Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

Aknadi paced back and forth in the living room. Unarmed, he simply picked up a ceramic bottle filled with beer as his only weapon for self-defense, wary of any uninvited guest hiding somewhere.

Perhaps tired of Aknadi's performance and no longer wanting to play along, the voice came again, but this time Aknadi finally recognized its location.

"I am here."

Aknadi whirled around, ready to unleash the power of the Millennium Eye, but when he saw the source of the voice, he froze, bewildered, and muttered to himself, "I... don't understand?"

"So what do you think I am, Aknadi? Another you in the mirror world? A hallucination you have after abandoning your wife and children and becoming lonely and miserable?" The source of the voice teased Aknadi with a ferocious smile.

But Aknadi couldn't laugh at all. At that moment, his gaze fell upon a bronze mirror in the room, and what was conversing with him was none other than his own reflection in the mirror!

"How wonderful your life is now! A wise and benevolent pharaoh, you have a respected position, and Seth has also risen step by step to the highest position of priest. How wonderful!"

Aknadi was reflected in a smooth bronze mirror taller than a person, but the man in the mirror had a maniacal smile on his face. He drank the beer in his hand in one gulp without any aristocratic demeanor, then casually threw it aside, letting the earthenware bottle shatter.

"But have you thought about it, Aknadi? Your past still exists there. That bloody past will one day seep through your robes and run on the surface. At the same time, you know Set's character. No one can guarantee whether the future Pharaoh will be able to tolerate him."

Aknadi had no idea what was happening to him. The "Aknadi" in the mirror walked into the mirror, and he himself gradually approached the mirror, fully seeing the maniacal smile on the face of the other "Aknadi," and hearing his seductive words.

Aknadi didn't even know what his feelings were or what he was thinking. He should have firmly declared that he wanted to destroy the other party, but...

"What are you going to do?" Aknadi asked, looking at his reflection in the mirror. The wine bottle he had been holding was now lying to the side.

The "Akhenadi" in the mirror is still smiling: "Say what you cannot say, do what you cannot do, and get rid of everyone who stands in your way."

As he spoke, “Akhnadi” pointed his finger at Aknadi in front of the mirror.

No, it wasn't him. He was pointing outside the house. Aknadi subconsciously lowered his arm and turned around, glancing out the window. He saw that in the distance, the Pharaoh was riding his horse away from the city.

"Pharaoh?"

Aknadi's heart skipped a beat, and he angrily shouted at his reflection in the mirror, "You're going to kill the Pharaoh?!"

But the "Akhenathe" in the mirror smiled coldly and corrected Aknathe, saying, "We must kill the Pharaoh!"

"Us?" Aknadi was taken aback upon hearing this, and subconsciously repeated.

"Stop pretending, Aknadi. I know you better than anyone else, don't I?" the man in the mirror said with a sneer, seemingly very dissatisfied with Aknadi's pretense. "Remember what happened on the day the Pharaoh ascended the throne? Don't tell me you don't know who sent that assassin."

"An assassin?" Aknadi couldn't help but recall the night a few days ago when the Pharaoh ascended the throne. An assassin had infiltrated the palace and attempted to kill the Pharaoh, but fortunately, the priests successfully protected him.

Huh? Why did I use the power of the [Millennium Eye] to erase the other person's memory back then?

Wait a minute, was that assassin someone I sent out? Why would I want to assassinate the Pharaoh?

Looking at Aknadi's expression, the "Aknadi" in the mirror said again: "Do you remember now? Then do you still remember the wish you made after obtaining the [Millennium Eye] in that village?"

How could Aknadi forget what happened in that village, or the wish he made when he obtained the Millennium Eye? The Millennium Eye is the only one of the Millennium Items that requires transplantation into a human body to be fully effective. As compensation for the transplant, Aknadi was given the opportunity to make a wish at that time.

"My wish was for Set to have the opportunity to become Pharaoh?" Aknadi's breath hitched. What was going on? He clearly hadn't forgotten this wish, so why did he only remember making it now?

He looked at "Aknadi" in the mirror with a mixture of surprise and fear.

