Chapter 819
Chapter 819
A few minutes later, Queen Medusa appeared before Duke Russell. Accompanied by the Four Great Masters, she effortlessly tore through the defensive lines of Duke Russell's grand army. Duke Russell spoke slowly.
“Your martial prowess ranks among the top three strongest people I have ever seen. But someone as powerful as you should not be here. You should be fighting for the future of humanity.”
Queen Medusa said nothing, her gaze falling upon Duke Russell's sword. Her meaning was clear: draw your sword. Duke Russell raised his greatsword, roared, and charged toward Queen Medusa. For the glory of the empire, for the glory of House Russell.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
After three more clashes of swords, the battle was over. The formidable Duke Russell had never known a battle he could not win; whenever he attacked, he was victorious. But before Queen Medusa, he could only parry three times. In fact, this was a tradition of Duke Russell's. Even if he could defeat an enemy in a single strike, he would grant them the chance to block three times to preserve their dignity. Now, Queen Medusa had returned the favor, preserving his dignity by meeting his blade three times. After the third parry, he stared blankly at his massive greatsword, which was now covered in a layer of frost, as if frozen solid.
*Crack!*
Cracks spread across the greatsword, and a moment later, it shattered into pieces, scattering across the ground. Queen Medusa aimed her scimitar at Duke Russell's neck and spoke slowly.
“Withdraw your troops!”
Duke Russell shouted.
“I refuse! The troops must not retreat! Even if I die, the empire must never retreat—”
But before he could finish, he fainted. Wearing her gloves, Queen Medusa lifted Duke Russell by the collar and slowly walked outside. She moved so effortlessly it was as if she were carrying nothing at all.
“Die, die!”
The appearance of Queen Medusa seemed to drive the Witch Empire's army and militia into a frenzy. They followed their queen, counterattacking with mad abandon. Queen Medusa was still barefoot, yet not a speck of dust touched her. She barely lifted a finger, but the Four Great Masters by her side were more than powerful enough. Wherever she passed, Duke Russell's army couldn't withstand her, sent flying like kites in the wind.
The warriors of the Witch Empire following her became incredibly valiant, as if imbued with new strength. Not just the warriors of the Witch Empire, but countless militiamen and even commoners joined the battle like madmen. She created an even more astonishing wave, sweeping through the grand army of the Seiren Empire led by Duke Russell.
Finally, when she reached the city walls, the battle came to an end. All enemy forces inside the city had been defeated. Below the Queen's City, Duke Russell's vast army still gathered, dense and endless. But after looking up at Queen Medusa, they instinctively lowered their heads, unable to meet her gaze any longer. Because she truly seemed filled with a magical power.
“Go!”
Queen Medusa spoke slowly, then lightly tossed Duke Russell, whom she had been holding. Like a kite in the wind, Duke Russell flew several hundred meters from the city wall and landed gently on the ramparts of his army's encampment. Surprisingly, he did not land ungracefully, nor was he injured at all. Duke Russell struggled to his feet and shook his head hard. As his senses returned, he looked at Queen Medusa, standing on the city wall several hundred meters away. She possessed an allure that could drown a man's soul. Though she was an enemy, one could not help but admire her.
“I have lost. I am not worthy to fight her. Withdraw the troops!”
At Duke Russell's command, the remaining two hundred thousand troops retreated like a receding tide.
The battle for the Queen's City had just ended.
***
Witnessing Queen Medusa's majesty, Shen Lang was completely dumbfounded. He had never before seen such immense martial power, where one person could vanquish ten thousand. In fact, Queen Medusa hadn't even killed many people, unlike the Qiu Yao'er of the past. The old Qiu Yao'er was an invincible warrior, a fierce general who would whirl her two greatswords, crushing her enemies as she passed. She fought a thousand men alone, like an unstoppable whirlwind, leaving enemies shattered in her wake, their bodies rarely left intact.
But the Queen Medusa of today was no longer a fierce general like that Qiu Yao'er, but a queen brimming with magical charm. She possessed a charisma that none could dare to match, enough to suppress all enemies. The moment she appeared, the battle ended. She had been reborn from a fierce general into an invincible queen.
Those who followed her were instantly strengthened, while the enemies who faced her lost their courage. His Highness Jiang Li must have also possessed such an overwhelmingly charismatic presence as a leader.
Queen Medusa did not like being in a crowd or receiving the cheers of her people. Accompanied by the Four Great Masters, she moved away from the wildly cheering crowd and slowly headed toward the royal palace. Still barefoot, she remained aloof, as if cut off from the world. She came to stand directly before Shen Lang and spoke in a low, enchanting voice.
“Have you come, father of my child!”
“Are you... still Qiu Yao'er?”
Shen Lang asked. Queen Medusa replied.
“Ten percent, in both spirit and body.”
*So it is.*
“Only ten percent of Qiu Yao'er's memories, personality, and emotions remain within me.”
“Wasn't Qiu Yao'er waiting for someone in her memories?”
Qiu Yao'er was also a war orphan. Qiu Tianwei had rescued her when she was drifting at sea. She had forgotten everything from before, but she never forgot a certain voice that echoed in her ears, and she waited for that person.
“That's right. She was waiting for her younger brother. He was her master, and the son of His Highness Jiang Li.”
Hearing that answer, Shen Lang's heart trembled.
*So it is.*
Shen Lang had learned this answer a long time ago. But by the time he found out, Qiu Yao'er was already gone. Shen Lang said bitterly.
“The person she was waiting for... was probably me.”
Hearing this, Queen Medusa was only slightly surprised, but Zhang Chunhua, standing beside them, stared at Shen Lang in utter disbelief.
