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Chapter 695: Capitalists Attract Each Other
Returning to the present, just as Hayato and the others walked out of the Forest, they saw two figures standing before an Obelisk-like pillar, communicating with each other.
"Is this the place, Amunaeru?" Kagemaru leaned on his cane, asking Amunaeru, who was stroking the pillar beside him. Behind Kagemaru was a four-legged mechanical device.
Although Kagemaru, nearing a hundred years old, maintained an exceptionally healthy body compared to other elderly people his age due to his training in his youth, he was ultimately old. Just now, he had relied on that four-legged crawling device to keep up with Amunaeru's pace through the Jungle and arrive at their destination.
However, unlike Amunaeru, Kagemaru, who knew nothing about alchemy, could not tell anything special about the pillar before him.
Amunaeru, on the other hand, stroked the pillar with his finger, a sense of astonishment and excitement flowing from his self-talk: "What a magnificent structure! To think they constructed a seal through seven Obelisks, casting all the dead beings on This Island into the seal, utilizing nature's own cycles to complete the 'Sage's Stone'? Truly a genius idea!"
"Although it might spend a lot of time, as long as we wait slowly, the day it's completed will eventually come!"
Seeing Amunaeru getting excited by himself, Kagemaru impatiently urged, "Amunaeru!"
"Ah, sorry, sorry. Seeing such a remarkable idea, I couldn't help myself for a moment." Interrupted by Kagemaru from the stream of wonderful ideas appearing in his mind, Amunaeru wasn't angry. He said to Kagemaru with a slight apology, but he also felt a bit strange.
"However, it's truly strange. Since Diablo constructed such an item on the Island, unless he had a brain short-circuit and thought of draining the pond to catch all the fish by killing all the living beings in one go to speed up the process, shouldn't there be many animals on the Island to continuously provide enough energy? Why did I only see a few flying birds on the way here?"
Amunaeru rested his chin on his hand, looking like he was deep in thought. "Also, that guy Diablo, logically speaking, shouldn't he have appeared before me long ago? After all, we have such a good relationship. Every time I appear, he's always eager to care about the progress of my experiment and share what achievements he has made."
'No, that Diablo clearly just wanted to show off to you. Where did you get the idea that he considered you a friend?' Kagemaru, standing behind Amunaeru, grumbled internally. His expectation of getting help from the Alchemist named Diablo couldn't help but decrease slightly.
He should have thought of it earlier. This guy Amunaeru fundamentally doesn't understand much about social etiquette. Maybe that guy named Diablo didn't just not consider him a friend, but even saw him as an opponent or enemy. How could he possibly help him?
Just then, someone joined their conversation: "If the Diablo you're talking about is an old guy with pink hair covered in mold spots, then unfortunately, he probably won't be able to come before you."
"Who's there?!" Kagemaru looked over at the sound, but saw several young people with backpacks of varying size, dressed like tourists, walking out of the Jungle not far away. The one who spoke was a tall, handsome youth walking at the front of the group.
'Are they the travelers who parachuted from that airplane just now? Hmph, they'd better not influence my actions.' Kagemaru wasn't very interested in these young people, especially the short one whose hair stood up like a Starfish (Nickname for Yugi), and the dark-skinned, white-haired kid with a weak appearance. It was very obvious that these two were the least worth paying attention to in the group; they looked like weaklings at a glance.
However, the leading young man who had just spoken to them caught Kagemaru's particular attention. After observing him for a bit, he couldn't help but frown.
Kagemaru felt that the young man looked familiar, but although he looked quite handsome, for some reason, Kagemaru always felt that there was a very evil aura about That Person. This was Kagemaru's intuition as a capitalist who had built up a vast enterprise from scratch. From the first moment he saw that young man, Kagemaru felt a unique attraction, the attraction between capitalists who attract each other.
Even if the other party wasn't a high-ranking leader in some organization, they were at least a decision-maker with the resolve to sacrifice their subordinates without hesitation to achieve their goal.
