Chapter 214: Stone Tablet
Kaiba was very proud of KaibaCorp's technological prowess. After all, having exited the arms industry and transformed into an all-encompassing dominating enterprise, KaibaCorp's most outstanding feature was its research and development department.
Especially since Kaiba himself held the position of head of the R&D department, and at least half of KaibaCorp's new technologies were due to his efforts. Praising KaibaCorp's technology was essentially praising Kaiba himself.
Looking at Kaiba's smug expression, Chumley felt it wouldn't be out of place if he raised his arm and shouted, "KaibaCorp's technology is the greatest in the world!" the next second.
But upon entering the exhibition hall, Chumley looked at the antiquities displayed throughout the hall and the decor that perfectly complemented the unique atmosphere created by them. He had to admit that KaibaCorp truly possessed some skill, not only constructing such a high-rise building in a short time but also considering the interior design so thoroughly.
Chumley even suspected that the manga artist, when designing KaibaCorp's architectural standards, might have adopted the "China speed" concept.
"The number of antiquities here is truly astonishing," Yugi exclaimed, unable to suppress his admiration as he looked at the surrounding sarcophagi, mummies, stone tablets, and other rare artifacts. "But those chosen for exhibition are probably only the artifacts that the Egyptian Government considers relatively less important, right? It's hard to imagine how many national treasures they truly possess."
"Japan has no hope of comparing itself to that," Chumley sighed. "In Asia, perhaps only the ancient Eastern nations can compare. Japan doesn't even rank." He lamented, "It's a pity that many antiquities from both ancient nations have been lost overseas for various reasons, especially with that certain empire upon which the sun never set, which, due to its global dominance, built a British Museum that 'would become completely empty if all the artifacts were returned.'"
"Hmph, just some outdated trinkets."
Unlike Yugi and Chumley, Kaiba had no interest in these precious treasures from the past. In fact, if Mokuba hadn't convinced him that opening an exhibition would generate ticket sales, he probably wouldn't have agreed for KaibaCorp to take on the antiquities exhibition task.
Casting a disdainful glance at the surrounding antiquities, Kaiba looked scornfully at Chumley. "You actually marvel at such things? Hmph, you're nothing special. If people are willing to pay to see things like this, next time I'll build a Kaiba Museum to showcase cutting-edge technology."
"I can already guess what your Kaiba Museum would be like without even going there. It'd definitely be filled with (Blue-Eyes) everywhere, wouldn't it? We already experienced your unique aesthetic at Kaiba Land last time, Seto~" Chumley quipped. "No one would buy tickets to a museum like yours, where children would have nightmares at night."
"Hmph!" Kaiba snorted, not arguing with Chumley, and instead followed Ishizu. She had stopped in front of an antiquity not far away, waiting for Yugi and the other two who were slowly walking behind.
"Kaiba's aesthetic sense is indeed quite unusual." Without realizing it, the person walking beside Chumley had switched to Yami Yugi. Even though the surroundings were filled with Ancient Egypt antiquities, they felt strangely familiar to him, so he had proactively switched places with Yugi Muto.
"I told you so, right?"
"Hmm, if it were me, I'd definitely choose something a bit more elaborate, with a gold and silver combination." As he spoke, Yami Yugi raised the (Millennium Puzzle) hanging around his neck, showing it to Chumley. "What do you think? I suggested to Aibo that he change it to a metal chain. Looks good, doesn't it?"
Chumley gave Yami Yugi a meaningful look. In the aesthetic of Ancient Egypt, gold was flesh and silver was bone, but wasn't his application of that a bit ridiculous? The (Millennium Puzzle), being a solid gold block, was already absurdly heavy. Yet, he actually made Yugi Muto replace the cotton cord with an iron chain? Was he trying to make Yugi even shorter?
Oh~, I get it now. This move, this is Yami Yugi making Yugi wear a gold hunk for eight years during his growth period to stunt his height, so he can't find a girlfriend, and then Yami Yugi transforms to attract female fans. The reason behind it is truly heartwarming. You're something else, Yami Yugi.
But on the surface, Chumley forced out a smile. "Spot on, switching to an iron chain is spot on."
Following Kaiba, the two walked over to the Stone Tablet where Ishizu stood, only to find that Kaiba, who had arrived a step before them, was now staring intently at the Stone Tablet with a solemn expression. At the same time, he questioned Ishizu, "Hey, woman, this Stone Tablet of yours, you didn't just pull it from some quarry to mess with me, did you?"
Ishizu calmly replied, "No, this Stone Tablet was unearthed from a three-thousand-year-old ruin, and what you see before you is indeed the original Stone Tablet, not a replica. It has also been very well preserved; what you see is exactly how it looked when it was first unearthed."
"In that case, would you care to explain why this Stone Tablet depicts (Dark Magician) and (Blue-Eyes White Dragon)?" Kaiba narrowed his eyes at Ishizu, his finger pointing through the protective glass at a spot on the Stone Tablet. "And who are those two people on the Stone Tablet?!"
Following Kaiba's direction, Chumley and Yugi also began to carefully observe everything depicted on the Stone Tablet.
[Stone Tablet]
But after only a few glances, Yugi's face was also filled with shock. "This is, (Blue-Eyes White Dragon) and (Dark Magician)!?"
You people, your imagination is seriously over the top, isn't it? Chumley silently mused, looking at the patterns on the Stone Tablet that were barely better than abstract drawings by kindergarteners. Out of all the content, the only things he could clearly distinguish were the (Millennium Puzzle) and (Dark Magician).
[(Dark Magician)]
[(Blue-Eyes)]
[(Egyptian God Cards)]
[Two Figures]
Putting everything else aside, Chumley found the (Blue-Eyes White Dragon) the most ridiculous. He wasn't surprised that Kaiba, having practically etched the shape of his "wife" into his DNA, could recognize it at a glance. But Yugi, how could you recognize it instantly too?! It looks nothing like the Card Art!
Then there were the Egyptian God Cards: (Obelisk the Tormentor), which resembled a Minotaur; (Slifer the Sky Dragon), a small dinosaur that turned its head upon hearing a Minotaur's cry; and (The Winged Dragon of Ra), a Gryphon with a pigeon's head.
Seeing the Egyptian God Cards, Chumley couldn't help but genuinely admire the talent of Pegasus, who was recuperating thousands of miles away. To be able to draw such underwhelming Egyptian God Cards so majestically, it was no wonder Pegasus's original dream was to be an artist; his talent truly was remarkable. He must have worked hard to retroactively enhance the lazy efforts of whoever was responsible for carving the Stone Tablets in Ancient Egypt.
As for the two figures facing off at the bottom of the Stone Tablet, although there were slight differences from their appearances in the Anime, Chumley, who recognized people by their hairstyles, could tell at a glance that these two, if nothing else, had identical hairstyles to Yugi and Kaiba.
Especially Yugi. Kaiba's hair could barely be called normal, but Yugi's colorful starfish-shaped hair truly couldn't be found among a hundred thousand people; even if one were found, they would probably be related to Yugi by blood.
The interesting thing is, if the author wants to read the VIP chapters of their own novel, they also have to subscribe and pay.
Moreover, the author's own subscription doesn't even count towards their own subscriber numbers, which is ridiculous.
So, it's not that I didn't want to include illustrations in the previous Duels; it's mainly because I didn't want to subscribe. However, this chapter has quite a few pictures, so I've added them myself.
Also, I want to thank the several readers who frequently provided illustrations for me in previous chapters. I'm very grateful to you all (but I'm too lazy to type out names).
That's all for now, see you in three hours (running away).
(end of chapter)