Nobita's Time Heist

Just as things were starting to escalate into a grand adventure in the demon world, Doraemon pulled out this gadget with a completely different purpose. He was really confused; Nobita just wanted to experience being a magician, and if he had brought this out earlier, the grand adventure in the demon world would never have happened.

Having gained the ability to cast spells at will, Nobita wrote down several spells: "Broomstick Spell," "Invisibility Spell," and "Spell to Throw People Away," eagerly setting off to challenge Gian. Of course, on his journey to defeat Gian, he didn't miss out on some fun... but in the end, he still returned with a bruised and swollen face. Or rather, because he had to recite the spells he wasn't very familiar with, his reactions were a beat slower, and he even failed to escape.

This time, Doraemon was dumbfounded.

If this gadget fell into another world, it would be enough for the protagonist to use his superpowers ten or eight times and completely crush the villain. The fact that it ended up in Nobita's hands shows he seriously underestimated Nobita's ability to mess things up.

He sincerely commented, "It's unbelievable that someone could be beaten up like this even after using props."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

In a sense, Nobita was right; this "reflecting all magical effects" magic was indeed his own idea. In order to pronounce the incantation accurately, he specifically chose the catchy phrase "Abracadabra," and using his powerful dynamic vision, he activated the spell-reflecting magic just before the spell touched his body.

Thus, the magic was reversed, and Nostradamus's powerful magic was used against himself, which can be considered a part of cause and effect.

"Do you really believe that the world after the spiritual tide wiped everything out will be better than the world we live in now?"

Nobita put the Magic Encyclopedia into his pocket, looked at his opponent who no longer had much power, and said in a deep voice, "Rough people, complacent people, boastful people, kind people, smart people, lazy people, people who just get by... It is because of all kinds of people that the world becomes so wonderful."

"Because of so many differences, people can never fully understand each other, but that doesn't mean that the desire to understand each other is worthless!"

He took a delicate ladies' handbag out of his pocket, which looked rather comical in this setting.

"Ha...humanity...is this the kind of fairytale-like thing you admire?" Nostradamus sensed his impending end, yet felt little fear before death. On the contrary, this spirit, which had wandered the world for hundreds of years, revealed a cold smile. "What you trust is the most unreliable thing in the world. Humanity is forever intertwined with self-interest. The person who smiles at you today may turn against you tomorrow because of their own interests."

“Even so, the ‘surge of spirituality’ is not their salvation. You just want to turn human civilization into a lifeless specimen!”

"Even if it's really as you say, when the spiritual tide comes down, everyone in the world will become a giant spirit... and then what? Just exist in this immortal spirit form for ten thousand years, twenty thousand years, or even until the Earth is destroyed, so what?"

He reached his right hand into the [Random Access Bag], rummaged around for a moment, and then, as if by magic, a silver sword gleaming with a bright silver light was pulled from the small handbag. The instant the blade flashed, the dazzling white light almost wounded Nostradamus, as if what was drawn was not a sword, but a dazzling meteor trailing a tail of light! This was the first time he had shown fear in front of Nobita—not fear of the man, but fear of the gleaming sword, like a herbivore seeing its natural enemy.

He squinted, trying to use his intuition to analyze the weapon, but only saw a line of incantations floating on the sword. Written in an ancient, exotic script, it emitted a strong light, and with his extraordinary intuition, he still managed to decipher its meaning.

A sword that slays demons and spirits, a sword that will never break.

"...Mithril?!" He could hardly believe his eyes. "Is there really mithril with a purity close to 100%?"

"What...are you...?"

The aura of Da Xiong, wielding the silver sword, shifted dramatically. He was no longer as docile as usual; the bright silver light of the sword seemed to drape him, making him appear sharp and piercing, as if he were one with it. Despite never having studied swordsmanship, he knew exactly how to hold the sword. As if bound by a certain destiny of battle, his feet naturally parted, assuming the standard starting stance before swinging the sword.

"Human beings are the foundation of all civilization."

Da Xiong held the silver sword horizontally, his eyes behind his glasses revealing a rare, resolute determination. During the Western Tribe's ordeal, he had always adhered to the principle of non-killing, but… this time, there was no room for negotiation. With Nostradamus's repeated provocations, the boundaries of his non-killing principle were becoming increasingly blurred. Now, thinking back, Demacia, Odorom, and even the Bull Demon King who had escaped from the game world—all had died at his hands. Where, then, was the line between killing and not killing?

That's right.

There won't be a problem as long as he is excluded from the category of "human".

As long as we stop seeing this madman as part of humanity... everything will be fine!

