Genshin Impact: I, the Winter Prince, reign supreme.

Faced with inquiries from a group of major shareholders and elders, the head manager explained that Prince Zhidong had cracked down on the gambling industry in Zhidong, which led to the destruction of their power group in Zhidong and forced them to go underground.

The fact that Liyue has suddenly proposed cooperation now might be a trap.

The shareholders told him that gambling dens were illegal in Winterfell but legal in Liyue, so there was nothing to worry about.

"That's not OK."

The head manager slammed his fist on the table and stood up. He disliked these people questioning his authority and angrily retorted to the shareholders beside him, "You have no idea how big Prince Zhidong's scheme is!"

"His men told me that this game of chess with the immortals aims to attract as many gamblers from the seven kingdoms as possible. To this end, our gambling dens in the seven kingdoms are operating for the same project like never before! The funds involved exceed hundreds of billions of Mora!"

The shareholders and elders were even more excited, asking, "Isn't this a good thing? With his reputation, I believe many people will be willing to place bets. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to strengthen our gambling industry. What are you worried about?"

If there is anyone who could get the gamblers of the seven kingdoms to act simultaneously, besides the seven gods, it would only be the Prince of Winter.

The head manager pointed out the problem very clearly: "Go skill level is a very abstract concept and cannot be accurately measured. I'm worried that Prince Zhidong is faking it! We act as the bookmaker and calculate the odds, but he can control the outcome of the game. Do you understand?"

The shareholders scoffed, saying, "Prince Zhidong wouldn't throw a match for such a paltry sum. Besides, we already know his true Go skill level, and we can ensure we won't lose money based on the odds. Let me tell you, Shen He played against him all night last night, and each of them won five games."

The head manager's expression changed: "Where did you get this information?"

The shareholder who had spoken earlier answered truthfully: "Shen He's nephew, that Chongyun, inadvertently boasted about this to his friend this morning. His friend then told others. Now the news has spread. Manager, don't hesitate. Cooperating with a prince is something many people would love to do!"

The head manager continued his cautious analysis: "Even so, Prince Zhidong is not a philanthropist. He must have ulterior motives for helping our gambling den make money."

One shareholder mocked him, "Manager, you've really gotten old and lack the boldness you used to have. Just share half of the profits with him; we can all make money together."

The head manager stared at him as if he were an idiot: "If the prince had just asked for a share of the profits, that would have been fine. But his condition is that our gambling den must deposit all of Mora into the Northern Bank, and it must be a fixed-term deposit!"

How long should it be stored?

The head manager replied, "Three months."

A highly respected major shareholder, who had remained silent since entering, now advised him: "Hundreds of billions of Mora is indeed a large sum of money. Recently, the amount of Mora circulating in Liyue has been decreasing significantly. Many merchants don't have enough Mora, and when asked, they found out that they have deposited it in the Northern Bank or failed to receive their accounts receivable on time, forcing them to resort to the primitive method of bartering. Your concerns about the safety of the gambling den's funds are reasonable."

"But we can withdraw our capital after only three months, so the risk is within our acceptable range. If Prince Zhidong really wanted to deal with our gambling industry, he wouldn't need to cooperate with us at all, understand? He is a truly powerful figure who can influence the will of the gods."

The moment the major shareholder spoke, the entire room fell silent. He continued, "If he truly has ulterior motives, they aren't after us. Don't underestimate Prince Winter; judging from his many deeds, he possesses an ambition that can shake the world. The only one in Liyue who can keep him in check is the Geo Archon."

This major shareholder was older than him and could be considered an elder.

After much persuasion, he was finally convinced.

His brow relaxed, and his thumb kept rubbing the jade thumb ring that symbolized his status as the person in charge of the gambling den.

After careful consideration, he finally made the decision to cooperate with Prince Zhidong.

Chapter 150 Creating Miracles

News of Prince Winter's chess match with the Liyue Immortal spread quickly, and people flocked to the scene to watch the game.

The combined allure of Prince Zhidong and the immortals far surpasses even the annual rituals performed by the Rock King Emperor to invite immortals.

As a result, several storytellers in the city lamented that they were about to lose their jobs.

