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# Chapter 708: Hayato Kobayashi and the Secret Chamber
At Marik's house, the group sat rather formally on the sofa, looking at the almost transparent man enveloped in golden mist, who had his arms crossed over his chest and was silently listening to Hayato speak. Meanwhile, Marik, who was usually laid-back every day, sat beside the man like a quail, head bowed and silent.
Off to the side, Joey Wheeler leaned towards the stiffly seated Tristan and whispered, "Hey, hey, Tristan, I remember Marik saying his Father was dead, right? And that he was killed by his Dark Personality, the one with the exaggerated laugh. Why is his Father sitting here perfectly fine now?"
"Where do you see him being 'perfectly fine'? Even an idiot can tell his state is clearly not normal," Tristan glanced at Marik's Father, seeing the wrinkles on the sofa through his transparent body, and rolled his eyes at Joey Wheeler. "And instead of asking me, who knows nothing, why don't you just ask him directly?"
"Ehehe, well, it's a bit awkward, you know. I can't exactly ask someone, 'Why aren't you dead yet?'" Joey Wheeler scratched the back of his head, saying awkwardly in a low voice.
Just then, Hayato's voice happened to fall silent: "...And so, we arrived here."
The man in front of Hayato nodded and was silent for a moment before speaking: "...I see, I completely understand."
"First, let me introduce myself. My Name is Geb Ishtar, the former Gravekeeper Tribe Chief, and the Father of Ishizu and Marik. At the same time, I am also the person who died because of the **Millennium Rod**."
"Mr. Geb, you really are...!" Yugi looked at Geb's transparent body. Although he had suspected it when they first met, hearing Geb, who was standing right there, say himself that he was truly dead, Yugi couldn't help but show a shocked expression, yet he also asked with some confusion, "But, why..."
"From the moment Marik stabbed me to death with a knife, I lost consciousness and fell into chaos. When I awoke, I had already become this appearance."
As he spoke, Geb raised a hand. With the swing of his arm, some golden mist drifted from his body, then gathered again and melted back into his arm. He himself looked like he was composed of golden mist.
"In my understanding, only a few minutes had passed, but when I opened my eyes, I saw Ishizu, who had grown into an adult. Only then did I realize that six full years had passed since my death."
"Six years, huh..." Hayato was quite concerned about the time Geb mentioned, because if he remembered correctly, Marik should have killed Geb seven years ago. This means Geb "revived" in this state about a year ago, and a year ago was roughly around the time of Battle City.
"In the year since my self-revival, I have stayed here without leaving. On one hand, I didn't want to show my face, lest others see the dead former Clan Head and cause panic in the Tribe. On the other hand, I was also searching for the reason why I reappeared in the Real World in this state."
"Finally, I found the reason. Perhaps it was because of that treasure passed down in the Tribe, which only the Clan Head is qualified to view, that allowed me to remain in the World in this form."
After explaining his own situation, Geb turned his head: "Nameless Pharaoh, who wandered the World in confusion for three thousand years, helping you recover your lost memory is also one of the duties of our Tomb Keepers Tribe for a thousand years."
"If you need anything, just ask. Whether it's me, a dead person, or Ishizu, the Current Leader, we will extend a helping hand to you."
He glanced at Yugi, or rather, the **Millennium Puzzle** on Yugi's chest, then shifted his line of sight to Pegasus, who was sitting next to Yugi with a curious expression. "The aura on you, are you someone who was once entangled by the power of the **Millennium Items**? You seem like you have fallen into a quagmire of misfortune because of it. I hope you don't end up with the same outcome as me."
"I wish you can find the inspiration you seek within the Tomb Keepers Tribe."
"Thanks, but me feeling already found the best inspiration me wanted." Pegasus smiled at the man and said with interest, "Even if dead, won't leave the World. Me feeling found another power can add to new card."
Geb then looked at Joey Wheeler and Tristan, who were whispering to each other. Before he could say anything, Téa suddenly nudged the two of them and said somewhat sternly, "You two idiots have been talking about him since just now, that's too rude! And your voices aren't quiet at all!"
She then gave Geb an awkward smile and said apologetically, "I'm truly sorry, Mr. Geb. My friends didn't mean any malice. I apologize to you on behalf of the two of them."
