Nobita's Time Heist

Hylia watched all this calmly as the fire sorcerers were swallowed up by the swarm of insects. Unlike her previous intense curiosity, her luminous eyes were now filled with only tranquility.

"Heria!" Nobita grabbed Dekisugi and pulled him to his side, activating the softball and shouting, "Come here quickly!"

The girl didn't hear it, or rather, she heard it but didn't care. At that moment, she was immersed in her own world, slowly raising her slender right arm.

Fall.

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------!!"

A thunderous explosion rang out.

Dozens of lightning bolts condensed instantly around her, forming shapes like javelins hurled by the heavens, striking the swarm of insects from multiple angles and directions. Each bolt was like a ceaseless river flowing from the ocean; with a single strike, countless locusts were pierced and melted into charred remains, the number killed far exceeding that of the fire sorcerers. For a moment, it was impossible to tell who was protecting whom.

The terrifying torrent of green was briefly torn open in a few places.

"..."

Nobita fell silent.

Her delicate body concealed a strength far beyond his imagination. Judging by appearances is wrong; the seemingly petite girl was not someone he needed to protect.

However, at the same time, a strange feeling quietly rose in his heart. Although most of these fire sorcerers were wary of him and had a bad attitude, it could not change Da Xiong's thoughts at this moment.

Judging from this thunderous attack that tore through the sky, she was fully capable of creating a retreat space for these guards before they were torn apart by the swarm of insects.

However, she didn't.

She simply watched from the sidelines, like a spectator observing a sports meet.

Let me tell you something.

I'm not feeling well and might need to take a few days off.

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.

Word count padding

Chapter 97: This kind of development didn't surprise me at all.

With a gentle flick of her slender fingers, a hurricane materialized into armor, swirling and taking shape around her, keeping out any locusts that dared to invade.

Hylia waved her right hand expressionlessly. With this action, which was not particularly powerful but very decisive, Thunderclap rose up and tore several large holes in the swarm once again. The once indestructible armor turned charred black. In the face of absolute power, the advantage built on numbers seemed to vanish in an instant.

"The magic of summoning wind and rain is real..." Dekisugi's eyes widened, as if trying to take in the girl's heroic figure completely, mimicking her every movement and every breath. "Who would have thought? This ancient materialism of elemental theory can actually unleash such considerable power. Just imagine, Nobita-kun, how much energy could be produced if these winds, rains, thunder, and lightning were used to benefit mankind!"

"The premise is that we have to survive first..." Da Xiong swallowed hard. Since he was a child, he had been afraid of countless things, and insects were one of them. From ferocious spiders to basically harmless caterpillars, there was nothing he wasn't afraid of. And now, he had to put in a lot of effort to overcome his fear of what he saw before him and asked, "Xiao Shan, what's going on with these insects that are the size of dogs?"

“It can’t be explained in a few words. I can only tell you that they see all humans as their mortal enemies!” Dekisugi narrowed his eyes, carefully observing the body structure of each locust, and said in a deep voice, “Beneath the Golden Land, there exists a huge void, and no one knows how deep it is. In this bottomless abyss, a dangerous creature is suppressed…”

"Mother of Insects".

"Wh...what kind of insect mother?" Da Xiong paused for a moment, then asked, using his limited knowledge of insects, "Something like a queen bee or a queen ant?"

"No one has ever seen what the Mother of Insects looks like. Some say she resembles a human, while others say she is a giant, terrifying mother spider, or some other bizarre creature. The key point is that she seems to be able to manipulate the positive mutations in the genes of insects, hatching these monsters."

"The constant battles have allowed the Mother of Insects to improve the genes of the swarm time and time again. The current batch is already immune to pure fire element. At the same time, they also have an absolute advantage in numbers."

He looked at Hylia with a worried expression.

Currently, Hylia still has the upper hand against these formidable enemies, but... how long can this situation last?

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.

"They're much taller than I imagined..." Xiao Fu couldn't help but exclaim upon seeing the nine stone pillars up close.

Nine towering stone pillars stood on either side, arranged in a row. The area of ​​this square was larger than any stadium Xiaofu could remember. He even doubted that, from the outside, Golden City should be able to accommodate such a magnificent building. It reminded him of the Roman Colosseum, the same circle, the same surrounding seats. They used the [Passage Ring] to pass through the stone walls, only to get lost in front of this magnificent wonder.

He was momentarily puzzled. What was the purpose of this arena-like structure? In such a small place as Golden Country, there simply wasn't enough people to entertain themselves or engage in duels. Besides, he hadn't seen any slaves in handcuffs or shackles along the way.

"See that platform? If we could hold a solo concert on it..." Fat Tiger swallowed hard, his eyes practically gleaming. "I wonder how awesome that would be."

"Ha...haha, although they went a bit too far, they didn't deserve this much." Xiaofu looked around the empty arena, lifted his foot, and stomped on the solid ground. "If the coordinates of the spy satellite are set correctly, then the huge hole should be below."

"To uncover the secrets of the Golden Land, we need to go down one more level..."

