The work of the Go master

Then there's the "Lost Ten or Twenty Years" series, which is also a series full of famous memes.

Of course, the most hilarious one is "The End of History..."..ahem.

Hanno Ken continued, “The decline of Japan’s national fortune probably began a few years ago. It was as if autumn had arrived, and the leaves suddenly began to turn yellow and the flowers withered. The creatures living on the earth hid underground in fright. At the same time, dragons began to appear. They brought evil and disaster and roamed the land. In stark contrast to the declining national fortune, the fortune of the game was becoming more and more prosperous... The fortune of the game is still exploiting this land, and the final result will be that it will fall down along with the national fortune.”

Ke Zhiguang nodded, sensing a strong flavor of a bubble economy in this statement.

Ke Zhiguang asked, "I heard Xingjia say that the fortunes of the game and the fortunes of the nation are interdependent, and the fortunes of the game can in turn support the fortunes of the nation. So, during the decline of Japan's national fortunes, did the fortunes of the game not play a protective role?"

Hannoken replied, "It was supposed to work, but human greed is uncontrollable. The greater the crisis, the more people want to get a share of the spoils."

"It's like when a country is going downhill, there's always someone sitting in the driver's seat giving it a final push on the accelerator?" Ke Zhiguang subconsciously quoted a famous line from "Yes, Minister".

Hanno Ken was amused by this famous quote: "That's right, that's exactly it... But we also need to understand one thing: the person sitting in the driver's seat isn't just Kunikyo alone."

Ke Zhiguang certainly knew this.

To be honest, strictly speaking, Kyoto Yagami might not have been sitting in the driver's seat; he was more like the person in the passenger seat who was urging the driver to step on the gas.

Although he was manipulating the fate of the game, his influence was limited to the fate of the game itself; he alone could not affect the fate of the nation.

If the nation's destiny, which forms the soil, remains sound, then the foundation of the game's destiny will also remain sound.

The person who is truly pressing the accelerator is everyone.

After figuring all this out, Ke Zhiguang suddenly realized that the day the bubble burst was not far off. Although the current time was 1988, which was three years away from the year the bubble burst in Japan in his previous life, who knew what would happen on this timeline.

Considering the Imperial Castle Tournament is scheduled for the end of the year, it is very likely to take place at the beginning of next year.

If Yagami Kunikyo wins the title of Imperial Chess again, he will be crowned the title of Eternal Imperial Chess, and in this space, Nidhogg will devour the roots of chess luck, burning it in the raging fire.

"So, my task now is to protect the luck of the game?" Ke Zhiguang asked.

"Not only that, you also have the task of finding a new owner for the chess fortune... Go take a look over there, there's something good there." Hanno Ken pointed into the distance, letting Ke Zhiguang stand at the very end of the branches and look out.

Ke Zhiguang's heart skipped a beat; he knew exactly what he could see from that spot.

He reached the very end of the branches and looked westward.

From this vantage point, the view is even clearer: on the other side of the sea, on the land of our motherland, a vibrant scene of life unfolds.

Lush forests and mountains intertwine, stretching across this land in a magnificent and majestic manner, seemingly endless, as if burying countless treasures.

Rivers connect to countless lakes, the lakes are like jewels, the rivers are like jade ribbons, waterfalls hang far away, and spring thunder nourishes all things silently.

A vast population of life migrates across the grasslands, and when you look towards Sichuan, you can see panda dens of all sizes... This is truly a family resembling the nine-square grid of Go.

However, as his gaze shifted upwards, Ke Zhiguang coughed.

He actually spotted Saito's Wind-Riding Fox, located on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, probably having a blast off-roading.

The fact that Saito's location could be found in such a place is quite an unexpected and abrupt change in style.

Such a beautiful sight made Ke Zhiguang hold his breath. The land thousands of miles away in front of him was a treasure trove full of boundless vitality, where everything was flourishing.

If this tree were planted there, it might grow so tall it could reach beyond Earth and even into space.

Ke Zhiguang tried to measure the height with his fingers.

“China is the best place to carry the destiny of Go. Go was born on that land, and now it’s time for it to return. You are the best transporter, and this time you have to plant this tree,” said Hanno Ken.

"I'd be happy to have that, but... I don't think this thing will backfire on the soil, will it?"

"That depends on your luck. If you can control it well, it can flourish along with that land," said Hannoken.

“Understood, I will do my best.” Ke Zhiguang nodded. “Defeating Yagami Kunijō goes without saying. As a Go player, eliminating every enemy in front of me and winning every championship title is my main task.”

“It’s great to have this kind of awareness. That’s all I wanted to say. You’ve had your fun, so let’s finish the game,” said Hanno Ken.

Ke Zhiguang sat back down in front of the chessboard, making the gesture of picking up a piece, and the pieces struck ancient and timeless notes on the board.

This was indeed a very meaningful visit; I learned a lot.

We not only learned about the past, but also about the future.

The game of chess unfolds under a brilliant starry sky. The black and white pieces seem to possess a soul, swirling in the air. The concept of time becomes blurred, replaced by a clash of strategies, with data spiraling outwards.

This is the first time I've felt that Go has such a profound and evocative meaning.

In the world of the Six Harmonies Universe, the flow of time has indeed slowed down considerably. When the fifth game of chess ended, only one hour had passed in the outside world.