"No, it's nothing. I heard what they said just now, and it's also a fact that I am a dead person."
Frowning, Geb examined the three of them. "The Tomb Keepers Tribe has extremely strict rules. Not only are Tribe members not allowed to leave the Tribal Land without permission, but outsiders are also not allowed to enter here freely. According to the rules, even if the Elder was guilty, you who killed him and trespassed into the Tribal Land Interior, being sentenced to death would not be too severe."
Hearing this, Joey Wheeler and Tristan's breathing couldn't help but stop, but Téa could tell that Geb had no intention of acting against them. If he had intended to act, there would have been no need for Geb to let them sit down in the house in the first place.
As expected, Geb continued, "But I also said, it is a fact that I am a dead person. The Clan Head of the Tomb Keepers Tribe is now Ishizu. That old guy who was in charge of punishment and always opposed me is also dead. Before the Clan Head returns to the Tribal Land, or a new Elder is chosen, there is no need for you to accept our rules' penalty."
"Phew~ That scared me to death, I thought we were going to be killed."
However, it was clear that these two idiot brothers, Joey Wheeler and Tristan, hadn't reacted fully yet and were currently celebrating having narrowly escaped death.
His gaze swept over everyone one by one, finally resting on Hayato, who was sitting directly opposite him. After examining Hayato from head to toe, Geb stood up: "Although I am no longer the Clan Head, as a former member of the Tomb Keepers Tribe, I have the obligation to fulfill my own mission."
"But before that, everyone, follow me to a place." As he spoke, Geb walked ahead towards the Interior of the house. The others exchanged glances and followed Geb to see where he would take them.
Although from the outside, this was just a small Second Floor House, slightly special compared to the surrounding Houses but not overly outstanding, following behind Geb, everyone realized that there was actually a Basement here, and the Space was quite large.
Walking down the Stone Stairs, Marik said to Hayato, "I have an impression of this place. Although the Buildings constructed on the Surface within the Tribe are indeed inhabited, when any ritual or special event needs to be held, everyone will gather in this Underground Space. This includes, but is not limited to, festivals and administering punishment to Tribe members who violate the rules."
"It was here back then, because I left the Tribal Land without permission, that bastard Elder forced my Father to set an example as the Clan Head, and Father, under pressure, punished me, but managed to transfer half of the penalty to Rishid, who hadn't watched over me properly." Marik paused, his voice low. "But I didn't expect that The Other Me would be released because of Rishid's unconsciousness."
Marik didn't continue talking about what happened afterward, and Hayato also knew what happened next.
Following the Stone Stairs down to a wide Underground Space, in the Center of the plaza-like Underground Space, there were faint bloodstains that years of time had failed to erase. Passing by, one could smell the scent of blood and even hallucinate the wails that once occurred there.
Passing through the plaza, they arrived in front of a huge Stone Gate. Geb stopped and turned to the crowd, saying:
"This is the Secret Chamber where the treasure guarded by the Tomb Keepers Tribe - Ishtar for a thousand years is stored. The **Millennium Rod** and **Millennium Necklace** were once kept here. Each generation of **Millennium Items** Users who are deemed qualified to inherit will come here under the guidance of the Clan Head, take the **Millennium Items**, and when their life comes to an end, the **Millennium Items** will be placed back here again to await the next User."
"But besides that, there is another secret treasure that has remained since three thousand years ago. Although it is not a special item with powerful dark power like the **Millennium Items**, it possesses a special meaning comparable to the **Millennium Items**, and I suspect that perhaps it is that secret treasure that allowed me to return to the World as a dead person."
As he spoke, Geb counted the stone bricks on the large door. Starting from the Center of an **Eye of Horus** on the door, he counted up three spaces and across two spaces, then reached out and gently tapped that stone brick.
Immediately after, the brick he tapped trembled and began to move. A small hole appeared in the middle, and the hole grew larger and larger. Before long, a wide archway appeared before them, leading into the Space behind the Stone Gate. Inside the opened Secret Chamber, three large Golden Statues were prominently displayed.