However, Kagemaru, whose understanding of Duel Monsters was only superficial, didn't recognize the youth. Amunaeru, standing beside him, recognized the other party's identity at a glance and said in astonishment, "Mr. Hayato!? Why are you here?"
"Uh, I remember now, could it be that airplane just now was..."
"Well... it's pretty much like that. I didn't want to be here either, but because of an accident, I got to know that there's actually a crazy Alchemist on This Island." Hayato glanced at Amunaeru, who was wearing a mask, and greeted him, "It's been a long time since the KC Cup. Long time no see, Professor Banner."
Hayato thought the other party would refuse this address again, but to Hayato's surprise, Amunaeru actually nodded and accepted it: "Yes, I do go by that name now, Mr. Hayato."
"Is he someone you know, Professor Banner?" Kagemaru looked at the Alchemist he had hired beside him and asked. He seemed to be asking who Hayato and the others were, but actually, when he heard Amunaeru say "Hayato", he had already remembered where he had seen this young man.
'Hayato Kobayashi, huh? I didn't expect the Duel King to appear here. Is he really here by accident? Looking at the group of people his age behind him, are they traveling with friends during the holidays? Probably.'
'Hmph, a kid is just a kid after all. Even if he's some so-called Duel King, he only became the strongest by playing child's tricks. He's clearly in a treasure trove but fundamentally hasn't noticed what a great existence is before his eyes.'
The main reason Kagemaru, thinking this in his mind, asked Amunaeru was actually to ask about another point. That is, not many people knew Amunaeru's new name, "Professor Banner". When did Hayato Kobayashi intersect with Amunaeru, and when did he come to know this name?
Don't look at Amunaeru being a sturdy young man with black hair; actually, he is about the same age as Kagemaru. It's just that the case of "Human Transmutation" that Amunaeru successfully completed before was applied to himself, exchanging his body once, allowing him to get rid of his old body and return to youth.
But at the same time, it also meant that Amunaeru's original identity disappeared with the death of his old body. The reborn Amunaeru had to request Kagemaru to help him prepare a new identity, and for this new name, Amunaeru thought for a long time back then and chose "Professor Banner".
"Ah, as for Mr. Hayato, I met him during the previous KC Cup. At that time, I happened to be searching for potentially existing ancient power in the Americas. Before returning empty-handed from the Nazca Plain in South America, I happened to catch the KC Cup event jointly organized by Industrial Illusions and KaibaCorp and participated casually. That's where I met Mr. Hayato."
"Although Mr. Hayato wasn't participating under his own name at the time, speaking of which, I chose my current name because I remembered how Mr. Hayato addressed me back then."
Amunaeru smiled, raised his hand to take off the mask on his face, revealing a young face. His smile was very kind, and his eyes were narrowed. He looked like an honest person with a good temper who wouldn't fight back even if bullied.
However, Yugi felt a sense of familiarity looking at the face Amunaeru revealed. He seemed to have seen the other party somewhere before.
As he recalled, Yugi suddenly remembered something. That is, at that time, when Paradox was planning to kill Pegasus and destroy the history of Duel Monsters, and Yusei Fudo and Judai from the Future time travelled to rescue them, wasn't there a ghost named "Professor Banner" beside Judai?
Thinking about it this way, since the other party could exist as a ghost beside Judai in the Future and Judai seemed to respect the other party very much, this Uncle named Amunaeru should also be a good person, right?
Thinking of this, Yugi was no longer vigilant towards Kagemaru and Amunaeru who appeared before him, feeling somewhat relieved.
"Oh right, Mr. Hayato, you just now said that Diablo, or Diablo, can't appear before us. If possible, could you tell me what happened?" Remembering what Hayato said when he first appeared, Professor Banner looked at Hayato and asked with a serious request, "He is my friend, and I have a problem in alchemy that I wanted to ask him for help with."
"Well..." Hayato glanced at Professor Banner, shrugged, and recounted everything that had just now happened without concealment, from the time they landed on the Island and were attracted by the sound of others being attacked to a Forest Clearing, and then being attacked by Diablo with **Danger! Bigfoot!**.
