On the lawn outside the castle.
Originally, this place was where the guards, who were injured while fighting the Deep Blue Giant Tiger, recuperated.
But now that their injuries have mostly healed, it’s often unoccupied. Sometimes, Antova and Fulon come here to sit, enjoy the breeze, and chat.
And now, a large group of people are scattered around, with Antova, Fulon, Count Akel, and Princess Rica sitting in the center.
Fulon is holding a fluffy blue cub, while Antova has a little leopard in her arms.
Rica is teasing the two, laughing joyfully, while Akel seems quite focused, keeping the conversation going to avoid a lull.
As for the Cat-man, Lin Ke didn’t see him, unsure if he had returned.
Initially, Lin Ke thought teaching chess would only take a moment, but unexpectedly, he’d been away for nearly an hour. Fortunately, Antova was quite adept at handling guests.
"Little Lin Ke, you’re back!" Fulon waved upon seeing Lin Ke returning alongside Ove.
"Mother!" Lin Ke waved back.
After landing, he walked over and took the chess set out of his arms.
Rica and Akel gathered around, curiously watching Lin Ke.
They had heard from talking with Antova just how clever Lin Ke had been since childhood.
Of course, Akel knew all this; he had inquired before coming.
Rica, however, was indifferent, believing that no matter how smart Lin Ke was, he couldn’t be smarter than her.
"I’ll teach you a new game." Lin Ke placed the chess set on a small wooden table beside them and began arranging the pieces one by one.
"Yay, what kind of game?" Fulon exclaimed, her eyes gleaming.
On the other side, Ove handed the chess set to Billy, who also started arranging the pieces like Lin Ke did.
Once set up, Lin Ke said, "I’ll teach you how to play. First, you need to ensure the survival of both kings..."
The group listened meticulously to Lin Ke’s instructions, with Fulon and Rica especially attentive.
When it comes to games, these two take it very seriously.
"...So, the king cannot directly face another king. If they do, you can eliminate one directly. That’s about it for the rules. Who wants to try a game with me?" Lin Ke said with a smile.
Their interest visibly piqued after hearing Lin Ke’s explanation.
Count Akel praised, "This is a fantastic little game, much more fun than that silly game of Guess the Merman."
Fulon showed a fleetingly awkward expression.
Akel didn’t notice, continuing, "Also, the meaning behind these chess pieces is significant... It seems the Gula Kingdom will have an outstanding commander in the future." He seemed to be implying something.
Ove, on the other hand, focused on another aspect: "If you were already in the Military Strategist position, you might receive some feedback right now." Ove knew that this game was Lin Ke’s own creation.
Lin Ke was taken aback.
He hadn’t considered that.
If he created a profession as a Chess Player and invented several more chess games, wouldn’t the feedback roll in effortlessly?
But it was just a thought; he had too many ideas already, no need to stretch himself too thin. Let others handle it for the next five months.
"I want to play, I want to play!" Princess Rica eagerly wanted to play chess without caring about other concerns.
Even Antova seemed tempted.
"Alright, I’ll play a game with Mr. Akel and show everyone." Lin Ke said with a smile, signaling to Akel.
Akel agreed readily and amiably.
Lin Ke set up the chessboard and then indicated for Akel to make his move.
Akel stroked his little mustache, recalling the Insomnia Emperor’s wartime strategies in the Gula Kingdom, and said, "Hmm, two armies face off, the king marches first."
Then, he moved his king forward one step.
Lin Ke silently chuckled and then moved his crossbow equivalent into the central field.
Akel raised an eyebrow, quickly calculating in his mind, realizing there was possible checkmate next move, and moved his king to the left.
Seeing Akel’s trust in the king, Lin Ke couldn’t help but advise, "When the armies are evenly matched, it’s crucial to use all the pieces strategically."
Saying this, Lin Ke shot a crossbow arrow and captured a pawn.
Watching Lin Ke take a pawn, Akel frowned, pondering, and soon also began moving his crossbow.
Meanwhile, Lin Ke swiftly started positioning his rooks.
Though Lin Ke’s chess skills were average at best, nowhere near the old masters in his past life’s community, he was adept at dealing with beginners.
In no time, Lin Ke’s knight and two cannons closed in on Akel’s king, checkmating him.
Count Akel frowned deeply, staring at the board, overwhelmed by a sense of helplessness, and couldn’t help but say, "This is not reasonable... The Insomnia Emperor alone could vanquish them..."
"No, this isn’t the Insomnia Emperor, just two mortal kings in a realm," Lin Ke shook his head with a laugh and said, "It’s just a game, Mr. Akel."
Akel exhaled heavily, unable to resist saying, "Again! Again, again!"
Lin Ke gestured and stood up from his chair, looking around, "Everyone got it?"
"Got it!" Rica eagerly responded, sliding into the seat and pushing Akel aside, "Come on, let’s play a game."
The thirteenth-level, powerful, widely famed Count Akel, who owned a pet shop spread across the continent, was thus nudged aside by a young girl.
Lin Ke vowed that if Akel didn’t want to move, even if the girl was a ten-level mammoth, she wouldn’t budge him.
However, seeing Akel’s cheerful face, Lin Ke didn’t comment and instead pointed at the other two boards, "Mother, Aunt, Teacher, Mr. Akel, would you like to play a couple of games?"
Antova and Fulon had long desired to try it themselves.
Especially Ove, who had noticed the countless variations in this game. Each move could lead to different possibilities...
This is simply a great tool for exercising Spiritual Power!
"Perfect timing, would you like to have a game with me?" Akel, feeling he had learned something from his game with Lin Ke, immediately proposed a match to Ove.
Ove nodded lightly, maintaining a serious demeanor.
So, the two of them went to play a game on the side.
While Antova naturally accompanied Fulon.
Lin Ke’s opponent was now Princess Rica, though she was very cute and delicate, she didn’t stir his feelings at all.
In terms of his mental age, he saw Rica as akin to a youthful daughter, evoking no emotional waves.
"I’ll go first!" Rica, unconcerned with Lin Ke’s scrutiny, quickly took the first move.
The chess set wasn’t colored, but Lin Ke had drawn circles around the pieces to differentiate; the uncircled ones moved first.
But Rica assumed she had grasped Lin Ke’s strategy, launching her crossbow first, thinking she had stumped Lin Ke.
Lin Ke smiled, moving his elephant piece.
Rica’s eyes widened, calculating her next move...
Just like that, the afternoon flew by. Not only did guests like Rica and Akel find it enjoyable, but Fulon, Antova, and Ove also found it captivating, as did Butler Billy and John who wanted to give it a try.
Lin Ke knew this was the charm of chess, or you could say the allure of live games.
Even when dominant games like King or Clash ruled during his past life, children naturally preferred games.
But in entertainment-scarce Naseng, chess was akin to the allure of those past life games, filled with entertainment and novelty.
Thus, the afternoon passed .
"It’s getting late, would you two like to join us for dinner?"