With Hu Tao's burst of chunni-like bravado, the Duel Field shook violently.
What had been an empty arena darkened, and in an instant—
The Duel Field transformed into the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Unlike when Hu Tao tested it earlier, this time the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor looked far more real.
Not only that, but countless white spirits floated across the field, occasionally rushing toward the audience, giving the citizens of Liyue a tremendous shock.
Every single pebble on the Duel Field could be seen clearly by the crowd. It was as if they were truly there, and even the eerie chill seeped into their hearts.
A cold wind swept through the hall, and the Liyue citizens watching couldn't help but shiver.
The boy who had earlier enjoyed squealing quickly hid behind Zhongli, tugging at his small braid.
Seeing this version of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Hu Tao was utterly thrilled… it felt just like home.
'What the heck…'
'So real!!!'
Even more real than the actual Wangsheng Funeral Parlor… compared to her own, this one actually felt like the true deal.
After all, there weren't nearly this many spirits haunting the real Wangsheng Funeral Parlor!
If she didn't know these ghosts were fake, Hu Tao would have rushed up to capture a few little spirits and lock them away.
Field Spell Card [Wangsheng Funeral Parlor] successfully activated.
Watching Hu Tao so excited after her Field Spell was activated, Luya felt joy as well.
Indeed, the happiness of a Duel really was contagious…
With her first card successfully activated,
Hu Tao continued:
"Next, I'm going to use effect 2 of [Wangsheng Funeral Parlor]!!!"
[Wangsheng Funeral Parlor]
The Duel Field seemed to heed Hu Tao's command.
A sound of acknowledgement echoed out, directly bringing forth from her Deck all the Zombie monsters eligible to be sent to the Graveyard, laying them before her.
Without a second thought, Hu Tao declared:
"I will send two copies of [Skull Servant] to the Graveyard!"
The two [Skull Servant] cards flew into the Graveyard Zone.
At the same time, the card descriptions and artwork for Skull Servant were displayed to the confused audience.
[Skull Servant] Level 1│DARK│Zombie│300 ATK / 200 DEF
Some of the less quick-witted Liyue folk, hearing Hu Tao's words and actions, were puzzled.
They turned to Zhongli, who was intently observing the Duel.
"Mr. Zhongli, what is this Graveyard?!"
"Hall Master Hu… is she treating the Duel like her work?!"
"Right, Mr. Zhongli! The Graveyard sounds familiar yet confusing… please explain it to us."
Zhongli nodded at their words, and began his explanation:
"The Graveyard, as its name implies—
When a person dies, they are buried, and thus enter their grave.
So too for Duel Monsters.
In this game, the Graveyard is the resting place of Duel Monsters.
Normally, a monster enters the Graveyard after being Summoned and then leaving the Field for some other reason, without returning to the Deck.
Anyhow, the Hall Master's method is not the normal case…
The Hall Master is, in essence… mm, directly dragging the monsters out and burying them alive!"
Hearing Zhongli's explanation, most of the Liyue citizens now understood the concept.
A young woman in a cheongsam stepped forward and said:
"Yes, that does sound like Hall Master Hu's style…"
"She's done something like that before?!"
"Oh, absolutely~ Last month, one night at Feiyun Slope, I saw Hall Master Hu carrying a shovel and a sack, chasing after that purple-haired girl from Bubu Pharmacy—the one called Qiqi!?"
"Hall Master Hu was chasing the girl everywhere, up and down… then stuffed the girl into a sack, tossed her toward a pit, and was about to light a fire."
"I hurried to Bubu Pharmacy to find Doctor Baizhu, and only then was the Hall Master stopped…"
"What the heck! That actually happened?!"
"The Funeral Parlor's master… terrifying indeed."
Zhongli knew of this matter as well, so he simply nodded.
Hu Tao and Qiqi hadn't known each other long, yet Hu Tao had already regarded Qiqi as a dear friend (though it was one-sided…).
To Hu Tao, Qiqi had long since died, trapped in this world without release, a sufferer in bitter torment!
To lay Qiqi to rest wasn't only for her own sake, but also to uphold the balance between yin and yang.
This was the duty of the seventy-seventh Hall Master of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor!!!
So Hu Tao wanted to personally bury Qiqi, staging multiple attempts, calculating the precise times to seize her and follow through with the process of cremation and interment in a prepared tomb outside the city.
However, every time, she failed because someone discovered and stopped her!
Afterward, Hu Tao even wrote apology letters to Qiqi, lamenting that she had acted too slowly, unable to give Qiqi peace in burial, and expressing deep regret.
When Hu Tao and Qiqi confronted each other, Qiqi's will to live was extraordinarily strong.
Perhaps it was Qiqi's desperate fight for survival that touched Hu Tao, for she uncharacteristically began to investigate Qiqi's past in earnest.
Unexpected accidents, the secrets of the Adepti…
Various coincidences led Hu Tao to abandon her burial plan.
Since Qiqi so dearly wished to live, Hu Tao could not force her into the grave.
Thus, she became a once-in-a-lifetime exception. From then on, Hu Tao's attitude toward Qiqi changed dramatically.
From trying to carry her off outright to checking in with care and concern.
After Zhongli's explanation of the Graveyard, Hu Tao, brimming with confidence, turned to the audience around the Duel platform and grinned:
"Next!"
"It's time for this Hall Master to truly show her skills!!!"
"Everyone, watch closely, and learn well~"
...
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