Hearing Hayato say that Diablo was not only conducting biological modification but also arbitrarily using humans for his experiments, Professor Banner also had a shocked expression. He wanted to defend his friend, saying that the other party wasn't that kind of person, but when he carefully recalled the other party's behavior over the past few decades since they met, he could only remain speechless in the end, his heart full of emotions turning into a sigh.
"Sigh..."
"Sigh..."
Kagemaru, standing beside Professor Banner, also sighed. Hearing that the Alchemist capable of completing the "Sage's Stone" was practically dead because of dueling, Kagemaru felt more sad than if his own son had died, even though he didn't have a son.
You're a person who's also decades old, why would you duel with a kid in his teens or twenties? If you didn't duel, would the other party attack you directly with monsters from their card? And you can actually die from dueling?
The key is that he died, which means his plan to extend life by using the power of the Alchemist named Diablo also fell through. How could this not make Kagemaru disappointed and resentful?
He was disappointed because without Diablo's "Sage's Stone", Amunaeru would have no way to complete his "Human Transmutation" to extend life and continue living; he was resentful because Hayato Kobayashi, this hateful kid, destroyed everything he had within reach!
However, before Kagemaru could cast a gaze full of wrath at Hayato, his gaze was completely attracted by a small, reddish-green gem the size of a glass bead that Hayato casually took out from his arms.
Although he didn't understand alchemy, Kagemaru knew that this jade could satisfy his desire. This wasn't some vague intuition; he truly heard a voice from within that stone, as if calling him to reach out and touch it!
"This stone is that guy Diablo's 'Sage's Stone', but you saw it, right? It's not finished yet, still the color of the raw material 'Orichalcos'. Rather than satisfying desire, it mostly just arouses desire. The gap between it and a true 'Sage's Stone' is like the difference between a steamed bun that fills your stomach and a snack that whets your appetite."
Unconcerned with the unfinished version of the "Sage's Stone" in his hand, Hayato tossed the jade up and down, playing with it, and Kagemaru's gaze followed the jade's movement.
"However, this thing is useless to me. Professor Banner, do you want it?"
Yes, whether he wants it or not, I want it. That's my treasure, give it to me quickly!
Kagemaru roared in his mind. Seeing Hayato extend his hand, he almost subconsciously reached out to take it, only managing to control his restless hand with his other hand with great difficulty.
Get it, Amunaeru!
But, despite Kagemaru's desperate prayers in his mind, to his great astonishment and disappointment, Professor Banner reached out, caught the Orichalcos Stone, and then handed it back, wanting to return it to Hayato?!
"Let's forget it, Mr. Hayato. With my talent, I can't change the method of manufacturing the 'Sage's Stone'. I can only follow the path of those who came before. And completing the 'Sage's Stone' in that way..." Glancing at the reddish Orichalcos Stone in his hand, Professor Banner firmly refused. "Even if it's called the highest achievement of an Alchemist, it would make me sick."
"Actually, not long before, during the commotion caused by Atlantis, I also accidentally obtained an Orichalcos Stone. If I wanted to use it to complete the 'Sage's Stone', I could have done it long ago, but I finally chose to give up."
With a smile at the corner of his mouth, Professor Banner said casually, "It just so happened that I encountered a child in the Americas whose eyes were injured trying to save his animal friend. I gave that Orichalcos Stone to that child whose emotions towards his friend were moving."
Kagemaru, listening on the side, clenched his fist tightly.
This bastard Amunaeru, does he think I'm deaf and can't hear? Before, he kept telling me he didn't know the method to complete the "Sage's Stone". Don't you clearly know it? You're resisting the method you know for a little bit of psychological fastidiousness? Damn it, what kind of reason is that!
Even if it requires sacrificing a large number of lives to complete the Sage's Stone, it doesn't matter. I am Kagemaru, Kagemaru who founded countless pharmaceutical groups! I have saved countless human lives in my life, although it was in exchange for wealth, what's the problem with hundreds or thousands of people dying to save someone as important as me!
It's clearly you, Amunaeru, you bastard, who is ungrateful and doesn't want to save me, right? You don't want to use the precious "Sage's Stone" for me. Including the fact that "Human Transmutation" has a flaw and can't be used on me must also be a lie. You guy definitely doesn't want to share the method of extending lifespan with me!