"It is I, your greatest creation, Aknadi, and the power you have desired most in this life, to help Set become Pharaoh."

The "Aknadi" in the mirror smiled and said, "Your wish is about to begin. Do you remember what I told you? Say what you cannot say, do what you cannot do, and kill everyone who stands in our way."

"And there is only one obstacle preventing Set from becoming Pharaoh."

"Hehe, hahahahahaha!"

The "Akhenadi" in the mirror burst into maniacal laughter, a laugh that sent chills down one's spine. The Aknadi in front of the mirror trembled and raised his hand to cover his mouth, only to find that the corners of his mouth were constantly turning up, exactly like the "Akhenadi" in the mirror!

Chapter 747 Substitutes are really useful!

"morning, morning, morning, morning~"

"Touch Jo, she doesn't have it~"

Humming a strange tune, Hayato sat at the dining table enjoying his breakfast. Although he didn't start out as a pharaoh's henchman like in a game, Hayato, or rather "Meriamon," was quite wealthy. While not exactly rich and powerful, he lived a comfortable and carefree life.

Using a wooden stick that he had carved himself as chopsticks, Hayato picked up the last piece of fish and put it in his mouth. He then wiped his mouth with a napkin and finished his meal.

Just then, there was a knock on Hayato's door. He glanced at the door, but before he could get up or make any other move, the door opened by itself, and someone walked in.

"Ta-da! Meliamon, did you guess it was me?" Nefertari walked in excitedly from outside, her eyes fixed on the doorway. She thought she would see Hayato opening the door for her, but found nothing behind the door. Hayato was still sitting at the dining table wiping his mouth.

"Huh? Wasn't it you, Meliamon, who opened the door for me?"

With a puzzled expression, Nefertari was very confused, but she failed to see a phantom that looked exactly like Hayato release the doorknob, walk past her, return to Hayato's seat, and merge into Hayato's body as it overlapped with his.

So, stand-ins are really useful.

With these thoughts running through his mind, Hayato selectively forgot that the so-called "stand-in" was actually a card spirit awakened within his [Spiritual Exophysis], since Nefertari herself seemed unable to see the spirit's existence, and Hayato did not explain the specific reason to her.

"What do you need me for, Nefertari?"

Hearing Hayato's words, Nefertari put her confusion aside and said to Hayato, "Oh right, I had something important to tell you, Meliamon."

As she spoke, Nefertari closed the door and walked toward the dining table where Hayato was. She reached behind her waist, took out a roll of parchment, shook it at Hayato, and gave him a mysterious smile.

Then, she suddenly unfurled the parchment, revealing some lines and incomprehensible drawings on it: "Bang! This is it! Do you want to guess what this is, Meliamon?"

"Um, your carpet?"

“Who would use sheepskin to make a carpet, especially one with patterns on it? You should pay attention to these patterns.”

"So you drew the picture yourself?"

"Do you think my paintings are that bad?"

After making a couple of jokes, Hayato stopped teasing the seemingly anxious Nefertari and gave the answer he had guessed at first glance: "Could this be a treasure map?"

"You finally guessed right! That's right, it's a treasure map!" Nefertari smiled smugly upon hearing Hayato's answer. "I found you as soon as I got this treasure map, so let's hurry up and go find the treasure!"

Hearing Nefertari's words, Hayato raised an eyebrow: "But I have important things to do, Nefertari."

“Even if you talk like an adult, Meliamon, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re only eight years old,” Nefertari said with a helpless expression. “And when you say ‘serious business,’ are you referring to the person who attacked the palace and took me hostage?”

"Although you said he would attack the palace again last night, judging from the current results, he didn't even come."

Hayato was at a loss for words after hearing Nefertari's words.

In his memory, yesterday was the day that Set and Shada received the Pharaoh's order to take over the duties of the deceased Mahad and begin to take charge of the guard work of the royal city. Then Set would take this opportunity to carry out his plan, use the power of the [Millennium Key] in Shada's hands to find the existence of powerful elves among the people, and cultivate powerful elves through the means of raising Gu to obtain greater power.

