The Times Have Changed

Inside the Amazon royal palace.

Diana's beautiful eyes shone brightly as she naturally met the Amazon queen's gaze. She was like a female knight with proud, radiant wings, no longer the princess who had once been protected and doted on by every Amazon:

"Mother, when I was little, didn't you say that humans were the most miraculous creation of the gods—powerful artifacts with limitless potential?"

She paused, then said sincerely, "When I went to the outside human world, I had expectations at first, but I soon became utterly disappointed in humanity. So, I was actually the one who exiled myself. I chose to remain in that world to seek an answer for my heart."

"You found it?" The furrow in Hippolyta's brow eased as she looked calmly at her only daughter.

"Yes, I understand now what you said back then." Diana smiled faintly. "Xi Nian is the miracle I chose, and he is also the answer I wanted to find."

Hippolyta fell silent for a moment before softly asking, "You have that much confidence in him?"

Diana's heroic brows spread like drawn sword blades as she said seriously, "I have confidence in myself. That is why I made this decision."

She gently held her mother's hand and whispered, "Mother, you won't blame me, will you?"

"Of course not." Hippolyta shook her head and looked at her. "You are my daughter. No matter what decision you make, I will support you."

Just then.

General Antiope stormed in from outside the palace entrance. The moment she crossed the threshold, she said in a low voice, "I disagree!"

"Antiope." Hippolyta raised her eyes and glanced at her.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" Antiope dropped to one knee in the palace hall, then repeated her stance. "I disagree with Princess Diana's choice! She is the princess of our Amazon people. How can she stake everything she has on a weak, young human?"

She could not understand it, nor could she accept it!

"Antiope." Diana was about to speak, but Hippolyta patted the back of her hand and said to Antiope, "You still have that fiery temper. Do you remember Diana when she was young?"

Antiope frowned tightly, not knowing what the queen meant.

Hippolyta softly recounted, "When Diana was little, she liked to sneak off and watch you and the Amazon warriors train every day. Because I loved her, I did not want her to become a warrior, so I reprimanded her many times and publicly forbade Diana from touching weapons."

"But in the end, didn't she still secretly go train with you?"

"This..." Antiope opened her mouth, but stopped herself.

"I think you know it well in your heart." Hippolyta sighed. "You and I could not control Diana when she was little, so how could we control the choices she makes now that she has grown up? You say she is exceptional and outstanding. This is the decision she has made now, so how can you question her?"

Antiope fell completely silent.

Her fists clenched tightly, then gradually loosened as she helplessly said, "I... I respect Princess Diana's decision."

From the moment Amazon Queen Hippolyta and General Antiope ceased their opposition, no one on Themyscira could question Diana's choice any longer.

This also meant that Xi Nian's identity and standing on Themyscira would rise to the same level as Amazon Princess Diana's.

Diana suddenly said, "Antiope, there is one more thing I want to ask of you. It concerns Xi Nian."

Queen Hippolyta was slightly stunned. Entrusting something involving Xi Nian to Antiope—was that really reliable?

Antiope raised a brow and said, "Princess Diana, please speak."

Diana softly said, "I want Xi Nian to..."

Inside an ancient building.

Xi Nian lay starving and limp on the bed in the little dark room when clear footsteps suddenly echoed from the corridor outside.

Someone finally came!

Xi Nian abruptly sat up and saw the female guard from earlier hurry in with a set of clothes in her hands. "Your Highness, hurry and change into these. General Antiope wants to see you!"

"Is it time to eat?" Xi Nian took the clothes the guard handed him and, without another thought, stripped off his shirt, frightening the female guard into rushing outside in a panic.

"What's the big deal? It's not like you've never seen a man before." Xi Nian muttered as he changed into the clothes and headed outside the ancient building.

He walked out through the ancient building's long, dark corridor.

Reaching the entrance, Xi Nian felt as though he had seen daylight again. He looked down at the clothes he had just changed into. At least this time, they were proper men's clothes—a brown linen short-sleeved shirt on top and cuffed trousers below for easy movement, also bearing the characteristics of ancient Greek attire.

Still, these cuffed trousers looked newly altered and stitched. Even the loose threads were new!

Before Xi Nian could think further, hoofbeats and neighing sounded ahead. A troop of female cavalry swiftly appeared before the ancient building by the cliff.

Naturally, the one leading them on a black horse was General Antiope.

Antiope looked toward Xi Nian at the entrance, quietly gave the female guard a few instructions, then said to the female cavalry behind her, "Bring him a horse."

A horse?

Xi Nian watched as a female rider led a sturdy, handsome white horse before him, and the corner of his mouth could not help twitching.

Ma'am, the times had changed!

Couldn't they use some modern transportation?

Seeing Antiope and the female knights all watching him, Xi Nian could only stare wide-eyed at the white horse in front of him.

The female guard seemed to notice his awkwardness and stepped forward to ask, "Your Highness, do you need help mounting the horse?"

"Then I'll have to trouble you." Xi Nian was deeply moved, and then he flew—

The female guard directly hurled him two or three meters into the air, sending him down onto the white horse's back.

The white horse was startled. Carrying Xi Nian, it wildly kicked off with all four legs and shot away like an arrow released from a bow.

"Move!" Antiope kicked her feet against her horse's sides and led the female cavalry after the white horse.

Surrounded by the female cavalry, the white horse began to slow to a walk. Xi Nian, still shaken, sat in the saddle. Fortunately, he had grabbed the reins in time, or he would have been flung off long ago.

Once he caught his breath atop the white horse, Xi Nian realized the cavalry had not slowed down out of consideration for him. They had entered the town area of Themyscira!

Smooth, broad white stone roads wound along the mountain paths, with countless white buildings rising on both sides.

As the female cavalry escorted Xi Nian through the town streets, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of local residents dressed in white skirts, along with armed warriors standing guard throughout the area, all came to the roadside to watch Xi Nian in the middle of the formation with strange looks in their eyes.

Xi Nian suddenly felt as though he had visited his girlfriend's family for the first time and been surrounded by every aunt and relative for inspection.

This was no longer just a group of relatives—it was an entire tribe, an entire race!

And that was not even the main point.

The main point was that every single one of them was female! Not a single male! And there were no elderly women whose beauty had faded with age!!!

Xi Nian finally understood why the men's clothes on him had been newly stitched. It was because men's clothing was not needed on this island.

Themyscira?

They might as well rename it the Kingdom of Women!