Seeing Keqing point at the Duel Game Machine in confusion, Luya felt it would be hard to explain clearly in a short time. So he simply turned on the nearest machine…
The moment it powered on—!
Stirring music and dialogue burst forth!!!
[So long as fragments of my life remain, I will fight to the very end!]
[If cards are the sword, and the Duel Disk is the shield, then I shall entrust glory to the card in my right hand, and my soul to the Duel Disk on my left!]
[My pride, my soul, my future—I will decide them myself!]
[As long as I still have cards in my Deck, I will always believe in it!! There must be a way to defeat you!! My turn—draw!!!]
[Your life flickers like a candle in the wind—but don't count me out yet!]
[Even if a god stands before me, I will defeat that god and keep moving forward!]
Keqing and the customers behind her didn't fully understand the lines; however, just hearing them made their blood surge with excitement.
Especially when Keqing heard the line—
"Even if a god stands before me, I will defeat that god!"
Her twin hair buns, like little cat ears, trembled. Keqing suddenly felt brimming with power! She sat down at the machine immediately and started playing!
"Yu-Gi-Oh—Start!"
Keqing chose Story Mode. Having read the manga and knowing the rules, she quickly grasped what to do!
Other customers, seeing the Liyue Qixing's Keqing start playing, followed suit. They paid Luya and began to play.
The first stage was a tutorial duel against Joey Wheeler. Even without prior experience, it was easy to learn how to play Yu-Gi-Oh! With Story Decks available, players didn't need to worry about weak decks being crushed.
It really was a dueling tutorial machine… Soon, all the customers playing were happily immersed, learning the rules through duels with Joey.
Seeing that the machine area required no supervision, Luya returned to the counter and began forging [Conqueror of Demons – Xiao].
Now the shop had six Card Furnaces, capable of producing 120 [Conqueror of Demons – Xiao] cards per day.
Nonetheless, Luya only used five, leaving one free to experiment and develop new cards.
[Conqueror of Demons – Xiao] was currently in high demand.
At 20,000 Mora per card—the price of a booster pack—its strength, popularity, and the fact that Xiao provided the raw materials practically free made it a major profit driver. In one day, just [Conqueror of Demons – Xiao] alone could net Luya 2 million Mora.
In just a minute, Luya had loaded materials into every furnace. For the experimental one, he tossed in a drop of Yaksha's Blood Tears and a Ghostly Ember, curious what kind of card would result.
In the shop now, Xingqiu, Chongyun, and forty-eight customers were in the screening room watching Yu-Gi-Oh! anime. Keqing and eight customers were on the machines~ Hu Tao and Xiangling, meanwhile, were dueling 1v1 at the Duel Stage…
One was the current master of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, the other the chef of Wanmin Restaurant. Hu Tao made her living from the dead, Xiangling from the living—both were well-known in Liyue Harbor! Life and death, facing off…
Yesterday, Hu Tao had worried Xiao might harm Luya and interrupted her duel with Xiangling to protect him. Xiangling had been on the verge of defeat…
This time, Xiangling had added new cards! After reading the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga, she had also learned tactics and optimized her deck.
Hu Tao, too, had opened new cards, eager to test their strength!
So quite a crowd gathered to watch.
"Hehe~ Who do you think will win?!"
"I think Director Hu has the advantage—she's a veteran duelist!"
"Yesterday the King of the Skull Servants was stomping Xiangling—she only had 1000 LP left!"
"And Director Hu was still full!"
"Her monsters on the field were strong too…"
"Hahaha!"
"I feel like Xiangling will win. Every time Hu Tao looks ahead, she gets overturned."
"Hiss…"
"Don't jinx it, awoo~"
"But it's true…"
"King of the Skull Servants keeps stomping, yet she still loses…"
"Go, Director Hu!"
"Go, Xiangling!!!"
Both Hu Tao and Xiangling had supporters—they truly were figures of renown in Liyue Harbor.
Hu Tao clasped her hands at her chest, her plum-blossom eyes shining under the shop's lights. Confidence radiated from her—already convinced she'd won before the duel even began.
"Xiangling Yesterday I held back, afraid you'd cry! Hahaha, today I'll show you some real strength Hehe!"
Xiangling, hands on hips, her round eyebrows like Guoba's ears, retorted:
"Pfft~ You're getting cocky too early… Today I'm not the weakling I was yesterday!"
With nothing else to do, Luya also watched their duel. It had already been decided by Rock-Paper-Scissors: Xiangling would go first.
Guoba looked on curiously as Xiangling studied her hand. Her brow furrowed—then suddenly she smiled as if struck by inspiration.
"I summon [Flamvell Firedog] in Attack Position!"
[Flamvell Firedog] Level 4│FIRE│Beast│1900 ATK / 200 DEF
As Xiangling placed [Flamvell Firedog] in the Summon Zone, a black-and-red-skinned hound appeared on her field. Its body seemed wrapped in molten lava, streams of magma flowing over it—terrifying to behold.
The audience gasped.
"What the—?!"
"A Level 4 monster with 1900 Attack?!"
"Did I read that right?!"
"Her luck pulling packs is insane…"
"Feels like she's not even playing the same Yu-Gi-Oh…"
"Yugi's [Celtic Guardian] and [Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress] were both only 1400 ATK as Level 4s…"
"And Xiangling pulls out 1900 straight away?!"
