We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 339 [The Eternal Coffin (Imitation)] [Memory Miasma]

Xia En narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched the Great Yan Princess rise from the ice coffin.

Aside from that indescribable noble and transcendent aura, Xia En also sensed a subtle sense of oppression and threat emanating from her.

This suggests that the Great Yan Queen named "Dark Ice" may possess considerable strength herself.

The rank is at least sixth, and possibly even higher!
Xia En was not surprised by this.

Becoming the only princess consort of the Great Yan Kingdom is clearly not something a pretty face can achieve.

However, there was one thing that puzzled Xia En.

Yan Yan has been back in the Far North for some time now, so why did she only decide to awaken her after the rebels in the Black Flame Walker attacked Dark Ice?

Is there some hidden story behind this?
Suppressing the chaotic thoughts in his mind, Xia En spoke calmly.

"It was the Lord of Cinder who ordered you to be awakened."

"...The Lord of Cinder?"

Upon hearing this address, Anbing frowned: "It seems you are not a citizen of the Great Yan Kingdom..."

"Where is Yan Yan? Tell him to come see me!"

As she said this, Anbing gritted her teeth, her tone filled with intense resentment.

"He did that to me and my family... Does he really think I'll forgive him?!"

"……Um?"

Xia En's expression was somewhat strange; he sensed something melodramatic in those words.

Although it might seem like he was losing merit, to be honest, he was still very interested in the love-hate relationship between Yan Yan and the Great Yan Princess.

They were practically sitting there eating a slice of melon.

At this moment, the abnormal chill of the [Eternal Coffin] dissipated.

Irina and the injured Sergei also rushed to Shane and Dark Ice's side.

Upon seeing Dark Ice, the two immediately knelt on one knee and said with utmost respect, "[Black Flame Walker] Irina (Sergei) greets Your Highness!"

"【Black Flame Walker】... It's been a long time since I've heard that term."

Dark Ice's peripheral vision was quickly drawn to Joey, Daisy, and the others.

The diverse and fashionable clothing, the curious and scrutinizing gazes, the somewhat disrespectful expressions... all indicated that—

They are not citizens of the Great Yan Kingdom, but outsiders to this country!
Furthermore, why are there only two Black Flame Walkers?
What happened during the years she was asleep?
Thinking about these issues, Anbing couldn't help but feel a little flustered.

The unfamiliar environment, the unfamiliar era, the unfamiliar people... all these factors combined brought a considerable shock to this princess of the Great Yan Kingdom.

Dark Ice murmured, "Irina, how long have I been asleep?"

Irina hesitated for a moment, then replied, "It should have been at least a thousand years ago."

"millennium……"

Anbing's expression finally changed, and she asked in a slightly trembling voice.

"So, how is the Great Yan Kingdom?"

Irina's eyes reddened slightly as she replied, "Your Highness, the Great Yan Kingdom has fallen."

"All that's left are us remnants of the old era."

Anbing murmured in disbelief, "The Great Yan Kingdom...is it gone?"

"No...impossible!"

Upon hearing this devastating news, Anbing became agitated.

"Yan Yan lied to me? He clearly said that as long as the plan proceeded smoothly..."

Her voice stopped abruptly.

At that moment, a wave of dizziness washed over Anbing, and she collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness.

"Your Highness!!!"

Amidst gasps of surprise, Irina rushed forward to support her.

Irina breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that Dark Ice's breathing was still steady.

"Her Highness seems to have fainted, but... what happened?"

"Captain Shane, please help me."

Jane stepped forward and said, "Let me check on her."

Her cane gently touched Dark Ice, and azure light rippled across the water, spreading throughout Dark Ice's entire body.

Soon, after a brief examination, Jane provided an authoritative answer.

"Don't worry, she's not in any danger. She's just been asleep for too long and is very weak."

"In addition, the sudden emotional outburst led to a temporary coma."

"It should wake up on its own in a couple of days."