You even gave away that "Orichalcos" that seems capable of manufacturing the "Sage's Stone"? How foolish!
Kagemaru didn't notice that in the short time he had been staring at the Orichalcos, the darkness he had accumulated in his mind throughout his life seemed to have been completely stirred up and exploded in his heart, pouring out entirely onto Hayato, who held the Orichalcos Stone, and Amunaeru, who refused to save him.
But on the surface, Kagemaru still maintained an unperturbed appearance, showing no sign of the resentful thoughts filling his heart.
"Um, is there some trouble with the manufacturing of the 'Sage's Stone'?" Forcing a kind smile onto his face, Kagemaru asked Hayato and Professor Banner.
"This isn't a question of whether it's troublesome or not, Mr. Kagemaru. To be honest with you, the completion of the 'Sage's Stone' is basically filled with the death of countless lives. To reverse death into life, what is needed is naturally this process of life falling towards death. It's because of this reason that I told you I couldn't complete the 'Sage's Stone'."
Kagemaru?
Hayato heard the name and glanced at the old man beside Professor Banner. In an instant, he remembered the other party's identity. This old man before him seemed to be frequently in the news, apparently the founder, Major Shareholder, and current Chairman of a certain internationally renowned pharmaceutical group, and seemed to have some cooperation with KaibaCorp.
Moreover, in the Future, this guy seemed to have become one of the founders of Duel Academy and served as the Chairman?
Because Hayato's impression of "Kagemaru" only consisted of three images: an old man in a wheelchair, an old man lying in a life support pod, and a naked muscle maniac, for a moment, seeing Kagemaru standing on his own and able to speak without an oxygen mask, Hayato really didn't recognize him. The principle was the same as how some people don't recognize others when they put on clothes.
Hayato paused slightly, thinking of Duel Academy.
Because he hadn't paid much attention before, it was only now that Hayato suddenly remembered that the terrain of the Island they were currently on, aside from not having the academy buildings and the Dock for ships, wasn't much different from the Duel Academy in his impression. Even the several giant pillars before his eyes were exactly the same as the seven pillars sealing the Sacred Beasts on Duel Academy?!
Could this place be the future Duel Academy?!
And just as Hayato was observing the seven pillars, Professor Banner also noticed his action and couldn't help but glance at the seven Obelisks. Then, he suddenly recalled the function of the seven Obelisks he had investigated before, and a smile appeared on his face: "Oh right, we can utilize this place!"
"I have an idea, Mr. Hayato, Mr. Kagemaru. As long as we seal the Orichalcos Stone using this sealing device left by Diablo, it can continuously absorb power through the natural elimination of living beings on the Island, and eventually complete the 'Sage's Stone'!"
Professor Banner said, glancing at Kagemaru, "Although this might require some time, once the 'Sage's Stone' is completed, Mr. Kagemaru, I will definitely help you complete 'Human Transmutation'."
"Yes, I believe you. Then I'll leave everything to you, Professor Banner." Kagemaru's face still wore a smile, but the darkness stirred up by the Orichalcos Stone in his mind was already raging like waves. 'Hmph, saying he'll help me, this guy Amunaeru must be thinking of outliving me and monopolizing the power of the 'Sage's Stone', the hateful guy!'
'I won't let you succeed. After I go back, I'll lie in a life support pod to minimize metabolism and extend life as much as possible. Also, do you think I can only rely on you? I've decided, I'll use this place as the location to create the **Phantasmagoric Martyrs**. That book recorded that **Phantasmagoric Martyrs** can grant people powerful life force, which is much more reliable than alchemy or anything else.'
And in Hayato's ear, the voice of **Rainbow Kuriboh**, who deliberately remained invisible, was heard.
'Kurikuri~'
"Hmm?" Hayato was startled and couldn't help but glance at Kagemaru, who was lowering his head, seemingly lost in thought. 'The Sacred Beasts say that this guy Kagemaru has a similar scent to them?'
