Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

Dark Game continued, "So Isis said it's a deal. Although it can't absolve you of your death sentence, if you cooperate, we will preserve your reputation, let you die as a priest of the kingdom, and allow you to remain pure throughout your life."

Hearing Dark Game's words, Aknadi's expression remained unchanged: "How naive. Aknam became Pharaoh simply because he cried loudly, and his son is just as foolish. As Pharaoh, you can't even accurately judge what your subordinates are thinking. I'm afraid the kingdom will be destroyed in your hands."

"Do you think I'm the kind of person who cares about trivial reputations? From beginning to end, I've loved this country. The kingdom is my lover. I'm willing to give up everything for this country, whether it's my royal status or my family, even if it means committing unforgivable sins and bearing a bad reputation. If I really cared about reputations, I wouldn't have created the Millennium Artifact in the first place."

"Besides the country, my only obsession is Seth, but he didn't come."

Aknadi looked around at everyone who came in but couldn't find Set, and said with some regret. Back in the thief's village, he thought he was going to die, but he didn't really care then. He never expected to survive, and now he had the urge to see Set again.

Judging from Aknadi's words, he seemed unaware of what had happened to Seth. Jonouchi, who felt he could use this as a breakthrough point, interjected, "That Seth was influenced by Bakura—the evil will that controlled you before—and betrayed us while carrying the Millennium Jewelry."

"Heh, what's wrong with that? On the contrary, I'm very satisfied. You've really made something of yourself, Seth. It seems that Bakura's control wasn't all bad. At least it made Seth confront his deepest desires, didn't it?"

Aknadi, upon hearing what was said within the city, remained unmoved, saying, "Do you think I'll compromise and cooperate with you just because I hear that Set is being controlled? Forget about it. Even if you kill me today, or I die outside, or I'm judged by Osiris after my death, I will not tell you any information I know."

"Tsk, this old man is too stubborn. He's completely headed for it, there's no reasoning with him." Jonouchi scratched his head and said irritably, turning to look at Yugi. "Yugi, didn't you just say you had a way to persuade him? Is it really going to work?"

“Don’t worry, Jonouchi. I’m actually more confident now.” Yugi smiled and said, “I’m a duelist who understands human nature. I can get Aknadi to cooperate with us in just three sentences.”

"Hmph, brat with the same hairstyle as the Pharaoh. I don't know who you are, but where do you get such confidence?" Aknadi sneered as he looked at the game and extended a finger.

"Seth's mind was changed by Bakura."

"Your companion just mentioned this."

Raising his second finger, the game continued, "He's now obsessed with power and feels he can give up anything."

“That sounds even better. That’s how people who do great things should be. Before, when I wanted to help him gain power, he hesitated.”

The game extended its third finger and said its final words: "He told us that he was going to become the strongest man in the world, and that women were just a hindrance."

Aknadi's contemptuous smile froze instantly, and before he could utter his sarcastic words, his expression changed.

Chapter 812 Zorc Nellofa

Aknadi had previously intended to sacrifice Kisara in order to help Set become Pharaoh and gain sufficient power for him. However, Set's refusal to give up Kisara greatly displeased Aknadi, and he ultimately had to abandon the plan.

But his dissatisfaction at that time was merely a slight disappointment that Set placed too much emphasis on romantic relationships. Valuing emotions too much is one thing, completely abandoning them is another. Judging from what this pharaoh-like starfish-haired brat is saying, could it be that Set's mind is now only on "paowa" and he doesn't think about women at all?

No way! At least leave an heir first. If this continues, won't that kid end up without a male heir? In what way did Bakura change Seth's thinking?

When Seth becomes Pharaoh, will he not even marry a queen and just adopt some random kid as his heir? How could such a kid possibly be a good Pharaoh? The kingdom will definitely fall into the hands of such a person, which would be even worse than being ruined by Akhenaten's son!

