Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

"And the [ABC-Dragon Annihilator] has an attack power of 3000 points! You're doomed!"

"Liquid-coated electromagnetic railgun!"

Despite its name, the [ABC-Dragon Annihilator] was essentially just a fully armed, all-out attack. As Hayato pointed out, while [X-Swordsman-Galahad] wielding a spear-like weapon could unleash greater power in attacks, the spear proved ineffective in defense, and it looked poised to be destroyed by the [ABC-Dragon Annihilator]'s attacks.

Before the attack of [X-Swordsman-Galahad] could decrease, Klein said without hesitation, "Hmph, although I don't know where you got your information about the effects of [X-Swordsman-Galahad], it's just a superficial understanding. Don't be so arrogant, you trash!"

"When [X-Swordsman-Galahad] is targeted for an attack, you can negate that attack by Tributing one of your [Swordsman] monsters that is not this card!"

Picking up the card [X-Swordsman-Axel] from the Duel Disk, although it has a powerful effect of replenishing your hand and doesn't even have a one-time limit per turn, releasing it now is the best choice to maximize its value. "For my victory and honor, die, [X-Swordsman-Axel]!"

"Then the effect of [X-Swordsman-Galahad] was successfully activated, a noble sacrifice!"

The orc-like [X-Swordsman-Axel] appeared for only a few minutes before being released by Klein and sent to the graveyard after activating its effect once. Its body turned into points of light and merged into the blue jade at the tip of the spear-like weapon in [X-Swordsman-Galahad]'s hand, instantly creating a barrier that seemed to be for protection.

The attack from 【ABC-Dragon Annihilator】 vanished instantly upon hitting the barrier, failing to harm 【X-Swordsman-Galahad】 who was hiding behind it.

"Hmph, this is the fine virtue of a knight—sacrifice. Do you still dare to boast about defeating me this turn, you thief?" Klein breathed a sigh of relief after successfully blocking the attack of [ABC-Dragon Annihilator]. He glanced at his remaining 1500 base points and arrogantly said to Hayato.

Thanks to the effect of [X-Swordsman-Axel], he drew the powerful spell card [Heavenly Treasure]. As long as he survives this turn, he can use this card to replenish a large number of cards in his hand at once. With his ability, it is a piece of cake for him to summon a large number of [X-Swordsman] monsters again in an instant.

Although the three monsters on the opposite side of the field look strong, they are not a threat at all, because the other card remaining in Klein's hand is the same [Lightning Strike] that Hayato used before. Klein didn't have the chance to use this card before because he went first, but he can easily crush the three monsters on Hayato's field in his next turn.

Then, with the [Heavenly Treasure Card], I will draw out a large number of cards and launch a direct attack. I will definitely return the humiliation that has suppressed me to this point and bring this damned criminal to justice!

Klein remembered very clearly that the treasure stolen by the other party, the "Molde Gold Shawl," had been certified by experts as an important artifact that could deepen the understanding of British history. Even the Queen had specifically instructed that it must be well protected. As an outstanding employee of the Public Security Bureau, he was assigned to guard this treasure in the museum for a long time.

As a result, all I did was go out to buy a black pudding (a blood sausage filled with blood and oats) to have some fun, and this thief managed to steal the artifact. Are the security personnel at the museum just sitting around doing nothing?

Although the other party escaped so far, it doesn't matter. As long as I successfully capture the other party and bring back the stolen cultural relics, I will only need to write a report at most. I don't need to worry about being punished.

Klein's plan was sound, and the motorcycle accelerated under his control, trying to close the distance with Hayato. But then he suddenly saw Hayato insert a card into the duel disk. Had the battle phase ended?

"While you speak of chivalry, unfortunately, all I see in you is utilitarianism. So-called 'sacrifice' refers to voluntary dedication, not the despicable act of making others sacrifice themselves." Inserting a card into the duel disk, Hayato glanced at the vanished [X-Swordsman-Axel]. "You can see spirits too, yet you don't even try to connect with them? I haven't seen your spirit show any intention of voluntary sacrifice."

