Chapter 36: The Golden Bell
"Old man, could you do us a favor and call us a taxi—no, the Super Express Shrimp—to take us to Angel Island?" Eric requested, not wanting to waste time on the road. "We'll pay the fare. The sooner we go and return, the sooner we can help you resolve the land conflict with the Shandians." Just look at how Eric phrased it: doing it quickly is for your own benefit. If you don't help us, you're not helping yourself.
"No need for payment. I'll have it bring your ship over to this side."
"No, no—we insist. It's our own matter, after all," Eric insisted, knowing full well the saying: don't take what you haven't paid for, or you'll owe favors.
"Then consider it an advance down payment," the old man said.
That shut Eric up, and he could only agree.
The group walked along the long vine, crossing through the Island Cloud where the "god" resided, continuing their ascent.
"Isn't there some kind of transportation? This is exhausting." Having lived a sedentary lifestyle for so long, Eric found the prolonged walking painful. At sea, at least he could endure sailing. But here in Upper Yard, it felt like they were walking everywhere—pure suffering for him.
"Men who complain too much won't be popular with women, you know~" Da Vinci teased to encourage him. "Though I'm tired too." With her low stamina stats and as a scientist, she preferred working in her lab—doing experiments or researching flora and fauna in the field.
"We're almost there. I can already see the giant Golden Bell using clairvoyance," Chiron announced, referencing the metaphorical "Peach of Immortality" to motivate Eric . "Looks like the captain still needs to work on his stamina. Time to schedule some training."
"I'm not tired at all! Hurry up, everyone!" As soon as Eric heard that, he instantly perked up. His drooping head lifted, energy surged through his body, and he dashed forward, even turning back to shout, "Come on, slowpokes!"
"Captain! You ran past it already." Chiron's call didn't reach Eric . Continuing along the vine, Eric unknowingly passed through a layer of Island Cloud. The Golden Bell was actually on a separate cloud in that same layer, but Eric didn't realize and kept running.
…
"Huff… huff…" Eric gasped for air. A glance behind showed no one was following. Looking down from his higher vantage point, he saw everyone else on the layer below, moving toward the edge of a cloud.
'Crap! I ran past it!' That thought hit him like lightning. He immediately began climbing down.
'Too bad I'm not Luffy. I can't just jump from this height and land safely.' Fearing the impact might injure him—or worse, pierce through the cloud and crash into Upper Yard far below—Eric , cautious as ever, opted to descend the long way.
"Welcome back, Captain-kun." Da Vinci smirked as she greeted him. "First to take off, last to arrive—just like the rabbit in the Tortoise and the Hare."
"Too bad I'm not a rabbit… and you're not a tortoise~" Eric , having trained for a while, was much sharper with comebacks now.
"Mhm, it seems Captain Little Brother's communication skills have improved. Time for the next phase of training~"
"What?! So all that teasing was training my people skills?!"
"Of course. Haven't you noticed? You don't even blush anymore when you see my body double. Remember how you used to get nosebleeds at the sight of my perfect body?"
"What?! Eric , you'd better explain this later!" Akame didn't take that well and looked ready to interrogate him.
"Wha—that was when Da Vinci got out of the bath without dressing! I didn't peek! I didn't do anything immoral, unethical, or illegal!" Eric defended himself loudly—pitifully both the defendant and the defense lawyer.
"..." Akame's cold glare pierced him like needles, and Eric felt a sharp pain in his chest.
"There's a large gap of open sky ahead, so we can't reach the next platform from here," Chiron said, still relying on his clairvoyance. "But from here, you should all be able to see it—the massive, golden Golden Bell."
In the distance, partially covered in moss, but still shining bright with its golden luster, the sunlight reflecting off it cast a warm golden hue.
"..." The chestnut-headed uncle choked up again. "That's the Golden Bell—the symbol of friendship between my ancestor Mont Blanc Noland and his friend…"
[Temporary Quest One Complete. Rewards obtained: 3 Bond Points / Golden Bell added to inventory]
Eric 's heart leapt with joy, though he kept a poker face. He opened his inventory and examined the [Golden Bell]. Ten meters tall, with a ten-meter diameter at the base and a bell wall one meter thick, its pendulum was a cylindrical rod one meter in diameter. It looked like a CAD blueprint, each dimension clearly marked. Eric was both dazzled and thrilled.
'I've struck gold… Wait, why do I only have the Golden Bell? Where are the two golden support pillars?!'
'Well, whatever. I wasn't planning to sell it anyway. I'll hoist it up in my future kingdom as a national treasure.' Eric didn't dare complain about the system being stingy. Every time he did, misfortune followed.
"What are you thinking about?" Akame, who had been with him long enough, recognized the signs. When Eric spaced out, it meant he was deep in thought.
"Nothing. Just thinking about the tricks of fate," Eric replied, shifting the topic.
"How so?"
"Just think—after Noland left Shandora and made the trip from the North Blue, Jaya Island was launched into the sky by the Knock Up Stream. Then, he was executed for lying. But… maybe it was for the best."
"What do you mean?" Cricket had stopped crying and asked with curiosity, not anger.
"Because the king didn't allow Noland's original team to return. He brought his own soldiers instead. Uncle, do you know what that means?" Eric asked in return.
"..." Cricket had no reply.
"If the king had really made it to Shandora, his troops might've become pirates, raiders. They could've killed and plundered. Noland and Kalgara's friendship might have ended in blood. Even if the king's forces weren't strong, never underestimate human greed. Sooner or later, Shandora would've been destroyed by it. The Shandians might have been wiped out too."
"…You have a point." The chestnut-headed uncle sighed and lit a cigarette. 'Why are you smoking like it's a postmortem analysis…?'
"So, Uncle—why not join us?" Eric 's sudden offer made Cricket drop the cigarette from his lips.
"…Don't joke, kid. I'm just an old man. No way I can keep up with a young crew like yours."
"Age isn't a problem. Your crew left you, right? So temporarily joining us is fine. You can leave anytime. Wouldn't traveling with us young folk be romantic? What's with all the hesitation—be a man!" Eric held out his right hand.
"…Hahaha, after all that, how could I refuse? Alright, I'll be in your care for now, Captain!" Cricket extended his right hand, and the two shook hands firmly.
(END CHAPTER)
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