The work of the Go master

"Hello, teacher. I heard you've been attending a meeting here recently?" Ke Zhiguang asked.

"Yes, it was a ridiculous meeting. It revolved around the conflict between the Imperial Chess and the Dragon Throne. The chess world may be in turmoil soon, and you may also be affected."

When Ke Zhiguang heard this description, his first reaction was that the two of them were exchanging waves, and the resulting shockwaves could wipe out everything around them.

"The meeting is still ongoing and may take several days to finish. I'll let you know if anything comes up," Saito said. "It's been a while, and your intelligence network has become so efficient! You even knew we were having a meeting around here?"

"Actually, I think you guys are just having a year-end team-building activity..."

Saito paused for a moment: "That's about right. Any other reputable company could finish this kind of meeting in three days, but when it falls into our hands, we can extend it to fourteen days... and still not finish it."

"By the way, I have a question I'd like to ask you. Are there any... shrines around here?" Ke Zhiguang pondered for a moment and finally chose the word "shrine".

My first thought was to say a church, but after thinking about it, I realized that this doesn't fit with local traditions. The key point is Japanese style.

The objective of this mission may be a fictional one, similar to the weather, which easily evokes images of deities.

The word "god" sounds intimidating, but fortunately this is Japan, where there are supposed to be eight million gods. Even a straw can be called a god. In other words, the "god" here is experiencing severe inflation.

However, this only applies to Shintoism, so it is necessary to look for similar shrines.

If all else fails, just treat it as research on shrine maiden culture.

Let me make it clear first: my research on shrine maidens is not out of interest in their clothing or anything like that, but rather out of a love for exotic cultural customs.

“A shrine, I didn’t realize you were interested in that… There seems to be a shrine over there, but it’s abandoned.” Saito pointed to the depths of the snow-covered mountainside in the distance.

Beneath the thick snow, a touch of vermilion was faintly visible; if I'm not mistaken, that might be the color of the torii gate.

It was very close to the accident, just within the travel distance.

Chapter Eight Snow Woman

At three o'clock in the afternoon, the sky darkened and became gloomy.

From Tokyo to Hokkaido, we've traveled several degrees higher in latitude. The days become shorter, the nights longer, and the concept of time becomes quite fantastical, like stepping into a game set primarily in a snowy landscape.

Guided by Saito, Koji arrived at the shrine hidden deep in the snow forest.

"This is it. Just a few more steps up and you'll see a small shrine. It's so small that it's just a small worship hall of a few square meters. You could use it as a small pavilion." Saito pointed upwards. "It's so small, and you call it a shrine?" Koji looked at the steps that stretched up from the snow and suddenly felt a sense of Zen-like emptiness.

“Eight million gods need a place to live. Can’t you see wild Jizo statues by the roadside?” Saito said, stepping onto the steps.

The two walked up the steps. Although the heavy snow covered everything, the outline of the steps on the ground was still visible.

At first, Koji was worried that Saito might not have the stamina, but it turned out that he was overthinking it. Saito's stamina was excellent, and he walked through the snow without any effort.

Perhaps this is the effect of the Eternal Dragon Throne, coupled with some strange and wonderful healing items, giving him extraordinary vitality.

As you ascend the snow path, a small torii gate comes into view, its weathered wooden frame covered in snow, resembling an ancient door.

But this torii gate is really short, only a little over two meters high. If you jump up and gently touch it, you can touch its forehead, which is a plaque-like thing.

However, this torii gate does not have a plaque.

Passing through the torii gate, we arrived at the halfway point of the snow-covered forest, where a miniature worship hall appeared in front of us, its steps completely submerged in snow.

There was also a dried-up handwashing station, a dilapidated money box, and a hemp rope hanging forlornly from above the worship hall, as if pulling it might ring the bell.

As for which deity was once worshipped here, that remains unknown.

Indeed, as Saito said, compared to a proper shrine, this place is like a wild Jizo statue placed by the roadside in the wilderness. At least it has a life-sized temple, and occasionally kind passersby will place a few fruits in front of it.

