After a triumphant victory, the Pharaoh himself led the troops back home. Along the way, the citizens and troops of the Royal Capital lined the streets in welcome, creating a festive atmosphere akin to the New Year.
Dark Yugi rode on horseback, frowning and saying little along the way. Although they had won the battle and gained a significant advantage, the opponent was not completely conquered.
Their enemy camp's Bakura still lurked in some unknown corner, amassing strength, ready to strike again from any angle and at any time.
Regardless, Bakura still held the Three Evil Gods in his hands, so they couldn't be careless.
Simon rode forward and whispered in Yugi's ear, "I've sent someone to ride overnight back to the palace with news of our victory to prepare the celebration banquet."
But Yugi was not interested: "We haven't captured the Thief King yet, so there's no need..."
"This is an important step, my Pharaoh," Simon explained, "We must let the people know we've won the battle, show them our strength and confidence; the celebration banquet is a must."
In short, it's really just about eating, drinking, and watching the palace maidens dance.
Yugi thought about it and realized that without a trace of Bakura, there wasn't much else to do for now, so he didn't object anymore.
So back at the Royal Palace, everyone entered a grand feast centered around eating.
The players were extremely pleased with the feast they "tasted" in this virtual game within a virtual game. Probably because it was a fictional world, the food in the palace was much more extraordinary than they had imagined.
The locals Nora Tatsu and Dai Jian couldn't resist their fascination with the palace's wine. Though the alcohol content wasn't strong, the taste was exquisite, offering a unique flavor compared to the strong liquor they usually brag and drink with.
Honda and Jonouchi brothers took a particular liking to the hedgehog meat on the table. The Ancient Egyptians wrapped hedgehogs tightly in clay, roasted them over a fire until the clay cracked and fell off, removing the hedgehog's quills along with it, revealing the fragrant hedgehog meat.
Dai Jian consumed the meat while drinking wine, boasting to the clueless Priestess Mana, embellishing the story of how they surrounded Bakura.
In his excitement, he couldn't help but shake his head, saying, "Alas, it's a pity I wasn't the one to intercept the Thief King. If it were me, the outcome might have been a completely different story..."
Men are instinctively inclined to show off, especially in front of pretty girls.
However, many times, some men brag about their heroic deeds, yet when it comes down to it, they are not much use.
I'm talking about people like Dai Jian.
Anyway, bragging doesn't cost a tax, so why not boast first?
Don't say it; sometimes naive girls do get fooled.
Mana widened her eyes, her face full of admiration: "Wow? You... you're amazing!"
Being praised by his anime waifu like this, Dai Jian got so inflated with pride that he wanted to show off again, but he happened to catch a glimpse, out of the corner of his eye, of Youyu sitting by the Pharaoh, causing a sudden "affection -10" to pop up over his head...
Tsk~
Could it be I stole Youyu-san's opportunity to show off, and he's very angry with serious consequences?
Dai Jian immediately stopped joking and quickly changed his tone: "Oh, you misunderstood. I meant it's good that Youyu-san managed to stop the Thief King. If it had been me, the ending might have been a completely different story. In that case, what you would've seen of me could already be a corpse..."
Mana: "?"
The quick reversal left the young girl's simple mind a bit lagging...
Kicked out of the car by Bakura, revived at the cost of eighty bucks, and now back at the Royal Palace with the group. His thoughts were quickly scattered as he quietly moved next to Mana with a smile on his face and whispered: "Uh... Priestess sister? Can I ask a question?"
Although his way of addressing her was a bit strange, Mana, being naturally broad-minded and having a good impression of these quirky new friends, casually nodded: "Sure."
"Could you tell me what the Pharaoh's name is?"
Hearing this, the nearby players perked up their ears with interest.
Wow, is he trying to exploit a game bug?
As everyone knows, the true name of the Pharaoh is the ultimate weapon in this RPG Darkness Game, the key to summoning the legendary "Holactie the Creator of Light."
Having been instantly killed and revived, Heart Flying with the Wind is still wandering outside, trying hard to find the Pharaoh's true name item, but still has no leads.
Players who had watched the anime could spoil the Pharaoh's true name, but that wouldn't work. The "Pharaoh's true name" is a key item in this RPG game, and you either have to find the quest item recording his name or find a quest NPC who knows his name within the game.
Normatively speaking, Mana, being Dark Yugi's childhood friend, should know his name.
Mana "ah"ed, lowering her voice: "Common folk cannot call the Prince by name, otherwise they'll be executed!"
Then she realized her mistake, covering her mouth with an "oops": "Oh no, the Prince is the Pharaoh now, I said it wrong again..."
As expected, comments flooded like "AWSL" on screen, and some people with strange points of focus posted some odd questions.
"Beheaded? Which head?"
"No matter which, it's a serious issue..."
"..."
After trying hard for a while, nothing substantial was learned from Mana.
Ultimately, it was the girl herself who got dizzy, saying things like "The Prince is the Prince, the Pharaoh is the Prince, the Prince is the Pharaoh," not quite understanding it even after a while.
So it seems this attempt to exploit the bug was harmonized by the game, and even those closest to Dark Yugi didn't know his name.
However, unexpectedly, in the recent couple of days, there was sudden progress in searching for the "Name of the King."
Although it might not be good news.
The first startled was Xue Lang—he seemed to have discovered some remarkable news in the forum.
Then Youyu also opened the forum, spotting that post in the trending threads at once.
The post was made by Heart Flying with the Wind, who was constantly busy in the outside world.
Ever since entering the Memory World, Heart Flying with the Wind had persisted day in, day out, tirelessly, practically exploring every corner of the memory sandbox map, finally discovering a hidden mysterious tomb through a key plot NPC.
Having reached this part of the quest, Heart Flying with the Wind's memory of the DM animation plot started to return. He recalled that this mysterious tomb seemed to be the very one where Muto Sugoroku's grandfather would raid and from which he would take the Millennium Pendant 3000 years later. He also remembered that the key item, the Pharaoh's name, was engraved on a stone slab in this tomb.
And here comes the problem.
"Poster: Heart Flying with the Wind.
Help! I've found the Pharaoh's tomb, but the traps in this hellish place are impossible to navigate, and I've died twice already. Is there any tomb-raiding expert here on the forum? Waiting online, quite urgent..."