(End of Chapter)
Returning to the present, just as Hayato and the others walked out of the Forest, they saw two figures standing before an Obelisk-like pillar, communicating with each other.
"Is this the place, Amunaeru?" Kagemaru leaned on his cane, asking Amunaeru, who was stroking the pillar beside him. Behind Kagemaru was a four-legged mechanical device.
Although Kagemaru, nearing a hundred years old, maintained an exceptionally healthy body compared to other elderly people his age due to his training in his youth, he was ultimately old. Just now, he had relied on that four-legged crawling device to keep up with Amunaeru's pace through the Jungle and arrive at their destination.
However, unlike Amunaeru, Kagemaru, who knew nothing about alchemy, could not tell anything special about the pillar before him.
Amunaeru, on the other hand, stroked the pillar with his finger, a sense of astonishment and excitement flowing from his self-talk: "What a magnificent structure! To think they constructed a seal through seven Obelisks, casting all the dead beings on This Island into the seal, utilizing nature's own cycles to complete the 'Sage's Stone'? Truly a genius idea!"
"Although it might spend a lot of time, as long as we wait slowly, the day it's completed will eventually come!"
Seeing Amunaeru getting excited by himself, Kagemaru impatiently urged, "Amunaeru!"
"Ah, sorry, sorry. Seeing such a remarkable idea, I couldn't help myself for a moment." Interrupted by Kagemaru from the stream of wonderful ideas appearing in his mind, Amunaeru wasn't angry. He said to Kagemaru with a slight apology, but he also felt a bit strange.
"However, it's truly strange. Since Diablo constructed such an item on the Island, unless he had a brain short-circuit and thought of draining the pond to catch all the fish by killing all the living beings in one go to speed up the process, shouldn't there be many animals on the Island to continuously provide enough energy? Why did I only see a few flying birds on the way here?"
Amunaeru rested his chin on his hand, looking like he was deep in thought. "Also, that guy Diablo, logically speaking, shouldn't he have appeared before me long ago? After all, we have such a good relationship. Every time I appear, he's always eager to care about the progress of my experiment and share what achievements he has made."
'No, that Diablo clearly just wanted to show off to you. Where did you get the idea that he considered you a friend?' Kagemaru, standing behind Amunaeru, grumbled internally. His expectation of getting help from the Alchemist named Diablo couldn't help but decrease slightly.
He should have thought of it earlier. This guy Amunaeru fundamentally doesn't understand much about social etiquette. Maybe that guy named Diablo didn't just not consider him a friend, but even saw him as an opponent or enemy. How could he possibly help him?
Just then, someone joined their conversation: "If the Diablo you're talking about is an old guy with pink hair covered in mold spots, then unfortunately, he probably won't be able to come before you."
"Who's there?!" Kagemaru looked over at the sound, but saw several young people with backpacks of varying size, dressed like tourists, walking out of the Jungle not far away. The one who spoke was a tall, handsome youth walking at the front of the group.
'Are they the travelers who parachuted from that airplane just now? Hmph, they'd better not influence my actions.' Kagemaru wasn't very interested in these young people, especially the short one whose hair stood up like a Starfish (Nickname for Yugi), and the dark-skinned, white-haired kid with a weak appearance. It was very obvious that these two were the least worth paying attention to in the group; they looked like weaklings at a glance.
However, the leading young man who had just spoken to them caught Kagemaru's particular attention. After observing him for a bit, he couldn't help but frown.
Kagemaru felt that the young man looked familiar, but although he looked quite handsome, for some reason, Kagemaru always felt that there was a very evil aura about That Person. This was Kagemaru's intuition as a capitalist who had built up a vast enterprise from scratch. From the first moment he saw that young man, Kagemaru felt a unique attraction, the attraction between capitalists who attract each other.
Even if the other party wasn't a high-ranking leader in some organization, they were at least a decision-maker with the resolve to sacrifice their subordinates without hesitation to achieve their goal.
However, Kagemaru, whose understanding of Duel Monsters was only superficial, didn't recognize the youth. Amunaeru, standing beside him, recognized the other party's identity at a glance and said in astonishment, "Mr. Hayato!? Why are you here?"
