Chapter 211: The Golden City
"The Golden City!"
"So this young man knows something about our family's history too, huh?"
The chestnut-haired man's expression darkened briefly, then suddenly turned emotional. "But the Golden City is not a myth! My ancestor once reached it! Our family's journals clearly state that the Golden City was on Jaya Island."
"Did they find it?" Luo Han asked at just the right moment.
The man froze, mouth open, unable to answer.
Indeed—his ancestor had followed the recorded route to Jaya Island, only to find the Golden City gone.
He later believed it had sunk into the sea, but even after centuries of scouring the surrounding waters, not a single trace had been found.
To this day, the search continued, fueled solely by a stubborn desire to clear the family's name of being branded as liars.
"I know where the Golden City is."
Seeing the man at a loss for words, Luo Han stopped teasing him and said it straight.
"You're serious?!" the man gasped. His pores opened wide with excitement, and he impulsively stepped forward to grab Luo Han's hand—only to be stopped two meters away by telekinesis.
Realizing then that Luo Han wasn't an ordinary person, he gave a sheepish smile and asked again, "You really know where the Golden City is?"
"Wait, what's this Golden City you're talking about?" Ellis interjected, now completely lost. She turned to Luo Han. "How do you even know about it? And apparently, the legend too?"
Ellis was sure Luo Han had never been to Jaya Island—or even the first half of the Grand Line. So how could he know about the Golden City?
Akatsuki and Sora also looked at him in surprise.
"A bunch of illiterates."
Luo Han sneered. "Never read the story of the Great Liar Norland, have you? That's what you get for not reading."
"..."
The three women glared at him.
Others might not know, but Ellis was very aware that Luo Han never read anything. There weren't even books on Ring Tree Island! Let alone some story about Norland.
He was clearly making things up.
"Uh, actually…" the chestnut-haired man awkwardly corrected, "The Great Liar Norland is a folktale well-known in the North Blue. But, uh… it was never published in a book."
The atmosphere grew very awkward. Luo Han felt like a few black crows were flying overhead, cawing at his embarrassment.
"Heh." Ellis covered her mouth to laugh, giving him a teasing look—serves you right, trying to show off and falling flat.
She had learned the word "show-off" from Luo Han himself.
Trying to smooth things over, Luo Han cleared his throat and huffed, "Hmph! Just because you haven't seen the book doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Someone did publish it already."
"Anyway!" he changed the subject before anyone could argue. "The Golden City is on Sky Island. It was blasted upward by the Knock-Up Stream!"
"And don't ask me how I know. It's all in the book you didn't read!"
"..."
The three women fell silent, lips parting slightly before deciding not to bother.
"Sky Island… Knock-Up Stream…"
The chestnut-haired man muttered, then suddenly slapped his forehead as if something had clicked.
He rushed to the half-house nearby, jumped up onto the roof, and looked out over the coastline.
His facial muscles began to tremble uncontrollably.
"Ha! Ahahaha…!"
He laughed hysterically, tears streaming down his face.
From the roof, he could see it—starting from the half-house and stretching out from Jaya Island along the coast, a perfect circular outline where the Golden City once was.
It was clear now: the Golden City hadn't sunk, as his ancestor had feared. It had been blasted skyward by the Knock-Up Stream!
"What's wrong with him?" Ellis asked, looking up at the laughing man.
"That's what people look like when they see hope," Luo Han replied with a sigh.
Then he called up, "Hey! Uncle, so when exactly does the Knock-Up Stream show up?"
"Uncle…?" The man turned, a little stunned. I'm only in my 30s, and you're calling me uncle?
But he let it slide. Hearing Luo Han's question, he jumped down and approached excitedly.
"It should come in a month or two! You guys are going to Sky Island, right? How about taking me with you?"
These people clearly knew about the Golden City's true location. If he followed them, his chances of success would increase.
He thought it was a brilliant idea—but reality was cruel.
"Don't you have your own ship?" Luo Han glanced at the nearby boat and declined flatly. "I'm not taking you. Figure it out yourself."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked off with the three women, not even asking the man's name.
