Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

"It's nothing. I'm also planning to go to the hotel for a while, since it doesn't seem like the rain is going to stop anytime soon."

Hayato shook his head, held up his umbrella, and led the blond Italian to a hotel not too far from the station. The three-story building had a very weathered facade, looking at least four or five hundred years old, and could almost be preserved as an ancient building. The sign in front of the entrance read "George-Hotel-and-PilGrims'Inn".

Although it looks quite old from the outside, once you step inside the hotel, you'll find it's quite clean and tidy. It doesn't have the dilapidated look you might expect, with plants growing everywhere and leaks all over the place. The hotel staff at the front desk are also very welcoming, and as the sign says, in addition to the hotel, there's a bar that serves a variety of drinks.

Although they hadn't booked rooms in advance, there were still plenty of rooms available because there weren't many tourists visiting Glastonbury. The sudden rain had disrupted the plans of many tourists who had booked rooms and were on their way to Glastonbury. Unable to arrive on time, they were calling the hotel front desk to inform them to avoid being charged service fees. But this had nothing to do with Hayato and the blond Italian who came with him; they each booked an available room to take shelter from the rain that night.

"Oh my god~ Thank goodness you helped, otherwise I might have been turned into a loaf of bread in creamy mushroom soup by now~"

After checking in, the blond Italian didn't rush to his room. Looking at the other tourists who, like him, hadn't considered the British weather and had forgotten to bring umbrellas, and who were still soaked to the bone even after running into the hotel, he took the key and check-in certificate from the receptionist, indicated that he would go to his room on his own since he had no luggage, and then went over to Hayato to thank him again.

The front desk staff were happy to accept this arrangement. Although they could earn tips for helping with luggage and guiding guests to their rooms, the sudden downpour kept them very busy. They could only earn tips after completing their duties.

"Grazie-di-cuore means 'thank you sincerely' in Italian. This is the only piece of clothing I brought to England. I don't know what I'll do if it gets wet again~"

"Di niente." Hearing the other person speak Italian, Hayato politely replied in Italian, "It's nothing," then asked, somewhat puzzled, "Does 'only one left' mean?"

"That's exactly what I mean. I specifically brought three or four sets of clothes to change into, but they all got soaked by this sudden rain in England. It's so annoying!" the blond Italian complained rather discontentedly, while Hayato looked at him with a helpless expression.

He thought this was the first rain the other guy had encountered since arriving in England, but it turns out this is the third? How forgetful is this idiot? But it fits Hayato's impression of him; after all, the other guy is the kind of person who sticks to what he knows and does it single-mindedly, and no one can influence him.

“Oh, sir, your Italian pronunciation is very standard. You look somewhat Egyptian, and also somewhat Asian. Ah, speaking of which, it’s really rude of me to still call you ‘sir’ after all this time and not even tell you my name.”

The blond Italian man straightened his collar and cuffs, and solemnly declared, "My name is Chronos, Chronos de' Medici, the famous Medici family's Nanone."

From the expression on Chronos's face, it's clear he's very proud of his family. And he certainly has reason to be proud, after all, he's the Medici family. Just as mentioning Egypt inevitably brings to mind pharaohs and pyramids, mentioning France evokes images of the Negro and the White Flag, and mentioning Italy is inextricably linked to Florence and the Renaissance.

Most people know about the Renaissance, and most know its impact on world culture. But others know that the Medici family was instrumental in shaping half of the Renaissance. It's not to say that there would have been no Italian Renaissance without the Medici family, but without them, the Renaissance would certainly not be what we see today.

The names of Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, and others are inextricably linked to Florence, the heart of the Italian Renaissance. The Medici family ruled Florence for three centuries, and the traces of the Medici family can be found behind every giant of the Renaissance.

—However, Hayato was also quite curious about the connection between the Medici family and Dartz back then, because according to Dartz, the Renaissance was also driven by Dorma, which he founded. Could it be that Lorenzo de' Medici, the biggest supporter of the Renaissance who was known as the "Luxury Man" in the Medici family, was a member of Dorma?