A weak voice came from Hayato's pocket: "That Anigee, we didn't really want to be sacrificed either—"

“Shut up, you little brat, don’t ruin the atmosphere.” Shoving back the [Disruptive Yellow] that had poked its head out, Hayato continued, “Besides, I never said I had chivalry, so of course I can sacrifice monsters at will.”

“However, before we continue discussing what ‘sacrifice’ means, let me tell you something, you cop over there.” The card inserted into the magic trap zone earlier activated, and a card appeared beside Hayato. Klein saw that the card depicted a lottery machine spitting out large amounts of gold coins. “That is, the ability to nullify attacks. It won’t work on me, so don’t use that kind of card against me!”

"The Quick-Play Spell Card [Double Chance] is activated. Because the attack of [ABC-Dragon Destroyer] was negated by [X-Swordsman-Galahad], it can attack again during this Battle Phase, and this attack will have its attack doubled during the Damage Step!"

"I have no idea what that card's effect is? On the contrary, I just want to see that amusing expression on your face—thinking you've found hope, only to discover that your struggles have plunged you into even deeper despair!"

To Klein's disbelief, [ABC-Dragon Destroyer], which had already attacked once, launched another attack, this time far more dangerous than before. Although the target was still [X-Swordsman-Galahad] on his field, he now had no monsters left to release and neutralize the attack!

"No, no, you can't defeat me!" Klein's face twisted in pain. "If you take that golden shawl, I'll be dismissed! I'll be stripped of my title! You can't do that!"

"I can give you money. I have a lot of savings. You stole that gold shawl to sell for money, right? I can give you a lot of money!"

"Who cares about that kind of thing!" Ignoring Klein's words, Hayato waved his hand and ordered, "The second attack of [ABC-Dragon Annihilator], despair is your end!"

Getter Robo - Flash Blast!

【ABC-Dragon Annihilator】【ATK3000→6000】

【X-Swordsman-Galahad】【ATK1800→1300】【ATK1800→1300】

"Hmph!"

The attack of [ABC-Dragon Annihilator] instantly destroyed [X-Swordsman-Galahad], who could not be rendered ineffective by freeing others from attacks. The overflowing combat damage of up to 4700 points instantly wiped out Klein's remaining meager 1500 points of basic points, and also caused him to loosen his grip due to the impact of the duel. The motorcycle flipped over sideways, and Klein fell off the vehicle and landed in the roadside grass.

Seeing that Klein was alright and had quickly gotten up after falling to the ground, Hayato did not hesitate to continue driving away on his motorcycle to prevent Klein from catching up again.

"Stop right there! Come back here!" Klein's voice, filled with impotent rage, came from behind, but it did nothing to slow Hayato down even a fraction.

Before Hayato put away his Duel Disk, the last card in his hand that he hadn't played yet, [Summoner - Aleister], peeked out and exclaimed, "Finally, you're not hiding your true nature anymore, Master? Stealing artifacts from someone else's museum and all that..."

"Heh, can you call it stealing when it comes to duelists? Besides, I didn't say I wouldn't return it. I'll return it when I'm in a better mood after I've used it." Hayato withdrew his [Summoning Exophysical Body], gripped the handlebars of his motorcycle, and started driving. Suddenly, he felt like adding a few words to the air beside him, like "Original work: Shotaro Ishinomori" or something.

"Used up?" Alai noticed something strange in Hayato's words. "Besides having some history and a fairly nice style, what else can this shawl be used for?"

"A great sage who is proficient in summoning magic that allows communication with other worlds, yet can't even sense the aura of this thing?" Hayato smiled, noticing the surprised expression on Alai's face.

Chapter 1009 Magdalene Street Station: A Literal Translation of the Name Isn't Nice

[Special item detected; limited-time side quest unlocked]

【Task Name: Return】

[Mission Description: You stole... I mean, you found an artifact supposedly four thousand years old in a broken glass case at a museum? If nobody wants it, then it's yours. But what's strange is, after you picked it up, did you hear someone calling out to it from afar? So, should you keep it and put it back in that broken glass case, or go and see what's going on?]

