Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

Malik then regained the confident demeanor he had before fleeing, resting his scepter on the ground, raising his head slightly, and saying arrogantly, "Heh, that only proves you're too stupid, Priest Kalim, completely unable to see that I was actually using a scheme just now."

Kalim naturally didn't believe a word Malik said. From Malik's unwavering action at the beginning, Kalim clearly saw that if he and his companions lost the battle against Bakura, Malik would probably run away without looking back, even if the tomb guardians left behind were wiped out and the royal Valley of Long Sleep was destroyed.

This was a judgment made by Kalim, who considered himself knowledgeable and skilled at judging people, based on his own experience: Maliku's character was not much better than that of Bakura, who had just been killed.

However, considering how hard-won this victory was, Kalim turned to Hayato and said earnestly, "Bakura was able to be defeated this time thanks to your appearance, Hayato Kobayashi."

Compared to his terrible attitude and arrogance when they first met, Kaiba was quite surprised by Karim's current demeanor. In his mind, if Karim, as a nobleman, looked down on Hayato, he shouldn't have accepted Hayato's favor either.

Seemingly noticing the strange look in the seahorse's eyes, Kalim said, "Admittedly, as a priest, I have always looked down on Hayato Kobayashi, but it is also true that he came and saved me. The noble education I have received has always made me remember the principle of 'repaying kindness'."

"Moreover, even though I wasn't friendly to Mr. Hayato before, he still came all the way here to help us. Only now do I realize that Mr. Hayato possesses a golden spirit that I have always admired."

"Yes, that's absolutely right. I really am a gentleman with the Golden Spirit." Hearing Karim's words, Hayato shamelessly admitted it, which earned him a helpless smile from Isis beside him.

Maric curled his lip upon hearing Kalim's words. He understood somewhat; the fact that a priest was saved by a commoner must have been very upsetting for Kalim, so he changed his approach—if he could elevate Hayato as much as possible, wouldn't it make being saved by him seem less unacceptable?

It's like losing to Dafei in mid lane isn't shameful at all; being able to go toe-to-toe with him is a success, and getting a solo kill is something to brag about.

Seeing everyone relax after Bakura was defeated, Kaiba scoffed dismissively, turned around, and went to Bakura's side to confirm that he was indeed dead. Not only was he cold, but he had also stopped breathing.

"However, it's truly a great achievement that Bakura, an enemy of the entire kingdom, was actually slain by our hand." Looking at the seahorse that had walked up to Bakura, the shameless Maliku also chimed in, "We ended this conflict and restored the Pharaoh's face and dignity. It's foreseeable that we will definitely reap the rewards."

However, upon hearing Mariko's words, Hayato shook his head: "Is it over just like that? What are you thinking? This is only the beginning. We haven't killed anything at all."

Hayato's words were not only incomprehensible to Maric, but also to Karim and Isis. Kaiba even grabbed Bakura by the collar and slapped him twice: "What are you talking about, Hayato? This guy is undoubtedly dead. Look, he didn't even react to being slapped like that."

Hayato glanced at the fallen Bakura and casually remarked, "Bakura is not important at all."

"Bakula is very important!" Maliku and Karim said in unison. Bakula was an important political asset for them, how could it not be important? The two corrected Hayato in unison.

“No, Bakura is not important.” Hayato ignored the two men’s words and repeated himself, looking at them, not knowing where to begin. “It’s hard to explain in detail. You just need to understand that Bakura was just an insignificant ‘puppet’ or ‘doll’ from the beginning. The one who really wanted to murder the Pharaoh and overthrow the dynasty was someone else.”

While the others didn't understand, Kaiba suddenly realized that Bakura was indeed just Bakura, and the other enemy Hayato mentioned was: "Is it Bakura? The mastermind behind dragging you and Yugi into this world of dark games?"

Hayato nodded, but gave Kaiba a strange look for uttering the supernatural term "Dark Game": "Well, that's true, but I still want to complain about why you, who are full of science, are willing to believe in idealism when it comes to things related to playing cards?"

"Hmph, isn't that obvious? The Duel Monsters domain is one that even I haven't fully mastered yet. It's perfectly normal for situations to arise that I can't understand with my knowledge," Kaiba said matter-of-factly. "However, it's not magic or anything like that. It's just some science that hasn't been understood yet. One day, I will use the power of science to fully master this power as well."

