“Aunt, Yan Mo is dead,” Suo Lun said.
Upon hearing these words, Yan Chuo’er upon the griffin beast merely trembled slightly. There was not much grief in her gaze.
After all, she had once lost her memory.
To Yan Chuo’er, Yan Mo was like a child she had never seen since birth. There was a natural bond of blood, yet the mother-son affection built over a long period had been forgotten completely.
All of Yan Chuo’er’s emotions had been rebuilt almost entirely after her memory loss.
So at this moment in her heart, Yan Xue’er was family, Suo Lun was family, Suo Ningbing was family, and Qin Qin was also family.
Yan Mo was perhaps merely a son she had almost never seen, and the one time she had seen him, it had been most unpleasant.
However, Yan Mo was after all her biological son. Hearing of his death, Yan Chuo’er still felt something blocking her heart.
After a long while, Yan Chuo’er said softly, “Suo Lun, you need not feel any apology toward me. It was Yan Mo who first abandoned us. It was he who first abandoned familial affection.”
These words were not wrong. It had always been Yan Mo who wronged Suo Lun, oppressing him again and again.
Even in this great battle, Suo Lun had merely passively counterattacked.
Then, Yan Chuo’er continued flying forward and landed upon the Thunder Archipelago.
“We pay respects to Her Majesty the Queen.” All the Yan commoners, all the Yan Pirates, knelt down in unison.
Yan Chuo’er looked at the Yan commoners kneeling across the ground and could not help but sigh inwardly. Once over a hundred thousand Yan commoners, now only about half remained.
Glancing back at Suo Lun, the breathtakingly beautiful Queen Yan Chuo’er walked gracefully forward toward the Yan King Palace atop the mountain.
As she walked between the stairs, her magically seductive curves became even more like mountains and valleys rising and falling, utterly enchanting.
…
“Please, Your Majesty, return to your throne!”
“Please, Your Majesty, return to your throne!”
The island lords and cave lords of the Yan commoners had mostly died. Those remaining who could represent the Yan commoners were merely these Yan Pirate warrior chiefs.
Over a hundred Yan Pirate warrior chiefs knelt down, requesting Yan Chuo’er to return to her throne.
Yan Chuo’er sat upon the throne and said, “I have come this time to represent Lord Suo Lun in offering you surrender terms!”
Upon hearing these words, the expressions of the Yan Pirate warrior chiefs present changed greatly. They had not expected Queen Yan Chuo’er to speak so directly.
Immediately, a Yan Pirate warrior chief said, “Your Majesty the Queen, our Yan Pirates are invincible under heaven. Why must you look upon others’ faces and submit beneath them?”
Yan Chuo’er said indifferently, “How did we Yan commoners come to be?”
The entire hall fell into silence. The history of the Yan commoners was too long and had become somewhat unclear.
Yan Chuo’er said, “It was because of Yan Island, because of the Sea God, because of an endless supply of fresh water, that we Yan commoners came to be. The so-called Yan commoners were at first merely a group of ordinary pirates who discovered Yan Island and settled there. Later, because of two traditions, our Yan Clan grew strong and became invincible across the seas for over a thousand years.”
The two traditions. The first tradition, the Yan Pirates lived by plundering. The second, Yan women would go ashore to select the finest and strongest human men to borrow seed from, bearing the most powerful and excellent children.
It was precisely because of these two traditions that the Yan Pirates had dominated the seas for over a thousand years.
Yan Chuo’er said, “With Yan Island, with the Sea God, came the Yan Clan. Now our Sea God is dead, our Yan Island has collapsed, so there is no longer a Yan Clan. We are the last generation of the Yan Clan.”
Yan Chuo’er’s words were incomparably cold and cruel, yet they were absolute truth.
Immediately, all the Yan commoners present could not help but shed tears.
Immediately, a Yan Pirate warrior said unwillingly, “As long as we have powerful combat strength, as long as we have supreme honour, we are still the Yan Clan.”
