The work of the Go master

In the bustling central district, an old-style building stands out starkly from the surrounding modern architecture, resembling a historical relic.

However, this is someone's private residence.

In front of the floor-to-ceiling windows leading to the balcony, Hannoken leaned back in his wheelchair, reading an evening newspaper.

The night the Dragon Throne Tournament was announced, the chess world began its celebration, with daily chess news reports covering the event.

This includes information about the current team composition of each team.

At this moment, Hanno Ken's gaze lingered with interest on the current situation of Ke Zhiguang's team.

Koji Hikaru, Harujima Shika, and Taketsukado Kabuto are still missing two spots.

He made a sound, producing a long "zz" sound.

"What a grand banquet! I didn't expect you to be attending, A-Xiang," Ban Yexuan said kindly.

Kiko Seinoka nodded behind him and said, "This is the place that will determine the future of the Go world and whether the world you have built can continue to exist. I have no choice but to go."

"It's really frustrating. Watching a bunch of young boys fooling around like that, I really want to join in their activities," Hanno Ken laughed.

“If you were younger, you wouldn’t have such a feast,” said Kiko Seinoka.

"I'm not that good. Even if I were as young as I was, it would be difficult for me to beat Yagami Kunikyo and Koshikawa Tatsumi. They are both talented and arrogant young men. Unless I let Shi Xin win."

“Kokyo Yagami is already 61 years old this year, so he can’t be considered young anymore,” Kiko Seinoka corrected.

"Haha, I almost forgot. I kept looking at how smooth and tender his skin was, and I almost forgot that he's only about thirty years younger than me."

"Thirty years is a big age difference, and many fathers and children are only thirty years apart in age."

"So, Ah Xiang, how old are you this year?" Ban Yexuan asked.

"I am fifty-six years old this year."

"Really? You're just a little girl's age. Come to think of it, you've always been a beautiful young lady in my eyes."

"You're joking... It's getting late, please lie down quickly, teacher."

A few minutes later, the lights in the mansion went out, and Hanno Ken lay down on the bedding in the living room.

After confirming that Kiko Seinoka had gone far away, he quickly opened his eyes and rested his head on his arm, just like an ordinary high school boy watching the sunset by the river.

He muttered to himself while staring at the ceiling, his eyes becoming smug.

"Damn it, I just can't fall asleep no matter what I do."

"It's like middle school students who missed the summer camp registration and could only watch their classmates board the bus to Kyoto arm in arm."

"I'd also like to get involved."

"If I sneak in to participate, I shouldn't get caught, right?"

"Even if I get caught, I probably won't get scolded, right? After all, I'm so highly respected, anyone who dares to scold me will be sunk to Tokyo Bay."

"So the question is, which identity should we use to participate?"

"Or rather, which 'appearance' should be used to participate?"

This is the last leave application form of the month. Time to write it!

Seriously. This is the last leave application of the month. I got home really late today.

Well, this really is the last one. I don't have enough writer points for the third one.

The rest of the plot is pretty clear.

The team lineup has been finalized as a sister team. Teacher Hanno will come over first to get acquainted, and this storyline will be developed later.

So, let's guess who Ryuki Koshikawa's symbolic spirit is?

Anyway, it comes from a tokusatsu drama, and although it's not a dragon, I can force it to be written as a dragon.

In short, the plot of this volume may become the highlight of the book.

Let me take a nap first, then I'll go all out when I wake up!

Chapter 59 This job of a shrine maiden, I could do it too!

Staring at the ceiling, after much contemplation, Hannoken suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

"I've got it! Let's use that appearance; it'll definitely surprise everyone."

Hanno Ken revealed a wicked smile.

He fell asleep contentedly.

......

......

The cold rain continued all night, and the sky the next day was as clear as if it had been washed clean.

The chess academy was bustling with activity as usual today.

Since the announcement of the Dragon Throne Team Tournament, the chess world has once again entered a state of excitement, starting a new round of intense competition.

This year's event is unprecedented in its scale and grandeur, featuring not only thrilling gimmicks like a decisive battle on the high seas, but also significantly higher prize money than ever before.

Although people say that in the competitive industry, no one remembers the second place, that's just a saying. In practice, it's not just about second place; even third or fourth place is excellent, as any prize money is a victory.

This year's Dragon Throne Battle has attracted significantly more sponsors and invested more money than ever before, resulting in a dramatic increase in the total prize money.

Moreover, these increased prize money items did not flow upwards into the champion's trophy, but were instead distributed downwards to lower-ranked players, allowing more players to benefit from the bonus.