"Uh, I remember now, could it be that airplane just now was..."
"Well... it's pretty much like that. I didn't want to be here either, but because of an accident, I got to know that there's actually a crazy Alchemist on This Island." Hayato glanced at Amunaeru, who was wearing a mask, and greeted him, "It's been a long time since the KC Cup. Long time no see, Professor Banner."
Hayato thought the other party would refuse this address again, but to Hayato's surprise, Amunaeru actually nodded and accepted it: "Yes, I do go by that name now, Mr. Hayato."
"Is he someone you know, Professor Banner?" Kagemaru looked at the Alchemist he had hired beside him and asked. He seemed to be asking who Hayato and the others were, but actually, when he heard Amunaeru say "Hayato", he had already remembered where he had seen this young man.
'Hayato Kobayashi, huh? I didn't expect the Duel King to appear here. Is he really here by accident? Looking at the group of people his age behind him, are they traveling with friends during the holidays? Probably.'
'Hmph, a kid is just a kid after all. Even if he's some so-called Duel King, he only became the strongest by playing child's tricks. He's clearly in a treasure trove but fundamentally hasn't noticed what a great existence is before his eyes.'
The main reason Kagemaru, thinking this in his mind, asked Amunaeru was actually to ask about another point. That is, not many people knew Amunaeru's new name, "Professor Banner". When did Hayato Kobayashi intersect with Amunaeru, and when did he come to know this name?
Don't look at Amunaeru being a sturdy young man with black hair; actually, he is about the same age as Kagemaru. It's just that the case of "Human Transmutation" that Amunaeru successfully completed before was applied to himself, exchanging his body once, allowing him to get rid of his old body and return to youth.
But at the same time, it also meant that Amunaeru's original identity disappeared with the death of his old body. The reborn Amunaeru had to request Kagemaru to help him prepare a new identity, and for this new name, Amunaeru thought for a long time back then and chose "Professor Banner".
"Ah, as for Mr. Hayato, I met him during the previous KC Cup. At that time, I happened to be searching for potentially existing ancient power in the Americas. Before returning empty-handed from the Nazca Plain in South America, I happened to catch the KC Cup event jointly organized by Industrial Illusions and KaibaCorp and participated casually. That's where I met Mr. Hayato."
"Although Mr. Hayato wasn't participating under his own name at the time, speaking of which, I chose my current name because I remembered how Mr. Hayato addressed me back then."
Amunaeru smiled, raised his hand to take off the mask on his face, revealing a young face. His smile was very kind, and his eyes were narrowed. He looked like an honest person with a good temper who wouldn't fight back even if bullied.
However, Yugi felt a sense of familiarity looking at the face Amunaeru revealed. He seemed to have seen the other party somewhere before.
As he recalled, Yugi suddenly remembered something. That is, at that time, when Paradox was planning to kill Pegasus and destroy the history of Duel Monsters, and Yusei Fudo and Judai from the Future time travelled to rescue them, wasn't there a ghost named "Professor Banner" beside Judai?
Thinking about it this way, since the other party could exist as a ghost beside Judai in the Future and Judai seemed to respect the other party very much, this Uncle named Amunaeru should also be a good person, right?
Thinking of this, Yugi was no longer vigilant towards Kagemaru and Amunaeru who appeared before him, feeling somewhat relieved.
"Oh right, Mr. Hayato, you just now said that Diablo, or Diablo, can't appear before us. If possible, could you tell me what happened?" Remembering what Hayato said when he first appeared, Professor Banner looked at Hayato and asked with a serious request, "He is my friend, and I have a problem in alchemy that I wanted to ask him for help with."
"Well..." Hayato glanced at Professor Banner, shrugged, and recounted everything that had just now happened without concealment, from the time they landed on the Island and were attracted by the sound of others being attacked to a Forest Clearing, and then being attacked by Diablo with **Danger! Bigfoot!**.
