Chapter 806
Chapter 806
That night, Duchess Dysphasia slept with Shen Lang, again with the air of performing a ritual.
“You’ve been looking into the Witch Empire, haven’t you?”
She asked, and Shen Lang nodded.
“I have.”
“Why do you Easterners come to the Western world to disrupt the balance here?”
Shen Lang thought for a moment, then shrugged. He couldn't answer that. Could he ask sixteenth-century Spain, seventeenth-century Netherlands, or the eighteenth-century British Empire why they didn’t just stay in the Western world and insisted on coming to the East?
“Forget the Witch Empire. It cannot be your homeland in the Western world!”
Shen Lang could read the words she left unspoken.
‘Because the Witch Empire is doomed to fall.’
Shen Lang suddenly asked, “Was the Russo clan also part of the Seyrun Dynasty’s royal family?”
“Our family has never intentionally embellished its historical standing. We are different from the clans of your Eastern world.”
‘That sounds like the clans of our Eastern world are particularly eager to cozy up to the imperial family, desperately trying to link themselves to royal ancestors. Ugh! Well, yes, some people are certainly like that.’
For example, the Xue clan always wanted to become the Lin clan, but Shen Lang had no such desire. In the Eastern world, the noblest surnames were Ji and Jiang. Originally, Ji was more noble than Jiang, but because of the great figure known as Kang Li, countless people in the Eastern world came to regard the two surnames as equals. That was why, even after stealing the throne of the new Great Qian Kingdom, Ying Guang dared not use the surname Jiang, changing it to Ying instead. And now, staying in the Western world, Shen Lang, who possessed one of the noblest surnames in the East, did not change his name to Jiang Lang.
“The Ji clan is the Ji clan, and Seyrun is Seyrun. The Witch Empire has attempted to establish a foreign regime in our Western world by shattering the Seyrun Dynasty and attracting countless slaves and commoners, but it will not succeed. The Witch Empire is like a fortress built on sand; it will crumble with the first wave.”
“If my memory serves me right, I believe you said that either Golden Pyramid City or the Azure Wave Planet pledged allegiance to the Witch Empire.”
“That was my brother’s doing. That is why I had him hanged.”
Shen Lang narrowed his eyes. He no longer felt the need to pursue the truth of that matter.
“In fact, the emergence of the Witch Empire has led to the establishment of the Third Seyrun Empire. So, forget the Witch Empire. It will not be your homeland in the West. Seyrun is Seyrun.”
Hahahaha! ‘God is God’s, and Caesar is Caesar’s,’ so the two cannot encroach on each other's domains? No. That saying wasn't quite fitting here, because both belonged to the Western world. As Duchess Dysphasia rose to leave again, Shen Lang reached for the nape of her neck, intending to kiss her red lips. But once again, her hand blocked him.
“Seyrun is Seyrun, and Great Yan is Great Yan.”
Shen Lang sneered inwardly.
‘We’ve slept together so many times, do you find it amusing to say such things to me?’
Shen Lang finally understood. Although Duchess Dysphasia had slept with him many times, she never wanted their relationship to grow closer; she still desired absolute separation. The mouth is for eating and speaking, so kissing is a higher form of interaction. Does that mean what’s done below, which is for expelling waste, is a lower form of interaction? But which do humans prefer? Low-level interaction, or high-level interaction?
* * *
Shen Lang now fully understood Duchess Dysphasia’s attitude. In the days that followed, the two continued their most intimate relations, yet the distance between them grew ever wider. Each time, Duchess Dysphasia would chant special words and draw special symbols on Shen Lang’s body. Not only did they not kiss, but they didn’t even exchange a single word. Her lovemaking with Shen Lang was like the execution of a ceremony.
The entire city ostracized Shen Lang more severely, their hostility growing more intense. Of course, no one flipped him the middle finger or spat at him, but the paths he walked remained empty for a long time after he passed. Wherever he went, everyone immediately moved away. They all seemed to treat Shen Lang with a noble distance, but it was just this race's nauseating hypocrisy taken to its extreme.
Shen Lang had to discover everything with his own eyes. Duchess Dysphasia was still continuously purchasing slaves and training them into an army, and the forces under her command had reached an astonishing number. Shen Lang couldn't read any documents or overhear any conversations, but he could at least sense the situation. Due to the emergence of the Witch Empire, the Third Seyrun Empire was rapidly taking shape, and Duchess Dysphasia was one of its members. The troops she was mustering were to attack the Witch Empire. Their goal was simple: to destroy the Witch Empire and kill every last Easterner. Shen Lang knew that the Seyrun Dynasty was still, in fact, powerful. The Second Empire had collapsed because it lacked a leader to rally the people. The various kingdoms and duchies below were all very strong, but because no one they could trust and obey had ascended to the imperial throne, it had splintered. It seemed somewhat similar to the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods of ancient China. Then, as now, the Son of Heaven of the Zhou Dynasty had weakened, allowing the feudal lords of the realm to rise up, leading to the dynasty’s fragmentation.
* * *
A few days ago, someone visited Shen Lang. It was the first person to see him in months—the pirate captain who had sold him for three thousand gold coins. He handed Shen Lang a bundle. There was nothing inside; the bundle itself was the hot-air balloon fabric Shen Lang had asked him to salvage.
