The card inside the Card Furnace seemed to be waiting for Xiao, for as soon as Xiao entered and greeted Luya, the card was produced.
Luya saw that the card in the Card Furnace had finally been forged! He had been worried that the supreme material [Vajrada Amethyst] would be wasted, even breaking the furnace, but now the card had successfully been created…
After a while, once the dazzling bluish-violet glow fully dispersed, the shop's customers finally came back to their senses.
"Whoa!"
"Shopkeeper, what kind of card are you forging this early in the morning?!"
"Exactly, exactly!"
"That was way too loud. When you made [Conqueror of Demons – Xiao] yesterday, it only flashed a little…"
"Good grief~"
"This thing nearly blinded me…"
"Oh my… look at Immortal Xiao!"
"His eyes are bleeding…"
"It's over, shopkeeper, now you'll have to pay for Immortal Xiao's medical bills!"
The customers' chatter filled the shop with noise and liveliness.
When Luya heard the customers saying Xiao's eyes were bleeding, he noticed for the first time that Xiao had actually been injured by the light effects from the furnace, his eyes shedding bloody tears.
"Immortal Xiao… are you alright?!"
The moment Luya stepped closer to him, the bloody tears vanished.
The system's voice chimed:
[Ding…]
[Obtained material: Yaksha's Blood Tears x10]
Xiao sensed the disappearance of the bloody tears at the corner of his eyes, and he thought Luya had helped him. After all, yesterday Luya had disarmed him instantly before he even realized it…
Xiao thanked him gratefully:
"Thank you, shopkeeper… I am unharmed."
Hearing Xiao's thanks, Luya laughed. The system had automatically collected Xiao's blood tears as a material, yet Xiao still felt he owed him gratitude.
Although Xiao's eyes had bled, it was not a serious problem. For thousands of years, Xiao had endured countless life-and-death battles, sustaining endless injuries; however, this time it wasn't truly a wound. It was because he had been too stirred, and the brilliant flashes too intense, that it had caused bleeding.
Today, Xiao was not wearing his frightening oni mask, and with his karmic debt lightened, his spirit was also in fine condition. Even if he stayed awake all night, it made no difference—for someone who had lived for thousands of years, a single night passed in the blink of an eye.
Still, what Xiao cared about most was the card Luya had just forged. The aura of this card felt familiar to him, so despite the fierce violet lightning flashing around it, he took a closer look…
After making sure Xiao was fine, Luya finally turned to the furnace's output, eager to see what kind of card had just been created!
As Luya turned, Xiao's heart also surged with emotion. Just now, this aura—it was strikingly similar to what he had sensed last night while patrolling at Dihua Marsh, the aura of Bosacius.
His heart pounded, his eyes fixed tightly on the card at the furnace's exit.
…
At this moment, the customers, who had originally been impatient to continue reading Yu-Gi-Oh!, were now all focused on the Card Furnace.
Everyone wanted to see what kind of card could cause such a huge reaction during forging!
At the furnace's exit, the bluish-violet glow still radiated. Luya was filled with anticipation. This was his first time using a supreme material worth nearly ten million Mora to forge a card.
"What kind of card will it be…?"
Luya drew out the card from the furnace, its surface wrapped in violet lightning. Just holding it made his hand tingle with a numbing sensation…
As expected…
This card, created with the supreme Electro material [Vajrada Amethyst], was indeed tied to Electro. Luya took a deep breath and flipped the card face-up.
A bare-chested, muscular, four-armed man with violet lightning patterns tattooed on his body was doodling on the face of a boy napping in a hammock with a brush. Behind him, two girls and a man were laughing as they watched.
[Great General of the Valiant Tusk – Bosacius] Level 8│ELECTRO│Yaksha│2200 ATK/2400 DEF
Effect: If two monsters among Xiao, Indarias, Bonanus, or Menogias are on your field, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. This card gains 300 ATK for each Yaksha monster on your field.
The instant Xiao saw this card, he rushed to Luya's side. The always calm and taciturn Xiao, upon seeing [Great General of the Valiant Tusk – Bosacius], was overcome with memories flooding back like a tide, each past scene cutting at his heart like blades.
In ancient times, Liyue was plagued with miasma and overrun with aberrations. The rotting remains of defeated Demon Gods spread hatred and resentment across the land, manifesting as fiends. Whenever the fiends grew restless, plagues, specters, and mutations followed.
Thus, Rex Lapis summoned the Adepti known as the Yakshas to eradicate the fiends. They swore an oath to the Archon: to kill in the name of protection, to rid the land of suffering, year after year…
But in the endless slaughter, they inevitably became shackled by karmic debt, tainted by the Demon Gods' grudges—driven into madness by fear, killing one another, or falling into possession.
