Duels should be played with a smile.

"The crystal mechanism has been sealed?"

"Yes, I came back to tell you this... It's somewhere in the Synchro Dimension, but I can't sense the exact location yet."

Plans can never keep up with changes, and that's what Leyou is thinking now.

It's possible that the location of Zhenglong is similar to that of the Magic Academy, both situated outside the city, and that the locations of the city, the Magic Academy, and Zhenglong roughly form an equilateral triangle.

Therefore, it takes some time to drive there from the city in a D-class vehicle.

As soon as they got on the D-wheel and hadn't even left the upper city, Leyou felt a blur before his eyes, and then Ella appeared in front of them, stopping them and telling them a piece of information that was even more crucial than the existence of the Dragon Conqueror.

"Without knowing the exact location, this information isn't very valuable," Leyou said, rubbing his chin, feeling somewhat overwhelmed.

When there's nothing to do, there's nothing to do at all. But when things start to happen, they pile up one after another. This is the situation that slackers hate the most. There's simply no chance to slack off!

"Why don't you ask Philvo? She should have some information," Ella suggested when she saw Leyou deep in thought.

"Oh right! I also have the amazing Doraemon... Wait, I haven't been in touch with her much lately?"

The Snow Woman appeared out of nowhere and tried to contact Philvo before Leyou could act, only to find that Philvo did not respond.

"Oh no, we're doomed." The Snow Woman spread her hands and floated onto Ella, hanging there listlessly, pouting as she looked at Leyou.

After trying to contact Philvo himself, Leyou found that the result was the same as that of the Snow Woman, and he felt extremely frustrated.

Misfortunes never come singly, and this is a perfect example of how good fortune never comes in pairs.

Overwhelmed by the aroma of dog food and the oppressive atmosphere, Crowe couldn't help but speak up, "Um... how about we stick to the original plan for now? Is there anything else we can do?"

Gui Liu chimed in at the opportune moment, "Kro is right. Let's go find the reinforcements you mentioned first. With more manpower, it will be easier to do things."

He's immune to scenes of public displays of affection, but he doesn't really like wasting time on them.

For example, right now, he's holding the blank card he received earlier, examining it closely.

The image of that rather free-spirited woman kept echoing in his mind. Although she was an enemy, Gui Liu had to admit that the woman named Octoris had a very remarkable temperament.

Distracted for a moment, he inadvertently glanced at Crona's gaze as she looked at Leyou, a look that was a mixture of jealousy and envy. Suddenly, a thought popped into his mind—if the one Crona was dueling with wasn't the old man he mentioned, but the woman he had met, wouldn't some interesting things happen?

Gui Liu, who always appears expressionless and indifferent, actually hides a restless heart beneath his cold exterior—otherwise, why would he have pursued satisfaction in the past?

“That makes sense…” Leyou’s words interrupted Guiliu’s reverie. “Then let’s proceed as planned. Ella, are you going back or…?”

Ella didn't answer, but the snow woman who had been clinging to her suddenly lost her "support" and almost fell to the ground.

Like the Snow Maiden, Ella also transformed into an elf form. After shrinking her size, she quietly sat on Leyou's shoulder.

Seeing this, the Snow Woman also pouted, shrugged, shrank in size, and floated to Leyou's other shoulder.

"This... ah... never mind, whatever makes you happy."

Leyou glanced at Kro out of the corner of her eye and felt even more out of place.

Ah, these are probably the kinds of troubles successful people face.

The D round starts again, but this time, there are 2 more people accompanying the team, and similarly, the team's morale is probably down by 2.

……

"Found you..."

A somewhat gaunt man, carrying a sickle, blocked Asuka's path.

Wearing a black mask, he had long, pale hair, and his face was mostly covered, revealing only a pair of somewhat lifeless eyes.

"you..."

"------"

Asuka had barely finished speaking when a jarring noise erupted around her, interrupting her from the rest of her words.

Looking at the man before her with some suspicion and uncertainty, Asuka was both puzzled and secretly on high alert.

Her words were drowned out by the noise. Asuka waited for a while, and after realizing that the guy who had stopped her had no intention of speaking, she calmed herself down, looked around, and prepared to ask again.

"You are..."

"------"

Just like before, the moment Asuka opened her mouth, countless noises drowned out her words.

The mask completely concealed the man's expression, and she couldn't discern his thoughts.

All she saw was him silently transforming the long, slender, and somewhat menacing scythe in his hand into a duel disk.

"I..."

"------"

The noise started again.

Asuka gave up trying.

She also raised her duel disk, her lips pressed tightly together, silently gazing at the opponent who had suddenly appeared.

'Duel!'

With a silent command, both of their duel disks flashed with light, and the duel arena instantly opened.

Without a word, a silent duel began.

When words fail to convey ideas, duels become the only means of communication.

