Volume 3

Chapter 41 : Chessboard

“The throne cannot remain vacant, and the Empire cannot continue in chaos.”

“No matter what, we need someone who can bring the Empire back on track.”

Mingfuluo looked at Diana’s declaration, her brows slowly furrowing.

She turned to look at Anselm, who was concentrating on fiddling with the chessboard, her face full of suspicion: “You did this?”

Anselm, holding a rook and pondering where to make his move, couldn’t help but smile: “Why is it that whenever something happens, you suspect I did it, Aluo?”

“It’s hard to imagine that an incompetent Grand Duke, kept as a pet by Ephithand in the Imperial Capital, would suddenly go mad and attempt to act as Regent.”

Mingfuluo, sitting cross-legged on the bed, squinted her eyes and said, “Combining it with your sudden trip back to the Hydra territory three days ago, it’s perfectly reasonable.”

With a soft collision between the chess pieces, the black rook in Anselm’s hand once again shattered a white rook.

The young Hydra gazed at the rook that was slaughtering everything on the chessboard and answered without lifting his head:

“Actually, there’s no need to deduce, because I didn’t hide my whereabouts in the Imperial Capital.”

The corner of the scholar lady’s eye twitched: “Then you still have the nerve to ask me back?”

“I just hope Aluo doesn’t develop a bad habit of thinking everything that happens is related to me.”

Mingfuluo jumped off the bed, came opposite Anselm, looked down at the messy chess game on the table, and snorted lightly: “But I’ve never been wrong.”

“Yes, yes, yes, dear Miss Mingfuluo, you are naturally one of the people who understands me best in this world.”

Anselm looked up at Mingfuluo with a smile, but no matter how one looked at it, he seemed to be perfunctory, because he only smiled for a second before continuing to contemplate the chessboard.

However, Mingfuluo sitting opposite him didn’t say anything, because she rarely saw Anselm so focused, and this chessboard…

On the extremely huge chessboard densely covered with grids, the white side had two Kings, three Queens, and thirteen Rooks, but very few Pawns, seemingly having been almost completely slaughtered by the black rook in Anselm’s hand.

But Anselm’s side was even more inexplicable. He only had one King, one Queen, one Rook in his hand, and the rest… were all Pawns.

When the rook moved forward, it could shatter all chess pieces within the surrounding nine grids.

No matter how many pawns there were, if there was no opportunity, they were worthless.

Mingfuluo stared at the chessboard for a long time.

She watched Anselm manipulate the rook to shuttle back and forth on the battlefield, using a large number of pawns to lure away the white side’s rampaging rooks, allowing the black rook to shatter the few remaining white pawns bit by bit, and discovered that the rook was gradually becoming solid and cold, emitting a distinctive luster.

“Who… did you take as the imaginary enemy?”

Mingfuluo, who had more or less figured out the meaning of the chessboard, whispered: “If it’s fate, there shouldn’t be two Kings. These two Kings… who are they?”

Snap—

The Black Queen, which had been staying by the Black King’s side, inexplicably moved to a certain place on the chessboard.

Anselm raised his head, looking at Mingfuluo whose expression was slightly stagnant, and said rather helplessly:

“Obviously, our Her Majesty the Queen has a bit too much subjective initiative.”

“…” Mingfuluo looked away with a slightly blushing face, “She may not necessarily make a mistake.”

“But the King cannot afford to gamble, Aluo.” Anselm sighed softly, “He only has this one Queen now.”

This sentence made the romantic thoughts that had just arisen in Mingfuluo’s heart dissipate instantly.

Standing on the white side observing the chess game, her palms gradually began to sweat.

The two Kings and three Queens remained motionless, the thirteen Rooks fought on their own.

Even so, Anselm occasionally had to use pawns as bait to allow the black rook in his hand to devour and grow steadily.

“Is it difficult… to add new pieces?”

Mingfuluo knew nothing about chess games and could only offer suggestions from the simplest and most effective aspect.

“There are as many pieces as needed.”

Anselm propped his cheek.

Every time a pawn was shattered, a new pawn would condense out of thin air.

