Chapter 154: The Game of Chess

The atmosphere in Sevidon was quite remarkable, especially with a group of young idlers who, having too much time and food on their hands, did nothing but throw parties. And what do people do when they gather in groups? Show off, of course.

Especially the shallow and inexperienced youths who, when provoked by friends or the objects of their affections, would have their blood boil in a split second and rush off to sign up at the recruitment office. Then, the next day, once the passion faded, their hearts would turn thoroughly icy.

After that, crying to high heaven or begging relatives was of no use; once the signature was pressed and inked, go they must, unless they were confident they could defeat Dean Concunio.

Shortly after, another piece of major news stunned everyone into a daze.

King Nether directly and publicly announced that he would dispatch the court mages to provide full support. Not only that, but he also demanded that all royal descendants eagerly sign up and participate on the front lines.

Future successors would be chosen from those returning from the front lines.

He even stated that in the future, any imperial heir of Nether without military achievements would be disqualified from becoming king.

Soon, news spread that several princes had "voluntarily" headed to the front lines to provide support, including His Royal Highness the First Prince.

The entire Sevidon was sent into a frenzy, with the streets and alleys praising the king's bravery and wisdom everywhere.

"Sigh, this really is a brilliant move."

Byron couldn't help but sigh. Putting aside the disparity in strength, this game of chess was played quite brilliantly.

"A brilliant move? What is a chess move?"

A sudden voice rang in Byron's ear, making him feel the hair all over his body stand on end instantly.

Damn it...

Does this old scoundrel belong to the rodent clan? Lately, he walks completely without a sound.

"Uh, chess? How should I put it? It's a tabletop game used for leisure and entertainment, and it can also exercise imagination and intelligence. I'm still conceptualizing it right now, heh... heh."

"Are you referring to 'Senet'?"

The elven old man walked out from the side. Byron's eyelid twitched—could life still go on? Did both of these fellows have a peeping fetish?

"Senet? What is that?"

He definitely couldn't win a fight, so Byron chose discretion over valor.

"Oh, a game board composed of a three-by-ten grid. Players hold marked stones—they seem to be called 'pieces', I think—and then 'walk' them across the board."

The elven old man recalled with some uncertainty.

Byron's expression shifted, and he asked, "Where did Master Hill happen to see this?"

"It was a long time ago, when I was traveling across the continent with my mentor. It should have been somewhere in the East, where the people had somewhat yellowish skin."

The elven old man took a long time to remember. "Right, they also referred to themselves as 'Akkadians'. What a strange race."

Akkadians?

A shock rippled through Byron's heart. In the Common Tongue, Akkadians meant "the black-headed people," which were people with black hair!

"Well, work hard then, and strive to get that chess game of yours sorted out sooner, or else I'm going to die of boredom."

Hussein was somewhat interested, eagerly wanting to see the finished product.

Meanwhile, on the other side, among the royal court mages:

"Lord Charles, what should we do now? Are we really going to send all the mages to the front lines?"

Leonard was struggling to keep his emotions in check.

The court mages were said to be directly subordinate to the royal family, yet they also weren't quite so. This was the ultimate result of centuries of maneuvering between the king and the noble class. Following the conduct of the elder Nether and successive kings, the nobility had reached a consensus: power must not be concentrated in the hands of a single person.

Even the current strongest entity in Nether abided by this ironclad rule, requiring all decisions to be debated and passed by the Council of Nobles.

Thus, His Majesty the King's power was essentially hollowed out, and the Court Mage Corps became the royal family's final fig leaf. Although nominally under direct royal command, the actual forces the royal family could mobilize were quite small.

Major matters had to be coordinated through the Chief Mage, and the king's public announcement sending the court mages to support the front lines was, in reality, "illegal."

Everyone knew this, but the ordinary populace did not. Right now, the enthusiasm throughout Sevidon was unprecedentedly high, compounded by the fact that the king had even dragged out his own princes and grandsons.

If the court mages dared to come out and refute the rumors now, there was guaranteed to be an explosion, and the political propaganda that had been so painstakingly built up would undoubtedly go down the drain.

As the rear base, whoever threw Sevidon into chaos would have to face the wrath of a legendary powerhouse!

Even Charles, the Chief Mage, was unwilling to face that.

Therefore, the court mages were currently caught in a dilemma, and even Leonard, who was relatively close to the royal family, was now filled with fury.

"Mage Leonard, as a spellcaster, one should remain calm when encountering issues. Mages are synonymous with wisdom; impulsiveness and anger have no place in a mage."

Charles said slowly.

"Yes, Lord Charles."

Leonard nodded in acknowledgment. Although his expression had smoothed over on the surface, his clenched fists still betrayed the turmoil within his heart.

Charles gave an inward shake of his head, then stated, "Leave a single shift on duty, and let everyone else go."

"Everyone? What if..."

"It will be fine. The court mages are combat mages to begin with. In recent years, the mages have lived too comfortably, to the point of losing even the most basic vigilance. Such mages are not what we need either!"

"But..."

Leonard still had reservations.

"Enough."

Charles raised a hand in a dismissing gesture. "Go!"

Leonard stood up, bowed, and turned to walk out.

Soon, the news that the court mages were fully prepared and ready to depart spread rapidly, which in turn spurred another wave of "ambitious" youths.

Meanwhile, Byron remained holed up in his private laboratory, studying that piece of legendary creature's hide.

"So tough?"

Byron was extremely surprised. Despite appearing soft and supple, the sharp engraving knife could not leave a single trace upon it.

"Legendary creatures are truly terrifying; even after being detached from the main body, it remains this resilient. Then what about this!"

Byron tried channeling his "Qi" onto the engraving knife and made another attempt. Although he still encountered heavy resistance, feeling somewhat like a blunt knife cutting through oxhide, he was barely able to slice off a tiny piece of tissue.

Afterward, Byron placed the tiny tissue fragment onto a thin slide and put it under the microscope.

Beneath the microscope, nothing appeared except a field of solid red.

"Does it really not work?"

Byron took out a leaf, sliced a piece for the microscope, and saw only solid green.

"Where on earth is the problem?"

Byron removed the lens, held it in his hand, and examined it closely. "Logically speaking, even if the magnification isn't high enough, it shouldn't show nothing at all. It's as if something is block... shielding..."

In a flash, Byron seemed to understand something. He retrieved the "microscope" belonging to the Count.

He then placed the thin tissue slice of the legendary creature onto it, and sure enough, he could clearly see the grain patterns on the tissue. Next, Byron installed a self-made lens onto it.

Looking through it once more, it was just like before—a solid expanse of red!

Instantly, Byron understood!