The Statue on the left, judging by its body curves, seems like it was a female, posed with her hands supporting something on her neck. It was clear at a glance that this Statue was likely used to hold the **Millennium Necklace**;
Symmetrical to the female Statue was a male Statue placed on the right. A Golden Duel Disk of the type the Gravekeeper's Elder had previously worn was prominently attached to the male Statue's left hand, but the male Statue's right hand was raised high, and its palm was empty. It looks like it once held the **Millennium Rod**.
The faces of both human figure Statues were blurred, whether due to wear and tear caused by the passage of years or if they were like this from the moment they were completed is unknown. However, compared to the two glittering Golden Statues, the most striking feature was a massive Golden Sun placed in the absolute Center of the Secret Chamber.
From that Golden Sun, countless straight lines symbolizing sunshine were cast down, but at the end of those lines grew hand after hand. Pegasus, who had studied Ancient Egyptian mythology particularly because of the design of **Duel Monsters** cards, was the first to recognize the identity of this Sun. He blurted out, "Aton God!"
"Aton God? The symbol of the Sun, the side of Ra that was deified in the New Kingdom era?" Hayato had also heard of this deity's existence. With Pegasus's reminder, he also recalled how well the appearance of Aton God matched the Sun with arms before them.
The biggest characteristic of the Ancient Egyptian pantheon is the extremely large quantity of gods and the frequent change and fusion between them. Leaving aside other things, just the Sun God alone, as far as Hayato knew, there were three: the God "Atem," the Sun symbolizing twilight; the most orthodox God "Ra," the Sun of noon; and the God "Aton," the nascent Sun who almost became the supreme God of a monotheistic religion due to religious reform.
However, that religious reform ultimately failed because it touched too many interests and was too drastic for even the people to accept. Aton God did not become the sole God of a monotheistic religion but was integrated into the faith of Ra, who became the supreme God again, becoming one of his aspects.
"More importantly, isn't anyone going to rant about the position where he knocked on the brick just now being a bit off?" Unlike the others who had some knowledge of Ancient Egyptian mythology, Joey Wheeler was more concerned about where Geb had knocked on the brick. Because it was interesting and Tristan had free movie tickets, he had watched 'Harry Potter' about ten times recently. What left a deep impression on him, besides the overly sweet taste of the free soda, was the scene in the movie where knocking on bricks opened the door to the magic world.
And that was not just very similar to Geb's action of opening the Secret Chamber, it was exactly the same.
"This is the sole method to open the Secret Chamber. If you knock on other incorrect positions, it will immediately trigger a mechanism," Geb explained. "It has nothing to do with 'Harry Potter'."
"Huh? But I didn't mention 'Harry Potter'?"
Geb remained silent regarding Joey Wheeler's seizing of a flaw in his words, merely pointing towards the area below the Golden Aton God Statue.
Following Geb's guidance, everyone saw a Golden Box below the Deity Statue, marked with a triangular and circular Mark. That Mark was the Mark of Aton God, and the **Millennium Ring** Hayato was currently wearing was modeled after that Mark's appearance.
Upon noticing the Box's existence, Yugi and Hayato both felt a strange feeling rise in their hearts again. They instinctively felt that there was something inside the Box that attracted them. They had experienced a similar feeling when they set out from beside the Great Pyramid of Giza to find the Tomb Keepers' Clan Territory.
Geb explained, "What is stored in that Golden Box is the most important Secret Treasure of the Tomb Keepers Tribe - Ishtar - a part of a book that existed even longer than the **Millennium Items**. The mysterious knowledge recorded on it has remained undecipherable even after a thousand years of legacy."
"That book is called, the **Millennium Spellbook**."
As Geb's words fell, the Golden Box automatically opened, and the item stored within automatically rose with the movement of the mechanism. An ancient, tattered book appeared before everyone!
But just as everyone wanted to approach the tattered **Millennium Spellbook**, Geb, who was standing by the open Stone Gate, moved a short distance, blocking everyone's line of sight towards the **Millennium Spellbook**—though he didn't block too much, after all, he was a semi-transparent existence.
As Geb raised his left hand, everyone saw the Golden Duel Disk worn on the left hand of the male Statue behind him turn into liquid and flow out, wrapping around Geb's wrist, and transforming back into a **Duel Disk**. Geb then said, "The duel ritual has begun, Hayato Kobayashi. Let me see if you have enough qualification to take the **Millennium Spellbook** from me!"
