After Seto Kaiba finished his business, he quickly got busy with his own matters. Yugen continued to follow Keihei to the Kaiba Company branch.
By the time they left, he was carrying a large box full of cards.
Yugen thought that even if he couldn't use them, it wouldn't be a bad idea to carry them back and sell them.
After a careful selection, Yugen categorized the final batch of cards into three types.
The first type consisted of generic cards that he estimated to still be valuable in this environment, though there weren't any rare ones. The ones with a slightly higher market price were similar to the Holy Defense Magic Tube.
The second type seemed to have no general value at first glance but could remind him of specific combos, special card decks, or scenarios where they might be useful. Some cards might seem clunky most of the time, but once he mastered the art of the Divine Draw, these cards could precisely solve situations that general cards couldn't.
The third type was useless on its own but purely expensive, much like many cards in his original deck when he first crossed over.
Not long after he arrived, he sold those high-priced but useless Mortal Bones from his original deck, which became his startup capital by combining the proceeds from them and the pre-Moonlight Cup tournament dojo subsidies. It fetched a good price. So now he's naturally sticking to this strategy, picking expensive ones without seeing any he needs, selling them for money, and then buying the ones he needs later if he has the chance.
Overall, this trip was quite fruitful, with a few standout cards that immediately caught his eye.
[Blood Compensation, Continuous Trap Card.
Effect: Pay 500 Life Points to Normal Summon a monster. This effect can be activated during the main phase of your turn or the battle phase of your opponent's turn.]
No need to say more; it's an eternal forbidden card. It's well-known in the Yu-Gi-Oh! field that any card that can "sit in prison" for eternity is akin to a ceremonial accolade, and each card that can sit in the "little black room" for years is a master in its own right.
However, this card officially went to jail in 2014. In the GX era, it wasn't forbidden in the physical card realm, making it a classic case of a seemingly simple and direct effect being more and more outrageously powerful as the environment evolves.
[Executioner Demon Asura, Level 4, Attack Power 1600
Effect: On the turn this card is sent to the graveyard, the holder can activate trap cards from their hand.]
This was originally a supreme forbidden card locked away for years in reality. Its effect was only unbanned after being neutered years later. Its power speaks for itself, and its years in the "little black room" is the most illustrious part of its resume.
[Lava Demon God, Level 8, Attack Power 3000
Effect: Cannot be Normal Summoned, but can be Special Summoned to the opponent's field by tributing two monsters on their side. During the turn this effect is used, the user cannot Normal Summon. Moreover, the holder takes 1000 damage each turn.]
No need to say more; ever since it first appeared in the classic anime in the hands of six-year-old Malik, it became the pioneer of the tribute-summoning archetype. Though it doesn't have as glorious a "little black room" resume as the previous two, it still occasionally appears in the modern Yu-Gi-Oh! environment, even being eaten up by the Divine City without exception.
Especially when, after the opponent rambles on for three minutes, managing to summon two highly resistant bosses, and then on your turn, the Lava Demon God swallows them whole, the opponent's expression can keep the Underworld People kimoji (happy) for an entire week.
It's a card that can bring immense joy.
Reveling in the joy of a bountiful harvest, Yugen contentedly exited with his box. However, just before leaving, Keihei had a peculiar expression on his face.
"Is it just my imagination? You seem to really like Malik's cards..."
Yugen pondered.
He hadn't noticed it himself, but with such a reminder from Keihei, it seemed true.
What to say...
As expected of the sunny Malik, his foresight is advanced... no, it should be said that including his sister and his servant Lixid, everyone in the Tomb Guardian trio is no ordinary person.
A bunch of old-school dark arts all originated from their family, a tradition from the Tomb Guardian lineage.
This suddenly gave Yugen another thought.
Mr. Malikma's family fulfilled their mission to send the Pharaoh back to the Netherworld by the end of DM and then retired, never to be seen again. But if they hadn't given up on dueling over the years, who knows what the Underworld trio would have become eight years later.
If there were a chance to pay them a visit in the future, to exchange the latest dark techniques, or even to get a rare out-of-print card from them, that would be perfect.
But for now, it's just a thought. The Tomb Guardian race has vanished, and who knows where they are now.
Additionally, Yugen was very interested in the new Duel Disc model unveiled by the president today and also asked Keihei if he had one.
Unfortunately, it seems to be a non-sale model.
It appears it's classified as a "weapon system," so there's no way it can be casually obtained.
Yugen thought about it and found it reasonable. If everyone could buy a Duel Disc that directly summons physical monsters to attack people, traditional firearms and ammunition would instantly become obsolete.
"However, the latest Duel Disc model is available, though it's also not officially on sale yet," Keihei smiled. "Of course, it doesn't have the weapon system either."
Thus, Yugen happily received a new Duel Disc.
Returning fully loaded, Yugen planned to carefully inventory his gains that evening, hang up the ones to be sold on the Academy's trading platform, and analyze the insights he gained over the past few days, combining them with new cards to adjust his card deck.
Through these days of duel reviews, Yugen started to notice something.
Although he isn't sure if it's because of the inherent talent he possesses as a card enthusiast who crossed over, or simply due to the added bonus from the elves.
But Yugen feels he has gained a certain degree of "Destiny Power" capability.
This thing is intangible and hard to grasp, but he concluded it through actual combat and multiple practice tests.
Although it doesn't feel as exaggerated as the anime protagonists decimating opponents in one turn, he's not yet daring enough to stuff several disparate systems into a single deck like how the protagonists do, but achieving the most basic level of Divine Draw should still be possible.
Based on his own not necessarily accurate estimates, he might have matched the skill level of a regular top-level expert in the world, equivalent to the ordinary bystanders encountered in the Duel Academy unit episodes.
It might sound ordinary, but for a typical card enthusiast, it's enough for him to make some bold adjustments to his card deck strategy.
For example, the most basic adjustment he feels he's now ready to attempt breaking a long-standing habit—
—expanding the card deck to over forty cards.
...
...
Night falls along the city shore.
A helicopter gently lowers its altitude, like a giant steel eagle softly touching the ground, its rotor blades whirring loudly under the nighttime sky.
The blond man, with a cigarette hanging from his mouth and sunglasses on, casually jumped out of the cabin with his hands in his pockets.
He took out his phone, dialed a number, and leisurely blew out two smoke rings as he waited for it to connect.
The call quickly connected.
"It's me," the man lazily said, "I've gotten off the plane."
"Good. Our people have already scouted out some basic information on the ruins, and it'll be sent to you before tonight."
"Got it."
The blond man took a deep drag of his cigarette.
The voice on the other end was icy, "Be careful. I just received a report that 'Blood Moon' has been taken care of."
The blond man paused, "By who?"
"'Blood Moon,' a group of Dark Duelists under the organization."
"Oh, just cannon fodder then. You don't think those losers could be mentioned in the same breath as me, do you?" the blond man chuckled.
"The report says Seto Kaiba himself dealt with them," the phone voice coldly stated.
The man's smile disappeared immediately.
"Kaiba's in the city?"
"Seems like it. That's why I'm telling you to be cautious, don't get caught."
"Tch, if I get caught, I get caught. I've been wanting to see how I measure up against Seto Kaiba nowadays anyway," the blond man grunted, "I've changed a lot since those days."
"The mission is a priority," the phone voice warned coolly, "Don't die."
"Alright, alright, got it."
The blond man cursed a few times, hung up the phone, and stubbed out his cigarette.
"Seto Kaiba... tch, what a bother."