Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 299 God of Joy
"Uh, Rean, are you planning to get into Mage Chess?"

Hela exclaimed in surprise when Rean came in carrying a rulebook and a simple chessboard.

"No, no, I was just researching information about another heroic spirit when my mage teacher persuaded me. He was so enthusiastic, I couldn't refuse."

"Are you planning to get into Mage Chess?" The words seemed the same, but the tone was a bit stronger.

"No, I'm too busy. This thing looks too complicated. I simply don't have the time."

Rean never considered himself someone who could resist the temptations of entertainment. Those traps designed by top talents at great expense are designed to lure people in and specifically target the weaknesses of human nature. Once you step into them, it is difficult to get out easily. The most rational choice is not to get involved in them in the first place.

"You're planning to get into Mage Chess, aren't you?" The girl's voice, as if echoing right next to his ear, grew louder and louder.

Rean then looked over seriously, and Hela looked calm and seemed completely unconcerned.

But at some point, a bag of chess pieces and a chessboard, taken out of the spatial bag, were placed on the table, seemingly telling a story.

"Uh, I do plan to give it a try, but it's a bit too complicated. It would be great if an experienced person could guide me." Rean remained very rational.

"Really? Well, I actually played it for a while, Rean, want to give it a try?"

The girl coughed lightly, revealing a joy and interest befitting her youth.

With a sigh, Rean sat down at the table with his chess pieces. Then, within five minutes, he was completely wiped out. The veteran, who hadn't played in a long time, was enjoying the thrill of crushing the noobs.

Rean listened silently to the girl's cheerful debriefing, saying, "Rean made a mistake here," "You wasted your resources," and "Your group of pieces has no core pieces; I can give you two."

What do you mean by "just played it for a while"? It's clearly "still addicted to it now".

But Rean smiled as he watched the girl chatter on and on, and didn't think there was anything wrong with it. He had always thought that fate had made this girl mature too early, and that it was fine for a sixteen or seventeen-year-old to have some fun.

On certain occasions, she would revert to being that young girl. Her indifference and aloofness might be her nature, or it might be a protective shield against contact with strangers.

There's nothing wrong with that, it's just that the father might be a little sad.

"Wait, I'm not her father! I'm not!"

Taking a deep breath, Rean tried to keep his mind calm.

It seems that it's not just the two daughters who need psychological treatment and mindset correction.

"Since there's nothing to do for the time being, I'll take a break and at least be myself for a while."

This is probably a rare moment of leisure for Rean. Without the spirit possessing him, he can be completely unaffected and "be himself." If cute girls ask him to play cards or chess, Rean, who doesn't have any plans for the time being, has no reason to refuse.

"Oh, I see. Is it designed with the same concept as the Hero of All Things brand?"

"It's different. All-Encompassing Heroes is actually a lower-tier replacement for people who can't play Mage Chess. Because there are no restrictions from supernatural powers, even with the association's jurisdiction, it's extremely unbalanced and not fun to play. There are also too many fake and pseudo-cards, making it very low in strategy. Moreover, Mage Chess can be considered a sacred relic in a certain sense, and its balance is quite good."

As she spoke, Hela lightly tapped the chess pieces, infusing them with magic from the Dragonborn, activating two of the griffins.

"Ow!"

The baby griffin's joints clicked, and it even raised a pair of small wings.

Driven by an unknown force, the chess piece floated slightly before lunging directly at Rean's only hero chess piece on the front lines.

"Alas, the hero Lex is dead again." The chess piece was tackled, and Gada "died," his head even falling off; what a gruesome death.

Seeing her "father" die again, the girl happily raised her hand to celebrate her victory in advance.

Seeing Hela cheering, Rean felt even happier.

Who's injured? Rean honestly doesn't know!

Rean noticed that Hela seemed to really enjoy the game; at least she seemed quite pleased when she showed off her "Diamond Mask Rex." Rean also saw that there were some knife marks on her "figure," which appeared to have been recently repaired.

Its core structure remains unchanged, with slight modifications to its clothing, expression, and facial features, making it look much like the real Lex Luthor.

Clearly, this is the result of Hela's recent carving after seeing the "original".

Rean noticed the girl's increasingly subtle expression. It was one thing for her to be a consumer, but now she was even modifying things herself. Was she getting a little obsessed?

"Uh, I don't really like it that much, I just play around with it."

Yes, yes, yes, card players and chess players are just amateur enthusiasts; they become champions as they play.

"As you know, the old capital is quite boring. Occasionally, a wandering poet or merchant will pass by, and we'll just check what goods they have."

In fact, it wasn't just the old capital that was bored, but the entire era. When survival itself was a luxury, entertainment items were not only luxurious but also scarce in variety. Those players felt that such hobbies, which didn't bring any profit but cost money, were somewhat shameful, and that they were a waste of time and energy.

This is also the case when you're not a player, and it seems like no one around you is playing, but when you show it, you discover that many people are secretly playing.

The nobles did not consider this kind of entertainment to be noble, especially when many of the chess pieces were foreigners or commoners. They preferred the more exciting "gambling games".

Only mages play freely, and they really enjoy these chess pieces that can train their thinking and magical control abilities.

"The Mage Chess is actually the prototype of the All-Encompassing Heroes game, which is much older and more complex. You can see the terrain board, as well as records simulating various classic ancient and divine wars, and even some simulated versions of ancient wars."

At this moment, Rean sat up straight, showing a greater sense of importance.

He discovered that this chess game was not as simple as it seemed.

If it can truly recreate the process of some ancient wars, or even repeatedly review them, then doesn't that mean it records real "history"?

Even compared to paper records that can be easily modified by later generations, this record, which seems to have been influenced by deities, is more complete and authentic.

Compared to expensive and editable "history books," the hero pieces and hero cards provide a more detailed and complete record of the world's history from a different perspective.

At least, those "heroes," "sinners," and "gods" are still remembered even after they die.

"Can you tell me how to play this game? Who created it?"

Elf Chess is the origin, while Heroes of the Universe is a lower-level replacement used by non-spellcasters, and it has become more widely spread. Elf chess pieces, paired with a specially designed chessboard, even recreate key historical events to some extent.

The main point of the Hero Cards is to record the existence of those important figures, and due to the existence of "local cards", the balance of power is quite problematic (there is an official association, but the control is very weak, and there are many room rules and card printing).
"For example, this Lex Thorne piece, after costing three points of fire magic, directly kills any of the opponent's 'beasts.' Who ensures that the piece's effect remains consistently consistent?"

Rean originally thought it would be an alchemist, but if it really is, not only will the consumption be extremely high, but a large number of local pieces like the Hero of the Universe will also appear.

Now, the shape and appearance of each piece can change, but the game performance is basically the same, which seems to indicate that there is a higher-level manager.
"This, then, becomes a statue of a god."

Rean seemed to be deep in thought, and the facts Hela told him next were, in a sense, confirmed his suspicions.

"Alchemists and blacksmiths make the molds, then offer a portion of 'gold' and chant the name of the 'God of Joy' to activate them."

Who is the god of joy?

"Uh, who knows? I've never heard of a parish possibly being an unknown minor deity. There are quite a few minor deities like this who don't have a church or a direct pastor."

Even if the main body is gone and the deity itself stops acting, as long as there are still people who remember it and recite its name, it will at least not completely perish.

Rean, however, silently took out the Heroic Soul Card.

He really felt that something was wrong.

"Lord of Pleasure? Is the god of joy truly dead? If you have truly recorded the history of heroes, historical figures, and even the entire world, are you still merely a god of entertainment?"

(End of this chapter)