Nobita's Time Heist

"What's wrong, Nobita?" Shizuka, always on his mind's side, immediately realized what was happening, her brows furrowing. "Don't tell me..."

"Everyone, get on the bus, quick! US dollars!"

Upon receiving the order, Meijin promptly lay down on the ground, and amidst the sound of metal deforming, a perfectly intact and imposing off-road vehicle reappeared.

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 scene looked rather strange; the desert was unusually quiet, making what should have been a tense and exciting chase seem eerie. Only Nobita, his face tense, sped along in his car. In the bright moonlight, the others vaguely guessed what they were chasing, but dared not believe it. Only Nobita could truly see the movement of the insect swarm through the desert surface.

Judging from his expression, the situation is definitely not optimistic.

"stop!"

The sudden stop in the desert revealed a bizarre "crop circle" hanging in front of everyone, or perhaps it would be more appropriate to call it a sand circle. This huge circle imprinted on the desert is not any symbol, but simply concentric circles stacked one on top of another, seemingly alive, pulsating gently.

“They burrowed too deep underground, I can’t see them anymore.” Da Xiong took a deep breath, took off his superpower hat, and said with lingering fear, “Underneath this desert, there is a bottomless, huge pit. Those insects disappeared after they burrowed into it. The insect I saw just now wasn’t that big, but I saw some… very huge creatures.”

"Could that be the Golden Land?" Fat Tiger couldn't help but smack his lips, imagining a huge cave full of swarms of insects, and shuddered. "It's truly 'golden' to the extreme."

"So many insects under the sand, what do they eat?" Shizuka had gradually gotten used to possibly stepping on a thousand insects. "The desert's food chain is already very barren, let alone underground... What do these huge insects eat to survive? Air?"

"I hope Kosugi isn't in there." Nobita reached into his pocket again, saying casually, "As for what's in this hole, based on my experience, next..."

"The grand adventure is about to begin!"

Chapter 92: A Choice with a Clear Conscience

"So... are we going to go straight down?" Suneo swallowed hard, looking at the strange circle that looked like it was the size of a town, as if some inexplicable force had projected it onto the ground. "We don't even know if there's any air down there."

“Adapting to light can solve many problems, including darkness and lack of oxygen.” Nobita began distributing weapons to everyone one by one. “However, considering the air quality, I don’t think using air cannons down here is a good idea.”

“That’s true.” Shizuka nodded in agreement. “The underground structure is complex and full of sand, making it very unstable. If a shell hits a vulnerable spot, it could cause a sand avalanche and trap us all down there.”

"Therefore, the special weapon we're providing for everyone this time is this..." He pulled five oddly shaped gadgets from his pocket, which looked somewhat like toy guns, "【Instant Adhesive Guns】!" (This gadget can spray out a powerful adhesive, enough to firmly stick any object, rendering it immobile, even mechanical bodies cannot break free. Doraemon used it as one of his weapons when fighting the Iron Man Legion. Strangely, whenever something like this happens, the real "weapons" in his pocket automatically become available.)

“The bugs are fast, but once they get covered in adhesive, they can’t move.” Da Xiong took out six guns, preferring to fight with two as he always had. “Once we’re down there, try not to make too much noise. If anything goes wrong, I’ll use the Anywhere Door to open an escape route. The location will still be here. Mei Jin! You’re too big, so don’t go down. Stay here to provide backup. As soon as the door opens, transform immediately and get on us.”

Upon hearing that he couldn't go on the adventure with Nobita and the others, Meijin made a series of low, metallic grunts, but didn't show much resistance.

"We just escaped from the dragon's lair, and now we're about to enter the insects' nest..." Xiao Fu shrugged. "This journey has been quite rushed, hasn't it?"

That being said, they had grown accustomed to the constant adventures. In fact, this tense and exciting life had once been a regular part of their routine.

only……

The sudden sound interrupted the underground adventure that was about to begin.

……

"Strangers, have you lost your way?"

Like the sound itself, their figures suddenly appeared behind the SUV, half-hidden in the swirling yellow sand. Clad in long robes and hooded, they were difficult to distinguish from their surroundings. At least from their appearance, these people were unarmed, but their choice to appear at this moment was enough to suggest they were not ordinary individuals.

