Nobita's Time Heist

This includes how he encountered Phoenicia and how he transported it into outer space. It also covers how, after countless years, the monster came looking for him. Every detail of the entire affair and its connection to the dream universe, as well as the current state of affairs in the 21st century, is meticulously detailed.

This was the first time Jinglu had heard such a detailed version. She sat quietly to the side, listening attentively without saying a word.

……

The train conductor was completely dumbfounded. He stood there as straight as if at attention. At first, the spring on his back spun a few times, but then it stopped turning altogether. He seemed to have been overthinking it and was utterly stunned.

He wasn't without his share of adventures with Nobita, but for an old man like him, piloting the Galactic Railroad and smashing an oncoming meteor with the locomotive was the ultimate, top-tier adventure. Even just once in a lifetime, such an experience would be enough to boast about.

But what he didn't expect was that Nobita would treat the grand adventure like eating and drinking. Not content with rescuing the out-of-control Secret Gadget Museum, he also wanted to go to another world! He even created the Phoenicians, an ultimate creature that he didn't know how to deal with!

"I see, that's how it is..." Kurt fell into deep thought. Even he, upon suddenly learning of this, was momentarily stunned and unable to process what he was seeing.

"No wonder the review of time-related props has become so strict recently. Many props that could have passed the review have been sent to museums in large quantities for secondary inspection by prop craftsmen. Anything that could cause spacetime fluctuations is prohibited from being produced."

"So it was the Apairon Foundation that was behind this!"

Kurt's gaze towards Nobita instantly changed. Who could have imagined that a 21st-century person would be at the heart of this battle involving time! After several clashes with the Apairon Foundation, the final result was seemingly thrilling, but in reality, a complete victory. Only now had he encountered a truly insurmountable barrier.

Phoenicia.

"If I'm not mistaken, what Nobita's Phoenicians are doing now is like pressing that red button for all of humanity. Everyone's path back to reality has been cut off, and they can only stay in the dream world. Their consciousness can only remain in that universe."

“That guy only dares to use this method to subtly influence the human world, so there must be some concerns we don’t know about…” Kurt frowned as he thought. “However, for Nobita right now, finding a way to defeat her is the most urgent task.”

"Understanding the principles is also important. At least now I know how she harmed people," Da Xiong said, shaking his head and smiling.

"Nobita... are you sure you want to face this monster alone? Isn't that a bit too dangerous?" Kurt advised. "Let's leave it to the Time Police. With such a big incident happening in the 21st century, they can't just ignore it."

Chapter 439: The Professional World Savior

After dealing with the Time Police for a long time, Nobita stopped having any unexpected expectations of them, and as it turned out, this was actually better.

Time police can't solve everything; otherwise, they could simply travel back to the time criminals' childhoods and arrest them before they committed their crimes. But the reality is, even with the most powerful weapon—time—they often arrive too late and are always wise after the event.

As their contact became more frequent, Da Xiong gradually figured out their logic—they wouldn't interfere too much with things that were bound to happen, and would often let things take their course.

In their eyes, everything they, as "time-space anchors," did seemed inevitable. The entire human race in the 21st century had fallen into a deep sleep; if it were meant to be prevented, wouldn't people have arrived long ago?

But this shocking case still happened in the end, without any surprises or difficulties; it just happened like that.

This proves that this is what should have happened.

The Time Police are more like a group of bomb disposal experts. If they defuse the bomb, no one will know it existed, and naturally, there's no question of crisis. Nobody cares about a bomb that's already been defused. But if the bomb isn't defused and is just ticking away, that's where things get interesting. It means they intentionally want someone else to defuse it, or for it to explode right there.

It seemed that his encounter with the Phoenicians was once again a matter of destiny. Thinking this, Nobita couldn't help but shake his head with a smile. Fate was truly a mysterious and inexplicable thing.

"Actually, I don't care much about the Phoenicians. I already have a way to beat them."

"Really?" Jinglu couldn't help but complain. Last time, she had been beaten so badly that she had to run away with her tail between her legs and even escape from this universe. How come she suddenly came up with a solution?

"Only Jaqen Herma... that person is the real dangerous element. Phoenicia was just a pawn he used. He is the mastermind behind all of this. He is the mastermind behind this time-space heist that lasted for a month and a half! And everything he did was to unleash a disaster called the Spirit Tide, to drag all of humanity into his ideal world."

“Jaqen Herma…” Kurt murmured, “I’ve never heard of that name before.”

"However, if Nobita wants, I can help you look into this person."

"Can it be done?" Nobita asked in surprise. "I tried using the [Complete Encyclopedia of the Universe Terminal] before, but I couldn't even find his name. I thought it was completely hopeless."

"I see!" Kurt's eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh. "That makes things easier. The Complete Encyclopedia of the Cosmic Terminal is an extremely compressed form of information. The fact that it's not in there means that Jaqen Helma must have erased all his information. There aren't many people who can do that. If we use reverse reasoning, we can find out quickly."

"If I check them one by one, I should be able to get a response within a week."

“Great, Kurt…” Da Xiong nodded, his face beaming with joy.

Now that the conversation has progressed this far, it's about time to reach out to him.

"Speaking of which, is Popon still around?"

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.

On the return journey in the time machine, the two fell silent for a moment. Nobita didn't know how to start; he wanted to explain, but felt it would be superfluous. In the current situation, silence was the most suitable course of action.

"You never told me it would end like this." Jinglu's tone was clearly reproachful. "Are we just supporting characters in your dream?"

Different eras don't mean people are fools. Da Xiong and Kurt had been discussing this for so long, and Jing Lu had been listening quietly; she probably understood by now. Although she had a vague premonition, the abruptness and shock of the truth still far exceeded her expectations.

“I don’t think… I should say that.” Nobita’s confidence was somewhat lacking. “At least, in that world, you all really existed. Before I came, there was already the Kingdom of Lumilia and eighty-eight cities, and it was the same after I left.”

“Sigh…” Jinglu sighed deeply, “Some things are better left unsaid. Knowing too much can make you unhappy.”

"So, you actually came here to save your own world, right?"

Since things had already come to this point, there was no point in continuing to refute it. Da Xiong simply nodded.

Saving the world once or twice makes no difference.

"In the end, it was all my fault. If I hadn't sent Phoenicia into outer space back then, she wouldn't have had the chance to set her sights on your world. So... I didn't want to save your world on a whim; I just wanted to make up for my past mistakes."

Interestingly, Nobita and Doraemon's initial motivation for doing this was to save another world. The calamity brought about by this salvation, like a bullet that circled the world, ultimately struck him right between the eyebrows.

"Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore." Jinglu quickly composed herself, patted her cheeks, and forcefully ended the conversation. At this point, blaming each other for each other's teammates was pointless. It was better to quickly deal with Phoenicia and return to normal life.

Dreams and reality are irrelevant; as long as you're alive, none of that matters.

"You just said you had a way to deal with the Phoenicians, is that true? They're a super huge monster! I could see it through the gap in my pocket. Just its wings alone could blot out the whole sky. And that fireball with the temperature of the sun... Nobinia, how do you plan to defend yourself this time?"

Da Xiong chuckled and voluntarily raised his shoulder to show him.

Is that a transparent jellyfish-like creature attached to Nobita's shoulder? It has a pair of cute eyes and looks adorably silly. It's comfortably sleeping on Nobita's shoulder.

"Let me introduce you to this gentleman, Popon."

"This... isn't it a slime?" Jinglu was very puzzled. After going through so much trouble, including time travel and going to the museum, all she found was a lump of slime?

"If we're looking for it, we don't need to travel across the world. We have plenty of these kinds of creatures where we're from."

"Wrong, completely wrong! This isn't an ordinary slime; it's a brand-new life form created by Kurt, and he's a professional world-saving expert. It was Popon who ultimately resolved the situation at the Secret Gadget Museum last time."

Nobita gently poked it with his finger, and Popon obviously remembered his scent, so it rubbed against his finger and made happy noises like a kitten or puppy cuddling with its owner.

"A professional world-saving expert..." Jinglu was bewildered by what she saw. At that moment, she felt that one of them, Da Xiong, had gone mad.

But now that things have progressed this far, she desperately hopes that she is the one who has gone mad.

Hopefully, this thing will actually work.

Chapter 440: Dust and Oasis

They say one feels apprehensive upon returning home, but looking down at the cold, blue planet, Münton felt a chill run down his spine. Despite being accustomed to the vacuum of space, he couldn't stop trembling. About two seconds later, he realized the source of this unease.

Quiet.

It's so quiet.

Muton knew all too well that there was no sound in space. But with his senses, he could perceive many things that humans couldn't describe through hearing, such as satellite signals and electromagnetic waves. Earth was like a noisy anniversary celebration, with seven loudspeakers and ten stereos constantly playing all sorts of melodies, while simultaneously releasing a large amount of noise into outer space.

Current Earth civilization is unable to recognize other civilizations in the universe. They believe themselves to be the only lucky ones, recklessly expressing their uniqueness. These electromagnetic signals are often treated as garbage. The universe is vast, and countless similar situations exist. No one cares what a backward civilization, still confined to its own galaxy, is saying in its self-amusing signals.

But at this moment, Muton faced complete silence. It was as if the vocal cords of the entire Earth had been suddenly severed, leaving only a deathly stillness.

This is not normal.

Muton reacted instantly, his eyes gleaming as he zoomed in. Everywhere he looked, people lay sprawled on the ground, unconscious. Their breathing was relatively even, but this simultaneous drowsiness of all humanity was highly unusual.

"How could this happen?" With problems arising in his hometown, Münton's emotions began to fluctuate.

He selected a lucky individual, peered into their body, and began analyzing the various hormone levels to determine what was wrong. The conclusion was: this person was perfectly healthy, had not suffered any external injuries, and showed no abnormalities in their brain; aside from being unconscious, they seemed no different from a normal person.

"If it's not a physical reason, then it must be a curse, or some kind of magic..." Müton shuddered. Could this be the reason Lilulu made him come to Earth? Have they already sensed the anomalies here?

At this moment, a sense of responsibility overwhelmed everything. He closed his eyes slightly, and the two horns on his forehead began to emit a translucent light. Without any instruments, Muton could use telepathy to send long-membrane communications to the outside world. He planned to report this situation to the Space Federation headquarters. Even though Earth was not under the Space Federation's jurisdiction, such a strange occurrence would surely prompt the Space Federation to send someone to investigate thoroughly.

"I advise you not to do this." A familiar yet repulsive voice came from the side. In this silent, black space, a few leaves fluttered quietly.

The most powerful druid in the known universe appeared silently beside him at some unknown time.

"What you're doing will backfire." Tree Nobi Stuart, the High Priest of the Cult of Life. That guy with a perpetual smile on his face, the guy whose name contains the same element, has quite abruptly visited this planet.

Muton was startled at first and looked at him with some wariness.

"This is a mission assigned to me by the Elder Civilization, and it should only be known to me. Why are you here? The current state of this planet doesn't seem to be under Green Star's jurisdiction, does it?"

Faced with his slightly hostile questioning, Shu simply smiled and didn't seem to care.

"What were you planning to do?" he asked with a smile. "If you reported the situation here exactly as it was, what would be the point of her sending you here secretly?"

Tree tapped his forehead, looking at him with a half-smile, "You've been a pirate for too long, and you still haven't transitioned to your new identity. You're practically an administrator now, so you need to think carefully about how you speak and act before you take any action."

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Muton scoffed, pointing a finger at the Earth. "Don't tell me you can't feel what's happening!"

“They’re all just asleep,” Tree said in a deep voice. “At least, they’re still alive.”

"If you let the Space Alliance get involved now, it will only disrupt their plans."

"What kind of bullshit plan?!" Muton was furious. "Are you saying that this whole situation was part of their plan? Using billions of lives as a gamble?!"

He vented his emotions through telepathy, angrily shouting, "This isn't your hometown! Of course you can say that, not caring at all, but what I hate most is a place like the Universe. Even if for you, life is just a number, for the people living here, it's unique!"

"..." Tree's expression remained calm, his smile seemingly frozen on his face. "Do you know what 'dissonance' means?"

Dissonant sounds.

Mülton seemed to remember something and turned his head to look. The space next to the Earth seemed to be faintly distorted, as if something was about to break through the surface and emerge.

"When a civilization loses its voice, discordant notes descend. It seems to be a kind of rejection mechanism of the universe, treating the silent civilization like dead cells, expelling it from the body. When you were a pirate, you should have seen civilizations swallowed up by discordant notes... Nothing will be left behind, not even 'death' itself will be erased, turning into a gray world."

The tree spoke in a very heavy tone, and the way it looked at the earth was filled with a kind of lofty compassion.

"Humanity is the core of Earth's civilization, and now, all of humanity has fallen silent. This silence has led the universe to believe that human civilization is 'dead' and unable to make a sound. Therefore, a discordant note is about to descend, erasing everything here... That is why you are here."

While I wouldn't say these words were groundbreaking, they certainly helped Muton understand his current situation.

One last look at this cold, blue planet. Not far from Earth, the discordant sounds stirring within the cracks are about to burst forth, ready to sweep everything away.

The crack shattered, and a torrent of dark, discordant sounds surged forth, spreading across space. It was like a giant compressed package that suddenly decompressed, releasing a black, viscous substance that seemed poised to swallow the Earth whole.

The only things that could stop them were two inconspicuous figures. Compared to them, they were like sparks in the ocean—utterly incomparable.

"I don't understand. Why would the Space Federation issue such a conscription order... and be so interested in a remote planet? Is it just because it's my home planet?" Muton was incredibly confused. "There are countless civilizations that have perished in the universe, and many have been swallowed up by the Discord. The Space Federation has never cared about that, so why did they specifically notify me about this? They could have just let Earth be destroyed by the Discord, couldn't they?"

"To the entire universe, this planet is nothing more than a speck of dust."

“Heh…” Tree chuckled, then said meaningfully, “Mourton, you overestimate yourself, but you underestimate the Earth. It’s not some speck of dust…”

"It is not a place, but an oasis for incubating the future."

Chapter 441: Do you know why human eyes are located at the front?

Through the dream, Nobita returns to another universe, feeling like he's taking an exam again.

His last match against the Phoenicians was like a sudden, unprepared diagnostic test. Given his skill level, he could only fill in the blanks he could, ultimately submitting his paper in a sorry state and leaving the arena with regret.

This time, he was fully prepared and even obtained the legendary study notes of a top student.

Even so, I was still a little uneasy.

This time, he entered the dream world directly, and as usual, no fairy with Shizuka's face came to greet him. In fact, the entire dream world had become a stagnant pool. In contrast, even the reign of the Demon Emperor seemed so kind and approachable. Passing through pink smoke, he stepped into the dream, and looking around, he found himself in a desolate, crimson desert, making Nobita feel as if he were in a world of flames. The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the red desert, making the entire Gobi gleam, yet there was also an indescribable sense of deathly stillness.

Not even a cicada's chirp could be heard; it was utterly silent.

In the distance, the last city still stood. Just as Nobita had predicted, the Phoenicians did not attack the last human city; it served as bait, constantly luring Nobita to come.

He was certain that he had been discovered almost the instant he entered this world. In the sky, clouds rapidly gathered, black clouds pressing down on the ground, as if to crush this red Gobi Desert into fragments. Accompanied by a deafening thunderclap, a figure pierced through the clouds, like a sword descended from the heavens, slamming heavily onto the ground with the decisive force of a hammer blow.

As the smoke cleared, Phoenicia's figure slowly emerged, still resembling a white-haired girl.

"Heh...you really are back, great! I knew you wouldn't run away at the last minute...our fateful moment hasn't arrived yet." She said with a hint of teasing, "My business partner told me that next time I see you, I must not let my emotions get the better of me. I should prioritize efficiency and bite you in half, tsk tsk tsk...but I just can't help it, I want to chat with you a little longer."

"Revenge is like a cold dish; it tastes better when it's cold."

Strangely enough, Nobita's powerful empathy allowed him to fully understand Phoenicia's current state of mind.

She considered herself a cold dish she had waited nearly 3 million years for; it would be such a waste to swallow her whole.

"Don't you want to talk to me anymore?" Having guessed her mind, Da Xiong took a step forward instead of backing down, trying to calm his twitching eyebrows.

This was part of his strategy—to show he posed no threat, Nobita didn't use any protective gear, not even a softball. While these items could offer temporary protection, if Phoenicia unleashed that breath attack at full power again, it probably wouldn't last long. Therefore, it was better to simply remove all his defenses to minimize her suspicion.

In other words, at this very moment, he was facing a monster with flesh and blood that could evaporate him with a sneeze. His gamble was that the monster was "unwilling" to kill him immediately, but instead wanted to prolong the execution as much as possible, finding some amusement in the process. To stake his life and the future of humanity entirely on the monster's psychological state, going all in—truly a heart of steel among hearts.

He made the right bet.

“…Please.” Phoenicia smiled and raised his hand, pointing to the vast, empty red desert, and asked, “Do you like it here? I’ve cleared everything out; it’s perfect as your execution ground. Although… I have no grudge against humans, it’s probably those birdmen who have an old feud with them. However, given how much you love them, letting you witness the destruction of humanity before you die seems like a good choice, don’t you think?”

"Where is Jaqen Herma?" Da Xiong ignored her provocation and went straight to the point.

"What? You care about that person? It's really heartbreaking. I'm standing right in front of you, and you still ask about other men." Phoenicia teased with a smile, but her eyes were filled with coldness. She laughed, "He and I are just people who are traveling on the same train because we have the same destination. After we arrive at our destination, I'll get off. As for whether he will treat humans like dough, kneading them flat and shaping them into rounds, that's none of my business."