Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

However, that's a matter for the future and has nothing to do with Hayato now. He has plenty of time to squander since he doesn't plan to go to university or work for money. Since he's in England, he'll take a short trip since he's not in a hurry to return to Domino City. However, he remembers that his parents have already traveled to England before; otherwise, he might have unexpectedly run into them.

He was a little regretful that he hadn't invited Isis along when he came to England because he was worried about the trouble and danger associated with the "Orichalcum." Otherwise, he could have had a travel companion to travel with.

However, Isis has been quite busy lately because of the salvage operation in the Pacific Ocean. Although in the end no country was able to salvage Doma's relics with enough research value—or rather, no one admitted to salvaging anything of value—it cannot be said that the countries have gained nothing.

Just as Bekas unexpectedly found a shipwreck carrying rare gems, this joint salvage operation unexpectedly led to the discovery of numerous shipwrecks carrying valuable artifacts from various countries, including the Americas, Asia, and Africa. Egypt was no exception, finding a considerable number of artifacts.

As a result, Isis, as the director of the Egyptian Antiquities Authority, was so busy that she even had to return to Egypt to better manage the artifacts.

However, traveling alone doesn't really affect Hayato much. After all, although the UK was once known as the "Empire on which the sun never sets" and its influence was almost all over the world, the actual area of ​​the UK is only 24 square kilometers, which is about the size of Shaanxi province.

The United Kingdom can be divided into three parts: England, Scotland, and Wales, and the people in these three places don't get along with each other. Similarly, Shaanxi can be divided into three parts: Northern Shaanxi, Guanzhong Plain, and Southern Shaanxi, and the people in these three places also don't get along with each other.

Northern England is the Scottish Highlands, while northern Shaanxi is the Loess Plateau;

Northern England speaks a Scottish dialect with a nasal tone, and Scots wear floral kilts. Northern Shaanxi speaks a Shaanxi dialect, also with a nasal tone, and people from Northern Shaanxi wear floral-patterned padded jackets.

London, the capital of the United Kingdom, is right next to the River Thames, and Xi'an, the capital of SX province, is right next to the Wei River;

The British invented the hamburger, and the people of Shaanxi invented the roujiamo (Chinese hamburger); Britain has a famous actor, Jason Statham, and Shaanxi has a famous actor, Guo Da; Britain has a famous landmark, the Clock Tower, and Shaanxi has a famous landmark, the Clock Tower; to the east of Britain is a country called the Netherlands, and to the east of Shaanxi is a province called Henan…

The UK is Shaanxi – the proof is successful!

Walking down the street, Hayato couldn't help but laugh at the argument he had just completed, so much so that a few commuters on their way to work thought they had seen something strange.

However, when Hayato crossed New Oxford Street and arrived at Russell Square, gazing upon the massive and magnificent Greek Revival building in the heart of London, his smile faded. To compare Britain to Shaanxi? Shaanxi doesn't deserve such a comparison.

The building before him, though neither a product of advanced industrial technology nor a historical architectural marvel, is known to everyone from the Cape of Good Hope to the Bering Strait, not for any other reason than the sheer number of cultural relics it contains.

This is the British Museum, the place that best testifies to the infamous reputation of the "Empire on which the sun never sets".

Japan has a folk legend about "eight million gods," which, in order to reach the required number, includes everything from powerful deities like Amaterasu to small yokai (spirits) born from old objects, such as Tatara Kogasa. Even so, the eight million figure is still considered a figurative expression to indicate a large quantity. However, the British Museum does indeed house over eight million artifacts.

Britain's land area is only so big, where did it get so many cultural relics? Simple, just "borrow" them from other countries, right? Someone once joked that if Britain were to return all the cultural relics "borrowed" from other countries, Londoners would probably only be able to visit an empty house.

It was nearly 9 a.m. The British Museum was not yet open to visitors, but security personnel were already patrolling. Hayato saw a team of security personnel changing shifts at the entrance not far away, seemingly letting the security personnel who had worked the night shift go off duty and replacing them with another energetic team.