He swallowed hard. Ever since his experience with the dragon rider, Suneo had developed a phobia of cramped spaces. When he realized he was about to enter a dark and narrow cave, his breathing quickened.

"Don't rush, look!" Fat Tiger, unusually understanding, raised his hand and pointed to a stone pillar not far away. "There are some dense things on it, like tadpoles."

After consuming the translation konjac chips, these ancient cryptic texts, which would take several episodes to decipher in other adventure stories, become as conspicuous as bikini-clad beauties on the beach. No matter what the secrets are, as long as they are written in words, they can be completely deciphered.

The closer Xiaofu got to the pillar, the stranger it seemed, as if there was a very strong magnet on it that would pull people towards it.

"Little Suneo?" Fatty Hu noticed that something was wrong with him. "Are you alright?"

"I am fine."

"Are you sure?" Fat Tiger looked around. The terrain was open and there was nowhere to hide except for these nine stone pillars. He couldn't help but lick his lips. "I have a bad feeling."

"This records... the history of the Golden Land. In ancient times, there were many tribes like theirs, who were born with the ability to control the power of the elements. The Golden Land worshipped the ancient and mysterious [Spirit of Fire], which gave them a great advantage in the primitive era. Manipulating the fire element was an instinct hidden in their blood."

"You can understand these?" Fat Tiger scratched his head. "It's strange, I also ate the translation konjac tablets, but I still see these tadpoles as a jumbled mess."

“I can just read it…” Xiaofu muttered, his eyes seemingly glued to the inscription on the ancient stone pillar by an invisible magnet. “People who control different elements are scattered all over the world, bearing the instructions given to them by the gods. The Golden Land has always been dutiful, worshipping the spirit of fire as the pinnacle of its faith, and has never coveted any other element for even a moment.”

"But on the way here, I saw someone wash clothes by releasing a water balloon from their palm." Fat Tiger curled his lip. "There should be a twist, right?"

"until……"

A crimson light suddenly flashed from the runes, like an electric current, instantly traveling from the bottom to the top of the stone pillar. The whole process was so fast that neither of them could react. The crimson light, the highest among the nine stone pillars and located on the very center one, ignited a beacon.

"call out----!"

"boom!!!!"

A magnificent purple flame exploded, and instantly, alarms blared throughout the Golden Land. This seemingly slow-paced paradise suddenly revealed its most authentic self.

"……well……"

Fat Tiger sighed with a hint of helplessness, "How should I put it? I'm not surprised at all by this turn of events."

"What...what should I do?" Suneo suddenly snapped out of his daze and hurriedly defended himself, "Gian, you saw it too, I didn't touch anything! It just suddenly..."

"It's no use saying that!" Gian didn't panic at all; instead, a smile appeared on his lips as he waved to Suneo. "Run!"

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.

at the same time.

In the magnificent library, Shizuka and Asur had quietly slipped in and were searching for books. Noise was allowed, and everyone was focused on their reading. They easily blended into the scattered crowd and found the monograph recording the history of the Golden City.

Within the thick pages of the book, the history of this mysterious country is slowly unveiled.

Chapter 98: The Episode with the Most Explosive Information

"A primitive race that controls the elements."

"An ancient and glorious history."

"Worship of the Spirit of Fire".

"The exploration of elemental power".

“balabalabalabala…”

The girl rolled her eyes, flipping through the pages rapidly, complaining, "Why do all biographies always cram the truly valuable content into a bunch of flowery, laudatory language?"

Asur shrugged and rolled his eyes back.

“This is only the first book. Just imagine…” Shizuka looked around. Rows and rows of bookshelves loomed over her like a jungle. She couldn’t help but laugh at herself. “If I were to read all the books here, I probably would have stayed until my wedding.”

"Can I be your bridesmaid?" She probably didn't expect Asur to suddenly say such a thing. "By the way, I think light-colored suits look better, and the trousers should be a little longer, which would suit Nobita's figure better."

"Really? I think so too. He might not suit that kind of somber look; it doesn't quite match his personality. A light gray suit would be much better." Shizuka paused for a few seconds, a blush creeping onto her cheek. She slammed the heavy book on the table and said coquettishly, "Asur! What nonsense are you talking about..."

"What?" Asur replied with a calm expression far beyond his apparent age. "I thought you two were lovers. Am I mistaken? Or are you just male and female friends? —Forgive me for being blunt, but such a simple relationship doesn't exist in this world. The sexual tension between you two is practically smeared in my face."

"Wh...what sex..." Shizuka blushed and sweated profusely, "How old are you? Where did you learn all this nonsense?!"

“The atmosphere in the 22nd century is much more open than you imagine.” Asur didn’t think it mattered at all and just kept talking to himself, “The way you two look at each other, the tone of your voices, and that way of conveying a lot of information without words, all of this combined is sexual tension. It’s an atmosphere that is hard to describe but everyone knows.”

"However, judging from the situation, you two haven't confessed your feelings to each other yet... right?"

This scene is a bit strange.

The younger-looking one was very persuasive, acting like a love guru, while Shizuka, who should have been playing the role of the older sister, blushed and spoke shyly.

