Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

"Just tell me, isn't it scary to have Yugi with his back row completely covered, Kaiba who never washes his deck, and Jonouchi who starts rolling the dice?" Hayato casually replied, looking at the person who had appeared in front of him.

Wearing an ordinary blue long-sleeved shirt and a white sleeveless vest, a man with a burgundy bob pushed a small cart out of the campus, seemingly heading towards the cafeteria.

Upon seeing the other person, Professor Chronos raised an eyebrow: "I've never seen anyone like this before..."

"Besides, he doesn't look like a student..." Misawa frowned as he looked at the other person.

"Could this guy be—" Asuka said, already taking out her Duel Disk and deck to put them on.

Seeing the actions of the people following Hayato, the man with the short haircut quickly looked at Hayato and said, "Hey, explain the situation to your students and subordinates a little. You don't still like to play those tricks from a few years ago where only you know all the information while others only have a vague understanding, do you?"

Humans always seem to repeat the same mistakes...

"Then correct it, you bastard!"

Amid the man's complaints, Hayato patted the shoulders of the people around him and said, "Although it seems like a coincidence, like 'speak of the devil and he appears,' the attraction between people is just that amazing. This guy is the last 'Seven Star' I was just telling you about."

"Speaking of which, Ameruda, Kagemaru valued you so much after seeing your impressive resume, don't you want to avenge your former boss?"

The man pushing the cart was none other than Ameruda, one of the "Three Horsemen of Dorma," who chose to live a peaceful life as a cook in Egypt after the fall of Dorma, and was also the last of the "Seven Stars."

“While I have indeed made many irreparable mistakes in the past, to the point that my ‘resume’ is filled with battle records, you know better than me that ‘resume’ doesn’t mention my betrayal of Dartz, do you? Anyway, it’s not the first time, so I might as well betray Kagemaru now.” Ameruda shrugged and said casually, glancing at Hayato, “Besides, wasn’t it you who arranged for me to be in that ‘Seven Stars’ thing?”

Last year, in 2004, Egypt began large-scale liberal economic reforms, allowing the Egyptian pound to float freely, reducing income taxes, and implementing limited privatization. It seemed like a good thing, didn't it? However, because of these economic reforms, the Italian restaurant where Ameruda worked was directly overtaken by a large number of emerging local restaurants, and Ameruda's peaceful life came to an abrupt end due to unemployment.

It was around that time that Kagemaru began preparing to organize the "Seven Stars." With the guidance of Daitokuji, the first member of the "Seven Stars," Hayato used multiple channels, including the Kaiba Group and the International Illusion Society, to send information about Ameruda to Kagemaru Pharmaceuticals. In this way, the unemployed Ameruda was successfully placed into the "Seven Stars," squeezing out the original Black Scorpion Thieves' spot.

Ameruda didn't object to this, since Kagemaru never asked the Seven Stars to do anything until the "Seven Spirits Seal" incident. He simply provided them with a lot of funding to ensure they could be sent out to carry out operations at any time, and he was happy to get free money from the unemployed.

After Kagemaru began his operation, Amelda, who had Kagemaru's funds, simply did nothing. After the other "Seven Stars" arrived on the island and began their operation, he just lazed around on the island until Kagemaru was defeated.

"The final 'Seven Stars,' were arranged by Principal Hayato?" Jaden scratched his head. "I don't quite understand, but the gist is that this uncle is trustworthy, right?"

“Who’s the uncle? I’m only twenty-two years old,” Ameruda corrected, glancing at Hayato. “I’m the same age as Kobayashi Hayato.”

Hayato, seeing that Professor Chronos and the others were looking at him, nodded and said, "Although Ameruda has a criminal record, joined an evil organization, and even staged a betrayal, he is indeed trustworthy. And, given that you'll probably be seeing him for a long time, how about we start with some self-introductions?"