It seems the British Museum keeps a tight grip on security here. Come to think of it, it makes sense. With so many artifacts here, any one of them would probably be a priceless treasure. After all, the "archaeologists" who "borrowed" the artifacts from overseas had limited carrying capacity, so they would naturally prioritize bringing back the more valuable treasures and destroy the relatively worthless artifacts on the spot.

Thieves with connections in the black market would never let such a large treasure trove go if given the chance, so they would naturally guard it closely. Not to mention that, in addition to criminals, countries that have had their artifacts "borrowed" by Britain also want to take action against this place.

After all, although the "empire on which the sun never sets" is in its twilight years, it is still one of the most developed, influential and powerful countries in Europe. The permanent members of the United Nations Security Council still have the ability to demand the return of cultural relics, but how could those small countries dare to ask for cultural relics in front of Britain, even if those cultural relics once belonged to them?

The security personnel looked quite professional, seemed to earn a high salary, and were really willing to take action. Hayato didn't want to wait until the museum opened to enter through official channels, so he chose to sneak in without a ticket, just like he did with the Clock Tower, even though the tickets here are actually free.

Hayato once again activated the power of the Quantum Cube, entering a state that was unobservable to ordinary people. Taking advantage of the moment when the patrolling security personnel opened the door, Hayato swaggered behind the group in front of them and walked into the British Museum with them.

Although the British Museum was originally established primarily to house precious books, fulfilling the wishes of a collector who donated his entire collection, plant specimens, books, and manuscripts to the King at the time, the King later donated the collection of the Royal Library to fill the inventory after establishing the museum.

However, after more than two hundred years of "replenishing the inventory", the number of cultural relics here has long surpassed that of books. The largest proportion of them are cultural relics and even buildings from Egypt. The British Museum even prepared a special Egyptian antiquities gallery, and the security team that Hayato was with entered this gallery.

As soon as he entered, Hayato saw a broken stone slab placed in the most conspicuous position in the middle of the road and displayed separately. The English words next to it read the name of the stone slab: "Rosetta Stone". It is a stone slab with ancient Egyptian priestly script that has been lost, simplified ancient Egyptian cursive script that has also been lost, and ancient Greek script.

Beside the stele was a plaque covered in English, which introduced the history of the stele and translated its contents. Although Hayato's English was decent, he didn't need to read the lengthy English annotations. He just glanced at the fragmented ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and the cursive script below and knew that the contents of the stele were mostly praises of Pharaoh Ptolemy V and his father, which was quite boring.

Hayato didn't feel much about the stone slab, not because of anything else, but because Isis had told him that the Rosetta Stone, which is considered the crown jewel of the British Museum, was not actually the first stone slab discovered in the town of Rosetta.

The French army discovered this stone slab when they demolished houses in Rosetta to build a fortress. After being examined by historians accompanying the army, it was determined to be an artifact from more than two thousand years ago. Emperor Napoleon even made more than two thousand copies and distributed them throughout the country for people to decipher. However, before they could successfully decipher it, the British army attacked, defeated Napoleon's army, and captured the stone slab.

The defeat was exactly in line with Hayato's stereotypical prejudice against the French army, and it was not surprising at all.

However, during the lull between the French retreat and the British advance, the tomb keepers had been waiting for an opportunity for a long time. They prepared an ancient stone slab, engraved the Rosetta Stone inscription on it, and took the opportunity to replace the original.

Moreover, when the inscription was carved, the chief of the tomb-guarding clan deliberately changed the order of most of the text to prevent the ancient Egyptian priests' script from being deciphered. As a result, although the French eventually deciphered the contents of the stone tablet based on ancient Greek and rubbings, the cursive script and ancient Egyptian priests that were deduced were completely wrong.

If it weren't for the fact that ancient Egyptian priests used a script similar to Chinese characters, which was both ideographic and phonetic, and that the order of the characters didn't affect reading, even Hayato probably wouldn't have been able to understand what was written on the stone tablet.