[Task Requirement: Determine who owns the special item "Golden Shawl" (0/1)]

[Task Reward: 1000 DP]

This was the system notification Hayato saw after picking up the Mold Gold Shawl, and it was this notification that made him change his mind. And just as described in the mission, he actually "heard" a sound when he picked up the gold shawl.

Come find me...

Although it was somewhat supernatural, Hayato did hear a voice coming from the golden shawl. If it weren't for the fact that the voice wasn't a woman's but a rather weak-sounding man's voice, he would have almost thought he was playing too much of the Zelda legend.

The reward for the mission was secondary; a mere 1000 DP could be earned in just two duels. However, the special item that could trigger the mission was rare. Hayato was quite interested in the mission and motivated to complete it. But before he could delve into the secret of the Mold Golden Shawl, he was discovered by Klein Jaeger, thus beginning this "riding duel" that appeared decades in advance.

It has to be said that playing cards really does require riding a bike. However, without the D-Wheel's autopilot system and a dedicated riding track, the dueling experience is slightly lacking. Not to mention that your opponents are too weak and win before you even have a chance to get serious.

However, although Hayato entrusts the motorcycle to his [Exophysical] while he goes off to duel and play cards, the [Exophysical] is not much different from a "Stand" in the end. It can also share vision and control the road conditions, unlike a certain Western swordsman who is blind. The motorcycle's route is determined by him.

Nearly an hour later, after his brief duel with Klein, and having driven over a hundred kilometers from London until the motorcycle Hayato had found ran out of gas, he arrived in Bristol in southwest England.

It's only 2001 now. Even with a genius like Kaiba ruling and assisting in the construction of Domino City, comprehensive surveillance is still not complete. Furthermore, due to the widespread phenomenon of public officials slacking off in Britain and even Europe, and with Hayato possessing the Quantum Cube that allows him to become invisible, no one noticed his presence when he pushed his out-of-gas motorcycle to the police station entrance and swaggered away carrying his golden shawl.

From the moment he received the golden shawl, he sensed that the person or something calling for it was in this direction. However, even after arriving in Bristol from London, he found that he was still quite far away from the being calling for the golden shawl. Although it wasn't quite at the point of needing to cross the ocean, he estimated that it was still a long way from London to Bristol.

This time, Hayato didn't just pick up a random motorcycle from the roadside; instead, he openly bought a ticket and boarded a bus departing from Bristol. He wasn't quite sure where his destination was, so he simply chose a bus whose route would roughly pass through the area he sensed.

The 376 bus departs from the Bristol bus station and passes through more than sixty stops along the way. If it feels off course, Hayato can easily get off halfway. The key is that a round-trip ticket is only three pounds, while a trip to the public toilet costs five pounds. To avoid paying for the toilet, Hayato even drove the Quantum Cube to sneak in without paying.

Time passed quickly, and it was noon. While Hayato was eating a sandwich he'd bought before setting off on the bus, Klein, whose motorcycle had been damaged in his duel with Hayato and who now had to walk back to London, finally arrived at the British Museum. However, upon arriving at the museum, which was closed due to a "terrorist attack," he learned from his colleagues in the security department of a notification from his superiors.

"The theft of the gold shawl was caused by my dereliction of duty, so you want to petition Her Majesty the Queen to remove me from my post and strip me of my title? What a joke, you bastard!" Klein said angrily to the head of the Public Security Bureau on the other end of the phone. "The security personnel of the British Museum and those police officers who cordoned off the area were all blind. Why should I bear full responsibility alone?!"

"You're saying everyone else is blind? But the reality is, neither the surveillance footage nor any other witnesses have seen any of those so-called thieves you described, those whose faces and features are unclear, but whose aura is that of a villain. Have you been reading too many novels like 'The Color of the Stars' and 'At the Mountains of Madness,' Sir Klein?"

On the phone came the voice of Klein's immediate superior, who was also the director of the Public Security Bureau. Because of Klein's outstanding performance and his long-standing attitude of not flattering others or taking credit, and his lack of tact, he had long been wary of this "excellent employee" who had been awarded by the Queen. He had been thinking of making things difficult for him, but had never had the opportunity.

