Nobita's Time Heist

"Don't say that!" Shizuka couldn't stand his discouraging words and comforted him, "Nobita just lacks confidence in himself. Actually, wasn't the dinosaur protection operation that Nobita commanded, which was very successful, with Chiu and Miu?"

"Don't underestimate yourself. After all, we've known each other for so long. To be honest... you're the anchor I've ever met with the strongest ability to repair erroneous timelines." Asur sighed slightly, gave him a look of disappointment, and emphasized repeatedly.

"Until 'just now'."

Chapter 236: Anti-Entropy Technology, Breathtaking

Can you feel it?

Nobita found it strange and rubbed his nose. "Strange, apart from the user of the gadget, it's impossible for an ordinary person to know this."

"Don't change the subject!" Asur put his hands on his hips, abruptly ending the conversation about himself, and continued, "How many days did you go back in time?"

"About two months, because..."

Da Xiong glanced at Huang Amao, who seemed to be listening to gibberish because of the vast difference in their topics, and didn't continue. But he didn't need to spell it out. Asur had already guessed what was going on, so he sighed and explained, "What the Anchors believe is the correct direction of the timeline, and this is a force that cannot be ignored."

"But the anchors are not omnipotent gods; they also make mistakes and errors, and their mistakes themselves are part of the predetermined future. Whatever actions they take will cause spacetime to move in the 'right' direction. According to the conclusions of cutting-edge spacetime science, the correct approach should be to use a time machine to go back to the past, modify the past, and thus influence the future."

At this point, Asur paused intentionally, guiding Nobita and the others to follow her train of thought like a math teacher, "But we haven't seen that 'future Nobita' yet. If the future Nobita came here, theoretically, there would be two Nobitas in this timeline, but there's only one right now. Conversely, we can deduce that he didn't travel through time directly, but instead used a more dangerous and uncontrollable method."

"By turning back time, we can erase everything from the past and start over!"

……

"So?" Nobita was still completely confused. "I feel like I understood, but also like I didn't understand at all. In short, I shouldn't have used the 'Return to Origin' item, right?"

“No, what I mean is, such a device shouldn’t have existed in the first place!” Asur said in a resolute tone. “The universe is constantly expanding, you know that, right?”

Although Nobita's knowledge base is far from extensive, he still understands these basic fundamentals.

"The direction of spatial expansion is actually the direction of time's progression. The term 'time' is merely a term invented by humans to describe various states of change in nature at different stages. In an isolated system, the degree of disorder among its microscopic components always tends to increase. This law is also known as the law of entropy increase. In other words, the direction of entropy increase can be equated with the direction of time. Apples rot, and humans die; essentially, these are all due to the law of entropy increase."

"To give an analogy, time is like a flowing river. The direction of the river is fixed, from upstream to downstream, extending to infinity."

"The Time Machine is like a small boat that can go upstream, allowing people to return from downstream to upstream. The Time Belt works similarly. In addition, items such as the Mad Clock can increase or decrease the flow of a river, while the Time Stop Watch can stop the flow of a river. In any case, the use of these items cannot go against the direction of the river; it is always from upstream to downstream."

"When doing something, there is a cause first, and then an effect. This is the universal law of cause and effect, and it is part of the laws of the universe. Most time-based tools simply operate within the rules to provide convenience for people."

"But the tool you just used reversed the river's natural flow. It forcibly cleared away the tributary you created, breaking the law of irreversible entropy increase! Do you know what this means in the macroscopic universe?"

Nobita was still clueless, but from the girl's serious tone, he could vaguely sense the seriousness of the matter.

This is no small matter.

Come to think of it, Doraemon did mutter something like, "According to the rules, this kind of thing isn't allowed." At the time, I just thought he was talking to himself, letting it go in one ear and out the other, and didn't pay much attention. Now that I think about it, did he really do something so disastrous?

"In the 22nd century, anti-entropy technology is strictly prohibited from research. It is a field that humanity has not yet fully mastered. The technological principles that contradict the laws of the universe are destined to produce huge side effects, which humanity cannot easily avoid at this stage."

"Side effects?" Nobita felt a chill run down his spine. If there were any side effects, they must have started at least nine years ago.

"Because it conflicts with the normal spacetime structure, each use of anti-entropy technology will generate a corresponding [time redundancy]."

Asur's gaze swept over Huang Amao, and he said meaningfully, "No matter what you experienced in the future, and ultimately came to the conclusion that everything should be started over... the timeline you erased won't just disappear obediently. With the current level of human science, it's impossible to completely erase something that has happened. Perhaps there are more advanced civilizations in the universe that can do it, but by that stage, the technology they use will be vastly different from that of humans; calling them gods wouldn't be an exaggeration."