"A long time?" Professor Chronos asked, puzzled. He glanced at Ameruda, then at the cart beside him. Having often dealt with personnel matters within the academy, he recalled the recent job application for the cafeteria and exclaimed, "I see!"

"Honestly, there was no need to mention my 'resume' in the previous paragraph." After complaining, Amelda introduced herself to Jaden and the others, even though Professor Chronos had already guessed it. "Although I'll probably introduce myself again later, let's just get to know you guys, who are probably the students that Hayato Kobayashi values ​​the most."

"My name is Ameluda Allaster, which sounds a bit like 'Allesta,' so don't get it wrong. I don't really want to talk about my past, but I'm currently a chef, and I'll be the head chef of your academy's cafeteria soon, specializing in Western cuisine. But let me make it clear beforehand, if anyone dares to order something as disgusting as a pineapple pizza, I'll kick your ass with my boots, I swear!"

When he got excited while speaking, Ameruda even unconsciously made the five-finger gesture that is typical of Italians. Professor Chronos, who is also Italian, agreed with Ameruda after hearing his words, saying, "You are absolutely right, Mr. Ameruda!"

After hearing Ameruda's self-introduction, Misawa looked at Hayato with a puzzled expression and said, "Headmaster, although most people in the academy can accept Western food, is it really necessary to hire a separate Western chef?"

“Right now, the teachers and students on the island are fine, the restaurant is good enough. But it’s hard to say what will happen in a while.” Hayato said, picking up a few posters from the cart and handing them to Misawa and Jaden for them to read.

The poster depicts a world map, with several red dots that seem to correspond to the Duel Academy branches scattered around the world. At the very top of the poster, in a prominent position, is written the words "Duel Academy Showdown".

Chapter 1197 What do you mean by "just like that"? That's really difficult!

"Creating concepts, identifying..."

"Basic framework, explained..."

"Material composition, replication..."

"Production techniques, imitation..."

"Growing experiences, empathy..."

"Accumulated years, reappearing..."

"The entire project is complete."

As the electronic voice announced the completion of preparations, Haima casually pressed a button on the control panel in front of him, as if it were a customer pressing a call button to ask the waiter for another Pepsi.

—Don't ask why it's Pepsi, because Hayato likes it.

Looking into the life support pod filled with mysterious liquid, as other mysterious liquids were injected and the current and rays input at a specific frequency to form "code" were activated, a mutilated human skeleton appeared out of thin air in the originally empty life support pod, and was continuously filled in with flesh and blood, then nerve connections, and finally the skin was sealed.

As the hair grew, a naked human body, exactly like Daitokuji's when he was alive, was created from scratch in the life support pod in just a few minutes!

Within the golden sphere of light floating beside Hayato, the image of Daitokuji appeared, his face showing distress as he opened and closed his eyes, uttering: "Hmph, hmph, ughhhhh, ahhhhhhh!"

Hayato looked at "Daitokuji" inside the life support pod, then looked at Daitokuji beside him and said, "Is that all? So 'human transmutation' in alchemy is just artificial humans after all."

"What do you mean 'just like that'? This is really difficult!" Daitokuji pointed at the life support pod containing "his own body," "Is this some kind of machine from hell? Are you going to ruin the entire industry with this machine, meow!"

Although his physical body was damaged to the point that Daitokuji turned into a handful of yellow earth and "ascended to heaven" in front of the Judai, perhaps because his soul had been altered by transferring from his original body to the body he had created, Daitokuji's soul did not easily dissipate into the underworld or other places like a person who dies under normal circumstances. Instead, it remained in the form of this sphere of light.

When needed, it would emerge from the belly of the orange cat "Pharaoh," and when tired, it would be swallowed again. Conservatively speaking, Daitokuji could probably live for another thirty to fifty years in this state. In fact, because it was no longer in its previous functionally limited body, Daitokuji was quite active in its spirit form.

