Although Thea was bent on breaking them up, she couldn't watch Diana—whose temper had grown lately—stab Steve to death with one sword strike. After soothing Diana, she returned to her room and changed back into her Kevlar combat suit. Putting on this outfit after so many days felt like returning to those blood-soaked days in Gotham.
Looking at the Amazon half-armor she had worn for over six months... Hippolyta might not even let her back onto the island when she returned a hundred years from now. At least it was a souvenir. She stored it in her blood-imprint space. Only when she put it in did Thea realize this armor barely counted as magical equipment, though the effect was extremely weak.
Seeing Diana still waiting outside, Thea gazed at the tables, chairs, and furnishings in the room. The next time she could come back would be a century later. She gently closed the door and walked out of the hut she had stayed in for half a year.
"Let's go..." Diana didn't know that once they left, they wouldn't return for a short while. She thought Thea had made a great determination to help her, holding her hand and whispering comforting words.
As the sidekick, Steve's eyes were very sharp. He immediately noticed Thea's outfit was different—deep red and black, extremely aesthetic in design. Is this their local clothing? Are you kidding me! Comparing it to the female warrior armor he saw during the day, Steve felt these were two completely different styles no matter how he looked at it.
But Steve didn't ponder for long before discovering that the very same "anti-Darwin" elk from earlier that day had followed them. He hurriedly took two steps to catch up to the two women, pointing at the elk following them and whispering, "That deer followed us..."
Thea glanced at him without speaking. How fresh. I called it here. I haven't even summoned my unicorn yet; wouldn't you faint if you saw that?
"That is our divine messenger, it is our friend," Diana explained kindly.
Steve opened his mouth wide. "This deer is too amazing; it can actually change size! This violates Darwin's theory of evolution. Do you know Darwin?"
"Anti-Darwin?" Thea's eyes instantly lit up upon hearing this term. Just as Steve wanted to explain the latest human research to these uncivilized natives, he saw Thea rush to the elk in two steps, hugging its big head and speaking happily.
"You've been with me for so long, and I haven't given you a good name. That sidekick just reminded me. Anti-Darwin... Van... Fandral! Fandral Staghelm! How does this name sound?"
The elk rolled its eyes in a very human-like manner. Thea slammed the gavel without the slightest embarrassment. "The Fandral in that world dreams of having a pair of antlers symbolizing an Archdruid. You are much happier than him. It's decided!"
Student Thea, a sufferer of "difficulty in naming," sighed with a face full of happiness as if putting down a heavy burden. Her steps became much lighter.
"Have you made up your minds?" The two women hadn't left the central living area far when Hippolyta and Antiope both walked out from the shade of the trees.
"Mother."
"Your Majesty."
The scene was silent for a moment. "Artemis, can I have a word with you?" Hippolyta somewhat unexpectedly sought out Thea first.
Looking for me? Thea was a bit stunned. This didn't seem to be her business, but she still respectfully walked aside, ready to listen to what the Queen had to say.
But the Queen's first sentence shocked her significantly. "You aren't from this point in time, are you? Do you come from the future?"
"This... this..." Thea saw the Queen's expression was very flat, seemingly certain of this matter. She racked her brain but couldn't come up with an excuse.
"You don't need to be in a hurry to deny it. I once followed the God King to witness the rise and fall of empires, the birth and extinction of species. I have also encountered time travelers. I only want to ask you two questions, since you know the future."
"Your Majesty, please speak." Faced with this knowledgeable mistress of Zeus, Thea felt truly powerless. Heaven knows what equipment she had on her. She could only lower her attitude as much as possible.
"Is Diana in danger on this trip? Will her honor be affirmed in human society?"
"The trip will have a few scares but no real danger." Thea answered the first question very readily. If one ignored the Godslayer sword the old lady gave her, even the "scare" might not happen.
As for the second question, Thea considered it before saying slowly, word by word, "Human society will not identify with a demigod initially, but in the end, they will acknowledge Diana's heroic deeds."
"Then I am at ease. Keep this as a souvenir. Paradise Island will welcome you at any time." The Queen handed Thea an emerald green ring after speaking, then walked toward Diana with a smile.
Holy crap. Thea felt a stir in her heart the moment she saw the ring. The elk not far away also instantly focused its gaze on the ring.
This... this is Artemis's Ring! This is definitely one of the pieces of equipment Hippolyta embezzled! This woman is too sly. She takes equipment that should have belonged to Thea, gives it to her at parting, and Thea still has to owe her a favor and thank her!
The moment she got the ring, Thea understood its operating principle. This was equipment forged from the elk's habitat using divine power. The space inside was large. Although its main use was for the elk to rest, discussing with it to store other things should be fine. Tears of joy streamed down Thea's face; finally, a spatial ring!
Finally, she didn't have to forcefully stuff equipment into the unicorn space. Having passed through bitterness to sweetness, Thea remembered another matter. "Your Majesty, about Niobe...?"
"She is a proud Amazon warrior; she will return to the tribe," the Queen said faintly.
"Thank you for your mercy." Thea had no more issues. She happily put the ring on the ring finger of her right hand. She roughly understood the meanings of how women wore rings; the ring finger represented passionate love. Presumably, this move could ward off quite a few "flies."
Actually, how could people of the Jianghu (wanderers) care about so many rules? Next door in Marvel, the Mandarin wore ten rings and no one gossiped. She was just starting out; presumably, there would be more and more magic rings in the future.
Thea recalled the elk into the ring and stood alone to the side, watching Antiope constantly admonishing Diana. Finally, Antiope put her own tiara on Diana's forehead, patted her shoulder, and left alone.
When the Queen finally left, Diana's face was full of misery. Hugging Thea, her voice choked up a bit. "Mother said if I leave, I can never come back..."
Thea gently patted her back and comforted, "As long as you complete your mission, you will return here one day. This is your home. Let's go, pluck up your courage. This is your destined path. No matter what lies ahead, I will accompany you to the end of this journey..."
Sure enough, mentioning the sense of mission made Diana recover most of her spirit instantly. Although her expression was still a bit low, she had finally mustered some fighting spirit.