Chapter 785 No Solution
Elsa was lost in the crowd, scratching her head.
This Go game? Man, it was a total brain-buster.
No matter who made the first move or where they put their piece, it just felt off.
Back in the day, during that big university showdown, Elsa had challenged Abella to a Go match backstage. She got totally schooled.
Clarence had even shown up and played a game with Abella himself. No one could believe Abella beat him. The real kicker? Clarence admitted he taught Abella everything she knew and that she had surpassed him. He even hinted she should take over his skills.
Elsa was floored by Abella's Go skills back then, but now, seeing this game Abella had set up, she was even more blown away.
If Abella really came up with this game, her level was way above all the Go masters there.
It was mind-boggling.
No wonder she beat Clarence last time.
Clarence, sitting there with a grin, checked the time. Only two minutes left. He had his servant bring his favorite Go board and started placing the black and white pieces according to Abella's setup.
"Time's up," Clarence said, smiling at everyone. "Anyone wanna give it a shot?"
Everyone stared at the crazy Go board in front of Clarence, but no one dared to step up.
Some of them dreamed of being his student.
But this game was just too tough.
"Enid, go for it." That was Bradley, Enid's dad.
He was a big shot and knew when to grab an opportunity.
No one had figured it out yet. If Enid gave it a try, even if she had no clue, her guts might catch Clarence's eye.
"Dad, I seriously got nothing." Enid wasn't just being humble; she was genuinely stumped.
"Can't you at least make one move?" Bradley didn't get it. 'How hard is it to just place a piece, even randomly?'
"Mr. Wodehouse is a Go legend. Don't worry about looking dumb in front of him. You're young; it's normal to hit a wall with a tough game. The key is to get Mr. Wodehouse to notice you." Bradley's point was that even if Enid was clueless, she could still make an impression on Clarence.
Enid didn't have the guts to go up. She glanced at Abella, wondering if this game was really her creation.
Dawn looked at Faye. "Still stumped?"
"Yeah," Faye said, staring at the Go board like it was a monster she couldn't beat.
"Willow, you got anything?" Willow's family asked her quietly.
Willow shook her head, clearly out of her depth.
"Colleen, why so quiet?" Colleen's mom asked. "You can't crack it either?"
"Yeah."
Several old Go masters there had been playing for years and had never seen anything like this.
Was it even solvable?
"Looks like Abella's my only student," Clarence said with a smile, leaving it open-ended.
He knew Abella was swamped and didn't have time to soak up all his skills, so he didn't push her in front of everyone.
He didn't officially name Abella as his successor but hinted that, in his mind, she was the one.
Whether Abella was down with it or not was her call.
Everyone eyed Abella with a mix of envy and frustration.
How many folks dreamed of getting such a nod from Clarence?
"Mr. Wodehouse, is this Go game even solvable?" someone in the crowd grumbled, "How do you know she can crack it?"
Clarence grinned and said, "She drew the game herself; she can definitely solve it."
"Who says she didn't just doodle it?"
"If she really drew it, she might already know the answer."
"Mr. Wodehouse, does she get it? If she can really solve it, why not let her show us?"
"Yeah, it's still early. Let the young lady show us how it's done."
"I wanna see."
"Me too."
No one believed that young Abella could outsmart all the Go masters there and solve such a tough game.
Clarence, still smiling, made a grand gesture inviting Abella to the Go board.
Abella knew Clarence was giving her a chance to shine in front of everyone.
Even though she thought it was a bit childish, it was Clarence's birthday, so she decided to play along.
Abella sat at the Go board. "Assuming I'm the white side, the first move goes here."
Everyone watched as Abella placed a white piece on the board, and right away, Clarence made a move, capturing the pieces around her.
Abella made the second, third, and fourth moves, all of which got captured as expected.
Everyone was baffled.
"Do you even know how to play?"
"With moves like that? Anyone could do better. Are you messing with us?"
"The game was up in the air, and now you've lost a bunch of pieces in four moves. Even a newbie could play randomly and do better."
"You've wrecked a good game."
"You're no better than that."
Everyone thought she was a pro, but her first four moves getting captured threw them off.
This was exactly the reaction Abella wanted. She made the fifth move, which also got captured.
Then the sixth, seventh, and eighth moves.
The grumbling in the crowd faded, replaced by shock and awe.
Suddenly, they got it—every move Abella made was a setup.
She was sacrificing pieces on purpose to lure the opponent in, making them fall into her trap while protecting her other pieces and setting up more traps.
By the time the opponent caught on, it was too late. To save themselves, their moves were already anticipated by Abella.
Everyone saw Abella's strategy, her counterattack swift and deadly, like a beast waking up and pouncing on its prey.
The whole thing was quick, precise, and brutal.
In less than five minutes, it was clear. The white pieces had taken the lead, and the black pieces were in chaos.
After another three minutes, the white pieces won, and everyone there gasped.
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