However, due to Hayato's presence, Seth's plan was thwarted before it could be implemented.

Hayato originally thought that this change wouldn't affect things too much afterward. At least after he awakened his Pokémon yesterday, it should have been Seth's turn to experience awakening his Pokémon. However, a large crowd gathered in the distant market and caused a disturbance. Seth, who was in charge of city security, had to deal with work matters first.

From a glimpse of white hair in the crowd, Hayato could guess who had caused the commotion. Although he didn't launch an operation to collect the monsters in the hearts of the people, Seth still encountered his destined fate, just like in the original story.

However, to Hayato's surprise, Seth's situation did indeed follow the original course of events from three thousand years ago. Therefore, he planned to follow the original trajectory of fate and wait on the main road leading out of the royal city. Because on this very day, Hayato remembered that Bakura would use the "invisibility" ability provided by Mahad's [Shadow Ghoul] to return to the royal palace.

His purpose was to inject the evil thoughts from the Millennium Wisdom Wheel into Aknadi's body, corrupting him and using him for his own purposes. At the same time, he would take the opportunity to lure Pharaoh, who was Yami Yugi, out of the royal city for a final battle, and use Aknadi to break the stone tablets of the three Egyptian Gods in Yami Yugi's stone tablet temple, plotting to kill Yami Yugi in the process.

Hayato, of course, wouldn't let Bakura have it so easy. He ambushed Bakura on the main road in advance, so that when Bakura was running away and luring Yami Yugi away from the city, he could jump out and give him a "Surprise Mather-fOck".

What? You're saying I'm an old schemer? Who spread this rumor? Let me clarify, I'm not old at all.

However, plans can never keep up with changes. Hayato had considered that Bakura might escape via a different route, or that Bakura might change the target of his schemes, but he never expected that Bakura hadn't even appeared last night. He stayed up all night and almost died from mosquito bites, but thankfully he had the [Spiritual Exophysis] to control.

So, stand-ins are really useful.

Hayato, unable to wait any longer, had no choice but to slink home and go to sleep. When he woke up this morning, he still hadn't heard any rumors about the Pharaoh's death. He could only conclude that Bakura hadn't dared to come again because, besides the game, there was someone like him to deal with, so Bakura didn't dare to come.

Bakura, you weren't even in the palace! If the internet existed in this day and age, Hayato would definitely upload a video and give that bastard Bakura a good scolding.

"I didn't want that to happen either, but even though there's no evidence, I still think that Bakura, who attacked the palace before, will come back to cause trouble again." Hayato said with a shrug, somewhat helplessly, because he couldn't present his memories as evidence.

To Hayato's surprise, Nefertari actually nodded: "Yes, I believe you, Meliamon."

“Because you’ve never lied to me, and you never do anything you’re not sure you’re sure of,” Nefertari said with a smile, then paused and continued, “Even if that guy named Bakura comes, you’ll definitely defeat him, won’t you, Meliamon?”

“Yes, of course.” Hayato nodded confidently. “Bakura escaped before, but unless something unexpected happens, if he dares to come here again, he will definitely be left here forever.”

Hearing Hayato's words, Nefertari smiled mischievously: "Hey, in that case, Meliamon, you'll have even more time to go treasure hunting with me, right? Anyway, you're confident you can defeat the opponent, so there's no need to keep waiting for them. You might as well rest and be in better shape for the battle, hmm!"

"Do you think that following a random treasure map all the way to find some unknown treasure is considered 'rest'?" Hayato complained, glancing at the treasure map Nefertari had unfolded. "And why does this treasure map look a little damp, like it was just drawn and hasn't dried yet? That's too suspicious, isn't it?"

The treasure map had no markings other than simple lines and a few basic symbols, but Hayato could still make out that the starting point of the treasure map seemed to be the city they were standing in. Starting from the city, a dotted line meandered outwards and finally ended at a place that seemed to represent a valley, drawing a circle.

