Fontaine's Grand Stage: Come If You Dare! (Genshin Impact)

"Chess?!"

The four were startled by Lofan's announcement.

They hadn't expected him to suggest such an ordinary game.

In truth, Lyney had been deeply concerned that Lofan might force them into a kill-or-be-killed scenario or some twisted test of their humanity. This fear was the primary reason he hadn't wanted Lynette to participate.

"The rules are simple: if you lose, I press the detonation button immediately."

"You heard right—I press the button directly. Boom."

Lofan chuckled lightly before continuing.

"I trust you've abandoned any lingering hope that I wouldn't dare detonate the explosives beneath your feet?" Lofan asked, his words chillingly blunt.

The four knew he wasn't joking.

"However, if you win, I'll honor my promise and refrain from detonating the explosives."

"You're a liar!" Charlotte snapped. "How can we possibly believe a word you say?"

Lofan regarded her with amusement. "Do you really have any other choice?" he drawled.

His words plunged their spirits into despair once more.

"Heh, don't worry," Lofan chuckled. "A performance without suspense would be dreadfully boring."

"I'll give you a chance to turn the tables. But in exchange, I won't give you a single opportunity to defeat me in this game."

"The detailed rules are written down on the table. You have twenty minutes to familiarize yourselves with them. After that, Miss Navia will become my opponent."

"Of course, the rest of you can participate as well. Each of you will have three opportunities to advise Miss Navia."

"Once those chances are used up, you must remain silent. Any further interruptions will count as my victory."

"Even if the game ends in a draw, I win."

"If you're ready, you can start early."

"Alright, let the timer begin."

Lofan suddenly produced an hourglass from seemingly nowhere, flipped it over, and watched the sand begin to trickle down.

Seeing the hourglass, the four contestants wasted no time. They immediately examined the chessboard and pieces laid out before Lofan.

The square grid-patterned board was divided in the middle by the characters "Chu River" and "Han Border." Thirty-two pieces were placed and moved on the intersections of the grid lines, each marked with characters like "Pawn," "Knight," and "Cannon."

(TL Note: Chinese Chess)

None of them had ever seen this game before. Realizing they would have to learn the rules from scratch, they grew increasingly anxious. No wonder Lofan was so confident of his victory—this unfamiliar game was his trump card.

They began studying the rules intently as the hourglass continued to empty. When the last grain of sand finally settled at the bottom, Lofan tapped the table.

"Everyone ready?"

How could time have passed so quickly?!

The four contestants felt as if only a moment had gone by, like cramming for an exam at the last minute without any preparation.

Regardless, Navia had to win this game!

Clenching her fist, she strode toward her seat at the table.

But she had barely taken two steps when Lyney stopped her.

Navia initially assumed he wanted to offer some last-minute advice, but she saw his cold expression as he addressed Lofan.

"Monsieur Grett, resorting to such petty tricks is unnecessary."

Lyney's words startled Navia and the others. Then, like a bolt of lightning, a realization struck her.

"The time hasn't actually started yet," she declared. "The hourglass was just a misdirection."

"You never explicitly stated that the game would officially begin once all the sand had drained to the bottom."

"The hourglass was introduced precisely to lure us into starting early. That's why you deliberately added, 'If you're ready, the game can begin early.'"

"I'm afraid such petty tricks won't work on me," Lyney declared.

A look of realization dawned on Lynette's face. She had indeed sensed that time was passing more quickly, but she had attributed it to her intense focus on the game rules, which might have skewed her perception of time.

"Hahaha, how amusing! Mr. Lyney, you truly surprise me," Lofan chuckled. "Are you really just a magician?"

Lyney remained unfazed by Lofan's probing gaze. "I have no obligation to answer your questions. I simply want to know, Monsieur Grett, how will you compensate us for the time you previously withheld?"

"Or do you intend to keep this game rigged?"

"We'll reset the timer to twenty minutes, starting now," Lofan nodded. "Consider it a reward for uncovering this deception."

Lofan's words did little to ease the group's tension. Though they had gained extra time, it remained critically limited.

More importantly, this incident had made them realize that the game might be far more complex than they had initially believed.

Twenty minutes passed quickly. Navia sat down opposite Lofan, her gaze icy, suppressing the frantic emotions churning within her.

"Let's begin," she said.

Seeing the other three position themselves behind Navia, Lofan chuckled softly. Without hesitation, he advanced his right-flank pawn.

Lofan's pieces were red, giving him the first move.

But Lofan's opening move left Navia utterly dumbfounded.

After their earlier discussion, the group had agreed that a defensive strategy typically involved leveling the cannon, while an offensive approach would usually entail advancing the knight. They had even discussed potential countermeasures for these common opening moves. Yet Lofan's opening defied all logic, leaving her completely baffled.

(TL Note: I got no idea how to play this.)

It must be said that the four of them possessed exceptional aptitude. Despite their first exposure to Xiangqi, they had swiftly grasped some of the game's fundamental principles.

Navia pondered Lofan's intent for a long time but remained baffled. Ultimately, erring on the side of caution, she shifted her cannon horizontally, preparing to defend against his initial assault.

It was now Lofan's turn. Instead of immediately moving a piece, he eyed Navia with amusement and said, "Let's add a rule: each turn is limited to one minute of thinking time. Exceeding that limit will result in forfeiting the turn."

"A clever tactic," Lofan continued, "you're all quite resourceful."

Navia's heart skipped a beat. During their earlier discussion, Lyney had suggested she feign deep thought to buy them time while they mentally reviewed the game's rules, hoping to improve their chances of winning.

Although Lofan's first move had surprised her, it didn't warrant such a lengthy deliberation.

The group raised no objections to Lofan's sudden rule change. Partly because they knew it was pointless, and partly because, aside from Navia, the others each had only three opportunities to speak.

After Lofan's move, Navia pondered for the full minute, finally shifting her piece in the very last second.