The stone tablet itself is not authentic, and the information recorded on it is incorrect, so it's no wonder that Isis didn't pay much attention to the Rosetta Stone, the most important artifact in the Egyptian Museum. And it's not just this one tablet; in fact, a significant portion of the artifacts in the Egyptian Museum have been replaced, either before or after they were brought here.

After all, supernatural forces do exist in this world. Hayato felt that if he were the holder of the Millennium Scepter of the tomb-guarding clan in that era without surveillance, he would have been able to easily control others to take away the artifacts.

Even so, the tomb-guarding clan was relatively small and could not compare with the speed of plunder by the "Empire on which the sun never sets" at that time. As a result, many genuine cultural relics were still left in the museum and were not taken away. After all, even if cultural relics were to be retrieved, the important ones would be the priority.

Hayato wasn't too concerned about these things; his purpose was to explore the depths of the British Museum. He remembered an artifact there called the "Mold Gold Shawl," which seemed to be a Welsh artifact dating back two thousand years. It was one of the few British artifacts in the British Museum—and if Wales was indeed part of Britain, it would be among the most valuable pieces in the entire museum.

If you like stealing other people's cultural relics so much, then today I, Kobayashi Hayato, will steal your cultural relics!

Thinking this, Hayato was about to leave after the security personnel who had finished their inspection when he suddenly stopped when he saw something.

On a display stand within the Egyptian Antiquities Museum stands a bust of a handsome and lifelike human face, clearly not an ordinary object. The description below the bust identifies it as a statue of the famous Pharaoh Ramses II.

What made Hayato involuntarily clench his fists and grit his teeth in anger was that there was an extremely ugly crack on the stone statue, which ran from the left shoulder to the right waist. It was cut open by people with tools such as chainsaws, just to dismantle the stone statue for easier transportation!

Chapter 1005 Don't Make Unnecessary Death Vows

Just as Hayato stopped looking at the stone statue, the security team he had been with earlier started chatting casually during their patrol. Their conversation ranged from how many more years Her Majesty the Queen would live and how many more years Prince Charles would remain Crown Prince, to how authentic the hash browns tasted this morning.

Although they are professional security personnel, including some veterans, it is really difficult for them to stay on high alert at all times during patrols.

The reason is simple: although this place contains a large amount of treasure and is very easy for thieves to target, how many brainless fools would actually dare to make a move here? Just the fact that they are standing here is enough to intimidate those with ill intentions.

Cultural relics stolen? Impossible, absolutely impossible!

Although they appear relaxed now, if something really happens, such as someone trying to steal or damage cultural relics, the security personnel believe they will never back down but will bravely confront the enemy with chivalry, at least not like those French guys with tanned armpits.

"That's the patrol procedure. As for the captain, I don't have anything else to teach you."

"Haha, thank you, Captain. I've had a lot of fun with you guys these past few days."

"Oh, well, actually, after I finish patrolling today, I'm going back to my hometown to get married. My fiancé is the captain's daughter."

"Oh, I'm leaving my child in your care."

"Oh, that's a pity. I thought you liked men. In that case, please accept this letter; it contains my true feelings."

"You actually like me? Tsk, if only I had known sooner. After today's patrol, I have something I want to tell you."

While the security personnel were chatting, a strange voice suddenly joined them.

"If that guy Rai II saw the exhibits here, I wouldn't be surprised if he destroyed the entire museum in a fit of rage. But at the same time, he would probably hold back in a subtle way, causing massive destruction while suffering zero casualties."

"Fortunately, I am different from him. I am kind-hearted and easy-going and do not get angry easily. Even if I see so many Egyptian artifacts, I will not care too much."

The captain of the security team turned around when he heard the unfamiliar voice. He found that someone was standing in front of the statue of Ramses II that they had just inspected. He quickly drew the baton from his waist and pointed it at the person, saying, "Hey sir? This museum is not open yet. No visitors allowed."

While speaking politely, the captain, with his other hand behind his back, gestured to his team members, indicating that they should immediately notify others and be prepared to use force to subdue the target. At the same time, he reached for the other side of his tactical belt.