Hearing Hayato's words, Nefertari couldn't help but show a hint of disappointment. But just when she thought Hayato didn't want to go treasure hunting with her, she heard him continue:

“However, judging from the location of the treasure on this map, it doesn’t seem to be very far from the capital. If something happens, we should be able to get back in time…” With a thoughtful expression, Hayato rested his chin on his hand and considered for a moment before saying, “Alright, then I’ll go with you on a silly trip today… I mean, a treasure hunt.”

"Great!"

Nefertari said excitedly, reaching down to her lower back again and pulling out two small packages. "Hehe, I knew you'd come with me, Meliamon! I've prepared your packages too!"

"I'm more curious about how you managed to fit so much stuff in your lower back. Is that some kind of gateway to the fourth dimension?"

Despite his complaints, Hayato still accepted the package Nefertari handed him and carried it in his hands. Without allowing Nefertari to refuse, he also carried her package as well. Led by an excited Nefertari, the two left Hayato's house and headed out of the city.

Although Hayato stayed up quite late last night, even he was somewhat surprised by how much energy he had. He woke up as soon as the sun rose and wasn't sleepy at all. He didn't feel tired even while carrying two people's bags.

Actually, even if he's tired, it's okay, Hayato still has a Stand... which is the [Summoning Exophysis] that he can use.

So, stand-ins are really useful.

Nefertari may seem like a quiet girl, but she's not much less energetic than Hayato. Perhaps fueled by her excitement, she was full of energy the whole way, seemingly curious and looking forward to what was buried at the final destination of the treasure map.

However, although the two of them had set off early enough, there were people in the city who got up even earlier than them. These were the farmers who ran agricultural markets. The mornings were the time when kitchen staff who needed to buy the ingredients for the day would be out and about. If they missed this time, they wouldn't be able to make much money.

Although ancient Egypt was blessed with immense wealth thanks to the Nile River, one thing remains constant throughout history: like the pyramids, resources always tend to accumulate at the top. The fertile land brought by the Nile River has always benefited the royalty and nobility the most. The greatest benefit for the common people is that they are less likely to starve, but if they are not diligent, they will still inevitably fall into poverty.

In ancient Egypt, a feudal society, there were no poverty alleviation and welfare benefits as good as those in modern times.

As Hayato walked through the market, dodging the women who were focused on haggling with the merchants, he felt that something was amiss, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Soon after, he followed Nefertari out of the market, and that subtle sense of unease disappeared, so he stopped thinking about it.

After Priest Set and Priest Shada took over the city's security, the guard posts at the city gates became much tighter, and the checks on outsiders were far more stringent than before, all in order to prevent a repeat of what happened before Bakura's attack on the palace.

However, this did not have much impact on those leaving the city. In particular, some of the soldiers guarding the city gate seemed to recognize Hayato, who had chatted happily with their superior, Priest Seth, the day before. They did not stop Hayato and easily let Hayato and Nefertari leave the city.

However, after Hayato casually said something to the soldiers guarding the city, their reply stunned him. It took him a while to recover before he left the royal city.

"Meriamon, what were you saying to those soldiers just now?" As Hayato stepped out of the city gate, he saw Nefertari holding the parchment treasure map above her head, blocking the rising sun, waiting for him.

Hayato nodded calmly: "It's nothing, just asking if he'd eaten, just saying hello. We still have to keep going, let's go."

Nefertari said "Oh" and didn't ask any more questions, continuing to walk ahead of Hayato.

Hayato, who was following behind Nefertari, looked at the girl's back and couldn't help but recall what happened yesterday when the spirit awakened.

At that time, under the illumination of the Millennium Key, he fought against a guy who called himself a pharaoh whose name he still didn't know. Although he was confident that he could win the final victory, it was an indisputable fact that the two were evenly matched before Seth interrupted their duel. This proved that the guy who made Hayato feel a sense of repulsion from the bottom of his heart was no ordinary person.

Hayato remembered that guy because before their duel, the guy seemed to have mentioned that the reason he wanted to teach him a lesson was because he had put Nefertari in danger. In other words, that guy knew Nefertari and cared about her existence.