Yan Chuo’er said coldly, “But even in naval warfare, the Yan Pirates have already become outdated and obsolete!”
These words were even more icy, like knives stabbing into the hearts of the Yan Pirates present.
Yet there was completely no rebuttal to be spoken.
Indeed, even as a navy, the Yan Pirates had already become outdated. Otherwise, how could a hundred thousand troops have been beaten into utter defeat by Suo Lun’s twenty-five thousand naval troops, suffering a defeat that was nearly humiliating.
Yan Chuo’er said, “This time, Suo Lun nominally had twenty-five thousand naval troops, but the true new-style navy consisted merely of three large cannon ships. What if in the future there are ten, fifteen, or even twenty?”
Many Yan Pirates present thought of Suo Lun’s three large cannon warships, massive as small mountains, each ship carrying dozens of cannons. Even in boarding and melee combat, they could not jump aboard at all.
If in the future it became ten, twenty ships, with five or six hundred cannons firing simultaneously.
The moment they imagined that scene, all the Yan Pirates present shuddered with fear.
Yan Chuo’er said, “And the new-style warships Suo Lun is about to build will have even greater tonnage and even more cannons. By then, will there still be any room for your survival upon the seas? Upon the seas, you have already become outdated, already been eliminated.”
Immediately, the Yan Pirates present became even more grief-stricken and anguished.
“If they can have cannon warships, why can’t we?” a Yan Pirate warrior chief said.
Yan Chuo’er said, “In this world, only one person can possess cannon warships, and that is Suo Lun. Moreover, once Yan Pirates begin operating cannons, would they still be Yan Pirates? How many characters do you recognise? Do you understand geometry, understand ballistics?”
The entire hall fell into deathly silence.
“Your Majesty the Queen, then… then do we truly have no future, should we simply perish?” an elderly Yan Pirate warrior said tremblingly.
“No, you have a future.” Yan Chuo’er said, “We people of the Yan Clan are filled with fighting spirit, filled with honour. We are united in heart, brave and unafraid of death, even actively pursuing death upon the battlefield. Upon the seas you may fight one against two, but upon land you can fight one against three. Your future is not upon the seas, but upon land. You will become the overlords of land legions! In the future, within the human kingdoms, so long as the Yan Clan legion is mentioned, your enemies will flee in terror at the mere news.”
These words once again made the Yan Pirates present burn with fervour.
Yan Chuo’er said, “The Yan Clan as a maritime people has perished, but as a land people, the Yan Clan will still exist, and grow ever stronger!”
Immediately, a Yan Pirate warrior chief said, “Then we shall charge onto land and win a vast territory for Your Majesty the Queen.”
Yan Chuo’er said, “But I only wish to pledge loyalty to my family.”
“What is good about pledging loyalty to Suo Lun? Why submit beneath another’s roof?” a Yan Pirate warrior said displeased.
“No, I am not pledging loyalty to Suo Lun. I am pledging loyalty to family.” Yan Chuo’er said, “When I leaped into the endless abyss to sacrifice myself to the Sea God, Suo Lun returned to the Yan King Palace to save me and was ultimately kicked into the ten-thousand-zhang abyss by Yan Mo. After entering the Sea God’s belly, it was also Suo Lun who once again saved my life. He is my saviour, my liege lord, and also my family. You ask me to stand independently, to betray him? Where then is your honour?”
Immediately, all the Yan Pirate warriors present were utterly dejected.
Yan Chuo’er said, “Now under Suo Lun’s command, there are already ten thousand Yan Pirates. He has just captured over twenty thousand more. If you surrender, then fifty thousand Yan Pirates will once again be gathered together. Suo Lun will reorganise you into a Yan Pirate legion, equipping you with the lightest and finest armour, wielding the finest curved blades. He will lead you to defeat the three strongest legions of the Furious Wave Kingdom and occupy the entire Furious Wave Kingdom. Moreover, after he ascends to the regent’s throne, he will also lead you to conquer the vast and boundless Southern Barbarian Continent. To kill the barbarians there clean, burn them clean, loot them clean, rape them clean!”