Because all the guests had gone to the mission's residence to join in the fun.

However, there are also clever people who do not feel sad at all, such as Tian Tiezui, the storyteller who holds a palm-leaf fan.

The more topics Prince Zhidong creates, the more room there is for storytellers to maneuver. After the prince leaves, he will process and transform the stories that happened during this period into a series of legendary tales, just like adapting the glorious deeds of the Rock King.

He started packing up his stall so he could quickly get to a good spot to observe.

His professional instincts told him that this was no ordinary game involving immortals and Prince Zhidong.

To put it more elegantly, it's called Prince Winter playing chess with a celestial being, and Winter and Liyue exchanging chess culture.

To put it bluntly, it's called Prince Zhidong challenging the immortals!

People from Liyue are always very proud and honored when it comes to Go.

As is widely known, Go originated in Liyue and later spread throughout the Teyvat continent.

Thousands of years ago, in order to promote Go, Zhongli requested that a Go tournament be held in the country every few years, and the final winner would be awarded the title of "Go Immortal" and receive a prize of hundreds of millions of Mora.

The player who wins three consecutive championships will be awarded the title of "Chess Saint" and will enjoy a special government allowance.

Over the past thousand years, Liyue has produced a large number of "Chess Immortals" and "Chess Saints," whose chess manuals have been widely circulated among the Seven Kingdoms.

The contemporary title of "Chess Immortal" was bestowed upon "Three-Eyed Five-Show Immortal".

In order to complete the selection process, the Liyue Sept held several internal meetings and launched a public vote before finally making this controversial decision.

Why is it considered controversial?

In the previous "Chess Immortal" tournament, the immortals, having been too still for a moment, suddenly decided to descend the mountain to participate in the Go tournament.

The result was self-evident; they swept the top three spots with overwhelming force.

However, many people believe that there is a difference between humans and immortals, and that immortals have long lifespans and should not participate in the selection.

On the last day of the selection process, with the deadline fast approaching, Ningguang spread the word that immortals and humans are one family and have the right to compete fairly.

Thanks to Ningguang's propaganda and mobilization, some of the people who originally voted against it voted in favor, and the Immortal Clan won the honor of "Chess Immortal" by a narrow margin.

However, a considerable number of people remain skeptical, believing that this is Ningguang's deliberate attempt to curry favor with the immortals.

Faced with public pressure, Ningguang responded publicly: You can question my decision, but you must first defeat the immortal.

These words immediately silenced the dissenting voices.

The immortal's chess skills were undoubtedly superb.

It is likely that only the resurrection of those few "chess masters" who have long been recorded in history will give them hope of defeating the immortals; it is absolutely impossible for the current generation of Liyue.

Currently, the most recognized master in Liyue's Go world has lost to the Immortal in the previous competition.

Nevertheless, the general public who held opposing views still hoped that an outstanding human genius chess player would emerge, defeat the immortal in one fell swoop, and reclaim the title of "Chess Immortal".

The people of Liyue are not petty people, and they had already accepted the fact that the immortals had won the title of "Chess Immortal". However, the immortals jumped out at this time and made a harsh statement, saying that the immortals would dominate the competition and monopolize the title of "Chess Immortal" in the future!

Perhaps these words were meant to motivate people to work harder in chess, or perhaps they were just the words of an arrogant immortal. In any case, when these words were made public, they once again sparked huge controversy.

Many people are hoping that in the next Go tournament, a human player will be able to defeat the immortals, thus proving that human potential is limitless and that immortals are not invincible.

Therefore, when the Prince of Zhidong said he wanted to play chess with the immortals, the people spontaneously came to support him.

Prince Zhidong has created too many miracles. The common people generally believe that Prince Zhidong will continue to create miracles in the field of Go, and will represent mankind in defeating the invincible immortal in the field of Go.

Even if we lose in the end, it's good to let the immortals see how powerful humans are.

According to past practice, there are still several months until the next Go tournament. However, due to Su Yu's reputation, many viewers regarded this match as the final of the Go tournament held in advance.

As a result, the streets near the Winter Mission’s residence were suddenly flooded with spectators and foreign tourists, and inns, teahouses and restaurants were all packed.