"I'm not the kind of person who hides in the deep mountains and forests to do research and ignore the outside world. I've never heard of such technology existing in the world. How could such a difficult problem as 'human transmutation' be reproduced by technological means? I must be dreaming, meow?"

Hayato, upon hearing this, spread his hands and said, "You're right. General technology has indeed not yet reached the level of achieving 'human transmutation' in alchemy. However, there are two kinds of technology in the world: one is the technology of the Kaiba Corporation, and the other is technology outside of the Kaiba Corporation."

"It sounds like you're flattering me? Your praise is quite rare, but I'll accept it, because it's the truth. Kaiba Corporation's science and technology are the best in the world!" Kaiba accepted Hayato's words without hesitation. What sounded like boasting to others sounded so natural to him.

Glancing at Daitoku-ji Temple, Kaiba, sitting in the chair in front of the control panel, said disdainfully, "So what are you going to call that thing next to you again, 'soul'? It's just a miniaturized projection system with some simple anti-gravity devices and a light-emitting system. I've told you before, everything in the world is scientific; there's no such thing as some kind of messy supernatural stuff."

"Take the so-called 'alchemy' you mentioned, for example. It's just ancient people using their accidental scientific knowledge to play tricks. Even something like 'human transmutation' is something I can easily accomplish in a day or two. All I need are some basic composite materials and to convert specific data into electric current and ray injection to easily create any human body I need."

"Excluding the reusable culture baskets, the materials used in their production, and the energy consumed, the total cost is less than 180,000 yen."

"It sounds like there's still a lot of room for improvement. The cost of creating a female Omega was only around 180,000 yen." Hayato paused, then looked at Kaiba and said, "So, Seth, now that you've developed this human creation technology, how do you plan to use it?"

"Don't ask such obvious questions, Hayato Kobayashi." Kaiba said calmly, arms crossed. "Of course, I won't do anything. This kind of technology has never been something I need. At most, it's just a pastime to pass the time. The research process is its greatest value."

"If we modify and release this set of parts, it will be far more effective than the life support capsules sold by Shadow Maru Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturing cost will be much lower, and the lifespan will be much longer. Since Shadow Maru Pharmaceuticals has been acquired, we can use it as the first new product after it is renamed 'Hippocampus Pharmaceuticals'."

"Is that all? They just gave up on 'human transmutation' like that?" Daitokuji looked at Kaiba in surprise and complained, "They discarded the 'human transmutation' technology that Kagemaru had been longing for like a used tissue, and then used Kagemaru Pharmaceuticals, which they acquired after his death, to release new products. It's like killing someone's spirit."

“For Kagemaru, this is indeed an incredible miracle, but unfortunately for Seth, it’s just a pastime.” Hayato chuckled and patted Kaiba on the shoulder. “Compared to ordinary people who can only focus on the present and geniuses who are decades ahead of modern technology, he’s thinking about things a thousand years from now.”

"I'm not that idle, but the Kaiba Corporation's technology is still five hundred years ahead of its time." Kaiba turned his head to look at Hayato. "And it's not just scientific research; I want to be 'No. 1' in every field. Hmph, that includes Duel Monsters, Kobayashi Hayato!"

"Then you should win the game first. I heard that he recently made a new deck for himself based on the deck he used before. Don't let this add another record to your record of never beating him."

"Nonsense! It should be a draw between me and the game. Where did you learn your math?"

"Aren't you the same teacher as someone who didn't even finish high school? Compared to that, Jonouchi is almost getting married. Why don't you become 'No. 1' in the field of marriage? Are you still waiting for your 'Blue Eyes' to turn into a white dragon girl?"

"Hmph, women only slow down the duelist's card-drawing speed. Let that mediocre guy drown in comfort while embracing a woman."

One is the strongest in the Duel Monsters world, and the other is the top leader of the thriving Kaiba Corporation. These two men in their twenties are acting like schoolchildren in this room with only the two of them and a demon, digging up each other's past and dredging up old grievances. Daitokuji watches them and sighs, "Is this what youth is...?"

