Exploring Technology in a Wizard World
Chapter 485 - 484 Let’s Switch to Another Game

Chapter 485: Chapter 484 Let’s Switch to Another Game

"Hmm? You know?" Clown looked at Richard, his voice tinged with surprise.

"Yes, I know." Richard nodded, speaking earnestly to Clown, "So I’m not proud because you let me win a game by going easy on me. It’s just a matter of fact that the current situation really isn’t suitable for modesty. If you want to clear something up, we can play a few more games of chess."

Clown was taken aback, then slowly spoke: "You’re not saying that you knew I deliberately lost to you, and you even intentionally cooperated with my act, that you could actually win every game of Clown Chess?"

"Of course not." Richard shook his head, "On the Clown Chess board, I certainly am not your match, at least not in a short amount of time, it’s not possible for me to beat you. What I’m talking about playing is another kind of chess."

"Another kind of chess, what kind?"

"Five-in-a-row." Richard answered.

"Five-in-a-row?" Clown was surprised, "What is this chess?"

"It’s a simple game," Richard said, picking up black and white playing pieces, "This game’s rule is just one: both sides take turns in placing pieces, and whichever side gets five pieces in a row first wins. Oh, and the pieces aren’t placed inside the squares, but on the intersections of the horizontal and vertical lines, like this." Saying this, Richard began arranging the pieces.

The rule was indeed simple; Richard only had to demonstrate briefly for Clown to understand—it was actually so easy that as long as one could count and wasn’t blind, one would certainly understand.

But the simplicity of the rule made Clown somewhat skeptical: "You really want to play this kind of... a game even simpler than real Beast Fighting Chess?"

"Yes."

"Who goes first?"

"I’ll go first," Richard said, placing a black piece on the board, providing an all too familiar response.

"Is there an explanation for this?" Clown’s eyes flickered as he asked.

"Of course, there’s an explanation," Richard replied, "The rule of Five-in-a-row is that the person holding the black pieces goes first. As for who gets to hold the black pieces first, there are many ways to decide that. But the most important point is, whoever wears the clown mask is forbidden from holding the black pieces."

"Hmm?" Clown couldn’t help but make a sound after hearing Richard’s words, "That last rule wasn’t something you just added on just now, was it, passerby?"

"But it doesn’t matter if it was or wasn’t, just like when you said ’the person sitting in the west, in Clown Chess goes first,’" Richard spread his hands, "If Mr. Clown, you feel it’s unfair, you can completely take off your mask and then hold the black pieces."

"Forget it." Clown said, "I’ll take the white pieces; I actually feel that holding the white pieces gives me an advantage."

"Are you sure?"

"Sure."

"Then, please go ahead," Richard gestured.

Clown didn’t speak again; he took a white piece, thought for a moment, and placed it below Richard’s piece. Richard saw this and, with almost no thought at all, immediately picked up a second black piece and placed it beside Clown’s white piece.

Thus, two black and one white piece formed a right-angle triangle, looking like an abstract crescent.

Clown was somewhat surprised by Richard’s brisk moves. After all, during Clown Chess, even when he was intimately familiar with the moves, he would think for a long time before making his move. Now, Richard’s actions made him unavoidably suspicious—there might be a catch.

So Clown thought for quite some time before carefully placing his second white piece.

As soon as Clown’s piece landed, Richard’s black piece followed suit, with barely a moment’s hesitation.

Clown looked towards Richard, who simply made another inviting gesture.

"Uh—"

Clown looked back at the board, immersed in thought, unable to see any traps in Richard’s moves, but out of caution, he chose to block the route where Richard might form a row of five.

Then...

"Snap!"

Richard made his move again, still seemingly without any thought.

Clown shifted uncomfortably, feeling irritable and uneasy, yet unable to figure out why, taking a deep breath, he continued to play patiently against Richard.

"Snap snap snap snap snap..."

The pieces kept falling.

Before placing his pieces, Clown had to think for a while; Richard just picked up a piece and placed it down.

In about three minutes.

"Snap!"

Clown had just made a move when Richard quickly followed with his own, then said, "Mr. Clown, you’ve lost."

"Huh, lost?" Clown was stunned, disbelieving, "Where have I lost? Right now on the board, it doesn’t seem like you have five pieces in a row anywhere."

"Indeed," Richard did not deny, pointing his finger at a spot, "but here are two intersecting lines of three. Whichever end you choose to block, I will form a five-in-a-row within three moves."

"This—" Clown drew out his words, seriously looking at the position Richard was pointing to. He was not foolish; after a moment, he understood the intricacies and resignedly said, "It seems I’ve indeed lost, unexpectedly so—in such a straightforward game, I didn’t see my sudden defeat coming."

"Actually, it has nothing to do with the rules of the pieces. As long as you choose to play Five-in-a-row with me, you’ll inevitably lose," Richard said, "This is more certain than losing to you at Clown Chess."

"Impossible." Clown didn’t believe it.

"Then we can play another game," Richard said.

"Fine," Clown agreed.

"Then Mr. Clown, are you prepared to remove your mask and play with the black pieces first this time?" Richard asked. "Just to remind you kindly, without taking off the mask, you will never be able to win."

"Stranger, don’t speak in such absolutes," Clown grasped a white piece, speaking in a ghostly tone, "Perhaps after this game, you’ll have to consider how to retract your words."

"Alright then." Richard didn’t say more, picking up a black piece and placing it on the board.

Clown followed suit, but paused for a moment as he made his move as if realizing something. He didn’t place it under Richard’s piece as before but diagonally above it.

Richard immediately followed with a second piece. Although it seemed to be without thought, his move had changed compared to the last game, placing it diagonally below the first piece, aligned with the white piece from a point apart.

Looking at it, the three pieces still formed a right-angled triangle. Compared to the first game, the constellation had doubled in size, like a bigger moon.

Clown stared at the board for a long while, seriously pondering his subsequent moves, then played his second white piece. Richard immediately placed his third black piece.

Clown placed his third white piece; Richard, on the other hand, placed his fourth black piece.

...

The moves continued unabated.

And this time, in just over two minutes, Richard announced the result, "Mr. Clown, you’ve lost again," saying so while pointing to a corner of the board.

Clown looked and immediately saw a pattern of intersecting three-in-a-row similar to the last game.

This!

The eyes beneath Clown’s mask widened slightly.

Richard, as if he hadn’t seen it, deftly cleaned up the pieces and looked up, "Another game?"

"Let’s!" Clown replied in a deep voice.

"Alright," Richard said and quickly made a move, with Clown following suit.

"Clack clack clack..."

In the blink of an eye, another two minutes passed.

This time, before Richard could speak, Clown himself said, "It seems I’ve lost again, right?"

"Right," Richard provided the answer, "Another one?"

"Let’s!" The voice of Clown sounded as if squeezed through clenched teeth.

"Alright," Richard nodded, tidied the board, and made his move once again.

Two minutes later.

Clown: "Again!"

Two minutes later.

Clown: "Again!"

Two minutes later.

Clown: "Again!"

The same process, constantly repeated, as if time had entered some sort of disorder...

...