If someone else said the same thing, at most people would think, "This guy is really good at talking big," but the way the seahorse spoke was so confident that people couldn't help but believe that he could do what he said.

However, the others didn't recognize who "Bakura" was when Hayato and Kaiba mentioned him. "Bakura" and "Bakura" sound exactly the same. Karim, who couldn't understand what Hayato and Kaiba were saying, said strangely, "Even if Bakura is really not important and is just a pawn, and there are other people behind the scenes who plan to use other pawns to continue to exist as a threat to the kingdom."

"However, power is necessary. The monster [Diabund] possesses power comparable to that of a god, and its vitality and growth potential are truly cursed. It's already abnormal for even one such monster to exist in the world, so how could there be a second one with comparable strength?"

Isis nodded in affirmation, "Just as Priest Kalim said, Hayato. You just used the power of the Winged Dragon of Ra to completely destroy Diaband, and with the destruction of Diaband, the Millennium Jewelry, which had been blinded by darkness, regained its ability to foresee the future."

"Although my cultivation is still not enough to use this [Millennium Artifact], after using the [Millennium Jewelry] to see 114514 possible futures, no evil power has appeared that surpasses or even comes close to [Diabund].

Hayato saw that Isis and Karim were somewhat skeptical of what he was saying, and that Isis even brought up the [Millennium Jewelry], which could foresee the future, as evidence. He helplessly spread his hands and said, "I didn't say that there would be any more monsters with the power to approach [Diaband]."

"When did you begin to have the illusion that Diaband was killed?"

"Huh?" Upon hearing this, Kalim and Isis were also taken aback. Diaband had died in the battle with Ra's Winged Dragon, a fact they had all witnessed. One person might have hallucinated and misread it, but how could so many people have misread it?

“When a person is killed, they die; that’s only natural.” Hayato explained, quoting a famous archer. “The same applies to slate monsters. If they are seriously injured, even the slate they inhabit will shatter. However, not all slate monsters are the same.”

"Unlike other slate monsters, which were created by sealing spirits into the slates, [Diabund] is also a slate monster, but it was not created by humans; it was a being that was born on its own."

Kalim felt his long-held beliefs being challenged: "No way, how can there be stone tablet monsters that weren't created by humans?"

"To be honest, Diaband can indeed be considered a slate monster created by humans. However, the humans here do not refer to the creators, but rather to the materials used to create it."

Recalling the birth of Diaband, a massacre that Hayato already knew about but had relived within the Millennium Wisdom Wheel, Hayato became somewhat serious. "Just explaining it to you would probably be difficult for you to understand. So let's go somewhere together."

"The long-destroyed 'Thief Village' Kreel Elna, that should be the name, anyway I'll just call it 'Thief Village'. I need to find two things in the ruins of that destroyed village, that's my next target, and I have to destroy them before the person behind the scenes uses the second piece."

With that, Hayato extended an invitation to the group: "Now that Bakura has been killed and the mastermind's second pawn hasn't yet obtained anything from the Thieves' Village, Kalim, Isis, you should all be safe. Even if the mastermind uses the second pawn, they will choose to go to the Thieves' Village first, so why don't you come with me and choose yourselves?"

After hearing Hayato's words, Isis thought for a moment and then said without hesitation, "I feel safer traveling with you, Hayato, so I'll go to the 'Thief Village' with you. Besides, I'm still very curious about what you're talking about."

Isis's words were very straightforward and seemed to be full of purpose, but everyone present could understand Isis's subtext: she believed in Hayato and was willing to help him.

Karim decisively replied, "I just said I would remember your kindness. Wouldn't it be a disgrace to my honor to go back on my word so soon? Let me lend you a hand, Mr. Hayato."

Since there's someone else behind it all, wouldn't following Hayato mean they could catch an even bigger fish? The ambitious Karim would never let go of an opportunity to take things a step further.

As for Kaiba, Hayato never asked him what he thought from the beginning. After all, this guy, who always said one thing but did another, had been deliberately targeting Hayato, but the two of them had such a good understanding that they were only missing a pair of matching earrings to make him feel like an older brother. So, he would naturally go with Hayato to the Thieves' Village.