Seeing the floating Daitoku-ji Temple, Hayato, who had been arguing with Kaiba for a while, looked at him and teased, "So, Mr. 'Anti-Gravity Projector,' since Kaiba can create a body for you to use anyway, why don't you get another one? Having a real body should be much better than just a soul, right?"

Hearing Hayato say that, it would be a lie to say that Daitokuji didn't want to continue living as a human being; it's a biological survival instinct. In his soul state, he could see colors but couldn't feel awe; he could touch things but couldn't feel warmth or cold; he could hear sounds but couldn't empathize with the emotions in those sounds.

This is the biggest flaw and deficiency of a soul: without entering the underworld and without a physical body, it is destined that he no longer belongs to the human world and no longer has a human identity.

However, Daitokuji refused without hesitation: "No, I have lived long enough as a human, and even extended my life in an inhuman way. I have done enough of 'living.' Besides, I have no regrets about what I want to achieve. I have even found someone to entrust alchemy to. Even if I just become a Buddha, I will be content."

"You're really easygoing," Hayato said, shrugging. "In that case, I won't save you."

"Huh? What do you mean by 'save me'?" Tilting his head in confusion, Daitokuji followed Hayato's gaze to behind him, only to see the Pharaoh's back arched, looking as if he were about to pounce on his prey. Even as a mere spirit, Daitokuji's face turned pale instantly, and he frantically waved his hands, saying, "Wait, wait a minute, Pharaoh, you wouldn't be going to—"

"Meow!"

With a powerful pounce, the orange cat Pharaoh leaped forward and precisely bit the orb of light emanating from Daitokuji's main body, easily swallowing it back into its belly. Although it didn't really feel like it had eaten anything, it would never let what it had already consumed fly away!

After letting out a burp that was barely audible, Pharaoh landed on the ground and slowly strolled to Hayato's feet, affectionately rubbing against his trouser leg. Hayato rubbed its incredibly soft cat head and watched it run off to play elsewhere.

“Daitokuji is dead again, what an inhuman person.” Hayato said to Kaiba in a perfunctory tone, “But Seth, you specially brought your newly concocted toy to the island and even called me to a place like this, just to show me that you’ve solved the ‘problem’ of ‘alchemy’?”

"Do you think I'm such a boring person? Humph." With a cold snort, Haima pressed a few more buttons on the control panel in front of him. The life support pod containing the artificial body was transported away by a conveyor belt and replaced by several oval-shaped devices that looked like massage chairs.

"Sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste—all five senses are immersed in the virtual world and then simulated by electronic data to create a completely new world. Remember the 'Duel Link' world I showed you a few years ago? I've completed it, and all you need to do is use this next-generation gaming device to log in."

I named it—

Before Kaiba could finish speaking, Hayato couldn't help but retort, "Isn't this just like the 'Cocoon' from the Conan movie set?"

"I don't understand what you're saying. This is clearly the 'Legendary White Stone' virtual game pod that I invented," Kaiba said, somewhat annoyed, looking at Hayato who had interrupted him.

“Right, right, it’s your original idea again. You even invented the ‘Dragon Wheel’.” Hayato looked at the egg-shaped game pod in front of him. “But wait a minute, I remember the landing device you let me try before was tiny. It wasn’t this big and bulky. Couldn’t you have made a landing device the size of a helmet?”

"So you have to quit before you can even finish a duel because of battery life issues? Or are you going to enter the game with a scorching hot helmet and not even realize you've been burned?" Kaiba raised an eyebrow, unable to understand Hayato's thinking. "The experimental model I used to give you was the top-of-the-line one, which of course could be miniaturized, but how can we continue to use that configuration for mass production? Stop reading those boring science fiction stories."

