The work of the Go master

[This serves as a deterrent to all chess players except the Swamp Lord]

and also--

Withered peach trees beside the road.

The small stone pier next to the arched bridge.

The statue in the fountain.

Jewelry, dolls, and clothing sold in some antique shops.

Even some of the more distinctive benches are considered spiritual objects.

Without exception, they all only had a positive effect on the Lord of the Swamp, while having a negative effect on others, as if these spiritual beings were raised by him.

It's easy to imagine that playing chess here would be a crushing battle where the Swamp Lord is covered in positive buffs while the opponent is covered in debuffs.

Ke Zhiguang closed his eyes and carefully considered his own emotional state and other aspects.

I still can't feel anything; maybe I can only truly feel it when I'm in front of the chessboard.

On the other hand, seeing so many spiritual creatures roaring here, Ke Zhiguang also sighed – Damn it, so here, spiritual creatures are as cheap as wholesale items?

To this day, the only spiritual item Ke Zhiguang carries is the amulet dropped by the White-tailed Fox, the kind that gives opponents a +10 bonus.

As for whether it actually worked, Ke Zhiguang really didn't know, because such accidents as spitting out a spoon usually happen in the second half of the game, and his opponents during this period were basically the kind who would definitely lose in the second half of the game, so even if he really spit out a spoon, it wouldn't affect the outcome.

To be fair, after equipping it, Ke Zhiguang did feel that his chances of triggering events increased, such as the chances of being called on by the teacher to answer questions in class, the chances of finding a wild 100-yuan coin under a vending machine, the chances of bumping into Kaoru taking a bath, and so on. In short, there were both good and bad aspects.

There were also some other spiritual items that were found, such as rings, origami cranes, white handkerchiefs, etc., but the added values ​​were all less than 3, and they were all disposed of as waste by Ke Zhiguang.

"Come and take a look, this place looks quite interesting." Ke Zhiguang pointed ahead and gave a thumbs up, and Ping Shisheng had no choice but to get up as well.

As you walk along the stone-paved road, the charm of the whole street gradually unfolds before your eyes. Western Baroque and Japanese classical styles are blended together in a "Japanese-Western eclectic" style. Steam is sprayed from the pipes in the ceiling, as if imitating the trains of that time.

It's a very charming place that easily evokes memories of many of Hayao Miyazaki's works.

To be fair, even if you're going to beat someone up, life still goes on. Although he always compares this world to a world of cultivation, in reality everyone is just a mortal, hoping to earn fame and fortune through this, and to fulfill their annual trips to Hawaii and Hokkaido, etc.

Life is the ultimate goal and aspiration of chess players. Technical improvement is only on the chessboard, but the improvement of realm is only outside the chessboard. This is why young people are often more technically proficient than older people, but their realm of understanding cannot compare with that of the elderly.

The Swamp Lord has quite good taste in setting up his lair in such a place; he might even be a steampunk enthusiast.

But Koji Mitsuaki always remembered the sentence on the information card: "[An underground street permeated with eerie energy since the Taisho era.]"

We must always be vigilant.

This worldview has a touch of fantasy.

Men shop with remarkable efficiency; they might glance at clothing stores from afar, but their real focus is on food, whether it's kebabs or cakes.

I bought a can of coffee on the spur of the moment, preparing for a long night ahead.

As we passed a general store, the madam next to us said, "Why don't you two try our fortune-telling event? If you draw a lucky sign, it will bring you good luck, and if you draw a bad sign, you can throw it away immediately."

Ping Shisheng originally thought that Ke Zhiguang wouldn't be interested in these things, but he didn't expect that he would actually stop here.

“Drawing lots…” Ke Zhiguang sipped his coffee, deep in thought.

Is this considered an event trigger?

For example, can drawing a lucky card be used as a positive spiritual object?

Ke Zhiguang thought it was possible; maybe this was a lottery system that came with this world?

"Let's try it out."

An ominous sign.

"What a pity, sir, but on the other hand, the fact that you didn't draw an ominous sign that's even worse than an ominous one is also a kind of good fortune, isn't it?" The shop owner nodded and said fluently, clearly having mastered this set of business rhetoric quite well.

Ke Zhiguang examined the ominous sign for a long time, confirming that it was not a spiritual object, but simply an ordinary piece of paper with writing on it.

It can't be that every time I draw an ominous sign, it's because the Lord of the Swamp is messing with my mentality, right?

Could it be that this person was hiding in the lottery box, waiting for me to reach in, and then immediately handing me a fierce look?

Out of caution, Ke Zhiguang actually bent down and peered into the lottery box.

It was just an ordinary lottery box. With the help of the light, you could see clearly inside, unlike the bottomless quantum mechanics offering box at Youxuan Temple.

Ke Zhiguang tossed the ominous sign into the recycling bin next to him, treating it like he'd just gotten a ten-pull of an N-rank card in a mobile game, and angrily fed all the cards to it.

Just as I was about to leave the store and move forward—

I found myself staring at someone who was both unexpected and yet perfectly logical.

"Ke?"

"Ke...Ke Zhiguang?"

"President... Vice President, what brings you here?" Ke Zhiguang looked extremely puzzled, while Ping Shisheng behind him had already opened his mouth wide.

Appearing before Ke Zhiguang were Bai Mengyinyu, the club president, and Shao Gongxingyue, the vice president. The four of them froze on the spot, speechless.

When Ke Zhiguang's gaze shifted to behind Bai Mengyinyu, his hand holding the coffee trembled twice.

The corpse falcon has already overflowed.

The reason she's here is obvious.

"Can we go back, President?" Ke Zhiguang asked directly, his tone turning slightly colder.