Normal human beings would never wear such clothes in the depths of a desert ravaged by shifting sands.

"boom--!!"

The roar of the engine sounded at just the right moment, like the low growl of a dollar bill.

"Shh! Shh! Calm down, Meijin." Da Xiong placed his hand on the steering wheel, shushing it twice like a dog being trained, and put away the Instant Adhesion Gun. In a flash, he ran through many possibilities in his mind, and shouted, "That's right! We...we're lost! We're tourists from Japan!"

“One of our companions has gone missing, so we had to come out to look for him. But… in the desert, we lost our bearings and got lost. We couldn’t find our companion! We’re almost out of gas! We need help, we desperately need it!”

……

There was a moment of silence outside the window, and just when everyone's heart was in their throats, a stronger male voice came through.

“Foreigners, you are trespassing on our borders. According to ancient law, you should pay for your insolence with your lives!”

"But Lady Hylia is magnanimous and has returned your lives to your physical bodies."

"Leave now, stranger. Dawn is coming. Remember, follow the direction of the morning star. In ten days, you will reach a populated area."

"...Ten days..." Xiaofu rolled his eyes, lowered his voice, and said irritably, "The subtext is, 'Don't die on my doorstep.' If we were really stranded travelers, we would have run out of food and supplies by the time we got here. And the morning star... If we can't see the morning star, we'll freeze to death here tonight!"

Nobita remained silent. In truth, who was really that much dumber than whom? He could naturally understand the hidden meaning behind the words. For the first few seconds, he felt indignant, but then he couldn't say whether it was right or wrong.

"We dare not ask for anything too extravagant, just a place to stay, to rest for the night!" Shizuka raised her voice, pleading in a more tactful tone, "The desert nights are too cold, the car will soon stall... We'll freeze to death inside before the morning star rises. Besides, without water and food, how are we going to survive these ten hellish days?"

The rustling sounds of discussion were like sand pattering against glass. Through the metal barrier, everyone's heartbeats gradually quickened.

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.

“Listen, strangers! I don’t care if your outdated vehicles still have black blood dug from the earth, or if your people are starving, or if you’ll freeze to death tonight! The Golden City has received enough strangers these days!”

The male voice roared, "Either get the hell out of here, or I can do the work for this desert right now!"

……

If the situation is truly as dire as Nobita describes, hearing such words would basically mean preparing to fight to the death. Humans are such creatures; even knowing the odds are slim, driven by the will to survive, they seize every opportunity to make a final stand.

However, the reality was that after hearing his words, everyone showed unexpected ecstasy. Because he had indeed uttered the words "Golden Land."

Getting there was already a necessary part of everyone's itinerary, so things became much simpler.

Nobita took out the "Touching Microphone" from his pocket, took a deep breath, and prepared to give a moving speech that would bring tears to everyone's eyes.

(The microphone that moves people: Forced emotional manipulation is essentially a combination of brainwashing and mind control. Words spoken through this microphone, the sounds produced, whether illogical or even just basic onomatopoeia, have this effect. Once moved, the audience is willing to do anything to help the speaker fulfill their wishes.)

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.

"Wait a moment!"

Before Nobita could speak, an unexpected female voice joined the conversation from outside the window. In the hazy night, it sounded like a redeeming angel: "She's right."

"Lady Mira!" a strong male voice objected, "We shouldn't let foreigners peek too much into the miracles of the Golden City. They are insatiably greedy for everything, as they always have been! The reason we have been able to survive here for so long is precisely because we have stayed away from foreigners."

“We have survived for so long because of Lady Hylia and the Golden Land she possesses,” the woman called Mira answered fluently. “And she… in the beginning, was she also called a ‘foreigner’ by us?”

"This..." The man's logic was clearly scrambled. "Lady Hylia is different; how can she be compared to others?"

"The last time we opened the gates of the Golden Land, we gained a genius. Perhaps Lady Luck will smile upon us again this time, even if it doesn't..."

"Our actions have been worthy of the Spirit of Fire, haven't they?"