"To get back to the point, these 'times' that cannot exist but will not completely disappear will exist like ghosts in the gaps of the spacetime structure. The academic name for them is 'time redundancy'. They are like mistletoe, which will extend their vines into the edifice built by cause and effect, thereby causing its own instability, that is... spacetime vortex."

"A spacetime vortex?!" As seasoned time travelers, Nobita and Shizuka had both encountered this phenomenon before, and they were both shocked.

During that grand adventure to 60,000 years ago, Kukuru from ancient times was caught in a spacetime vortex and accidentally teleported to the back mountain, where he met Nobita and his friends from that era. Even though this encounter across time ultimately led to a thrilling adventure, its essence cannot be ignored—it is a disaster on a spacetime level.

Shizuka quickly grasped the underlying logic and exclaimed, "So... those spacetime vortexes that appeared in the tunnel were all... artificially created?"

"After the side effects were discovered, research on anti-entropy technology was strictly prohibited, and all items containing this technology were urgently recalled. As far as I know, a small number of items based on anti-entropy technology still managed to slip through the cracks and enter the market, where they were resold on the black market. The penalties for this are very severe; once discovered, the sentence is at least several hundred years."

"Eh..." Nobita swallowed hard, then looked at the dice in his hand and immediately broke out in a cold sweat. "This thing, is it really that dangerous?"

“Although it’s only a two-month reversal, it should have created a considerable amount of time leeway.” Asur looked around and murmured, “They’re like ghosts wandering in a time tunnel, never knowing when or in what form they’ll appear. Only one thing is certain…”

It will come sooner or later.

"It is a product that defies the laws of the universe, and therefore, it is born with a terrible tendency. History must be brought back to the direction it desires."

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.

Dark, heavy clouds blanketed the sky, resembling a colossal castle collapsing down, and the air became unusually humid.

Without anyone noticing, the vast city of Chang'an suddenly became eerily quiet. The previously noisy and bustling voices seemed to have been suddenly switched on with a noise-canceling device, first becoming muffled and then completely inaudible. Every household's doors were tightly shut, as if one had entered another world.

Chapter 237: The Storm Is Brewing

"Wait a minute, do you guys feel... suddenly it's cold?" Shizuka subconsciously rubbed her arms, breathed on them, and her voice trembled slightly from the cold. "It wasn't this cold just now."

To use an old saying, the streets were practically "empty." The entire city suddenly became deserted, not a single person in sight. A sinister aura surged up from his ankles, seeping through his clothes, making his entire back feel as if it were submerged in ice water. Nobita had experienced this feeling before; he had once drunk the "drug that prevents contact with anyone," originally developed in the 22nd century for those who sought to enjoy solitude. After drinking it, for 24 hours, the user would, through a series of coincidences, avoid everyone in the world. For those with extremely peaceful hearts who yearned for solitude, this would be a very useful tool.

However, Nobita is not that kind of person.

It was clearly a familiar living environment, the once cramped and crowded yet warm and welcoming town of Tsukimidai, yet there wasn't a single person to be seen. This eerie contrast made him truly understand what the "Dream Core" was all about—like living in a huge and exquisite model city, covered by a large glass dome, becoming part of some kind of scenic view.

At this moment, Chang'an City is like a work of art, perfectly replicated and stripped of all human presence.

The increasingly oppressive atmosphere made Nobita realize that something was wrong. He quickly pulled Shizuka and Asur behind him, back to back, took out his weapon from his pocket, and looked around warily.

“It’s mystical magic… The technique used is ancient, but quite sophisticated, precisely cutting off its target.” As always, even in this strange place, Asur displayed her erudition. “We are isolated from the normal world.”

Sometime later, Huang Amao, who had always been by his side, also disappeared. The other party seemed to know that in this timeline, he was merely an insignificant figure, and didn't want to involve him further. Instead, they let the dark clouds press even lower and the cold wind blow even more fiercely, adding color to his grand entrance.

A storm is brewing, and everyone can sense the danger lurking within. Spanning two thousand years, a great war is about to begin.

Shizuka rubbed her hands together, rummaging in her pockets for a suitable prop. "Another ancient Eastern mysticism?"

“No, this one has absolutely nothing to do with the characteristics of Eastern mysticism. The technique incorporates a lot of personal interpretation.” Her expression was equally grave. Looking up at the dark sky, she sighed, “To be able to conjure such a complex domain, this mystic is probably someone of considerable importance. We'd better…”

……

"boom-----!!!"

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning, as straight as an arrow, burst forth from the heavy clouds, heading straight for the three of them, like a starting pistol announcing the start of the battle. The speed of the lightning arc was far faster than expected; Da Xiong's consciousness barely kept up with its speed, but even within the "death vision" unique to sharpshooters, the speed at which lightning pierced the air was still normal. His consciousness reacted, instinctively trying to draw his [self-defense cloak], but his body simply couldn't keep up.