Chapter Forty-Four: The Dragon's Embrace

"Let me help?"

"Correct."

"..."

When two people who are not talkative get together, it's common for them to kill the conversation in just a few words.

For example, right now, if it weren't for Carly trying to ease the tension, the atmosphere between Jack and PlayMaker would be enough to freeze a bottle of Coke into an iced cola.

Jack has always been straightforward and direct in his work. After contacting PlayMaker, he explained everything he could to them in one go and then waited for PlayMaker's response.

As a result, after waiting for a long time, PlayMaker did not give a reply. Jack, who was a little impatient, simply took Carly and came to PlayMaker's villa. Due to some unexpected circumstances, PlayMaker, who was originally planning to slip away, was unable to leave in time and was caught by Jack.

“I probably won’t have the time right now,” PlayMaker said expressionlessly. “I’ll contact you if I have time later, but there’s nothing I can do for you in the short term.”

PlayMaker, a man who has weathered many storms, could easily find out most of what Jack was talking about with a little research. Knowing the current situation, the inherently kind-hearted PlayMaker didn't mind lending a hand, except... women are far more troublesome than saving the world.

It was clear that PlayMaker was quite determined, and Jack wasn't the type to be persistent. He immediately called Carly, who still wanted to say something, and prepared to leave.

Then--

"What else could you possibly have to do? The busiest PlayMaker in the world?"

Even from a distance, not to mention Carly, even Jack, who often loses his emotional intelligence, could hear the resentment in her words.

Jack glanced discreetly at Carly beside him, then stopped in his tracks as he was about to leave, looking towards the door.

A brown-haired woman I'd never seen before, but who looked somewhat familiar...and who possessed a mixture of high school-age naiveté and adult maturity.

Perhaps because having fun is contagious, Jack felt a desire to see a good show, so he pretended to be pulled away by Carly and stopped by the door.

A few seconds later, he saw PlayMaker come out.

Unlike when he spoke to her with a blank expression before, PlayMaker's expression was now exceptionally interesting.

Three parts surprise, three parts embarrassment, and the remaining four parts mixed feelings—it's exactly the same as the pie chart of Pearl Tears, Shining, and Others.

PlayMaker spoke up, not even bothering with Jack who hadn't left yet.

"You've come now?"

"Otherwise what?" The brown-haired woman looked at Jack with some surprise, then turned back, put her hands on her hips, and glared at PlayMaker.

"If I don't come sooner, I don't know when I'll be able to find you again."

"Don't try to make excuses. I know your personality very well... Some things can't be avoided. I remember you were the one who said that to me."

PlayMaker opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end could only shake his head helplessly and give a wry smile: "Since you've put it that way... come in, let's talk about it inside."

Leading the brown-haired woman into the villa, PlayMaker paused for a moment, then waved to Jack as well, saying, "We can probably renegotiate things now."

Seeing that PlayMaker changed his attitude so quickly, Jack suddenly felt a sense of irritation.

When he saw Carly beside him and the woman next to PlayMaker, he suddenly had another epiphany.

So, it seems we're all in the same boat? Perhaps... fellow sufferers in the same boat?

Under Carly's bewildered gaze, Jack suddenly sighed like a lifeless old man.

As expected, women will only be an obstacle if you want to become number one in the world!

But it's not so bad... at least, he's better than Kroos?

……

Riding his D-wheel across the wilderness, Crowe suddenly sneezed for no apparent reason.

"Hmm? Could it be that the girl I met on my way home a few days ago is thinking about me?"

“Um—” Leyou’s voice interrupted Kro’s reverie.

"While I don't know what you're thinking, I need to remind you that we're almost at our destination. I suggest you check your decks first..."

"This might be a tense and exciting multiplayer duel, so it's best to be mentally prepared in advance."

Even from a distance, Leyou had already vaguely sensed something. He gazed at the distant mountain peaks, and if nothing unexpected happened, that was probably where Zhenglong was located.

If you were to ask what impression Leyou had of Zhenglong, besides its overwhelming power that surpassed its time, another key point would be its "tenacity".

From its initial invincible status at its peak to its rivalry with divine judgment, the legend of the Dragon Conqueror has always been intertwined with divine judgment.

However... after the glory of divine judgment was gone, the Dragon Conqueror, who had also suffered a severe blow, found another way to return to the battlefield despite all the suppression.

Perhaps it no longer possesses its former invincible prowess, but it is still incredibly glamorous.

Unfortunately, those who stick their neck out are always the first to be targeted and shot.

Just as the Dragon Conqueror, who had returned with the power of the Dragon's Blood, did not enjoy his glory for long before being ruthlessly suppressed once again.

Dragon is tenacious. It has been suppressed many times and returned many times. Even when it is covered in wounds or "missing limbs", Dragon can always return time and time again thanks to the infinite wisdom of its duelists.