After the pirate captain's visit, Shen Lang once again returned to the life of a caged canary. Not only did he not leave the fortress, but he didn't even open his own door. The priests who worshipped the Fire God, after appearing at Shen Lang's wedding, had vanished completely. Shen Lang had no intention of developing anything in this city now. His only goal was to leave Golden Pyramid City and head to the Witch Empire. Shen Lang still wasn't entirely certain that the Witch Empire was the nation founded by Qiu Yao'er, but its monarch was clearly an Easterner. There, Shen Lang could unleash his talents and gain great power.
And though he said he wasn't certain, the possibility that the Witch Empire was Qiu Yao'er's nation was high. If it truly was hers, Shen Lang would be genuinely impressed. Had Qiu Yao'er become so powerful in just the few years he hadn't seen her? Just as a single falling leaf signals the arrival of late autumn, one could discern the whole picture from a small part. Duchess Dysphasia was incredibly powerful, both in personal martial prowess and ability. The army under her command numbered over a hundred thousand, yet she was just one member of the Third Seyrun Empire. But this Witch Empire had invaded from the Eastern world, conquering numerous city-states and planets to establish a vast empire. Even this Golden Pyramid City had once submitted at the feet of the Witch Empire. Such might was truly reminiscent of His Majesty Kang Li's style of old.
Unfortunately, even though Shen Lang wanted to go to the Witch Empire, he couldn't. He didn't even know where it was. On the remote island where he had found the lodestone, he could wait for a ship to arrive. But here in Golden Pyramid City, despite the sea of people, he was more isolated than on that island. Moreover, Shen Lang could no longer wait for a ship. No matter how much money he offered, not a single vessel would take him away from here, making it impossible to even leave the city. Disguises or attempts to hide his tracks were useless. A white swan among black swans cannot hide, no matter how it tries; even if painted black, it would be discovered. But Shen Lang knew the time for him to leave Golden Pyramid City and head for the Witch Empire would soon arrive.
* * *
From a certain day on, Shen Lang stopped wearing silk clothes and tried to wear other types of garments, especially those made of cotton or linen that were more breathable. But within this fortress, there was no one to prepare the clothes he wanted, so Shen Lang went into the city, bought cotton and linen fabric, and made the clothes himself. He no longer wore Western-style attire, choosing to once again don the long robes of the East.
* * *
At night, Duchess Dysphasia came to Shen Lang's room again and slept with him, as if performing a ritual. At the end, she let out a long sigh, as if this sacred ceremony was complete. Then, she looked at Shen Lang with a somewhat complicated gaze.
“Sleep well, man from the Eastern world.”
Then she left the room. With that, ninety-nine days had passed since she married Shen Lang, and the number of times they had made love exceeded nineteen.
* * *
That day seemed to be a very important anniversary in the Western world. The atmosphere suggested it might be the birthday of the first emperor of the Seyrun Empire. But since no grand festival was held throughout Golden Pyramid City, and solemn bells tolled instead, perhaps Shen Lang's guess was wrong. This atmosphere felt more like the anniversary of the first Seyrun Emperor's death, not his birth.
Several maids entered, bathed Shen Lang clean, and changed his clothes. This time, they followed an even more lavish and sacred procedure, bathing him a full nine times. Then, they dressed him in nine layers of clothing. The first five layers were Shen Lang's own, while the sixth through ninth were all prepared for him by the Russo clan. They were all Eastern-style long robes, incredibly ornate and made of brocade. A middle-aged eunuch entered, bowed, and said.
“Your Grace, the sacred ceremony is about to begin. Please come out!”
‘Is the sacred ceremony finally beginning?’
A ceremony he had waited a full hundred days for. Outside, there was a magnificent palanquin, adorned with beaded curtains like a royal crown, and it too was in the Eastern style. Shen Lang boarded the palanquin, and nineteen men lifted it, carrying it out of the fortress and toward the docks.
* * *
In the square outside the gates of Golden Pyramid City, an army was assembled in dense formation. Countless soldiers, enough to cover everything in sight, stood in full armor, each one looking fierce and valiant. On the sea, not a single merchant ship or pirate vessel was to be seen; only warships and battleships were deployed, numbering in the hundreds. Every warship flew the banner of the Russo clan, and higher still flew the flag of the Third Seyrun Empire. Duchess Dysphasia was clad in armor. And finally, the priests of the Fire God, who had been in hiding, reappeared. They stood on the pier, looking mysterious.
Duchess Dysphasia stood on a high platform and shouted until her voice was hoarse.
“Great Yan is Great Yan, and Seyrun is Seyrun. The East must return to the East, the West to the West. Easterners should never have appeared in the Western world. The Witch Empire is the common enemy of the entire Western world! The Russo clan has been loyal to the Seyrun Dynasty for generations, and today is no exception! This time, I will lead a great army on an expedition to the Witch Empire to rebuild the Third Seyrun Empire! We will kill every Easterner and bury the Witch Empire completely. Great Yan must return to Great Yan, and Seyrun to Seyrun. O great Fire God, here I formally offer you my husband, a man from the Eastern world!”
A moment later, Shen Lang was carried to a special pyre.
“Burn him, burn him!”
Countless people shouted, looking at Shen Lang.
Now, all the truth was revealed. The reason Duchess Dysphasia had married a strange man from the Eastern world, Shen Lang, and why she had maintained the marriage for a hundred days and made love more than nineteen times—it was all for a sacrificial offering. It was to burn Shen Lang to death as a gruesome offering before setting out on her campaign against the Witch Empire. This, it seemed, was the very definition of the saying: those not of your own kind are bound to have a different heart.