Even when he reached out his hand towards the white side’s rook, that pure white chess piece would faintly be dyed with black.

“But what is it that I need, Aluo?”

The young Hydra gazing at the chessboard whispered softly: “Is it a brand-new rook that is equally unrivaled, or a knight that can flexibly shuttle through the enemy formation? Is it a Queen that can serve as a powerful and all-rounded trump card, or is it…”

He gently rubbed the new chess piece condensed in his hand, but never put it down.

That was a pitch-black Bishop.

Mingfuluo couldn’t help reaching out to rub Anselm’s brow center: “After resting for so long, finally want to make some big moves?”

Anselm gently held Mingfuluo’s soft small hand, closing his eyes to feel the gentle strength coming from his brow center.

He didn’t reveal his specific plan to Mingfuluo, but he still almost explicitly showed her his planning, relieving the pressure he had long been accustomed to in another way, and the scholar lady who shared a mutual understanding with him did not hesitate to show her soft side.

Anselm, with his eyes closed, said softly: “Some opportunities cannot be missed.”

That force hidden under the shadow of fate abandoned Ivora and chose Sulun.

Is it because Sulun, who has an incomparably surging desire for power and status, is easier to control?

Or is it that the tyrannical and unrighteous Ivora is destined to destroy everything after inheriting the power of Flame-Feasting?

Whatever the reason, they have to make a choice at this moment.

——Will they place their chips on the Little Imperial Princess who has already fawned over them, or save Ivora whom they regarded as a discarded pawn in the original future?

Do you want to let the tyrannical Crown Prince return to the throne, or watch helplessly as the evil Hydra dominates the Empire?

When branding the mark on Sulun, Anselm had already prepared for this moment.

This was the only way he could think of to make fate “reasonably” bring Ivora back from the Zero Point Labyrinth and escape from Ephithand’s eternal burning.

“Speaking of which.” Anselm reopened his eyes, his sea-blue eyes full of gentle smiles, “I didn’t incite this matter purely with the goal of causing some big event.”

“One calculation achieving multiple goals, your old trick.”

Seeing Anselm’s expression relax a lot, Mingfuluo also withdrew her hand, returning to her usual aloof and indifferent appearance, snorting lightly: “I know you’re amazing, the remarkable Your Excellency Hydra.”

“Not asking what other goals I have?”

The petite scholar lady crossed her arms over her chest, imitating the way Anselm spoke just now: “But isn’t our Her Majesty the Queen’s subjective initiative a bit too strong?”

The way she raised her eyebrows slightly was truly extremely cute.

Anselm reached out to touch the corner of her raised eyebrow.

After being swatted away, he couldn’t help laughing: “This is something that has nothing to do with subjective initiative.”

“Can the Queen listen?”

“Of course the Queen can listen.”

Mingfuluo, whose cheeks reddened a bit more, raised her chin slightly and asked in an unskilled Queen’s posture: “Then, cough… then tell me, I’ll listen.”

This posture was impossible for the former Mingfuluo to have.

Anselm looked at his friend’s charming appearance that made one’s heart beat faster.

Deep within his sea-blue eyes, a bright and warm light radiated.

“I have been considering your suggestion, Aluo.”

The young Hydra stroked the scholar lady’s soft and fine hair, saying warmly: “Perhaps, when within my capabilities, I can indeed make some better choices.”

Hearing this sentence, Mingfuluo was stunned for two seconds, then brought her face close; Anselm could even directly feel her warm breath.

“Are you serious?” She asked like this, “Not forcing yourself?”

“Do I look like someone who would force myself?”

“Hmph… have there been a few times you forced yourself?”

After snorting lightly like this, Mingfuluo lowered her head slightly again, resting her head against Anselm’s chest, sighing with relief as if a burden had been lifted: “But if it’s really like this, that would be great, Anselm.”

“The importance of the Regent matter is unquestionable. The Grand Dukes will not stand by and watch. Not just the Grand Dukes, everyone will shift their attention to the Imperial Capital.”

Anselm gently embraced Mingfuluo: “The intensity of the war between Blood Dust and Sky Soil will decrease because of this. The Revolutionary Army in the West Kingdom is running around to save civilians. This opportunity can allow them to help more people and allow more people to escape from that battlefield.”