Upon hearing this, Irina felt a great sense of relief. If the princess she had finally managed to rescue were to fall into a deep sleep like this, how could she possibly face her king?
She looked at Shane with a mixture of amazement and gratitude.

"I never expected that Captain Xia En could actually awaken Her Highness the Princess."

"I apologize for my previous ignorance and thank you for your help."

Xia En waved his hand: "It was just a small favor."

Irina bit her lip and said, "Actually, I have another request..."

Seeing her troubled expression, Xia En simply said, "Should we escort this princess to the King of Xin?"

"Yes, it is."

Irina said, "We only have two people left now. The princess has fainted, and Sergei is seriously injured."

"Moreover, we cannot determine whether the reinforcements that have arrived are friend or foe..."

Their trail was discovered earlier, clearly because there was a traitor within the group.

This indicates that not only have these Blackflame Walkers, loyal to the Lord of Cinder, infiltrated the rebels, but the rebels themselves have also lurked within their ranks.

Therefore, Irina dared not rashly send back the information that the princess had been rescued.

What if the person who received the intelligence happens to be a spy from the Black Flame Walker? Wouldn't that mean all our efforts would be in vain?
Right now, the only person Irina and her companion can rely on is Shane.

"I understand. Leave it to me."

Shane's answer was calm and firm, yet it contained a powerful confidence.

Out of consideration for Yan Yan, it is only right to help the Black Flame Walker and the Great Yan Princess.

How could the captain of a ship sit idly by when his own crew member's wife was being bullied?

Therefore, from the very beginning, Xia En had planned to send Dark Ice to Yan Yan.

During this process, you can also learn some history of the Great Yan Kingdom from her.

Upon hearing Shane's promise, Irina and Sergei couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Previously, they might have thought Shane was exaggerating.

However, after witnessing firsthand how Shane created the "Spark" from scratch, both of their thoughts changed.

Captain Shane certainly has the right to say that!
Even the moment he made that promise gave them a sense of security, as if their hearts had settled down.

Irina thought to herself, "Perhaps this is why Captain Shane can be treated differently by the King?"

Xia En continued, "However, I have some questions I'd like to ask you about the Great Yan Kingdom..."

……

……

It didn't take long.

Irina, Dark Ice, and the mysterious "Eternal Coffin" were all moved onto the "Black Swan".

Of course, Shaen didn't even overlook the Black Flame Robes worn by the rebels. As for the mysterious ice coffin, Shaen first examined it himself.

The ice that formed the coffin was strikingly similar to the ice on the frozen towns he had encountered while diving in the Frigid Sea.

However, the ice that makes up the ice coffin is much more solid and dense, as if it has been compressed dozens or even hundreds of times by some external force.

Meanwhile, Shane also tried to use the panel to uncover its secrets.

【The Eternal Coffin (Imitation)】

[Quality: Legend]

[Type: Relic]

[Description: A meticulously crafted replica, containing some characteristics of the true "Coffin of Eternity".]

[By slumbering within it, and with the aid of special rituals and secret powers, both the body and soul can enter a long slumber, remaining incorrupt for a thousand years.]

There is no such thing as true eternity in this world.

"hiss……"

The description on the panel was brief, yet it made Xia En gasp slightly.

The "Eternal Coffin" that kept the Great Yan Queen asleep for a thousand years was actually just a replica?

And yet, even a single replica is of the quality of a "Legendary" item!

What level will the official version of "Eternal Coffin" reach?
To be honest, the first thing that came to Xia En's mind was Vivian's crystal coffin.

After all, it shares a similar aura with this mysterious ice coffin, and it was also discovered in the [Ember Sanctuary].

There must be some kind of connection between the two.

However, after Shane opened the crystal coffin again and thoroughly examined it from top to bottom under Vivian's astonished gaze, he still found nothing special.

The panel did not provide any prompts.

It was as if it were just an ordinary coffin.

Xia En stroked his chin, guessing to himself.

"Could it be that this crystal coffin is a replica of the [Coffin of Eternity]?"

At this moment, Vivian, who was standing to the side, timidly interjected.

