Yu-Gi-Oh!: Zero-frame starter with a laugh! You dodge?

Chapter 44. Fragments of an Ancient Artifact, The Battle of Four Villages?!

The glow of the duel completely dissipated, and the cave returned to darkness, with only the luminous pearls on the walls casting a cool, clear light.

Mirror Goddess Er'er still stood there somewhat dazed, her ethereal eyes gazing at You Feng for a long while before she seemed to finally regain her professional demeanor as a trial guardian.

She sighed softly, and with a slight lift of her hand, a badge shaped like a water droplet, shimmering with a light blue luster, coalesced in her palm.

"This is proof of passing the trial." She handed over the badge, her voice still slightly unsteady from not fully recovering. "Take it."

Youfeng took the badge; it felt warm to the touch. But he didn't put it away. Instead, he raised an eyebrow, looked directly at Er'er, and said, "What I want is more than just this."

Mirror Goddess Er'er: "?"

She blinked, not quite understanding.

Just then, the Great Sun Goddess, who had been watching the show from the sidelines, floated over and, suppressing a laugh, kindly reminded him: "Er'er, you don't actually think that the reward for clearing the level is just a commemorative badge, do you? He's referring to the Flowing Water Contract—and you."

Mirror Mage Er'er turned her gaze to the Great Sun Woman: "You told him about the contract too?"

The Great Sun Priestess shrugged, her face utterly matter-of-fact: "Otherwise? Do you think there's anyone more suitable than him?" She leaned closer, her voice low but carrying a confident smile, "You've been waiting here for so many years, isn't it all to wait for someone who can truly wield this power, and perhaps even break the Priestess's seal in the future?"

Mirror Goddess Er'er fell silent.

She looked at Youfeng—this young man, who had been proceeding cautiously from the moment he entered the cave, had an unbelievable understanding of duels, tactical predictions, and even knowledge of the hidden characteristics of her deck.

What's even more terrifying is that unfathomable calmness and control...

Indeed, there is no dispute about it.

After pondering for a long time, she finally stopped hesitating.

With her hands clasped together in front of her chest, she made an ancient ceremonial gesture, and her body shimmered with water.

A glimmer of light, as brilliant as a sapphire yet flowing like liquid, slowly emerged from her heart, radiating a pure and vast aura of water.

"Let the water serve as a mirror, and let this be our covenant." Her ethereal voice echoed in the cave, "The covenant of flowing water is entrusted to you."

The sapphire-like radiance drifted lightly towards Youfeng, and the moment it touched his arm, it silently disappeared, leaving only a pale blue teardrop-shaped mark on his skin, which shone slightly before vanishing.

"The contract is complete," Er'er explained, her voice carrying a solemn sense of entrustment. "It can increase your affinity with water-type spirits, and in battles with spirits, you can also briefly borrow some of my abilities—Mirror Lure."

She paused, then emphasized, "But remember, this power derived from the elven contract is limited to elven duels or unfair dark duels. It must never be used in formal duels between human duelists. To break the balance without authorization will invite unpredictable divine punishment."

You Feng nodded, understanding dawning on him.

That's more reasonable. If Pokémon abilities could be used freely in ordinary duels, it would be tantamount to using underhanded tactics, which would definitely disrupt the balance.

"Finally," Natsume the Mirror Priest gazed at him with expectation in her eyes, "may you make good use of this power, and one day... truly break the seal of the Priest."

"Oh, right," You Feng remembered something and took out the dark gold fragment given to him by the old village chief from his pocket, "Do you know its origin?"

Mirror Goddess Er'er's gaze fell on the fragments, her ethereal eyes flickering slightly.

"Of course I know." Her voice held a hint of remoteness. "In this world, there are far more decks than just the Witchcraft deck that are sealed away and waiting to be rediscovered, just like the Witchcraft deck. There are countless other decks that are sealed away, as well as many lost elf contracts, scattered fragments of ancient artifacts, and so on."

"This piece in your hand is a fragment of an ancient artifact." She carefully sensed the fragment's aura and continued, "But this single piece is of little use. To collect all the fragments and reassemble the artifact... is as difficult as ascending to heaven."

She looked at Youfeng, her tone serious: "Not to mention that the fragments are scattered all over the continent, making the search like finding a needle in a haystack. Even if you find them, obtaining the fragments often requires winning recognition through elven duels or even more brutal dark duels. And you've already experienced elven duels firsthand—elven beings possess special abilities that can influence the course of a battle, which is inherently unfair to duelists. Not to mention that some trials involve real damage, even risking one's life and freedom."

"So, for the vast majority of people," she concluded, "such a fragment is no different from a finely crafted piece of junk."

The wind caressed the cold surface of the fragments without speaking.

Er'er's words were quite objective; the difficulty of collecting all the fragments was truly epic. But for him, who possessed memories of his past life and was familiar with many rules and possibilities, this was not a dead end.

However, the road ahead is long and requires time, strength, and luck.

……

Stepping out of the heart of the spring, the outside world was already bright with daylight.

The old village chief had been waiting outside, his body hunched over, sitting on a smooth rock by the spring, puffing on his pipe. The smoke swirled around him, making his wrinkled face appear somewhat blurred.

Hearing footsteps, he raised his eyelids and saw You Feng walking out. A glimmer of light flashed in his dim eyes.

"Finished?" He exhaled a smoke ring, his voice slightly muffled. "So fast?"

You Feng walked closer, nodded, and said in a casual tone, "Yes, the trial went fairly smoothly."

Upon hearing this, Natsumi, the Mirror Mage who was following behind him and appeared and disappeared in spirit form, couldn't help but purse her lips.

Smoothly? It was quite smooth for him! It was practically a stress test for her, the examiner! When did this village start hiding such a troublemaker?

How come I didn't know that before?

The old village chief squinted and looked You Feng up and down, pausing for a moment when he saw the faint blue water droplet mark on You Feng's arm.

Then, the deep wrinkles on his face slowly smoothed out, and he grinned, revealing the few yellow teeth he had left.

"Good! Very good!" He patted Youfeng's shoulder forcefully. "I've discussed it with the other old guys. There's only a little over half a month left until the battle of the four villages. Starting tomorrow, you boys and girls will all be undergoing rigorous special training!"

He withdrew his hand, picked up his pipe again, and his eyes sharpened as he gazed at the distant, rolling mountains.

"Don't embarrass the village. This four-village battle... is not just about winning or losing face, it's very important."

You Feng naturally knew the importance of the battle between the four villages, as it was not only about saving face, but also about the qualification to enter Prometheus Academy.

There should be many college proctors present at that time.

The scene was grand.

"roar--"

Youfeng heard the commotion, looked up, and saw what sounded like fighting coming from the distant mountains.

And this dragon's roar shook half the sky.