But now, the opportunity has arrived. Important artifacts were looted right under Klein's nose, and he failed to recover them. Could there be a better opportunity? With such a dereliction of duty, he will never again be a threat to Klein's position as director.

MI6 is responsible for international and royal matters, while the Metropolitan Police, like other police departments, can only handle civilian matters. The Public Security Administration, as an organization in between, has considerable power.

"No witnesses? Impossible! I saw him walk out of the museum in front of hundreds of people. And before looting the gold shawl, he destroyed other artifacts, triggering the alarm. It's impossible that no one noticed him!"

"But that's the truth, nobody saw the other person."

As mentioned above, the Public Security Bureau wields considerable power. Upon learning that security personnel had been injured due to the thief's actions, the chief immediately went to verify whether they knew the thief's identity or appearance. Simultaneously, he used his power and influence to silence them, all to shift the blame onto Klein, the guy he disliked the most, and to suppress him as much as possible.

"All everyone saw was that our Sir Klein, without anyone changing his post, left his position guarding the precious artifacts and went to queue for breakfast a block away. He disappeared from his post for nearly half an hour and even stole two police motorcycles to escape from the museum under the pretext of arresting an unseen criminal, as if he was in a hurry to take away the artifacts that he had been guarding."

"I only borrowed one motorcycle; the other one was taken by that thief! And if I wanted to steal cultural relics, I wouldn't have made such a commotion and been discovered by others!" Klein argued, never expecting that he had left to catch up with the thief, so why was he suddenly suspected of stealing cultural relics?

On the phone, the director's tone suddenly softened: "Of course, Klein, I have great faith in you. After all, you are one of the best members of our Public Security Bureau. You have helped us solve countless difficult cases over the years. You were even commended by the Queen, weren't you? If you were a thief, wouldn't that be slapping Her Majesty the Queen in the face?"

“But that won’t work. I can’t trust you. You need to produce evidence. Ideally, you should personally lead the team to arrest the thief. Only then can you clear your name.” The chief coaxed patiently. “Don’t worry, I will do my best to assist you. This is not only for your innocence, but also for the honor of our British Empire. I can authorize you to use all the resources of the Public Security Bureau.”

Hearing the chief's words, Klein, who had thought this old bastard who should have been targeting him all along, easily believed that the other party trusted him. However, before he could say anything out of gratitude, he heard the chief say again: "But Klein, I need a guarantee that you can absolutely bring back the thieves and the stolen artifacts. Otherwise, I can't explain to the Queen. Are we supposed to be like those useless doctors in the emergency room, telling the Queen 'We did our best'?"

“No, we absolutely cannot!” Klein exclaimed, his loyalty to Her Majesty the Queen absolute. “I assure you and Her Majesty that I will never betray the trust placed in me, and I will absolutely bring that damned thief back!”

After hanging up the phone, the director revealed a contemptuous smile: "Idiot, you actually accepted my 'help'? I'm not the only one in the department who is dissatisfied with you. Nobody likes you, this harsh guy, not to mention that you're just a lowly commoner with only an elementary school education and a background in the circus."

"What good is ability? In this world, status and background matter. This little punk is just waiting to be crushed by me."

"If you can catch the thief while everyone else is holding you back, then you're really something. After all, with you as a guarantor, no one else will lift a finger, and they won't be blamed. But even if you do bring back the golden shawl, with my eyes and ears around, can't I still 'arrest the traitor and his accomplices' in time? Hmph..."

Hayato, sitting on the bus, was unaware of the commotion his act of taking the golden shawl had caused, but even if he had, he wouldn't have cared too much. After sitting on the bus for more than an hour, he arrived at a station with a rather interesting name, "Magdalene Street," which sounded better than the more accurate translation, or perhaps the more accurate, transliteration, of the station.

“Master, I feel very close. The aura that resonates with this shawl should be very close.” [Summoner - Aleister] appeared beside Hayato and sat in the empty seat next to him.