It's hard to say, after all, Hayato remembers that the luxurious man in history was described in the famous historical work "History of Florence" as follows: "(He) enjoyed many blessings bestowed upon him by God and the god of fate, and all his undertakings were very successful, while his enemies often suffered misfortune..." It does sound a bit like he was always supported by Dorma, so he could succeed in everything he did, and anyone who stood in his way would be unlucky.

But those old stories are probably unknown to anyone except Dartz, whom Hayato has long since scattered to the winds. Although the other Dartz at the top of the clock tower might know, Hayato has no interest in going back to that gay Dartz for the answer to such an unimportant question—both Dartz and Hayato have a rather gay vibe.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Chronos. It’s a great honor to meet a descendant of the esteemed Medici family.” After a pause, Hayato introduced himself, “My name is, Dan Rito, um, Dan Rito.”

The righteous and magnanimous Hayato Kobayashi, and the wicked Rito Dan, Hayato is somewhat aware that he is probably being watched by the Public Security Bureau. He chose to give a false name so that he would be caught doing bad things again. It is Rito Dan who committed the crime, what does it have to do with me, Hayato Kobayashi?

Hearing Hayato's enthusiastic praise, Chronos blushed slightly, scratching his short hair, and said, "Mr. Dan Rito, you're too kind. The Medici family is actually hundreds of years old. There's no need to worry about it. I'm just proud of my family's history."

"By the way, since you're also staying here, does that mean you're here to visit that monastery nearby?"

Hearing Chronos's curious question, Hayato, who wasn't familiar with the surrounding tourist attractions, glanced at a sign in the hotel. It displayed a map of the area around Glastonbury Hotel, helpful for independent travelers planning their next day's itinerary. Not far from the hotel, there was indeed an attraction called Glastonbury Abbey.

Judging from what Chronos said, it seems that he came for this reason.

“No, actually I didn’t have any specific travel plans. I just went wherever I happened to be. If you hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t even have known there was a monastery here.” Hayato confessed that his destination wasn’t there. “It sounds like that’s your destination, Mr. Chronos?”

“After all, it’s that monastery. Although Glastonbury doesn’t have many attractions, this one is one of the most worthwhile places to visit in all of Britain and even Europe.” Kronos nodded in agreement. “Personally, I’m quite interested in medieval legends, and that’s why I came to Britain specifically for that place.”

"You're not a teacher... no, it's nothing, so your current profession is a historian?" Hayato asked, remembering that the Duel Academy had only just been established, and Chronos in front of him had not yet become a professor at the academy, or even a teacher.

Chronos de' Medici, whose character design has remained consistent and unbroken, whose ace monster has an attack power of 3000 points, typical of a second male lead's ace, and who also has a three-in-one fusion advanced form, is known as the true second male lead in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. He is the blond Italian man who unexpectedly met Hayato.

Although his hairstyle wasn't the long ponytail Hayato remembered, his signature ugly face made Hayato recognize him instantly, even unconsciously uttering the cry of "Pot of Greed." The reason was simple: since Hayato arrived in this world of card players, Chronos's face was arguably the most faithful to the anime he'd ever encountered. Even in the games, Hayato only recognized him by his starfish-shaped hair; judging solely by his face, even in the games, he wouldn't have recognized him at first glance when he first arrived in this world.

But Chronos is different. If Hayato's first encounter with Chronos after arriving in this world is Chronos, it would probably take him less than a second to recognize him!

Upon hearing Hayato's words, Chronos shook his head and said, "No, it's just a hobby. I don't see it as a profession because my family is rich. But teacher, I do have some interest in it, and it doesn't matter if the income is low because my family is rich."

Hayato calmly nodded: "It's alright, I never care whether other people have money or not, because none of them have as much money as me."

A passing waiter couldn't help but glance at Hayato and Chronos, wondering what kind of drunkard was bragging here. But when he saw that they were two genuinely wealthy guys frowning and complaining about how cheap it was, and then booking the most expensive room in the hotel, he realized they were in Versailles. Oh well, never mind.