Both men who were asked for their opinions expressed their willingness to go to the thieves' village together, but one of the men who wasn't asked for his opinion expressed a different view.

"Thief's Village? What's the point of going to that lousy ruin? I have no interest." Maliku said with his deadpan eyes, "You guys can go if you want. I'm staying in the Valley of the Kings' Long Sleep. I'm enjoying the good life; who wants to suffer in the desert—"

"Hey, Kalim, what do you think about me telling the Pharaoh about the Tomb Keepers' 'heroic performance' against Bakura when I get back? Also, I think it would be nice if Isis became the leader of the Tomb Keepers." Hayato casually said to Kalim.

Upon hearing this, Maliku abruptly changed his tune and said seriously, "I suddenly feel that as the patriarch of the tomb-guarding clan, it is necessary for me to go to the thief village with you. It's not that I'm afraid of being questioned, but mainly because I care deeply about the Pharaoh and the country, and I can't stand anyone trying to harm him."

“Ha, go ahead and say it, I’ll just take it as a joke,” Kalim mocked Maliku.

And so, Malik "enthusiastically" accompanied Hayato and his group on their journey to the Thieves' Village. Because the journey was long and involved crossing a desert, they all rode on camels, which were full of energy. As for the damage caused by Bakura in the Valley of the Royal Sleep, the tomb-guarding clan naturally took care of the cleanup.

Naturally, some people were also responsible for collecting the bodies and disposing of the dead Bakula.

One of the guards was assigned to handle Bakura, but even the simplest task of dragging the corpse still exhausted the thin guard. Bakura, in order to make a good impression and not appear too shabby compared to the Pharaoh Dark Game, was wearing a lot of the gold ornaments he had previously worn. The guards dared not remove these ornaments for fear of being blamed by the returning priests and chieftains.

After pausing briefly to rest, the guard was about to continue dragging Bakula, but before he could turn around, he was struck hard on the back of the head and fell to the ground.

Clutching a brick in his hand, Bakula stood up, his face pale, a cold smile playing on his lips: "Heh, hahahahaha, I'm not going to die so easily. I've escaped death again. I, Bakula, am really lucky!"

"Luckily, I went back to Clay Elna after obtaining the [Millennium Wisdom Wheel]. This body, strengthened by the aura of the underworld, actually allowed me to survive the previous attack and fooled Kobayashi Hayato, hahahaha!"

Bakula chuckled softly, unaware that a lion's paw had silently stepped on the shadow behind him.

"There's no time to lose. I need to get back to Clay El and revive Diaband. I can't let Hayato and the others get there first." Bakura thought to himself, tossing down a brick and about to take a step when a sudden, immense force pushed him down from behind, pinning him to the back and preventing him from getting up!

"I...I can't breathe!" Bakura, with his neck pressed against the wall, struggled to turn his head, only to see that the one who had attacked him from behind was none other than the Sandstorm Sphinx. "Uh...it's you, you beast!?"

Previously, the Sandstorm Sphinx was defeated by Diaband's sneak attack, but luckily it only suffered minor injuries. It had already woken up by the time Hayato and the others finished their battle. Now, with the positions of the victim and the attacker reversed, Bakura's life is in the hands of the Sandstorm Sphinx.

"Tch, with you, there's nothing to fear anymore. All I have to do is summon any Stone Tablet monster—" Bakura's words trailed off. Only then did he realize something—his wrist felt empty; he wasn't wearing the Gladiator's Disk at all!?

Where's my gladiator board?!

Bakura immediately suspected one person: "Little, Lin, Hayato! Oh no Rei!!"

Hayato is a habitual offender. All he ever thinks about is how to steal things from people, how to steal more things, and how to steal things from even more people. He definitely stole my Gladiator's Disc!

On the camel, Hayato suddenly sneezed and subconsciously glanced at the seahorse beside him, wearing the gladiator he'd picked up from Bakura. For some reason, he suddenly had the unsettling feeling that he'd taken the blame for the seahorse.

However, no matter how much Bakura cursed Hayato, it was to no avail. The Sand Sphinx brought its head close to Bakura's head and opened its mouth. Bakura also remembered what Maliku had said that he had overheard earlier: "The souls of those killed by the Sand Sphinx will be torn apart by its claws and teeth and will be tormented forever in its universe-like stomach, unable to find relief."

