As the game intensified, the conversation flowed more freely, and Qingque found herself picking up quite a bit of "tea." At the very least, she figured out why Theresa and Bronya were so closely tied to Luo Hong.
Honkai? What a disaster-prone world. Even though she didn't fully understand what "Honkai" was, the name alone gave her plenty to imagine. To her, it sounded like a simplified version of the Antimatter Legion or Abundance Abominations; everyone had their own cross to bear.
However, the Xianzhou Alliance had reached a point where they hunted Abominations across the stars and even aimed to strike down an Aeon. In contrast, Theresa and Bronya's world seemed trapped on a single tiny planet.
Once this game is over, I should offer them some technical assistance, Qingque mused. It wasn't just out of the kindness of her heart; she wanted to unite as many allies as possible... so she could slack off more in bed! If I help you guys save the world, it's only fair you take more turns being devoured by him in my place, right?
With that thought, she stopped caring about winning or losing and began to enjoy herself. "Transparent Celestial Jade is way more fun than the Master Diviner's version!"
"See? Qingque knows how to enjoy it. You two should learn to appreciate the game more," Luo Hong said with a smile. He loved Qingque's carefree attitude. This little sparrow's mindset was likely the reason she stayed so cheerful; perhaps in the future, she would even outlive Huaiyan as the longest-lived Xianzhou person.
"Exactly, exactly!" Danzhu chirped, echoing Luo Hong. "Sisters, we still have plenty of clothes. The win or loss is in our hands!"
But just as she spoke, she had to discard her last non-transparent tile to call for a win.
In Transparent Celestial Jade, not all tiles are clear. For every set, one tile is opaque and three are transparent. As her hand became entirely composed of transparent tiles, her clothing suddenly turned transparent as well, revealing her petite and dainty physique.
She was so immersed in the joy of calling a win that she didn't notice the change—until...
"Um... Miss Qingque," Bronya bit her lip and whispered, pointing downward. "Look at yourself."
"Eh?" Qingque followed Bronya's gaze. "Aya!"
The once-carefree girl immediately covered her vital areas with her hands. She glared at the smirking Luo Hong. "Lord... isn't this going a bit too far?"
"Is it?" Luo Hong rested his cheek on his hand. "This is clearly because you slacked off when reading the rules."
"I sent the rules of Transparent Celestial Jade to all three of you. One of them states—" He snapped his fingers, and the mechanical voice of Prometheus No. 17 filled the air:
"When a player's hand consists entirely of transparent tiles, their clothing will temporarily become transparent until they draw an opaque tile."
"Mm," Bronya nodded, not to defend Luo Hong but to be fair. "Miss Qingque, that is indeed a rule."
As a dedicated gamer, Bronya studied all the mechanics. She had kept this rule in mind the whole time; once, she had bypassed a chance to call a win just to keep an opaque tile. Of course, that was also because her win probability was low, otherwise, she might have gambled. To Bronya, covering herself with one hand while playing was no big deal. Besides, of the three people present, two were female, and the only male had already seen everything anyway.
Qingque's face turned bright red as she recalled the rules she had skimmed. "Sorry... my mistake."
She had paid a heavy price for slacking. While she knew Luo Hong used her body while she was offline, being online and having him stare at her without reservation was a whole different level of embarrassment. Her focus crumbled; she desperately wanted to draw an opaque tile, but luck wasn't on her side.
The round ended in a draw with no winner.
"I actually could have won," Luo Hong chuckled, adding insult to injury. "But I wanted you to get used to my gaze, so I chose not to call it."
"Well, thank you so much!" Qingque gritted her teeth and glared at him. Her anger finally overrode her fear of his authority.
"That's the spirit." Luo Hong smiled with satisfaction. He hadn't cheated; he just wanted the game to be interesting.
But as the new round started, another accident occurred—
"Ugh!" This time it was Theresa. She drew an entirely transparent starting hand, and her cute physique was instantly revealed. She knew the rule, so she covered herself quickly, but her expression was strained. She hadn't realized how shameful this "sacrifice" would actually feel.
"Bad luck, Lord Principal," Luo Hong teased. "But don't worry, if I get a chance to win this time, I won't pass it up."
He received another angry glare from Qingque. But perhaps due to his arrogance in the previous round, the "God of Tiles" abandoned him. He ended up discarding the winning tile for Theresa.
According to the rules for a major win, he had to remove two pieces of clothing at once. Suddenly, Luo Hong was down to just his white shirt and underwear. He was backed into a corner!