Compared to external enemies, an infiltrator within one's own ranks is even more terrifying.
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The appearance of an traitor undoubtedly makes the audience feel as though they are facing a great enemy.
Could it be?
After the conclusion of the Penacony storyline, will the Alliance once again face a war comparable to the previous Phantylia storyline?
Moreover, deep down, the audience feels that the threat of the traitor is even more pressing.
Compared to Phantylia, a hidden danger at the level of an Emanator, it is the low-level infiltrators and unknown traitors that truly chill the heart.
A traitor lurking.
More precisely a traitor of the Vidyadhara.
From the words of the three generals, hints of internal conflict within the Xianzhou are revealed.
On the barrage screen, many viewers are already worried, could this episode be the prelude to a fourth Abundance War?
Yet the story of this episode has already passed its halfway point.
At least the essential plot points have been explained:
the Luminary Wardance, the questioning of Jing Yuan, and the crisis of the Borisin.
But some more thoughtful viewers are already furrowing their brows.
The progression of the main storyline leaves behind an indescribably strange feeling.
...
: No, no! The story of this episode doesn't feel simple at all. Something's wrong, this is already very dangerous!
: I feel the same. All the crises currently appearing on the Luofu are pressure being applied unilaterally by the 'Abundance'.
: Yes! I see where it feels wrong! The Luofu has shown no way of responding. That's not normal!
: Jing Yuan, as the Divine Foresight General, performed outstandingly in the battle against Phantylia, showing absolute control. Now so many strange things are happening, yet he seems indifferent?
: Could it be that he doesn't know?
: Impossible. In other episodes, Jing Yuan might be made less intelligent, but not here.
: And not only him! Generals Huaiyan and Feixiao are also strange. Feixiao aside, Huaiyan has been in position the longest, yet he too shows no reaction to all these small disturbances on the Luofu.
: Maybe you're overthinking it. Could it be that the generals simply don't know what's happening beneath them?
...
The debate rages on in the comments.
Viewers who have already touched on the core of the episode still feel like they're stuck with one foot outside the door, unable to see the truth within.
Others simply dismiss them as overthinking.
However, that strange feeling is correct.
The three generals, Huaiyan, being a seasoned veteran, may have already guessed about the traitors within the Luofu.
As for Feixiao, through Moze and her own field investigations, it's hard to say whether she hasn't noticed the Borisins' schemes.
And Jing Yuan, there's no need to even mention him. To put it bluntly, almost everything happening on the Luofu lies within his sight.
Though the story doesn't state this outright, based on his character, it is inevitable.
The clever viewers feel that the strangeness lies here:
All the tension and crisis in this episode's plot centers on the schemes of the Borisin and the petty tricks of the Preceptors.
But the three generals, on their side, seem to care more about other matters.
As if these traitors on the Luofu are essentially insignificant.
This difference in attitude is the true source of strangeness.
Soon after, with heavy doubts lingering, the scene shifts to another location.
Inside the Palace of Astrum, Stelle and Dan Heng have arrived by invitation, being questioned by Feixiao.
The strangeness grows even deeper.
At the beginning of the episode, viewers worried greatly about this interrogation, yet it proceeds unexpectedly smoothly.
Feixiao's manner feels almost perfunctory.
Questions such as why they trust the Stellaron Hunters, why Dan Shu, as Chief Alchemist, incited rebellion, and on what grounds, are answered by Stelle and Dan Heng in ordinary, standard ways.
When asked if Tingyun was really Phantylia in disguise, even Stelle's answer was vague: "Phantylia is a Denizen of Abundance, elusive and indefinable."
Such a blurry answer, and Feixiao simply nodded in acceptance.
Though Huaiyan occasionally helped explain from the side, still, this passed?
...
: So careless? Even such vague words are accepted?
: This interrogation is like child's play!
: Is this just a formality?
: Wasn't this supposed to be the most important part of this episode? I thought there would be bloodshed!
: Huaiyan even helped Stelle smooth things over, the pass was too easy.
: Then maybe the Alliance never really suspected Jing Yuan? But then why send two generals to conduct the inquiry?
: Damn, I'm also starting to feel something's off…
...
The comments fly by.
