As dawn broke, Youyu had already set out on a journey to visit the head of the archaeological team.
The address was on the outskirts, on the edge of a fairly remote village. Information suggested that the head archaeologist, named Koizumi Keita, did not originally live there. He was a city person, born and raised in a mechanized and urban area.
But ever since he unearthed an unknown object, he had moved specifically to the countryside, choosing to reside in such a nearly isolated and remote corner on the edge of the village.
This location was indeed quite difficult to find. There were no signs and no direction boards, the road to Mr. Koizumi Keita's residence was lined with seemingly indistinguishable mountain ranges.
Youyu sat in the back seat of the off-road vehicle, looking through the window at the endless blue river glimmering under the sunlight, at the lush forests along the shore, the mysterious and silent mountains, feeling as if each scene was a minimally altered copy-paste, the differences so subtle that it reminded him of those "spot the difference" games in childhood magazines.
The off-road vehicle stopped at the foot of the mountain. Youyu instructed the driver and bodyguard arranged by Kaiba Company to stay in the car, as he got out to pay a visit.
His destination was a duplex white cottage, nestled at the foot of the mountain, backed by dense woods and shrubs, a bit conspicuous in such a natural enclave.
Answering the door for him was Koizumi Ken, the younger brother of Koizumi Keita, with whom he shared the residence.
Since a prior notice had been given the night before, the host was not surprised by Youyu's visit. He warmly invited Youyu inside and prepared fine tea to entertain him.
"My brother went into the mountains yesterday afternoon and hasn't returned yet," Koizumi Ken said as he poured the tea, "but based on experience, he'll be back before lunch. If you don't mind, you can wait a bit."
"He stays overnight in the mountains?" Youyu was a little surprised, "Does he do this often?"
"Yes," Koizumi Ken replied helplessly, "Climbing is one of the few hobbies my brother took up. I had to go to great lengths earlier this year to kindle any interest in him.
Otherwise, he would just stay at home every day, uninterested in anything, depressed, seemingly losing interest in life itself."
"Sounds like depression."
"Indeed... but he wasn't like this before," Koizumi Ken sat down on the sofa opposite, "He used to be an optimistic and positive person, with unmatched enthusiasm for archaeology.
He was also passionate about life, looking forward to each day. He once believed he could make great discoveries that would shock the world—like Columbus discovering the New World, like Pegasus finding the Duel Monsters' tablets."
"Did he succeed?"
"He succeeded... yet also failed." Koizumi Ken's mood darkened as he mentioned this part, "My brother indeed discovered something. From the archaeological perspective, he might have indeed succeeded, but he was also crushed by his own success.
After returning from that mission, it was like he completely changed. He lost his passion and interest in everything in the world.
I watched as his spirit faded, and he became increasingly haggard. It was as if he was afraid of something, a destiny he felt he could not escape."
To Youyu, this all sounded increasingly bizarre.
"So did he ever mention what happened during that mission?"
Koizumi Ken shook his head.
"He signed a confidentiality agreement with the relevant department at that time, unable to divulge the content of the events to anyone. Moreover, Keita himself is very resistant to recalling those events, and since returning, he has been trying to forget them... though perhaps not very successfully."
Koizumi Ken paused.
"But I've always told him that continuing to drown like this is not a solution either. So last night, I was happy to hear you were coming, Mr. Youyu.
If you truly want to know what happened then, you can ask Keita directly when he returns later. I think if it were you... he might be willing to talk."
So before Koizumi Keita returned, Youyu stayed for the time being.
Koizumi Ken mentioned that in the house there are some prized collections of his brother, some of which were discoveries from his archaeological work, and others acquired through different sources.
Archaeology, to Youyu, was akin to alien culture, of which he knew nothing. He repeatedly expressed admiration while visiting, but in truth, he was quite unenlightened, unable to discern anything.
Until he saw a mural.
To be precise, it was a replica of a mural. His gaze fell upon the lifelike engravings on the golden tablet, and for an instant, Youyu was bewitched, captivated, unable to tear his eyes away, even briefly doubting the reality of what he was seeing.
Realizing this distinguished guest's interest in the collection, Koizumi Ken stepped forward to explain: "This is something my brother worked very hard to acquire.
Its original is a mural unearthed in Egypt. I don't know much, but Keita mentioned that the creation of this mural involves some ancient alchemical techniques not yet understood by us today.
He said some magical properties of the alchemy materials made it difficult to be corroded by time, so to this day, people can't determine exactly what era it belongs to..."
It's evident that Koizumi Ken also didn't know much, his understanding of the collection only came from his brother's occasional remarks in daily life.
But Youyu was quickly not listening to Koizumi Ken anymore, as all his attention was drawn to the mural.
He saw ancient people depicting grandiose compositions with crude, simple lines. He saw mighty dragons rolling in the sky—based on the bas-reliefs on the Millennium Tablet once guarded by the Gravekeeper Race, Youyu was seventy percent sure that depicted was "Slifer the Sky Dragon" because its style and shape were identical to those on the bas-relief.
Similarly, the abstract giant standing on the ground should be "Obelisk the Tormentor." The Winged Dragon spread its wings high overhead, surrounded by lines seemingly representing sunshine, magnificently capturing that sacredness using the simplest lines.
In stark contrast, on the opposing side, he saw three similar beings in another territory. A dragon roaring in the sky, a thunder-wielding demon, and a towering, massive giant.
Though never seen in other mural materials, he quickly surmised those should be "Uria, Lord of Searing Flames," "Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder," "Raviel, Lord of Phantasms," counterparts to the Three Egyptian God as the Three Phantasm.
If those felt normal, the rest was even more bizarre.
For instance, there were divine images emerging at the end of a distant ocean, as if beyond the continent. A one-eyed deity holding a scepter, a cunning individual with a tall hat, and a broad-shouldered, mighty thunder giant.
It was evident they represented Northern Europe's gods, known as the "Star Realm's Polar Gods"—Odin, Loki, and Thor.
In another part of the picture, fiery lines engraving on the ground outlined curves of various animals. There were giants, spiders, hummingbirds, monkeys, and more; each corresponding monster stood proudly, their sizes mighty enough to rival the Egyptian Gods and Phantasms.
These were the "Nasca Lines," corresponding to the deity "Earthbound Immortal."
A mural depicting a battle of gods and demons, as if portraying the apocalypse.