When these words were spoken, the eyes of the Yan commoners present glowed.
“Will you rot away in the Thunder Archipelago, or follow Suo Lun to open up new territories, to kill, burn, and loot, to establish merit and build careers?” the Yan Queen asked.
These words instantly made the Yan Pirates present burn with fervour.
The over a hundred Yan Pirate warrior chiefs present exchanged glances with one another, then bowed and said, “Your Majesty the Queen, we need to discuss this privately. In half an hour, we shall give you our reply.”
“Very well.” Yan Chuo’er directly left the great hall and headed toward the bedchamber rooms in the rear.
…
Half an hour later, the Yan Pirate warrior chiefs present had finished their discussion.
“Your Majesty the Queen, we are willing to lead the entire Yan Clan to surrender to Lord Suo Lun,” a warrior chief said. “But there are several conditions.”
Yan Chuo’er said, “Speak!”
“The first condition,” the Yan Pirate warrior chief said. “The Yan Clan must still remain whole. We want a separate overseas island as our territory. Only Yan commoners may live upon this territory. No other person may enter. And the Yan Clan must still maintain distance from the mainland, with no intermarriage.”
Yan Chuo’er said, “Agreed.”
“The second condition,” the Yan Pirate warrior chief said. “We Yan Clan warriors shall still live by war and plunder, not engaging in production.”
Yan Chuo’er said, “Agreed.”
Because only thus could the Yan Clan maintain their incomparably powerful combat strength. The ancient Greek city-state of Sparta was somewhat similar to a professional warrior race, though still not as pure as the Yan Clan.
“The third condition,” the Yan Pirate warrior chief said. “Our Yan women must still borrow seed from the finest and strongest human men, to bear the strongest offspring!”
Yan Chuo’er’s beautiful eyes furrowed slightly, then she nodded and said, “Agreed. Any other conditions?”
“The fourth condition,” the Yan Pirate warrior chief said. “The supreme commander of the Yan Pirate legion must be Your Majesty the Queen. All generals of the fifty thousand Yan Pirate troops must also be Yan Pirate warriors. We will not pledge loyalty directly to Suo Lun. We pledge loyalty to you, and you pledge loyalty to Lord Suo Lun. But rest assured, we swear by our blood and honour that with a single command, we will fight for Suo Lun.”
Yan Chuo’er said, “Regarding this condition, I have no authority to agree, but I can relay it to Lord Suo Lun.”
“The fifth condition, and the final one,” the Yan Pirate warrior chief said. “Your Majesty the Queen must form a marriage alliance with Lord Suo Lun, bearing a powerful and excellent child to become the next generation Yan King. Without a new Yan King, we cannot see hope and direction for the future. Without a marriage alliance, we dare not surrender and pledge loyalty!”
Upon hearing these words, Yan Chuo’er’s lovely figure trembled violently.
…
By dawn the next day, Yan Chuo’er had finally finished negotiations with the Yan Pirates.
The morning sun rose, and the Yan Queen descended gracefully, leaving the Yan King Palace and coming to the dock to mount her griffin beast, returning to Suo Lun’s flagship.
By now, Suo Lun had already been waiting in the cabin for quite some time.
Seeing the Yan Queen return, Suo Lun immediately brewed a cup of sweet wine and handed it to Yan Chuo’er.
Yan Chuo’er drank it, then smiled gently at Suo Lun and said, “Suo Lun, the Yan Pirates have agreed to surrender and are willing to pledge loyalty to you.”
Suo Lun’s heart was filled with great joy.
Just as Yan Chuo’er had said, the Yan Pirates had already become outdated upon the seas, but upon land, they would truly shine with brilliant colours.
The Yan Pirates feared no death, even actively pursuing death. Each and every one was agile of body, cruel and fierce, with profound martial arts. They were a true warrior race.