"But it's strange, isn't it? The artifact was unearthed in Wales, so why does it evoke a sense of aura in England?"

"Who knows, maybe there's academic fraud involved?" Hayato said nonchalantly. "Besides, the Ruyi Jingu Bang (the magic staff) was left behind by Yu the Great, so it still listens to Sun Wukong more."

“That’s true.” Alai nodded, and waited with Hayato for the vehicle to arrive at the station before getting up and getting off.

It's the joyous Easter holiday, and the three-week break is practically equivalent to Chinese New Year for British students, with many children being taken by their parents to the seaside or neighboring countries. However, Glastonbury, the little-known village where Magdalene Street Station is located, is clearly not a suitable place for children.

On the bus Hayato was on, only two people got off at this stop. The other person besides Hayato was a guy with blonde hair, who was quite tall compared to the others. He was only half a head shorter than Hayato, who was 1.95 meters tall. Moreover, the fact that he wasn't carrying an umbrella made it clear that he was definitely a foreigner.

"Wow—"

Sure enough, as soon as they got off the car, the weather, which was not exactly sunny but at least cloudy, suddenly changed and a light but continuous drizzle began to fall. The damp air made people feel uncomfortable, even though Hayato had anticipated this weather characteristic of Britain and had opened his umbrella in time.

The blond foreigner who hadn't brought an umbrella could only frantically cover his head with his hands, looking for a place to shelter from the rain without any regard for his image. His exquisitely made white trench coat was about to get soaked.

Hayato thought for a moment and then said in English, "Sir over there, if you don't mind, please share an umbrella with me."

"Grazie-assai!" Since there was no one else around the station, the blond man, knowing Hayato was speaking to him, was overjoyed and instinctively thanked Hayato in his native language, then came under the umbrella Hayato had opened. "I mean, thank you so much for your help, na no ne~"

Italian, and judging from the language, it seems to be from Sicily? Hayato, who knew a little about Italian, thought to himself, and extended the umbrella a little further, but not too much. He wasn't about to pretend to be a gentleman and get himself wet for a man; it would be more like it was Isis.

"I even specifically chose a day with decent weather so I could visit those ruins, but then it suddenly started raining! What an annoying country!"

After taking shelter under Hayato's umbrella, the blond man lowered his hand from his head and gave Hayato what he thought was a warm smile. "Thanks to your help, sir, otherwise I would have been soaked to the bone and looked so pathetic."

However, upon seeing the other person's face clearly, Hayato was startled and exclaimed, "What's up? [Pot of Greed]!?"

Chapter 1010 The Man with "D" in His Name

"What's up! The Pot of Greed!?"

Upon seeing the blond Italian's face, Hayato instinctively exclaimed in surprise.

"Pot of Greed? Did someone just throw Duel Monster cards around like that?" Hearing Hayato's words, the blond Italian looked around but didn't see the Pot of Greed card Hayato was talking about. He didn't realize that Hayato had been looking at his face when he called out "Pot of Greed."

It was because of its actions that Hayato came to his senses and realized that the other party was not a card from the [Pot of Greed] that had come to life, but simply looked like that. He replied perfunctorily, "No, just a mouse ran by, I was mistaken."

Although he didn't quite understand why Hayato would mistake a rat for the "Pot of Greed," the blond Italian man, considering that some people might even mistake a rat for a duck, didn't pay much attention to Hayato's words. Instead, he said enthusiastically, "So you also like Duel Monsters, sir? What a coincidence! I love Duel Monsters too!"

"I once heard someone say, 'When eyes meet, it's the signal for a duel.' How about we—"

"I have no problem with that, because I have an umbrella, but do you want to fight while getting soaked to the bone?" Hayato interrupted the man in front of him, and then pretended to put away his umbrella.

"No, no, please pretend I didn't say that." The blond man realized that it was indeed not the right time and apologized. He looked around and pointed to the distance, saying, "This kind of weather is really not suitable for outdoor activities. Please take me to the hotel over there. Thank you very much for your help."