Chapter 93: The Weaknesses of Human Nature

"Why are you all so calm..." Asur couldn't help but complain, "We're about to enter a new, isolated world, and who knows what will happen? Most people would be terrified right now, but you all look like you're going to eat ice cream at a no-name shop."

"Really?" Fat Tiger touched his cheek and chuckled, "Is this the time to be nervous?"

"For ordinary people, maybe so?" Xiaofu recalled the whole process of being taken away by the dragon knight and couldn't help but laugh. "But we are too familiar with this routine. First, they invite us in with kind words, then we discover some earth-shattering secret, which is basically related to the counterattack on the human world. Then they turn on us and put us under house arrest. Then we find a way to escape and finally reach a consensus to help them deal with a problem that they cannot handle. It might be a computer that has gone mad, or it might be a huge meteorite that is about to fall."

"Not entirely, is it?" Shizuka tilted her head. "The people of the Valley of the Wind are very kind to us."

"Really?" Suneo looked doubtful. "I don't remember that."

"Suneo, back in Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, your body was taken over by Ulda, and you spent most of your time playing the villain," Nobita added calmly.

……

"boom------!!!"

As the girl sang, a loud bang echoed across the desert under the starry sky. Above those enormous strange circles, the shadow of a city-state gradually emerged. Only then did Da Xiong realize that these strange circles on the sand were very likely the "foundation" of the Golden Land. Like most paradises in mythology, it possessed special abilities hidden among humans. Over thousands of years, only a few traces of the myths remained in the mortal world.

Until the city walls came into view.

A formidable city standing at the end of the century, every brick and tile untouched by artifice, as if joined together by some supernatural force. Its size is just right, the length of the outermost layer of a strange loop; from the outside, it truly embodies the phrase "impregnable fortress." A hazy, ethereal light shines upon the city walls; if a lost traveler were to glimpse it through the sandstorm, they would likely mistake it for a mirage.

"Om——"

A strange resonance arose, the broad city gates slowly opened, and the lights that never sleep came out from within. The city towers were shrouded in shadow, and the sounds of people were bustling about, like a beautiful painting, a wonderful dream.

"Welcome, strangers, to the Land of Gold!"

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.

Standing in the heart of the Golden City, on the highest floor of the tallest triangular palace.

The girl, draped in a long nightgown, did not rest. She stood by the window, gazing at the unusual commotion at the city gate. Her slender, pale fingers lightly touched the glass; at this distance, all she could see were one or two flickering points of light.

Her long, wavy, sea-blue hair almost reached the ground. In this barren desert, her hair color stood out from the crowd, like a mermaid princess from a myth who was reborn in an ocean of sand.

"Five foreigners have entered through the city gates, Lady Hylia." From the shadows, a priest in a black robe and wearing a strange mask resembling a bird's beak spoke in a deep voice, "It was Mira's idea. Of the guards on night watch tonight, only she has the authority to bring the Golden City to life."

"Lady Hylia, don't you think..."

“Six.” Hylia remained still, gazing into the distance, and said in a deep voice, “That object that looks like a vehicle is a disguise.”

"Disguise?" The priest seemed quite confused. "You mean, something like a chameleon?"

“When the leaf insects are clinging to the tree trunk and motionless, they look just like a leaf. By mimicking other species, they can avoid predators and hide themselves. In short, it’s a form of mimicry.” Hylia tilted her head, her tone revealing an undisguised curiosity. “Alchemical life… no… its structure is far more complex than that… this is definitely not an ordinary alien.”

"Has the Golden Land been taking in too many outsiders lately?" In contrast, the priest's concerns were more practical. "Initially, it was a group of travelers who had lost their way in the desert. We kindly offered them relief, but they ended up spreading news of the Golden Land to the outside world. As far as I know, some powerful figures among the foreigners have begun to covet the magic and gold of this place and have sent advance teams here."

"Then there is that genius... Forgive my bluntness, Lady Hylia, you may have a high opinion of him, but his existence has already affected many things in the Golden City."

"Why?" Hylia asked, puzzled. "He mastered our knowledge so quickly, didn't he?"

"Everyone has a heart full of jealousy, Lady Hylia. Even in the pursuit of the elemental path, there will always be a sequence."