Did this guy almost say his inner thoughts just now?!
At Marik's house, the group sat rather formally on the sofa, looking at the almost transparent man enveloped in golden mist, who had his arms crossed over his chest and was silently listening to Hayato speak. Meanwhile, Marik, who was usually laid-back every day, sat beside the man like a quail, head bowed and silent.
Off to the side, Joey Wheeler leaned towards the stiffly seated Tristan and whispered, "Hey, hey, Tristan, I remember Marik saying his Father was dead, right? And that he was killed by his Dark Personality, the one with the exaggerated laugh. Why is his Father sitting here perfectly fine now?"
"Where do you see him being 'perfectly fine'? Even an idiot can tell his state is clearly not normal," Tristan glanced at Marik's Father, seeing the wrinkles on the sofa through his transparent body, and rolled his eyes at Joey Wheeler. "And instead of asking me, who knows nothing, why don't you just ask him directly?"
"Ehehe, well, it's a bit awkward, you know. I can't exactly ask someone, 'Why aren't you dead yet?'" Joey Wheeler scratched the back of his head, saying awkwardly in a low voice.
Just then, Hayato's voice happened to fall silent: "...And so, we arrived here."
The man in front of Hayato nodded and was silent for a moment before speaking: "...I see, I completely understand."
"First, let me introduce myself. My Name is Geb Ishtar, the former Gravekeeper Tribe Chief, and the Father of Ishizu and Marik. At the same time, I am also the person who died because of the **Millennium Rod**."
"Mr. Geb, you really are...!" Yugi looked at Geb's transparent body. Although he had suspected it when they first met, hearing Geb, who was standing right there, say himself that he was truly dead, Yugi couldn't help but show a shocked expression, yet he also asked with some confusion, "But, why..."
"From the moment Marik stabbed me to death with a knife, I lost consciousness and fell into chaos. When I awoke, I had already become this appearance."
As he spoke, Geb raised a hand. With the swing of his arm, some golden mist drifted from his body, then gathered again and melted back into his arm. He himself looked like he was composed of golden mist.
"In my understanding, only a few minutes had passed, but when I opened my eyes, I saw Ishizu, who had grown into an adult. Only then did I realize that six full years had passed since my death."
"Six years, huh..." Hayato was quite concerned about the time Geb mentioned, because if he remembered correctly, Marik should have killed Geb seven years ago. This means Geb "revived" in this state about a year ago, and a year ago was roughly around the time of Battle City.
"In the year since my self-revival, I have stayed here without leaving. On one hand, I didn't want to show my face, lest others see the dead former Clan Head and cause panic in the Tribe. On the other hand, I was also searching for the reason why I reappeared in the Real World in this state."
"Finally, I found the reason. Perhaps it was because of that treasure passed down in the Tribe, which only the Clan Head is qualified to view, that allowed me to remain in the World in this form."
After explaining his own situation, Geb turned his head: "Nameless Pharaoh, who wandered the World in confusion for three thousand years, helping you recover your lost memory is also one of the duties of our Tomb Keepers Tribe for a thousand years."
"If you need anything, just ask. Whether it's me, a dead person, or Ishizu, the Current Leader, we will extend a helping hand to you."
He glanced at Yugi, or rather, the **Millennium Puzzle** on Yugi's chest, then shifted his line of sight to Pegasus, who was sitting next to Yugi with a curious expression. "The aura on you, are you someone who was once entangled by the power of the **Millennium Items**? You seem like you have fallen into a quagmire of misfortune because of it. I hope you don't end up with the same outcome as me."
"I wish you can find the inspiration you seek within the Tomb Keepers Tribe."
"Thanks, but me feeling already found the best inspiration me wanted." Pegasus smiled at the man and said with interest, "Even if dead, won't leave the World. Me feeling found another power can add to new card."
Geb then looked at Joey Wheeler and Tristan, who were whispering to each other. Before he could say anything, Téa suddenly nudged the two of them and said somewhat sternly, "You two idiots have been talking about him since just now, that's too rude! And your voices aren't quiet at all!"
She then gave Geb an awkward smile and said apologetically, "I'm truly sorry, Mr. Geb. My friends didn't mean any malice. I apologize to you on behalf of the two of them."