Nobita took a deep breath, solemnly accepting the murderous intent surging from the depths of his heart, and said in a deep voice, "A civilization without people is meaningless. And you, who want to completely erase all free will in the world..."

"A creature that should not exist in this world!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Boom!"

With a powerful stomp, Nostradamus's body seemed to be propelled by the sword. His figure flashed and vanished from the spot, unleashing a swift sword strike towards his opponent's shoulder. Facing that fleeting light of judgment, Nostradamus sensed his impending death. For this prophet who had communicated with spirits since childhood, physical death was not the end; the death of the spirit… was what truly signified the end.

He had wondered before what it would be that would be on his mind when the moment actually came.

Ambition?

desire?

magic?

wisdom?

……

neither.

In his final moments, what he truly recalled was a leisurely afternoon hundreds of years ago in the Library of Avignon, sipping tea and perusing ancient books.

Chapter 251: Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

"died."

At the summit of Mount Namunani, at an altitude of 7694 meters, Jaqen Herma abruptly ended his meditation and said with great certainty, "Our partner, that astrologer from the French continent... just now, his presence completely vanished."

"is it?"

The blue robot cat was preparing firewood not far away. Hearing this, it didn't seem too surprised and just continued chopping wood. Its small round hand gripped the axe handle and swung it down rhythmically, the thuds mingling with the sound of the wind, almost completely swallowing its voice. "Before it set off, it confidently promised to 'bathe the world in the spiritual tide of 1999'... In the end, it's nothing more than that."

"It's a pity, his theoretical knowledge is very impressive." Jia Kun shook his head and sighed with regret, "I haven't had a chance to properly ask him for advice yet."

"You don't need this kind of thing, do you?" Doraemon rolled his eyes at him, despite his appearance being almost identical to Doraemon's. His eyes were bright, dark red, giving him a fierce look. Because of this, when he complained about his companions, there was an inexplicable sense of contrast. "You rely on 'feelings' to cast mystical spells. To use English as an example, he majored in grammar, while you majored in a feel for the language."

“You merely pieced together the correct incantation by piecing together the formulas, but your ‘spiritual awareness’ has reached a level where you no longer need to rely on those things. For you, the whole world is a book written in incantations, and every action and every interaction can be transformed into spirit and incantation. Besides Hindi and English, incantations are your third mother tongue.”

“As long as you have the feel for the language, there’s absolutely no need to learn grammar.” Doraemon glanced at him, a cold smile appearing on his round face that should have been that of a cute mascot. “In the end, you were just sending him out to buy time, weren’t you?”

"..."

No clear answer was received.

Amidst the falling snowflakes as large as goose feathers, Jaqen Helma wasn't even wearing his overcoat; he was almost shirtless, legs crossed, maintaining a stable meditative posture, completely oblivious to the cold. It was as if the snow falling from the sky wasn't snow, but rather a decoration made of foam. Only when he heard this question did he show a slight ripple of emotion, turning his neck at a tiny angle, his bright golden eyes brimming with a peaceful smile.

“Many times I wonder, are you really a robot?” He rubbed his knees, which were stiff from meditation, and muttered softly, “They’ve made you look way too human.”

Doraemon shrugged his shoulders in a barely perceptible manner, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

“I never expected Nostradamus to defeat Nobita.” He waved to the bundles of firewood piled on the snow, and the logs floated up slowly, flying one by one into the wooden house not far away. He laughed, “If it were that easy to take him down, the chairman wouldn’t be so frantic, right?”

"Why?" Doraemon asked, puzzled. "Time anchors are not immortal. In fact, before Nobita, there have been anchors in various eras, and there have been many precedents of their deaths. It seems that after successfully correcting a certain period of history and offsetting the power to modify the timeline, their mission is complete. At that time, the anchors will become no different from ordinary people and can be killed."

"They are simply a special group created by the timeline. Take Nobita Nobi for example; setting aside the secret gadgets of the 22nd century, he's no different from an ordinary person. Poisoning, assassination, curses... there are many ways to kill him. I've always felt that our attitude towards this abnormal individual has been a bit too lenient..."

Doraemon watched as the firewood he had painstakingly chopped was tossed one piece at a time into the fireplace, and suddenly complained, "Seriously, why are you making the fire burn so brightly when you're not even going in?"

"Aren't you afraid of the cold?" Jia Kun smiled gently. "Let's warm up the house first, and then we can have lunch after we go inside."

“Thank you for your kindness, but I’m a robot, have you forgotten? My perception of hot and cold, as well as other physiological reactions, are just an environmental ‘simulation,’ created so that children can learn from me.” He rolled his eyes at Jia Kun, annoyed. “Don’t try to change the subject. As the actual executor of the foundation, you must know some inside information, right?”