“Although it’s just incidental… it’s a very good start, just one problem.”

“What problem?”

Mingfuluo, leaning in Anselm’s embrace, raised her head, her eyes incomparably serious: “I didn’t provide you with help.”

The young man laughed dumbly: “Does Aluo insist on providing me with help for it to be considered no problem?”

“Since the one who made the suggestion… no, made the request was me, then I naturally have the obligation to do everything for you to realize it.”

Mingfuluo’s tone became somewhat angry: “Do I look like that kind of awful woman who only makes requests but never contributes?”

“From the perspective of contribution.” Anselm pinched Mingfuluo’s cheek, “I actually feel your requests are too few.”

Mingfuluo rarely made any requests to Anselm, but the convenience and help she brought to Anselm as a genius alchemist were countless.

“Cut the crap, one thing is one thing.”

Miss Mingfuluo, having her cheek pinched, looked cold: “Don’t play that trick of deceiving little girls on me here, Anselm. Do you think I’ll be like your little puppy, blushing and heart-pounding because of these kinds of words?”

“Alright.”

Anselm let go of his hand and lowered his head slightly with utmost apology: “It was me being too immature, dear Queen.”

“I—”

Ms. Mingfuluo, who was no longer a little girl, got stuck as soon as she opened her mouth, and simply couldn’t say the words following “I”.

After a long time, having calmed down, she seemed not to know how to continue speaking, so she could only look for something else to change the subject.

So the slightly nervous Mingfuluo suddenly stared at the chessboard, narrowing her eyes slightly:

“On that chessboard, a second Queen won’t appear, right?”

“About this…”

“No hesitation allowed!”

“Hmm… that should be—”

“You’d better just go die.”

At the entrance of the tavern flickering with dim yellow lights, Marina closed her notebook, shifting her gaze away from the wooden door from which muffled groans of distress came.

Behind her, Indote followed with arms crossed and a terrible expression.

“You have no reason to order me around like this, Ma Ganlei.”

Not knowing how many times this was, Indote suppressed her anger and repeated again: “You want a bodyguard, fine, I’ll find you one. But that shouldn’t be me—”

“Are you confident in the people under you?” Marina turned her head to glance at Indote, “They ignored my plan that day.”

“I crippled them all, are you still not satisfied?”

“I don’t generate superfluous emotions, I only care about the result. The result is… my situation at that time was very dangerous, my plan almost failed, that’s it.”

Marina didn’t even look at Indote, as if the woman behind her was not a Tier 4 transcendent capable of tearing down a city when going berserk, but a forty-year-old dull servant.

“Punishing them cannot change the result, so I don’t care what punishment you exacted.”

Walking past the last window of the bar, Marina, glimpsing the overlapping figures inside the bar, lowered her eyes slightly: “I only care about whether you can provide foolproof help next.”

Veins popped on Indote’s forehead. She clenched her fists tightly, saying word by word: “I obey Faust, not you! You’re mortal… don’t take yourself too seriously!”

Marina paused slightly, a hint of surprise appearing in her eyes: “Sense of shame… Ms. Indote, do you actually feel shame because of me? This flatters me somewhat.”

“I said, I am not—”

“So what.” Marina interrupted Indote’s words, “Do you think Mr. Faust needs you very much?”

“I…”

“Don’t get it wrong, Ms. Indote.”

The slender young girl slowly turned her head, staring at the monster that could kill her with a move of a finger, with no expression on her face.

“You have value now because you have value to me. Submitting to whom is your choice, but the fact is… if I feel you are useless to me, then you are useless to Mr. Faust too.”

“Facts have nothing to do with choices.”

Saying this, she glanced at that tavern again.

She had previously arranged for two slaves to enter this tavern.

Judging from the muffled voices coming through the crack of the door just now, and the overlapping figures, those two slaves were not having a good time.

But Marina never expected them to have thoughts like “at least this is better than being a slave,” nor did she care about the rigid requirement Hitana left her that every slave must live a good life.

Facts… have nothing to do with choices.