"No, it's nothing. I heard what they said just now, and it's also a fact that I am a dead person."
Frowning, Geb examined the three of them. "The Tomb Keepers Tribe has extremely strict rules. Not only are Tribe members not allowed to leave the Tribal Land without permission, but outsiders are also not allowed to enter here freely. According to the rules, even if the Elder was guilty, you who killed him and trespassed into the Tribal Land Interior, being sentenced to death would not be too severe."
Hearing this, Joey Wheeler and Tristan's breathing couldn't help but stop, but Téa could tell that Geb had no intention of acting against them. If he had intended to act, there would have been no need for Geb to let them sit down in the house in the first place.
As expected, Geb continued, "But I also said, it is a fact that I am a dead person. The Clan Head of the Tomb Keepers Tribe is now Ishizu. That old guy who was in charge of punishment and always opposed me is also dead. Before the Clan Head returns to the Tribal Land, or a new Elder is chosen, there is no need for you to accept our rules' penalty."
"Phew~ That scared me to death, I thought we were going to be killed."
However, it was clear that these two idiot brothers, Joey Wheeler and Tristan, hadn't reacted fully yet and were currently celebrating having narrowly escaped death.
His gaze swept over everyone one by one, finally resting on Hayato, who was sitting directly opposite him. After examining Hayato from head to toe, Geb stood up: "Although I am no longer the Clan Head, as a former member of the Tomb Keepers Tribe, I have the obligation to fulfill my own mission."
"But before that, everyone, follow me to a place." As he spoke, Geb walked ahead towards the Interior of the house. The others exchanged glances and followed Geb to see where he would take them.
Although from the outside, this was just a small Second Floor House, slightly special compared to the surrounding Houses but not overly outstanding, following behind Geb, everyone realized that there was actually a Basement here, and the Space was quite large.
Walking down the Stone Stairs, Marik said to Hayato, "I have an impression of this place. Although the Buildings constructed on the Surface within the Tribe are indeed inhabited, when any ritual or special event needs to be held, everyone will gather in this Underground Space. This includes, but is not limited to, festivals and administering punishment to Tribe members who violate the rules."
"It was here back then, because I left the Tribal Land without permission, that bastard Elder forced my Father to set an example as the Clan Head, and Father, under pressure, punished me, but managed to transfer half of the penalty to Rishid, who hadn't watched over me properly." Marik paused, his voice low. "But I didn't expect that The Other Me would be released because of Rishid's unconsciousness."
Marik didn't continue talking about what happened afterward, and Hayato also knew what happened next.
Following the Stone Stairs down to a wide Underground Space, in the Center of the plaza-like Underground Space, there were faint bloodstains that years of time had failed to erase. Passing by, one could smell the scent of blood and even hallucinate the wails that once occurred there.
Passing through the plaza, they arrived in front of a huge Stone Gate. Geb stopped and turned to the crowd, saying:
"This is the Secret Chamber where the treasure guarded by the Tomb Keepers Tribe - Ishtar for a thousand years is stored. The **Millennium Rod** and **Millennium Necklace** were once kept here. Each generation of **Millennium Items** Users who are deemed qualified to inherit will come here under the guidance of the Clan Head, take the **Millennium Items**, and when their life comes to an end, the **Millennium Items** will be placed back here again to await the next User."
"But besides that, there is another secret treasure that has remained since three thousand years ago. Although it is not a special item with powerful dark power like the **Millennium Items**, it possesses a special meaning comparable to the **Millennium Items**, and I suspect that perhaps it is that secret treasure that allowed me to return to the World as a dead person."
As he spoke, Geb counted the stone bricks on the large door. Starting from the Center of an **Eye of Horus** on the door, he counted up three spaces and across two spaces, then reached out and gently tapped that stone brick.
Immediately after, the brick he tapped trembled and began to move. A small hole appeared in the middle, and the hole grew larger and larger. Before long, a wide archway appeared before them, leading into the Space behind the Stone Gate. Inside the opened Secret Chamber, three large Golden Statues were prominently displayed.
The Statue on the left, judging by its body curves, seems like it was a female, posed with her hands supporting something on her neck. It was clear at a glance that this Statue was likely used to hold the **Millennium Necklace**;
Symmetrical to the female Statue was a male Statue placed on the right. A Golden Duel Disk of the type the Gravekeeper's Elder had previously worn was prominently attached to the male Statue's left hand, but the male Statue's right hand was raised high, and its palm was empty. It looks like it once held the **Millennium Rod**.
