Chapter 111: Newbie Protection Period is OP!
["Two of Circles!"
"I'll take that."
Seeing Jing Yuan pick up the tile, Fu Xuan was shocked: "Impossible! I calculated his hand—Two of Circles should be useless to him."
"Help me, Divine Foresight!"
The massive form of the Divine Foresight manifested: "Jing Yuan, I can only help you this once."
A golden bolt of lightning from the Divine Foresight struck the tile. "Jing Yuan summons the Divine Foresight to alter the tiles!"
Jing Yuan brimmed with confidence, looking down at his three opponents with pride! "In any case, just one more tile and I win!"]
[Silver Wolf]: "You guys are playing a game, and you're all cheating? Fu Xuan's using wallhacks, and Jing Yuan's straight-up printing cards on the spot!"
[Sushang]: "So this is how Celestial Jade is really played!"
[Qingque]: "No, it's not! Don't believe this fanfic! In reality, this is just cheating! Celestial Jade isn't played like this!"
[Herrscher of Sentience]: "Relax, relax. Once Celestial Jade has been around long enough, sooner or later, there'll be all kinds of plays that'll make your eyes bleed."
[March 7th]: "Still, no matter how you look at it, printing cards mid-game is way too much!"
[Stelle]: "Printing cards during a match is peak culture. Don't like it? Don't play!"
[Honkai: Star Rail - Seele]: "Why does General Jing Yuan's line sound so familiar?"
[Stelle]: "'Help me, Mr. Svarog?'"
[Honkai: Star Rail - Seele]: "Yeah, that's the one!"
[Clara]: "Huh?"
[Qingque pondered her strategy and decided to go all-in: "Screw it!"
Sushang, with eyes untainted by knowledge, gently stroked her little Chibi
Phoenix: "Let's do this too!"
Qingque: "Please please please!"
Sushang: "Any character tile will do!
Wait, really?"
"Qingque and Sushang unleash their ultimate moves first, both declaring Riichi!"
Jymi enthusiastically commentated, while Aventurine looked displeased. "If I'd known we could use ultimates, I would've played myself!"
"I feel terrifyingly strong right now!"]
[Silver Wolf]: "No way! She's reading the beginner's rulebook and still declaring Riichi at will? Newbie protection isn't supposed to work like this!"
[Kiana]: "Drawing the tile you want is basic stuff. It's easy."
[Bronya Zaychik]: "Kiana, please refrain from commenting on any card or board games in the future. You'll just demoralize everyone."
[Aventurine]: "I didn't even know the rules before jumping in. Truly peak fanfic absurdity."
[Stelle]: "So even though Aventurine's filthy rich, he still ends up broke and naked."
[Qingque]: "That's what happens when you don't read the rules—wait, no! This isn't Celestial Jade at all! Celestial Jade isn't played like this in reality!"
[Stelle]: "Got it. Next time I play with you, I'm printing cards on the spot."
["Fu Xuan—what is Fu Xuan doing!?"
"Players are not allowed to stand on the table!"
Jymi shouted, trying desperately to maintain order. Fu Xuan stood atop the table, now able to look down upon her opponents. "According to the divination, once three players declare Riichi, fate itself can be overturned."
For once, Fu Xuan gazed down imperiously at Qingque, who was trembling beneath her: "Qingque, your destiny foretells victory—a triumph that would free you from the Divination Commission forever.
But you are a pillar of the Xianzhou's future! The next Master Diviner must be you!"
"I cannot bear to watch you stray from your path. Thus, I must act as the divination dictates!"
Amidst the shocked cries of Jing Yuan and Qingque, Fu Xuan invoked the Dragon Metamorphosis Art—transforming into a tiny pink dragon and breaking into an awkward dance atop the table! The entire room was stunned. Qingque gaped in disbelief, her tiles slipping from her hands. Fu Xuan moved swiftly, snatching them before they could fall: "Riichi!"
Her cheeks now flushed an alluring pink: "Though deception is dishonorable… this way, none shall draw the tiles they desire this round!"
"And in the next round… the first tile drawn shall be my winning trump!"
Her third eye revealed the tiles with perfect clarity.]
[Stelle]: "This is too abstract! So Fu Xuan was the true Jade-Faced Pink Dragon all along! Blushing Fu Xuan—so smol, so cute~"
[March 7th]: "The internet isn't lawless land! And she's right here—save the simping for later!"
