Nobita's Time Heist

After making a large number of copies with the copying mirror, Nobita distributed the tool and expanded the space outwards along the walls in the four directions, finally making the crowded library a bit more spacious.

The people of Golden Village had never witnessed such a miraculous skill before. They were all dumbfounded, watching as the fixed space was continuously pushed open, feeling as if their worldview had been challenged. The once noisy room instantly became quiet, and the distance between people increased, no longer as crowded as before.

It's hard to say whether Nobita intentionally designed this scene—to first showcase the magical power of the gadget. To the people of Golden Land, the extremely advanced technology of the 22nd century was no different from long-lost magic. Due to his status as a foreigner, Nobita had never been widely accepted. Until this feat was revealed, he began to gain a foothold in the hearts of the locals.

"The wall must be over a hundred meters long now," Da Xiong said with satisfaction, looking at the hall, which was now almost as big as a nature park. He counted on his fingers, "Assuming it's a quadrilateral, and each side is extended by a hundred meters, the area would be... um... it would be..."

"Why are you worrying about this when you've always gotten less than 30 points in math?" Fat Tiger said irritably from the side. "The space in the library has increased, isn't that enough?"

"Just making them bigger isn't enough. Are we going to make these thousands of people squeeze together to sleep at night, staring at each other blankly?" Da Xiong continued to rummage through his pockets, and after a moment, he pulled out a large pile of wallpapers printed with various door designs.

"【Wallpaper House】—!!"

Upon seeing this prop, Gian, Suneo, and Shizuka's eyes lit up, recalling precious memories from their childhood.

Among the children in the small town, there's an unwritten rule: every year on New Year's Day, the children spontaneously organize a celebration. This year it's your family, next year it'll be his family, and the year after that it might be mine.

However, as a traditional housewife, Nobita's wife, Tamako, did not approve of them engaging in such activities at home. Left with no other choice, Nobita had his friends sneak into the house. Ultimately, it was Doraemon who pulled out a gadget called the "Wallpaper House," allowing them to spend an unforgettable New Year "inside the wall."

Of course, Dekisugi, as always, experienced "American-style bullying" and didn't receive an invitation. For him, the New Year was no different from any other day; he was probably still studying...

"All the wallpaper is the same. Stick it on the wall, and you can go in by pushing open the door. It's a three-bedroom, one-living-room apartment. Water, electricity, and gas are all available for your use. If it's not enough, just use that copying mirror over there to add more." Nobita shoved the stack of wallpaper at Helia, saying, "Send someone to stick them on the walls, let everyone move in, and clear out the living room!"

"..."

Hylia stared blankly at the large stack of wallpapers shoved into her hands, looking puzzled, like a cat unable to comprehend the workings of the human world.

"Nobita, what exactly are you guys...?"

"I'll explain after everything is over." Da Xiong basically guessed what she was going to say next, but right now, Golden Village was in a critical situation and there was no time for sentimentality. He could only wave his hand and interrupt her somewhat rudely, "We need to go check on the insect swarm. I'll leave things here in your hands."

"After we've settled everyone in, let's meet up again. I have something to tell you."

……

With that, Nobita and his friends turned and left, surrounded by toy soldiers. To the onlookers, things were clearly changing—a provisional government, led by foreigners and built upon advanced technology, was gradually taking shape.

The priest, hidden in the shadows, remained silent. Behind his beak-shaped mask, a cold gaze pierced Da Xiong's back. Once this provisional government truly took shape, it was conceivable that his already limited power would be further weakened.

He silently watched the crowd begin to bustle about, then turned around and, along with his black robe, blended into the shadows between the bookshelves.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Since everyone retreated into the Great Archives, the sound of cannons had been constant, though its frequency had been gradually decreasing. Insects resembling cockroaches continued to charge from the streets and alleys, while the four invincible turrets were never idle. With the long-range detection and ranging capabilities of the monitoring radar, the cannon barrels rotated methodically, and energy projectiles occasionally whistled through the air, blasting the insects into lava and fragments.

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

……

It was as if a god was hammering steel, never stopping.

The two spy satellites that Xiaofu had placed outside were still functioning well, and based on the images transmitted back from outside, everyone could basically draw a conclusion.