Bakula suddenly felt that if he had really died, it might have been a good thing?

As the sharp teeth were about to tear his body apart, Bakura howled in agony, "Don't come near me!!!"

However, the Sandsphinx acted without the slightest hesitation, and before losing consciousness, Bakura inexplicably had this thought: 'If there's a next life, I never want to have anything to do with the Millennium Items again...'

His consciousness completely vanished.

Chapter 778 Please lend me your power!

The Valley of the Kings' Long Sleep is where the pharaohs before King Akhenam Khanon are buried until King Akhenam Khanon ascended the throne, moved the capital city to a new location, and built a new mausoleum in order to implement religious reforms.

However, the tombs of the pharaohs of each generation actually began to be built long before they ascended the throne, when they were still princes. For example, Yami Yugi, although he had only been on the throne for less than a week, had already completed his tomb. The person in charge was Simon, the priest of the previous "Millennium Key".

King Aknamkanum did indeed build himself a new tomb, but the original mausoleum prepared for him in the Valley of the King's Long Sleep still exists. This is why Yami Yugi had Kalim and the others send the Pharaoh's mummy there; after all, it shouldn't be wasted.

“So, in the game… Pharaoh’s tomb isn’t in the Valley of the Kings’ Sleep.” Hayato said knowingly, his tone full of regret, as he listened to Maric’s explanation.

He remembered that in the original story, if he wanted to obtain the true name of the nameless pharaoh who had been deliberately erased, Yami Yugi's grave was the only place where that name was still recorded. This was also why Hayato came to the Valley of the Royal Sleep before he came to rescue Isis and the others.

It was only from Marik that he learned that the tomb of the Dark Game he was looking for was not in the Valley of the King's Long Sleep at all, but was located closer to the site of the tomb newly built by King Aknamkanon. Hayato's attempt to find the nameless pharaoh's true name in the Valley of the King's Long Sleep was a complete misunderstanding.

Hayato speculates that the Nameless Pharaoh is based on the historical Pharaoh Tutankhamun, whose father also had a history of religious reform. However, in the history Hayato knows, this religious reform failed. In the Card Master world, the Nameless Pharaoh corresponds to the Pharaoh Tutankhamun in the timeline where the religious reform succeeded.

If it were true history, Hayato might still be able to find the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings' Long Sleep, but now, if he wants to find the true name of the Nameless Pharaoh, Hayato will have to go back the way he came.

After leaving the Valley of the Kings' Long Sleep, the group is now heading to the ruins of the thief village of Kreelna. Kreelna, which was originally a village of artisans when it was not a thief village but an artisan village, was essentially a village of artisans who gathered to facilitate the construction of tombs in the Valley of the Kings' Long Sleep.

Although the artisans couldn't live very close to the Valley of the King's Long Sleep because they needed to ensure its seclusion, it wasn't too far away either.

According to Isis, when she was about four or five years old, nearly fifteen years ago, the village of tomb raiders, who were "specialty" of the village and had a thorough understanding of the structure of the royal tombs, was almost wiped out overnight. The village was considered a thorn in the side of the kingdom and had always wanted to be eradicated, but the kingdom had been unable to deal with it due to war with other countries. Isis had also gone there with her father at the time.

Even though it was a notorious village of thieves, the villagers were still considered subjects of the kingdom, and the sudden destruction of a village had to be taken seriously. Previously, whether it was the village of thieves or the village of artisans, the people they had dealt with most were the tomb-guarding clan of Ishdar, so naturally, the investigation was handled by the then-chief of the tomb-guarding clan, who was also the father of Isis and Marik.

In Isis's memory, because the kingdom took the massacre very seriously and the war had not yet ended and the disappearance of Kree Elna needed to be dealt with as soon as possible, her father led his men on a very hurried journey, but even so, it still took them almost half a day to arrive.

At their current pace, half a day probably wouldn't be enough, and they would likely arrive in Kreel-elna late at night or even early morning. Fortunately, the ancient Egyptians had similar sleep schedules to night owls, otherwise they would probably have had to rest halfway through the journey and continue their journey the next day.