To maintain order, the Chiiwa Army deployed a large number of guards for patrols.

Later, his subordinates reported that due to the surge in the number of spectators, the area that needed to be defended had expanded, and they requested reinforcements from headquarters.

Upon hearing the news, Yao Guangxing, the head of the Kun family who was in charge of the Thousand Rocks Army, immediately ordered all the Thousand Rocks Army members in the city to be mobilized to maintain order within the city.

That afternoon, another 20,000 guards were dispatched from outside the city to enter the city.

Such a large-scale troop movement naturally attracted Ningguang's attention.

She stood gracefully at the window of the Qunyu Pavilion, holding a pipe in her hand, with a clear view of the flow of people in the city.

The three secretaries, Baiwen, Baixiao, and Baishi, stopped what they were doing, stretched their little heads, and looked out the window.

They could clearly see that the crowds, like a tidal wave, surged from all directions of Liyue Harbor toward the Winter's End Mission's encampment in the south of the city.

Large numbers of Qianyan soldiers also formed long queues and entered the city one after another.

"Has the notification been delivered?"

Bai Wen replied somewhat nervously, "Lord Ningguang, Lord 'Yaoguangxing' has arrived at Yujingtai. The other lords are on their way. Why would a game of Go cause such a commotion?"

Ningguang, however, wore a calm and composed smile: "This is the charm of Prince Winter. His every word and action has a profound impact on Liyue Harbor. I'd like to take advantage of the public's enthusiasm and hold this year's Go tournament ahead of schedule. What do you think of this idea?"

"It's too rushed, Lady Ningguang. Many preparations haven't even started yet."

Ningguang's calm gaze swept over the three secretaries, and he instructed, "After the meeting, I will personally go to see Prince Zhidong to discuss this matter with him. Prince Zhidong attaches great importance to cultural exchange when he travels to various countries, and he will agree to my request. Three days, I will try to get you three days."

Bai Wen's heart skipped a beat; even if he didn't eat or drink for three days, he wouldn't be able to complete the mission.

"Lady Ningguang, we don't have enough manpower."

"From this moment forward, I authorize you to mobilize all personnel from the 'Eight Gates'. Within three days, you must complete all preparations related to the competition."

Ningguang gave her three subordinates a death order.

Prince Winter, responding to public opinion, challenges the Immortal. If he succeeds, it will be the first time in Liyue's history that a human has defeated an Immortal in the game of Go, which is equivalent to creating a miracle.

Within three days, she will prepare for a grand Go tournament, and Ningguang will create a miracle.

Chapter 151 Fighting Side by Side

Ningguang, who was able to sit in the position of "Tianquan Star", naturally had ambition and pride in her heart. She was not willing to be just a supporting role under Su Yu's prestige.

She wanted to prove to Su Yu that she was just as excellent.

Previously, I had been struggling to find an opportunity, so the Go tournament naturally became a turning point.

If you can create miracles, so can I.

Even Ningguang herself didn't understand why she had such a strange feeling. Perhaps it was because she had met such an outstanding man as Su Yu, so she wanted to compete with him.

Or perhaps, she simply wanted to attract his attention...

For so many years, she has remained single because, apart from the Emperor, no matter how outstanding other men are, they have always been unable to win her heart.

She once thought that she was truly the strong woman everyone talked about, someone who didn't need a man, and this idea later became deeply ingrained in her mind.

It wasn't until the winter delegation's visit, and until that evening's banquet at the Qunyu Pavilion, that I first truly witnessed Su Yu's exceptional insight.

She had to admit that this prince from Zhidong was unparalleled and comparable to the emperor, whom she held in high regard.

In the conference hall of Yujing Terrace, the heads of the Liyue Seven Stars and the Eight Gates arrived one after another.

The last one to arrive was Ke Qing, the "Jade Balance Star".

This is quite rare for someone as busy as her who always emphasizes work efficiency and has a strong sense of time.

As soon as she entered, she eagerly told Ningguang, "The immortals have agreed to come down the mountain to play Go with Prince Zhidong. This is great news! Why don't we take this opportunity to hold a new Go tournament?"