Chapter 837
Chapter 837
For the next period of time, Shen Lang sat in a clean, empty, sealed room. This wasn't a prison, just a stone chamber with nothing in it. He wasn't even in shackles or manacles, nor had he been tortured in any way. But by the queen's order, no one was allowed to speak with him, or even come within three feet of him. The Amazon Kingdom was truly a nation filled with a knightly spirit. It was a good thing they were isolated from the world; otherwise, they would have suffered greatly in the outside world.
Shen Lang lay on the ice-cold stone slab, closed his eyes, and meticulously read through the ancient records stored in his computer. First, he could confirm that the Amazon Kingdom's pyramid was an ancient ruin. So, what was it that made the female warriors of this tribe so powerful? Was it because the bloodline of the Amazon warriors was closer to that of ancient humans, or was it because they lived on this island? Jiang Li had also recorded the history of the Amazon Queen's tribe in detail, but just because it was detailed didn't mean it was authoritative.
There were two mainstream interpretations of the Amazon tribe's history.
First, they were originally ordinary people in this world who, through some adventure, stumbled upon these ancient ruins. They made it their home, and as time passed, their bodies were influenced by the ruins, turning them into a powerful warrior race. Later, when the outside world learned of them, they were reminded of the Amazon warriors of ancient myth and began to call them by that name.
The second theory was that after the ancient world was destroyed, all of humanity at the time perished. However, a very small number of humans escaped the destruction and fell into a long slumber. Years later, they awoke, and they were the ancestors of the Amazon warrior tribe. They then procreated with men from the outside world, giving birth to female warriors for generations, which is why the warriors of the Amazon Kingdom have a bloodline closer to that of ancient humans.
Regarding these two views, even His Highness Jiang Li could not determine which was correct. Furthermore, he couldn't figure out why they guarded the pyramid. However, Jiang Li had secretly infiltrated the Amazon Kingdom, even managing to enter the lower levels of the pyramid. For him to have infiltrated a nation with such strong female warriors, deep into enemy territory, and to have left without his identity as a man ever being discovered—he was truly a remarkable person. Unlike Shen Lang, he had relied on his outstanding martial arts to infiltrate. Shen Lang, of course, had relied on his stunning face, which was nothing to be ashamed of.
In his records, Jiang Li was extremely certain that the Amazon Kingdom would suffer a fatal catastrophe. He had even added a very detailed opinion on the matter, spanning over ten thousand characters. Shen Lang studied it several times and found it to be very plausible. Furthermore, after running the calculations himself several times, he was convinced that the moment of great collapse Jiang Li spoke of would arrive.
Shen Lang was naturally suspicious and didn't blindly believe everything he saw in Jiang Li's materials. Even though he was someone who loved to benefit from the work of others, he still researched many ancient texts, cross-referenced a large amount of data, and performed his own calculations. In the end, his final judgment was the same. The Amazon Kingdom was destined to face a fatal disaster.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to conquer this powerful tribe, and Shen Lang had come here to seize it. His coming here certainly seemed like a risk, but if his and Jiang Li's calculations were not wrong, he was bound to succeed. If, however, they were both wrong, it would be an instant game over for Shen Lang in this world.
***
The Amazon Kingdom had few secrets, and Shen Lang was a celebrity. He had first appeared as an angel, saving countless people from sickness and pain, only to later be revealed as a man. And now, he was a criminal of the Amazon Kingdom. Almost no one spoke of him, and no one believed his words were true. The Amazon Kingdom was so strong, how could it be destroyed? Besides, the pyramid was an ancient ruin that had stood tall for countless ages without collapsing. How could it be annihilated? The Aska Empire had fallen, and the Seirun Dynasty had fallen twice, but the Amazon Kingdom stood as firm as a mountain. For thousands of years, this nation had not even suffered any natural disasters, as if it were protected by the gods. So how absurd and dream-like Shen Lang's prophecy must have sounded.
"He's a dead man!"
Everyone knew that the final hour would come in twenty-four shichen. A day and a half had already passed, leaving only half a day more. His death would be certain. By the moment the sun fell into the sea today, if no sign of the great collapse appeared in the Amazon Kingdom, Shen Lang would be publicly executed.
More and more people flocked to the square, waiting for the final hour to arrive. A massive execution platform stood in the square, where Shen Lang was scheduled to be publicly executed. Over ten thousand Amazon warriors surrounded the area. They had come to be witnesses to this event, not out of excitement to see an execution. Since Shen Lang had cursed the Amazon nation, they were naturally furious. Moreover, his infiltration in women's clothing was a profanity and an insult to the will of their ancestors. But Shen Lang had, after all, saved many people, and just a few days ago, he had been a being like an angel. Of course, Shen Lang had committed an unforgivable crime, and now, no one could save his life. They had come to send him off, in a way, to hold a grand memorial service for him.
***
Queen Eda knelt silently in the grand hall of the palace on the eighth floor of the pyramid, not moving a muscle. It seemed as if she were praying, or perhaps meditating. The sun was already sinking in the west. Princess Dora stood by the window the entire time, watching the sun. When that sun fell into the sea, Shen Lang would die.
