“It was just luck, nothing special. So, does that an I got the first question right?”
The young man nodded repeatedly, clearly pleased.
“Naturally, naturally. My lady, you are both talented and beautiful. I am truly in awe. The first question has been answered correctly.”
Then, his tone shifted.
“The second question might be a bit more challenging. Do you need so ti to prepare? I must emphasize again that all the answers are within the ninety-nine thousand books of this grand library. Since you are a lover of books, feel free to browse through them. I can wait as long as necessary.”
“No need, please proceed with the next question.”
Although the priestess was indeed very interested in the extensive collection of books here, that was sothing she could indulge in during her leisure ti. At this critical mont, flipping through book after book would take forever, and by the ti she finished, the world outside would have changed drastically.
The young man in white seed to have anticipated Violet’s attitude. He sighed helplessly and nodded in regret.
“Very well, since you insist, I shall proceed. This second question is a bit complex and involves so esoteric knowledge. However, if you have studied this content or read certain books in the library, answering it should be much easier.”
He raised his hand and waved lightly. A hazy, glass-like light flashed, and on the table in front of them appeared an ancient, square wooden board. Two wide-bottod, thick cups filled with black and white jade stones were placed on opposite sides.
“Please, my lady.”
“Huh? Isn’t this...”
Seeing Violet’s sudden look of surprise, the young man in white thought she was unfamiliar with the object and its mysteries, so he smiled and began to explain.
“The ga I present is called ‘Wisdom Chess,’ a fascinating ga from a distant land. Though it is a ga, it contains profound wisdom.”
“Three hundred years ago, I stumbled upon a strange book that docunted Wisdom Chess. Upon reading it, I was astonished by its depth and complexity. I’ve devoted myself to studying it ever since, and even now, I can only claim a modest understanding. Over the past century, I’ve studied and composed thousands of endga scenarios and written over a dozen manuals on the ga, all stored in this grand library. Are you interested?”
“Uh... You’ve already told the content of the second question and suggested I read related books. Isn’t that a bit too much of a hint?”
“Hahahahaha~”
The young man in white waved his hand dismissively, pointing to the wooden board, which had no pieces arranged on it, and smiled.
“So what? It’s often said that wealth is easy to obtain, but a true companion is hard to find. The sight of you deeply imrsed in your reading is one of the world’s greatest scenes. I genuinely wish to befriend you. Since the board is empty, no question has been posed yet, and you are not solving it with a manual in hand. How could it be considered giving you an advantage?”
“Alright...”
To be honest, the young man in white was indeed quite extraordinary in appearance and deanor, clearly soone well-cultured. His repeated friendliness, coupled with his frankness about his intentions, made Violet feel a bit of goodwill towards him. Making friends with him seed perfectly acceptable.
However, the priestess simply didn’t have the ti to leisurely read books right now. She could only smile helplessly.
“I appreciate your help, but it’s not necessary. Just set up the endga. While I may not be a master, I’ve played... Wisdom Chess quite a bit.”
Far from being offended by the rejection, the young man’s eyes lit up. With a snap, he opened his folding fan again.
“Oh?! You truly are remarkable, having a deep understanding of even this foreign ga? Wonderful! Excellent! Then I shall not disappoint!!”
He waved his fan, and countless black and white stones danced into the air, falling onto the board like stars in the sky. In re seconds, a complex and intricate endga formation appeared.
“The endga is set. You will play as White. Please, go ahead!”
“Hmm...”
Violet reached into the bowl and picked up a piece as white as jade, contemplating the situation for a mont.
This is really quite a setup.
It seed that since Violet ntioned she could play “Wisdom Chess,” the young man hadn’t set up an overly complicated endga. Instead, he used a classic formation likely recorded by so special ans by a traveler from another world.
This formation was known as “Nine Dragons Dancing,” and the young man had only reset it to the most intense midga phase. Both sides had their advantages, making it more of an invitation to play a friendly match rather than just solving an endga.
Since he had made his intentions clear, it would be impolite to refuse. Accepting the challenge seed appropriate.
“Interesting... Let’s play.”
“Please!”
Observing the board and thinking for a mont, the priestess quickly understood the situation and made her move.
Violet did know how to play Go. Though this was her first ti handling real pieces, she was well-versed in various famous ga records and had played thousands of matches in the past. She didn’t know how strong the young man in white was, but she wouldn’t know until she played, right?
So say that the complexity of Go holds profound truths within it. While this may be an exaggeration, to Violet, it was undoubtedly more profound than chess, checkers, or any other simple board gas.
It’s difficult to master, and that’s why the priestess once loved it so much.
“Tap, tap, tap...”
The sound of pieces being placed echoed continuously in the silent library. After starting the ga, neither Violet nor the young man spoke again. Occasionally, a soft “hmm” or “uh” was heard as they pondered their moves.
Who knows how much ti passed.
The young man held a black piece, as deep and dark as an abyss, hesitating for a long ti as his eyes moved back and forth over the densely intertwined black and white pieces on the board. Finally, he sighed deeply and placed his piece on the board.
“I... lost. My lady, your strategy is excellent.”
“Thank you for letting win.”
Violet nodded calmly. The young man in white, initially disappointed, quickly recovered and showed a look of extre pleasure and satisfaction.
“Exhilarating, truly exhilarating! To be honest, this was my first ti playing against a real person since I learned this ga, and it has been incredibly enlightening. Your mind is steady, your moves are asured, and your strategies are both overt and covert, making it hard to defend against. I admit my defeat wholeheartedly.”
For once, Violet took the initiative to complint him.
“You did very well too. To learn to this extent just by studying a ga manual on your own is truly remarkable. I doubt I could have done the sa.”
Indeed, the young man’s skill was quite impressive. Though not at the pinnacle, his main shortcoming was practical experience.
Playing a ga against yourself is straightforward because you already know what you’ll do next. But when you play against others, you have to think about their moves and plan ahead.
To really understand complex strategies—like pretending to retreat to trick your opponent, making surprise moves, or making a final effort to win—you need to face different opponents regularly.
In the end, Violet had only won by a small margin.
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