Chapter 001: Pawns

Reine struggled desperately for a moment before suddenly shouting, “Get out! Get out! We must leave! We haven’t gone through the trials of the Submerged River—once we enter, it’s certain death!”
She continued to struggle, her face filled with panic, completely forgetting that she was a shaman priestess who could easily defeat Du Fan, that half-baked expert, with just a single move.
Du Fan sneered. He slowly lifted her up and said in a low voice, “Woman… don’t do this… It’s useless. In this situation, do you really think anyone will come to save us? If you confess everything, maybe we still have a chance to survive. But if you stay silent, I promise—even if we end up in hell—I’ll drag you in with me.”
Perhaps due to Du Fan’s chilling tone, Reine’s struggles gradually ceased. She suddenly covered her face with her hands and began to sob softly.
Annoyed, Du Fan released her hair and let her sit back on the ground. He stared at her. From their first meeting, she had shown him nothing but murderous intent and brutality. She had never treated him as a human being—only as a dog among the Roland people.
Maybe she was highly talented, skilled at a young age, her abilities far beyond his reach. But could such a person, once she shed her pretense of arrogance, only know how to cry?
Du Fan watched her until she calmed down, then said sternly, “Miss Reine, if you’ve cried enough, can you now confess everything? My patience is limited. Please don’t test it… it can’t take it…”
Reine raised her head and gave a sad smile, but said nothing.
Frustrated, Du Fan grabbed her by the neck, slowly lifted her up, and slapped her repeatedly. Only when her pale face turned red did he slowly release her, laughing coldly as he watched her collapse on the ground.
“Still unwilling to speak?”
“I… I don’t know anything…” Reine said through tears. “The master only told me to lead you to the altar so you could see the secrets of the three great spells. How could I have known you’d enter the Submerged Valley? If I had known… even if you killed me, I wouldn’t have come…”
Du Fan stared at her. Besides fear, there seemed to be a hint of confusion in her eyes.

Du Fan said in a deep voice, “So what else? What else did your teacher, that High Priest Ganon, say?”
“He also said it was just a test for you,” Reine said hesitantly.
“A test?” Du Fan sneered. “Very well then, Miss Reine. Please tell me—what kind of test could there be for an ordinary Rolandian like me?”
Mentioning her teacher seemed to restore some sense to Reine. After hesitating for a moment, she whispered, “The teacher said you’re a pawn that can change fate, but your strength is far too weak… that’s why a test is needed… But I don’t know… I don’t know what this so-called test will be… I thought… it was just… to see if you could uncover the secrets of the three great spells…”
Du Fan was stunned for a moment before snorting. “A pawn that changes fate? That High Priest Ganon is quite interesting. Very well… Miss Reine… perhaps you should explain to me what a pawn that changes fate means.”
Reine shuddered. She avoided Du Fan’s gaze, completely forgetting that she could defeat him with just a single spell. After a pause, she continued, “The teacher said the Roland continent is like a large chessboard. No matter what kind of being they are, they are all pawns on that board. When they appear and when they leave is already predetermined. For most people, this is an unchangeable fact… The future is already set. No matter how hard the pawn struggles, it remains a pawn. If you can’t leave the board, you can’t see the whole picture. If you can’t see the whole picture, you can’t make any changes…”
Du Fan clapped his hands and nodded. “So that’s what a pawn and a board are. An interesting theory… It seems your High Priest Ganon isn’t an ordinary person after all… He even has such insight… I underestimated him.”
Hearing Du Fan say this, Reine seemed somewhat angry. She seemed to sneer and said, “The teacher is not only the high priest of the Great Temple but also the prophet of our Kara clan… The things predicted by the teacher have never been wrong!”
“A prophet who can predict everything?” Du Fan couldn’t help but touch his nose. Though he still felt anger and fear, curiosity outweighed them at that moment. “Then, Miss Reine, tell me—what does a prophet represent in this chessboard?”

Reine was stunned for a moment, a hint of sadness appearing on her face as she said softly, “The teacher said that even a prophet is just a pawn. But this pawn, the moment it’s placed on the board, can already see the entire game ahead. So within a limited time, it can predict how the game will unfold… That’s what’s meant by a prophet… And my teacher is just a pawn with foresight.”
“Well, a pawn with foresight,” Du Fan said with a smile. “Then in that case, am I Du Fan not also a pawn? Look… Even your teacher is just a pawn with foresight… What about me?”
Reine shook her head. “It’s not like that… The teacher said you are indeed a pawn, that’s true… But you’re a pawn without a past or a future.”
“Oh?”
“This world is a large board, played over and over again. Every time great changes occur on the Roland Continent, it’s a time when the board is rearranged. But no matter how the board changes, in the end, those pawns that are part of the game remain unchanged. The pawn is still the same pawn; it only takes on different meanings by being placed in different positions within different games. The teacher said this is called past and present lives. In the game of your past life, you might have been a noble and holy saintess, but in the game of this life, you might just be a whore available to anyone. In the game of your past life, you might have been a slave worse than animals, but in the game of this life, you might be an emperor sitting on a throne… But no matter how the game changes, you remain that pawn. Your past and present lives, your past and future, were all determined the moment the board existed… As a pawn, no matter how hard you try, you can’t escape the control of the hand that manipulates the game. That hand is called fate… or perhaps… God.”
Du Fan’s heart skipped a beat. He began to grasp the meaning of High Priest Gan Nong, and his expression grew solemn.
After hesitating for a moment, he waved his hand, signaling for Reine to continue.

Ringtone let out a soft sigh and then said, “But you… Young Master Du Fan… you are completely different… The teacher can’t see through your past or your future… In other words, you are a piece that never existed in this chessboard at all; your appearance is purely accidental… But this accident might play a huge role. A powerful piece can’t change fate, but an unexpectedly appearing piece can change the future… Of course, the prerequisite is that this piece must be strong enough to handle itself against other pieces…”
After saying that, Ringtone took a slight breath and fell silent, though her thoughts were unknown.
Du Fan was deeply shocked. Although he had been prepared for this, hearing these words still left him unsure of his feelings. According to the arguments of this High Priest Ganon, he should originally not belong to this Roland Continent, merely an “extra” piece that appeared out of nowhere. From this perspective, what she said made sense. As a traveler from a place called Earth, he naturally should have belonged to Earth. It was unclear whether it was by chance or fate that he ended up on this Roland Continent. Thus, this chessboard now had one more unexpected piece—him. Whether he could change the outcome of the game was something no one knew.
He never expected this High Priest Ganon to be so insightful. He had never revealed this secret to anyone, but based on her reasoning, it seemed she had likely guessed his origins. It seemed he needed to find a way to get rid of this high priest when he had time; otherwise, trouble might arise if anything unexpected happened in the future.
Since this so-called prophet high priest couldn’t see through his future, it was likely he couldn’t see through the fact that Du Fan now intended to kill him.
A thought flashed through his mind, and Du Fan’s expression returned to normal. He smiled faintly at Ringtone and said, “Well, Miss Ringtone, I think I now understand what a piece that can change fate means… But could you answer me one more question?”