[Qingque]: "Wait—Master Diviner kept me in the Commission just so I could succeed her!? No way! The workload is insane!"
[Sushang]: "Oh no… I can already imagine what the Divination Commission will become under Qingque's leadership."
[Bronya Zaychik]: "Bronya predicts it'll turn into a mahjong parlor."
[March 7th]: "So if Qingque really becomes Master Diviner… what does Fu Xuan plan to do?"
[Stelle]: "General Jing Yuan, bear witness! Fu Xuan's ambitions are laid bare!"
["Qingque… your life holds many choices."
"I… just want to play tiles!"
Qingque rose from her seat, memories of her childhood flooding back—the tradition of抓鬮 (zhuājiū), where infants pick objects to symbolize their future: "Celestial Jade and I have been bound by fate for years."
Before little Qingque lay an array of items—her parents hoping she would choose the wooden sword or books.
But Qingque's eyes locked onto one thing alone: the Red Dragon tile. "From childhood to now, Celestial Jade has guided me. It is my life's foundation (and also great for propping up wobbly tables)."
"And mastering its highest techniques… is my life's pursuit!"]
[Stelle]: "I get it now. Qingque—you picked the Red Dragon as a kid. Red Dragon carries hard!"
[Qingque]: "See? This is definitely fanfic. Celestial Jade didn't even exist when I was little."
[Silver Wolf]: "This match is a battle of gods—wallhacks, card printing, and now the ultimate power-up: backstory flashbacks!"
[March 7th]: "Every show proves it—flashbacks are the strongest cheat of all."
[Qingque drew a One of Characters—but Fu Xuan, already certain of victory, paid no heed: "Even if you call Kong now, it won't matter!"
"The remaining tiles…"
"No—why have all the tiles changed?"
Under her third eye's gaze, every tile shifted at blinding speed. "I am the tiles.
The tiles are me!"
"Has the Aeon of Celestial Jade descended!?"
(Is this… the innate talent of a Mahjong Prodigy!?)
Under the Aeon's gaze, fate bent to Qingque's will. "The remaining tiles… all transformed into what Qingque needs! She'll end this with a Kong upon Kong victory!"
Fu Xuan bit her lip, frustration burning within: "The Queen of Tiles… none can stop her now!"]
[Stelle]: "Playing tiles summons an Aeon!? Queen of Tiles, I bow before thee!"
[Guinaifen]: "I draw the tiles. I stack the deck. I claim my victory. Through shifting winds and cunning hands, I emerge triumphant. All glory… to Celestial Jade!!" (Dramatic pose) (Parody of Stoneheart Canticle)
[March 7th]: "Is this really how you use Stoneheart quotes?"
[Silver Wolf]: "If fanfic can have a Celestial Jade Aeon… does that mean there's a Gaming Aeon too?"
[With a final slam of her tile, Qingque proclaimed: "Kong! This table bends to my will!"
"Kong—upon—Ko—!!"
"Robbing the Kong!!"
"Congratulations to Sushang—winner of this Celestial Jade Championship!!"
Jymi eagerly shoved a mic toward the baffled victor: "What inspired you to compete~?"
"My mom said all Xianzhou leaders play tiles.
Learn tiles = promotions and raises!"
"Such honesty!"
Jymi had no rebuttal. Meanwhile, the three losers analyzed their defeat: 1) Sushang's luck defied probability. 2) Her mind was too smooth—no thoughts to predict. With her prize money, Sushang immediately planned a trip with BFF Guinaifen… …only to lose every cent to Belobog's resident scam artist, Sampo. Fin.]
[Silver Wolf]: "In a match where everyone cheated like gods… she won through sheer newbie luck. Noted. Your power is acknowledged."
[Guinaifen]: "Aww Sushaaang~ Even after winning, you still thought of me!" (Tackle-hug)
[Sushang]: "Of course! We'll be besties forever!"
[Guinaifen]: "Forever!!" (Sparkle eyes)
[Bronya Rand]: "Sampo. Must you traumatize every tourist?" (Disapproving stare)
[Fu Xuan]: "Hold on—even in fanfic, my divination shouldn't fail just because Sushang's brain is empty!"
[Stelle]: "Or maybe… she genuinely wasn't thinking anything?"
[Fu Xuan]: "...What."