Chapter 23: Don't Speak

Returning from the duel academy to his home, You Xuan took out the academy's treasured card, "True Silent Magician," which the master had just transmitted to him, placed it on the table, and examined it carefully from left to right.

Of course, this was absolutely not because the illustration was a perfectly round, tall, and exquisitely drawn work of pure desire; he was simply researching the authenticity of the so-called spirit legends.

Trying to recall the original work, in GX, after Jaden received the Winged Kuriboh spirit card from Yugi, it seemed like nothing happened at all; in the first episode, Kuriboh just floated out on its own, chatting with Jaden saying "Kuri Kuri."

But this card of his seemed to show no movement at all.

"Hello?"

"Are you there?"

"..."

Very good; as expected, there was no reaction whatsoever.

Then, with a sudden thought, an idea struck him, and he immediately pulled out his duel disk, snapping it open with a clatter.

There was a saying that not everyone could see spirits; "Spirit Affinity" was a talent possessed only by some. It was possible the spirit had already emerged, but he simply could not see it.

But there was another method.

By summoning it using the duel disk's holographic imaging system, leveraging Kaiba Corporation's technological power to give the spirit a tangible visual medium, perhaps they could at least communicate.

The duel disk's imaging system activated; amidst a gorgeous magical circle, the majestic magician stepped forth gracefully. Her flawless white robes swayed gently with her movements, her long, proportionate white legs appearing and disappearing, her skirt dancing like falling snow.

Silent Magician, summon.

She stood expressionless, cold as a slender, upright tree of ice crystal, her snow-white complexion resembling a glacier thicker than three feet.

You Xuan stared intently at the tall magician, examining her closely.

"Hmm."

Perhaps Kaiba Corporation's projection technology was simply too realistic; the texture of this skin, these cold eyes, indeed looked just like a real person.

But with such an unblinking gaze and an expression utterly devoid of fluctuation, surely this must still be just a hologram...

Hmm?

You Xuan, who had moved around to the left side to observe, suddenly stepped back, lifting his head to look into the Silent Magician's eyes.

They remained as calm as an ancient well without waves, staring straight ahead without glancing sideways.

But perhaps it was just an illusion.

Just a moment ago, he felt as though Miss Magician's eyeballs had moved slightly?

It seemed she had glanced at him, but the instant he looked up, she immediately withdrew her gaze.

Returning to this wooden, iceberg poker face.

But that instant was so brief he could not be certain whether he had seen it wrong.

"Could it be that there really is a spirit... but she is deliberately playing dead?"

Yet no matter how he circled around the hologram afterward, there was not the slightest suspicious reaction again.

With no other options, he could only turn off the duel disk first, remove the card, and place it back on the table.

For the evening, he planned to take a shower first, then go out for a stroll to find some dinner, return to brush up on problems to prepare for the assessment match, and then go to bed early.

Just at this moment, another brilliant little idea popped into his head.

He recalled hearing people say that music is a universal language transcending race and culture in the biological world. Research indicated that many animals or plants would react to music; some fantasy works even established settings where aliens could communicate using music?

Thus, operating on the principle that trying cost nothing, he turned on the music player and added some BGM suitable for card gaming to the room. An intense heavy metal melody, drum beats impacting like a violent storm, every note filled with passion and power, like thousands of warriors charging across a battlefield.

It was exactly the kind of hype track suitable for card gamers; upon hearing it, one immediately felt filled with strength throughout the body, as if the next draw would change the world.

You Xuan, satisfied, set it to loop playback, then turned and headed to the bathroom to shower.

The day's fatigue was quickly washed away by the flowing water; You Xuan returned to his room while drying his wet hair. But the moment he stepped out, he paused, frowning slightly as he realized something was amiss.

The music had disappeared.

What was going on?

He approached the table and discovered the player had somehow switched to a stopped state.

Could it be...?

He thought for a moment, then pressed the play button again.

Then he turned around, pretending to leave the room to attend to other matters.

But immediately after going out, he doubled back, peeping into the room through the crack in the door.

He waited patiently for less than a minute.

Then he quickly saw it: that illusory, semi-transparent figure materialized out of thin air, accompanied by a faint ripple emanating from the card on the table.

Her white robes, her skin appearing even whiter, nearly transparent in that ghostly state, looked almost sacred under the moonlight streaming through the window.

You Xuan couldn't help but take a deep breath.

Good heavens, the master really wasn't talking nonsense.

There really are spirits...

The magician was surrounded by a holy light effect that made her appear somewhat sacred, but her silent, floating movements seemed a bit sneaky, nervously looking left and right, as if afraid of being discovered.

She stealthily reached out and pressed a button on the player.

The music stopped.

You Xuan: "..."

He reflected on himself, feeling his consideration had been somewhat lacking. She was called "Silent" Magician for a reason, presumably.

It seemed she did not appreciate the music thoughtfully prepared by her master.

But by a happy accident, although the process was a bit bizarre, his musical ritual had somehow managed to summon the spirit.

So You Xuan suddenly pushed the door open, appearing in the doorway.

Silent Magician: "!!!"

The silver-haired older sister was greatly startled, covering her mouth as she stepped backward, a flush of red quickly climbing onto her cold face.

Just like when someone is secretly doing something bad at home and a parent suddenly pushes the door open.

Then, in a flash, the older sister magician turned into a beam of white light and drilled back into her card.

You Xuan: "..."

Now he was certain.

His spirit had indeed been playing dead just now.

Why was this? Could it be that I, the master, don't look like a good person?

You Xuan only looked in the mirror for two seconds; his handsome face immediately dispelled this notion.

Absolutely impossible.

So is there a possibility that perhaps this spirit is simply socially anxious?

They say the bond between a duelist and their cards is the key to victory; encountering a spirit is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and You Xuan felt it necessary to seize it. So he returned to the table.

"Hey? Are you there?"

Silence: "..."

"By the way, I actually already know you're there."

Silence: "..."

You Xuan felt a bit stuck.

Every generation of Duel Kings in anime said that card gaming relies on bonds, but seemingly no one ever elaborated on how exactly to cultivate such a thing?

This isn't Pokémon; he couldn't feed her or train her, and the key issue was that she normally never came out of the card, so what was he supposed to do?

After thinking for a moment, he asked tentatively, "How about... we listen to another song?"

Silence: "!"

Another faint ripple spread across the card surface.

A few seconds later, the Silent Magician was already floating there, holding her staff with both hands, head bowed, with a strange expression.

She still made not a single sound, but this action, this reaction, allowed You Xuan to understand.

As long as no one speaks, everything else is negotiable.

There should be a chapter tomorrow; although it's a bit risky for a new book, I still want to finish releasing it all in one go; I'll try my best to keep it within ten thousand words...

Today I got a trial recommendation spot; asking once more for follows! Many thanks!



(End of Chapter)