The young girl whispered this sentence in her heart again, then continued walking forward.

The Lower District at night was dangerous, very dangerous, so Marina needed a bodyguard.

She couldn’t let Hitana know she went out in the middle of the night, so this bodyguard couldn’t be someone close to her.

Therefore she sought out Indote, not asking Indote to arrange adventurers, but asking her to serve as her bodyguard herself.

Extravagant to the point of being somewhat inconceivable, and that it could really be realized was equally incredible.

“Ms. Indote.”

Marina, twitching her nose and smelling a bloody scent, stopped and said: “What happened to that batch of people handed to you?”

“Already done according to your request.” Indote answered rather annoyedly, “Will be released into the Lower District tomorrow.”

Marina nodded slightly: “Thank you for your cooperation… Now can I trouble you to deal with the source of the bloody smell? If there are living people, please spare his life.”

Indote’s temples throbbed. She took a deep breath and walked expressionlessly into the alley not far away.

A few seconds later, as if dragging a dead dog, she dragged out a tall thin man with a bloodstained upper body and casually threw him in front of Marina.

Marina squatted down, staring at this man who looked rather dangerous, and said softly:

“This gentleman, it is already late at night, why don’t you go home and rest?”

While saying this, she opened her notebook, ready to start recording things.

Without waiting for the man to answer, she said to herself:

“No symptoms of blood loss, so the blood on the body belongs to others. Scratches and bruises on the face and hands are obvious, just finished a fierce fight.”

Marina’s gaze slowly moved to the dagger at the man’s waist: “Or was it a robbery-homicide case?”

Under the man’s bewildered and panicked gaze, Marina said slowly:

“Why not go to work, this gentleman.”

“Miss Fenrir provided a large number of new positions, why not do legitimate work, but choose to rob and kill?”

Those job positions naturally had nothing to do with Hitana; they were completely created by Marina alone in the Lower District, positions with not short career lifespans, capable of allowing many Lower District civilians to eat.

Asking a murderer “why don’t you go to work,” such a question was obviously absurd and laughable, but Mingfuluo was very serious, because she was also asking herself.

Have you done well enough?

Can you do better?

If you have already tried your best, why do they still live the dark life of the past?

“Of course you don’t take pleasure in killing.” Mingfuluo said softly to the man, “It’s just that this kind of plunder is the most common thing in the Lower District, right.”

The answer was simple, because they were used to it.

Changing this group of civilians, to some extent, was the same as changing transcendents.

The distortion of transcendents accumulated over time, and the morbidity of civilians was the same.

Only in terms of difficulty, changing civilians was much simpler than changing transcendents.

Marina, staring at the man, wrote down the word “Time” in the notebook.

Time… time, what reform needed most was time.

Need time to wash away the humbleness, weakness, and shrinking on them, need to slowly establish a sufficiently rigorous heritage, allowing their descendants to complete the progress and transformation in thinking generation by generation, no longer being slaves to transcendents.

But exactly how long would that take?

Ten years?

A hundred years?

Or even a thousand years?

Plus the evolution of transcendents, plus the countless conflicts that might arise during these countless years… did that possibility really exist?

How far into the future has Mr. Anselm seen, and how does he want to move forward?

Time… time should be on Mr. Anselm’s side, but why do I always feel that Mr. Anselm has an indescribable sense of urgency.

Even though Mr. Anselm’s mentality has changed, this sense of urgency has still not completely disappeared.

He won’t look forward to a hundred years later, maybe not even ten years later.

Acting fiercely, working efficiently, but no matter how extreme he does it, Marina almost never feels a state of “relaxation” or “slacking off” from Anselm.

——Perhaps in the eyes of others, Anselm has always lived very easily and freely, but Marina can perceive incomparably clearly, having perceived that abnormality very early on.

Anselm seems to be restricted by something, even suppressed by an abnormality.

But no matter what, that must be Anselm’s enemy.

Speaking of which, Mr. Anselm’s trip to the West Kingdom… Does he also have the intention of designing that unknown enemy into a trap?

It should be so, no, it must be so.

Things to pay attention to, have increased by one again.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep