Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

The light dissipated, but the number of Ra's Winged Dragon cards that Hayato originally had increased from one to three. In addition to Ra's Winged Dragon and Ra's Winged Dragon - Sphere, there was also an additional card featuring a phoenix engulfed in flames, which was the third form of Ra's Winged Dragon that Hayato knew—Ra's Winged Dragon - Phoenix!

Moreover, the moment Hayato collected all three forms of the Winged Dragon of Ra, a beam of light shot out from Hayato's hand and extended into the sky. The beam of light appeared in the night sky, dispersing most of the dark clouds and revealing a section of a golden four-sided pyramid!

"That's... an inverted pyramid?" Hayato muttered to himself in surprise as he looked out the window.

Meanwhile, back in the royal palace, Yami Yugi also noticed the enormous golden four-sided pyramid in the sky. Having known it for years, he was more familiar with it than Hayato: "Why, the Millennium Puzzle?!"

Having lived inside the Millennium Puzzle for so many years, Yami Yugi naturally wouldn't mistake it. Because its size had been magnified so many times, Yami Yugi was able to see the details of its patterns from a distance in the palace on the ground. After comparing it with the Millennium Puzzle hanging around his neck, he was even more certain that it was definitely the Millennium Puzzle.

But what exactly happened? How did a second Millennium Puzzle come to be hanging in the air?

Mana, standing beside Yugi, looked at the puzzled and confused Yugi and asked, somewhat puzzled, "What's wrong, Prince?"

"Mana, how many times have I told you? This is a grave disrespect to the Pharaoh!"

"Oh dear, you're too rigid, Master!" Mana complained about Mahad, then asked Dark Game again, "Prince, the expression on your face is like that of someone living in the desert who can only survive on an oasis, suddenly seeing the Nile River with confusion and shock. What's wrong?"

Upon hearing Mana's words, Yami Yugi looked at her and Mahad and said, "What's with the doubts? Can't you see over there, Mahad and Mana? It's in the sky over there, the Millennium Puzzle is emerging from the clouds."

"Huh?" Upon hearing this, Mana looked in the direction that Dark Game was pointing, but all she could see was a sky with the starlight obscured by sparse clouds, and nothing else. "But Prince, there's nothing there at all."

“I am the same; I was unable to see the ‘Millennium Puzzle’ appear in the sky as you described, Pharaoh,” Mahad said, indicating that he, like Mana, had seen nothing.

This made Yugi a little strange. Could it be that he was seeing the legendary "mirage"? But that didn't make sense. Although Yugi had heard that mirages could appear at night, there was clearly no possibility of that happening in ancient Egypt. Besides, Yugi had checked several times and couldn't find any flaws in the "Millennium Puzzle" in the sky.

He believed he was right. If that was the case, perhaps he should think about it differently. It wasn't just him who was wrong, but rather that he, from the outside world and not part of the memory world, was right and saw the real sky that people in the memory world like Mahad and Mana couldn't see.

Specifically, I might be able to ask Hayato to verify it tomorrow. Anyway, I should have plenty of time in this memory world, and because of the attack by Bakura's—oh, now he's called Bakura—his men today, I also have a good reason to leave the palace.

After all, the people suffered heavy losses due to the attacks by the dynasty's enemies, so it was no problem for Pharaoh Yami Yugi to leave the palace and visit the people in various places. Incidentally, he could also launch a pursuit of Bakura at the same time.

Although Yami Yugi doesn't have a clear goal for what he should do in this world of memories, nor does he know why he lost his "name," which was highly valued by the ancient Egyptians, and became an unknown pharaoh three thousand years ago, he knows at least one thing: he should kill Bakura.

"Perhaps I misread it. Nothing's wrong, Mahad, Mana." Suppressing his inner thoughts, Yami Yugi said casually, then, as if remembering something, asked Mana, "By the way, Mana, did you and Mahad know me before I became Pharaoh?"

"Hmm? Why do you ask that, Prince? My master and I have always been your playmates. We've been by your side since we were little, so of course we know you."

Mana paused, then leaned closer to Dark Game and said, "We practiced martial arts and learned magic together. Back then, our master was very strict not only with me but also with you, Prince. If you did anything wrong, he would swing a stick and beat you, shouting that this was what a true magician was like. Have you forgotten all of that, Prince?"

“This…” Upon hearing Mana’s description, Yami Yugi was taken aback and forgot to answer, because he suddenly remembered a mage who also liked melee attacks, and that mage also had a lively and mischievous disciple beside him.

Looking at Mahad and Mana in front of him, the figures of [Dark Magician] and [Dark Magician Girl] appeared before his eyes and overlapped with them.

No, no, no, it must be an illusion. Although it's not reality but a world of memories, Mana and Mahad in front of me are living, breathing human beings. How could they possibly turn into card spirits?

At first, Yami Yugi rejected his own guess, but when he came to his senses, he found that Mana's face was very close to his, her bright eyes staring at him as he came to his senses.

"That's so strange, Prince. It's only been less than a day since we last met, but you seem like a completely different person. It's so weird!"

There was nothing that could be done about Mana, who was getting closer and closer. Dark Game couldn't say that he actually had no memories of three thousand years ago. Fortunately, at this moment, Mahad spoke up: "This is extremely disrespectful, Mana! The prince is now the Pharaoh. He carries the responsibility not only for himself but for all the subjects of the entire country. He cannot be treated with the same attitude as before!"

Unexpectedly, upon hearing Mahad's reprimand, Mana smiled slyly and said playfully, "Hehe, Master, you just said 'prince,' right?"

"Uh..." Mahad was speechless. He hadn't expected that he would unconsciously use the same term he used to address the Pharaoh. How disrespectful! For a moment, he didn't know what stance he should take to continue lecturing Mana.

Mahad did not continue to scold Mana. Seeing the relieved expression on Dark Game's face, Mana felt a little disappointed because she knew that Mahad was right. The prince who had been her childhood sweetheart had become a pharaoh and was now burdened with a heavy mission. She could no longer treat him the same way as before.

"Prince, are you bothered by how I address you?"

Mana, misunderstanding Yami Yugi's expression, took a deep breath and apologized, "Sorry, I should call you Pharaoh now..."

Yes, the majestic and great Pharaoh, the Pharaoh who cannot be offended or disobeyed, the Pharaoh who is God's agent on earth, and the Pharaoh to whom I can only bury my feelings deep inside and cannot express them...

Thinking of this, Mana's mood couldn't help but become a little depressed. Yami Yugi noticed Mana's expression, paused for a moment, and then smiled and said to her, "No, it's okay, Mana. You can continue to call me Prince from now on."

"Huh? Really?!" Upon hearing Yami Yugi's words, Mana looked incredulous, then hugged Yami Yugi again with joy, even wrapping her legs around him. "Oh my god! Mana's excitement has increased tenfold!"

"Get off the Pharaoh, Mana! This is utter disrespect!"

"No way! I've been given the title of 'Prince' all to myself, Master! You're just jealous of me, aren't you? I've always wanted to see that jealous look on your face, hahaha!"

Chapter 726 Next time, the death of Mahad!

"The repair incantation is... Let me see, please wait a moment~"

Standing before a pile of ruins, Mana conjured a book from thin air and began to read it. Behind her, Mahad covered his forehead in exasperation.

"That's why I've been telling you to memorize more spells, Mana. Why are you only starting to look at the book now? The enemy won't give you that kind of free time to read books during a battle."

Mana chuckled, finally finding the incantation she was looking for. While looking at the book, she energetically replied to Mahad, "It's alright, Master. Real magicians don't rely on magic. Whether it's pretending to chant an incantation and then pulling out an axe to ambush someone, casting a powerful spell on themselves and then pulling out a holy sword, or creating a ring with powerful magic to use as a brass knuckles, it's all fine!"

"I think it would be better to just use a fishing rod to hit people." Amidst the grumbling of Dark Game, Mana had already finished reciting the incantation according to the book. Under the power of magic, the ruins in front of her actually began to repair themselves as if time had reversed.

In just a few breaths, the ruins of a house that had been burned down by Bakula's men the day before were completely restored and transformed into a brand new two-story cottage.

"Hmph, although it took a little time, slow and steady wins the race, as expected, my magic is still very strong." With a wave of her hand, Mana put away her spellbook, wiped the sweat from her brow, and said proudly with her hands on her hips, "Now the house is repaired."

"Wow, is this the power of magic? It actually repaired a house that ordinary workers couldn't fix in days with just the blink of an eye! It's amazing!" came the exclamation of the house owner behind Mana.

Upon hearing this, Mana, without turning her head, said smugly, "Hmph, I, Mana, am going to surpass my master and become the Egyptian Sylvanas Magician. This little thing is nothing to be surprised about."

Although that's what she was saying, Mana's face was filled with undisguised smugness, and she felt so light that she was about to fly away.

But when Mana turned around, intending to adopt a dignified demeanor to receive the people's praise, she discovered that the homeowner who had just spoken wasn't addressing her at all, but was looking at several houses on the other side that were undergoing automatic repairs.

Standing casually in front of those buildings, Mahad effortlessly manipulated restoration magic like a conductor, rapidly restoring one building after another with remarkable efficiency, earning heartfelt praise from the homeowners.

"As expected of Lord Mahad, you easily accomplished what we couldn't. I admire you so much!"

"It's incredibly exciting and truly captivating!"

"So you guys are praising me?! Show some respect for other people's hard work, you bastards!"

A night has passed. Today is the second day that Yami Yugi has come to this world of memories. It is also the second day that he ascended the throne as Pharaoh three thousand years ago. There are many things in the city-state that need to be done, and there is also the mess left by Bakura yesterday that needs to be dealt with. So early in the morning, Yami Yugi left the palace to see the construction progress in various parts of the city.

After the city was attacked by bandits, the newly appointed pharaoh, showing compassion for his people, personally came to the city walls to assess the damage. This not only earned him a good reputation but also inspired the people to continue their devout faith in the pharaoh.

To maximize such benefits, there is no better choice than to use the "Court Mage Group"—that is, Mana and Mahad, the childhood sweethearts of the Dark Game.

The fact that magic could be used to rebuild burnt-out houses, which would normally take two or three days and be extremely time-consuming and laborious, would not only impress the people but also make them believe that a pharaoh who could recruit such powerful magicians as his priests must be an even greater being.

However, for Mana, who thought she could finally make a good impression but was overshadowed by Mahad, who was more skilled in using magic, this performance was quite a failure.

Yes, it's not "work" to repair buildings, but just a performance of "repairing buildings." Although they have good personalities and don't mind doing these things, no one really thinks that Mana and Mahad, as magicians with great power, would always use magic to help people repair houses, right?

This was really just a performance; they would stir up the people's worship of the priests and the pharaoh, and then they would call it a day. As for the construction of other houses in the city, the pharaoh had a large number of laborers and slaves that he could send out and direct.

Although Dark Game lived three thousand years ago, his memories are mostly from the modern era. Under the influence of modern society, he disliked the slave system. However, he also understood the principle of "not demanding the fictional world or ancient people to meet realistic and modern moral standards." He did not have the absurd idea of ​​unilaterally abolishing the slave system and accepted the practice of ordering slaves to do hard labor to build the city-state.

Besides, the Dark Game is the biggest beneficiary of the slave system, and it must be really cool to have a group of people you can order around at will.

Okay, just kidding. Yami Yugi wasn't really that happy. He didn't have much control, and he preferred playing cards to being a slave. Yami Yugi knew that rather than giving orders, the slaves were more eager to work than to be idle.

After all, while the former would be very tiring, it also meant that you, who were still useful, would not be killed at will for the time being. However, the latter would only make the slaves fear that they would be killed soon.

Another point is that although slaves in ancient Egypt, a slave-owning country, were merely the property of their masters, their masters were unwilling to see their property damaged. Although they made slaves work, they would never exploit them excessively. They were provided with food and lodging and even free medical care. In fact, the treatment of some capitalists' employees in modern society is not as good as that of slaves.

But let's leave those things aside for now. At least for now, Mahad's display of powerful magic has instantly won him the love and popularity of the people. Sure enough, several children are crowding around him, looking at Mahad with eager and admiring eyes, secretly aspiring to become a powerful priest like Mahad.

The sunlight illuminated everything on the ground, but even the sun has blind spots. Just as Mahad, who was not very good at interpersonal communication, awkwardly dealt with the enthusiastic crowd and secretly comforted Mana without realizing that he was being groped, a tuft of white hair stood up from between the rocks on the distant sand dunes.

After Bakula escaped the royal city yesterday, although he pretended to be fleeing far away, he actually benefited from the knowledge he learned in modern times that "the most dangerous place is the safest place." Bakula did not go too far from the royal city. He successfully hid in the blind spot of the soldiers who went out to search and continued to lie in wait near the royal city.

"Tch, to avoid Kobayashi Hayato and the game, I'm now stuck in this godforsaken place, and the wind's so strong." Bakura shook off the sand-covered cloak he hadn't changed in all night, patted his pockets, and pulled out only a clove of garlic. "Damn, is that all I have left? And it's just garlic?"

"Yesterday I was so focused on making a big show of throwing out the gold that I should have brought less jewelry and necklaces. If I had known those priests weren't interested in gold, I would have brought some roast pork instead."

Although he disliked garlic, it was the only food Bakula could find. He blew on the garlic to remove the fine sand and pebbles, and without peeling it, he took a bite and chewed, looking towards the bustling royal city in the distance.

"Heh, are you settling the trouble I left behind yesterday? You're pretty quick. But such prosperity is built on darkness. Just thinking about overthrowing it and watching it fall into the abyss makes me incredibly excited."

“But before that, I need to collect all the Millennium Artifacts. There are seven of them, and it seems a bit difficult to snatch them all at once.” With his eyes fixed on the city, Bakura quickly locked onto Mahad, who was surrounded by the crowd outside the palace, using his extraordinary eyesight. “Let’s start with the Millennium Wisdom Wheel first.”

"It's clearly my favorite [Millennium Treasure], and the one that best suits my power, but what's infuriating is that that bastard Hayato Kobayashi actually snatched it from me. And the [Millennium Wisdom Wheel] is spineless too, just listening to that guy's words so easily. It makes me furious."

"Retrieving the [Millennial Wisdom Wheel] will not only allow me to vent my anger, but also conveniently cripple one of the nameless pharaoh's most capable subordinates. It's truly killing two birds with one stone. I really am a genius, hahahahaha..."

Sitting on the sand dune, Bakula laughed so triumphantly that he fell backward and rolled down the slope. Meanwhile, Mahad, far away in the city, seemed to have noticed something and turned his head sharply to look at where Bakula had been, but could only see the yellow sand rising in the wind on the dune.

'Is it just my imagination?'

Thinking this, Mahad looked down at the "Millennial Wisdom Wheel" on his chest and saw five golden cones hanging next to the golden disc floating up against gravity, pointing towards the spot where he had just felt the sensation.

The Millennium Items are actually divided into good and evil. The Millennium Cone, Millennium Jewelry, and Millennium Key are classified as "good" Millennium Items. The Millennium Scales are of intermediate attributes. The Millennium Eye, Millennium Scepter, and Millennium Wheel of Wisdom are "evil" Millennium Items.

Compared to the "good" and "neutral" Millennium Items, the "evil" Millennium Items have a greater power that is easier to unleash, but they also affect the user's mind and body. The more the user uses that power, the more they will be tainted by the dark power within and unable to extricate themselves.

Therefore, the three "evil" Millennium Items were used by Set, Aknadi, and Mahad, who are considered the three strongest among all the priests. This is partly because they were chosen by the Millennium Items, but it is also because only they can prevent themselves from sinking into darkness.

Priest Aknadi had served as a priest wielding the Millennium Artifact since the time of the previous pharaoh. He and Priest Simon, who used the Millennium Key at the time, were both trusted subordinates of the previous pharaoh and were considered the king's right-hand men. Priest Aknadi was a kind-hearted priest who advocated benevolence and was very helpful. Therefore, he was granted the Millennium Eye.

