She stood in silence, like an ice sculpture carved by the years, motionless in the river of time. Time seemed to be gripped tightly by an invisible hand, stretched out endlessly, every second as heavy as a thousand years. The oasis below lay dead silent, as though someone had pressed pause. Even the wild, swirling sand held its breath, afraid to disturb this sacred and solemn moment.
At last, beneath countless watchful eyes, Queen Medusa slowly, ever so slightly... nodded, like the brightest meteor streaking across the night sky. The movement was as gentle as a falling feather, yet weighed a thousand catties. There was no clamor of words, no grand announcement—just one simple gesture, yet it struck like thunder, stirring waves in every heart.
"Her Majesty... agreed?!" Yue Mei's snake-shaped longsword clattered to the ground. Its crisp ring was especially jarring in the deathly silence, but she didn't even notice. She instinctively covered her mouth, her eyes brimming with utter shock and joy, her gaze seeming to pierce the air and preserve this moment forever. After a brief silence, the other Snake-People Tribe elders and warriors burst into thunderous cheers, their voices breaking with tears, like flames suddenly set alight! Their cries surged like a roaring tsunami, sweeping across the entire oasis.
"Long live Her Majesty! Long live Elder Xiao!!" Their cries brimmed with boundless devotion and reverence, as though they would break through the heavens and move the world itself.
"Heaven bless our tribe! Heaven bless our tribe!!" Their voices held all the relief of having survived a catastrophe, as though they were telling the heavens of the Snake-People Tribe's resilience and indomitable spirit.
"Little Highness! Our Snake-People Tribe will have a little Highness!!" Their cheers overflowed with boundless hope and joy for the future, as though they