After glancing at the overview of attractions on the hotel wall, Hayato muttered to himself, "But Mr. Chronos, you seem so interested in that monastery. It looks like the rain isn't going to stop today. I'll visit the monastery tomorrow. I guess I don't need to make a reservation beforehand?"

"No need, you only need to buy a ticket to get in, right? I'll accompany you tomorrow, Mr. Dan Rito." Chronos smiled, then pulled out a deck of cards from somewhere. "But since it's raining so hard outside today, how about a duel with me, Mr. Dan Rito?"

"Besides medieval history, I also really like Duel Monsters, you know~"

Chronos's deck was well protected in a sealed box. It seems that although he stubbornly refused to bring an umbrella out in the UK because of the bad weather, he still took good care of his deck.

Hayato was naturally happy to accept the duel, and he was also quite curious about Chronos's true strength. When he watched the anime, he once thought that Chronos was just a clown who could be defeated by a newly enrolled student—although that student was a member of the legendary "Yu" family. However, his duels with the opposing "Seven Stars," the ideologically divided "Napoleon," and even Pegasus repeatedly changed his impression of Chronos. At the end of the story, Chronos even brought out a new monster that he had never used before, showing a part of his true strength.

So what level of dueling ability does Chronos possess now?

Although only Hayato carried the Duel Disk with him, while Chronos didn't specifically bring it with him, in this era where Duel Monsters is becoming increasingly popular worldwide, even in a "small village" like Glastonbury, there are places to rent Duel Disks. Chronos and Hayato, who simply bought a Duel Disk on the spot, found an open space in a hotel that was specially prepared for Duel Monsters enthusiasts and stood facing each other on either side of the space.

"Clonus de Medici challenges you to a duel." Wearing a brand-new Duel Disk and adjusting its tightness slightly, Chronus said to Hayato opposite him, "The deck I'm using is the 'Dark Medieval' deck, Nanone."

"Danrito, I accept your challenge." Hayato replied, inserting his deck into his duel disk. "These cards would be suitable for dealing with medieval monsters, wouldn't they?"

"Duel!" x2

[Kobayashi Hayato: 4000LP, 5 cards in hand]

【Kronos de Medici: 4000LP, 5 cards in hand】

Chapter 1011 Realistic Marble (Confirmed)

"Duel!" x2

[Kobayashi Hayato: 4000LP, 5 cards in hand]

【Kronos de Medici: 4000LP, 5 cards in hand】

While the performance of the Duel Disk isn't the key to winning a duel, it's still very helpful in gaining the initiative. Compared to Chronos, who was using a temporary Duel Disk, Hayato, whose Duel Disk had an automatic card ejection device, easily gained the first move by catching just five cards that popped out.

I unfolded the cards in my hand and saw a perfect hand!

“I’ll take the first turn, Mr. Chronos. My turn, draw.” Hayato draws a card and adds it to his hand, then plays a card into the Spell Trap Zone. “This epic adventure will begin with the hero being summoned from another world. I activate the Spell Card, [Rite of the Aramean Sorrow].

"You can only activate one card with this name per turn. During the turn you activate this card, you cannot activate the effects of monsters on the field other than Special Summoned monsters."

The originally dry indoor floor began to flow with water as Hayato activated his magic card, transforming into a pillar of water that rose straight to the ceiling, with colorful light flashing within it, as if it were nurturing something.

"So, normally summoned monsters can't activate their abilities? That's a huge limitation." Chronos looked at the anti-gravity water column in front of him. "But on the other hand, this card should also have some powerful effects, right?"

"Yes, just like I said, this is the beginning of an epic adventure." Hayato waved his hand and said, "【Aramaicah Ritual】can only be activated if I do not have a 【Hero Token】 on my field. Its effect is to Special Summon one 【Hero Token】 to my field, and if I do not have a 【Journey of Destiny】 on my field, I place one 【Journey of Destiny】 face-up in my Spell & Trap Zone!"

"Your body rests under my command, my destiny is bound to your sword. Emerge, piercing the wheel of restraint, guardian of the scales! [Hero's Derivative]!"

