Yuto and the others walked on, finally stepping past the town's border.
The scenery before them changed completely in an instant.
The streets bustled with people and noise, brimming with life and energy.
Stalls and shops of all kinds crowded both sides of the road, with cries of peddlers and haggling voices rising and falling without pause.
The air was thick with the mingled scents of spices, baked bread, and some kind of strange roasted beast meat.
The goods displayed on the shelves dazzled the eye—glimmering ores, bizarre beetles writhing in glass jars, and oddly shaped talismans—all filled with the peculiar charm of another world.
"Hey, hey, look at that!"
Joey stopped at one of the stalls, pointing at the rows of golden-brown things hanging from iron hooks, his face full of disbelief.
"Wait… do people here actually eat lizards?"
He rubbed his chin, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
"I wonder what they taste like…"
"Joey!"
Yuto's voice snapped him out of his culinary daydream.
Ignoring the strange merchandise around them, Yuto's sharp gaze locked onto a particular shop ahead, his right hand pointing steadily in its direction.
"Look there."
It was a card shop!
Amidst the stone buildings, wooden signs, and linen-clad townsfolk of this medieval-style town, the shop stood out like a sore thumb.
Its windows were bright and spotless, and instead of weapons or herbs, the display inside was filled with beautifully printed trading cards!
That stark sense of modernity was almost jarring.
"Whoa—!!"
Like a dragon discovering treasure, Joey lunged forward in excitement, his eyes wide as saucers.
"Super rare cards!!!"
On the display wall outside the shop, a neat row of Ritual Monster cards was framed in ornate wood and protected behind a clear glass pane.
Joey was so thrilled he nearly pressed his whole face against the cold glass, his fingers tapping unconsciously, making soft thunk-thunk sounds.
"Amazing! I have to buy one!!"
Mokuba followed behind, facepalming in exasperation.
"There's no way you can afford that, idiot Joey! At least look at the price first…"
"Uh…"
Joey's excitement was doused with a cold splash of reality. Reluctantly, he tore his gaze from the cards and looked where Mokuba was pointing.
Below the showcase, a simple white cloth was nailed in place, with bold black paint spelling out a number.
"2000," followed by a clearly drawn gold coin symbol.
"2000… gold coins?!"
Joey's voice shot up an octave, filled with incredulous despair.
"This is daylight robbery!!"
"So stop dreaming."
Mokuba sighed.
"We should focus on finding my brother first."
Seeing Joey still reeling from the heartbreak of his unattainable rare card and Mokuba's helpless expression, Yuto looked around the lively yet unfamiliar town and made a suggestion.
"How about this—we split up to search for clues. It'll be more efficient. Let's meet back here at noon, at the fountain plaza in the town center, and share what we find. Agreed?"
Everyone found that reasonable and nodded in unison.
"Got it!"
Joey managed to rally himself a little.
"Understood."
Mokuba agreed as well.
"Then…"
Yuto turned crisply toward the north side of town.
"I'll check the northern district."
With that, he wasted no time, striding forward and quickly disappearing into the bustling crowd heading north.
Unfortunately, when the noon sun shone down over the fountain plaza, Yuto returned looking rather worse for wear.
Under the wary gazes of passersby, he brushed at the imaginary dust on his clothes.
The entire morning—he hadn't found even the faintest trace of Kaiba, barely managing to speak to anyone at all.
In fact, his constant glancing around had made him look so suspicious that a few cautious townspeople nearly escorted him out of town.
Investigation results: absolutely nothing.
When the group gathered again by the fountain, the mood was grim.
"I didn't find anything useful either," Yuto admitted helplessly, his face full of frustration.
"Same here…"
Yugi's tone carried the same regret—it was clear his efforts hadn't gone any better.
As for Joey… he was currently hopping on one leg, grimacing as he wrestled with a scruffy mutt that had clamped its teeth onto his pant leg.
"Hey! Let go! I said let go, you little furball! My pants aren't a chew toy!"
The scene was pure chaos.
"Phew… finally got rid of it…"
After prying the dog off, Joey rubbed his sore calf, only to notice the questioning looks from his friends.
"Eh? Me? I didn't find anything either…"
"I did hear something, though."
Mokuba's voice carried a glimmer of hope, immediately catching everyone's attention.
"Some town guards were chatting earlier—they said that early this morning, a group of men left town escorting a big iron cage. The direction they took was… the Giant Rock Temple. They said there was a person locked inside."
"Someone inside the cage? Could it be Kaiba?"
Joey jumped in immediately, eyes lighting up.
"More importantly…"
Yuto rubbed his tired eyes, unable to stop himself from muttering.
"Doesn't 'Giant Rock Temple' sound kind of… lame? Like the first dungeon next to the newbie village in a twenty-year-old RPG."
"Come on, Yuto!"
Yugi interrupted with a wry smile.
"Since Mokuba got us a lead, let's just focus on finding Kaiba first."
With their goal clear, the group set out at once, leaving the relative safety of the town and plunging into the vast, barren desert beyond.
"To reach the Giant Rock Temple, we have to cross this desert! Everyone, stay alert!"
Mokuba shouted, but his voice was soon swallowed by the wind and sand.
Reality, however, had other plans.
Braving a sandstorm? Easier said than done!
The gale whipped up waves of yellow sand, lashing at their faces and bodies like countless tiny whips.
This wasn't mere wind—it was a moving wall of sand!
Forget walking—just keeping their eyes open was almost impossible.
Yuto had barely taken two steps before he felt sand assaulting his eyes, mouth, and nose.
"Pfft! Pffft—ugh!"
He spat and coughed, his mouth full of grit, his eyes stinging and tearing uncontrollably.
"This is… cough… pfft pfft!!"
He couldn't even finish his complaint.
"No way! There's no way we can keep moving in this storm!!"
Joey practically shouted, squinting and shielding his face with his arm, voicing exactly what Yuto was thinking.
The howling wind drowned out his cries as the group struggled on, like fragile blades of grass trembling in the raging sandstorm.
...
If you want to support, please consider Patreon, and read advanced chapters! Your support keeps this series going!
[Patreon.com/RedZTL]