Priest Set, although he and Mahad had always been somewhat at odds, Mahad understood that it was because Set had a strong competitive spirit. Although he did not come from a distinguished family, and according to Set himself, his father was a soldier who died in the war when he followed the previous pharaoh to quell the chaos, Set, through his own efforts and under the tutelage of Priest Aknadi, who seemed to have high hopes for him, surpassed a large number of nobles to reach his current position, and thus he obtained the Millennium Scepter.

Then there's Mahad himself. Although it sounds a bit like self-praise, it's an undeniable fact that Mahad is very strong. Even without the power of the Millennium Wisdom Wheel and the Slate Spirit, he was able to defeat more than ten powerful monsters single-handedly with his superb magic, earning him the title of "Strongest Priest." It was also because of this that he was targeted by Priest Set, who was determined to become the strongest, when he obtained the Millennium Wisdom Wheel.

However, compared to the Millennium Items that others can use freely, the Millennium Wisdom Wheel's ability is merely "guiding direction," which is the least helpful in battle. At the same time, the Millennium Wisdom Wheel also has the strongest dark power among all the Millennium Items, forcing Mahad to divert his own power to suppress its magic.

As a result, the Millennium Wisdom Wheel, which should be like the Millennium Jewelry that foresees the future and serve as an important line of defense for warning of the future, always seems to be unreliable. It often fails to detect the approach of danger in time. Recently, two major incidents have occurred in succession: the theft of the tomb of the previous pharaoh and the intrusion of thieves into the palace. Both of these incidents were the responsibility of Mahad, who possesses the Millennium Wisdom Wheel.

Although the Pharaoh did not reprimand Mahad for this, he felt extremely guilty about his dereliction of duty and kept thinking about how to make up for the mistake.

And now, the long-lost [Millennial Wisdom Wheel] has stirred again. Although it has been sometimes effective and sometimes not, it has never guided us in the wrong direction. This means that Mahad's special feeling just now was not an illusion!

"Bakura the thief, I will never let the Pharaoh's people suffer because of you again!" Clenching his fist, Mahad glanced at the [Millennium Wisdom Wheel] that was still pointing in one direction, and resolutely walked towards the Dark Game not far away.

Now that the Millennium Wisdom Wheel has resumed normal operation, he needs to quickly lead his men to hunt down Bakula!

Chapter 727 Classic Three-of-a-Kind with Four

"Pharaoh, your subordinate, Mahad, the captain of the palace guard, is about to go to the tomb of the former Pharaoh Aknamkanon to perform the ceremony of setting up a new protective barrier around the tomb."

After the morning's procession, back in the palace, Yami Yugi nodded to Mahad, who was kneeling before his throne. Although he had no memories of the past, Yami Yugi already knew that the previous Pharaoh Akhenaten was his father, and that not long ago, the protective barrier around his tomb had been broken and the tomb itself had been robbed.

That person is Bakura, who led his men to attack the royal city yesterday. After being defeated by Hayato and Yami Yugi, Bakura fled the palace, and the troops and spies stationed there have not yet found any trace of him.

When Bakula fled, he also left behind the items he had stolen from the tomb of King Aknam Kanon, except for the gladiator's disc, including Aknam's mummy.

Besides burying King Aknam Khanon's mummy again, Mahad also had to restore the protective barrier around the tomb.

Knowing that Mahad was a childhood friend who had grown up with him, and that Yami Yugi had connected the "Dark Magician" with Mahad because of Mana's reminder, and that the two looked somewhat similar, Yami Yugi developed a special trust in Mahad and was very confident in his actions.

“Yes, I understand. King Aknamkanum… no, Father, I entrust his mummy to you.” Yami Yugi said solemnly, looking at Mahad.

Mahad nodded in agreement, but one of the priests on either side spoke up: "Hmph, be prepared, Mahad. Although you have the Pharaoh's trust because of your title of 'Strongest Priest,' you let thieves break into the palace last night, and the tomb was destroyed last time. If you fail again, even the Pharaoh won't be able to protect your position as priest, will he?"