Hayato was eager to get to the Thieves' Village as soon as possible, but he was only thinking about cutting off the support Bakura could get before Bakura died and Bakura replaced him with a new pawn. He wasn't in a hurry and was willing to arrive at the Thieves' Village as long as it wasn't too late.

One of the reasons why the artisan village of Kreelna became a village of thieves was that after the royal city moved, the artisans in the village found it difficult to find work that could support them. The root cause was that the distance between the royal city and Kreelna was far greater than the distance between the village and the Valley of the Royal Sleep.

Isis estimated the difference to be at least double, meaning that if Hayato and his group arrived there in the early morning, someone else would have to leave the capital at the same time and arrive the next afternoon at the earliest. That's why Hayato felt reassured that he wouldn't arrive there too late.

Besides Bakura, Bakura's second usable piece is Aknade, who is far away in the royal capital. While Hayato has told Yugi and Jonouchi that they are going to the Valley of the King's Long Sleep, he hasn't told Aknade. Even if Aknade has the Millennium Eye and can read minds like Pegasus, Hayato also has the Millennium Wisdom Wheel for protection.

Unless Aknadi had planned to go to the Thieves' Village after "visiting" the comatose Dark Game, he would have received news of Bakura's death and set off for the Thieves' Village after Hayato and the others, making it impossible for him to make it in time.

I, Hayato Kobayashi, am a professional commentator, so there's no way I could be wrong. If Aknadi could get to the Thieves' Village before me, I'd make Marik swallow sand and commit suicide on the spot.

—Xu Dong: Could things get any worse than they are now? (Then he broke up with her online)—

As time passed and the sun set, nearing dusk, while Hayato and his group were still on their way, a group of people arrived at the Thieves Village of Clay Elna Ruins.

“Priest, ahead lies the former bandit village of Kreelna.” A sentry in the group approached the leader’s vehicle and said respectfully, “We’ve confirmed the situation; there’s no sign of anyone living in the village.”

After a pause, the sentry continued, "Also, Your Excellency, is Bakura, the thief who attempted to assassinate the Pharaoh, really hiding here? According to the intelligence we've gathered, ever since the mass death of the entire village of thieves here more than ten years ago, this area seems to be cursed, with no life daring to approach or survive."

"Even the former patriarch of the tomb-guarding clan who was in charge of investigating this place more than ten years ago, Lord Geb Ishdar, and the members of the tomb-guarding clan who accompanied him, were cursed and died young while investigating this place. Only Priestess Isis, who was young at the time, survived because she was later protected by the [Millennium Jewelry]."

The sentry's implication was that he doubted the source of the information the priest who had led them away from the royal city and hurriedly arrived here had obtained; in his understanding, it was completely unreliable, pure fake news.

Upon hearing this, the priest on horseback calmly replied, "Just do as I say. I know what you're thinking. This is precise information I obtained from a significant sinner using my Millennium Artifact."

As he spoke, the priest lifted the hood from his head, revealing the "Millennium Eye" in the location of his left eye.

Surprisingly, it was Aknadi, the priest Hayato had so confidently asserted that he would never arrive at the thieves' village before Hayato!

"The thief Bakula first committed the sin of greed, stealing the tomb of our great ancestor Pharaoh, Akhenam Khanon, which ended the war and brought peace to the palace. Then he committed the sin of arrogance, destroying the royal city and attempting to assassinate the Pharaoh. Finally, he committed an unforgivable crime, failing to be grateful for the Pharaoh's leniency after fleeing, and even ambushing and attacking the Pharaoh, causing him to fall into a coma!"

Aknadi wore an expression of righteous indignation that the Pharaoh had been murdered by such treacherous people. Anyone who saw him would probably admire his loyalty to the king and his country. "Although I am just a civil official and do not have the power of other priests, it is my duty to protect the stability of the kingdom and the glory of the Pharaoh, even if it means sacrificing my old body!"

“Moreover, the sacrifices made by Pharaoh and Priest Shada were not in vain. Priest Set successfully repelled Bakura thanks to their efforts, and I will now pursue the wounded Bakura who has fled here.” Aknadi said sincerely, looking at the soldiers he had drawn from the royal city.

"My friends, for the Pharaoh to whom we serve, for the kingdom we swear to protect with our lives, and for our own glory, there is one last step."