On the surface, 【Aramaicah Ritual】 is just a token that seems insignificant compared to a regular monster card, which is only used to Special Summon Hayato's field. However, as Hayato recited the summoning incantation, the water column on his field exploded violently, turning into scattered water droplets that formed an illusory rainbow. The figure that was previously shrouded in seven-colored light in the water column also landed on Hayato's field, revealing its true form.

Wearing a green undershirt over sturdy silver-white armor, with a black cloak edged with mane draped behind him, he didn't wield a weapon befitting a "hero" like a holy sword. However, judging from his tall stature and well-proportioned, non-bulky muscles, it was clear that he could easily defeat weak monsters like the [Two-Handed Elf] and the [Sapphire Dragon] even empty-handed. But dealing with a powerful monster like the little rabbit standing on a wooden stake would still be a bit of a struggle.

But what caught Chronos's attention the most wasn't the aura of the [Hero Derivative], but rather its face. If it wasn't exactly the same as the "Dan Rito" in front of him, it was at least ten or even nine parts similar!

[Hero's Derivative] [4☆/Land]

[Angel Race/Derivatives]

[2000/2000]

"Oh my god, why does the [Hero Derivative] look so much like you, Mr. Dan Rito!?"

"Um, because it's a coincidence?"

Looking at Chronos's surprised, even somewhat terrified, expression, Hayato casually replied that he couldn't very well tell Chronos that this card was created by a gay man who had lived for ten thousand years and was eyeing my male beauty, based on the scene of our encounter.

Some things are better kept secret, even if it means dying!

"But this is too much of a coincidence, isn't it?" Chronos didn't believe it was a coincidence. In Duel Monsters, if one card looks similar to another, you could understand it as the evil card printer Pegasus being lazy and slacking off. For example, [Double-Mouthed Dark Ruler] and [Double-Headed Thunder Dragon], [Lion Wizard] and [Sleeping Lion] are basically the same model with different colors.

But how could Dan Kuroto, an Earthling, resemble a Duel Monster so much? That's too much of a coincidence! Looking at Hayato and then at [Brave Derivative], Chronos muttered to himself, "They look alike, very alike."

“You can forget many things every day, why not forget this one too?” Hayato said helplessly, skipping the topic and continuing his operation. “From my deck, I place the [Journey of Destiny] face-up in the Spell & Trap Zone, and during my Main Phase, I activate the effect of the Continuous Spell Card [Journey of Destiny].

"Once per turn, add one monster card with the 'Brave Token' in its name from my Deck to my hand, then choose one card from my hand and send it to the Graveyard." Hayato caught the card retrieved from his Deck by the Duel Disk and showed it to Chronos, saying, "The monster card I'm adding to my hand is this one, 'Wandering Griffin Knight,' and then I'll choose one card from my hand and send it to the Graveyard."

"The card I sent to the graveyard is this one, [Disruption Magic]. Because it was sent from my hand to the graveyard, I activated its effect, adding one [Disruption Black], one [Disruption Green], and one [Disruption Yellow] from my deck to my hand."

"Next up is the Spell Card [Fusion], which will use the three [Disruption] monsters that just joined my hand as Fusion Materials to perform a Fusion Summon!"

Starting with a [Rite of the Messiah], Hayato's hand hadn't dwindled much in terms of cards, yet in the blink of an eye he was performing the most card-inefficient Fusion Summon, sending three low-tier monsters as Fusion Materials to the Graveyard. Watching them rise into the air under the power of [Fusion], Hayato waved his hand and said, "Even low-tier monsters have their unique uses. Descend under the power of Fusion, and then bow down before me, king of low-tier monsters!"

"Fusion Summon! [Disruptor King]!"

Beside the [Hero Token], who looks exactly like Hayato and is currently standing arrogantly with his arms crossed, the massive [Disruptor King] plopped down on the field, grinning and ingratiatingly greeting the [Hero Token], before throwing a stamp onto Chronos's field.

On the field in front of Chronos, there was a mark left by the seal of the "Disruptive King".

[Disruptor King] [6☆/Light]

[Orc/Fusion/Effect]

[0/3000]

"Hmm? What is this?" Chronos looked at the mark left by the seal dropped by the [Disruptor King] with some curiosity, unlike the others who showed contempt for the [Disruptor King]'s ugly appearance.

