Hearing that Ron was willing to teach them, the children happily gathered around him, their eyes shining with anticipation, eager to learn gomoku.
Ron didn't waste any words.
He casually found a stick, drew a simple chessboard on the ground, used stones as pieces, and demonstrated on the spot.
"The rules of gomoku are very simple…"
"The two players take turns placing one piece at a time. Whoever gets five of their pieces in a straight line first wins…"
Just talking wasn't enough, so Ron called over little Lisette.
The two played a teaching game.
The rules were simple.
After just one practice game, the children understood and eagerly vied to play gomoku with Ron.
Suddenly—
Because of Ron's arrival, the originally quiet Poisson became filled with laughter and cheer.
In the following days, whenever they had time, the children would gather around Ron, gradually getting to know him well.
Even—
Early in the morning, several children proactively came to the Spina di Rosula, telling Ron they had discovered a Redhorn Lizard nest and could catch many of them.
Seeing the children's enthusiasm for Ron, Melus and Silver were very confused.
What's going on?
He had only been in Poisson for a few days and had already become the children's king?
How did this Ron manage it?
For this—
Ron was helpless.
He had only taught the children how to play gomoku, yet they had taken a liking to him, constantly asking him to go on adventures, play gomoku, and catch Redhorn Lizards. He, an adult, had practically become their king.
Ron hadn't expected that a small game of gomoku could have such a big impact.
It wasn't just the children playing gomoku.
Since that day, in just two or three days, gomoku had spread throughout Poisson.
In taverns, in front of vegetable stalls… both adults and children were enjoying the game.
However—
Ron hadn't forgotten his purpose for coming: he was here to find his fiancée.
During these past few days, he had visited Navia multiple times, wanting to check on the progress of the search, but Melus always refused, saying, "Demoiselle Navia is not in Poisson."
Ron even suspected—
Was Navia deliberately avoiding him?
Otherwise, why wouldn't he come to Poisson for several days?
…At this moment, inside the Spina di Rosula outpost in Poisson—
Navia returned after three days.
As soon as he sat down, he eagerly asked, "How has that guy been these past few days? He hasn't done anything bad, has he?"
Silver looked puzzled. "That guy??"
Navia smiled. "Our client, Ron. While I was away these past few days, did he bully the children in Poisson?"
Because of his previous thoughts, Navia's impression of Ron was mediocre.
Bullying children was something Ron might actually do.
Hearing Ron's name, Silver's expression was a bit hesitant. "Demoiselle, it's a bit different from what you think…"
Navia immediately became interested. "Oh? What's the difference?"
Silver said seriously, "He didn't bully the children of Poisson; on the contrary, he's very popular with them. Every morning, children call him to catch Redhorn Lizards…"
"He also invented a game called gomoku, and in just two days, it spread throughout Poisson…"
"And he even goes on adventures with the children, playing the role of the Hilichurl King…"
As Silver spoke, he glanced at Navia from the corner of his eye.
He could tell the Demoiselle didn't like Ron, even seeing him as a bad person.
But—
After observing for the past few days, Silver realized Ron didn't seem like a bad person.
He could catch lizards and play gomoku with the children, and he could even chat with adults in the tavern about the current situation in Poisson, offering his unique insights. Not only the children, but the adults also liked Ron.
After listening to Silver's report, Navia raised his eyebrows slightly, somewhat surprised. "You mean… Ron is very popular?"
Silver said earnestly, "Yes, especially that gomoku game. Now, almost everyone in Poisson knows how to play it…"
Soon—
Silver found a simple chessboard and, with just a few sentences, clearly explained the rules of gomoku.
Looking at the patterns and pieces on the board, Navia's expression grew more serious. "No wonder. The rules are simple, easy to learn, yet it has many variations. Interesting!!"
"If it spread to Fontaine City, it would definitely be very popular…"
As the president of Spina di Rosula, Navia was very sensitive to business.
A game like this, simple yet fun and strategic, would surely appeal to Fontainers.
But—
Navia was puzzled. How could a Mondstadter invent something new as soon as he arrived in Fontaine?
It was very likely a game that already existed in Mondstadt, and Ron had just introduced it to Fontaine. Thinking this way made it reasonable.
However, Navia still had many questions.
For example, when Ron first met Melus and Silver, he cursed them to die—so how could he get along so well with the children?
And for example, coming from Mondstadt, how could he know Poisson so well, even discussing its current situation in taverns?
All of this was puzzling.
Just as Navia and Silver were discussing gomoku—
Melus walked in. "Mr. Ron heard that the Demoiselle is back and wishes to pay a visit…"
He had just mentioned Ron—
And now Ron had proactively sought him out so quickly.
Navia hesitated for a moment. "Let him in…"
For this suddenly appearing fiancé, Navia's feelings were extremely complex, and he didn't even know how to face him.
That was why he had "hidden" in Poisson for three days.
But he had just returned, and he heard about Ron's "great achievements"—inventing gomoku and being welcomed by the people of Poisson.
Navia couldn't help but wonder—
Could it be… that he had misunderstood Ron?
Could it be that the thoughts he heard that day were all false, and Ron wasn't bad, but actually a kind person?
Before Navia could figure it out—
Melus led Ron in.
As soon as they met, Ron eagerly asked, "Demoiselle Navia, how is the progress of the commission? Have you found the owner of the other half of the gem?"
Navia seemed a bit distracted.
Hearing Ron's question, he subconsciously nodded, then quickly shook his head.
"Found… no… not yet found…"
He almost said the wrong thing, and Navia immediately became nervous.
A blush appeared on his pretty face.
To avoid Ron's suspicion, Navia quickly fabricated a barely plausible excuse:
"You also know, the information you provided is too little…"
"Even with the help of Spina di Rosula's intelligence network, it will take some time to investigate. Don't worry, Spina di Rosula will do its best to help you find it…"
Because he wasn't good at lying, Navia was nervous when he lied.
He carefully clenched his small fists, afraid he might say something wrong and Ron would discover the truth about his fiancée.
Seeing the subtle changes in Navia's expression, Ron was a little puzzled and muttered in his heart:
What the hell… Navia is blushing??
What kind of expression is this!!
Nervous… shy… Is this really Navia, the second-generation president of Spina di Rosula?? Could this be a fake allogene?
Logically speaking, Navia's personality is generous, optimistic, and unconventional.
He has always looked up to Arataki Itto, known for his cheerfulness, enthusiasm, and chuunibyou tendencies, even jokingly called the "Fontaine Itto Sister." How could he suddenly show an expression like Ganyu's…
Unfathomable!!
But greatly shocking!!
......
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