In the area where the four invincible cannons were set up in the upper echelons of the Grand Library, everyone sat together and began a tense pre-battle meeting.

“This is far from the limit of what she can send out.” Xiao Fu pointed to the densely packed gray dots representing the insect swarm on the satellite image. “She’s testing us!”

"She probably hasn't seen anything like an invincible turret before, so she didn't dare to attack rashly." Shizuka breathed a slight sigh of relief. "Anyway, it's good news."

"Good news?" Fat Tiger frowned, shrugging noncommittally. "Once she figures out the turret's information, she'll definitely send a massive army to attack. Shizuka, you haven't seen it with your own eyes; in the underground cavities, those insects are like sand in the desert..."

"Ugh... Takeshi, stop talking!" Just imagining that scene sent chills down Shizuka's spine, giving her goosebumps. She instantly hugged her arm. "I hate bugs the most!"

"Maybe... we can increase our defenses?" Xiaofu switched the satellite view to show the interior of the Great Archives, and pointed casually, "Here, here, and here, we can definitely add more weapons! Or even better, we can modify the invincible turrets and enhance their firepower!"

"And then what? With such good defenses, are you just going to stay here like a turtle?!" Fat Tiger scoffed disdainfully, then pointed to the location of the sacred site on the satellite image. "If she had her nest here, I would have sent an elite squad to strike right at the heart of the enemy! Isn't she the only one controlling the Zerg? Take her down, and everything will be OK!"

"It's not that simple, Gian..." Suneo hesitated, then sighed and said in an extremely helpless tone, "Look at those scared bastards, an elite team, who would want to go with you?"

"Speaking of morale, Mr. Da Xiong..."

Unlike others, what Dekisugi was thinking about had absolutely nothing to do with the Mother of Insects.

His gaze, which seemed to see through everything, remained fixed on Nobita.

"Are you deliberately... withholding food from them?"

Chapter 114: Farming Players are Overjoyed!

Da Xiong turned around, glanced at him, and his expression was frighteningly calm.

"Shizuka, what are you saying? Do you mean Nobita is deliberately trying to starve them to death?" Shizuka couldn't stand it anymore and immediately spoke up for Nobita, "I don't know why you think that, but Nobita would never..."

"Shizuka."

Nobita gently squeezed Shizuka's hand, gave her a reassuring smile, and indicated that she didn't need to say anything more.

"Using the [Dimensional Scroll] to expand the space and then the [Wallpaper House] to add living quarters only solved their 'housing' problem. However, Nobita, you haven't provided them with anything edible—despite your ability. For one thing, that magical tablecloth could conjure up enough food. I don't know much about gadgets in the future world, but I'm guessing you have many ways to feed everyone, right?"

"Yes, of course." Nobita nodded and admitted with a smile, "It's not difficult for me."

"But imagine what would happen if I just ignored everything and stuffed food into their mouths?"

"What are you talking about?" Fat Tiger looked completely bewildered, like someone who had just encountered a complex calculus problem in class and couldn't understand it no matter how hard they tried. "Everyone's full, what else could it be?"

Apart from him, a complete brute, the other three companions all wore thoughtful expressions.

"when!"

While they were thinking, Nobita pulled a large glass jar from his pocket, resembling a laboratory instrument, filled with round, yellow sugar pills. He shook the jar, and the sugar pills clinked together.

"I remember being tormented by this thing when I was a kid... Doraemon was trying to teach me the value of food, but when he introduced this gadget, I was watching TV and didn't hear anything. When I turned around, I saw him putting this thing on the tatami mat, and I thought it was candy."

When talking about his embarrassing childhood, Da Xiong revealed a relaxed smile, and his eyes were no longer as tense as before. "I grabbed a handful and stuffed them into my mouth. I thought they tasted pretty good, so I ate a few more. When I took the half-eaten bottle upstairs, I almost scared him so much that he stopped working on the spot."

"This item is called the 'Food-Forbidden Pill.' If you eat one, you won't get to eat a meal for the next four days. I ate twelve in a row, which means I couldn't eat anything for the next four days. I managed to hold on until tonight, but I was about to collapse, so I had to use a time machine to go four days later and sneak a bowl of ramen... Hahaha..."

