Amazon Lily lay in the Calm Belt. It was a small island; in Rubick's eyes, it was probably smaller than Sky Island.
No wonder the Amazons had to become pirates and raid other ships. Otherwise, they had no way to obtain supplies.
What was more, they always sailed out to capture men, returning home only after they became pregnant. Every child they bore was a girl. This way of reproducing was primitive, but it could be changed.
After all, who would choose to become a pirate if she could live comfortably?
At the center of a ring of stone pillars lay a broad stretch of farmland. The Amazons relied on that limited land to grow food and scrape by.
The fields made up the Outer City. Beyond them, a massive wall protected the Inner City. Its tightly packed houses sheltered ordinary people, while the strong chose to build their homes along the surrounding walls.
The buildings had a distinctly Dragon Kingdom style, with pavilions and towers of every kind. Some people had even carved tunnels through the walls to use as passages.
At the highest point in the center of the Inner City stood an Arena. Below it, facing the northern gate, was Hancock's Royal Palace.
Only a monarch could have built something so grand that it rose higher than a mountain.
Rubick had already slipped inside once. He had found only an old woman, with no sign of Hancock or anyone else. She was probably still out at sea as a pirate.
The next day, Rubick spotted a Warship approaching Amazon Lily in the distance. He perked up. The Navy had come to summon Hancock, which meant she would be back soon.
He slipped into Hancock's chambers and waited for her on the top floor.
After refusing Vice Admiral