“I don’t know… does this count…” Her voice gradually faded, becoming barely audible, “When we were very young, there was a time when Nobita and his friends suddenly had to move to America. I think it was because of his father’s job transfer or something.”

“It was so sudden, really, so sudden! Nobody was able to react. He was the first to tell me, but I thought he was joking. That day, another friend of mine also moved to a faraway place, so I thought he was doing it on purpose. I yelled at him, and he ran away.”

"Later... the news gradually spread throughout the whole town. Gian and Suneo went to his house to say goodbye. Finally, I learned the news from my mother. I..."

"I cried as I told him... I never thought he would leave me, and the thought of possibly never seeing him again made my tears flow uncontrollably..." (This scene is from the manga "Try to Say Goodbye," a classic story, with both the Ooyama and Mizuta versions making varying degrees of adaptation. In the original manga, Shizuka simply visits Nobita's house and leaves crying without saying a word; however, in the adapted anime, the two have a further interaction. Due to the limitations imposed by the anime, their relationship is still defined as friendship.)

……

"is it?"

A strange female voice suddenly came from the side, light and soft, with an indescribable allure, as if it could disarm people's defenses without them even realizing it, and that no matter whether they were men or women, they were all birds in her palm.

Turning around, the girl wasn't particularly tall, her skin was unnaturally pale, and she had short, amethyst-like hair. Two horns grew from her forehead, their tips pure white, turning a deep, blood-red color upwards. A sapphire pendant hung between the two long horns. It was difficult to guess her age from her appearance, but regardless of her age, her clothing could only be described as daring—to put it more bluntly, she was practically naked.

She wore a loose-fitting kimono, which she draped casually over her shoulders without fastening it. The only difference between her and being completely naked was the "two points." Rather, it was as if she was intentionally showing off her alluring breasts, deliberately exposing them along with large expanses of white skin.

The lower half is even more outrageous; to put it simply, it's basically like wearing a bikini on a sunny Hawaiian beach. Since the upper body clothing can barely be considered formal attire, the combination further arouses primal human desires.

Because... one glance is enough to tell that such a rare beauty was not raised on earthly grains.

"who are you?"

"I'm just a curious girl who couldn't resist joining in when I heard the girls talking about love. Don't mind me, don't mind me." She waved her hand dismissively, her equally purple eyes narrowing as she looked Shizuka up and down, nodding with satisfaction. "Hmm... beautiful in a simple way, and with a great figure. She's really hit my sweet spot perfectly."

"Ah...this..." Shizuka had never seen such a glamorous woman before, and for a moment she didn't know what to say, so she subconsciously stepped back.

"Oh dear, what are you doing?" The horned girl laughed even more brightly, taking a step forward. "I'm not going to eat you."

Asur strolled over from the side, blocking Shizuka's path, and looked at her expressionlessly.

"And what about me?" she asked in a tone that was colder than usual. "Am I in your strike zone too?"

"...It's strange, if we're just talking about looks, I'd definitely be okay, but..." The girl stared intently at Asur's face, then smiled and said, "For some reason, I'm a little afraid of you."

"Are you a ghost?" Shizuka swallowed hard. "I didn't mean to offend you, I meant..."

“You haven’t offended me, little cutie.” The girl smiled and shook her head, then pointed to the horns on her head. “People call me ‘Shuten-dōji’… So, yes, I am indeed a member of the ‘Oni Clan’.”

"Don't make that face. Legends are just legends. I wouldn't bear to soak my little cutie in alcohol like that."

She flashed a honey-sweet smile, dangerous yet alluring, and said, "For that, I must also give you a useful piece of information."

"boom!"

She helped Shizuka close the heavy book and smiled, "In a very distant era, the peaceful Golden Land, which worshipped the spirit of fire, once suffered a painful lesson. Another race that controlled another element attacked them, and because elemental attributes have certain restraints, the Golden Land suffered countless casualties."

“Elemental counter…” Shizuka thought for a few seconds, “Water?”

"This isn't a game, little cutie." Shuten-dōji shook his head with a smile. "Let's reveal the answer."

"They are members of the Storm Clan who believe in the [Spirit of Wind]."

"??!" Shizuka's pupils dilated instantly.

"They unleashed flames, and the Lan tribe blew up a great wind, causing the flames to burn them. After a battle that was almost a massacre, the Lan tribe plundered everything they could take, and the survivors, after much painful reflection, abandoned their ancestral precept of only promoting the fire element. They began to greedily touch other elements, and to this day... many elemental tribes have declined, while the Golden Land has become an independent place in the 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.

"when!"

"when!"

"when!"

Inside the city, the bells rang.

"Be careful, little darling. Your reckless companions have wandered into a place they shouldn't have, triggering an alarm that the Jedi shouldn't have triggered."

Shuten-dōji gradually retreated, his figure disappearing into the darkness, only his cunning eyes still gleaming with purple light.

"They have an irreconcilable blood feud with the Lan Clan, which means that from this moment on..."

“In the land of gold, there will be no place for you to stand.”

……

"Surround the Grand Archives!" The soldiers' roars shattered the tranquility of the place. "Capture the Lan Clan's accomplices alive!"