"Kid, what are you here for this time?"
Saint of Formation looked coldly at Ethan beneath the throne, though the corners of his mouth curled into a faint smile.
Ethan got straight to the point, "Senior Saint of Formation, you deliberately lost that game of Go to us before, didn't you?"
"Why would I deliberately lose?"
Saint of Formation wore a proud expression. He neither admitted it nor denied it.
"Because you once said you've been trapped here for hundreds of years. In that case, what kind of game haven't you seen before?", Ethan said calmly, "How could you possibly make such a basic mistake? The only explanation is that you held back."
"Heh! You've got a sharp eye," Saint of Formation seemed quite pleased with Ethan's insight, "But don't worry. Whether I held back or not, my word still stands."
"I promised that if you beat me, I'd help you once. That promise still counts."
"If I'm not mistaken, you've come back because you want me to help stop this flood, right?"
"Senior Saint of Formation truly sees everything," Ethan nodded.
Saint of Formation smiled, "I can help you. But let's make one thing clear first. Once I've done this for you, we'll be even. Don't expect to order me around again in the future, or don't blame me if I turn hostile."
"I never intended to order you to do anything," Ethan replied, "After all, you've lived far longer than I have."
"As for how I see you, it's nothing but respect."
"If possible, I'd even like to take you as my master and properly learn your Go skills."
"That would be the greatest blessing someone like me could ever hope for."
Ethan spoke with complete sincerity. He was almost moved by his own words.
He refused to believe he couldn't move Saint of Formation as well.
After all, with someone as proud and intelligent as Saint of Formation, deception and cheap tricks would only backfire in the end.
Rather than that, it was better to build a cooperative relationship.
And if he wanted to win over a proud senior like Saint of Formation, it definitely wasn't something that could be done with benefits or bargaining.
What someone like Saint of Formation wanted more than anything was respect and to feel needed.
So asking to become his disciple was the perfect approach.
Besides, he already had two masters.
One more wouldn't make any difference.
As long as it could help him and bring him some benefits, Ethan wouldn't mind acknowledging another hundred and eight masters.
"You really want to become my disciple?", Saint of Formation looked at Ethan with a hint of suspicion, "You're not thinking that once you're my disciple, you'll be able to swindle my possessions away from me, are you?"
"I may not be a good person," Ethan shook his head, "but I wouldn't betray my master. If you're willing to give me something, that's your generosity. If you're not, then as your disciple I have no right to complain. It only means I'm not worthy of it yet."
"What a load of bullshit," Saint of Formation let out a cold laugh.
But unexpectedly, he didn't reject Ethan outright.
"Forget it. I like you, kid. And now that you've become the new master of this chessboard, it'll be troublesome for both of us if we don't cooperate."
"Rather than haggling with a sly little fox like you, I might as well become your bargain-bin master."
"At least I'll earn a respectful title."
"Thank you, Master!"
Without another word, Ethan bowed deeply to Saint of Formation.
Saint of Formation seemed quite satisfied with the outcome. Without another word, he waved his hand and sent Ethan out of the Chessboard World once again.
Inside the Chessboard World, the fortune teller with the feather fan stroked his beard in confusion.
"My lord, from what I can see, that boy isn't a good person. Will he really become your disciple sincerely?"
"What does it matter whether he's sincere or not?", Saint of Formation sneered, "Both of us know perfectly well that we're simply using each other. But he's smart. He knows I need something from him too, so instead of refusing, he even gave me an excuse to accept."
"Since he's already met my conditions, asking for anything more would just make me look overbearing."
"Besides..."
"What eternal relationships are there in this world? If there are any, they're probably only relationships built on mutual interests."
"Back then, when emperors married off princesses to foreign kingdoms, did they really think those kingdoms made good sons-in-law? Of course not. It was all about interests, they simply wanted to keep those kingdoms stable."
"So rather than that, I might as well take the title of his master for free."
"In this game, I'd say I'm the one who won."
"My lord's wisdom is unmatched."
The fortune teller was utterly impressed, filled with admiration for Saint of Formation's words.
After speaking, Saint of Formation waved his hand and brought both himself and the fortune teller out of that world.