Once all fifty thousand Yan Pirates were reorganised into a land legion, Suo Lun was certain that even facing a hundred thousand troops, the fifty thousand Yan Pirate legion could still slaughter the enemy until they howled like ghosts and wailed like wolves.
Once he gained the loyalty of the entire Yan Clan, Suo Lun would truly possess a trump card legion in his hands. Unlike now, where most of Suo Lun’s army came from mercenaries, who recognised money above all and did not possess much honour.
Whereas the Yan Clan valued honour above life, even to the point of stubbornness.
Even facing total annihilation, they would not flee.
A few nights ago, the Lord of Black Reef Island had led a group to forcibly impeach Yan Mo. Originally, over a dozen island lords attacking together would have had a chance of victory, but these Yan Pirate island lords, for the sake of honour, insisted on fighting Yan Mo one by one, and in the end were killed cleanly by Yan Mo.
This was an army with combat strength, with discipline, with honour, and unafraid of death. It was the finest army in the world.
In modern terms, this was an army with a soul, the army Suo Lun truly dreamt of.
“But they have five conditions,” Yan Chuo’er said. “The first condition, they want to occupy an overseas island as their territory, far from the mainland, isolated from the world.”
“Agreed,” Suo Lun said.
“The second condition, the Yan Clan shall still live by combat and plunder, not engaging in production,” Yan Chuo’er said.
“Agreed,” Suo Lun said. “I was thinking the same.”
“The third condition, Yan women must still go ashore to select the finest and strongest men to borrow seed from, to bear the strongest offspring,” Yan Chuo’er said.
Suo Lun frowned. This tradition was somewhat inhumane, but it was the Yan Pirates themselves who proposed it. They did not even care about green hats, so it was difficult for Suo Lun to overstep his bounds.
The Hai Family was also of the Yan Clan, but they had completely abandoned this tradition, so their combat strength had completely fallen behind the Yan Clan.
“Agreed,” Suo Lun said.
“The fourth condition,” Yan Chuo’er said. “After reorganisation into the Yan Pirate legion, they want me to become the supreme commander of the Yan Pirate legion, and all generals of the Yan Pirate legion must be Yan Pirate warriors.”
“Agreed,” Suo Lun said straightforwardly.
In fact, the only people Suo Lun could truly trust completely now were the Suo Family warriors. All other mid-level and high-level generals pledged loyalty to Suo Lun because of his money and treatment. Their true loyalty might not even match that of the Yan Pirate warriors.
“The fifth condition, and the final one…” Yan Chuo’er suddenly became somewhat difficult to speak of.
Seeing his aunt’s expression, Suo Lun’s heart trembled. Could… could it be that condition?
Yan Chuo’er said, “They want you and me to form a marriage alliance, to bear the next generation heir for the Yan Clan. Only then will they dare to pledge loyalty with confidence.”
Upon hearing these words, Suo Lun’s expression changed dramatically.
Yan Chuo’er said, “The Yan Pirates are a very special race. They absolutely need a Yan King. Once the dragon is headless, they will lose their goals and direction. And this Yan King must be of the Yan Clan. They will not pledge loyalty directly to you. They will only pledge loyalty to the Yan King, and then have the Yan King pledge loyalty to you.”
This indirect loyalty could better guarantee the Yan Clan’s integrity and independence.
“Aunt, it is impossible,” Suo Lun said. “Setting aside that you were my father’s beloved, you also know that my mother has chilled my heart. In my heart, I have already regarded you as my mother. So a marriage alliance between you and me is impossible.”
Yan Chuo’er said gently, “I know your thoughts, but I have no such scruples. You also know that I lost my memory after all, forgetting everything from before completely, naturally including your father. All my emotions were rebuilt after my memory loss. I also regard you as my own child, but if you ask me to form a marriage alliance with you to bear the next generation, I am also willing.”
Suo Lun shook his head resolutely and said, “It cannot be done. I would rather not have the Yan Clan’s loyalty than absolutely do such a thing.”