The priest said in a deep voice, “For a foreigner to leave the local ‘geniuses’ of the Golden Lands behind in such a short time is a huge blow to their pride. They were hoping this foreigner would be a ‘squish’ (in the Golden Lands, this specifically refers to someone without elemental affinity), so he’ll only be able to talk the talk…”

“Even if he is, I don’t think he would be sad about it,” Hylia said softly. “Hye (Hylia’s unique way of addressing Hideaki Dekisugi) is a very pure person. He is fascinated by numbers and by knowledge. For him, everything here is new knowledge, and the act of ‘learning’ itself is enough to make him happy.”

"Perhaps for him, but others don't care. They just want a reason, a reason to openly look down on foreigners." The priest paused. "However, on the day of the Ring of Light, during the ceremony... the seven pillars of fire that rose up reduced everything to ashes."

"That foreigner not only possesses top-tier talent, but also has an elemental affinity nearly equal to Mira's. In this golden land, he ranks only below you, who have been awarded the [Eighth Ring]."

"Theory, practice, talent—everything they were once proud of was trampled underfoot by a sudden foreigner. No one felt that they hadn't done well enough; they only felt that everything would have been much smoother without this annoying foreigner—that's what people really thought."

“That’s far too narrow-minded.” Hylia frowned and muttered, “I don’t recall the scriptures raising them to be such petty people.”

"This is reality, Lady Hylia. It is a weakness that we have been unable to overcome even after thousands of years of evolution." The priest's figure disappeared into the shadows, but her voice still lingered in the empty palace. "If you wish, you can keep that foreigner. It will take some time to accept him."

"but……"

"We hope you can deal with the remaining people as soon as possible. The longer it is delayed, the greater the impact on Golden Township will be."

"We tend to despise rather than appreciate things we don't understand."

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.

"Xiaoshan?"

……

In the candlelight, even though Dekisugi was very clever, for a very brief moment, one could still see astonishment and disbelief on his profile.

"Nobita..."

Nothing stood in their way anymore. Their reunion after being separated for so long was so pure and joyful!

Spanning from 1615 to the present day, the five members, scattered across different times and places, have finally reunited.

The grand adventure at the edge of the desert slowly begins at this moment.

Chapter 94: An Innocent Little Girl?

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Almost immediately, Da Xiong was awakened by the loud drumming. The knocking on the door made him yawn, put on his glasses, and sleepily open the door.

"You still love sleeping so much, Nobita-kun."

"Dekisugi...?" Nobita then noticed that Dekisugi had changed into a long robe-like garment with seven different hieroglyphs on his chest. Even at first glance, Nobita could vaguely discern that they represented seven elements of similar status. Dekisugi wore a red hemp shawl over his shoulders, a plain robe, and a laurel wreath. Combined with his handsome face, at first glance, he seemed like a combination of a shepherd and a prophet from Greek mythology.

"Nice new clothes. I like the pendant around your neck." Nobita's gaze was drawn to the seven shimmering metal rings around his neck. "Is it the uniform here?" he asked curiously.

"To be precise, it can't be entirely considered that." Dekisugi stroked the seven rings he had been given and smiled. "Hurry up and wash up, Lady Hylia specifically asked to see you."

"And it's only you I see."

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.

"One, two..."

In the square, people dressed in plain robes spread their arms wide, seemingly chanting something. First came a strange resonance, more like a tiny, almost imperceptible vibration. Da Xiong felt something was amiss, but looking around, everyone's expression remained normal, even Xiao Shan's. It was hard to say whether no one noticed or no one found the vibration particularly strange.

Immediately afterwards, a gentle breeze rose from their palms, quickly evolving into an airflow that carried the seven gilded triangular flags into the sky, becoming a rare bright spot against the azure backdrop.

"What is this?" Nobita asked curiously.

"This is the ability that allows the Golden Land to survive, similar to the shamanistic beliefs that arose from ancient human materialism. The people of the Golden Land believe that the world is composed of various basic elements: fire, wind, earth, thunder, water, snow... and so on. People with elemental affinity are called 'Elementalists' here, and they can drive these elements to their advantage."