Hearing Hayato say that Diablo was not only conducting biological modification but also arbitrarily using humans for his experiments, Professor Banner also had a shocked expression. He wanted to defend his friend, saying that the other party wasn't that kind of person, but when he carefully recalled the other party's behavior over the past few decades since they met, he could only remain speechless in the end, his heart full of emotions turning into a sigh.
"Sigh..."
"Sigh..."
Kagemaru, standing beside Professor Banner, also sighed. Hearing that the Alchemist capable of completing the "Sage's Stone" was practically dead because of dueling, Kagemaru felt more sad than if his own son had died, even though he didn't have a son.
You're a person who's also decades old, why would you duel with a kid in his teens or twenties? If you didn't duel, would the other party attack you directly with monsters from their card? And you can actually die from dueling?
The key is that he died, which means his plan to extend life by using the power of the Alchemist named Diablo also fell through. How could this not make Kagemaru disappointed and resentful?
He was disappointed because without Diablo's "Sage's Stone", Amunaeru would have no way to complete his "Human Transmutation" to extend life and continue living; he was resentful because Hayato Kobayashi, this hateful kid, destroyed everything he had within reach!
However, before Kagemaru could cast a gaze full of wrath at Hayato, his gaze was completely attracted by a small, reddish-green gem the size of a glass bead that Hayato casually took out from his arms.
Although he didn't understand alchemy, Kagemaru knew that this jade could satisfy his desire. This wasn't some vague intuition; he truly heard a voice from within that stone, as if calling him to reach out and touch it!
"This stone is that guy Diablo's 'Sage's Stone', but you saw it, right? It's not finished yet, still the color of the raw material 'Orichalcos'. Rather than satisfying desire, it mostly just arouses desire. The gap between it and a true 'Sage's Stone' is like the difference between a steamed bun that fills your stomach and a snack that whets your appetite."
Unconcerned with the unfinished version of the "Sage's Stone" in his hand, Hayato tossed the jade up and down, playing with it, and Kagemaru's gaze followed the jade's movement.
"However, this thing is useless to me. Professor Banner, do you want it?"
Yes, whether he wants it or not, I want it. That's my treasure, give it to me quickly!
Kagemaru roared in his mind. Seeing Hayato extend his hand, he almost subconsciously reached out to take it, only managing to control his restless hand with his other hand with great difficulty.
Get it, Amunaeru!
But, despite Kagemaru's desperate prayers in his mind, to his great astonishment and disappointment, Professor Banner reached out, caught the Orichalcos Stone, and then handed it back, wanting to return it to Hayato?!
"Let's forget it, Mr. Hayato. With my talent, I can't change the method of manufacturing the 'Sage's Stone'. I can only follow the path of those who came before. And completing the 'Sage's Stone' in that way..." Glancing at the reddish Orichalcos Stone in his hand, Professor Banner firmly refused. "Even if it's called the highest achievement of an Alchemist, it would make me sick."
"Actually, not long before, during the commotion caused by Atlantis, I also accidentally obtained an Orichalcos Stone. If I wanted to use it to complete the 'Sage's Stone', I could have done it long ago, but I finally chose to give up."
With a smile at the corner of his mouth, Professor Banner said casually, "It just so happened that I encountered a child in the Americas whose eyes were injured trying to save his animal friend. I gave that Orichalcos Stone to that child whose emotions towards his friend were moving."
Kagemaru, listening on the side, clenched his fist tightly.
This bastard Amunaeru, does he think I'm deaf and can't hear? Before, he kept telling me he didn't know the method to complete the "Sage's Stone". Don't you clearly know it? You're resisting the method you know for a little bit of psychological fastidiousness? Damn it, what kind of reason is that!
Even if it requires sacrificing a large number of lives to complete the Sage's Stone, it doesn't matter. I am Kagemaru, Kagemaru who founded countless pharmaceutical groups! I have saved countless human lives in my life, although it was in exchange for wealth, what's the problem with hundreds or thousands of people dying to save someone as important as me!
It's clearly you, Amunaeru, you bastard, who is ungrateful and doesn't want to save me, right? You don't want to use the precious "Sage's Stone" for me. Including the fact that "Human Transmutation" has a flaw and can't be used on me must also be a lie. You guy definitely doesn't want to share the method of extending lifespan with me!