At the critical moment, a semi-transparent shield composed of several connected hexagons suddenly unfolded in front of the two, barely protecting their bodies.

"Ding--"

The electric arc struck the barrier, sparks flying and an unexpected, crisp sound, like two sharp iron tools slicing through the air and colliding. However, the enormous recoil generated by the contact sent Asur flying, tracing an elegant parabola in mid-air before crashing headfirst into a pile of thatched roofs at the corner of the street.

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey, ptooey... What is this? Pig feed?!"

She quickly spat out the sour, rotten thatch, her face contorted with disgust, as if she were about to gag.

At the same time, a wisp of black sand drifted down from the sky and slowly condensed into a jet-black robe under the dark sky.

"Boom!"

Those blood-red eyes suddenly opened in the darkness, brazenly scrutinizing them. Nostradamus had almost lost his human form, resembling more of a colossal demon. He stood a terrifying four meters tall, like a bear walking upright. Every wrinkle on his face seemed like some kind of crawling worm, slowly wriggling and crawling across his skin, creating countless tiny cracks, as if to add even more terror to his already horrifying appearance.

Even an ordinary person who knows nothing about mysticism would turn and run away the moment they see such a thing standing by the roadside.

The moment his eyes met those bloodshot eyes, Da Xiong felt his heart race, as if something was pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe. He had faced many enemies before, but few had ever instilled such a strong sense of oppression in him.

The next moment, four hands emerged from the robe, eight palms clapping loudly, resembling a humanoid spider. Shizuka almost cried out in disgust at the sight, but being a strong-willed girl, she refused to lose face in front of the enemy, so she gripped Nobita's shoulders tightly, with such force that it seemed she wanted to dig her fingernails into them.

"Snapped!"

"Snapped!"

"Snapped!"

……

"No chanting required, it can be activated instantly and can even defend against the impact of lightning elemental magic... I really shouldn't underestimate you."

Eight spider-like hands clapped simultaneously, uttering words of praise, but all one could hear was sarcasm.

"The magic system from another universe is very different from the mysticism on Earth. You seem to focus more on the most basic areas of offense and defense, while here, elemental magic reigns supreme. Ordinary mages always like to use their own elemental attacks to crush their opponents to death, and few people really think about... what the essence of mysticism really is."

Asur's expression changed slightly. She brushed the weeds off her clothes and slowly stood up. Clearly, the words "from another universe" revealed her background to some extent, and Nobita and Shizuka, being good listeners, naturally took it to heart. However, this was definitely not the time to sit down and chat. Faced with this menacing enemy, they could only think of a way to get through this immediate crisis.

For some reason, Nobita vaguely felt that this guy had become stronger than the last time they met.

why?

Logically speaking, this is two months ago. Nostradamus should be possessing some unfortunate soul, disguised as a Taoist priest in a yellow robe, and infiltrating Wang Mang's inner circle. Why is he here again?

……

The more carefully he thought about it, the more questions arose, so Da Xiong simply cleared his mind and focused only on the elusive and eerie shadow in front of him.

"Simply put, so-called mystical arts are born from people's 'desires.' More precisely, they are people's obsessions. The stronger a person's obsession, the more unparalleled power they can unleash under proper guidance... This power is enough to transcend everything, even life and death..."

He paused, then opened all eight arms, a grin spreading across his face, and his pupils began to slowly change. The human pupils diffused, transforming into the pupils of a sheep—a mark reserved for hell and demons.

"I am the best example right now."

Chapter 238: Good People

“No wonder. I’ve always found it strange that a human soul could have such a dangerous aura…” Asur brushed the straw off his clothes, narrowed his eyes, and looked at the other person again. “You committed suicide on purpose to become an evil spirit, didn’t you?”

Regardless of the cultural context, suicide is considered an extremely sinful act because the essence of religion is to guide people towards goodness; without life, there is no basis for good or evil deeds. In some ways, killing oneself accumulates even more negative karma than killing other living beings.

"Heh...heh heh...you have a good eye." Nostradamus chuckled coldly, nodded, and his teeth gleamed. "Unfortunately, what you said is still a bit inaccurate. I did more than just predict my own death."

With his mouth wide open, black sand drifted out from Nostradamus's goatee-like mouth, floating like smoke, vaguely outlining several human figures.

They had only vague outlines and limbs, emitting cries of unbearable pain, yet they could never break free of their restraints. He had used this technique before in the chase scene involving the time machine, releasing countless pitch-black spirits. At the time, the situation was urgent, and Da Xiong hadn't thought about the underlying principles; now, looking at it again, he felt a chill run down his spine.

"Nobita Nobi... You might not believe it..."

A complex emotion flickered in his sheep-like eyes as he stared blankly at Da Xiong and said in a deep voice, "You are exactly the same as I used to be."

"Huh?!" Da Xiong thought he had misheard, his face filled with astonishment, not understanding how this old monster could say such a thing.