Aknadi's expression changed drastically as he said righteously, "I've thought about it carefully, and a clean reputation is actually quite important."

"Alright, Pharaoh, I'm willing to cooperate with you. Ask me anything you want, and I'll answer everything I know. Also, as long as you can correct Seth's thinking, it doesn't matter if you don't clear my name."

The game turned around and gave everyone an "OK" sign.

"You're really something, Yugi." Jonouchi gave a thumbs up in praise, then looked at Aknate and asked, "We've never been to that thief village called Aknate, nor have we seen the stone tablet that is said to seal Bakura's true form. Tell us what it is."

After reaching an agreement, Aknadi was much more cooperative than before, and immediately replied, "I guess you should have already learned from various sources the truth behind the creation of the Millennium Artifacts, right? As for the evil will under the stone tablet, we have to go back to before I created the Millennium Artifacts."

“Long ago, long before I was even born, the kingdom possessed a book that no one could decipher, called the ‘Millennium Magic Book.’ It was said to have come from another world and contained wondrous knowledge. Even when it could not be deciphered, it could still generate powerful magic, which was the magic practiced by the court mages.”

"However, this situation continued until my appearance. Not to boast, but in the interpretation of the Millennium Magic Book, I have completely surpassed everyone in the past, and even am ahead of the next 500 years."

Mana was also somewhat surprised upon hearing this: "Huh? No wonder it's called the 'Millennium Magic Book'. Is the origin of magic actually that book?"

"Mana-chan, when you were practicing magic, didn't you ever wonder who invented magic?" Kyoko asked, somewhat puzzled.

Mana, hands on her hips, said smugly, "Absolutely not! Do you even remember how many slices of bread you ate?"

"Thirteen slices, I'm a Japanese food enthusiast."

"Oh, Mana, I don't really like bread either. I prefer cake."

Mana subconsciously started talking to Kyoko, but Yami Yugi remembered the important matter, "We can talk about sweets later, the focus is on that book. Aknadi, please continue."

“I think you completely misunderstand women, Pharaoh.” Aknadi glanced at Anzu and Mana, a cryptic smile on his face, and said contemptuously, “Anyway, I have achieved a breakthrough from 0, and for the first time deciphered a technique called ‘Dark Alchemy’ from the [Millennium Magic Book].

"At a time of war and crisis for the kingdom, I chose to abandon my royal status to create the Millennium Item in order to obtain the power to protect the kingdom. However, in addition to creating massacres and acquiring vengeful souls, I also need a powerful being to provide power for the Millennium Item."

"That is the evil god from another world that I communicated with through alchemy. His name is Zorc Nerofa. It is said that his power comes from the darkness that exists in the world. As long as darkness exists, the evil god's power will be generated continuously, symbolizing endless darkness. Therefore, it is the perfect source of power for the Millennium Item."

Upon hearing this, Malik interrupted Aknadi impatiently: "Yes, we do know what that evil will is now, but let's stop with the boasting. We have no intention of surrendering to them, so we don't need to know how powerful they are. Can't you just get straight to the point and tell us how we can eliminate them?"

Aknadi shook his head: "A way to destroy the opponent? Such a thing does not exist. It is precisely because I know this that, although that guy has been trying to seduce me ever since I created the Millennium Artifact, I have never placed the Millennium Artifact on the stone slab that seals it as he wished."

“Even before, when I stood on its side as the ‘Dark High Priest,’ I resisted its control and never removed the ‘Millennium Eye.’” After a pause, Aknadi looked at Yami Yugi with a mocking expression again, “As a result, because you idiots delivered yourselves to its doorstep, that guy now has six ‘Millennium Artifacts’ in his possession.”

"Oh right, Seth also stole the Millennium Jewels, didn't he? Ha, Zorc has already collected seven Millennium Artifacts. Well, that's it, it's over, he can't win."

If he weren't still tied up, Aknadi would probably want to just throw his arms around and start a fight.