No wonder Xingcai's strength improved so much after he taught her personally for two months; it turns out this is a mental time chamber.

The score after five games was 1 to 4, with Ke Zhiguang holding 4 points.

The game we lost was the first one.

In the second game, Ke Zhiguang temporarily stopped his opening tactic of playing at the 3-3 point and started playing seriously. No matter how great Hannoken was, he was still a chess god of the past. At the age of 99, he was no match for the close combat of a young man, especially the strongest young man in the current chess world.

As for the 3-3 point tactic, let's put it aside for now and figure it out later.

After finishing his match with Hannoken, Koji also played a game with Kiku.

After the Dragon Throne Battle ended, the youthful aura of the entire 9-dan group disappeared. Facing the Empress who was fifty or sixty years old, it wouldn't be too difficult for Ke Zhiguang to defeat her... Speaking of which, why does it feel like I've been punching the Nanshan Nursing Home all day?

Her symbolic spirit, just like the kimono she often wears during competitions, is a crane, which is described as "The Crane's Gratitude," a classic Japanese myth.

As for how this explanation reflects in her personal career, we can only speculate.

Her exclusive title of princess for thirty years also endowed her with many strange and wonderful abilities.

For example, painless childbirth.

For example, "a house full of children and grandchildren".

For example, [preserving youthful appearance]

For example, "May your husband and family prosper."

For example, sex... cough cough, cough cough!

In short, it seems like everything is developing in the direction of becoming a married woman...

The visit ended at 10 o'clock, and Ke Zhiguang returned to his residence under the cover of night.

"I'm back." Ke Zhiguang pushed open the door and entered.

"Hey, you're back."

"The mahjong table is full again tonight!"

Upon returning home, they found their living room occupied by the three members of the Harujima group, who were frantically playing a game console.

That's right, after playing mahjong and getting a hangover yesterday, the three of them slept in his room.

The daily scene takes a sudden turn. One second you're pondering grand themes like historical processes and personal struggles, and the next you open the door and it feels like you've wandered into the wrong movie set.

"So you two are planning to stay and play mahjong tonight?" Ke Zhiguang asked, leaning against the wall.

"It's a rare opportunity for everyone to get together, so of course we should try to do as many meaningful things as possible," Xiong Ying said.

"Playing mahjong is so much fun," Yingmei nodded.

"Ahem, I really can't do anything with you guys. Since you're all so enthusiastic, I guess I'll just have to play along..." Harushima Kashima said reservedly.

She turned to Ke Zhiguang and asked, "So what did Professor Hanno talk to you about?"

"Just chatting casually, and they gave me this on the side." Ke Zhiguang handed over the flyer for the Dream Paradise title battle, and the other three were stunned.

"W-what? This thing actually worked?"

"Damn it, I can't use the excuse of you going to play for me in the Dream Paradise Cup to make fun of Takami anymore!"

"No, you're the one I mock the most."

Harushima Kashima glanced at the event schedule again: "Hey, this competition's timing overlaps with this year's Rising Stars Challenge, doesn't it?"

Oh, I almost forgot about this year's Rising Stars Challenge.

Unlike other title fights, the Rising Stars Fight takes place every year, since new talents emerge in every generation and need a chance to shine.

Of course, this competition is no longer in Ke Zhiguang's favor, but the three girls in front of him are still capable, which is the privilege of women.

A whole year has passed without me even realizing it...

Recently, he has often had this "unconscious" feeling, as if he has walked through a long ten-year life.

"Then what should we do? How should we choose between these two competitions?" Yingmei asked.

“Never mind, we were busy with the Women’s Cup during the last Rising Star Tournament, so this time I’ve decided to take on this Rising Star Tournament. It looks like it’ll be easier to win… What about you, Lulu?” Xiong Ying asked.

Harujima Kashima pursed her lips in thought.

With her current strength, challenging the new star battle is basically a piece of cake, but Ke Zhiguang will definitely fight this Dream Paradise, which makes it very difficult to decide.

"Same as always, I want both. Have you forgotten how I played two matches at the same time last time in the Women's Cup?" Harushima Shika suddenly understood.

First, conquer the Nova Cup, then immediately move on to the Dream Paradise Cup! Perfect plan!

"Alright! Now that we've set our goal, let's have some fun playing mahjong tonight!" Xiong Ying immediately set up the mahjong table.

So what does setting goals have to do with playing mahjong?

But Shika and Takami accepted this logic without hesitation and tacitly sat down at the table.

"Quick, we're just one short of you, we're one player short for the game."

"wait for me."

Before sitting down at the card table, Ke Zhiguang went to the room to check the goods that had been delivered from the Nanshan Nursing Home that day.

Item 1: [Blooming on the Ridge Skill Scroll]

[Main character standard equipment!]

Ke Zhiguang froze for a moment, sensing that something strange had intruded.

The one who revealed it was Mu Gu, which shows that the Empress's aura is not only reflected on the chessboard, but also at the card table.

It seems that her life after retirement is not boring or monotonous; she can still gather a group of card players.

Maybe he was in a club during high school and even won a national mahjong championship.

Item Two: [Shadow of the Crane]

This is a transparent gauze scarf. According to Ke Zhiguang's experience, simply placing it in the home will be effective.

The effect is to avoid being seen by others, which roughly means avoiding the gaze of the media and passersby, so as not to be watched by cameras as soon as he goes out. This prop is very important to him now.