Lucas woke up from a daze, greeted by a sky full of heavy snow. His body seemed to be covered in wounds, causing a throbbing pain all over. The snow fell all around, but none landed on him. As he struggled to move his eyes, he saw the slightly weary face of Ariana. Her light blue eyes were filled with endless tenderness, quietly gazing at him. She held a simple umbrella made from a coat over her head, only covering half of herself. Silent snowflakes landed on her blonde hair, some melting on her long eyelashes, giving her eyes a dewy appearance. The scene that greeted him made the snowy wilderness seem gentle and serene.
He found himself on a makeshift sled pulled by four horses. Ariana was by his side, taking care of him. A line of horses moved ahead, and behind them, there were a dozen more horses dragging branches to erase the hoofprints in the snow. The heavy snow continued to fall, and any traces left behind were quickly obliterated after being swept away.
Lucas looked at the tattered sleeping bag covering him, a fox fur scarf wrapped around his neck from Ariana. It was warm. He struggled to speak, "Where... the hell am I? How did I suddenly get the VIP treatment?" It seemed to take Ariana a while to realize that Lucas had awakened. Her eyes went from disbelief to ecstatic joy. Suddenly, she pounced on Lucas.
"You stinky refugee! If you died, who would protect me on our way to the Roman? Didn't you say you'd never give up on me? Do you know what I thought when I saw you fall, stupidly trying to catch those arrows? Bastard! Bastard!"
Lucas winced in pain, "Miss, you're pressing on my wound! If you want to get cozy, find a better time. We are surrounded by people... you know? I can be shy!"
Ariana, with reddened eyes, sat up straight. Only now did she revert to her usual elegant and somewhat aristocratic coldness, "We were saved by the people from the Ashina. They are taking us to the Javanshir Fortress. We escaped from Uncle Cyrus, but now we become the guests of the Ashina..."
Lucas's head was practically surrounded by question marks. The Ashina... wasn't that the name the flat-chested girl said before? Were they really so daring, snatching people from the hands of the hunting army of Great Persia? Judging by the formidable forces around them, there were probably seventy to eighty valiant knights. He licked his lips. Anyway, at least he managed to snatch back a life. The feeling made his wounds seem less painful. He asked with some surprise, "What is the Ashina? Are they from Roman Empire? Or from your Persia Empire? How strong are they?"
Ariana blinked, about to answer when a majestic white horse approached the sled they were riding. Then, a cold voice rang out, "We, Ashina is the most powerful force in the land of Armenia right now!"
From Lucas's perspective, he could only see a pair of slender legs that resembled a work of art, gracefully draped over the stirrups. As his gaze moved upward, he noticed the black-clad girl riding the horse with a stern expression. She wore a felt hat and a black fur cloak, and snow had accumulated on the felt hat. Her slender eyes were slightly squinted, indicating a bad mood. However, her expression carried a certain charm. Lucas couldn't help but exclaim, "Flat-chested girl!" After uttering those words, he quickly shut his mouth. Now that he was in their hands, it was better to keep his mouth in check!
The girl's chest heaved with indignation at Lucas's words. Fairly speaking, although the black-clad tall girl's chest wasn't as full and firm as Ariana's, it still had delicate contours that complemented her tall and graceful figure, exuding a unique charm. Unfortunately, their first encounter was far from friendly, and Lucas didn't have any kind words to offer.
The girl seemed to be suppressing her anger, coldly explaining, "We, Ashina, are of Turkic royal descent. After being defeated by the Tang Dynasty, our tribe led by Tong Yabghu Qaghan and journeyed westward from the Mongolian steppes. After numerous battles, we established the Western Turkic Khaganate, gaining control over the Silk Road. The Roman Emperor Heraclius even marriaged his daughter Eudocia to our Qaghan and sent vast treasures. With our assistance, the Romans finally defeated the Persians."
The black-clad girl cast a contemptuous glance at the quietly sitting Ariana, "Unfortunately, Qaghan was betrayed, leading to the disintegration of our Western Turkic Khaganate. The Ashina clan settled in the land of Armenia. Despite the continuous wars between the Persians and Romans, we Ashina have still defended our territory in Armenia. Today, we have developed to this extent! While the Roman Empire is powerful, and the Persians are aggressive, the land of Armenia still belongs to our Ariana clan. In the current era, although the west is dominated by the Roman Empire and the south is ruled by the Persians, our Ashina has formed alliances with thousands of tribes, including Saragurs, Ogurs, Bulgras, and so on, commanding a force of a hundred thousand battle-hardened warriors. Even though Armenia land may be part of your Persia, it is still the realm of our Ashina!"
With these words, the proud black-clad girl's speech grew more impassioned. As she reached the pinnacle of her satisfaction, the guards erupted into cheers, their voices resonating through the forest, causing the white snow on the trees to rustle and fall. In this cheer, it seemed to encapsulate all the pride of these warriors who had survived and fought in the harsh lands of Armenia.
Lying there, Lucas felt a welling of tears, not from being moved, but finally understanding the era he had crossed into. With no time for extensive questions during the mad dash with Ashina, he had managed to grasp a few terms from the conversation with the black-clad girl – Roman, Persia, and Turkic.
He was moved there, however, Ariana sat quietly, her expression somewhat mocking. She calmly said, "When my father Prince Farid led the Persian cavalry to defeat your Qaghan, many tribes among you began to resist him, why didn't you mention it? If we weren't caught in a pincer attack between you and the Romans simultaneously, wouldn't Persia have lost? After your Qaghan's death, who surrendered your Ashina tribe to our Persia? Wasn't it Mr. Mishe Ashina? My father, being kind-hearted, allowed Mr. Mishe to pacify the situation in Armenia, putting an end to the cycle of mutual killings. With the support of my great Persia, Mr. Mishe's influence soared. To expand the power of Ashina, weren't there many sins committed by his former Turkic army? It's not just the blood of the Roman, right?"
Ariana sat there, her expression increasingly filled with a mocking undertone. This noble young lady, even when fallen into the hands of others, did not let go of her inherent arrogance. Her words had no trace of kindness, "The Ashina now dominates in Armenia, tracing back to its origins, who deserves the credit? The current Ashina tribe... is it truly rising so upright? "
A quietness settled in the snowy landscape, as if one could hear the sound of snowflakes falling on each person's shoulders. Fearing the impending trouble, Lucas anxiously watched as the Ashina girl tightened her grip on the whip, her expression growing increasingly unpleasant. "Now Ariana is clueless about the situation! Although I don't understand much about the mixed-up affairs, but even idiot knows that she's exposing someone's shortcomings... Now you're in for a whipping, and I can't help you with that. I'm still lying down!"
Ariana, however, sat calmly, paying no attention to the girl's changing expressions. Two beautiful women glared at each other. The girl took a deep breath and sneered, "You keep talking about your Great Persia, Now, who is pursuing you? Which country have you betrayed?"
This statement caused Ariana's eyelids to twitch, and her face turned pale. Nevertheless, she proudly raised her head, locking eyes with the girl. Then, both women simultaneously looked away. This round of the contest between two beauties ended in a draw!
The black-clad girl turned her head, seemingly wanting to vent her frustration on Lucas. She asked fiercely, "What did you mean by 'A-cup' before you passed out? Huh?"