"You idiot, all you do is spout discouraging words? Pharaoh, I suggest we drag this old geezer out and behead him," Maliku urged An Yugi, seizing the opportunity.

Yami Yugi shook his head, ignoring Marik's words, and looked at Aknadi, who looked indifferent, and said, "I don't know about not being able to win. I only know that we must never give up until the very last moment."

The game also chimed in, "Even though you're trying to act like you don't care, Aknadi, you don't want Set's future as Pharaoh to be ruined, do you? I bet you know something that can give us power."

Aknadi frowned, glanced at the game, and scoffed, "Tch, what's wrong with you, kid? You seem to know too much about human nature. You're obviously good at plotting and scheming to harm people."

“Alright, I do know a method that might work on them, if you're willing to accept it.” Aknadi paused, glancing down, “But before I take you there, can't you untie me first?”

Chapter 813 Descendants and grandchildren are endless.

In the end, Dark Game and the others untied Aknadi. On the one hand, as he said, it was inconvenient to keep him tied up if they needed him to lead the way. On the other hand, although it was somewhat comical to see a muscular old man bound in a tortoise shell at first glance, it became too much of an eyesore after a while.

However, it wasn't like they were completely free to leave Arcanade alone. Besides Mana using Arcanade as a teaching material under the tutelage of the "Dark Magician" and imbuing him with a spell to seal his magic, shackles that restricted his movements were also essential. After all, no one would feel comfortable letting Arcanade, who had a history of hostility, move freely around them.

"Something is better than nothing. At least I can scratch my own itch now." Aknadi was quite easygoing, remaining nonchalant even with his hands bound. "But speaking of which, how long has it been since Seth took the [Millennium Jewelry]?"

"It's been about an hour, hasn't it?" Although he didn't know why Aknadi was asking this, Honda looked up at the position of the sun in the sky, estimated the time, and answered. This was a little trick he had learned in Hawaii to judge time in the wilderness.

“In that case, it should be about an hour,” Aknadi nodded and said. “There might be some discrepancy, but since I was previously connected to the Underworld Tablet, my estimate shouldn’t be too far off. The Dark Great Evil God Zorc should have about an hour left to obtain the [Millennium Jewelry] and break the seal to revive.”

“In the minutes before the Dark God of Evil is resurrected, its dark power should overflow from the Underworld Tablets and turn the sky black, so we need to get the thing I left behind before the sky turns black.”

"If we think of a way to solve the problem before the Great Evil God of Darkness is resurrected, there is still a chance. However, if it is resurrected after this time, the hope will become slim. So let's not delay and set off immediately."

Upon hearing this, Maliku sneered at Aknadi and said, "After all this talk, you still haven't told us what we're looking for, or what purpose it serves."

With the help of several attendants, Aknadi sat on the camel that Maliku was on. Even with his hands cuffed, Aknadi rode the camel better than Maliku.

“Don’t rush, Maliku Ishdar, I’ll tell you on the way. Let’s get going now.” Aknadi grinned as he looked at Maliku sitting in front of him.

Akna had said so, and Yami Yugi nodded to the others as several people rode away from the group.

The place they were going to next did not require an army, and Isis and Hayato were both in a state of immobility, making it unsuitable for them to follow Aknadi's guidance on the adventure.

After discussion, everyone finally decided that Yugi, Jonouchi, Kyoko, and Honda, along with Yami Yugi, Mana, Marik, and Aknadi, would travel together to the location Aknadi had mentioned. Isis would lead the troops to escort her and Hayato back to the royal city, with Kaiba also accompanying them.

Kaiba had absolutely no interest in supernatural or mystical matters, nor did he believe that Aknadi, who talked endlessly about "magic" and "alchemy," could actually lead Yugi and the others to the power to defeat the Great Dark God. More than anything, Kaiba, who had been unwittingly taken from the royal city by Hayato, was more concerned about the woman he had glimpsed earlier.

