prizes are going to be absolutely massive!" another audience member added.

​"Dad sponsored the race?" Ellen whispered in wide-eyed shock.

​"Shh… No one knows you are his daughter, and I want to keep it that way," Jinx whispered back urgently.

​"Why?" Blood Eye asked, raising an eyebrow.

​"Look at the faces of our competition," Jinx explained, folding her arms across her chest.

"If they discovered Ellen is his daughter, they will try to gain favor, and the easiest way is to let her win. I don't want that. I want my sister to win fair and square, based on her own skill."

​Blood Eye and Star exchanged an amused look. They picked up their uniform chips from the nearby table. The other sixteen racers did the same, and in unison, they pressed the chips onto their chests. The devices instantly expanded, seamlessly forming sleek, body-enclosing race suits that stopped cleanly at the neck.

​"As you all know, there will be three winners," Lola continued, her voice full of theatrical excitement.

"And the third place reward is… five hundred thousand Galaxy Crystals!"

​"Wow! A whole five hundred thousand! Last race, the reward was only one hundred thousand. It's been multiplied by five!"

​"God Wolf is truly wealthy! It's a great thing for our nation that the Queen knows him!"

​"Yes! I heard the Prince is under him! That Prince is so lucky!"

​"I would give anything to serve under God Wolf."

​Lola allowed the murmurs to subside before continuing. "The second place winner gains… two million Galaxy Crystals!"

"....?!"

​The announcement threw the audience into chaos. Gasps and shocked exclamations erupted.

​"Oh my god!"

"A whole two million for second place?!"

"Isn't that too much? The third got five hundred thousand, and the second gets two million!"

​Lola nodded, basking in the noise. "And for the first place winner!" She surveyed the anticipating faces, every eye fixed on her.

​"The first place winner will gain a whole five million Galaxy Crystals and one hundred Celestial Energy Stones!"

​A stunned silence plunged over the audience. Their brains struggled to compute the astronomical value of the prize. Five seconds later, the crowd erupted, jumping to their feet, screaming, cheering, and yelling at the top of their lungs.

​"Wow! This is the highest reward I have ever heard of in any space racing event!"

​"Yes! In all the races hosted by countless noble families, this is surely the one with the biggest rewards!"

​"I can't wait to see the first place winner!"

​"Me too!"

_

​"Drivers! Please get in your cars!" Lola commanded, staring down at the twenty racers on the platform.

​"Good luck," Tyson said, approaching Jinx and Ellen. "And I'm sorry again for what happened outside. I actually know God Wolf—he bought a starship from my family's company once. I'm truly sorry."

​"It's okay. I'm not angry," Ellen replied, giving him a slight nod.

​"You said starship?" Jinx asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow. "Your family is already wealthy. Why are you here?"

​"I'm here for fun, actually. This is my first race, and my parents were excited to watch. Mom was just too eager, that's why she rushed ahead," Tyson explained, chuckling lightly.

​Jinx nodded, then gestured toward the car in front of her. "Ellen, this is yours."

​Ellen stared at the vehicle, particularly at the two massive rocket engines mounted on the back. She looked up at Jinx:

"There are no tires?"

​"Hahaha! It seems this is her first time too," Tyson laughed, regaining some of his confidence. He answered Ellen's question.

"Yes. These cars are built like rockets; we fly them, not drive them."

​Ellen gave a quick nod, picked up the helmet from the car hood, and hopped into the cockpit.

​Jinx and the group watched as the glass canopy smoothly sealed shut. Ellen put on the helmet and gave them a thumbs-up.

​"Can she drive?" Tyson asked Jinx, a note of mild surprise in his voice.

​"Yes," Jinx answered simply, then walked toward her own car.

​'Yes? You taught her how to fly a starship for barely a few minutes! And those controls are vastly different from these!' Star thought, concern flickering in her eyes as she walked to her car and climbed on.

​"I don't really need this money," Blood Eye muttered, a bored expression painted on her face.

"I already have so much on hand… Well, I'll just donate it to charity, if I win." She settled into her car.

​Tyson blinked, having clearly overheard the casual dismissal of millions of crystals. He swallowed hard:

'I must win, and show them I'm the best!' He paused.

'Wait, what am I saying? This is my first time too.' He chuckled nervously to himself, walked to his car, picked up his helmet, and sealed himself in.

_

​Seeing everyone was ready, the announcer picked up his mic and yelled: "Let the race begin!"

​DING!

​Everyone looked up at the countdown timer, which started from ten.

The drivers started their powerful engines, a deep roar vibrating through the stadium.

​"Hey, I just noticed her, who is that kid?" someone asked, staring at Ellen's feed on the huge screen.

​"Isn't she too young for this?" another asked.

​"So young, and she is already aiming for the cash prize. Let's see how this turns out."

​"Yes! A veteran is also present—she has won five races! She won't lose to this one."

​"I agree. Can't wait to see the results!"

​Lola listened to the audience murmurs, her gaze fixed on Ellen below:

​"The daughter of God Wolf aiming for a mere trinket? How funny," she muttered to herself.

​"Five! Four! Three! Two! One! GO!"

​With the announcer's final yell, the whole twenty cars shot forward simultaneously. They didn't just drive; they flew, rocketing out of the tubes and vanishing from sight, leaving only the thunderous cheers and screams of the audience in their wake.

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