"Captain Shane, what are you doing?"

"It may sound strange, but... even ghosts have privacy!"

"You've seen my whole body!"

Shane: "..."

He glanced at the pristine white skeleton in the crystal coffin.

During the search just now, Xia En did indeed examine the entire skeleton.

Suppressing the urge to complain, Xia En coughed twice and changed the subject.

"Vivian, have you ever heard of... the [Eternal Coffin]?"

"【The Eternal Coffin】?"

Vivian blinked: "What's that?"

"Is it as spacious and comfortable as my coffin?"

Xia En's lips twitched, and he decided not to ask Vivian these questions anymore.

Why are you arguing with a ghostly salted fish?

Moreover, every time I talk to Vivian about these topics, I always feel like the conversation is going astray.

Afterwards, Shane left Vivian's cabin and asked Irina and Sergei some questions about the Black Flame Walker and the Great Yan Kingdom.

First and foremost, what Shane cares about most is...

"How did you Blackflame Walkers survive the first great flood and remain alive until now?"

Upon hearing this question, Irina paused for a moment, then smiled wryly.

"You really noticed."

Indeed, from the first time Shaun met Irina and her Blackflame Walkers, he could tell—

They are not descendants of the Black Flame Walkers, but rather the Black Flame Walkers from the most prosperous period of the Great Yan Kingdom!
What Xia En didn't know was...

He had met Irina and Sergei once before at the International Conference in the City of Giant Trees!
In other words, in terms of actual age, each of them is at least a thousand years old!
However, it is quite obvious.

Irina and the other Blackflame Walkers are not long-lived species.

So how did they get through this long period of time?

In response to Shane's question, Irina explained, "Actually, we Blackflame Walkers, like Her Highness the Princess, have been in hibernation for thousands of years in a special life support device."

"When we woke up, what we saw was this frozen [Far North].

"Special life support device?"

Xia En raised an eyebrow, immediately recalling the life support device he had seen in the [Ember Sanctuary].

In terms of appearance, it is somewhat similar to a so-called "hibernation pod".

Shane remembered that the shelter's life support devices were empty at the time, meaning that the people inside might have already left.

"So, the technology of the Great Yan Kingdom has advanced to this level..."

Xia En was somewhat surprised.

At least on Earth in my previous life, technology like hibernation pods was far from mature.

In the Great Yan Kingdom, this technology has actually been widely used?
However, if that's the case, why deliberately have the Great Yan Queen sleep in a replica of the [Eternal Coffin]?
Irina quickly answered Shane's question.

"Actually, our life support system also has some problems."

"A considerable number of his companions died unexpectedly upon waking up, or died due to device malfunction."

Upon hearing this, Xia En suddenly realized what was going on.

It is clear that although the "hibernation pod" technology of the Great Yan Kingdom is widely used, it still has a relatively high mortality rate.

That's why Dark Ice used a replica of the [Eternal Coffin] to slumber.

However, there are some aspects that don't make sense.

If this technology is not yet mature, why is Yan Yan in such a hurry to put it into use?
It was almost as if... this backup plan had been forced to be activated.

Naturally, Shane asked Irina about their experiences before they went to their final rest.

The result, however, surprised Xia En greatly.

"You mean..."

"Your memories before your eternal sleep are unusually vague; you don't remember what happened?"

"Yes……"

Irina said with a hint of apology, "It's not just me; all the Blackflame Walkers have no memory of the time before their long slumber."

"I only remember that something seemed to have happened that was so terrible and painful that just thinking about it makes my mind feel like it's being pricked with needles."

Upon hearing this, Jane frowned and spoke up.

"These symptoms... are somewhat like [memory miasma]."

"what is that?"

Xia En couldn't help but ask.

Jian explained, "When some people experience something too painful, their brains automatically block out those memories as a form of self-protection, resulting in a 'memory haze'."

"However, there is another possibility."

"That means some secret cultivator or deity used some kind of secret technique to completely conceal the memories that remained in people's minds for a certain period of time."

(End of this chapter)