Chapter 20

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Chapter 20: Amazon

Amazonians are humans.

They are a minority group among the Aryans, not particularly secluded. Amazonians have their own kingdom and queen but no fixed land; the warrior women armed with bows wander through forests, traveling as a way of life. Departing from their tribe, Amazon warrior women are popular choices as mercenaries for adventure squads. Being mostly neutral, they are not loved or hated more than other groups.

However, that was hundreds of years ago; now, the only countries on Earth are Aryan, ruled by humans who consider the hunted to be what they call demons.

Tasha could sense Victor’s mockery, but if the "demons" that human armies were preparing to besiege were actually Amazonian humans, she wouldn’t be particularly shocked or disappointed. In her former world, only humans were regarded as intelligent beings, and wars have been occurring repeatedly.

The ghost continued to follow the female hunter until they reached her home. As signs of human activity became evident and the surroundings opened up, the female hunter’s vigilant stance relaxed. The outline of a village in the forest appeared, and someone ran towards them happily, greeting with, "Sister!"

The call was in a language everyone could understand, and Tasha heard it clearly. As the person approached, his tall, thin figure with a youthful face became clearer. The female hunter softened her expression and said, "Alan."

Despite looking only around fourteen or fifteen years old, this person’s gender was unmistakable. He had chest muscles, not breasts, and a youthful face with strong features – he was a boy. The female hunter’s brother quickly approached, whistling in admiration for his sister’s catch.

Sensing Tasha’s questioning gaze, Victor argued, "I never said it had to be an Amazonian."

"Are Amazons only female?" Tasha asked. "What about male Amazons?"

"They reproduce with men outside their tribe but only have girls. Boys are either returned to their fathers or abandoned. Males are considered inferior in Amazon society, and they are never allowed to live in Amazon territories… Even the most extreme patriarchal society does not go to such lengths, after all, men cannot give birth."

The boy walked openly and proudly beside his sister back to their tribe, clearly not abandoned.

Spirits hovered over the village, observing its members. The village was large, with warrior women carrying bows and arrows everywhere. Most of them were tall, strong, and agile. The males were scattered in different corners of the village, their numbers seemingly equal to the females, but none dressed as warriors. Most were seen handling weapons and prey. "Definitely not elves," Victor remarked after seeing how they handled their prey, "Listen to the prayers they offer to the hunting god and the symbols on the pillars."

However, confirming whether they were Amazons was not the most important thing. Tasha had released more than one spirit for reconnaissance, and only one had found the female hunter’s village so far. The vast number of people in this village outnumbered even the Craftsman Dwarfs settled in dungeons. If there were larger settlements in the Angaso Forest, Tasha would likely have found them by now.

The target the human army was getting ready to face was most likely here.

She did not directly talk to the village leader she found, Marion’s determination on their first meeting showed that a mysterious faceless ghost is not an ideal image for communication. Tasha had just discovered the location of the village, and she found Marion in the dungeon. The Worgen girl then took the Craftsman Dwarf with the red nose and they set off – being able to split up was convenient and saved time running back and forth.

Marion carried the red-nosed Craftsman Dwarf, who had seen the forest residents, on her back and set off lightly on the journey. The ghost could point out the closest road to the village in the woods, and Marion was as agile as the hunters. With this super-guide leading the way, Marion and the Dwarf crossed the maze-like forest and arrived at the female hunter’s village before nightfall.

Alan and his sister entered the village easily, where there seemed to be no guards. But when two mysterious travelers appeared at the tribe’s entrance, armed guards with bows and arrows emerged from nowhere. An arrow landed in front of them, Marion jumped up, and another arrow cut off their retreat.

"I mean no harm!" Marion raised her hands and stood still. "I am an outcast from the Wanderer Camp in the western wastelands, and I have a message for your leader!"

"Show your proof!" the leading warrior woman demanded, "Prove that you are not lying."

Marion took off her hood, revealing a pair of furry ears. Some young guards looked surprised, while the red-nosed Craftsman Dwarf jumped down from Marion’s back, waving his toolkit at the crowd.

