Chapter 55

Under the emergency treatment of Gordon and Dale, the Tidal Clan girl regained consciousness.

Tidal Clan girl: "You are... (noticing her wounds were all bandaged) Did you save me?"

Gordon: "You little girl, asking such obvious questions. If not us, who else would save you, that captain? Did you get hit on the head?"

Tidal Clan girl: "But aren't you mercenaries? Aren't you from the same group that destroyed our village?"

Dale: "Don't lump me in with those dog slaves."

Tidal Clan girl: "You, you are a pure Amazonian... Are you loyal to Queen Hippolyta or the new queen, Persephone?"

Dale: "Does it matter who I'm loyal to? The disagreement between them is so ridiculous that it even sparked this civil war, plunging the peaceful Paradise Island into the vortex of war." (with a look of disdain)

Tidal Clan girl: "So you are an Amazonian ronin warrior who has left your tribe... You're right, the cause of this civil war is truly ridiculous, just a public debate about whether to open up to the outside world and interact with the patriarchal society. I still can't understand how they ended up fighting a civil war over this."

Gordon: "Do you still want to understand their thinking? That's nonsense. I'll tell you, these are all excuses for their power struggles. It's just that later on, neither side could control the situation, leading to the outbreak of the civil war."

Tidal Clan girl: "Power struggles? No, in the past, similar debates happened countless times without any incidents. Queen Hippolyta could always control the situation perfectly, and both sides in the debates knew how to restrain themselves, not escalating internal tribal conflicts to an uncontrollable level."

Gordon: "That's because neither side found the right trigger before. This time, the debate topic was too sharp, and both sides couldn't compromise again."

Tidal Clan girl: "Not really. From what I know, Queen Hippolyta's faction believes that 'Amazonians are warriors who, in ancient times, fought hard to escape the oppression and rule of men, moved the goddess Hera to bless them with a life of peace and beauty, and a paradise island far from the mortal world. Today's happy life was bought with blood, so we should not interact with the patriarchal world or fall in love with men; we cannot forget the pain of history.' On the other hand, Persephone's faction believes that 'although we have received these benefits, Amazonian women have lost the right to form families and bear children. Yes, Amazonians are warriors, but they are also women, and it is natural for women to pursue these things. Moreover, so much time has passed since the tragedy; men may have changed, and it is time to rebuild a bridge of communication between men and women.' From the perspective of the debate, arguing about these things is like having too much free time. If anyone wants to go out and find a man, they can. The Pacific Ocean isn't covered. Our tribe thought this was just another debate game that Amazonians held out of boredom, to pass the time. No one expected things to escalate to this point. What happened to make the situation get out of control?"

Dale: "Sigh, you are from the Tidal Clan, so you don't know the inside story."

I (voiceover): "The inside story? Isn't it just a bunch of lesbians and heterosexuals not getting along, leading to a fight?"

Tidal Clan girl: "Inside story? What inside story?"

Dale: "The focus of the conflict between Hippolyta and Persephone is not policy but a man."

Tidal Clan girl: "A man? Different views on the patriarchal world?"

Dale: "No, a specific man—Ares, the God of War."

Gordon: "So the war started because of a love triangle? Two women fighting over a man? What kind of script is this, a direct copy of the Iliad?"

Dale: "Yes, it's that simple a reason."

Tidal Clan girl: "Impossible. It's well known that Ares, the God of War, was sealed by the goddess Hera and is a prisoner on Paradise Island. Queen Hippolyta, under divine command, has been guarding him for nearly a thousand years. How could he be a lover?"

Dale: "Why not? They were not only lovers but also had a son (Note: animation plot). This is a well-known fact among Amazonians. Persephone, who was also responsible for guarding Ares, is the reason they fell out. Do you understand now?"

Tidal Clan girl: "..." (shocked)

Gordon: "Queen Hippolyta found out that her man was having an affair with Persephone?"

Dale: "Not just an affair, they secretly had a daughter. That's why Hippolyta wanted to kill Persephone and her daughter. Persephone, of course, wouldn't sit idly by and revealed all the sordid details of her time with Ares, inciting her supporters to rebel. Ares, to gain his freedom, also testified and provided evidence to expose Hippolyta's true nature, leading to the outbreak of the civil war."

Gordon: "What evidence?"

Dale: "Hippolyta's undergarments."

I (voiceover): "Sigh, Queen Hippolyta, in the name of righteousness, forbade other Amazonian women from pursuing their happiness as women, demanding abstinence. Yet she herself ignored her own rules, indulging in nightly pleasures, deceiving everyone for a thousand years. No wonder everyone was incited to rebel."

Tidal Clan girl: "That doesn't make sense. If the Amazonians knew about the past between Ares and Queen Hippolyta, why would they trust her to guard him? Wouldn't they fear that their relationship would rekindle, and Hippolyta would secretly release Ares?"

Dale: "First, it was a divine command from the goddess Hera, which we cannot oppose. Second, in ancient times, Hippolyta, leading the Amazonian tribe in the war against men (mainly Ares), killed her child with Ares and captured him. If not for Zeus and Hera intervening to plead for their son, Ares would have been killed by her. So everyone thought they had completely fallen out and were mortal enemies, and no one suspected that their feelings would rekindle. As for why you didn't know the truth, I guess it's because they didn't want to air their dirty laundry. After all, a civil war causing such heavy casualties starting over two women fighting over a man would be a huge embarrassment for the Amazonian tribe."

Tidal Clan girl: "The truth is like this... No wonder Princess Diana didn't stand by her mother's side during the civil war but chose to resign as governor and leave the tribe, becoming an Amazonian ronin warrior, leading a group of sisters who also refused to fight the civil war away from Paradise Island. She truly is the embodiment of benevolence."

Gordon: "What benevolence? She just didn't want to take sides and ran away. As a result, she left you Tidal Clan people in the midst of the civil war, abandoning her duties as governor."

I (voiceover): "It's not just that, right? Wasn't she also preserving her strength, waiting for both sides to wear each other down, then returning to clean up the mess and reap the benefits? Afterward, she could take the crown and replace both Hippolyta and Persephone."

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