Childhood Anime Grand Tour

Chapter 54 The Dream of Laputa, The Sky Pirates Arrive

"Thank you for saving me! My name is Sheeta!!"

"Sheeta!! What a beautiful name."

"By the way, how was I rescued? I clearly fell from the spaceship last night."

"Do not you remember?"

"Um!!"

Balu was also puzzled, so he scattered the food aside and freed his hand to ask:

"Could you... show me this?"

"Hmm! This one?"

Without a moment's doubt or hesitation, Hida immediately took off the necklace around her neck, clearly having completely trusted the boy in front of her.

"This is something that has been passed down through generations in our family!"

"What a beautiful gem!"

Pazu took the necklace and praised it, then tried to put it on, but because his arms weren't long enough, he couldn't reach it. Seeing this, Sheeta offered to help.

After putting on the necklace, Balu turned around and grinned foolishly. He took a few steps to the edge of the roof.

"Haha, watch this! I can fly!!"

Then, full of confidence, he jumped down.

*Bang!* (Palu dies at the age of thirteen. The End!)

A loud noise startled the pigeons that were feeding, and they took flight. Shida instinctively closed her eyes, thinking to herself, "This child seems quite normal, so why is his mind like this?"

Hida immediately called out anxiously to those below:

"Baru!!"

Looking down, Shida saw that Pazu had smashed a big hole in the house below. Sheeta immediately ran down, but luckily Pazu was tough, and he quickly climbed back up, wobbling. She wondered why it wasn't working.

But seeing Hida approaching, he immediately smiled and said:

"I...I'm fine, it seems it's not this stone...oh..."

As a result, he lost his grip and fell down again.

"Baru!!"

When Sheeta saw that Pazu had fallen again, she looked down anxiously. Seeing that Pazu was alright, she prepared to go down to save him, but she also lost her grip and fell, landing right on top of Pazu.

"Baru, are you alright?!"

This shows Balu's character; he doesn't lose face even when things go wrong, and immediately smiled and said:

"Don't worry, my head is harder than Master's fist!!"

What kind of metaphor is that?! Clearly, this kid has gotten quite a beating!! Just then, a man's laughter came from outside.

"Hahaha, that's hilarious! Hey you two, are you alright?!"

The two little ones immediately tensed up and looked towards the cave entrance, where a man was peering down.

"You, who are you?"

This is Balu's private property, yet this stranger seems to have ill intentions.

Liu Yufei, however, said nonchalantly:

"I was just passing by and saw you guys over there... hahaha!!"

As he spoke, Liu Yufei couldn't help but laugh again, but in his heart he cried out:

"I agree to this marriage!!"

Although Liu Yufei had a smile on his face, Xida instinctively hid the flying stone in her bosom. Of course, Liu Yufei saw this, but he didn't care at all.

When he landed last night, he was still thinking about how to take or trick the flying stone away, but when he actually saw Sheeta and Pazu, Liu Yufei instantly dismissed the idea. Not only did he lose the idea, he also felt guilty about it.

He witnessed Ashitaka and San's love story. Compared to their complicated relationship, Pazu and Sheeta seemed much purer. Perhaps only those whose souls are truly consumed by desire would have the heart to destroy such a heartwarming scene!

"I'm warning you, get out of here right now, or my master will beat you to a pulp when he gets here!"

Even so, he didn't forget to protect Xida behind him. Liu Yufei immediately realized he had frightened them and waved his hand to explain:

"Ah!! I'm not a bad person, I was just passing by!!"

After saying that, Liu Yufei leaned back and disappeared from their sight. Balu immediately crawled out, but could not find Liu Yufei again.

"Strange, who is this person? Ugh..."

As expected, Pazu fell again, thankfully without hitting Sheeta. Sheeta, preoccupied with thoughts of the man from before, looked dejected. Pazu, however, smiled and said:

He's gone. Did you know him?

"I don't know him!!"

Although Xida didn't know Liu Yufei, she had a feeling that Liu Yufei was also after her flying stone.

"Ah!! The water's boiling!!!"

It was only then that Pazu remembered there was a kettle on the stove. This was one of his few possessions, so he ran towards the house, and Sheeta followed immediately.

Below is Balu's workshop, where the skeleton of an airplane is displayed. The whole model doesn't look very big, but it's small yet complete, after all, his father was a famous pilot.

On the wall was a photograph that took up half the wall, showing a castle shrouded in white clouds above and the castle's name below—Laputa!

"Laputa!!"