Time is such a magical thing. Memories that are so terrible that they are unbearable to look at can become interesting after being polished by time, enough to make the person who experienced them laugh out loud.

"After that experience, I realized something: food is precious. It's already difficult enough to have enough to eat every day in this world. But for those who don't understand this, no matter how many times it's explained, they still won't get it."

Nobita's gaze softened slightly as he walked to the edge of the escalator on the upper floor and looked down—thanks to Hylia's organization, the panicked crowd had gradually calmed down and returned to their respective wallpaper rooms. The expanded main hall suddenly felt incredibly spacious; the previously cramped scene seemed like a dream.

"Only by paying the price can one truly understand how hard-won survival is."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"when!"

"when!"

"when!"

……

A bell rang in the hall, signaling the assembly.

After settling everyone in, Nobita and his friends gained even more respect among the locals. Ultimately, humans are driven by sensory experiences, and these experiences can almost always determine everything. When your familiar hometown is destroyed by external forces, leaving you homeless and without hope for tomorrow, and then someone suddenly appears and offers you a safe haven, regardless of whether they are a local or not, they can quickly win over a large group of people.

Therefore, when the bell rang three times, the vast majority of the settled residents came out. They consciously stood in two separate lines—those above and below the Fourth Ring Road, clearly divided. But since both sides were standing at the bottom of the steps, Da Xiong and his group unknowingly found themselves on the high platform at the top of the steps, in a position that allowed them to look down on everyone.

Humans are amazing; the harsher the environment, the easier it is to produce leaders.

"As you have all noticed, the frequency of the Zerg swarm's attacks has slowed down. With the Mother of the Zerg's capabilities, she could have produced more Zerg soldiers to attack our defenses, but she didn't."

This was the first time Nobita had ever spoken to so many people, and most of the audience were older than him. He had thought he would be nervous and stage-frightened, but when he actually stood up, these timid emotions did not show. Apart from his legs trembling slightly, he was completely normal. Of course, the trembling legs could also be interpreted as excitement.

Perhaps, given the current situation, he no longer has time to feel stage fright or doubt himself.

"This is her tactic. She knows very well that humans are quite fragile creatures. No matter how many iron rings you wear around your neck, if you don't eat or drink for three days, you will be so hungry that you won't even be able to put out a small flame! But her swarm of insects can go for months without eating or drinking."

"Therefore, why should she attack? Just wait until we are trapped in this strong fortress and starving to the point of no return, and then we will start attacking each other... There is no doubt that if you, like me, have truly tasted the bitterness of hunger, you will understand that what I am saying is true."

He took a few steps and scanned the faces of the crowd below the stage. As expected, he saw their expressions of fear and apprehension.

Because Nobita wasn't trying to intimidate them. Without food, the future he described would likely begin to unfold in about 30 hours. Anyone with a modicum of intelligence could understand this, but they were all genuinely unwilling to face it.

"Unfortunately, her tactics were very effective. There might be drinkable fresh water in the [Wallpaper House], but food could also appear out of thin air. I don't know what your usual food sources are, but whatever they are... they've probably all been devoured by the swarm by now."

"No matter how strong I build the fortress, it's meaningless once it collapses from the inside."

……

These words ignited panic, spreading like a plague through the crowd once more. This time, however, people seemed to have no one to blame—after all, who could have predicted such a turn of events? A swarm of insects had swept across the land; the once prosperous and magical Golden Land was now devoid of even a single grain of rice!

Hylia's expression was quite intriguing, as if she had just awakened from a dream. Perhaps, at this moment, she finally realized that intelligence alone was not enough to survive in this world.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Boom--!"

Meijin lightly stomped her foot on the ground, making a sound, which immediately drew everyone's attention back to the high platform.

"To avoid this worst-case scenario, I would like to propose a method to you now."

He reached into his pocket, rummaged around for a moment, and pulled out a large box that looked quite heavy.

"【Fun Sunday Farming Combo】—!!"

"We must be self-sufficient and produce our own food," he shouted, pointing to the hall where the crowd stood. "Right here!"

Chapter 115: Rice Paddy on Tatami Mats (Golden Village Remastered Edition)

If a bowl of soft, sweet, and delicious rice cakes only contains nine pieces, but needs to be divided between two people, it's inevitable that one person will eat four pieces and the other will eat five. So, how should it be divided?