"Nobita, what exactly is he? Ever since he suddenly appeared, all our plans have been disrupted, but our strategy towards him has always been mainly conservative and defensive. Now that we know he is the carrier of 'space-time correction power,' shouldn't we strike first and eliminate this threat once and for all?"

"What exactly are you afraid of?"

"..."

A barrage of questions made it impossible for Jia Kun to brush the topic off so easily. He brushed the snow off his shoulders, his hands not touching the ground, but relying solely on his superior core strength, he stood up with a light touch of his toes, his eyes narrowing, revealing a meaningful smile.

The wind and snow continued to howl. On the summit of this truly isolated snow-capped mountain, the secrets spoken could only be known to heaven, earth, you, and me.

"Let me ask you a riddle, my friend."

Doraemon frowned. He clearly didn't understand the other party's intention, but he still calmed down and nodded.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

"A pointless philosophical question. Do you expect me to answer it from a scientific perspective?" Doraemon shook his head, clearly uninterested, but still said, "Of course, chickens came first—chickens are a type of bird. As for birds, they evolved from an ancient winged dinosaur. At some point, under some circumstances, they broke free from the constraints of gliding and began to fly. After getting used to the sky, they evolved into a completely different species."

"Therefore, in the slow process of evolution, the species 'chicken' came first, and then the egg."

"Wow, this is the first time I've heard such a scientific explanation. Although the process is different from what I expected, the conclusion is the same."

Jia Kun clapped his hands, like a happy child, "Then, let me ask you again."

"Nobita Nobi is one of the Time Anchors, right?"

"Why ask such an obvious question? Of course it is," Doraemon said speechlessly. "If it weren't for this, would we have so much trouble?"

"So, did the concept of 'time-space anchor' come first, and then Nobita Nobi came into being..."

Jia Kun asked leisurely, "Is it because he is Nobita Nobi that he has the power of the 'Time Anchor'?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The howling wind and snow seemed to stop at that moment.

After realizing the implication, Doraemon's expression changed several times, showing astonishment, bewilderment, and disbelief.

"You...you know what you're saying...how is this possible?! He's just a human being born in the 21st century!"

“Yes, he is.” Jia Kun sighed, looked up at the sky, and murmured, “But the universe is far more extraordinary than we can imagine.”

“We have observed that somewhere far beyond Earth, all of time and causality intertwine into a great river that flows toward some place.”

"Nobita Nobi has some kind of inexplicable connection with this great river."

Chapter 252: A Summaries

"call……"

The wind from the back mountain brushed against his face, bathed in the beautiful glow of the setting sun. The familiar town was shrouded in the glow of the evening sky, the scent of earth and grass filling his senses and bringing him a sense of peace. He let out a long sigh. Suddenly, he felt very sleepy, and his eyes involuntarily squinted.

If his friends weren't all around, he would have loved to just lie down on the ground and have a good sleep. He firmly believed that the mountain behind the house had a soul. Even though, out of kindness, she had once forcefully driven him off the mountain in his childhood, every time he returned, the mountain would still embrace him with her gentle heart. After Doraemon left, whenever he felt sadness or sorrow that he couldn't share with others, he would come here to escape from the world and find some peace and rest.

He had thought that after experiencing so much, seeing the world again would evoke many emotions, and he would inevitably deliver a long speech like the protagonist of a shonen anime. But when he actually did it, he realized that the hardships and dangers along the way had exhausted all his strength. From the decline of Japan to the Taisho era until this moment, the months-long, non-stop adventure would be too much even for an iron man.

Fortunately, everything is worth it.

Everything... is back.

“The medal…” Fat Tiger subconsciously touched the medal pinned to his chest, which was shaped like “gunfire and doves”, smiled self-deprecatingly, and shook his head. “It’s a good thing they didn’t hold any award ceremony. They didn’t do anything, yet they still got a medal. It’s really embarrassing to accept it.”

"Xiao Wu, what kind of talk is that?" Shizuka turned around and said, half comforting and half encouraging, "The root of this incident lies in 8 AD, and in the end, the problem will definitely be solved from the source. Besides, didn't you also use Yggdrasil to concoct an antidote and hand it over to the Time Police? In case similar cases occur in the future, this antidote will come in handy."

Fat Tiger remained sullen, but didn't say anything more. He was too embarrassed to let the girl try to persuade him anymore, so he turned his head away and looked at the fiery clouds on the horizon.

For the five-person team, this was already the umpteenth time they had saved the world, but the process was a bit longer, taking about two or three months to complete the entire journey.

However, for the Time Police, this was a major step in combating trans-temporal crimes. From the Atlantic Ocean in 1492, to western America in 1899, to the castle tower in the Sengoku period, and then to the Shinjo Empire in 8 BC... By this point, all of the Apairon Foundation's plans had been thwarted by Nobita and his friends, and the time dispersion value had returned to normal levels.

However, most of the ceremonies and rewards they prepared for the group were declined.

Nobita's initial motivation was simply to save Doraemon. Now, he clearly understands that the robot cat involved in the Apexon Foundation is not Doraemon himself, but just happens to have a similar appearance. A weight has been lifted from his shoulders. The others were too exhausted to bother with any more nonsense. They hastily accepted the awarding ceremony, continued to leave their mark on the Time Police Department, and then gracefully made their exit.

In this final crisis of the new dynasty, Gian's team didn't perform particularly well; it seemed like everything depended on Nobita's team's efforts. There's no way around it; time is like a flowing river. Right now, the pollution is at the source. At most, Kogane and his team can only test the pollutants downstream. To truly solve the problem, they need to address the source of the pollution.

Nobita glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, then chuckled and said slowly, "Speaking of which, back with the Magic Mirror, it was all Gian who stole the show. I remember it very clearly... The Grand Canyon, which the local natives predicted would cost us our third life, none of us dared to go down, but you were the first to dare to take the suspension ladder down."

"Yeah, Gian, it's just like a game, isn't it?" Suneo quickly grasped Nobita's meaning and chimed in, "We're like teammates in a fixed five-player team. What position can always be the carry? This game you carry me, next game you carry me, and if we win, it's a win for all five of us, right?"

"No." Fat Tiger shook his head, then broke into a hearty smile. He wasn't the type to drag things out, and any slight displeasure he felt quickly dissipated. With a gentle gesture, he said, "It's all thanks to the six of us!"

"Eh?"

Asur was stunned for a moment, and only when everyone looked over did he realize that he was the one who had just been questioned.

"No, I really do have a bit..."

Before she could refuse, Shizuka took her hands first. Physical contact is far more effective than words in reducing negative emotions like anxiety and doubt. As the only woman in the adventure team, she was the most suitable person to do this.

"Please don't say that, Asur-chan." With unwavering conviction, she looked directly at her with sincere eyes and said, word by word, "If it weren't for you, the outcome of this adventure might not have been like this at all. You've helped us in so many ways, so many ways that we can't even count them all."

“From the moment we boarded Columbus’s ship, we’ve been working together for the past few months… In our hearts, you’ve long been a part of this team!”

The rustling wind among the trees bore witness to these words.

Asur looked at her with slight surprise, seemingly not expecting the girl to suddenly deliver such a long and provocative confession. However, Shizuka seemed to be speaking not just for herself, but for the entire team. The boys' eyes were also full of affirmation and encouragement, completely expressing their agreement.

She suddenly realized that being chosen so firmly was also a kind of happiness.

“…Thank you, but…” Asur’s expression was somewhat complicated. After hesitating for a moment, he gently withdrew his hand. “For your own good, it’s best not to get too involved with me.”

"Well, everyone has one or two secrets they want to hide, that's quite normal." Dekisugi's tone was always so calm, giving the feeling that she was putting herself in Dekisugi's shoes. "However, after everything you've been through, whether you are a so-called 'scavenger' or not is not that important anymore. What people care about more is you as a person."

"If you don't have anywhere to stay in this era, you can come to our house first." Suneo then switched to his daily routine after the movie ended and couldn't wait to introduce the place. "I haven't had French snail dishes, bouillabaisse, and black caviar in so long! My family is rich, our house is huge, and we have so many empty rooms~~~ We could easily fit another person in!"

"What is this? It's all made by other people, and they even make the girl eat snails. It's obviously not sincere at all."

Fat Tiger laughed heartily, patted Suneo on the shoulder, and wrapped his arm around his neck, saying loudly, "It's been a long time since I've shown off my talent! After I go home and relax for a couple of days, I'll throw a cooking party! Ta-da! All of them are Fat Tiger's secret-recipe stew dishes, with ingredients personally selected and cooked by me, to welcome our new friends. That's what I call a truly sincere welcome!"

Shizuka immediately broke out in a sweat. "Xiao Wu, haha... this is a bit..."

"Uh..." Xiaofu's expression immediately changed as he clearly had a fond memory awakened, and he complained, "Every time you make a stew, you add cicada pupae. That stuff shouldn't be given to girls... no, it shouldn't be given to people to eat, right?"

"What did you say!?"

Suneo quickly shook his head, and Gian pretended to chase after them. In this way, the group recreated their childhood on the back mountain.

Laughter fell with the leaves, shattering and adding a touch of color to the beautiful sunset.