Super Card System - Chapter 473

Chapter 473: Origin

The Golden City of Shandora, in reality, is not very large. It is a city hidden in a mountain hollow, otherwise, it wouldn’t be obscured by the clouds.

However, despite its small size, when Ian first laid eyes on this city nestled in the hollow, he knew that the Golden City of Shandora was undoubtedly a prosperous city in its prime.

The city’s architectural design reflected a high degree of civilization!

At the center of the city stood a building resembling a golden pyramid. Although the passage of time had eroded the pyramid, causing plants and vines to grow all over it, it couldn’t conceal the grandeur of the pyramid.

This was not a structure that natives could have built. Shandora was once the epitome of its era.

Nami and the others were stunned when they saw this pyramid. Although they had come across some damaged ruins since entering this forbidden land, this place was remarkably well-preserved, giving off a different vibe.

“Is this… our homeland?”

Wyper and the other Shandia warriors stared blankly at the city, feeling an unprecedented sense of familiarity.

Shandora’s splendor remained, but after more than four hundred years had passed, many of the buildings, apart from the pyramid, bore the scars of decay. If the Shandia people wished to reside here again, they would have to put in some effort to clean up.

However, amidst these damaged structures, Ian didn’t find any golden artifacts. This surprised him because the legendary Golden City of Shandora was said to be filled with gold.

“Where is the gold? Wasn’t this supposed to be the Golden City of Shandora?” Nami also asked the same question, having arrived here with hope but not seeing the promised abundance of gold, which naturally made her anxious.

After observing for a while, Ian turned his thoughtful gaze towards the fallen bell on the ground.

In the Shandia’s belief, this giant snake should be their “God Kashigami.” Four hundred years ago, the Shandia people worshipped it as a deity. The appearance of this giant snake here was not coincidental. Ian suspected that it had been guarding this place for the past four hundred years. It was a highly spiritual being and probably sensed that there were evildoers who intended to plunder the gold here, so it swallowed most of the gold into its own stomach.

Hence, when Ian and the others arrived, they couldn’t see any gold.

After this realization, Ian became somewhat anxious. The giant snake was a living creature, and living creatures needed to eat and digest. If it had been consuming the gold here for four hundred years, who knows how much gold had been dissolved by its stomach acid!?

Nami, with her eyes fixed on Ian, had a sudden revelation. Trembling, she spoke with a quivering voice, “Ian, are you saying that the gold is inside the belly of this giant serpent?”

“It’s highly possible!” Ian pointed at the traces of gnawing scattered on the ground. “Look around, everywhere you see evidence of consumption. Besides this serpent, I can’t think of anything else.”

“Ah! Then we have to go inside its belly to retrieve it!” Luffy exclaimed, pounding his fist into his palm.

“I refuse!” Nami clutched her face with both hands, her voice filled with terror. “I refuse to go in!”

Amused by her reaction, Ian teased, “If you don’t go in, you won’t get any share the gold and the treasure, you know.”

Nami struggled inwardly, torn between fear and her insatiable greed. Eventually, her desire for riches triumphed over her apprehension. She gritted her teeth, clutching onto Ian’s clothing, and said, “I’ll follow your footsteps!”

Ian couldn’t help but chuckle. Nami’s determination truly matched her character. Perhaps, in the moment she laid eyes on the gold, even her last trace of fear would dissipate.

Turning his gaze, Ian addressed Wyper, “If we are to return the golden bell to its rightful place, it would be best if you gather more people.”

Wyper nodded. It wasn’t a problem. In fact, as they descended along the vines, Wyper had noticed more Shandia people making their way towards them from the base of the vines. Perhaps the sound of the golden bell emanating from the island had made the Shandia people realize that the battle was over, prompting their curiosity.

Accompanying them were also several daring Skypieans. With the disappearance of thunderclouds in the sky and the resounding of the melodious bell, memories of the legendary “song of the earth” resurfaced, enticing their presence.

Gan Fall had previously worried about potential conflicts between the two factions, but upon observing the situation, he found no signs of hostility. He considered it a good omen, a potential pathway to reconciliation between the Skypieans and the Shandia people.

Both Gan Fall and Wyper knew that everything could be attributed to Ian. It was he who found the golden bell, allowing Wyper to ring it, resonating throughout the entire island. It not only fulfilled the Shandia people’s desires but also signaled the end of the war.

