Lin Hai exaggeratedly shouted, his eyes shined as he looked at the golden-feathered bird in front of him.
Seeing a Chocobo in reality was so different from the one he had seen in the Star Spirit World before.
"It seems to really enjoy eating."
Mu You handed the omnivorous food bucket in his hand to the Chocobo, and it nibbled avidly at the meat and fruit in it, eating ravenously, like a woodpecker.
The Chocobo was omnivorous and could eat fruits, vegetables, and meat. It had a rather long lifespan; as long as it had a healthy diet and was well taken care of, it could easily live for over a hundred and fifty years.
"Master, is this your shop’s site?"
At this moment, Lin Hai had already noticed the Spatial Bag’s entrance at the back and was curiously peering inside at the verdant field.
"Can I go inside and have a look?" Lin Hai was very eager.
Mu You led the way into the door with the can of food, which the other three people and the Chocobo quickly followed behind him.
As soon as they entered, they saw a group of Chocobos, running wildly across the vast grassland.
Lin Hai was immediately amazed by the size of the field, and he scanned the surroundings in awe. "This place must be at least five to six hundred meters in length and width. Master, your space is even larger than a typical racecourse!"
He had seen larger Spatial Bags in the Commercial Alliance before, but those were collectively assembled by a whole group. On a personal level, this Spatial Bag was the largest he had ever seen.
Upon hearing Lin Hai’s words, Mu You muttered thoughtfully, "That’s a good idea...."
"What’s a good idea?" Lin Hai asked.
"I’m planning the space. I’ll lay out a race track around the edge following the racecourse guidelines, which will be exclusively used for Chocobo racing in the future," said Mu You.
"Wait, are you serious? I was just saying...." Lin Hai was stupefied.
Mu You spoke, then made his way to the edge of the space. He marked off a rough thirty-meter wide track along the border of the space.
It measured 600 meters in length and width, equivalent to a 2400 meters full-circle track. However, due to undulations and obstacles like small hills along the path, the actual distance surpassed this calculation.
After drawing the lines, Mu You whistled.
The Chocobos that were playing in the distance promptly dashed towards him. Before they knew it, they were swarming around Mu You, attracted by the aroma of the food, picking the pieces of meat from the bucket.
The large bucket of food was split among the nine Chocobos and was emptied in no time.
"Stop licking, it’s all gone."
Mu You tossed the empty bucket onto the ground helplessly, then clapped his hands to draw the Chocobos’ attention to the newly drawn racetrack.
"See this track? We’re going to have a racing competition. You all will run a full lap around this track, and the first three to finish will receive a bucket of food as a reward."
The Chocobos had all been enchanted with the animal talk spell and instantly understood Mu You’s meaning. They tweeted excitedly, clearly raring to go.
"Oh man, he’s doing it for real!"
Lin Hai looked surprised as he watched Mu You set up a real race for the Chocobos.
His eyes then lit up, "Master, can I join too?"
"Sure, choose a Chocobo that is willing to carry you."
"Then it’ll be Little Red!"
Without any hesitation, Lin Hai chose the Chocobo he had earlier named ’Little Red’ because of its red saddle.
Little Red had just had half a bucket of food and seemed to have grown fond of Lin Hai. It allowed him to mount it without any issue.
"Master, wait for me a bit, I want to get used to it." Lin Hai had ridden a Chocobo once in the Star Spirit World, but this was his first time guiding one, and he felt a bit nervous as he slowly circled around on Little Red.
"It’s much like riding a horse, there’s no need to pull the reins too hard. Chocobos are smart; they can figure out the optimal route."
Mu You advised and then returned to the shop to fetch a few cameras. He installed them at various points along the track.
By the time he finished, Lin Hai had already returned with Little Red to the starting line, and had switched into a nun outfit to lessen the weight.
"I’m ready, Master!" Lin Hai was clearly eager and excited.
The nine Chocobos were also impatient, taking small, quick steps behind the starting line, awaiting Mu You’s command.
Mu You held up a camera, focused the shot, and once the image was clear, he shouted the starting command. "Ready.... go!"
The moment the word ’go’ echoed, the nine golden bodies shot out like arrows.
Mu You adjusted the camera, filming the Chocobos as they ran.
In the beginning, the nine Chocobos ran neck and neck, the difference between them negligible.
After a while though, the difference became evident. The Chocobos that developed faster were slightly faster than their brothers and sisters.
About two hundred meters later, the Chocobos formed a line from front to back based on their development.
The only exception was Lin Hai’s Chocobo.
This Chocobo was one of the largest among the nine Chocobos. However, due to the added weight of a rider, its speed was reduced. Two-hundred meters into the race, it had fallen behind, even the two Chocobos less than a meter tall had overtaken it.