You even gave away that "Orichalcos" that seems capable of manufacturing the "Sage's Stone"? How foolish!
Kagemaru didn't notice that in the short time he had been staring at the Orichalcos, the darkness he had accumulated in his mind throughout his life seemed to have been completely stirred up and exploded in his heart, pouring out entirely onto Hayato, who held the Orichalcos Stone, and Amunaeru, who refused to save him.
But on the surface, Kagemaru still maintained an unperturbed appearance, showing no sign of the resentful thoughts filling his heart.
"Um, is there some trouble with the manufacturing of the 'Sage's Stone'?" Forcing a kind smile onto his face, Kagemaru asked Hayato and Professor Banner.
"This isn't a question of whether it's troublesome or not, Mr. Kagemaru. To be honest with you, the completion of the 'Sage's Stone' is basically filled with the death of countless lives. To reverse death into life, what is needed is naturally this process of life falling towards death. It's because of this reason that I told you I couldn't complete the 'Sage's Stone'."
Kagemaru?
Hayato heard the name and glanced at the old man beside Professor Banner. In an instant, he remembered the other party's identity. This old man before him seemed to be frequently in the news, apparently the founder, Major Shareholder, and current Chairman of a certain internationally renowned pharmaceutical group, and seemed to have some cooperation with KaibaCorp.
Moreover, in the Future, this guy seemed to have become one of the founders of Duel Academy and served as the Chairman?
Because Hayato's impression of "Kagemaru" only consisted of three images: an old man in a wheelchair, an old man lying in a life support pod, and a naked muscle maniac, for a moment, seeing Kagemaru standing on his own and able to speak without an oxygen mask, Hayato really didn't recognize him. The principle was the same as how some people don't recognize others when they put on clothes.
Hayato paused slightly, thinking of Duel Academy.
Because he hadn't paid much attention before, it was only now that Hayato suddenly remembered that the terrain of the Island they were currently on, aside from not having the academy buildings and the Dock for ships, wasn't much different from the Duel Academy in his impression. Even the several giant pillars before his eyes were exactly the same as the seven pillars sealing the Sacred Beasts on Duel Academy?!
Could this place be the future Duel Academy?!
And just as Hayato was observing the seven pillars, Professor Banner also noticed his action and couldn't help but glance at the seven Obelisks. Then, he suddenly recalled the function of the seven Obelisks he had investigated before, and a smile appeared on his face: "Oh right, we can utilize this place!"
"I have an idea, Mr. Hayato, Mr. Kagemaru. As long as we seal the Orichalcos Stone using this sealing device left by Diablo, it can continuously absorb power through the natural elimination of living beings on the Island, and eventually complete the 'Sage's Stone'!"
Professor Banner said, glancing at Kagemaru, "Although this might require some time, once the 'Sage's Stone' is completed, Mr. Kagemaru, I will definitely help you complete 'Human Transmutation'."
"Yes, I believe you. Then I'll leave everything to you, Professor Banner." Kagemaru's face still wore a smile, but the darkness stirred up by the Orichalcos Stone in his mind was already raging like waves. 'Hmph, saying he'll help me, this guy Amunaeru must be thinking of outliving me and monopolizing the power of the 'Sage's Stone', the hateful guy!'
'I won't let you succeed. After I go back, I'll lie in a life support pod to minimize metabolism and extend life as much as possible. Also, do you think I can only rely on you? I've decided, I'll use this place as the location to create the **Phantasmagoric Martyrs**. That book recorded that **Phantasmagoric Martyrs** can grant people powerful life force, which is much more reliable than alchemy or anything else.'
And in Hayato's ear, the voice of **Rainbow Kuriboh**, who deliberately remained invisible, was heard.
'Kurikuri~'
"Hmm?" Hayato was startled and couldn't help but glance at Kagemaru, who was lowering his head, seemingly lost in thought. 'The Sacred Beasts say that this guy Kagemaru has a similar scent to them?'
(End of Chapter)