After the two groups split up and kept their distance for a while, Aknadi turned his head to look at Honda, who was riding a camel more skillfully than the embarrassing Egyptian Maliku, after his view was blocked by the desert behind him: "What's that child's name again?"

"Huh? You mean, that guy Kaiba?" Honda was taken aback, wondering why Aknate suddenly asked about Kaiba. Seeing Aknate nod, Honda, feeling there was nothing he couldn't say, said, "His full name is Seto Kaiba. He's kind of our comrade. Although he always seems aloof, basically everyone knows he's just a tsundere and usually expresses his feelings in the opposite way."

"Oh right, his disdain for Jonouchi wasn't fake. He really didn't get along with Jonouchi. Basically, whenever they met, he would say something like, 'You're a second-rate duelist with a third-rate deck,' 'ordinary,' 'mediocre,' or 'a novice.'"

"The final imitation segment is unnecessary, Honda!"

Jonouchi said angrily, "Saying I'm a mediocre person or something, how much better is Kaiba? At least the academic qualifications I can present in the future are better than his. That guy has been skipping classes for a long time."

Yugi scratched his head, a little embarrassed, and said, "Well, Jonouchi, you might not know, but Kaiba actually stopped coming to school a long time ago. It's because he graduated early and received an offer from the University of Tokyo, but he declined it because he wanted to take over the Kaiba Group."

“Yes, he’s not some stubborn idiot who still worries about exam results,” Kyoko said, subtly referring to Jonouchi.

Upon hearing their words, Aknatti's lips curled slightly: "Seto Kaiba, Seto... Although I don't quite understand graduation, that kid must be quite smart, right?"

"In that respect, it is true. I remember Hayato saying that although he talks a lot about science, Kaiba's mind is capable of achieving magic with human power. It wouldn't be surprising if he created a time machine or a device to travel between the human world and the underworld someday."

Aknadi nodded again and asked, "But is the child's surname Seahorse? Why would he have such a surname? Shouldn't he be Egyptian?"

"Egyptian? I don't know, because Kaiba was adopted. He and his younger brother Keihei were adopted by a man named Kaiba Gosaburo, which is why he has the surname Kaiba. However, it is said that Seto was his original name, not a name he adopted later."

Seeing Aknadi nodding to himself, Honda asked curiously, "Why are you suddenly so interested in the seahorse? You couldn't possibly have known him before, could you?"

“Hehe, of course I don’t know him, but just hearing about him gives me a good feeling that our operation has a high success rate and we’ll definitely be able to correct Setna’s distorted thinking.” Aknadi smiled and didn’t continue.

In his view, the answer was already obvious. Putting aside the coincidence of having the same name with the same pronunciation, just looking at Seth and Seto Kaiba's appearance and completely identical personality, no matter how you look at it, as a future person who was with the starfish-headed brat and the others, Seto Kaiba was definitely Seth's descendant.

Since Seth's descendants will remain in the future, it means that his wish has been fulfilled. Although he doesn't know what kind of obstacles the process will be, he will definitely be able to correct Seth's distorted thinking in the end so that he can leave behind descendants.

As for why Set's descendants don't have names that sound Egyptian? These kids said that Seto Kaiba was adopted, and maybe he was separated from his parents during childhood because of a war. Maybe Seto Kaiba was actually Egyptian.

It's like this starfish-headed brat looks exactly like Aknam's son with the mutated hairstyle. Don't be fooled by their intimate way of calling each other "Aibo" and "the other me"; they might even be ancestors and descendants.

But speaking of which, Simon's hair was quite colorful when he was young and before it turned white. Could it be that Aknam, that crybaby, was... no, it's probably just a coincidence.

While inwardly cursing his deceased brother, Aknadi changed the subject: "Back when I was deciphering the secrets of the Millennium Magic Book, I knew that the creation of the Millennium Artifacts required communication with the will of another world. So, just to be on the safe side, I actually kept more than one backup plan."