The baton is used for deterrence and general forceful expulsion. It is only useful for dealing with unreasonable ordinary tourists. However, the security captain does not think that ordinary tourists can find a gap in the patrol and enter the depths of the museum through the various passages that require identity verification to open, when the museum is not open and there are people patrolling and checking at all times.

The man standing before them, nearly two meters tall, was no ordinary person! Even more outrageous, the security captain unexpectedly discovered that the man's appearance was extremely similar to the statue of Ramses II right in front of him.

If the other party still refuses to leave after hearing his warnings and advice, he will immediately draw the gun from the other holster and fire without any hesitation. After all, no one knows whether this man, who looks like a cold-blooded and selfish villain, is carrying any deadly weapons.

But upon hearing the captain's words, the man looked at the stone statue and continued, "Even someone as kind as me can't help but get angry when I see someone desecrating a stone statue that looks just like me, and doing so with such humiliating methods as 'dismemberment'."

As Hayato spoke, he glanced at the three security personnel who had been setting death flags right from the start, after he revealed himself by deactivating the power of the [Quantum Cube] and because he had spoken up.

Noticing that one of the security personnel, who appeared to be the team leader, lowered his head and brought his mouth to the walkie-talkie on his chest, about to reach out and press the call button to inform the others that someone had broken into their location, Hayato raised his hand without hesitation and threw out a card.

The seemingly ordinary card spun in the air, tracing an arc, bypassing the security captain blocking the way, and flew straight to the chest of the person about to use the walkie-talkie. It was just a card, but the instant it made contact with the security guard's chest, it seemed to transform into a lance in the hand of a charging cavalryman, knocking the security guard flying and destroying the walkie-talkie in the process!

"Hey, are you alright?"

The person next to the security guard who was sent flying by Hayato's card stopped what they were doing and instinctively prioritized checking on their teammate who had been knocked away. Compared to the obviously rookie teammate, the security captain's actions appeared much more professional.

Because he was focused on whether Hayato was reaching for something, the security captain didn't react immediately. Although he was a little surprised that Hayato's hands had been empty just a moment before, he quickly threw away his baton and pulled out his gun from his waist and pulled the trigger after realizing Hayato's actions.

The security personnel were equipped with Taser guns, which can release strong electric currents to stun targets. This was another reason why he could fire without hesitation.

Instead of turning around to check on your own teammates, subduing this talent first is the right choice!

The spinning baton and the Taser ammunition trailing a line flew towards Hayato together. The former could effectively distract most of his attention, while the latter, once it hit the target under the cover of the former, would leave even a 200-pound British strongman twitching on the ground, unable to move and subdued by others.

But the moment after the shot was fired, the security captain heard Hayato's calm voice: "Since you've fired, it means you're prepared to be shot, right?"

"Boom!" In an instant, golden flames suddenly ignited around Hayato. Without making any dodging movements, Hayato simply watched as the baton and bullets flew into the flames around him and disappeared without causing even the slightest ripple.

From the security captain's perspective, however, he saw flames surging around the strange man in front of him converge towards his head, forming a golden dragon bird with four legs and wings. The dazzling and scorching aura was like the sun falling on the earth, and the dragon bird was folding its indestructible wings around Hayato, protecting him.

"A materialized monster? Isn't that just an urban legend, or is it real!?"

Having seemingly heard of such legends before, the security captain, who had previously thought it was something dazzling, could no longer convince himself that the blazing sun-like presence bringing light and heat was an illusion. With the air heated to a high temperature and his heavy breathing, the security captain felt himself almost suffocating.

"No, don't be afraid, there's only one person on the other side!"

The security captain, barely managing to reassure his team, turned his head and saw another uninjured team member turning and running away in terror: "We can't win against this monster! I don't want to die!"

But just as he turned around and took a step, the security captain saw a mechanical dragon wearing silver armor adorned with blue crystals and with a pair of sextant-like hollowed-out light wings on its back swing its thick, log-like tail and deliver a powerful swipe that knocked the fleeing security personnel unconscious and knocked them down!

Monsters, and more than one!? The security captain, who had never paid attention to Duel Monsters before, looked at Hayato. Knowing he couldn't escape, his legs trembled uncontrollably as he asked, "Who are you, you bastard!?"

