act49side

Yet another journey with an unknown end.

It is not aimless wandering, though. It is simply a search for the uncertain, greater than a hunt for a drop in the ocean.

He has walked so far... and for so long.

We will take the last of Ya's vitality, and bring it to the lands beyond Yan.

The thousand-year grudge between Great Yan and the Feranmuts is now over. I pray that this land will never see such bitter conflict again.

As for your hopeful search to find Wang, Shuo, we will not be of much use, though we would dearly love to help.

We may have been companions with him along the same road, but we were acquaintances at best, and we knew little of his schemes.

...I understand.

All I humbly ask for is to please inform me if you hear news of him.

If we do, we shall tell you posthaste, Grandmaster.

But what you seek, I fear may be eternally out of reach, just as man cannot touch the face of Heaven...

This game of his... He considered himself, friend and foe, and all the changes of the changes on the board and off, perusing the effects of myriad actions... Such arduous feats will inevitably result in the opposite effect.

If what you seek is a means to free Wang from that tomb, then you seek in vain.

But if what you seek is a stone in reserve, or some idle scholarly digression... Heaven and earth are wide, and full of many mysteries.

<i>Duoxie</i>, sirs.

There may have been a moment where the land under his feet was his board. There should be some trace of him somewhere upon it.

But what is being sought is nothing more than a single black stone.

When he walked the paths of possibility alone, seeing a way out for everyone, seeking a solution, did he ever feel this... helpless?

That endless, far too endless journey... long enough to make a being like him sense the passing of fleeting time.

Man cannot touch the face of Heaven.

Any news?

Still nothing.

But I believe some trace of him must exist somewhere outside the Tomb.

Alas... If he truly did not wish to see us, would all your efforts be of any use?

Perhaps, after Jie's fading, he could not forgive Yan... or himself.

Is it this new Yan he does not wish to see, or is it someone else?

Maybe... he does not wish to draw us into his next game.

Next game? His plots are all ended. What would his next game even bring—

What can it bring indeed?

An even more hopeless matter...

He may have accomplished the replacement, but he was unable to make muddy waters run clear.

But he will not give up... He will certainly be searching too. For the traces she left behind on this land, for a glimmer of hope.

You were always the one who understood him best.

So, still determined to look for him?

I am.

And once you find him?

I will let him know that the next time he needs help, he will not be alone.

The long-lived man stops to rest his feet, turning his head to gaze off into the distance out of habit.

Yet another year passed. The snows are beginning to melt, turning the Chidao into a mud-covered bog. By the road, the withered trees sway, a sprinkling of new buds visible.

What's happening there?

It is an ordinary village, with an ordinary weiqi stall, though one surrounded by a bustling audience. Whether they watch because of a bitter battle or because of high stakes, he is unsure.

It's over. Look at the points. How much money is he going to lose over this game?

Rightfully so, might I add. Imagine learning how to gamble with weiqi at such a young age instead of studying properly.

Look, you can't blame the kid.

If it wasn't for his deadbeat gambler of a dad losing the entire family fortune at the board... Not to mention his sick little sister...

If you're going to blame him, blame his lack of skill... Then again, the rich guy he's facing is a disgusting bastard.

Looking at the kid's black stones... Man, even a <i>Xian</i> would find it hard to save him.

The young man maintains his determined expression, seeming to not hear the many comments from the crowd, but the beads of sweat dripping off his brow expose the panic in his heart.

It's obvious how things will end. He has at most ten moves left. All he can do now is throw in the towel.

He hesitates in placing his stone, even though he knows he cannot hesitate forever...

(What the...?)

(Who... Who's talking to me?)

4-7, shoulder hit.

The young man finally hears the indistinct voice clearly as it dictates a move to him.

As he considers this instruction, he sees a way to victory he had never considered.

(Are you... helping me?)

But <i>who</i> exactly is helping him?

He looks about, finding no source of the voice.

The young man returns his attention to the board, repeatedly calculating the feasibility of this breakthrough move. In the end, he is convinced. His victory is assured.

He adjusts his posture, having calmed down a little. A charm of black jade pokes out of his collar, gleaming with a deep, inexplicable light under the winter sun.

I haven't been back to the Sky Mirror Pavilion since she left us.

Hm? These <@tu.kw>Glyphs</> on the ground...

A mechanism built by those old bones. I helped with the design, and brute force won't do a thing against its complex construction.

They <@tu.kw>greatly reduce</> <@tu.kw>natural DP regeneration rate</>.

Careful now, don't let them affect you.

Those <@tu.kw>Glyphs</>... just summoned some enemies.

Can't even hold their own ink in check. Rude.

You're one to talk.

The <@tu.kw>Glyphs</> within these <@tu.kw>Glyph Tiles</> will periodically be <@tu.kw>printed</> by the Stamps here.

You mean those stone pillars that fell from the sky the other time?

Yup, just like you are battling on a giant printing frame.

<@tu.kw>Stamps</> will periodically fall on these <@tu.kw>Glyph Tiles</>, dealing <@tu.kw>True damage</> to units on these tiles.

<@tu.kw>Different effects will trigger</> according to the <@tu.kw>Glyphs</> on the tiles.

For example, this kind of <@tu.kw>'Wealth'</> Glyphs will produce <@tu.kw>Matters of Money</> that provide DP upon entering the Objective Point.

This kind of <@tu.kw>'Soldier'</> Glyphs will produce enemy units called <@tu.kw>Wield Arms</>.

I see, so Glyphs with a <@tu.kw>gold border</> are helpful, while those with a <@tu.kw>red border</> are harmful.

I'll hold them off, Dusk.

Shu, just look at that lazy bum—here to loaf around.

Nian, you helped out with the design, right?

Why didn't those two <@tu.kw>Glyphs</> do anything?

C'mon, use your brain a little.

That Uproot Mountain just <@tu.kw>held back</> a <@tu.kw>Stamp</>.

A Stamp triggers the Glyphs' effects only when it <@tu.kw>lands on a Glyph</>, but it can also be <@tu.kw>blocked</> from doing so.

All <@tu.kw>connected</> Glyph Tiles only need an <@tu.kw>ally</> or an enemy <@tu.kw>Uproot Mountain</> to stand on and hold back the <@tu.kw>Stamp</>—

In such a case, the Glyph effects <@tu.kw>won't trigger</>.

Alright, so we can just <@tu.kw>stand</> on the harmful Glyphs to prevent them from activating.

The other <@tu.kw>Uproot Mountains</> are moving now!

Yu and I will help.

<@tu.kw>Protect</> our Operators on the harmful Glyphs, and <@tu.kw>prevent</> enemies from standing on helpful ones.

Focus, Nian. We'll put a stop to this together.

Oh, I just remembered what the other Glyphs do.

From top to bottom:

'Food' will produce Matters of Cooking that give our Operators SP.

'Mountain' can turn into deployable high ground.

'Friend' will teleport the closest allied Ground Operator there.

'Stamp' is a special one. When an ally or enemy stands on it, it will immediately trigger a falling Stamp, and it has its own cooldown timer.

No need to remember everything right away. You can learn to counter or make use of them in battle.