The work of the Go master

A cluster of fireworks burst open outside the window, their dazzling light flowing like red wine into the four corners of the night sky.

Every night, this is a program segment on the ship. After all, it would be too boring to hold a chess game on a cruise ship that carries 2000 people.

As the moonlight grew brighter, dolphins leaped out of the water not far away.

This was the safest night on the ship.

.......

......

The second day of competition arrived, and the number of people qualified to enter the arena decreased by one lap.

The camera followed the chess player, capturing the moment the door to the game room opened from an over-the-shoulder perspective.

Yingmei stared in disbelief at her opponent in today's match.

Her teacher, Kiko Seinoka.

Her team is facing a 9-dan group today.

"H-Hello, teacher." Yingmei lowered her head nervously, cold sweat pouring down her back.

The fear of being dominated while learning chess welled up in my heart.

"Eagle Beauty, you're still the same as ever. You get nervous whenever you're with me." The Empress took off her wedding ring and placed it aside.

This means that when she starts playing a game, she is no longer a submissive Japanese wife, but a female general focused on the battle on the chessboard.

The chess pieces fell like ice crystals, and a murderous intent permeated the entire cruise ship.

On the other side, Xiong Ying faced off against Qing Shima Shika.

Xiong Ying shivered.

"Hehe, so you actually have a day when you're trembling with fear just sitting across from me?" Harushima Kashiwa asked, propping her cheek up with her hand and swinging her legs.

"No, the intimidation isn't coming from you, Lulu, it's coming from the next match room... it's from Takami's side." Kuma Sakura's eyes widened in fear. "She's playing against Kiko-sensei!"

"How can you sense the situation of Takami's game?! Even if you're telepathically connected, there's a limit!"

"I don't care, Yingmei is already dead. I have to get past you to survive a generation longer than her!"

As a result, the two of them were eliminated in the same round, continuing their stalemate where neither could gain the upper hand.

Ke Zhiguang's day was still spent wandering around during the day, and he would only return to his room in the evening to maintain his feel for the game on the chessboard.

The upper deck of the ship, the main activity room of the Dragon Throne team.

All entertainment props except the chessboard and the pool table were removed.

Inoue Masakado sat behind the chessboard, intently studying the game.

The content of the chess game comes from Xingcai, and it just so happens to be a game from the past two days.

"Mr. Inoue, why are you suddenly studying your daughter's chess records? Is it because you think she really has the ability to challenge you, and you want to prepare in advance?" Nishi Chiaki came in from outside the door.

“That’s right, I’m starting to believe what Mr. Dragon Throne said. In the end, it’s not the 9th Dan team that stands in front of us, but Koji Mitsuhiro’s team,” Inoue Masakado said.

"What's the reason?" Nishi Chiaki asked with a smile.

Inoue Masakado shook his head: "It's just a premonition, a particularly deep premonition."

Nishi Chiaki smiled dismissively, but could only admit, "Well, although I don't believe they can get past the Ninth Dan Group's iron wall, I really have this feeling."

"Is it because the boss has been talking about this in a cryptic way, giving us an unspoken psychological suggestion, that we have this premonition?" said Shizuru Fuchigami.

"That's true. Perhaps we could just brush it off with 'that's the power of luck'?"

"By the way, Ke Zhiguang has been wandering around the ship these past few days, as if he's looking for something. Has anyone heard anything about it?" Yuan Shangjingliu asked.

"Stop, stop, Miss Yue, how do you know he's been loitering on the ship?" Nishi Chiaki once again looked at Ke Zhiguang with newfound respect.

“I would see him wandering around whenever he went out a few times. He even checked whether the warehouse here had enough rescue equipment… That’s what the staff told me.”

"Rescue equipment? Does he think this ship will sink?" Nishi Chiaki said with a hint of mockery.

“I think so too. From the first moment I saw the boss, I felt that he might be the one to push this cruise ship into the abyss,” said Yuan Shangjingliu as he flipped through the book.

"If you thought it would sink, why did you come up here?"

“The boss pays me a high enough salary, and… I always feel that even if I sink, I might not die,” Shizuru Fuchigami replied.

This was an unexpected answer, and Nishi Chiaki thought about it for a while before realizing that it made sense.

Premonition is a magical thing, especially for chess players; it's like a revelation from the future.

He also felt that he was quite lucky and that nothing should go wrong.

"So, what exactly is Koji Hikaru looking for?" Shizuru Fuchigami brought the topic back to its original point.

"I don't know, but I heard that the boss used to possess a lot of strange and ominous things, which he brought from the shore to this ship. Maybe Ke Zhiguang's target is them, to find them and then destroy them?"