*H-How is that possible? You scoundrel, you moved my heart, but His Highness Jiang Li was such a heroic figure. How could you possibly be his successor?*
“The son of Jiang Li pays his respects to Your Majesty, the Queen.”
Shen Lang performed the courtesy without the slightest neglect. Zhang Chunhua covered her small mouth. After a long moment, she looked at Shen Lang and asked.
“Y-You're the son of His Highness Jiang Li, the master of the Great Qian Empire? You're the master of the world, acknowledged in the hearts of countless people in the Eastern world?”
“That's right. I'm sorry to have disappointed you.”
“If that's true, I find it very difficult to accept. It feels like my idol has been shattered.”
Shen Lang shrugged and said.
“I didn't want this either. This world is absurd to begin with, so where can one find reason? I was originally living a divine life, freeloading off my wife's family, but then I suddenly became the son of Jiang Li, the master of the world acknowledged by countless people. The Great Yan Dynasty and the six Transcendent Powers mobilized half the world's armies to kill me, and over a hundred thousand people rushed to their deaths for my sake. My father-in-law and the Jin Clan not only lost their century-long enterprise because of me, but also Raging Tide City. Ning Yuanxian and Ning Zheng lost their thrones because of me, and the State of Yue lost its lands. Your father would have already become the Prime Minister of the Secretariat in the State of Yue, but because of his association with me, he has likely lost all his official posts by now. I had hoped to protect him before I left.”
Zhang Chunhua's heart ached beyond measure. She had always thought that Shen Lang had fallen out of favor with Ning Yuanxian, causing the entire Jin Clan to be wiped out and forced to flee across the sea. But to think it was for this reason. She never knew he was the acknowledged master of the world, and that the Great Yan Dynasty had mobilized half the world's armies to kill him. Then how did he escape? And all by himself? Doesn't this scoundrel lack even the strength to wring a chicken's neck? What on earth did he go through to end up in the Queen's City, tens of thousands of miles away?
“I need to go think for a bit. See you later.”
Zhang Chunhua said to Shen Lang, then bowed and turned to leave. She really needed to calm down. Because the truth she had just heard was too shocking. The Shen Lang who had stirred her heart was a scoundrel of common status, a talented rogue. But for such a person to suddenly become a figure like the sun in the heavens was something she could never have imagined.
Whether in the East or the Western world, bloodline was extremely important. Hadn't Duke Hall of the Queen's City shown outstanding performance all this time? He was an excellent city lord, but because his ancestors were slaves, he could never hold his head high in the Seiren Dynasty. Furthermore, Duke Diphas and Duke Russell were also nobles from ancient families with histories spanning hundreds of years. But across the First, Second, and Third Empires, they were forever just subjects. They had already reached the highest rank of duke, but even if the Seiren Empire fell and shattered into pieces, only those of the Seiren imperial bloodline could ascend to the throne. No matter how great or powerful a person was, if they were not of the Seiren imperial family, they could not be acknowledged by the entire Western world. They could not become the emperor of the Seiren Empire, not even a prince of the blood. In the Eastern and Western worlds, there were a total of three families qualified to become emperors: the House of Ji, the House of Jiang, and the House of Seiren. Shen Lang belonged to one of those three. Zhang Chunhua couldn't imagine how she was supposed to treat Shen Lang from now on.
***
“The son of His Highness Jiang Li? Then you are indeed the one Qiu Yao'er was waiting for.”
Shen Lang suddenly jumped in surprise.
“Wait, did you just say that the son of Jiang Li was Qiu Yao'er's master, and her younger brother?”
*This is a huge problem. That would make the bloodline a mess. Our Jiang Clan isn't House Targaryen; we don't do things like siblings marrying. Besides, Yaoyao's body is so frail and special... could that be the reason? Absolutely not!*
“Do not worry. You two are not related by blood.”
*What a relief, what a relief.*
Shen Lang couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
“Son of Jiang Li, follow me.”
Shen Lang followed her deep into the royal palace. Even when she was in a deep slumber, her form was exquisitely beautiful, her graceful curves filled with her magical charm. But now, moving before his very eyes, that charm overflowed even more. It was like a swirling vortex, threatening to swallow a person whole. It was a charm unrelated to emotion, one that transcended gender. No one in the world could resist the allure emanating from the Queen Medusa before him.
The path they took led to the underground mausoleum of the royal palace. As they passed through the long tunnel, it was so dark he couldn't see his hand in front of his face. But Shen Lang noticed something strange: Queen Medusa's body seemed to be emitting a faint light. It wasn't just a figure of speech; her body was truly glowing like moonlight. How could a body emit light?
They passed through the long tunnel, crossed a bridge, and entered the mausoleum palace. Here, everything was inverted, so Shen Lang shouldn't have been able to walk within the palace, but now some immense force was supporting him, allowing him to walk upside down. He followed Queen Medusa deep into the palace and entered a small, plain room. Inside, there was nothing but a single box.
“This box was left by His Highness Jiang Li. I believe I should give it to you.”
Hearing Queen Medusa's words, Shen Lang was puzzled.
*Jiang Li came all the way here? That's too fantastical, too incredible. What on earth did he come here for? Why is there no record of it? Neither the history books nor the* Chronicles of Dongli *mention him ever coming here.*
He took the box and examined it. On top, the two characters for 'Jiang Li' were written in his handwriting. But the box would not open. It was like a solid rectangular block, with no gaps and certainly no lock. Queen Medusa said.
“If you force the box open, everything inside will be destroyed. Since it belonged to another, I could not force it open either. Today, I officially hand it over to you.”
“His Highness Jiang Li came to the Western world? When was this?”
“He probably came about forty years ago. When he was very young.”