"I…"
The man tried to speak, but couldn't. It was like a primal fear was paralyzing him.
Only when Luo Han's group had left did he regain control of his body.
"Those ordinary-looking people… are anything but ordinary."
He recalled the terror he had felt. It was instinctive—an animal's fear in the presence of a predator.
"If I can't follow them… then I'll do it on my own!"
He clenched his fists with determination. For his family and their future, it would be worth it.
When the Knock-Up Stream came, he would sail into it, ascend to Sky Island, and fulfill the promise of his ancestors.
…
Meanwhile, Luo Han and the others didn't return to town. They went to the coastline of Jaya.
"You wait here. I need to speak with Akatsuki alone."
Luo Han led her away while Ellis and Sora stayed behind, curious but not prying.
He had never told them what Akatsuki 's help was for, so it was obviously something he wanted to keep private.
"Akatsuki , how many types of sea creatures can you communicate with?"
On a small slope overlooking the sea, Luo Han looked at her seriously.
Akatsuki thought for a moment. "Five."
"Only five?"
That wasn't what he'd hoped for. "Which five?"
Hopefully, some lived in deep sea regions. The Lantern Fish stayed deep underwater.
"Shark types, whale types, eel types, squid types… and… turtle types."
She hesitated at the last one.
Luo Han ignored that. What he needed to know was which of them lived in the deep sea.
"Which of them dwell in the deep sea?" he asked.
"Whales," she replied, then asked curiously, "The thing you want to find—it's in the deep sea?"
She recalled him mentioning something about needing her help back when he first saved her.
So that must've been it—something in the deep sea.
Only whales? That's barely anything. Luo Han frowned. He had imagined a vast communication network through a mermaid princess—casting a wide net and finding the Lantern Fish in no time.
"What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?" Akatsuki asked, seeing him frown.
"It's in the deep sea, right?" she asked again.
"It is," Luo Han replied. Well, one kind was better than nothing.
"I'm looking for a giant Lantern Fish. One that can swallow an entire island. It has a massive glowing orb on its head."
He gestured. "That should be easy to describe. Just pass it along to the whales—they'll know."
You think whales understand that? Akatsuki wanted to slap her forehead but her stiff face couldn't express it.
"This guy's an idiot," she thought. Aloud, she said sarcastically, "Didn't you say you read lots of books, Luo Han? Don't you know fish have short-term memory?"
She looked exasperated. "And whales aren't fishmen or mermaids. You really think they'll understand what a Lantern Fish looks like? Let alone report back after finding it?"
Finally, she concluded, "If you think using whales to find that Lantern Fish will work, let me be clear—it's basically impossible."
"I can issue basic commands to those creatures, but I can't have full conversations."
…
Luo Han was stunned.
This wasn't just a flawed version of what he'd imagined—it was completely useless.
"Then why did I even save you?!"
He slumped, dejected. "I saved you so you could help me find the Lantern Fish. And now, you're completely useless for it."
"So tell me, how are you going to repay your life debt?"
"I'll be your woman," Akatsuki said calmly.
"…What?"
Luo Han froze, then said, "Didn't I tell you I was joking? Forget about it."
He clarified, "Seriously, I was just messing around. I don't need any repayment. If you want to stick with us, that's enough."
"No. I want to be your woman," Akatsuki insisted.
"You're serious?" Luo Han frowned. What was she playing at?
"I'm serious."
Her gaze was firm. Based on what she'd learned from the newspapers and seeing Luo Han in action, she now understood that the human world on the surface was filled with powerful beings.
For the fishmen to survive up here, they needed powerful backers.
But once fishmen adapted to the surface, endured many battles, and unlocked their physical potential—which surpassed humans—they would become powerful in their own right.
And to anchor the fishmen to the surface world, they needed an alliance—through marriage.
In Akatsuki 's eyes, a flame of determination burned.
She would become Luo Han's woman.
(END CHAPTER)
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