Ke Zhiguang walked towards the miniature worship hall, his gaze sweeping over the desolate scenery around him, as if trying to glean something from it.

The wind whistled down from the distant sky, and snow pattered down from the branches. This was the only sound here, and the only thing Ke Zhiguang could perceive.

It is here.

Although nothing else was visible in the field of vision,

To describe it in a metaphysical way, he could sense that there was something special about this place.

The twigs trembled.

The friction between snowflakes.

The movement of air.

Those subtle sounds of nature echoed deep within his consciousness, as if he were surrounded by a vibrant forest.

Since defeating Yabu and obtaining the skill of "Syntactic Senses Through Chess," his hearing has improved somewhat, but only in terms of metaphysical hearing effects.

He arrived at the handwashing station, and although there was no water, he symbolically rubbed ice on his hands and melted it.

This feels so good.

Then he arrived at the front of the worship hall, tugged on the knotted rope, and a bell actually rang out.

Then, symbolically toss a 5-yuan coin into the offering box, making a crisp clinking sound.

The fact that sounds can be heard indicates that this is not the location where quantum mechanics operates.

Finally, one should adopt a gesture of clasping hands in a gesture of equivalent exchange, thus completing the entire process.

But even after completing the process, no abnormalities occurred.

At times like this, you need to craft an [Event Trigger Scroll] to calm your nerves, but unfortunately, I don't have one on hand right now, so I have to find a place to farm one.

"Is there any historical story associated with this place?" Ke Zhiguang asked.

“I’m not a professional folklorist, how could I possibly know these things? But this place is listed as one of the cultural relics protection targets. It may be quite old, but there shouldn’t be any special history or stories about it. Just think of it as a small attraction that’s tied to the ski resort,” Saito said.

"So what brings you to a place like this? You can't just be here to wish for a great victory in the next tournament, can you?" Saito said.

"I already said, the focus is on studying foreign cultures. And even if I really wanted to make a wish, I would wish for a great victory in the Dragon Throne Battle. It's not worth wasting a wish opportunity on a title of Famous General."

"It's been so long, but your ability to choke on things hasn't gotten any worse. I bet anyone who's had more than five sentences with you has had the experience of being choked by your antics, right?"

"Huh? Teacher, do you often choke when I make you choke?" Ke Zhiguang asked, puzzled.

Upon hearing this, Saito choked up a bit. Luckily, he wasn't smoking, or he would have dropped his cigarette on the ground.

"Well, I happen to have a wish recently, so I'll just use this wild-looking shrine to make it happen." Saito also came up and completed a set of ritual procedures in front of the worship hall.

Suddenly, there were two five-yuan coins in the offering box.

Even in Japanese, "五元" is pronounced the same as "五缘".

I don't know if five dollars will be enough.

“I don’t know what you wished for, but my wish just happens to be to win the Dragon Throne Tournament,” Saito said.

"Do you still want to fight on the front lines?"

"Don't worry, this is my last appearance in a major competition. Whether I win or lose this time, I will most likely fade out of this black-and-white world of competition and leave the stage to you young people. I won't compete with you for these fancy titles and honors," Saito said.

“Speaking out your wishes won’t do any good,” Ke Zhiguang said.

"It's just a small, run-down shrine anyway. If it doesn't work, so be it. It's not like I wouldn't go to a proper shrine or temple to pray." Saito shrugged and smiled dismissively, appearing very nonchalant.

Although the two acted as peacefully as old friends, Ke Zhiguang seemed to sense that "see you on the next court" declaration again.

Koji suddenly recalled the time when he first met Saito. Saito said that on the night he received the Dragon Throne title, he dreamed that he was traveling in a clear universe.

Although it may sound like a casual, slightly joking remark, Koji Hikaru remembers very clearly that Saito's eyes were filled with longing when he said those words, like the emotion humans feel when witnessing the heavens in some science fiction films.

That kind of scene, once witnessed, can be imprinted in one's heart, and every subsequent encounter becomes a pilgrimage, the longing for each pilgrimage unwavering, and the anticipation for the next meeting undiminished.