"We met a few years ago! I recognize your bows, they all have the same color cow horn glued on the faces!" he said, "I brought the number three pliers and oh, this new grip too, now I can do even better!"

He pulled out a handful of tools, his eyes darting from one bow to another. "Is that you?" one dark-haired warrior woman in the guards said, she whispered a few words in the leader’s ear, which eased his expression.

"Oh, it’s you!" the red-nosed Dwarf said cheerfully, "You’re still so tall! How’s that bow holding up?"

"I won’t shrink." The person with dark short hair said with a hint of smile on their serious face, "Thank you, you’ve extended its lifespan for another year."

"That’s because I don’t have my handy tools with me." The proud but regretful person with a red nose said, "If I had my toolbox today, I could have made your bow last for another two or three years!"

The tense atmosphere between the two sides eased a bit due to the inappropriate conversation. Shortly after, the guards dispersed, and Marion and the other person were taken into a small house where they met a dignified woman in her thirties or forties. Her brown hair was neatly cut short, she was dressed like a warrior, with the only difference being a golden ornament on her forehead indicating her leadership. She asked, "Foreign guest, what brings you here?"

"Wanderer Camp was burned down about two weeks ago, and the human army is preparing to march towards Angaso Forest." Marion got straight to the point, "I think, perhaps you are their new target."

The other person’s expression became more serious, "If this is true, I won’t be surprised, they’ve never liked us from day one." She shook her head and said, "Thank you, we will verify this as soon as possible. If it’s true, your kindness will be rewarded."

"I don’t need any reward, someone else guided me to discover this and brought me here." Marion said, "Half of the residents of Wanderer Camp have been saved, they are now living in a safe place. I came here to ask, would you be willing to move to the place I mentioned?"

"A kind noble spirit?" the woman mocked.

"My master is not human." Marion said, "She is the mistress of a dungeon disconnected from the abyss. This is not a trap, if you don’t believe it, you can send someone to accompany me and see for yourself."

Tasha disappeared and floated next to Marion, conveying her words to the leader of the village. The word "dungeon" did not elicit a strong reaction, so the subsequent attempt to persuade with the fact of "no abyssal presence" was ineffective. After a moment of contemplation, the village leader shook her head.

"Thank you and your owner," she politely refused, "But Amazon never runs away from a fight."

"It’s really Amazon," Victor muttered in disbelief, saying men are never allowed to enter the land of Amazon, let alone live there. Tasha passed this question to Marion, the Worgen girl asked. In response to the question about "I heard there are only women in Amazon", the brown-haired Amazon Queen just smiled mockingly.

"In the past, we abandoned male babies, but now, we no longer have this ‘luxury’," she said, "Our numbers are now less than a tenth of what they used to be, each member is precious, so certain traditions need to change, too many minorities have disappeared in history. And when people think of Amazon, they don’t think of our archery, the glory and bravery guided by the Huntress, not the ancient history and unique civilization, but the abandoned male babies… For Amazon, there is nothing more ironic than this."

This female-respecting nation has compromised as time passed, they continue to exist, although not as glorious as before.

"I really don’t understand," Victor said, "If traditions can adapt for survival, why insist on the idea that ‘Amazon never runs away from a fight’? They are humans, and have given up their most criticized traditions in the past. If they simply lived in human cities, they wouldn’t be targeted now."

"In that case, ‘Amazon’ wouldn’t exist anymore, right," Tasha said.

"The name ‘Amazon’ may not exist," Victor corrected her, "They will live, their descendants will live alongside ordinary humans, without worrying about extinction. I thought joining the strong was an instinct for a better life, ah, getting rid of those brainwashed zealots and fanatics."

"No, the Amazon civilization will be swallowed up, disappear, become a legend, that’s what they refuse," Tasha shook her head, "But I can’t explain it to you, you can’t understand why those Abyss Worshippers and witches were against the abyss in the first place, nor can you understand why I like Ahuang."

"It’s impossible to understand, joining the abyss clearly brings great benefits, endless life and power," Victor rolled his eyes, "Why? Because the creatures of the Primary Material Plane like to make trouble with themselves? Because you think rats are cute?"

"There is only one reason," Tasha said, "we prefer free will over being well-treated puppets."