Even ordinary viewers begin to suspect they may have misunderstood earlier parts of the story.
As the questioning concludes, Feixiao nods and says: "Good, that concludes it."
Huaiyan asks: "Then, General Feixiao, what do you think?"
Feixiao folds her arms and affirms: "The answers were quite sincere. Even if the details are hard to explain, based on my intuition, nothing seemed amiss."
The audience is puzzled.
Matters of rebellion and internal strife, can intuition really suffice?
But then, Feixiao's expression grows serious. A seriousness he never showed during the questioning itself.
"However, the questions I posed were not only for these two Nameless, but also to convey a certain message to General Jing Yuan…"
"First, the expansion of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus within the Luofu has gone unchecked, while the Six Charioteers failed to notice, letting it fester, this is 'dereliction of duty'."
"Second, trusting the words of the Stellaron Hunters without doubt, and entrusting them with the task of resolving the crisis, this is 'failure of responsibility'."
"Third, after the calamity of the Ambrosial Arbor, insisting on holding the Luminary Wardance, placing the Luofu again in the center of focus, this is 'lack of wisdom'."
Each line clenches the audience's hearts tighter.
This sounds like a 'judgment' against Jing Yuan.
"General Feixiao," Huaiyan, who had been listening silently, suddenly asked: "Are these your own thoughts, or the will of the Ten Lords?"
Feixiao replied: "I said from the start, what I ask may not necessarily be what I myself believe."
At last, Jing Yuan speaks, answering the doubts of the 'Ten Lords'.
Regarding the Stellaron Hunters, he says he never fully trusted them, but simply went along with events.
As for convening the Luminary Wardance, Jing Yuan admits:
"The Luofu has lain stagnant too long. It is time to stir the waters, to let the sediment rise, so that we may see clearly."
In other words: baiting and fishing.
And this fishing strategy of Jing Yuan's confirms what the audience had suspected earlier.
He knew all along. He simply did not care.
...
: Jing Yuan really did know about these things, but to him, they weren't that important at the moment.
: Those Borisin, the Preceptors, did he really not even bother looking at them?
: Damn, the Divine Foresight General really is badass. Compared to him, we were just panicking over those Borisin for nothing.
: No wonder the general's storyline feels so drastically different from the threes' storyline.
: This conversation also proves another thing: in this episode of Luofu, aside from the obvious plot, there's also a hidden thread among the three generals.
: And this hidden thread is what they really care about, and it's even more important.
: Huh? So the big shots already figured this out.
: Huaiyan even directly pointed it out, it's the conflict between the Ten Lords and the Arbiter-Generals!
: Saying "conflict" might be a bit much. In reality, it's probably just factional disputes within the alliance!
...
The audience who finally had their doubts cleared now had everything sorted out.
All of a sudden, countless big shots used the comments section to lay out their own explanations for those who hadn't yet understood.
Simply put: the Marshal and the Arbiter-Generals are on the same side, you could say they're one faction within the Alliance.
The Ten-Lords Commission is another faction.
But it doesn't mean they're outright enemies, it's just that they each have different outlooks.
After all, there's no way a huge organization could exist without factions, just like in the Interastral Peace Corporation where different departments often clash.
It's very normal, internal disagreements within a large power.
Ever since Feixiao and Huaiyan arrived in Luofu, their tolerance and hints toward Jing Yuan were all because of this key point.
On the barrage, someone explained it even more directly:
The Arbiter-Generals and the Ten-Lords Commission can basically be understood as the conservative faction and the radical faction within the Alliance.
Working with the Stellaron Hunters was a minor issue.
What the Ten-Lords Commission truly resents and distrusts Jing Yuan for is this:
When you knew there was the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus and the Abundance spawn inside Luofu, why the hell didn't you just wipe them all out?
The same with the traitors among the Vidyadhara, ever since the Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae, they've never been completely purged!
What's wrong with you? Are you being disloyal to the Reignbow Arbiter?! How could you let these vermin keep corrupting Luofu?!
But the Marshal Hua and the generals in the Arbiter-General positions all understood Jing Yuan's thinking:
A general isn't just a warlord, he's the highest military and political leader of an entire Xianzhou ship.
Sure, Jing Yuan could have carried out a full purge right after the Moon-Eater chaos, or right after the Abundance incident.