"The effect of 'Disruptor King' is that as long as this card is face-up on the field, you cannot target up to three of your opponent's monster zones," Hayato explained. "After all, no matter how strong a hero is, he is still just one person. To prevent the world from being destroyed, the first thing to do is to limit the number of enemies so that the hero can fight the Demon King one-on-one without any obstacles."

"I see. So, Mr. Dan Rito, the deck you're using is based on heroes and warriors. The [Hero Token] summoned from another world... So, the [Disruptor King] corresponds to the king of the kingdom, Mananone?"

Hearing Chronos's words, Hayato glanced at the [Disruptor King] on his field. Just then, the [Disruptor King] turned to look at Hayato, and seeing the gleam of its large, white teeth in its wide grin, Hayato turned away. If the [Disruptor King's] kingdom was being suppressed by the Demon King's army, and the kidnapped princess was also a [Disruptor], then if he were a hero, he wouldn't try to save such a country; he'd rather destroy it.

“Ahem, then my turn continues. Although we have the [Disruptor King] to command the army to fight against the Demon King's army and buy time for the hero to defeat the Demon King, even the hero alone will find it difficult to defeat the Demon King. We must find a partner.” Hayato drew a card from his hand and placed it face down on the field. “First, we need the summoner who will use the [Alamisaiah Ritual] to call the hero to another world.”

"Activate this if I have a [Hero Token] on my field. Special Summon [Temple Water Mage] from my hand. Come forth, the water mage who should rightfully be called 'Aqua'!"

The female mage, with her blue hair and mage robes, exuding an aura of wisdom, entered Hayato's arena, staff in hand. She exchanged a glance with the [Hero's Token], nodded as a greeting, and then turned back to Hayato, slightly annoyed. Although she didn't quite understand what "Aqua" meant, her intuition told her that Hayato's use of that term to describe her was definitely not a good thing.

【Temple Water Warrior】【3☆/Water】

[Mage Race/Effect]

[1500/1200]

Hayato, oblivious to the little mood of the [Temple's Water Warriors], was using the [Hero] deck for the first time after acquiring it and hadn't even considered the possibility that they had awakened their spirits. He continued, "Because of the effect of the [Temple's Water Warriors], the second effect of the Continuous Spell Card [Journey of Destiny] will be activated when the Hero meets their destined companion."

"This effect can only be activated when a monster is Summoned or Special Summoned. Choose one Equip Spell Card from my Deck that has the Token Name of 'Brave Token' in its name and add it to my hand, or equip it to one 'Brave Token' on my field."

Beside the [Hero's Derivative], three hazy phantoms appeared. One of them gradually became clearer, revealing the appearance of the [Temple Water Warrior] beside it, and then turned into a beam of light and fell into Hayato's hand.

"The equipment spell card I chose is this one, [Starry Butterfly]. After adding it to my hand, equip it to [Temple Waterbringer] on my field."

After placing the retrieved equipment card into the Spell & Trap Zone corresponding to [Temple's Water Warrior], Hayato had four cards remaining in his hand. A wing-like interactive effect, resembling a dazzling starry sky, appeared beside [Temple's Water Warrior] on his field, hovering like an elf from an epic adventure story.

"Hmm? The attack and defense stats haven't changed at all, huh?" Chronos glanced at the stats of [Temple's Water Warrior], which didn't change despite being equipped with [Starry Butterfly]. "So it's not an Equip Card that strengthens itself? But, in the end, [Temple's Water Warrior] is just a level 3 monster with an attack of just 1500. In fact, Mr. Dan Rito, you even Special Summoned it in Defense Position."

"Then, the deck I'm using excels at destroying monsters through battle. Even if that Equip Card has a troublesome effect, it shouldn't matter, because as long as I attack with a monster, it, as a Spell Card, can't use its effect!"

Of course, Chronos only thought the following words in his mind and did not say them out loud, but he still smiled and clearly did not take the combination of [Temple Water Warrior] and [Starry Butterfly] seriously.