"Your Majesty, must we really execute him? Must we kill someone who has shown us such great kindness?"
Princess Dora asked. Queen Eda remained silent. She didn't want to, either, but now, no one could stop any of this from happening. The entire nation knew. If Shen Lang was not killed when the sun set, despite the great collapse he spoke of not occurring, the laws of the nation would instantly crumble, and they might even incur the wrath of their ancestors and the gods. Now, no one could save Shen Lang.
Queen Eda said.
"He is a genius, but he is even more of a madman. In a way, death for him might not be a punishment, but a ritual for a seeker of truth. He was certain the great collapse would occur, and he was willing to pay the price with his life. According to the Eastern world's view, this is giving one's life for a cause they believe in, so it is not entirely a sad thing."
Princess Dora said.
"I just hope he doesn't die. It would be a great loss for such an interesting person to die."
At Princess Dora's words, Queen Eda said no more. Just because she didn't want Shen Lang to die, she couldn't possibly wish for a great collapse to come and destroy the Amazon Kingdom, could she? That was impossible. This nation had existed for ages, since before the new history of the Western world began. So even if all the surrounding nations were to fall, the Amazon Kingdom would still remain unscathed.
***
The time was almost up. The sun was setting in the west. The so-called great collapse had not yet arrived, and Shen Lang felt a slight chill. His saying twenty-four shichen was an extremely, extremely safe estimate. According to his and Jiang Li's calculations, the great collapse should have occurred within sixteen shichen. Shen Lang by no means wanted a miraculous event to happen at the last minute. That would be no different from gambling with his life. But now, twenty-two shichen had passed, and the great collapse had not occurred.
Did something go wrong along the way? Did some variable change? Or were his and Jiang Li's calculations wrong? That couldn't be. Shen Lang had calculated it at least ten times, and the result was the same every time. According to the calculations, the great collapse should have happened four shichen ago.
"Damn it! Heavens, don't mess with me. Someone's going to die."
Shen Lang quickly ran the calculations again on his computer, and they were still not wrong. The great collapse should have already occurred four shichen ago. Why was there still not the slightest sign? Just then, Princess Dora and the High Priestess entered with a dozen warriors. Princess Dora said.
"Shen Lang, the time is almost here, so we will take you to the execution ground. You have shown us kindness, so you may choose the manner of your death. Choose the most painless way to die."
Shen Lang thought for a moment, then replied.
"Burn me."
Hearing this, Princess Dora was startled. Wasn't that the most painful way to die?
"Can you give me a quarter of an hour? I need to prepare myself before I die."
Princess Dora nodded and left the room, and the High Priestess also departed. Since they were about to execute Shen Lang anyway, they had to provide a final humanitarian gesture. Shen Lang once again applied a fire-retardant gel all over his body, put on an asbestos mask, and wrapped himself in three layers of asbestos clothing. Finally, he put on one of Ning Luona's magnificent skirts. This time, the execution was in a public square, so he couldn't escape by jumping into the water. If the great collapse still hadn't occurred at the final moment, Shen Lang intended to stage a miracle of not being burned to death to try and salvage the situation. Of course, that was the worst-case scenario, and he hoped it wouldn't come to that.
***
A quarter of an hour later. Shen Lang was led out of the tightly sealed room and brought to the tall, large execution platform in the main square. He was bound with special ropes, but his hands were free to spread apart. Firewood was piled beneath the platform, and below, ten thousand Amazon warriors surrounded it, their expressions solemn. It was as if they had come not to watch an execution, but to conduct a funeral. They all clasped their hands, closed their eyes, and recited eulogies. Burning Shen Lang brought them no satisfaction, but for some reason, they could not stop this judgment. Many of the people here did not want to kill Shen Lang, but they had no choice but to kill him. They all just quietly waited for the final moment to arrive.
For the first time, Queen Eda ascended to the highest peak of the pyramid. From there, the sun would set the latest over the sea, which would buy more time. She quietly watched the sunset over the water. Once the sun had completely disappeared into the sea, she would give the order to light the fire and execute Shen Lang.
Shen Lang said nothing, his eyes closed, continuing to calculate like a madman. He calculated three more times, and the result was still the same. The great collapse should have occurred three shichen ago. Now, at most, there was only about a shichen left until the sun set. If the great collapse did not occur by then, Shen Lang would have no choice but to face death.
His mind raced. A transverse wave of this magnitude over a straight-line distance of a thousand kilometers would travel at a speed of at least 3.5 kilometers per second. It should have reached the Amazon Kingdom in six minutes at most. Why hadn't the inevitable happened? There must have been some kind of variable. Who could have stopped this collapse from happening? No, that was impossible. This was a force of nature; how could it be stopped? So what on earth had happened that prevented the inevitable?
The sun sank lower and lower, and the footsteps of death drew ever closer. The ten thousand people gathered in the square began to recite the eulogy aloud. The High Priestess prepared a ritual dance for Shen Lang. It was a dance to send him off. Time ticked by, drawing ever closer to the final moment when Shen Lang would be burned to death.
But just then, on Nightmare Island, two thousand eight hundred *li* to the north, the long-awaited event finally occurred.