Chapter 199: The Nazca Lines
Only then did Yugi and the others learn what had happened. It turned out that after discovering more people would be coming to capture the princess, Mokuba had taken the initiative and proposed they switch outfits. This was both for Princess Mary's safety and so that if Mokuba were captured as a Tribute, he would be able to see Kaiba.
Although they used the same Deck, Mokuba was more skilled with programming code than Duel Monsters. When it came to dueling, the captured Kaiba was stronger. If Mokuba could reach Kaiba, he could return the separated parts of his Deck, securing a powerful ally.
However, a problem now lay before Yugi and his friends. Whether it was Kaiba escaping from the Gloomy Castle after being rescued, or Hayato and the others heading to the Gloomy Castle to participate in the rescue, the Barrier surrounding the castle was like the mythological "Wall of Sighs" that separates the realms of the living and the dead, splitting the inside and outside of the castle into two different worlds.
"It's all my fault. If only I had insisted on my own idea..." Princess Mary was filled with self-reproach as she pleaded with Yugi, "Please, Master Yugi, you must save Master Mokuba!"
"We'll definitely get Mokuba out of there. But that's easier said than done," Joey said, gazing at the distant Gloomy Castle. "We can't even get into that castle right now."
"Monsters can't enter, and it's so high up in the sky. Seriously, who knows where a thousand-year-old aircraft is these days!" Mai Valentine chimed in, agreeing with Joey.
Just as the group was at a loss, Hayato, who was leaning over the city wall and looking into the distance, pointed in a certain direction and called out to the others, "Well, I don't think I'm a ghost, and that thing over there should be what we're looking for."
The others followed the direction Hayato was pointing, looking down upon the plains below the Corland Kingdom. There, in the middle of the green-covered plain, was a rectangular area that had been abruptly cleared to yellow soil. Drawn upon it was a massive bird pattern, just like one of the Nazca Lines!
The pattern was identical to the "thousand-year-old aircraft" Princess Mary had told them about!
"There's no doubt about it, that must be the aircraft that can take us to the Gloomy Castle!" Yugi said with some excitement. "Let's hurry and dig up the aircraft buried underground!"
Mai Valentine and Joey didn't argue with Yugi's suggestion, but Hayato slapped his forehead in exasperation. "Yugi, do you remember that we're in a video game world right now?"
"When an Online Game makes a Player go on a treasure hunt, does it make them dig it up with their own shovel? Besides, it's been a thousand years. How can you be sure the aircraft will still work after we dig it up?"
As he spoke, Hayato casually drew a card and compared it with the distant Nazca Lines. "An Online Game can have a lot of content added, but the core gameplay never changes. Yugi, don't you think that rectangle looks exactly like a Duel Monsters Card?"
With such a clear hint from Hayato, Yugi realized what he meant. "Are you saying it can be used as a Card?"
"But even if it can be used as a Card, we don't have any suitable cards for it," Mai Valentine said, trying to think if anyone in their group had a card that could be used for "excavating" the aircraft.
Joey rubbed his nose smugly and said with a cocky grin, "Heh heh, not necessarily. Just watch me, Mai!"
With that, Joey took out his True Spirit card—Time Wizard.
Once the group arrived on the Nazca Lines, Joey activated the Effect of Time Wizard. With Joey's Gambler's Luck, how could the effect possibly fail at a time like this? Under the influence of Time Magic, the group saw everything around them rewind at high speed as if someone had hit the reverse button.
The sandy ground reverted to stone slabs, withered branches revived into old trees and then back into tender sprouts, and ancient buildings that had long since weathered into ruins reappeared in this place.
But just then, a sound echoed in Hayato's ear. It was the cry of an eagle, somewhat hoarse, as if a piece of gauze had been tied over its beak, or as if sand had gotten into its vocal cords.
The System displayed a notification: [Unknown power intrusion detected. Protection automatically enabled.] The Millennium Ring on Hayato's chest also began to glow inexplicably.
Hayato couldn't help but feel a little puzzled, because he remembered from the original story that Yugi and the others had restored the aircraft to get to the Gloomy Castle quite easily.
As Joey's Time Wizard continued to exert its power, time was rewound by about 800 years. The ground suddenly cracked open, and an incredibly massive aircraft, shaped like a soaring eagle with wings spread, appeared before them. The countless marks left by the passage of time upon it were rapidly repaired.
At the same time, a faint, almost unnoticeable light flew out from the "Nazca Lines" that had been destroyed on the ground and shot into Hayato's pants pocket.
Hayato quickly took out the Card from his pocket to have a look. For convenience, Hayato always kept his Philosopher's Stone - Hermos card in his pants pocket, and it was the only card in there. However, when he reached his hand in, he realized there was another Card in his pocket!
He took it out. The extra card's Card Art, name, and effect description were completely blank. It only showed that it was a DARK Attribute and a Level 10 High-Level Monster.
For a moment, Hayato couldn't figure out what was going on with this Card.
In any case, I'll just take it for now. It's free, so why not?
Hayato tossed the mysterious Card into his System Inventory and looked at the giant bird aircraft, which was gradually being restored to its state from 1000 years ago. Finally, as Time Wizard disappeared from in front of Joey in exhaustion, the giant bird aircraft before them was completely restored to its appearance from a millennium ago.
"You worked hard, Time Wizard," Joey said as he returned the Card to his Deck, then looked at Yugi. "Let's hurry. Mokuba and the others are still in danger."
"Right!" Yugi nodded, looking toward the distant Gloomy Castle as he stepped into the aircraft.
The four of them boarded the aircraft, and Joey volunteered to be the pilot, taking control of the rudder. Meanwhile, Princess Mary stood on the ground, looking up at the gradually ascending aircraft. "Please, Master Yugi, you must all return safely."
The fairy "Aierlu," who had been circling Princess Mary, seemed to say something to her before flying up after the aircraft, appearing before Yugi on the deck.
"Aierlu, you're coming with us too?"
It nodded, landed in Yugi's hair, and lay down comfortably between the points of his "starfish" hair.
Yugi smiled happily, carefully tilting his head up so as not to let Aierlu fall, and looked toward the Gloomy Castle. "Alright, let's go! To the Gloomy Castle!"
(end of chapter)