Chapter 34: Invitation to the Ruins

Early morning, Duel Dojo.

Youxuan rose early that day, bought some food, and arrived at the dojo well ahead of time. Before he could even step inside, he ran straight into Koji Sato.

Upon seeing him, Koji’s eyes lit up, and he hurried forward. "Great Senior Brother! You're here so early today!"

"Uh, Koji, there's no need for such formalities. You should just call me 'Junior Brother'..."

"You got it, Great Senior Brother!" Koji replied with a grin. "By the way, you're here to see Master, right? He's inside."

Youxuan: "..."

He wasn't quite sure how it happened, but at some point, he had somehow become the "Great Senior Brother" of the entire dojo. In truth, Koji had also applied for the Duel Academy entrance exam, but he hadn't even managed to pass the written portion.

Youxuan couldn't fathom how anyone could struggle with such simple questions, yet it seemed the pass rate for the written exam was notoriously low. As one could tell from the anime, Jaden Yuki’s written ranking was 110th—and that was toward the bottom—meaning only a hundred or so people passed. It was actually quite difficult.

He arrived at Master Takeuchi’s room to find the door standing wide open. Stepping inside, he saw Master Takeuchi sitting in his office chair, wearing a heavy VR headset over the bridge of his nose. He had no idea what the man was watching, but he was letting out lecherous "Heh heh" and "Heh heh heh" sounds, his aged face flushed with a rosy hue...

Youxuan paused, deep in thought.

*Hmm, could he be piloting a Gundam right now?*

He considered the situation and decided that interrupting would likely be impolite. So, he retreated from the room, pretended he hadn't arrived yet, and stood outside the open door to knock twice on the frame.

Then, he called out in a loud, clear voice, "Is Master in?"

A flurry of frantic scrambling erupted from inside, followed by a "thud" as if someone had fallen off their chair. He waited patiently for a few seconds before a voice finally sounded.

"Enter."

Youxuan walked in, his expression perfectly composed as if nothing had happened, seemingly oblivious to Master Takeuchi’s disheveled hair.

"Just got here?" Master Takeuchi probed cautiously.

"Yes, just arrived," Youxuan replied calmly.

"Hm... you didn't see anything strange, did you?"

"No," Youxuan said, feigning confusion while looking around. "Did something happen?"

"Oh, no, nothing. That's good then... Sigh, I was just researching deck builds." Takeuchi yawned. "What brings you here so suddenly? Is there something you need?"

"Master, you told me to come see you this morning after the exams," Youxuan reminded him.

Master Takeuchi slapped his forehead.

"Ah... that's right. Sigh, look at my memory. Getting old really makes the brain sluggish..."

*I don't think it's just age, Master,* Youxuan thought. *It’s probably just that you’ve been over-exerting yourself with all that 'excessive spending.'*

Especially since holographic technology in this world was so advanced; realistic holograms naturally pushed certain industries—already quite developed in District 11—into even more rapid progression. For the kidneys of gentlemen on the front lines, it was truly a high-stakes game.

"First, congratulations on passing. I’ve already heard; your exam performance was quite impressive. You didn't shame our dojo," the Master said with a chuckle. "Don't slack off after you enroll. Study hard; the revival of our school depends on you."

"I understand, Master."

"Very good, very good. Now, the reason I called you here isn't anything major, just an opportunity I thought you might be interested in. You’ve been busy preparing for exams these past two days, so I imagine you haven't had time to check the news. Have you heard about the ruins in the northern suburbs?"

"Ruins?" Youxuan asked, surprised, and shook his head to indicate he hadn't.

"Yes, a team from KaibaCorp excavated them. They’re just outside the city, about an hour’s drive away. Although they aren't open to the public yet, I have a friend on the inside who said if I were interested, I could bring my students to take a look..."

Youxuan began to understand.

*Ruins for digging up stone tablets, is that it?*

As everyone knew, the lore of the Yu-Gi-Oh! world dictated that modern card dueling originated from archaeology. Back in the day, Pegasus went to Egypt to excavate stone tablets of Duel Monsters from three thousand years ago, bringing the slumbering spirits back into the modern age. That was the beginning of everything.

In the years since, while card-manufacturing technology had become increasingly sophisticated and research methods for developing new cards and monster variants had matured, archaeological excavation remained a key channel for the birth of new card archetypes.

In fact, even after all these years, the tablets discovered so far were merely the tip of the iceberg of ancient Duel Monsters. In the wider world, new ruins were constantly being unearthed.

Unlike the initial belief that Duel Monsters originated solely in ancient Egypt, further exploration revealed that ruins were scattered all over the globe.

For instance, there was Atlantis, where Dartz had resided ten thousand years ago; the three Polar Gods discovered in Northern Europe; the Earthbound Immortal stone tablets found within the Nazca Lines in Peru; and the Gem Spirits excavated from the ruins of an ancient civilization that worshipped the power of jewels, which led to the creation of the "Crystal Beasts"...

Youxuan had never seen what these ruins or stone tablets looked like, and he was indeed quite interested.

Many excavated ruins, after being explored by professional teams, were eventually opened as tourist attractions. There were indeed cases where duelists resonated with hidden spirits within these ruins.

"Although the details haven't been released to the public yet, my friend says this is apparently a very significant site," Master Takeuchi added.

"You have an acquaintance inside KaibaCorp, Master?"

Youxuan suddenly realized, *Could it be that Master’s connections and influence are unexpectedly impressive?*

"Heh, don't mention it," Master Takeuchi said, puffing out his chest. "Your teacher was quite the figure in his youth, but I chose to live a quiet life, detached from fame and fortune, with no intention of renewing old rivalries..."

Youxuan looked at him with newfound respect. "So, is your friend a high-ranking executive at KaibaCorp? Or a duelist? Does he have internal company access for buying cards?"

As soon as he heard this, the Master’s bravado instantly deflated.

"No, he works in the excavation and construction crew."

Youxuan: "..."

"Ahem, actually, he used to be a very formidable duelist, but he sought a different path later on. It seems KaibaCorp requires everyone on the site, from archaeological researchers to the excavation team, to be a duelist. It’s apparently a personal requirement from the President himself..."

*Good grief,* Youxuan thought, *these days you even need to know how to play cards just to get onto a construction crew.*

But thinking about it, it actually made sense. These types of ruins were often accompanied by supernatural forces that defied scientific explanation. It would be dangerous for ordinary people to get close, but in this world, as long as you could duel, the danger level dropped significantly.

"The Kaiba Land in the city is hosting a 'White Dragon Festival' the day after tomorrow, and our dojo is planning a team-building trip there. My friend will be there that day, so we can talk then."

"Understood..." Youxuan agreed, though he sensed something slightly off.

*Wait a second, there’s a festival called the 'White Dragon Festival'?*