"Oh? That's really righteous. I'm even thinking of supporting him." Shizuru Fuchigami said dismissively, flipping through the pages of his book. "Speaking of which, there's something I don't quite understand. Why is it that our boss, someone with such a strong desire to perform, hasn't given a passionate speech in front of everyone? Instead, he hasn't left this floor since the day we set sail, acting like a normal person."

“He told me this, that he doesn’t want to meet with Ke Zhiguang for the time being,” Nishi Chiaki explained.

"And what's the reason?"

"I guess it's like the saying 'Kings never meet,' hoping that the moment they meet will be the moment the battle is decided, is that what it means?" Nishi Chiaki shrugged.

"It's quite a ritualistic thing to do." Shizuru Fuchigami nodded.

The subordinates were having a lively discussion in the room, which was overheard by Tatsumi Koshikawa in the next room.

The room was dark, illuminated only by moonlight, the sea horizon, and red wine.

There was also a classical record playing softly, and his humming with his eyes closed.

"So much time has passed, and you're still the same as ever, unchanged," Koshikawa Tatsumi suddenly said, but without addressing anyone.

"Now that I've brought everything I needed to, isn't it time for you to meet me?"

As he spoke, he placed his palm on a wooden box on the table.

The boxes on that shelf in the record store were the same model as the ones he used to own.

It also contained an item from the underworld.

He grabbed the wooden box and threw it into the sea.

With a splash, a wave rose up.

The sea began to become turbulent, and the moonlight seemed to collapse and flow away.

......

......

The race proceeded slowly, with the intense fighting spirit accompanying the course all the way to the depths of the Pacific Ocean, where the sea seemed to boil.

The sixth round of matches is about to begin.

The two teams facing off are Koji Hikaru's team and Saito Sando's team.

The moment that everyone has been waiting for, yet which is also perfectly deserved, has finally arrived.

Under this special tournament format, as long as the vice-captain wins this game, winning any one of the remaining three games will grant direct advancement. The side with a strong female player is destined to go all the way.

In the room facing the sea, Ke Zhiguang packed his gear, making himself look perfect.

I felt surprisingly calm; I had long anticipated this day would come.

The only downside was the weather; it turned rainy again, and the oppressive heat of the low latitude made it hard to breathe.

In another room, Saito was also cleaning his clothes in front of the mirror.

In the past, when he went to war, his virtuous wife would be by his side to take care of everything, but now he has to rely on himself.

Wearing a gray-brown suit and trench coat, he looked like a capable criminal police officer, with an old-fashioned scarf wrapped around his neck.

Finally, there's the folding fan.

The chess master on Ke Zhiguang's side.

Saito's side... Wind, Fire, Mountain Forest!

At the same time, the two of them perked up and stepped out of the door, unleashing a hurricane-like pressure!

"Ke Zhiguang!"

"Teacher Saito!"

Both of them revealed a similar, devilish smile.

Chapter Seventy-Four: Dragon and Vermilion Bird

On the Pacific Ocean, the Ryugu broke through the waves!

The chandeliers in the dome swayed restlessly, making creaking noises, and the ice cubes in the wine glasses rose and fell.

The hall, originally used for dances, has now become a game room. Four chessboards are placed in the four corners of the room, without interfering with each other. Even if one game is over, the referee will not announce it loudly so as not to disturb the other teammates.

The floor tiles happen to be black and white checkered, which perfectly complements the colors of the Go board, making it eligible to join the nine-square grid family.

In the vice-captain match, Harushima Shika 9-dan will face Kiko Seinoka 9-dan.

In the middle-level battle, Bamboo Sword Forging 7th Dan faced off against Atokai Kuraemon 9th Dan.

In the second round, Inoue Seizai 2-dan will face Kitaba Kuranosuke 9-dan.

In the first match, Inoue Seiya 8-dan will face Natsuo Hide 9-dan.

Eight players, four chessboards, their gazes locked on their opponents, the silence as still as an icebox, with only the ticking of the clock remaining.

"Time really flies! In the blink of an eye, it's time to compete for tickets to the finals," Naosaka said generously.

"Yes, as we all know, holidays pass by so quickly, unlike the long working days." Sitting on the other side of the commentary booth was Junki Oki, 8th dan.

"I see. So this Dragon Throne Battle really is a vacation battle after all." Naosaka chuckled helplessly.

"There's no way around it. The vice-captain position is worth 6 points, which is exactly equivalent to the striker + second striker + center forward. And it can only be filled by a woman. I really suspect there's some insider trading involved," Atsuki Oki said with a smile.

To use a joke from the latest episode of "Between Black and White"—

After the announcement of this year's Dragon Throne Tournament, players were simultaneously criticizing the tournament rules and lining up outside the homes of strong female players, begging for alliances.