"Just a passing phantom thief, you don't need to remember him!" Commanding [Dragon Radiance Clever - Right Pivot α] to knock out the security captain, Hayato looked at the three security personnel who had all been subdued, then looked away from them and glanced at the statue of Ramses II.

“The stone carvings depicting the majesty of the pharaoh, which should have been in Egypt and received the reverence of the people, have been turned into this ugly and insulting appearance and placed in a museum where they are discussed at will like actors on a stage. It would be better to just destroy them.”

As it spoke, [Ra's Winged Dragon] disappeared from Hayato's side as he walked deeper into the area. By the time it returned to the card, the statue of Ramses II behind Hayato had been burned to ashes.

Because the statues were damaged, the museum's high-temperature alarm system detected the flames and was automatically activated. The moment Hayato entered deeper into the museum, all the lights in the entire museum went out, as if it had entered a power outage state, and a thick fire wall suddenly fell behind him. This wall could effectively prevent the spread of flames and could not be re-erected by ordinary means while the museum was without power.

However, although the museum seemed to have lost power, Hayato discovered that the glass cases containing the exhibits inside the museum were not without power. It seemed that each of them had its own independent power supply system to maintain the lighting, alarm devices, and electronic locks.

But this meant nothing to Hayato, who quickly found the important artifact in the exhibition hall where he was now—the Maulde gold shawl that he had his eye on when he came to the British Museum.

Originally, he planned to take the artifact with him so that the people at the British Museum could experience the same feeling of losing a precious artifact closely related to their country's history, and then return it after a while. However, after seeing the dire state of the artifacts in the museum, he completely changed his mind.

The statue of Ramses II was cut into two unsightly halves simply to fit into two standard-sized boxes; the sarcophagus used to house the pharaoh's mummy had multiple holes drilled into its base, destroying the inscriptions; and the Book of the Dead, from the tomb of Pharaoh Aani three thousand years ago, which allowed the deceased to judge their good and evil deeds through Osiris, was taken away, framed, and displayed in a showcase...

The various horrific scenes made Hayato furious, but since the other items belonged to other pharaohs, he did not deal with them. He only destroyed the statue of Ramses II, which could not promote the pharaoh's glory but instead became a disgrace to the pharaoh, in order to vent his anger.

As for the Mold Gold Shawl, although Hayato will eventually return this treasure to the British Museum, how long will it take? Well, that depends on Hayato's mood. He'll return it to them whenever the British Museum has returned all their belongings. As for whether this thieving behavior is right?

"My heart and actions are as clear as a mirror, and everything I do is just!"

Gaia, who had previously knocked out the security guard who was about to use the walkie-talkie, reappeared beside Hayato. Her lance easily pierced the special tempered glass display case in front of them, which was originally designed to stop bullets, creating a large hole. Reaching out, Gaia grabbed the Morde Gold Shawl from the case and respectfully presented it to Hayato.

However, just as Hayato picked up the Mold Gold Shawl, an angry voice suddenly rang out in the seemingly deserted museum: "You despicable thief! Put that thing down!"

Hayato looked in the direction of the sound and saw an "X"-shaped sword aura flying from afar, dodging the exhibits along the way and hurtling towards him!

"Clang!"

Gaia swung her spear to block the sword aura attack from the corner. After reducing the power of the slash, she was still in a state of having spare strength, but Gaia suddenly disappeared and retreated, allowing the sword aura to strike Hayato.

The slash, which had been reduced to almost all of its attack power, not only failed to harm Hayato, but also failed to even tear his clothes. It merely sent Hayato flying. The person who launched the sneak attack initially thought he had dealt with the thief, only realizing after a long time that Hayato had used his attack to escape!

Gaia's lance easily pierced the wall, allowing Hayato to fly unimpeded out of the enclosed room and into the museum. During the escape, Hayato, who had already reactivated Quantum Cube, used Gaia to adjust his flight path and entered stealth mode. He perfectly bypassed the security personnel and police officers who had gathered outside the museum and surrounded almost all the exits.