I almost forgot something. History is the history of humans, but the main drivers behind it are largely the demon race. Many human wars are actually struggles between two major demon races.
Proxy wars.
Proxy "human" wars.
I guess the two major demon races frequently engage in decisive battles. Perhaps sometimes, it's not that human wars are at a stalemate, but that the two demon races are at a stalemate, so they decide to resolve the conflict this way.
Therefore, it's not that the demon race fights for the human race, but that the demon race is resolving its internal issues.
"Calculate it for me, how many people do we have now?" Daji asked.
"Ah?" I froze for a moment. "You mean, demons capable of stepping onto the chessboard?"
"Humans, demons, ghosts, all count, as long as they are nominally under your spiritual guidance," Daji said.
"You and Diana are definitely two 'rooks'. Yaoyao and Chu Qi can serve as the double bishops. The eight demons, though weaker in combat, can be selected to be two guards. They don't need to charge into battle. In the underworld, I know three masters who can act as the three central pawns, facing the enemy directly. As for the two special pawns... Li Hong and Li Bing can take those roles. Do you know them? Two cranes."
"I've heard of them."
"There are also two knights. Shao Chen can be one. The other... is temporarily vacant." I thought of Sha Wuji, but his combat strength wasn't very high. He was strong in social skills, knowing many demon friends, perhaps he could help me find the other knight.
"That's only fifteen. We're still missing one," Daji said, counting on my fingers.
"The king doesn't matter, does it? We can just place anyone," I chuckled. Originally, I wanted to place myself, but it's likely I'll be the strategist, directing from the sidelines.
"What if the game reaches the endgame? The king is the last line of defense. We should choose someone reliable. I think Mu Jige is more suitable as the king. You can find another pawn to replace her," Daji suggested.
I nodded. It was true. Although Yaoyao's martial arts weren't top-tier, she had shamanic magic enhancement, making it hard for enemies to figure her out. Moreover, she was the reincarnation of Bai Ze, and we shouldn't risk her charging into enemy lines. It was a bit hasty to assign her as a pawn earlier.
Moreover, it wasn't just a missing knight and a pawn. The overall combat strength of the eight demons was on the weaker side. Even if they guarded the nine squares, if they encountered a powerful opposing piece, it would be precarious. So, we needed to further expand our reinforcements.
Daji counted my fingers. She might have thought of a few people, pressing down on my fingers in turn. It still seemed insufficient. She continued to look for more fingers, but ended up grabbing something else. I thought she wanted to exchange demon cores again, but seeing how serious she was, she didn't seem to have that intention. She just mumbled, "We still need to find more people to fill the gaps..."
After a while, I noticed Daji had gone still. Her eyes were narrowed into slits, as if she had fallen asleep. I slowly withdrew my hand from hers, quietly got out of bed, put on my clothes, and returned to my room.
I couldn't do that again. The demon core would be swallowed back. Besides, I had a mission tomorrow. I needed to conserve my energy. Although after being with Daji and obtaining her demon core, with the enhancement of two top-tier demon cores, my energy felt inexhaustible.
It was so overwhelming that I suffered from insomnia, tossing and turning for a long time until I finally fell into a shallow sleep in the latter half of the night.
When I woke up in the morning, I had no morning grumpiness at all. I felt refreshed and invigorated, though a bit hungry.
Out of habit, I activated my Qi-observing technique. All three of them were still asleep. I went to the window and looked outside. Jinling in November always rained. Last night was an exception. Today was the real deal: misty rain, a charming water town. Under a few lone oil-paper umbrellas, I wondered whose young lady it was.
I washed my face and went downstairs to find a breakfast shop. I ordered a bowl of red bean glutinous rice balls, two sesame cakes, and a tea egg. I ate at the shop and asked the owner to pack three more portions to take with me later.
Just as I started eating, a typical Jiangnan beauty walked into the shop. She was fair-skinned, wearing a form-fitting qipao and old-fashioned small shoes. She folded her umbrella and placed it in the plastic basket by the entrance. She looked around the shop. This place was quite famous near the Confucius Temple, and I had been here before. However, it was only six o'clock, which was very early, so I was the only customer.