"Actually, I hadn't used On the Chessboard much over the past year. With the intelligence network I'd built and my own analytical ability, I could accurately determine who would be useful to Moon Fox's future and who had no value to exploit.
"I didn't need a skill's help to tell which pieces were worthless and which good pieces had to be kept even at the cost of sacrifice. Aofa had praised me many times for that.
"You were remarkable. You were good at games, and your combat talent was extraordinary, but you were like another Sun Chaser. You hated restraints, loved freedom, had no interest in power or status, and you didn't even have your own kind."
Mist Blade's voice was unhurried. The drawn-out notes and pauses in her tone were always perfectly measured, and paired with her cold, magnetic voice, even if what she said was dull and uninteresting, almost anyone would have been willing to listen to her speak a little longer.
"But Maple Syrup was different. Despite her ruined reputation and a powerful enemy like Rong Shan, she had still secretly gathered a large number of followers and acquired quite a few assets in just one year.
"She was stronger than you, and she had ambition, something you lacked. She and I were alike. If she became the leader of Oak Owl, Oak Owl and Moon Fox could become allies. Together with Candle Barbarian..."
Yu Xunge calmly cut her off. "What exactly are you trying to say?"
"I wanted to say..." Amid the crowd's regretful sighs, the mirage dissipated. Mist Blade turned to look at the friend leaning against the opposite wall. Looking directly into those eyes that always flickered with a wealth of emotions, she lowered her voice and said:
"I didn't use On the Chessboard