After Gan·Fall disappeared into the cloud passage, Riberra Sami immediately turned around and began executing his plan.
"Aldo, bring one of the gold bundles we took from Shandora up to the deck."
"Huh? Boss? Right now?"
"Yes. Right now. Go."
Soon, a bulging bundle was carried to the center of the main deck.
Riberra Sami gestured for the surrounding crew to quiet down and personally untied the bundle.
Shhh—!
In an instant, dazzling golden light burst forth under the morning sun, nearly blinding everyone present.
The deck fell into momentary silence—then erupted with uncontrollable cries of shock.
"G—Gold?!"
"My god… this much?!"
"Captain! W-Where did this come from?!"
"Did we really strike it rich?!"
Shouts overlapped one after another. Aside from a few senior officers, most of the crew had no idea about the treasure. Now, confronted with such sudden wealth, they were completely stunned.
They had seen Beli. They had seen treasure before.
But a pile of ancient golden artifacts stacked together created a visual impact they had never experienced.
"Quiet!"
Riberra Sami raised a hand to suppress the noise.
"I'll explain the details later. Right now, I need you all to do something."
"Keep this excitement. Talk loudly about how we've struck gold—about finding Shandora and Noland."
"Say whatever comes naturally. Just don't say anything else. Follow my lead."
A few sailors couldn't help reaching out, hesitating before touching the gold.
"Captain… can we… pick them up?"
Riberra Sami smiled and nodded.
"Go ahead. It's fine. Get excited—louder. Let everyone feel our joy."
That sentence opened the floodgates.
The crew's final restraint vanished.
They cheered and laughed, eagerly picking up golden cups, plates, and ornaments, examining them in the sunlight and passing them around.
"I've never seen patterns like these!"
"Antiques! Priceless antiques!"
"Shandora! Captain, we really found Shandora!"
"Hahaha! Noland was telling the truth! We found it!"
The deck was instantly filled with jubilant noise.
And none of it required acting.
Faced with mountains of gold, their excitement was completely genuine.
Just as Riberra Sami had predicted—
Behind a distant island cloud, several figures painted with war markings were already lurking.
They were Shandian sentries, stationed outside the village to monitor this approach route.
The appearance of the Skylark had already put them on alert.
But the loud celebration erupting from the ship made them frown.
"Who are they?" a young warrior whispered. "Another attack from the sky people?"
"Doesn't look like it."
A more experienced squad leader narrowed his eyes and carefully examined the unfamiliar vessel.
"If it were an attack, they wouldn't be this obvious. And their ship doesn't look like a Waver."
"Could they be… Blue Sea people?" another warrior guessed. "But it's been a long time since any came here."
They listened carefully.
Fragments of words drifted over the wind.
"…struck it rich… Shandora… proof…"
"What are they shouting? They sound excited… Wait—did they say Shandora?!"
When the name Shandora—deeply engraved in their people's history—reached their ears clearly, the warriors' hearts jolted.
They exchanged shocked glances.
Shandora?
How could these strangers know that name?
"This is suspicious," the squad leader decided immediately. "I'll report to the chief. You keep watching. Do not expose yourselves."
He turned and vanished into the cloud paths behind them, racing toward Cloud Hidden Village.
The remaining warriors held their breath, eyes locked onto the ship still slowly advancing amid joyous laughter.
Of course, the crew aboard the Skylark knew none of this.
Riberra Sami exchanged subtle glances with his officers, signaling them to continue the plan.
"Hans! Our persistence wasn't in vain! Shandora—the City of Gold—it really exists! We finally found it!"
Hans immediately caught on. Adjusting his glasses, he replied:
"That's right, Captain. Noland was never a liar. The world's ignorance buried the truth."
"These gold artifacts are the best proof!"
"We will reveal this discovery to the world! We will restore Noland's honor! Shandora is real!"
The crew's excitement surged.
They raised their arms and shouted together.
"Clear Noland's name! Shandora is real!"
"That's right! Justice for Noland!"
"Long live Shandora!"
The cheers echoed far across the empty cloud sea.
Noland. Shandora.
Two names passed down in Shandian oral tradition for centuries were now being shouted passionately by a group of unfamiliar Blue Sea people.
Who were they?
Why would they defend Noland?
Questions churned in the warriors' minds.
But without their chief's arrival, they could only suppress the urge to approach and continue observing.
Not long after, dozens of figures appeared like ghosts from scattered island clouds.
They formed a semi-encirclement formation directly in front of the Skylark.
Among the leading figures stood an elderly man leaning on a wooden staff—
the chief of Cloud Hidden Village.
"Boss! People ahead!" Hans exclaimed.
Riberra Sami immediately put on a perfectly timed expression of surprise and caution.
He stepped forward—and instinctively seemed to hide the golden goblet in his hand behind his back.
"Who are you? Sky Islanders?"
A burly Shandian warrior stepped forward.
"Blue Sea people! This is our territory! Stop immediately and state your identities and purpose!"
"Otherwise, you will be treated as intruders!"
The noise on deck instantly vanished.
Crew members grabbed their weapons and assumed defensive stances. The atmosphere became tense.
Riberra Sami raised both hands to signal that they meant no harm.
"Please don't misunderstand!"
"We are adventurers from the Blue Sea. We crossed the heavens in search of the legendary Golden City—Shandora—described by Noland."
"We mean no harm!"
As he spoke, he shifted slightly, allowing the dazzling golden artifacts behind him to come fully into view.
"Noland?"
The warrior frowned, scanning the gold.
When he saw the distinctive patterns, his pupils shrank slightly.
"What are you to Noland?"
"Why do you know that name—and Shandora?"
Riberra Sami shook his head.
"We're not related to Noland."
He turned to Feich.
Feich immediately understood and pulled a worn book from his coat.
On the cover were the clear words:
"The Great Liar Noland."
"We're simply… fans of his story."
"We believe his tale wasn't fiction. The Golden City Shandora must exist somewhere in this world."
"So we set sail to search for it."
"For years."
"And in the end…"
Feich looked around at the endless clouds.
"We came here—to the White Sea ten thousand meters above the Blue Sea."
"Fans of a book…?"
----------------◇ Bonus Chapter Reward◇-----------------------
Every 10 Reviews = 1 Bonus Chapter
◇ Every 100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
◇ You can read 60 chapters ahead on Patreon if you're interested:
patreon.com/Luna023
Your support helps the story grow and motivates faster updates.