Yugen: "..."
Ah, I almost forgot. Thousand Gold is a vampire and dislikes the sun.
The dimension she was in previously was in perpetual night, with a blood-red moon hanging in the sky, making it a perfect refuge for vampires. But this world has daylight, which she hates, so she naturally doesn't come out casually.
In fact, vampires in this world aren't as afraid of the sun as in traditional stories; at least not to the point where they die upon exposure. The sun is merely uncomfortable for them, but it won't kill them outright.
But of course, it's better to avoid it when possible.
Yugen's thoughts became more active.
Although his Elf is helpful, there are still many limitations. Firstly, their active time is limited. Secondly, as the actual Elf Card is in his hand, they can't travel too far from him independently.
But for Elves like the Black Scorpion Thief Gang that have come into reality, it's different. Their activity time is almost unrestricted, and they can go out to execute tasks independently. Such Monster Spirits can naturally do more.
"Speaking of which."
Yugen suddenly recalled something and looked at them.
"Can you guys transform?"
"Huh?"
The thieves looked at each other, puzzled.
"I mean, transform into someone else's appearance," Yugen said, "Or hypnosis? Mind control?"
He remembered that in the final season of the animation, the Elf Ernest that entered reality could. He transformed into the appearance of his former master, mingled among the students, using mind control and hypnosis to blend in without arousing suspicion.
However, when he tried that trick on Judai, it failed. The trick that never failed him before was useless against Level 100 Judai.
So Yugen thought perhaps these were basic skills among Elves.
However, the clueless thieves shook their heads like rattles, indicating they didn't know.
Yugen nodded.
Indeed, if they had the ability to transform, their infiltration wouldn't have been so unsuccessful.
"I can."
Thousand Gold puffed out her small chest proudly.
Yugen's eyes lit up: "You can transform and disguise?"
"Uh, not that... but hypnosis and mental influence are what our Blood Race excels at."
"Oh?"
Yugen reevaluated Thousand Gold, seemingly viewing her with newfound respect.
Thousand Gold felt a bit embarrassed under his gaze, fiddling with her dress and looking down at her toes.
"Not bad, not bad."
Yugen thought that this trick indeed seemed useful, making many things easier in the future.
However, it's easy to imagine that these kinds of tricks would probably work better on ordinary people. Those with extraordinary abilities would likely have ways to resist. Just like Ernest's attempt on Judai wasn't even a direct control, just a suggestion to confuse identity, yet it not only failed but exposed him.
While thinking, he suddenly felt someone tug on his clothes from behind.
Yugen turned around and saw that Silence had appeared at some point, pouting and looking a bit unhappy.
It was amazing; she didn't speak, but Yugen understood her meaning—
——I can do it too.
Now that he thought about it, it was true. After all, she was a legitimate Mage, mastering various Qimen Technique skills should be expected. Transformation, disguise, and mind-influence magic should all be somewhat familiar to her.
Even if she couldn't, she could probably learn. He had seen her with her nose buried in books, diligently studying.
However, unlike the Thief Gang, she had her own life in the Elf world. Being in reality and doing things was not as convenient.
Yugen smiled as he thought about it: "You're right, you're still the best."
He said that and Silence released her grip without a word, though it was unclear if she guessed his thoughts.
She glanced at him, said nothing, and retreated into the card deck.
But that look gave Yugen an inexplicable feeling like he had received some sort of message—
——She was going back to pack her things and get ready to head out today.
Yugen: "..."
...
...
Yugen took the helicopter leaving Academy Island early the next morning. The helicopter landed on the rooftop of the Kaiba Group building.
Yugen was now as familiar with this building as his own home, frequently visiting a few times a week. However, recent busy work had kept him away.
When he arrived at the office downstairs, Keihei was enthusiastically on a phone call. He noticed Yugen entering and gestured to him to wait a moment.
"I said, our White Dragon Paradise has a water park, no need for any swimming machines..."
"Enough, just like that."
Keihei turned his head after hanging up the phone.
"Swimming machines?" Yugen asked with a smile.
Keihei shrugged helplessly: "Some weirdos always come up with strange ideas... but let's not talk about that."
He grinned.
"You're quite the celebrity now; it's not easy to get a face-to-face meeting with you."
"There's been a lot going on recently... I might need your help in a few days for some technical support."
"Seven-Star business? I've heard."
Keihei gestured for him to sit down on the chair.
"A group coveting the power of the Three Phantom Demons? The duelist world is... back then it was the Phantom God, now it's the Phantom Demon. Who could resist the lure of power unbound by common rules?"
This reminded him of when even his brother, Seto Kaiba, organized Duel City to collect three Divine Cards.
"But no matter who they are, being targeted by Yugen is unlucky for them." Keihei laughed, "Alright. The Phantom Demon Sealing Array at Duel Academy has been a key interest for us.
Our tech team will fully support your actions."
"Thanks. So what's the other reason for calling me here?"
"Yes, there's something... not a big deal though.
There's an event, not hosted directly by us, but the main organizer is a subsidiary of Kaiba Group."
Keihei swiped the floating screen on the desk over to Yugen.
Yugen took a look at the projected content.
"Give a speech at the opening ceremony?" Yugen asked.
"Yes." Keihei smiled, "Having the Duel King make an appearance would greatly boost the event's popularity."
"No need to duel?"
"Nope. We can't just let anyone have the right to challenge the King, or else it becomes too cheap, don't you think?"
Keihei chuckled.
"Hmm, I'm not sure. I've been a bit busy lately, let's see if I can make time..."
"The organizer is offering a million."
"Deal." Yugen said, looking up, "Since it's a group activity, showing support by appearing is the right thing to do."
"I knew you'd say that." Keihei chuckled, "I'll inform the organizer."
"Alright."
Yugen swiped through the event info on the screen.
"Hmm, the venue is a bit far from the Academy..."
"Don't worry."
Keihei smiled.
"I discussed with my brother last time. You often travel between the Academy and the headquarters, and there are many events we'd like you involved in going forward.
So we've decided to equip you with a personal jet. How does that sound?"
Yugen: "???"
You're giving me... what?