In another family where brothers are close and respectful, there would probably be a scene of polite refusals. Unfortunately, the relationship between Nobita and Doraemon is not so refined.

Actually, whether you eat one more or one less piece doesn't really matter, but the process of fighting for it is important. The main theme is "the battle, so exhilarating!!!" This person and the cat used every trick in the book to get the fifth piece of rice cake, wrestling and struggling fiercely, it was a truly evenly matched contest. Until Mom couldn't stand it anymore, came upstairs to stop them, and took away their precious spoils—the last piece of rice cake.

Nobita and Doraemon slumped to the ground, regretting their decision. If they had known they would be taken away in the end, they would have preferred to divide it in half.

However, Nobita, with his clever mind, was absolutely unwilling to let it end like this. His determination always seemed to find strange things to do; for example, right now, he felt he hadn't had enough of the mochi and was determined to eat it, unwavering in his resolve. To this end, Doraemon specially brought out this "Fun Sunday Farming Kit," allowing him to indulge in a real farming adventure, starting with the raw materials for mochi and ultimately harvesting a large crop of rice.

Unfortunately, the final number of rice cakes produced was still odd. The two seemed to be stuck in a vicious cycle, and started a new round of battle over who would eat the last piece.

Although it ended in such a comical way, this farming trip, compressed into a single day, still left a very deep impression on Nobita. From sowing to harvest, he may have only experienced about a tenth of the hard work and toil of farmers, but it was enough for Nobita to understand how difficult it is to obtain "food."

Aside from its educational significance, the combination of rice varieties that can mature in a single day and produce such a massive amount of food is nothing short of miraculous.

……

"【Carpeted Rice Field】—!!"

"【Emitting Mini Sun】—!!"

"[Clouds in a Tube] --!!"

"【Capsule-packaged rice seedlings】—!!"

(The classic four-piece farming kit all come from the aforementioned item, the [Fun Sunday Farming Set]. Lay out the carpeted rice paddy; the paddy contains fertilizer that promotes rapid crop growth. The rice seeds in the capsule-shaped seedlings have undergone genetic modification, allowing them to grow rapidly within a day. The projectile sun and the tube-shaped cloud simulate the weather conditions during crop growth. Only by combining these three elements can real rice be produced.)

"I see." Shizuka suddenly realized, looking at the empty library hall. "No wonder he used a wallpapered room; he deliberately left the hall empty for planting rice!"

"Wait a minute, doesn't this mean... he was..."

The girl swallowed hard, looking at Nobita's back, which seemed somewhat different from what she remembered.

"What does it feel like?" Asur leaned closer to her and asked in a low voice, "Suddenly realizing that someone who seems lazy is actually much smarter than he appears?"

"I was just thinking, I've never seen this rice planting tool before." Shizuka sighed and said with emotion, "He and Doraemon have so many memories that belong only to each other."

……

"These rice seedlings grow very quickly. We'll start transplanting them now, and if everything goes smoothly, we can harvest at least four times before sunset. Using this [Rice Cake Making Machine], we can produce enough food for everyone. Of course, that's assuming..."

"Everyone must participate in the labor! We need to be careful and patient in treating the seedlings. Any oversight in any detail may lead to reduced yield. Reduced yield means starvation. It's a very simple truth."

Da Xiong took the replicated "Fun Sunday Farming Kits" out of his pocket, one box at a time, and placed them on the ground. Looking down at the dense crowd below, all eyes were fixed on the boxes, like drowning people grasping at their last straw.

"I am not a magician and cannot conjure food from nothing. This is all the help I can offer you."

"What happens next depends entirely on your will to survive."

Before the words were even finished, a swarm of people rushed forward, scrambling to grab the miraculous rice seeds. In their eyes, this was nothing short of their last hope for survival. Faced with pure physical labor, elemental affinity was of little use; whoever planted them first got to keep them.

Fortunately, Suneo had anticipated this and arranged for a team of elementalists loyal to Hylia to maintain order, distributing the farming gear to the crowd one by one, thus preventing a stampede. Nobita and his friends, on the other hand, didn't waste a moment, waving to Hylia before turning to head to the next meeting.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Ka————"

The sound of a stool being dragged.

Smaller meetings, smaller venues.