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Chapter 125 The Golden Bell
The deep, resonant sound of the golden bell still echoed repeatedly among the clouds of the Sky Island, its aftershocks sweeping over the ruins of the Island of God, passing over the cloud streets of the Sky Island, and penetrating into everyone's ears.
The Shandian warriors on their evacuation route stopped in their tracks. Weber struggled to lift himself from the stretcher, his scarred face and turbid eyes brimming with hot tears. He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white from the force, and murmured hoarsely, "It's the Golden Bell... it's the Golden Bell that our ancestors guarded ringing... Four hundred years... we've finally waited for this day."
The Shandians around him knelt down, their rough hands stroking the Shandora totem carved on their chests. Some sobbed softly, while others roared to the sky, releasing all the pent-up perseverance and obsession they had suppressed for four hundred years with this single bell toll.
For generations, they have guarded their homeland in the name of warriors, fighting against the rule of the Sky Island with their blood. From children to the elderly, each generation has been burdened with the mission of reclaiming Shandora and ringing the Golden Bell. Now, the bell tolls through the clouds, signifying that the historical text entrusted by their ancestors has been brought to light again, and the glory of Shandora is no longer buried in the dust.
Despite his injuries, Weber looked at the Sky Island leader who was also standing to the side. The two sides, who had once faced each other with their swords, were now shaken by the sound of the bell, and their weapons involuntarily fell to their sides.
Looking at the bewilderment and shock in the eyes of the Sky Island soldiers, Weber said in a deep voice, "What you heard is the Golden Bell of Shandora, the bell of the promise made four hundred years ago by our ancestor, the great warrior Calgra, and the explorer Noland from the Qinghai Sea."
At this moment, the Skypiea leader listened calmly as Waver recounted history.
Weber slowly recounted the history sealed by time, beginning with a complete map of Jaya Island, recounting the Shandians' generations-long mission to protect Shandora, the catastrophe of the towering ocean currents lifting half the island into the sky, the enmity of the Sky Islanders who, after landing, regarded them as invaders and drove them from their homeland, and the countless lives lost by his people over four hundred years on the battlefield for the Isle of God, all to uphold the legacy of their ancestors.
What we are fighting for is not some so-called holy land, but the homeland that gave us birth and nurtured us, the indelible civilization of Shandora.
The warriors of the Sky Island were deeply shaken. From birth, they had been instilled with the idea that the Island of God was a sacred land bestowed by the gods, and that the Shandians were invading people who had desecrated the sacred land. Four hundred years of hatred were rooted in their blood, and no one had ever known this distorted past.
The Sky Island priest leading the group had a solemn expression. He stepped forward and bowed slightly to Waver: "Although you tried to reconcile our two sides more than a decade ago, we have never heard of this history. Our people have been kept in the dark about the truth. I will return to Angel Island immediately and report this matter to God in its entirety. Perhaps it is time for the four hundred years of war to end."
"That terrifying guy from Qinghai..."
An elderly Sandian elder, leaning on a cane, stepped forward, gazing at the top of the giant vine with eyes full of respect.
"He is by no means someone who suppresses conflict with force without cause. I suspect that he was commissioned by the descendants of Noland to cross the vast Qinghai Lake and ascend to an altitude of 10,000 meters, just to fulfill the promise made 400 years ago, to ring this golden bell, and to let the voice of Shandora spread throughout the world."
The priests were deeply moved upon hearing this. The terrifying power that had just been able to crush everything was not meant for slaughter, but for quelling the flames of war and protecting history. Such magnanimity and strength made them feel no more hostility.
"I will explain the situation to the gods. The Shandians were the original inhabitants of this land. The history of Shandora is now part of the history of the Sky Islands. From this day forward, the Island of God will no longer be a battlefield between two sides. We will protect this place together with you, protect the Golden Bell, and protect that past that should not be forgotten."
Beneath the sea of clouds, on the coast of Jaya Island, Kulikai stood on a cliff, holding binoculars and looking up at the clouds in the sky. The sea breeze lifted his trench coat, and his hair at his temples danced in the wind.
Suddenly, a faint yet deep bell sound pierced through the clouds, traveled thousands of meters in the sky, and landed clearly in his ears. Kulikai's hand trembled violently, and the telescope nearly fell off the cliff. His eyes widened, his eyes instantly reddened, and his lips trembled, unable to utter a word for a long time.
It's the sound of the Golden Bell! The bell he's been searching for his entire life to clear his ancestor Noland's name!
Noland, the Liar, was executed by the kingdom four hundred years ago simply because the golden Shandora he spoke of was nothing but an absurd lie in the eyes of the world.
Kulikai, a descendant of Noland, spent half his life wandering the island of Jaya, digging every inch of its land, all to find evidence of Shandora's existence, to prove that Shandora was swept to the Sky Island by rising ocean currents, and to find the Sky Island so that his ancestor could be freed from the stigma of being a liar. And now, the bells bear witness: the Sky Island exists, Shandora exists, and Noland's four hundred years of injustice are finally washed away with this single tolling of the bells.
Kulikai slowly lowered his binoculars, facing the direction of the Sky Island: "Ancestors, did you hear that...? The Golden Bell rang! You weren't lying, Shandora truly exists! You're not a liar... no!"
He burst into laughter, his laughter tinged with the sobs he had suppressed for half his life, echoing along the coast of Jaya Island, resonating with the distant chimes of bells in the clouds.
"Big brother!"
The gorillas looked at the agitated Kulikai but didn't offer any words of comfort; this man didn't need them…
"Beneath the thunder lies a benevolent heart; stopping war with force and spreading faith—this is the best outcome."
Bai Yu gazed at the end of the sea of clouds, his tone still calm: "The bell tolls, the agreement is fulfilled, the clues to the Poneglyphs are clear, and the remaining gold, pick out some that are easy to carry and load them into the cart. It's a pity, it seems that the Devil Fruit I want to find is not here."
Bai Yu raised his hand and waved it lightly, signaling his companions to neatly store the counted gold.
In the end, this gold was worth a billion Berries, enough to last for a very long time.
Just as everyone was packing their bags and preparing to leave, a series of chaotic yet orderly footsteps came from below the vine-covered clouds.
Weber, his wounds still healing, walked at the head of the procession, supported by two young Shandian warriors, his unease and guilt barely concealed. Behind him were the Shandians; the elders leaned on canes, while the warriors gripped their swords tightly at their waists, their heads bowed, their faces filled with apology.
Walking alongside them were the priests and leaders of the Sky Island. The warriors of Angel Island put away their cloud shell weapons, folded their wings, and adopted a respectful posture, clearly having been intimidated by Bai Yu's power.
Bai Yu's invincible power had already instilled awe in them, causing them to change their attitude.