Bosacius, titled Great General of the Valiant Tusk, the foremost Yaksha under Rex Lapis, wielded the power of Electro. Polluted by the Demon Gods' resentment, he fell into madness and ultimately perished in The Chasm.
Bonanus, titled General of the Molten Whirlpool, wielder of Hydro, was corrupted by the Demon Gods' resentment and perished in mutual slaughter with Menogias.
Menogias, titled General of the Hearted Monkey, wielder of Geo, met the same fate as Bonanus, dying in mutual slaughter.
Indarias, titled General of the Fire Rat, wielder of Pyro, was corrupted by the Demon Gods' resentment, went mad with fear, and disappeared without a trace…
Of the five mighty Yaksha Adepti who endured millennia of tribulation, only Alatus, the Golden-Winged General—Xiao—remains in the mortal world…
Luya knew well what this card meant to Xiao. Bosacius was like family to him.
Seeing Xiao's sorrow, the other customers were baffled.
"Why…"
"Why is Immortal Xiao so heartbroken?!"
"That person on the card with four arms… what's his connection to Immortal Xiao?!"
"No idea…"
Too much time had passed. Many in Liyue no longer knew the legend of the five Yaksha Adepti. All they knew was that Liyue had the Conqueror of Demons, Xiao, so they could not understand the reason for his grief.
Xiao had endured millennia of solitude. His mind was incredibly strong; ordinary matters could not sway his emotions. Anyhow, this time, what he faced was his kin…
Xiao looked at Luya and asked:
"Shopkeeper, can this card be sold to me?"
"No matter the price, I am willing…"
His words carried utmost sincerity. Luya could tell—Xiao wanted [Great General of the Valiant Tusk – Bosacius] more than anything, willing to pay any cost…
Luya did not doubt Xiao's resolve in the slightest.
After all, this [Great General of the Valiant Tusk – Bosacius] had been created using the supreme [Vajrada Amethyst] that Xiao had given him. Luya had paid almost no cost—if anything, just one night of waiting. Giving it to Xiao outright would mean little to him…
But in Xiao's eyes, since the [Vajrada Amethyst] had been given to Luya, it was Luya's possession, bound by the contract of their trade. As one of Rex Lapis's Yaksha generals, Xiao upheld the principle of contracts with unshakable devotion…
The value of this card, to Xiao, surpassed anything it could mean to others—it could not be measured by price.
Thus, Luya understood. This card could not simply be gifted to Xiao. Only if Xiao paid what he himself considered sufficient could he truly be at peace.
Luya thought about it. What could Xiao possibly offer? The answer was: anything.
That said, Luya had no idea what to ask for that would put Xiao at ease.
So he said:
"This [Great General of the Valiant Tusk – Bosacius] was forged using the gem you gave me yesterday. In that case, just give me more gems."
Xiao's expression grew complicated. He shook his head.
"Shopkeeper, you helped me resolve my karmic debt. My repayment is all of my gems, and all the gems I will obtain in the future…"
"So… perhaps you should ask for something else instead."
Xiao's overabundance of gratitude left Luya a little troubled. Xiao had already given everything. He had devoted his life to guarding Liyue. He had given Luya all the gems he had saved up…
Now, Xiao had nothing left.
Luya had never planned to take anything more from Xiao. At first, he had only wanted to trade card packs for his gems.
After some thought, Luya said:
"Then just owe me for now. I haven't decided on a price yet. This [Great General of the Valiant Tusk – Bosacius] is yours."
Hearing this, Xiao was deeply moved. He resolved firmly to repay Luya well.
He accepted [Great General of the Valiant Tusk – Bosacius] and said:
"Shopkeeper, I will go in search of more gems at once…"
With that, Xiao left the shop without looking back, slowly disappearing from view.
…
The other customers still had no idea what had just happened. All they knew was that this card meant something of immense importance to Xiao.
As Xiao departed…
Only then did Xingqiu remember why he had come.
"Shopkeeper! Where's the continuation of Yu-Gi-Oh!?"
His words set off the customers who had read Yu-Gi-Oh! yesterday into a frenzy.
"Aaaah! I want the sequel too!!!"
"I can't wait any longer!!!"
"I'm addicted!!!"
"Did Yugi draw Exodia the Forbidden One or not?!"
"Quick! Show us, shopkeeper!!!"
...
If you want to support, please consider Patreon, and read advanced chapters! Your support keeps this series going!
[Patreon.com/RedZTL]