Chapter 1072: The Meaning of the Dragon
"Maybe this isn't so difficult," Qi Xia said thoughtfully.
"Not so difficult...?" The Serpent-Man let out another bitter laugh. "Qi Xia... do you really think there's still something that can save me now?"
"There is." Qi Xia nodded. "In fact, you know it yourself—as long as you kill one person in this game, everything will be resolved."
The Serpent-Man's eyes flickered slightly, as if Qi Xia had hit upon what he was thinking.
"You believe that as long as you kill one person, you won't die in this game," Qi Xia continued. "So you should be more eager than anyone to deliver a killing blow, shouldn't you? That way, you can better complete the task I gave you."
After saying this, Qi Xia paused for a moment, then corrected himself: "The task that Aries entrusted to you."
"In this game... who do you think I can kill?" The Serpent-Man pushed the puzzle book forward, sliding it in front of Qi Xia. "Logically speaking, I don't even have answers to these questions myself. How am I supposed to bet my life with the 'participants'? If 'Xuanwu' really gets called in... how is she supposed to judge who wins or loses?"
"You just don't want to answer," Qi Xia said. "If you wanted to... you could come up with the right answer for every single question."
"So I can just declare a 'life wager' outright?" The Serpent-Man raised his head and said to Qi Xia, "Qi Xia, you should be able to sense it by now... this 'Cangjie Chess' isn't just a simple Earth Dragon game."
"Yes," Qi Xia nodded. "I've been wanting to ask you for a while now. Earth Dragon and Azure Dragon both say this game is being played for the first time, but I've heard the name 'Cangjie Chess' from other 'Zodiacs' long before this. So, when it comes to the design of this 'Cangjie Chess'... did Aries have a hand in it?"
"Hard to say." The Serpent-Man shook his head. "I only know that before Brother Yang left, Azure Dragon frequently talked with him. They exchanged many ideas, but they never mentioned 'Cangjie Chess.'"
"Then it was done through suggestion," Qi Xia speculated. "Countless continuous suggestions—so subtle that even Azure Dragon himself couldn't detect them—ultimately directed the path toward 'Cangjie Chess.'"
"Is that... possible?" The Serpent-Man asked doubtfully.
"Though it's difficult, there's a chance it could be done," Qi Xia replied. "It's hard to believe that Aries had no part in why 'Cangjie Chess' appears here at this particular time."
Qi Xia had already guessed that, like the "Dragon of Men" game, this game was set in a strange, pitch-black venue, and that this dark space was the "train."
Before truly boarding the "train," it was naturally necessary to uncover its secrets—that was Aries' true intention.
What's more, Azure Dragon had fallen for the trap.
He had sent a group of "Human-level" and a few "Earth-level" Zodiacs as the "referees" of this game, and at the last moment, he kept increasing these Zodiacs' panic, inadvertently adding fuel to the fire of the "rebellion."
Azure Dragon thought he had been cautious enough—he didn't tell them about the "penalties" in this game and provided sufficient rewards.
But the irony was that all the Zodiacs implicitly assumed that any deal with Azure Dragon came with an equivalent punishment. Even if he said nothing, the seeds of panic would continue to sprout.
It was possible that Azure Dragon wasn't lying—maybe no "Zodiacs" would die in this game, that it was merely about handing out rewards. But as things stood now, every Zodiac was focused on how to survive the game.
To participate in the "Dragon" game, killing just one "participant" meant promotion to "Earth-level." With such generous rewards, how could there be no punishment?
Qi Xia sighed. Now that he thought back carefully, hadn't the "Dragon of Men" game, "The Seesaw," also conveyed an important message?
Both sides stood on the seesaw. If neither moved and both remained content with the status quo, the game wouldn't end quickly, but at least no one would die.
Yet the reality was always that one side would make the first move, breaking the delicate balance. The seesaw would tilt, and in a very short time, the two sides would go from peaceful coexistence to throwing lethal moves at each other. Even if one side suffered heavy casualties, they would still drag the other into hell.
This was the balance between "participants" and "Zodiacs" in the "Land of the End."
Qi Xia should have realized back then that the so-called "Dragon" was nothing more than Aries' plaything.
Aries knew that one day he would once again appear in this land as a "participant." Though he might not experience every "Zodiac's" game, the "Dragon" was unavoidable.
So he turned all the "Dragons" into a kind of time-crossing "messenger," constantly releasing layers of encrypted information to the Qi Xia in another timeline.
Now it seemed that none of the "Dragons" in the "Land of the End" knew they were being used. They took pride in their games and were happy to show them off in front of Qi Xia.
Unfortunately, when Qi Xia had participated in the "Dragon of Men" game back then, he hadn't realized the depth of the situation, nor had he considered it so thoroughly.
Whether it was "Earth Dragon" or "Dragon of Men," every game was a microcosm of the "Land of the End." Whether it was being divided into camps and boiled in a giant pot, floating up and down, or being trapped in this hard venue, forced to kill each other for the sake of rules, there was essentially no difference in nature.
So-called "Cangjie Chess," in short, meant entering various rooms to play games and collect "words." The ultimate goal wasn't even to survive—it was to make the "Dragon" up high smile and enjoy the show.
That "Dragon" called itself "God," set strict rules, and then made "mortals" kill each other, a miniature version of the "Land of the End."
Just like the land everyone was on, "Cangjie Chess" thoughtfully provided a "gate" for escape, but the only outcome of fleeing was death.
Since no game offered any real escape, could the "Land of the End" itself be escaped?
"I don't think any 'Zodiac' will die in this game," Qi Xia said, snapping back to the present. "What Azure Dragon meant to convey should be taken literally. You might be overthinking it."
The Serpent-Man's face turned ashen. He lowered his head and said, "So I still have to ask... should I believe Azure Dragon or not?"
"You can believe me," Qi Xia said. "At this critical juncture, what Azure Dragon needs to do is stabilize morale, not create panic among the 'Zodiacs.' So no matter what, he won't kill any of the Zodiacs present this time."
"But that's just your speculation," the Serpent-Man countered. "You should know that 'Zodiacs' are different from 'participants.' Once we die... there's truly no coming back."
"That's not hard to solve either." Qi Xia continued, "If you're still uneasy, you can choose to kill me."