"I hope to hold a banquet that belongs to everyone, not just the champion," Mr. Hanno said with satisfaction.

The prize money is a huge incentive for most chess players to qualify for the main tournament and board the cruise ship.

Although everyone's salary is not low, the concept of bonus is different. It contains an element of honor and is more attractive than a salary of the same level.

Incidentally, the prize money for this Dragon Throne Tournament remains unchanged from previous years, at 180 million yen.

As long as it doesn't involve real estate, this is a huge sum of money.

Although this huge sum of money is out of reach for most people.

But some people still try their luck with the mindset of winning a lottery, for example... hoping to get on someone's good side.

"Failed! I left them far behind from the very beginning of the layout!"

"Your handicap is terrible! Go buy two new practice books and work them out!"

"You're no good either, you're completely unqualified to join our team!"

In the center of the training hall, bamboo swordsmen were sending one after another of the players who wanted to rely on their skills back home.

"Who's next?" Bamboo Sword Forger asked sharply.

When no one responded, they all retreated.

In a corner of the Go Academy, Narita Shunji frowned and said, "Damn it, I thought he would quiet down for a while after being defeated by Koji Mitsuaki in the Meisho Tournament, but who knew that after the Dragon Throne Tournament was suddenly announced as a team tournament, he became even more enthusiastic."

"If you can't beat them, join them. I've learned that trick. I'll do it next time," Sasahara Noriyuki muttered to himself.

An Yongxin nodded in agreement: "Exactly, that's even more outrageous than me. At most, I was just praising my opponent, but who would have thought that this person would actually join in? Let's see how the Black and White sides use this as material."

The three of them have officially announced their team formation. The other two are Yamaoka and Soma Masae. They are the kind of people who don't care about rankings, they just want to get on the boat.

In fact, they were all members of Ke Zhiguang's second-tier group of friends and family.

Hearing the faint sounds of debate coming from all directions, Bamboo Sword Forger was in a state of itching to punch the wall.

Although he was defeated by Ke Zhiguang, in his subconscious, he and Ke Zhiguang were equals, and were sworn enemies. Therefore, he readily took on the role of the backbone.

The result is incredibly awkward now; "If you can't beat them, join them" has become one of his memes.

What's even more embarrassing for him is that... right now, he's the only one in the whole team seriously recruiting teammates, while the other two seem to have disconnected.

Especially from Ke Zhiguang's side, he suddenly said he was going to take an exam to calm his nerves, and then he disappeared.

He also specifically emphasized that after the exam, they might spend a day or two celebrating.

This is... utterly infuriating.

Perhaps this is what "Ke Zhiguang on Vacation" is all about—a joke coming true.

"Um, I'd like to join the team too. Can you test me?" a strange voice asked.

The voice sounded weak and unassuming, giving the impression of someone trying their luck to sneak into the team.

But when he saw his face, Bamboo Knife Forging was stunned.

A terrible memory of being dominated came flooding back.

......

......

At the same time, Ke Zhiguang had already fast-forwarded to the entrance of Inoue Shrine.

After thinking it over last night, he decided to skip all the procedures and go straight to the point, testing the waters first. So he bought a train ticket and took a train from Tokyo to here.

Trains from Tokyo to Osaka run very frequently, almost every 20 minutes, and tickets are readily available even during off-peak seasons.

Moreover, the local area is only so big, and Ke Zhiguang was already prepared to go home tonight, without even bringing any luggage.

"This is Inoue Shrine..." Koji Hikaru arrived at the entrance to his destination.

Unlike the shrines one might imagine being built deep in the mountains and forests, this shrine is actually built in the middle of a lake.

It is built on a wooden platform, not on land, and seems to float on water, full of ethereal beauty.

The vermilion torii gates are layered above the water, and a narrow wooden bridge passes under them, leading directly to this misty shrine.

The wooden bridge connects to the land, where a torii gate stands, serving as the first entrance.

A stone pedestal for a komainu (guardian dog) stands in front of the torii gate, similar to the stone lions in front of government offices. Such items, either komainu or foxes, are usually placed at the entrance of a shrine.

Considering that the god enshrined in this shrine is the dog god, it is natural to display a komainu (guardian dog).

However, the komainu here, with its magatama-shaped eyebrows... gives off a kind of silly and cute vibe.

This thing looks exactly like Sadaharu! It's so distracting!

The amount of celestial energy here immediately dropped significantly.