But the problem is, he had to think about the people's hearts.
After a great disaster, if he immediately launched another round of internal purges, what would that do to morale in Luofu? To the hearts of people across the Alliance?
And those Vidyadhara traitors, everyone knows they exist, yet they still manage to strut around.
Why? Because they're slippery. They hide behind the ancestral pact the Alliance has with them.
Whenever something happens, they cut off the culprits and pretend it has nothing to do with the rest. There's no evidence to pin on them.
If Jing Yuan really moved against them, they could always turn it around, cry betrayal of the pact, and revolt.
Worst case, they just fake their own reincarnation. If they dare tamper with the High Elders' rebirth, why wouldn't they do the same for themselves?
Phantylia's infiltration into the Xianzhou, the destruction it foresaw, that was exactly the outcome if Jing Yuan had taken the hardline approach.
A chain reaction starting from Luofu, spreading step by step, ultimately causing rifts inside the Alliance and sparking civil strife.
But in the end, Phantylia failed.
Because Jing Yuan, despite being under enormous pressure both internally and externally, endured.
His skillful leadership let him resolve the main crises (Phantylia, the Ambrosial Arbor), while suppressing the secondary ones (the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, the Vidyadhara traitors).
He managed to get Luofu through the great catastrophe steadily, buying precious time.
...
And now, when he holds the Luminary Wardance Ceremony, even allowing those Borisin to act under his nose, it's because after freeing up his hands, he's finally preparing to deal with them.
Marshal Hua sending Feixiao was to give the Ten-Lords Commission face: "You want an investigation? Fine. I'll assign you the general, a foxian, so you can feel reassured."
Then sending Huaiyan to tell Jing Yuan:
"All the Arbiter-Generals are satisfied with your work. Do what you need to. I'll send Huaiyan, the longest-serving general, to back you up."
...
: Damn, seeing these explanations from the big shots, I'm honestly impressed…
: All these twists and turns, damn, if I transmigrated as a General, I'd already be screwed.
: Has to be political drama, this stuff really hits hard.
: Jing Yuan truly lives up to the title of Divine Foresight General, so steady, so reassuring!
: Anyway, the Ten-Lords Commission's stance is simple: Abundance is like cockroaches, see one, exterminate it. Holding back is not an option.
: Feixiao is sharp too, after saying her piece, she just told Jing Yuan directly: "This is from the Ten-Lords Commission."
: In short, what we can confirm now is: there are differences between the Arbiter-Generals and the Ten-Lords Commission.
: Their views on Luofu's affairs diverge, and that's the root of the split.
: We just don't know exactly where their core disagreement lies.
: It should be revealed soon.
...
While the comments was flying by, Feixiao, hearing Jing Yuan's refined, poetic way of speaking, laughed out loud:
"No wonder you're the Divine Foresight General, always so scholarly in your words."
Then she spoke with total frankness.
First, she made clear that no matter what, the Alliance feels heavy pressure because of Luofu.
This time, the report also needs to be finalized by the Ten-Lords Commission.
And instead of Jing Yuan stepping out, she herself will write to the Ten Lords to request their seal of approval.
This way, internal dissent within the Alliance would be suppressed.
Feixiao also asked Stelle and Dan Heng to go deliver the letter.
This move was a huge help to Jing Yuan, after all, having Feixiao get the seal versus Jing Yuan himself getting it made a big difference.
Jing Yuan happily agreed.
Afterward, Feixiao raised another request.
She wanted the captive warlord Hoolay to be transferred to Yaoqing for custody.
This prisoner transfer seemed like a big deal, so much so that even Feixiao had to first help Jing Yuan with a tough problem before bringing it up.
Fortunately, after a bit of thought, Jing Yuan also agreed.
And so, after the exchanges of favors and inquiries, everything was settled.
The three Arbiter-Generals reached an agreement, and Stelle and Dan Heng accepted the invitation to head to the Shackling Prison.
Now that the audience knew the generals were fully aware of the Borisin situation, they could finally relax.
Then they remembered those Borisin, struggling desperately to rescue their warlord… It gave everyone a strange sense of déjà vu.
Like, damn, isn't this just three Arbiter-Generals toying with them?