"You've come here, perhaps you've been entangled by something unclean?" Saito suddenly asked.

Ke Zhiguang nodded frankly, "Yes, teacher, have you ever had a similar experience?"

"I haven't actually encountered this myself, but people with exceptional Go skills like Hanno-sensei, Oshiro Ki, and Koshikawa Tatsumi have. My knowledge of this area comes entirely from what I've heard from them."

"Have they had similar experiences with charlatans?" Ke Zhiguang asked.

Saito continued, "Although I am not very clear about the specific events they encountered, when I talked to them, they all explicitly or implicitly mentioned that they had experienced playing against ominous things. However, when it came to specific details, Hanno-sensei just smiled and shook his head, saying that he had killed too many demons and could no longer remember exactly how he killed them. As for Oshiro, he said very seriously that he did not want to say more. The only one who explicitly mentioned it was Koshikawa Tatsumi, who said that he had played against the sea."

"The sea? Do you mean the Sea of ​​Japan or the Pacific Ocean?" Ke Zhiguang asked curiously.

"This...no, you're accepting this way too quickly, aren't you?" Saito choked up again. He thought Koji would be a little surprised, but not only did he not waver, he also expanded his thoughts to specific ocean names.

"Oh, I'm sorry, my... what?! The three of them played chess with such a dangerous thing?" Ke Zhiguang immediately feigned surprise.

The surroundings were completely silent, with only the cold wind whistling past. Saito's expression remained frozen for a long time, his fists hardening.

Saito simply skipped over that point and continued, "In short, everyone destined to become a legendary figure of their time has had similar experiences. Now it seems you may be one of those people."

"Then what about you, teacher? You are currently the only one with an eternal dragon throne. Does that mean you can't be considered a strongman of this era?"

"I'm about the same age as Yagami Kunikyo, I'm 66 and he's 59. We're from the same generation. Don't be fooled by my winning the Eternal Dragon Throne, his shadow has always been over me. But he only ever plays for the Imperial Castle title and never tries to compete for other titles. Otherwise, with his skill, he probably would have collected all the titles by now."

It is an unwritten rule in the current chess world that holders of major titles do not compete with each other.

I've discussed this with Saito before, and he said it's an internal rule of the Yagami Kingdom's capital, unknown to outsiders.

The other players had become accustomed to his decision-making without any explanation of the reasons behind it; in the words of The Three-Body Problem, this was "part of the plan."

"What kind of ocean is the one that Koshikawa Ryuki is facing?" Keiji asked.

"That's all he revealed. Then he went on to describe the mysterious atmosphere at the time in a cryptic way, but he wouldn't reveal any specific details. He was just trying to keep people in suspense, so I just ignored him... But you, what unfortunate event did you encounter?"

“I just encountered it myself, and I can only confirm that it is probably related to snow,” Ke Zhiguang said.

"Snow, quite elegant. If you were to play chess against something like this, your opponent would almost certainly play white, which is your forte." Saito accepted these ideas quite quickly.

This actually reminded Ke Zhiguang that he had played black in yesterday's game.

"And if we're talking about snow, and it has to be a deity or a yokai, then it seems like only the Yuki-onna (snow woman) comes to mind, right?" Saito said.

Wow... experience really pays off. He solved so many blind spots as soon as he appeared.

Ke Zhiguang refocused his attention on the worship hall to the side, and his gaze seemed to have changed.

Is it possible for this Yuki-onna (snow woman) to be enshrined in a shrine?

Suddenly, a fierce whirlwind descended from the highest point of the snow-covered forest, the sound of falling snow like a magnificent musical note, and snow mist rose from the ground, causing the two to shield their faces with their elbows.

It seems that snow is not elegant.

"Let's go, this awful weather has been like this for a while now," Saito said, looking up at the sky.

Before leaving, Ke Zhiguang glanced back at the temple and found that it seemed to have disappeared into the snow and mist, making it difficult to see.

There must be something there.