Sheeta murmured to herself, next to a picture of an airship with a picture of Pazu's father on it, and on the table below was a separate picture of a very beautiful woman.

Perhaps it's Balu's mother, but more likely it's a popular female celebrity. Balu isn't the type to idolize stars, but it's quite possible he never even met his mother, and she didn't leave behind any photos. Therefore, he can only imagine this beautiful woman under the lights as his mother. (This is purely an overinterpretation! I don't know the woman's significance; this kind of thinking is purely due to my dark psychology!! It's depressing!)

"Sheeta, Sheeta, are you done yet?"

Meanwhile, Balu had already started making breakfast: cheese bread with a fried egg, which was cut in half. This showed that Balu's life was very difficult.

Not receiving a response from Sheeta, Pazu went down to check, only to find Sheeta completely absorbed in the photograph of Laputa. Pazu went over and explained:

"This photo was taken by my dad on the spaceship. It's of a sky city called Laputa!"

When Laputa is mentioned, or rather, when his father is mentioned, Pazu is very confident, with his little hands on his hips and a proud demeanor.

"An island floating in the air?"

"Yes! Although it's called a legend, my dad saw it!"

Then he pointed to the photo of his father next to him. It was clear that Balu's father was also an adventurous person, and this gene was perfectly inherited by his child.

He then began to recount his father's glorious deeds, immediately picking up a copy of "Gulliver's Travels" from the table.

"Although Swift mentioned Laputa in Gulliver's Travels, it was all just fantasy. Look, this is an imaginary drawing by my father. He says that a vast amount of gold and silver treasures lie dormant in this now-uninhabited castle! Alas! But nobody believes him!!"

Balu sounded somewhat disappointed. It wasn't really the world's fault, because Laputa was just a legend, and his father's illustration was merely his own imagination. And there were many such dreamers on Earth with such boundless imaginations.

How should I put it? It might be hard for us to relate to Laputa, but imagine an adventurer who claims to have taken a picture of the Southern Heavenly Gate—you can imagine how everyone would laugh at him!

As he spoke, Balu picked up a demonic object from the side, continuing to recount his father's deeds.

"And so, he was regarded as a fraud and a dreamer, and died full of regrets!!"

After he finished speaking, the model airplane in his hand flew out, and Balu's face regained its smile.

Pazu wasn't really interested in Laputa, but what he wanted to do was get everyone to acknowledge his father, and at the same time, surpass his father and find the sky city of Laputa.

And that is a dream. A true dream will not disappear with the passage of time; it will be inherited by one's descendants over time.

One era will pass, and another will come, but:

"Man's dreams never end." — Marshall D. Tichy

"However, I don't believe my father is a liar. This is the flying machine I made, and one day, I will find Laputa!"

Balu's dream is grand and passionate, but dreams also have a realistic side.

If Pazu hadn't met Sheeta in Zaku Valley, his life might have truly remained a dream. Therefore, Sheeta was truly Pazu's angel.

The reality was that before Balu could finish speaking, the roar of a car engine could be heard outside. The Dora Sky Pirates had finally found their way here.

It has to be said that the Dora Sky Pirates' operational efficiency is truly remarkable; they were able to arrive at Zha Valley before the military.

Liu Yufei, who was playing cards with others on the street, naturally saw the commotion and immediately stood up.

"Hey! Young man, you think you can just walk away after winning money?!"

Okay! These people also have an unkind side. Although the movies portray their kind side, the general public in such remote and impoverished areas is unlikely to be very civilized.

"Okay, okay, uncle, I have something to do, you guys have fun?"

As he spoke, Liu Yufei put down all the money he had won, and only then did the men let him go.

"It's a car! That's so rare!!"

"Those people are pirates!"

Pazu was clearly excited, while Sheeta was worried, partly because of the situation and partly because of her personality.

Pazu is extremely adventurous and has a curious mind about new things, while Sheeta is completely different; compared to adventure, she is more inclined to blend in with the world.

If she hadn't been kidnapped, she would probably have spent her whole life raising cattle in the Kent Valley and would never have met Balu.

"They attacked the airship from behind!!"

"Ah! They're after you!! Come this way quickly!"

At the crucial moment, Balu still performed admirably and immediately came up with a solution.

Compared to Charles, Louis was much thinner, wearing a white top hat, a white suit, an orange bow tie at the collar, and a mustache. In short, he looked more honest and simple than fierce.

The other pirates quickly dispersed, and just as Louis was about to knock on the door, Pazu, who was inside, rushed out with Sheeta.

Good morning! Excuse me, could you please move aside?!