Chapter Sixty-Two: Give Me a Reason to Turn Around for You

“Ke, you…” Bai Mengyinyu’s eyes widened, and she shrank back.

"Ke Zhiguang, what are you talking about? What do you mean by telling us to leave? Do you know... why we came here?" The vice president stepped forward and asked.

Ping Shisheng stood to the side, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back, as if he himself knew nothing about the situation.

"Yes, I know, so I hope President Bai Meng can go back, or come again tomorrow." Ke Zhiguang nodded in agreement, saying that coming again tomorrow was just a delaying tactic.

Skip the part where you ask each other "Why are you here?" and fast forward to the part where you are discouraged.

Amidst the cacophony of voices, the four remained frozen in place for a moment, like four immovable rocks in a turbulent current.

In the end, Bai Mengyinyu spoke first: "Xingyue, you explain to Ping Shi, and I'll explain to Ke Zhiguang."

The vice president glanced back at Bai Meng with surprise.

Bai Meng nodded, giving him a determined look.

"Ping Shi, come here for a moment." The vice president beckoned to Ping Shi, making room for Ke Zhiguang and Bai Meng.

......

......

In a Japanese-style dessert shop, Ke Zhiguang and Bai Mengyinyu sat facing each other, with Ke Zhiguang eating dumplings while listening to her explanation.

“The chess manuals you found at my house before actually came from a chess hall here called Baiyuanfang. The sender was named Qingnu Xiongze,” Bai Mengyinyu said with her head down, without touching the desserts on the table.

"So that's his name," Ke Zhiguang remarked. "This guy practically wears the word 'swamp' on his face."

Do you know him?

"I don't know you... please continue."

"The rules are: before 4 a.m. on April 4.27th, choose one of these chess scores, then choose one side (black or white), come to this shop, and challenge Kiyonuma Yuzawa. If I succeed, I can get 500 million, which will just pay off my debts," Bai Mengyinyu said.

Ke Zhiguang didn't react much; the script was roughly the same as what he had imagined.

"Are you aware of his abilities?" Ke Zhiguang asked.

“I understand a little better. I came here last night to scout the place and found that Kiyonuma Yuzawa’s name can be found in the Go Academy. He is 26 years old this year. He became an academy student at the age of 18, but he failed to become a professional player. He left the academy at the age of 22 and has not received any other Go education in recent years.”

Ke Zhiguang asked doubtfully, "Didn't you ever consider that he might have been secretly training all along, and that he's actually already at a very high level?"

Bai Mengyinyu shook her head: "The current regulations stipulate that any professional chess player who takes on apprentices must report to the chess academy. They cannot take on apprentices privately, otherwise they will be severely punished."

This measure is said to be aimed at more effectively controlling upward mobility.

Koji nodded, having roughly understood Kiyonuma Yuzawa's skill level, which was probably around the professional threshold.

Being able to become an academy student naturally indicates a certain level of ability, but failing to reach the next rank for four consecutive years only shows that his potential is limited. Even if he studies diligently on his own for another four years, it will be difficult for him to make a breakthrough, and at most he can only maintain the professional threshold level of that year.

Calling him a professional threshold is an overestimation; he's more likely someone who can't even reach that threshold and is forced to go back to farming.

Bai Mengyinyu's current strength is amateur 6-dan, and she may not be without a fighting chance even when facing a real professional opponent.

The problem is... he has raised all sorts of spirits around him, even the referees are his people. So, is this something that can be fought?

"What price will you have to pay if you lose?" Ke Zhiguang asked.

Winning a game of chess can earn you 500 million yen, which is the same price as the NHK Cup rapid chess tournament. Moreover, the opponent isn't so strong that they're completely unbeatable. Under such generous conditions, the cost of playing such a game is unimaginable.

If Kojiro really achieves great success and becomes very wealthy in the future, he probably wouldn't mind organizing a women's rights cup, inviting beautiful female chess players to play against him. If they win, they can take some money away, and if they lose, they don't have to pay anything. But Kiyonuma Yuzawa is not that kind of philanthropist.

"First is the registration fee, 20 yuan."

"You have this money?" Ke Zhiguang thought the other party was probably someone who couldn't come up with such a large sum of money.

"I've been secretly saving up money by betting on chess, but I can't save any more now. My reputation has spread to many chess halls, and I can no longer pretend to be weak to trick opponents into playing against me like before. Besides, I'm not good at handicap games, so continuing to bet on chess would be very disadvantageous for me... I used to think I could just pay off all the money, but I've found that's not an option."

Thinking about it, it makes sense. In Ke Zhiguang's mind, Bai Meng has always been like a bounty hunter, participating in Go-related activities everywhere and bringing back washing machines and vacuum cleaners. Of course, someone like her would sit in a Go room and try to reap the benefits of the bubble era.

This kind of thing—pretending to be weak to lure the opponent into a trap—sounds a lot like "pretending to be weak to eat the strong."

Ke Zhiguang suddenly felt that if Bai Meng were the main character, it could also become a popular story about showing off.

"Is a registration fee of 20 yuan enough?" Ke Zhiguang asked.

“This… he also said he was gambling with his luck.” Under Ke Zhiguang’s honest gaze, Bai Meng did not hide anything this time.

"Fortune?"

"His exact words, but I don't know exactly what they were. Maybe... just some superstitious nonsense." Bai Meng forced a bitter smile, dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep over the past few days.

Ke Zhiguang's anxiety intensified.

As someone who deals with quantum mechanics, metaphysics, idealism, and other such things all day long, he knows that these seemingly absurd things may actually exist and could perhaps be used as collateral.

It seems that the Lord of the Swamp also possesses some abilities beyond the norm.

He's simply a monster.