Perhaps, when the time came, they could rely on Ian to mediate the conflicts between the Skypieans and the Shandia people… Gan Fall pondered.

……………………..

Unperturbed by such thoughts for the moment, Ian led the group into the gaping maw of the giant serpent, intent on discovering any remnants of the surviving gold.

As they ventured deeper, they came across the astonishing sight of various architectural ruins within the belly of the serpent. How peculiar it was that the creature had swallowed even stones—could it truly digest such materials?

“Look! It’s gold! Glorious gold!” Nami exclaimed, her excitement palpable as she clutched Ian’s clothing.

To Ian’s pleasant surprise, the situation exceeded his expectations. The Shandians’ deity had indeed consumed the vast treasures of Shandora, yet not all of it could be digested.

Furthermore, it became apparent that due to its colossal size, the serpent had an astonishing appetite, but following each feeding, it would enter a state of dormancy, allowing for a prolonged digestion period.

Thus, within the serpent’s belly, Ian and his companions discovered a substantial amount of gold. Although only a small portion remained intact, presumably ingested recently, the treasure took various forms, ranging from exquisite jewelry to sculpted figurines.

The rest of the gold, while dissolved by the stomach acid, had solidified into clusters and golden eggs. Unable to be absorbed by the serpent, these precious fragments had accumulated over time.

It was conceivable that if Ian and the others hadn’t ventured into the serpent’s belly, these undigested treasures would eventually be expelled through excretion…

By extrapolation, it was possible that in a designated area for excretion, similar gold artifacts could be found. However, the mere thought of searching through such repulsive waste made Ian feel nauseated. Despite the knowledge of the immense value contained within, he couldn’t bring himself to entertain the idea.

Forget about that for now, he resolved. Let’s gather all the gold from within the serpent’s belly first. If, by chance, it proves to be quite valuable, then there would be no need to seek out what had been expelled…

Without Ian needing to give any instructions, Luffy, Nami, Usopp, as well as Matthew and Doroni, joyfully scoured the area, collecting the gold. With their combined efforts, they were confident in their ability to retrieve all the treasures hidden within the serpent.

“It’s truly astounding!” Robin and Reiju exclaimed, standing beside Ian. Robin bent down to pick up a lifelike golden statue at her feet, marveling as she remarked, “The history of Shandora, the Golden City, spans at least a thousand years. It’s hard to fathom the level of craftsmanship and the prosperity of the civilization that created these artifacts.”

Ian nodded in agreement, lost in thought. “Actually, based on the murals I discovered in the ruins of Ballon Terminal, it seems that both the Shandia people and the Skypieans originated from the moon, aka Birka.”

“Indeed!” Robin nodded, her eyes gleaming with knowledge. “They share the same wings in their history.”

“But it appears that they no longer remember their common heritage,” Reiju chimed in, her curiosity piqued.

“According to my conjecture, when the moon people arrived on this planet, their first stop was the Ballon Terminal!” Ian mused, pondering the ancient past. “That likely happened over a thousand years ago. Subsequently, these moon people left Ballon Terminal behind and some settled on the surface of the Blue Sea, possibly giving rise to the Shandia people. Another group found other Sky Islands to inhabit, thus becoming the Skypieans. From that point on, they became divided. The ancestors of the Shandia people flourished on the surface, creating the magnificent civilization known as the Golden City of Shandora. However, during the subsequent hundred-year void in history, their cultural legacy seemed to have suffered a lapse. The ancestors entrusted them with the task of guarding the historical truth, but the continuity of their civilization was lost. As a result, their descendants, the Shandia people, are unaware of their true origins and the fact that they share a common heritage with the Skypieans.”

At this moment, Enel, unable to use his powers due to the seastone cuff Ian had acquired from Wyper, listened intently as Ian and Robin discussed the Sky Islands. When Ian mentioned the name “Birka,” Enel’s homeland, his attention was immediately captured.

“That’s the name!” Enel confirmed, nodding.

“Do you know,” Ian grinned mischievously, “that the moon people’s original homeland was called Birka? If I’m not mistaken, your homeland, the Sky Island of Birka, could very well be the second stop of the moon people’s expansion!”

Upon hearing this revelation, Enel’s eyes widened in astonishment…