"In the era in which I was born, epidemics were rampant. A terrible disease swept across the entire French continent, becoming an endemic disease. When it struck, the whole body would necrotize, and the death would be extremely gruesome."

"Ordinary people had no way to deal with this and could only live in fear and anxiety. Every farewell after dinner could be a final goodbye. Perhaps, when they woke up in the morning, there would be a cold corpse in their bed... Such things were quite common in those days."

"He's probably talking about anthrax," Shizuka whispered in his ear, adding obscure facts that wouldn't be in the textbook. "It's said to be one of the deadliest diseases in the Middle Ages, on par with the Black Death and cholera."

The word "plague" might not ring a bell, but if we talk about the Black Death, even someone like Nobita who doesn't know much about history can immediately feel the despair.

"In order to find a cure, I went through every street and alley, actively contacting infected people. They all said I was crazy, ha... a bunch of mediocre people, writing on paper, how can it be faster to use your own body for experiments?" Nostradamus's tone was somewhat crazy as he recounted this history, and he laughed to himself, "Sure enough, under the pressure of death, I dared not be careless, and soon used mystical arts to create a drug that could alleviate this disease."

"In just a few years, through continuous testing on people, my medicine has become more and more effective. Although it is still no match for that epidemic, at least it has a 40% to 50% cure rate, which is not bad."

“I traveled from Narbonne to Carcassonne, and then to Toulouse. I heard that the epidemic was serious in Bordeaux, so I rushed there without stopping… Yes, Nobita Nobi.”

The golden sheep eyes shifted slightly, focusing their gaze on Nobita.

"It's very similar to what you're doing now, as a wandering scholar, using the little bit of strength you were born with to help others."

"After returning to Avignon, I spent my time in the library there, compiling my observations into notes. The library was quite extensive, so I took a break there and consulted even older esoteric texts. I was completely immersed in the joy and pleasure of acquiring knowledge, and before I knew it, four years had passed. I returned to Montpellier to teach, becoming a professor in the medical department."

"But then my nightmare began."

"Because I developed entirely new medical theories through years of practice, which offended the authority of those old scholars, the world refused to acknowledge me... so they labeled me a heretic and betrayed me to the authorities. They made me surrender in Toulouse, and in order to avoid spending the rest of my life in prison, I had no choice but to go to areas beyond the jurisdiction of the church and become an itinerant doctor, living a life of wandering and uncertainty."

"Nobita, guess what the most interesting part is?"

……

The conversation had reached this point, and there was no way it could turn into a positive turn of events. So Da Xiong remained silent, waiting for him to finish his story.

“My wife and my two children all died of anthrax while we were on the run. The potion I concocted had no effect on my own blood relatives.”

"Death hovered over them, slowly consuming their lives, like sucking jelly, gradually draining their full bodies until they were shriveled. They coughed up blood in pain, and I could only watch... I could do nothing! I could do nothing! I wasted so much time in the first half of my life, saving so many people, and yet I could do nothing! I could only watch!"

He kept repeating his failures, word by word, his back teeth clenched tightly, his sheep-like eyes seeming to bleed.

"They are dead, but I am still alive, abandoned in the world all alone."

“From that moment on, I lost everything that a person can lose: wealth, faith, fame, status, friendship, family… I still can’t understand why, why this happened. That night, I had a dream in which God’s messenger, bathed in holy light, answered my questions.”

He mimicked the ethereal tone of a deity, saying, "Michel de Notdam, you have squandered the talent your father gave you, using it as a tool for deception and profit. This is your punishment. From now on, you will die slowly in endless loneliness as a warning."

"After waking up, I laughed. This is the price of being a good person, Nobita. From now on, I'll know... Don't be a good person in anything, and don't do good deeds in anything! You see, this is how the world works. I did all sorts of good deeds in the first half of my life, and I'm sure my desire to save others was no less than yours, but look at my fate, Nobita! Look at my fate!"

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.

He almost roared, revealing his demonic, hideous face once more, "God wants me to repent in long solitude... Only domesticated lambs repent! I will not do as He wishes, never again!"

"Once again donning the black robes of a wandering healer, I walk across the land ravaged by disease. This time, however, I do not deal with the living, but with the evil spirits who have died from unbearable pain. I absorb them one by one into my body—doing so will greatly shorten my lifespan, but it doesn't matter. I have made up my mind to use the power of evil spirits for my own purposes."

"In just two years, my physical body was on the verge of collapse, haha... The plan of Almighty God has failed me!"

“Suicide can never go to heaven, but I don’t intend to go to hell either. After committing suicide, with the huge resentment I had in life, I unsurprisingly became an evil spirit. The vast spiritual energy stored in this body was also withdrawn by me all at once, like a bank account.”

"And so, a brand new Nostradamus was born."

Chapter 239: Moses' Staff