"To prevent anyone else after me from deciphering the creation method of the Millennium Items and communicating with the Dark God again, I disassembled the Millennium Spellbook into several parts, each with a simple decipherment recorded on it. I then entrusted them to trusted individuals in various places for safekeeping. As for the truth about the Millennium Items, I gave it to the Ishtar clan."

"Huh? That book actually contains such explosive content!?" Maliku was stunned and turned around. "Why didn't I think to look it up before? Damn, I missed out on a lot of fun."

“Unfortunately, what I recorded on it was also encrypted. Without even basic knowledge of alchemy, it’s impossible to understand what’s written on it.” Aknadi glanced at Maliku with disdain and said contemptuously, “To put it bluntly, that stuff requires brains. You’d be wasting your time looking at it. Otherwise, why would I entrust it to anyone else?”

"Fuck you!"

Speaking fluent Egyptian, Maliku wanted nothing more than to turn around and punch Aknadi for looking down on him so much.

Unfortunately, he could only manage to stay seated on the camel at his limit. After all, Malik was the chieftain of Ishdar! No way! He absolutely had to study that book properly when he got back! Even if he couldn't understand it by himself, he'd have sons after he died, and grandsons after their deaths, and so on, generation after generation, endlessly!

Maliku Yu Ishdar thought of this and laughed foolishly, like a three-year-old.

“Oh, no wonder I’ve searched almost every corner of the palace over the years, even under the prince’s bed and on the roof, but I’ve never seen that magic book. It’s been hidden away.”

Mana spoke casually, seemingly inadvertently revealing something significant. Kyoko, sitting behind her, cast a death stare at Mana.

The game then recalls a fragmented magic book they encountered shortly after arriving in Egypt in the real world, under the guidance of the former chieftain Gab among the tomb-keepers. The book contained part of the truth about the creation of the Millennium Artifacts, though it was incomplete.

Aknadi didn't care and continued, "Secondly, when communicating with the other world and bringing the Great Dark God to this world, normally, in order to prevent the Great Dark God who powers the Millennium Artifact from leaving, the passage for him to come to this world would be completely blocked."

"However, because I sensed that the world where the Dark Great Evil God once resided seemed to be a higher-level world, I deliberately did not completely close the passage, but only shrunk it to a level where Zorc could not return but people could pass through. If this world were ever destroyed by humans, I thought I could use that passage to ascend to a higher world and escape. Similarly, I recorded this method in a part of the [Millennium Magic Book] and entrusted it to the Xin Clan for safekeeping."

"The other tomb-guarding clan that Priest Shada belongs to, the Sin clan?" Yami Yugi thought for a moment and said. Moreover, if he remembered correctly, the Shadi who had appeared in front of them more than once in the modern era seemed to have introduced himself as Shadi Sin. Just like Isis and Malik, Shadi should be the inheritor of the Sin clan.

However, Yami Yugi didn't think the two methods Aknadi had mentioned were very reliable. First of all, he couldn't possibly create the Millennium Item again in order to defeat Bakura's true form—the dark evil god "Zok Nelofa". Putting aside the merits of the strategy of using one tiger to devour another, the fact that it would cause a massacre made this plan out of Yami Yugi's consideration.

Ascending to a higher dimension, which is a way to slack off, is also a no-go. Although this ultimate dark game is more like an RTS (real-time strategy) game like StarCraft released a few years ago than a tabletop RPG, he has played that game before, but unlike Hayato, he doesn't really like the base-trading tactics of a player named F91.

To Yami Yugi, choosing to ascend to a higher dimension is simply a matter of exchanging bases. It's not his style to resort to tactics like abandoning a duelist just because he can't defeat Zorc. What true duelist would change their attack route and sneak up on someone else's back door when things go wrong? Oh, except for Hayato.