"Your virtual projection system isn't exactly scientifically advanced, is it?" Hayato retorted, glancing at the game pod named "The Legendary White Stone." "I think I know what you're thinking. You wouldn't happen to be—"

“Every year during the Duel Academy’s exchange tournament, the world’s attention will be drawn to it, because people from all over the world want to see if the student representatives sent by their region’s Duel Academy can perform well.” Kaiba crossed his arms and smiled. “Although the Kaiba Group doesn’t lack money for publicity, I’ve never been one to waste it.”

(Kuihei: You'd better really be.)

"For this year's Duel Academy Tournament, the earlier stages are fine and can proceed as usual, but for the finals, I plan to add something new and move the battlefield to the virtual world."

"Not only the contestants, but also all the audience members present."

Accompanied by the sound of a seahorse, the darkness surrounding the "Legendary White Stone" game pod was dispelled by the lights that came on, and under the lights that lit up one by one, one game pod after another appeared before Hayato's eyes!

"A new generation of Duel Monster battles, breaking through the limitations of physical perception and involving all five senses instead of just sight and sound, will descend upon 'Cocoon'... after being released by 'Legendary White Stone' and connected to the 'Duel Link' system!"

"You just said 'cocoon,' didn't you! You let it slip!"

Pretending not to hear Hayato's complaint, Kaiba changed the subject, saying, "Speaking of which, I heard that the best performer in the battle against the 'Seven Stars' brought by Kagemaru was a student from the Osiris-Red dormitory. Hmph, as the founder of the Duel Academy, I think it's necessary to test whether there's a problem with the student classification system, or whether that student is just another mediocre talent who got that result by luck."

"Come on, you asked me for Jaden's information before. If you want revenge for what happened four years ago, just say so." Hayato said, but directly told Kaiba where Jaden was, because he was also very interested in seeing what kind of duel Jaden and Kaiba would have.

"After finishing what Kagemaru did yesterday, I arranged a school-wide party to divert the students' attention. And today is a holiday, so there are no classes, which is perfect for the students to rest," Hayato said meaningfully. "Quite 'coincidentally,' I happened to have a bunch of extra hot spring experience vouchers that were only valid for today, so I gave them to the ones guarding the 'Seven Essence Seals' key."

"Jūdai and the others are probably soaking in a hot spring to relieve their fatigue right now, right?" Hayato said with a smile, looking at Kaiba, who had just been saying "believe in science" and was now wearing a helmet in the style of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon right in front of him.

Chapter 1198 Taking a bath and then encountering the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!?

"Gurgle gurgle gurgle..."

"Buga!"

Marufuji Sho stood up from the hot spring water, taking deep breaths of fresh air to relieve the discomfort from the lack of oxygen. After Marufuji Sho got up, Judai also raised his head from the water, laughing triumphantly, "Hahaha, I won again, Sho!"

"Jaden won again, five to zero." Maeda, who was keeping score for the two, said with a towel on his head, "First it was best two out of three, then best three out of five, best four out of seven, best five out of nine. Sho, you should accept the reality that you can't beat Jaden by now, right?"

“From the very beginning, it was a mistake to challenge my older brother to a breath-holding contest.” Marufuji Sho, having recovered, sighed somewhat unwillingly and looked at Judai with frustration. “I originally thought that since my older brother was so tired yesterday, he might not be in good form today.”

"Hahaha, that's why they're called heroes, right?" Judai said smugly, hands on his hips. "Look at Manjoume, he woke up feeling incredibly refreshed after just one nap."

Behind him, on the shore, unlike Judai and the others who were fully immersed in the hot spring, Manjoume was sitting on a rock with her toes dipped in the water, her posture quite girlish. Hearing Judai's words, she couldn't help but say, "Didn't you, you bastard, come to my room early this morning and drag me here with the excuse that 'soaking in hot springs is good for recovery'? That's fine, but what's most infuriating is that you actually said something like 'Manjoume is also not asleep'? I was woken up by you!"

"Hahaha, don't worry about the details, Manjoume~"