Bege continued to explore the upper ruins, entering their interior. Many areas within the ruins were already filled with island clouds.
Bege swung his blade, slicing through the island cloud. The fierce sword energy penetrated downwards, cleaving through several meters of cloud before striking the staircase below.
Beneath the island cloud, a vast space was revealed.
Over four hundred years, the ruins that had landed on the island cloud had gradually sunk into its interior. Thus, the majority of the ruins were hidden within the island cloud.
Bege descended the stairs into the ruins, the surrounding area filled with island clouds. He brandished his sword, slashing and clearing away the clouds along his path as he slowly made his way downwards.
He eventually reached the end of a wide corridor, where he saw the full extent of the ruins trapped within the island cloud.
Before him lay a vast city in ruins, exuding a profound sense of history.
"This must be the inner city of Shandora," Bege murmured.
He opened a Castle Gate in his chest, and one by one, his disciples jumped out from his castle body, standing behind him.
"Search these ruins. Collect everything of value, but be careful not to damage anything," Bege instructed.
The disciples nodded in acknowledgment, taking various tools and carefully descending from the corridor entrance into the inner city ruins, beginning their search.
Bege took one last look at the ruins, then turned and left, retracing his steps up the Giant Jack. He was searching for the Golden Bell.
He climbed all the way to the top of the Giant Jack, scanning his surroundings, but still couldn't find any trace of the Golden Bell.
"Is it even higher?" Bege frowned, gazing at the floating island clouds above.
He leaped into the air, using Geppo to jump from cloud to cloud, soaring higher and higher.
"Where exactly did the Golden Bell fall? If I go any higher, the air will get too thin. My body might not be able to handle it." Bege's expression turned grim, his breathing becoming labored. He had already ascended four to five hundred meters above the Giant Jack, yet he still hadn't found the Golden Bell, making him anxious.
Bege swiftly stepped across the island clouds, scanning his surroundings, desperately trying to locate the Golden Bell.
He moved further and further away from the Giant Jack. During his leaps, he suddenly spotted a flash of golden light in the distance. He quickly landed on an island cloud.
"Golden light, that's it! It's the sunlight reflecting off gold. That's where it is. It's really far away." Bege was overjoyed, quickly leaping towards the source of the golden light.
Three minutes later, he saw the Golden Bell standing on a massive island cloud. He swiftly ascended the cloud, taking several leaps to reach the Golden Bell.
It was a golden altar, over thirty meters tall, made entirely of gold. The Golden Bell hung at the top of the altar. Due to four hundred years of exposure to the elements, the altar was covered in moss.
"The Poneglyph, is it? The one that records information about the Ancient Weapon Poseidon," Bege observed, noticing the large, black stone slab embedded at the base of the altar. Ancient characters were carved into the stone, none of which Bege could understand.
The Poneglyphs were related to the truth of the blank one hundred years of history eight hundred years ago. There were a total of thirty Poneglyphs, the four most important being the red Road Poneglyphs, which pointed the way to the final destination of the Grand Line, Laugh Tale.
Only by collecting all the Poneglyphs and reaching Laugh Tale could one learn the truth about that blank century.
Bege was very interested in the truth of that lost century, but he also knew how difficult it was to collect the Poneglyphs, especially the four red Road Poneglyphs. Currently, they were mostly in the hands of the powerful pirates of the New World, making it virtually impossible to obtain them.
His gaze moved past the Poneglyph, focusing on the golden altar. He was filled with awe. How much gold would it have taken to construct this thirty-meter-tall altar? This thing was incredibly valuable.
Bege was already contemplating dismantling the golden altar and selling it for money.
Bege leaped onto the altar, standing beneath the Golden Bell. He grabbed the clapper and struck the bell forcefully. The entire Golden Bell began to swing, emitting a clear and resonant chime. The sound of the bell echoed across the skies of Skypiea, quickly spreading throughout the entire island.
Bege gazed down at Skypiea below, his voice deep. "I wonder if the sound of this Golden Bell will achieve the desired effect."
The sound of the Golden Bell carried further and further, reaching every corner of Skypiea.
On a small sky island somewhere in the sky, where the buildings were rough and simple, a group of Shandians were gathered in a plaza, seemingly discussing something.
The Shandians sat on the ground around an old man wearing a wolf-head hat. This old man was the Chieftain of the Shandian tribe.
Calsedon sat beside the old Chieftain, recounting the events concerning Bege.
The sudden sound of the bell made all the Shandians look up in confusion.
The old Chieftain suddenly stood up, raising his head towards the sky, as if trying to locate the source of the chime.
"Chieftain, this sound..." Calsedon looked at the old Chieftain in shock, seeking his answer.
The old Chieftain's eyes welled up with tears, his voice choked with emotion. "Yes, there's no mistaking it. The Lamp of Shandora has been lit."
"Is it truly the Lamp of Shandora?" Calsedon asked, still uncertain.
The Shandians whispered amongst themselves, children and adults alike, all expressing surprise and joy.
"Only the Lamp of Shandora can produce such a beautiful sound," the old Chieftain affirmed with absolute certainty.
"Grandpa Chieftain, when the Lamp of Shandora is lit, does that mean we don't have to fight anymore?" A thin, young boy stood before the old Chieftain, gazing at him with anticipation.
"Wiper, stand back," Calsedon barked.
The old Chieftain raised his aged hand and patted the young boy's head, laughing heartily. He looked at everyone and declared loudly, "That's right! The ancestral teaching states: When the Lamp of Shandora is lit, the war will end. Children, the war is over."
"Chieftain, but... the Lamp of Shandora... we didn't light it," Calsedon said hesitantly.
The old Chieftain replied gently, "Haven't you realized? This is our ancestors sending us a message. No matter who lit the Lamp of Shandora, we have conveyed the message of Upper Yard in the sky to the great warrior Kalgara's close friend, Mont Blanc Noland. We have fulfilled our ancestors' legacy."
Calsedon nodded silently.
"The Skypieans could never have lit the Lamp of Shandora. It seems it was that pirate. Calsedon, take me to see that pirate. Express the gratitude of the Shandians to him, and pledge our allegiance. We should return to Upper Yard, to live on Vearth." The Old Chieftain's voice boomed.
Meanwhile, on the White-White Sea, Gan Fall was taking Modi to Heaven's Gate, intending to close it. The sound of the Golden Bell reached them as well.
Gan Fall gazed at the sky above Upper Yard, equally astonished.
"This is... the sound of a bell. There's no doubt. The bell that has been silent for four hundred years, that has never rung, has rung again?"
Gan Fall's eyes also shimmered with tears, as he murmured to himself, "When the bell rings again, it means the war is over. Our war with the Shandians is over. I deeply believed this day would come, and now it has finally arrived. Four hundred years the bell has remained silent, and when that pirate ascended Upper Yard, the bell that ends the war rang. Is this fate guiding us?"
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