The Shandian warriors exchanged glances, unfamiliar and somewhat confused by the explanation.
Riberra Sami seized the moment and raised the golden goblet in his hand again, pointing at the patterns engraved on it.
"Please look at this! We just found it in the Sacred Land of Upper Yard! The patterns and craftsmanship match exactly with the golden artifacts described in Noland's story about Shandora. This is solid proof that Shandora truly existed!"
A visible disturbance spread among the Shandian warriors.
Many of them stared fixedly at the golden artifacts, their breathing growing heavier.
Those patterns…
They knew them all too well.
They were the unmistakable style of their ancestors—of Shandora itself.
At that moment, the old chief who had been silently observing finally spoke.
"Let me see."
The warriors automatically parted to make a path.
Leaning on his wooden staff, the old chief slowly stepped forward.
His gaze first examined Riberra Sami and the others carefully, then settled on the golden artifacts.
He inspected them closely.
After a long time, he slowly nodded. There seemed to be a glimmer of moisture in his eyes.
"There is no mistake… these are the patterns used by our ancestors…"
"We… have not seen them for a very long time."
The old chief lifted his head and looked at Riberra Sami with a complex expression.
"Young people of the Blue Sea… you truly went to Shandora?"
Riberra Sami nodded.
"Yes, Chief. We did set foot on that land. Everything you see here was brought from there."
The old chief let out a long sigh. Looking around at the surrounding clouds and mist, he spoke in a low voice.
"This is not a place for conversation."
"Travelers from afar, come with us. Visit our village."
"We have not seen people from the Blue Sea in a very long time."
Under the watchful eyes of dozens of Shandian warriors—some cautious, some curious—the Skylark followed their guidance to Cloud Hidden Village, concealed behind a massive cloud waterfall.
The environment of the village was completely different from the orderly layout of Angel Island.
It carried a rugged, primitive atmosphere of survival.
Elderly people, women, and children peeked out from tents, pointing and whispering as they stared at these visitors who looked different from both Sky Islanders and themselves.
"This place… looks pretty rough. It's all tents," Aldo remarked bluntly while looking around.
The old chief smiled faintly, though there was helplessness in it.
"For centuries, we have never learned how to compress island clouds enough to build solid houses."
"Having tents that can shield us from wind and rain is already enough."
"This way, please."
He led Riberra Sami and several key members toward the largest tent at the center of the village.
As they passed through the central clearing, Feich's attention was caught by a huge warrior statue standing there.
The statue depicted a muscular warrior with a fierce expression, full of power and dignity.
Even in such a harsh village, such a grand statue stood proudly.
Feich thought about it briefly but said nothing and followed the group into the tent.
Inside, everyone sat down on rugs.
Sticking to the plan of maintaining their roles, Riberra Sami spoke first.
"Respected Chief, may I ask—who exactly are you?"
"Just call me Braham," the old chief replied as he slowly sat down.
"I am the chief here."
"We are the Shandians."
"Simply put, the Golden City you visited—Shandora—is the homeland of our people."
"What?!"
"Shandora is your homeland?!"
Riberra Sami and the others displayed perfectly timed shock, as if hearing this information for the first time.
Chief Braham nodded solemnly.
"Yes."
"More than three hundred years ago, a great disaster lifted part of our homeland into the sky, bringing us here."
"Later, the land where we once lived was seized by the Sky Islanders. They now call it Upper Yard."
"For generations, we have tried to reclaim what is rightfully ours… but…"
He shook his head and did not continue.
Then he turned back to Riberra Sami.
"Earlier, I heard you say you wanted to clear Noland's name."
"Young people of the Blue Sea, why would you do such a thing?"
Riberra Sami took the book "Liar Noland" from Feich and handed it respectfully to the chief.
"Chief, please take a look."
"This book is widely circulated in the Blue Sea. It tells the story of a navigator named Noland from more than three hundred years ago."
"In the story, he claims to have discovered a city made entirely of gold called Shandora."
"But when he returned home, he could not produce proof."
"He was executed by his king for deceiving the crown."
"From that moment on, he carried the reputation of being a liar."
"Later generations turned his story into this book."
"We all read it."
"And we believed the story wasn't a lie."
"We believed Shandora must exist somewhere in this world."
"That's why we formed a crew and searched the seas year after year."
"And finally, after many years of sailing…"
"We found proof."
Riberra Sami pointed to the bundle of gold.
"These artifacts."
"Since Shandora is your homeland, then this treasure should rightfully be returned to its owners."
He gestured for the sailors to push the bundle of gold forward.
Chief Braham looked at the glittering treasure, then looked deeply at Riberra Sami.
Slowly, he shook his head.
"No, travelers of the Blue Sea."
"You found these through your own belief and courage. They belong to you."
"For Shandora, this gold is only a tiny fragment."
"For the Shandians, gold itself has little meaning."
"What we long for is the land—our homeland."
"And we will reclaim it with our own strength."
Riberra Sami showed a respectful expression and had the gold pulled back.
"Thank you for your generosity."
"With these artifacts, when we return to the Blue Sea we will have undeniable proof."
"We can show the world that Shandora truly exists—and clear Noland's name."
Chief Braham remained silent for a moment before asking a question that weighed heavily on the hearts of every Shandian present.
"Does that mean… everyone in the Blue Sea believes Noland was a liar?"
"That they believe our Shandora… never existed?"
Riberra Sami and Feich exchanged glances and nodded.
"Yes."
"How could that be…" Braham murmured, confusion filling his eyes.
"I remember… long ago, a sailor from the northern Blue Sea once came here."
"Did he not return and tell others that Shandora exists?"
"That Noland told the truth?"
Everyone shook their heads.
"We've never heard such news from the North Blue."
Riberra Sami thought for a moment before replying.
"Perhaps… that sailor met with misfortune on his journey back and never delivered the message."
"Chief, could you tell us more?"
"About Noland… and about that sailor?"
Chief Braham took a deep breath, as if preparing to release memories that had weighed on his people for centuries.
"That sailor from the North Blue told us…"
"That Noland, in order to defend the honor of Shandora, refused to retract his words until the moment of his death."
"He was executed in the Blue Sea while still insisting that our homeland truly existed."
"And yet… he died carrying the name of a liar."
"Unfortunately, the sailor arrived too late."
"At that time, Noland's only friend in Shandora—our great warrior Kalgara—had already died."
"He fell in battle while fighting the Sky Islanders for our homeland."
"The two friends… never saw each other again."
"The great warrior Kalgara?!" Feich exclaimed in excitement, pointing outside the tent.
"Chief, could it be that the magnificent statue in the center of the village is…?"
Chief Braham nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"That is Kalgara, our great warrior."
"And the best friend of Noland."
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