The faces of both human figure Statues were blurred, whether due to wear and tear caused by the passage of years or if they were like this from the moment they were completed is unknown. However, compared to the two glittering Golden Statues, the most striking feature was a massive Golden Sun placed in the absolute Center of the Secret Chamber.
From that Golden Sun, countless straight lines symbolizing sunshine were cast down, but at the end of those lines grew hand after hand. Pegasus, who had studied Ancient Egyptian mythology particularly because of the design of **Duel Monsters** cards, was the first to recognize the identity of this Sun. He blurted out, "Aton God!"
"Aton God? The symbol of the Sun, the side of Ra that was deified in the New Kingdom era?" Hayato had also heard of this deity's existence. With Pegasus's reminder, he also recalled how well the appearance of Aton God matched the Sun with arms before them.
The biggest characteristic of the Ancient Egyptian pantheon is the extremely large quantity of gods and the frequent change and fusion between them. Leaving aside other things, just the Sun God alone, as far as Hayato knew, there were three: the God "Atem," the Sun symbolizing twilight; the most orthodox God "Ra," the Sun of noon; and the God "Aton," the nascent Sun who almost became the supreme God of a monotheistic religion due to religious reform.
However, that religious reform ultimately failed because it touched too many interests and was too drastic for even the people to accept. Aton God did not become the sole God of a monotheistic religion but was integrated into the faith of Ra, who became the supreme God again, becoming one of his aspects.
"More importantly, isn't anyone going to rant about the position where he knocked on the brick just now being a bit off?" Unlike the others who had some knowledge of Ancient Egyptian mythology, Joey Wheeler was more concerned about where Geb had knocked on the brick. Because it was interesting and Tristan had free movie tickets, he had watched 'Harry Potter' about ten times recently. What left a deep impression on him, besides the overly sweet taste of the free soda, was the scene in the movie where knocking on bricks opened the door to the magic world.
And that was not just very similar to Geb's action of opening the Secret Chamber, it was exactly the same.
"This is the sole method to open the Secret Chamber. If you knock on other incorrect positions, it will immediately trigger a mechanism," Geb explained. "It has nothing to do with 'Harry Potter'."
"Huh? But I didn't mention 'Harry Potter'?"
Geb remained silent regarding Joey Wheeler's seizing of a flaw in his words, merely pointing towards the area below the Golden Aton God Statue.
Following Geb's guidance, everyone saw a Golden Box below the Deity Statue, marked with a triangular and circular Mark. That Mark was the Mark of Aton God, and the **Millennium Ring** Hayato was currently wearing was modeled after that Mark's appearance.
Upon noticing the Box's existence, Yugi and Hayato both felt a strange feeling rise in their hearts again. They instinctively felt that there was something inside the Box that attracted them. They had experienced a similar feeling when they set out from beside the Great Pyramid of Giza to find the Tomb Keepers' Clan Territory.
Geb explained, "What is stored in that Golden Box is the most important Secret Treasure of the Tomb Keepers Tribe - Ishtar - a part of a book that existed even longer than the **Millennium Items**. The mysterious knowledge recorded on it has remained undecipherable even after a thousand years of legacy."
"That book is called, the **Millennium Spellbook**."
As Geb's words fell, the Golden Box automatically opened, and the item stored within automatically rose with the movement of the mechanism. An ancient, tattered book appeared before everyone!
But just as everyone wanted to approach the tattered **Millennium Spellbook**, Geb, who was standing by the open Stone Gate, moved a short distance, blocking everyone's line of sight towards the **Millennium Spellbook**—though he didn't block too much, after all, he was a semi-transparent existence.
As Geb raised his left hand, everyone saw the Golden Duel Disk worn on the left hand of the male Statue behind him turn into liquid and flow out, wrapping around Geb's wrist, and transforming back into a **Duel Disk**. Geb then said, "The duel ritual has begun, Hayato Kobayashi. Let me see if you have enough qualification to take the **Millennium Spellbook** from me!"
Did this guy almost say his inner thoughts just now?!