"I want it…"
"Buy more packs then~"
"Lately the packs feel powered up—lots of cards with higher ATK and effects…"
"What, is this a new version update?!"
"Maybe the weaker cards sold out, so only the stronger ones are left?!"
Satisfied with her summon, Xiangling smiled. Among Level 4 monsters, its 1900 ATK was outstanding! And it had an effect—
When it destroyed an opponent's monster in battle and sent it to the Graveyard, she could Special Summon 1 FIRE monster with 200 or less DEF from her Deck, other than [Flamvell Firedog]!
"Next, I set two cards! Turn end—your move~" Xiangling raised her eyebrows challengingly at Hu Tao.
Hu Tao curled her fingers into claws and stuck her tongue out at Xiangling. "Bleh~"
Too bad Luya didn't have a phone—he would've snapped a photo and hung it at the shop entrance.
As Xiangling ended her turn, Hu Tao began hers.
"Hmph Finally it's my turn! Draw—!! Yes, this is the bond between me and my Deck!!! Yesterday you didn't see it, but today you will I activate the Field Spell Card! [Wangsheng Funeral Parlor]!"
"Maintaining the boundary of life and death, guiding lost souls to rest! Correcting mortals' views of death and spirits! Appear—Wangsheng Funeral Parlor!"
On her very first draw, Hu Tao pulled her favorite card—convinced this was a winning start. As [Wangsheng Funeral Parlor] activated, the empty field transformed. The funeral parlor appeared, filled with white spirits drifting about. More eerie than the real Wangsheng, the ghosts even lunged at the spectators, the realism overwhelming.
The audience was unfazed—used to Hu Tao's classic opener. "As expected of Director Hu—opening with Wangsheng Funeral Parlor."
"She's already halfway to victory~"
"This one's in the bag!"
"Don't celebrate too early~"
Hu Tao's Field Spell activated successfully. Xiangling praised: "I've heard of your proud [Wangsheng Funeral Parlor]—it's formidable!!!"
Hu Tao grinned, tipping her Taoist-style hexagram hat. "Scared yet Hehe I activate [Wangsheng…"
Abruptly, before she could finish, Xiangling waved her hand.
"I activate a Trap Card! [Kitchen Ban Notice]!"
The artwork showed a young Xiangling, barred from entering the kitchen by her father after burning a pan while fighting a Pyro Slime.
"Destroy one Spell/Trap Card on the field! Then add one card with [Food] in its name from your Deck to your hand!"
Xiangling's father, leading a group, tore down Hu Tao's [Wangsheng Funeral Parlor] on the spot… Meanwhile, Xiangling tossed a Pyro Slime into the parlor, darted into the kitchen, and came back with a Jueyun Chili.
Hu Tao's Funeral Parlor was gone before she could use its effect.
She stomped her foot, pointing at Xiangling: "Xiangling! You… you, you… Argh! You've angered me!!" Xiangling just smiled, continuing her Trap's effect.
"I add the Spell Card [Food – Spicy Steamed Buns] to my hand!"
The card depicted one of Guoba's favorite foods—spicy steamed buns. It flew from her Deck into her hand.
This dish was a traditional Liyue snack and Guoba's favorite food, the very first thing he ate upon waking. It was through this dish that he and Xiangling first bonded. Once the God of the Stove, Marchosius, exhausted his power and fell asleep—when he awoke, he tasted Xiangling's buns and chose to follow her.
At Xiangling's feet, Guoba squealed with joy at the sight of the card, drooling.
"! =￥=!"
Xiangling patted his head: "Guoba, don't drool~ I'll make you some later!" Finally calmed, he quieted down.
With Hu Tao's Field Spell destroyed, the spectators grew worried.
"Director Hu only had that one card…"
"Now it's gone, she's doomed!"
"Xiangling set that card perfectly—such a counter."
"But Director Hu's tantrums are kind of funny."
"I wonder how she'll respond…"
With [Wangsheng Funeral Parlor] gone, Hu Tao continued her Main Phase.
"Though my Field Spell was destroyed… I'm not panicking… I activate the Spell Card! [Boundary of Life and Death]!"
"Discard a monster to retrieve a Spell/Trap from the Graveyard, or discard a Spell/Trap to retrieve a monster!"
The artwork showed a crying girl at Wuwang Hill, holding food and water, waiting helplessly for something…
"I send [Mezuki] from my hand to the Graveyard, and retrieve [Wangsheng Funeral Parlor]!"
Wuwang Hill appeared on her field. Ghosts drifted around Hu Tao as an old woman emerged, handing her [Wangsheng Funeral Parlor]. Hu Tao accepted and immediately reactivated it!
As [Boundary of Life and Death] resolved, Hu Tao's memory drifted back… to when her grandfather died at home. After his funeral, thirteen-year-old Hu Tao packed her bag and slipped out at night.
Alone, with only food, water, and a lantern, she journeyed toward the secret boundary at Wuwang Hill—where the living could meet departed loved ones. She had wanted to see her grandfather one last time… yet never did.
"Wow!!! Didn't think Director Hu had another move!"
"Looks like she's gotten stronger too~"
"But she lost two cards for it…"
"She's only got three left in hand…"
"Eh…"
"Heh, you don't get it—Director Hu's deck gets stronger the more cards in her Graveyard. Just watch!"
With [Wangsheng Funeral Parlor] rebuilt, Hu Tao grinned at Xiangling: "Hehe~ Xiangling… this time I can finally use its effect, right?!"
...
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